First time taking adderall xr and having inconsistent results

[AlliParticipant]

I was recently diagnosed with ADD and my doctor prescribed me adderall xr 20mg. I’ve been taking it about a week. The first day I felt great. I was calm, focused, and had motivation to do all the mundane things I usually dreaded or was too mentally exhausted to do. I was able to focus better than I had in years!
However, by day three I noticed around eight hours after taking it I felt exhausted and unfocused, and had a headache as well. Today I felt this after three-ish hours, and again around the eight hour mark although some coffee did help make it a bit more bearable. I’m having a hard time falling and staying asleep as well.
I’m unsure if this means I should try different medication, or if I need to stick it out for longer than a week. When the medication is in effect I am focused and calm, but will the crash I feel lessen over time? I seem to be experiencing different side effects or symptoms each day on these meds so far. Is this normal or should I phone my doctor and make an appointment?

[donja.bunnellParticipant]

Hi Alli,

I have found what can make a HUGE difference with my Adderall is the manufacturer. I take a generic by Teva and I do quite well with it. You will find if you look around the forums on here that the one to completely stay away from is Aurobindo. It is basically like taking a sugar pill. Actually, it feels worse than taking a sugar pill. Pharmacists, Dr’s, whoever can tell you that all generics are the same. That’s a load of crap. It makes me very angry when they say that because it has been proven over and over to be untrue. That’s all I know. Hope this helps somewhat.

Donja

[AlliParticipant]

Thank you for your reply Donja! I didn’t know that! Apparently Shire is the company that manufactures it, not sure if that makes a difference or not!

• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  Alli.

[broccolisaladParticipant]

Teva is the only generic people should get- it for sure makes a difference. Not all pharmacies have it, I know Walgreens does. But I would also try the immediate release kind (still Teva) It is so much more flexible. Some days I need more than others, and others days I want to take them at different times, etc. The results have always been pretty consistent with me. Most side effects went away after a few weeks. So at least try a few weeks as a lot of the side effects can go away and the good effects stay. After a few months on the drug the only side effects I notice are dry mouth (but not that bad) and the occasional headache, not more than once a week and it goes away with Tylenol.

[AlliParticipant]

Thanks for the advice! I will stick it out for a couple weeks more and hopefully the side effects lessen! I’ve already found that cutting out coffee and caffeine drastically reduces side effects for me, but I’m now dealing with a migraine from caffeine withdrawl/lack of sleep combined with possibly the new meds. What a rollercoaster! At least I am really focused and calm during the day. Perhaps once I am better rested, I will also feel more focused and motivated in the evening after the pill wears off.

[InnatentiveMomParticipant]

I’m recently starting with XR also and having similar experiences. I have noticed what I eat has impacted how I feel each day. I have little appetite and noticed what I did eat was crap (coffee, a couple bites of my kids leftovers, a random cookie lol). I have now been trying to have a healthy breakfast before taking pill and planning a couple small snacks through the day.

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