Should i increase adderall dosage

Different interactions can cause different effects. For instance, some can interfere with how well a drug works, while others can cause increased side effects. Below is a list of medications that can interact with Adderall.

Before taking Adderall, be sure to tell your doctor and pharmacist about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take. Also tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use. Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions. If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Medications that reduce the amount of acid in your stomach can increase the amount of Adderall your body absorbs.

This can raise your risk of side effects. Examples of acid-reducing drugs include:. Taking Adderall with MAOIs can increase the risk of dangerous side effects, such as very high blood pressure , chest pain , severe headache , and increased body temperature. Taking Adderall with medications that increase serotonin in your body can raise your risk of developing serotonin syndrome , a drug reaction that can be dangerous. If you take any of these medications, you may need to start with a lower dosage of Adderall.

Taking Adderall with a tricyclic antidepressant can increase the effects of Adderall in your body and increase your risk of heart-related effects and other side effects. Examples of tricyclic antidepressants include:. Taking Adderall with certain medications that block how the body breaks down Adderall can result in an increased risk of serious side effects, including serotonin syndrome. If you take these medications, you may need to start with a lower dosage of Adderall.

Examples of these medications include:. Adderall and Xanax alprazolam are sometimes prescribed together, especially for those who have both ADHD and anxiety. Adderall helps improve concentration and focus, while Xanax is calming and can help relieve symptoms of anxiety. Adderall and Prozac fluoxetine are sometimes prescribed together, especially for people who have both ADHD and other conditions.

These conditions include depression, anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Adderall helps improve concentration and focus in people with ADHD. Prozac is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor SSRI antidepressant that can improve symptoms of depression. These medications should only be taken together if your doctor prescribes them.

Combining Adderall and Prozac can increase your risk of developing serotonin syndrome , a drug reaction that can be dangerous. Adderall and Zoloft sertraline are sometimes prescribed together, especially for people who have both ADHD and other conditions such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Zoloft is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor SSRI antidepressant that can improve symptoms of depression.

Combining Adderall and Zoloft can increase your risk of developing serotonin syndrome , a drug reaction that can be dangerous. Adderall can interact with certain vitamins, supplements, or herbs you may be taking. Taking vitamin C supplements can make your stomach more acidic and can decrease the amount of Adderall your body absorbs. This can make Adderall less effective. Supplements that affect serotonin can increase your risk of developing serotonin syndrome.

Taking Adderall with marijuana cannabis can increase your risk of heart-related side effects. These include rapid heartbeat , arrhythmia irregular heartbeat , and heart attack.

Fruit juices are often acidic and can decrease how much Adderall your body absorbs. Caffeine in foods and beverages such as coffee might add to the stimulant effects of Adderall. This can increase the risk of stimulant-related side effects such as anxiety , nervousness, trouble sleeping, and others. While taking Adderall, you should avoid consuming large amounts of coffee or other drinks that contain caffeine.

Symptoms of overdose can include:. If you think you or your child has taken too much of this drug, call your doctor or seek guidance from the American Association of Poison Control Centers at or through their online tool. But if your symptoms are severe, call or go to the nearest emergency room right away. Treatment of overdose will partly depend on the symptoms you have.

In many cases, people who have overdosed will be agitated. Medical personnel may give an injection to calm the person. In some cases, intravenous fluids may be given. Also, tests may be done to check for heart problems, breathing problems, and oxygen levels.

And medications may be needed for heart problems or seizures if they occur. Drug dependence can occur in people who take Adderall. Prolonged use can cause both psychological and physical dependence. This can make it difficult to stop taking the medication. In some cases, it can lead to drug abuse and inappropriate usage, resulting in severe side effects. Misuse and abuse of Adderall is a growing epidemic , especially on college campuses. Many college students use Adderall to help them study.

The half-life of a medication refers to the time it takes for half of the medication to be inactivated or removed from the body. Half-life is used as a measure of how long the medication will work or stay in the body. The half-life of Adderall is typically from 9 to 14 hours. Each Adderall tablet or capsule contains two stimulant drugs: amphetamine and dextroamphetamine.

Both drugs cause the body to release increased norepinephrine and other neurotransmitters in the brain. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that send messages, or signals, between cells.

Increased amounts of these messengers in the brain can result in more focus and attention. In people with ADHD , it can also result in a calming effect. In people with narcolepsy , it can help reduce daytime sleepiness.

Some research in animals has shown negative effects to a fetus when the mother takes this drug. Some infants born to mothers who are dependent on drugs similar to Adderall during pregnancy have shown negative effects. These include an increased risk of being born premature, having low birth weight, or having symptoms of drug withdrawal. This medication should be used during pregnancy only if the benefit justifies the potential risk.

