did you mean 25 mg or 2.5? are you using extended release? what symptoms did it help alleviate?

Injuredbutrecoverin,


I have the same problem. Can't do any work from using a computer to doing school work for no longer than an hour or two. After that, I am in pain from the work I have been doing.


Headaches, makes my dreamt feeling worse,etc.

And wouldn't caffeine make it worse? I thought we were suppose to stay away from caffeine?

Sam

Caffeine to increase alertness can be OK for those who do not crash from the effort.

Sam,

You crash from effort. Caffeine will not overcome that crash. If an hour of computer causes a crash or headache, limit computer time to 45 minutes. Better yet, Learn the subtle signs that you are about to hit your limit. When you notice that sign (difficulty focusing, needing to reread a line of text, etc), stop and take a break. You may be fine to change to a different activity until you notice that sign of impending overload.

2.5mg. It doesn't say extended release on it so don't think so. I cut a 5mg pill in half and take at 7am and noon. It helps with concentration, headaches, and most of all brain fog. Without it, I would have a very hard time working.

I am glad you are having good luck with low doses, todayistomorrow.


The immediate release formulations can be helpful, at least in the beginning.
If the med or dose is too stimulating, it will end in 4-6 hours, depending upon the medication.

If a sustained release formulation is too stimulating, it ends in closer to 8-12 hours, depending on the formulation.

While the immediate release is shorter acting, I find this beneficial in having control over the medication side-effects. I may find 4 hours of a stimulant is more than enough and it's time to stop. I have this option with a shorter-acting formulation. I can also choose to add on another 4 hours if I am up to it.

Once someone finds s/he is consistently utilizing multiple doses daily, and s/he wants to utilize stimulants to this degree, s/he can then move to the sustained release formulation for convenience.


DejaVu

I had trouble with depression and (what I now know was) ADHD prior to my concussion in June 2014. I was on Welbutrin XL and Adderall ER (45 mg) before. I also had a prior sleep cycle disorder, so I was taking Ambien CR. Prior to my accident, I was already preparing to discuss possible changes to my Adderall Rx, because I was realizing that while I was doing better at work with concentration and distraction, I had almost no desire to do the hobbies and fun things after work. I was just kind of 'blah.'

After my concussion, my ADHD-related symptoms were much, much worse, and added to that were working/short-term memory problems, issues with word-finding, etc. Months later, fatigue was setting in pretty badly. Unfortunately, my lawyer sent me to a sports physiatrist who didn't take my concussion symptoms very seriously in the beginning. So, I went back to my original psychiatrist to discuss the Adderall. I'm a researcher, and once my mental functions improved a bit, I started looking into everything I could find on diet, supplements, neurotransmitters, etc. (including here on this forum ). Since Adderall is a dopamine agonist, and I already knew it helped my concentration before the concussion, my theory was that the ER I was taking in the morning had run out by the time my workday was over, and that's why I was out of steam in the evenings. My doctor gave me the ER because I could never remember to take the 2nd and 3rd doses of the IR. But, after my concussion, I finally HAD to get a smart phone, due to all of the reminders and alarms I had to set for myself. I asked if I could give the IR another shot, but spread them out more, taking my last one near the end of the workday. I had read about later dopamine stimulant doses helping people to calm down on ADHD forums, so I hoped it wouldn't disturb my sleep (which had deteriorated after my concussion).

Lo and behold, that's exactly what happened! I actually upped my overall dose to 20 mg first thing in the morning, then 30 mg at 12:30 and another 30 mg at 4:30. If I know I'm going to be up late , I can take the last dose closer to 5:30. I take a smaller one in the morning since I usually have coffee. Doing this helped me to keep my improved mental faculties through the evening as well (helpful when you're a single mom of a tween son with ADHD and still have a house to run), and it actually did help me sleep better! I don't feel wired when I take it. Quite the opposite. My thoughts aren't racing at night when I'm trying to fall asleep. I feel a little more like myself. Especially since I now have at least some energy and desire back to do some of my hobbies again.

As for it being a form of meth and therefore damaging, I have read of current studies using minute amounts of meth as treatment for TBI. Who knew?