Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Thursday, July 08, 2010 peace1234 asks

Q: is there a reason my adderal xr no longer works for me?

i was diagnosed with adhd almost a year ago. my doc perscribed me to adderal xr 30mg once a day. i hated it and it made me feel terrible (really drowsy). i hardly gave it a week before i went back and asked him to lower my dose. he gave me 20mg instead and it worked great. i improved greatly in my college classes and it improved lots of aspects in my life. anyways, around february i stopped taking it just because i was wasnt in school anymore and i didnt think i would need it. i stopped taking it and went through almost a depression phase. i didnt want to do anything and i really let myself go. stopped eating healthy and exersicing (which ive always been good about even before my medication). A couple weeks ago i started to finally get out of the dumps when i started to force myself to be social again. i am starting some summer classes in about a week or so so last week i refilled my perscription of adderall xr20mg which worked great before but ive been on it for a week and its not how i remembered it. i feel kinda crappy on it. i dont feel its making me concentrate any better.

 

now i wonder if its because my body is getting used to it again? if so how long does it take to get used to (it has been a week exactly) 

 

ive also heard that different foods can affect the meds. if thats the case what time should i take it/ after food/before food/what kind of food?

 

or could it have something to do with my bad diet that went on for a couple months and just started improving about a 2 weeks ago. and maybe the fact i havent exersiced in forever (maybe the food/lack of exercise is whats affects my crappy mood and not so much the meds). 

 

i will probably give it some more time before i go back to the doc just in case i need to give it some more time. thanks alot!

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Eileen Bailey, Health Guide
7/12/10 8:57am

Thanks for your question and welcome to ADHDCentral.com.

 

I am not a medical professional and would not be able to give you medical advice. I can share some information I have learned through speaking with individuals with ADHD, parents of children with ADHD and medical professionals.

 

People metabolize medication differently, which is why some medications work for some people but not others. We can also metabolize medication differently, depending on our bodies, our age, our exercise level and our diet. This helps to explain why some people feel medication works, and then doesn't. More info: Can Certain Foods Impact ADHD Medication? Often, changing the medication or adjusting the dosage helps. This, obviously, is something you should discuss with you doctor.

 

I would suggest keeping a log for a few weeks on when you took the medication, what you ate, your exercise level and your symptoms, and then speaking with your doctor. Together, you should be able to decide whether you should try a different medication or change the dosage you are taking. Be sure to keep the log, even if you change, so you can measure how well it is working. For more info: ADHD - How Do You Know if a Treatment is Working?

 

 

Eileen

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By peace1234— Last Modified: 12/26/10, First Published: 07/08/10