Adderall can pass through breast milk and cause side effects in a child who is breastfed. You may need to decide whether to stop breastfeeding or stop taking this medication. When Adderall is dispensed from the pharmacy, the pharmacist will add an expiration date to the label on the bottle. This date is typically one year from the date the medication was dispensed. The purpose of such expiration dates is to guarantee the effectiveness of the medication during this time. However, an FDA study showed that many medications may still be good beyond the expiration date listed on the bottle.

How long the medication remains good can depend on many factors, including how and where the medication is stored. Adderall should be stored at room temperature in a tightly sealed and light-resistant container. If you have unused medication that has gone past the expiration date, talk to your pharmacist about whether you might still be able to use it. Adderall XR typically works for about 8 to 10 hours.

As a result, most people take it just once each day. Adderall is a stimulant that works in the brain to treat symptoms of ADHD and narcolepsy. What we do know is that Adderall affects chemical messengers in the brain called neurotransmitters , such as norepinephrine and dopamine.

The effects on these neurotransmitters are thought to help control certain impulses and provide a calming effect in people with ADHD. They also cause increased focus and attention. It can also cause feelings of physical and mental energy, and a sense of confidence. One review of studies showed that in people with ADHD, stimulant medications such as Adderall made the structure and function of their brains more closely match the structure and function of brains in people without ADHD.

Tolerance occurs when your body gets used to the effects of a medication and no longer responds in the same way. In some cases, this can require increasing the dosage of a drug to get the same effect. Once an effective dosage is determined, that dosage can often be continued for long periods of time without any loss of effectiveness. Tolerance can also relate to side effects. People who take Adderall for ADHD or narcolepsy sometimes experience side effects when they first start the medication.

In many cases, the body develops a tolerance to these side effects, and they go away. Adderall contains amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. For people who take Adderall, drug screening tests will be positive for amphetamine. If you take Adderall for a medical condition, consider disclosing this information before completing a drug screening related to work or athletics.

This drug has a boxed warning. A boxed warning alerts doctors and patients about drug effects that may be dangerous. Adderall and similar medications have the potential to be misused. Taking these medications for long periods of time can cause psychological and physical dependence. This may lead to obtaining Adderall illegally and using it for nonmedical purposes.

Misuse and abuse of Adderall may cause serious side effects, including heart problems and death. Before taking Adderall, talk with your doctor about your health history. Adderall may not be appropriate for you if you have certain medical conditions. These include:. If you think your pet has consumed this medication, call your veterinarian right away.

Amphetamines are sympathomimetic amines that stimulate the central nervous system CNS. Amphetamines stimulate norepinephrine and dopamine release in the CNS, increasing their levels in the extraneuronal space. Amphetamines decrease fatigue , increase alertness, and cause mild euphoria. Outside the CNS, amphetamines increase blood pressure and stimulate heart rate and respiration.

After an oral dose of Adderall, peak plasma concentrations occur in about three hours. For Adderall XR, the peak concentration occurs in about seven hours. Amphetamines are excreted in the urine. Typically, 30 percent to 40 percent of the administered dose is recovered in the urine as amphetamine, and 50 percent is recovered as the inactive metabolite alpha-hydroxy-amphetamine. Amphetamines contained in Adderall are extensively abused.

People taking amphetamines can develop extreme psychological dependence and tolerance. In some cases of amphetamine misuse, people have used doses several times higher than what is recommended.

In those dependent on amphetamines, severe withdrawal can occur when the medication is abruptly stopped. Withdrawal symptoms can include extreme fatigue , depression , and sleep disruption. Adderall should be stored in a tightly closed, light-resistant container.

Children and some adolescents who cannot communicate the effects of medication need a week between dosage adjustments. She knows what typical second-grade behavior looks like, and can help evaluate a child who is too young to report on how the medication works. Emphasize that you will fine-tune to the lowest dose possible. Each time, when we raise the dose, you should see a clear, dramatic improvement in all your target symptoms, and no side effects other than a mild, transient loss of appetite.

Every other time we raised the dose I could clearly see improvement. This time, this dose and the previous dose seem exactly the same to me. If the person is over the age of 16, that dose should work for the rest of their life. Tolerance is very rare to the benefits of these medications; tolerance develops very quickly to their side effects.

The increase in how long it lasts is very marginal. Remember that even though extended-release is marketed as once-a-day or hours, the longest duration is hours of effectiveness, with the exception of Daytrana. Most times, insurance will only cover one extended-release dose per day, so to have evening coverage many people use an immediate-release format for the second dose. Write everything down for your patient. Even people without ADHD have trouble remembering all the information needed to maintain a treatment plan.

