When do the meds start working?

[waiting4life]

I've been "self-medicating" with ephedrine for 10 years. It doesn't help with focus, motivation, or follow-through, but it does get me out of bed. 2 weeks ago I started Adderall XR, 10mg, which was useless, and I still needed ephedrine. I tried taking 20mg XR, but still needed ephedrine, and became quite agitated without it. The headaches from Adderall were unbearable. Now, I'm trying Dexedrine: 5mg IR and 15mg spansules. Once again, it is useless without ephedrine. I have an intense urge to grind my teeth and a constant, dull headache. My focus is still non-existent, except when I hyper-focus, and thinking exacerbates my headache.
Thus far, I'm not impressed. Does anyone have any advice or experiences they can share with me?

[Li'lADDer]

I just started on Dex about 3 weeks ago and had a similar experience. I started with 2.5 mg 3 X daily and increased by 2.5 mgs each day. I was increasing too quickly! My head felt like it was going to explode, my whole upper body was very tense, it was like I couldn't relax at all. Both my doctor and I thought maybe it wasn't the right drug for me, but I didn't want to give up after just a few days. I went back down to 2.5 X 3 and after a few days, the side effects subsided and I started feeling better. Now I'm back up to 7.5 mgs X 3. Now I'm feeling good and seeing the benefits, but I definitely felt worse than ever before the first week or so! This may happen to you, too, after a few days. I honestly felt so bad I didn't want to take them anymore, but I persevered and now I'm glad I did! I also cut out all other drugs so I could properly gauge the effect of the Dex. It does take some time... This forum is a great resource, though, better than my doctor, I think!

[arkyle]

I'm going to say the most mentioned quote in this section of the forums...go to a Dr.!
And I think those are not the correct meds; maybe you'll react to methyphenydate based meds.

[LittlePrincess]

Well I'm not a doctor and I agree with arkyle that you should go see a doctor. However, it sounds to me like you may have some physical dependence on ephedrine that you *really* need to get taken care of. It's a stimulant and if you can't even get out of bed without taking it, there may be a problem. Don't get me wrong now... I'm not judging here. I'm thinking if you could get off of the ephedrine totally that maybe your meds would work better. It sounds like at this point, you need to take the ephedrine to avoid the withdraw symptoms of it. Just talk to your doc. In the meantime, these forums are an excellent resource for you. Feel free to ask any questions and discuss your concerns here.

[McCartney]

I hate to sound like a cynic but it sounds like this guy isn't an ADHD victim or disabled like us, but rather one of those who make us feel like criminals if there's a mishap in our script refilling at the pharmacy. That's just my 2 cents and it may be out of line but I've never resorted to Ephedrine as an "answer" to my long-term ADHD that was diagnosed atleast 10 years late... There are ways of dealing with things properly and there's a way to abuse medicine to help excel natural potential, I don't agree with the latter. I also agree and say see a doctor

[McCartney]

Hyperfocusing is too much medication IIRC, that never has happened to me though.