Recently diagnosed ADHD and need some answers

College Confidential Community
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<p>Hey everyone...Im new to this forum but I was reading quite a few posts of you out there with the same diagnosis as me and also attending school so Im hoping you can help me and maybe shed some light. I was recenly diagnosed ADHD and put on Adderall XR. I was taking 15 mg the first 3 days but was on Zoloft also at the same time because of depression because of my grandfathers death but I felt like I was on a rollercoaster ride the third day and I hated that medication anyway so I was taken of it but I felt like the Adderall wasnt lasting all day and I see have seen that to be the case with some of what I have read so now I take it twice a day. Im scared to go back to a new school though and not be able to focus or concentrate. I dont want to avoid studying like I have recently but I was only taking one class so I still got an A. NowIi work full time and I just started the medicine and my work has improved 100 % but I see that some of you say you develop a tolerance and keep uping the dose and switching from med to med or some days it works and some it doesnt. My adhd affects how I drive and everything. My mind wonders terribley. Im constantly off thinking about other things and can never sit and pay attention to what my task is unless Im totally interested. And now Im going to go to a public college instead of private plus work so Im worried about how productive Ill be if the medication becomes compromised and I dont know too much about how all this works yet. Im also bipolar II so I take lamictal also. Sorry for the long paragraph but its easier to ask all of you who take this than a doctor who just perscribes it but doesnt live this life day to day. Can anyone shed some light??</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>**Also do you experience the extreme weightloss only the first week or does it continue after that? I have been on it since last saturday and I have lost 8 lbs and I keep craving water like all day long. I dont want anything but water water water and I have always hated water. My mouth feels like Ive been walking through a hot desert all day long. Anyone else experience the water crave or know why this happens? And how long does it typically take for the medicine take to kick it? Am I not noticing correctly but it feels like almost 2 hrs for me because the first I was so energetic it was so easy to tell now its obviously different. Should it really take that long?</p>

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<p>First of all, it sounds like the Adderall XR is helping. Right? My daughter has been on it for around 6 years, and has only had to up the dose twice. Yes, the XR version does take a while to “kick in”. She would actually take it an hour before she had to get up for school (2 hours before school started), which helped. If you find yourself taking two pills each day, you should switch to regular Adderall, which isn’t delayed. And yes, she lost weight the first year and hasn’t gained more than 5 pounds each year in subsequent years.
As far as thirst or dry mouth, my daughter has never complained about it. ADD medications can be tricky. It takes a while to find the right one and the right dosage. I don’t recommend starting one when you’re starting another drug. I believe that building up tolerances can take years, so don’t worry about that right now. Don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor about this. Good luck.</p>

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<p>Please realize that College Confidential is not the place to get medical advice. It would be fine to learn about others’ experiences with those medications, but please talk to your doctor about your concerns, too.</p>

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<p>Yes, ALWAYS talk to your doctor before you start/change/stop meds. You may want to talk to dr about upping your dose. When I take mine, I can feel it kicking in within 1/2 hour. Did you go through complete testing to determine that you were both ADHD AND bi-polar? Sometimes ADHD can be misdiagnosed as bi-polar. When I was in college (I’m 49) I was almost put on lithium for bi-polar. It didn’t seem right, so I didn’t get a Rx. Glad I didn’t since official testing showed ADHD and other stuff. Do you see a psych for your diagnosis and meds or a general practitioner? With matters of the brain/meds, I would make sure it was a psych who diagnosed me, and with official testing.
Good luck!</p>