Remember that the parent accompanying a child could have ADHD, too. Good medication outcomes require written, simplified instructions that the patient can follow step-by-step. If you would like a copy, contact me at drdodson dodsonadhdcenter. After the age of 14, many people need 16 hours of coverage per day. This requires multiple doses of medication throughout the day. Patients should use medication at all times and in all situations where there is impairment from ADHD, including bedtime.

Medication helps us to be social, get along with family, do homework at night, and drive a car safely. When that happens, you know your patient can take a second dose to cover all the time they need.

There is no basis for a medication vacation. For children and teens, I recommend that they take the medication very consistently. On medication, the risks are the same as they are for the general population. Fifteen percent of people do not respond to or tolerate the two standard molecules of methylphenidate and amphetamine. The second-line medications are Clonidine and Guanfacine. They work for about one in three people. They have a very robust effect size of about 1.

The dosages of methamphetamine that are used to treat ADHD are extremely low. Nonetheless, finding physicians who feel comfortable with the use of methamphetamine is somewhat rare.

The third-line agent is Strattera atomoxetine. It has an effect size of 0. In high school students and above, and especially in adults, we see a barely detectable effect size of 0.

Even the barely detectable benefit is found in only about half of people. There are other medications in the alternative, or off-label, group that include Bupropion Wellbutrin , and modafinil Provigil. These are not FDA-approved. They are not studied for ADHD, but there is some literature on their efficacy if everything else has failed.

They offer a return to normal functioning, often with no side effects other than maybe a mild loss of appetite that goes away for most people. With these steps, physicians can help more patients have that moment. Or maybe it means the dose wearing off, but I get zombielike as effect, after 1,5 hours after intake. Discuss this with your prescribing doctor. I stopped this med as the only effect at the lowest dose was increased angry reactions.

I metabolize adderall very quickly and unfortunately after many trials in different meds adderall is the only med that works. This dr has since moved out of state and I cannot find any dr willing to follow her treatment plan. Simply put, there is no way to predict how a patient will respond to Adderall or any stimulant, whether a methylphenidate MPH or amphetamine AMP , until they try it. For example, Ritalin LA and Concerta are both long-acting methylphenidates. Due to their different delivery mechanisms, however, each brings different results — and potential side effects.

The ideal dosage of Adderall or another ADHD medications is identified using a method called titration: carefully increasing the dosage over time, until noticeable benefits are achieved and side effects are kept to a minimum. Adderall is available in several formulations and doses. Immediate-release tablets can be taken several times a day, or during specific activities, depending on patient need.

Adderall XR is a one-daily, timed-release stimulant. How a patient responds to a prescribed dose depends on many factors, including:. Clinicians, however, typically start adults at a low dose usually 5 mg , and then adjust as needed.

Adderall is linked to increased blood pressure and heart rate, 1 so adults with ADHD should have a thorough physical, including screening for heart problems, before starting Adderall or any new medication. And, in fact, there are medications for ADHD that lower blood pressure.

These medications are often used as an alternative to, or in conjunction with, stimulants. Many adults with ADHD rely heavily on coffee or caffeinated sodas. Yet caffeine may exacerbate the effect of Adderall and other stimulant medications, creating anxiety and heart palpitations. Try to break the habit in advance, though, to avoid mistaking a headache due to caffeine deprivation for a medication side effect.

During this titration phase, experts recommend talking with your physician weekly and using an ADHD medication tracking log like this. In-office visits should take place every three to four weeks to review side effects, physical health, patient and family well-being, and other therapies when indicated.

Many experts and patients report that too few physicians closely monitor medications used in adults. The Weiss Functional Impairment rating scale is a good place to start. Having a tangible method for observing change makes the target concrete and keeps it in focus.

As you face challenging situations in your life, you can gauge how your responses differ from those in the past. The causes of sleep problems among adults with ADHD are multi-faceted, and may not be fully understood by the treating physician.

Increasingly, research on the ADHD brain is pointing to neurophysiological differences in circadian rhythm, the inner biological clock that tells us when to go to sleep. In that case, you should try taking the medication earlier in the day or taking a nap midday while the full dose is in effect. A no-risk trial nap can help to demonstrate that the medication is not causing the sleep disturbance, but rather the ADHD itself, and lack of medication in the rebound period. Before ruling out Adderall or any other ADHD stimulant, consider that the medication may have stopped working for any of several neurobiological reasons.

After that, take a step back and try to remember what life was like before you started taking the stimulant. Is it better? Adults who are diagnosed with ADHD later in life typically develop the habit of paying attention only to the exciting or new.

To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you. Some of this needs to be taken with a grain of salt. My doctor made some similar comments that I took as encouragement. It is so difficult to find a doctor to help with ADHD.

It took me 3 months to find and get an appointment with a Psychologist.