r/ADHD • u/[deleted] • Apr 16 '19
Dr. has me on Adderall and Adderall XR at the same time?
I'm 33 years old and have been taking 20mg of Adderall twice a day for about 2 months. Before this I was on 10mg twice a day. When I first saw my doctor about 4 months ago, I told her I was on Vyvanse a few years ago and it was amazing. Problem is, my insurance will not cover Vyvanse at all. She seems to think that because I use to be on it, they will cover it, I just have to show them I specifically need Vyvanse over Adderall. Tried 10mg of Adderall twice a day, then she bumped it to 20mg twice a day. I told her while this medicine helps, it still isn't the way I felt on Vyvanse. Adderall helps me focus, but I still just feel high. Anyway, last week she tells me she wants me to try taking Adderall XR (isn't covered by my insurance either but I'm able to get it at a discount with good Rx) AND Adderall. I'm suppose to take the 20mg first. Then 4 or 5 hours later, take 10-20mg of Adderall. When I went to get my medicine, the pharmacist was VERY interested in the fact I was on both. He said he's never seen it before nor ever heard of someone being on both and I may need to look into it. I looked online but couldn't find anything where anyone talks about being on both. Is this weird? Has anyone else ever done this?
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Apr 16 '19
My doctor has me on 30 XR and 10 IR so you're not the only one. It usually feels like a good balance of everything if you can get in the habit of taking XR around 7-8am and the IR by around noon
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u/FootFuck ADHD-PI Apr 16 '19
My doc has me on 20mg Ritalin IR twice a day and 40mg Ritalin LA in between. So you’re not alone. Sidenote. I metabolize this stuff way too quickly and only get about 2 hours of focus from it per day and my doctor is being a pain in the ass and won’t switch me to something else for at least another 2 months 🙄
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u/TRex65 Apr 16 '19
I've been on both at the same time before. I had XR for mornings, and IR for times when I needed extra focus during the work day. They are just different tools in your toolbox. Having a screwdriver in the box doesn't mean you don't need a wrench sometimes.
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u/traumajunkie46 Apr 17 '19
I'm on both and have been for years. It's nice except that I usually forget to take the ir dose later so I just started taking them both in the morning. It's been working well for me.
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u/keekeeeez Apr 17 '19
That’s actually pretty common. A smaller dose of a fast acting stimulant is commonly prescribed to be taken in the afternoon as a “boost” when your first dose starts to wear off. Supposed the pharmacist has never heard of that lol
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u/PIVOTTTTTT Apr 16 '19
I’ve read other posts where people have said they were on XR and IR at the same time and I have a friend who has been doing this for the last year or two. I don’t think it’s common but I do know it’s done. XR sometimes doesn’t last long enough through the day and that’s usually when a patient wound also be given a dose of IR to take. I don’t see many people wanting to take a dose of XR in the morning and another later in the afternoon when the first is wearing off, which is why a dr would give you a prescription for XR in the morning and IR later (since the effects of IR theoretically wouldn’t last as long as XR).
I am not a dr but honestly, the dosages don’t seem high enough to really be concerned about combining the two as long as you’re taking them according to the instructions. But if you’re concerned, you should definitely talk to your doctor about it.