help on medication decisions for ADHD?

[capita2010]

So I have just recently been diagnosed with ADHD. I am a 22 year old university student in my third year and I admit I've struggled and been trying to cope with ADD my entire life. In high school I was prescribed effexor for what was believed to be anxiety, but stopped on my own after about a year/half. The withdrawals were terrible and I promised myself to never take anti-depressants again. Unfortunately the problems persisted and when I went to look for help I was prescribed cipralex which I didn't take for more than a couple months and tried a new doctor. I was diagnosed with ADHD which makes sense with the symptoms I had, and probably the reason for my anxiety.

I was started on 10mg's XR of Dexedrine/day about two weeks ago. The first couple of days were great. I felt completely perfect mentally and emotionally. My anxiety was gone, I was able to focus for the first time in my life, I could sit still long enough to focus, I read like 3 books (one's assigned for school) in two days, and I felt on top of the world. Unfortunately the effects started to wear off after a couple of days and now when I take it I don't really notice anything except a mid-day crash which makes me irritable, frustrated, and extremely tired.

I am not sure what I should suggest when I see the doctor. I have about two weeks of meds left before my next appointment. I'm between asking for a heightened dose, or switching to adderall, which I've heard lasts longer. Another thing I'm wondering, should I make an appointment early to try and get a changed dosing level/med change or should I get by with 10mg of dex/day until my month worth of meds is over?

[Sandman2]

   The blocked site is *********.com it worth looking at.

[Sandman2]

     By the way, check out the posts by Flow 1987 and Stubborn fight.  Do post back and let us know how it is going.  The three of you are in kind of similar situations!

[Sandman2]

   Your response is completely normal.  10mg's is a very low dose.  Doctors always start a patient off on the lowest dose and adjust based on patient feedback.  The unfortunate thing is that this should have been explained to you.  What kind of a doc is this?  well that's immaterial.  You did get diagnosed and that's what's important.  
   You must have pretty good intelligence to have gotten this far without being noticed.  If you had been pulling low grades or was a hyperactive boy, you would have been noticed a lot sooner.  Its also time to use some of that intelligence to learn more about what's going on with you.  More about that later.
  To answer your question - Yes, call the doctor and tell him/her the meds are no longer working and you want an appointment to discuss this.  I would guess that the dose would be simply raised, which would be a normal response.  And yes, if that doesn't work, then new meds can be tried.  There are a lot of good choices out there and everybody is different.  Don't panic about experimenting under his/her supervision.  
  I would also like to make two more suggestions.  There are two very good sites that deal with adult ADD.  I think you really need to do a bit more research on the whole issue.  The first site was actually a recent PBS special.  Its all done in short video clips (which drives me crazy).  Its -        http://**********.com/#/welcome/
  The second site is by someone with ADD and it reflects his condition to some extent.  It has a ton of information.  Don't try and take it all in in one sitting.  But I think that you will find it very helpful.  Is - http://jeffsaddmind.com/for-first-time-visitors

    I hope this helps.  I'm sorry I took so long to get back to you, but was off skiing.  If you have any more questions, please post.  Best wishes.