Claym0ar t1_j7mv7qy wrote on February 7, 2023 at 11:04 PM

Reply to comment by possiblecoin in Adderall? by fourposterity

Focalin is usually a little stronger, I would suggest trying lower doses of dexmethylphenidate. I used to take 20MG of Adderall, but when i switched i found that 5-10mg of focalin worked. Best of luck!

djenejrufickdj t1_j8ivpsc wrote on February 14, 2023 at 5:15 PM

That’s surprising, does it last as long too?

I have not been on focalin in too long to remember much about it but it seemed about as strong as adderall (roughly speaking)

Claym0ar t1_j8j1pr0 wrote on February 14, 2023 at 5:54 PM

I cant do XR, the extended release stays in my system too long and keeps me from sleeping. So I take 5mg in AM and Afternoon during the week. Dexmethylphenidate (focalin) is closer to Ritalin then Adderall (chemical structure).

djenejrufickdj t1_j8j1uu5 wrote on February 14, 2023 at 5:54 PM

You went from 20mg adderall IR BID to 5mg focalin BID and it worked with the lower dose?

Claym0ar t1_j8j3j64 wrote on February 14, 2023 at 6:05 PM

I have been on / off of stims most of my life (37). Yes, once i inevitably build up a tolerance I will eventually move to 10MG AM, 5MG afternoon. It usually takes 6 months to get there. I have never had to exceed 15MG daily on Focalin. On Adderall, I was taking 20MG AM, 10MG in afternoon.

Previously Ritalin - made me super jumpy in afternoon before my second dose.

Methylphenidate/Concerta - Made my hyper-focus to the extreme. I had trouble disengaging with whatever I was doing.

Strattera- Made me super tired, I couldn't get past the first week.

Provigil- wanted to give this non-stim a chance. I took for 6 months but found it just wasn't a strong enough effect.

Eventually ended up on Adderall and Focalin. Both work equally as well for me but I preferred the lower dose of Focalin.

djenejrufickdj t1_j8j4exa wrote on February 14, 2023 at 6:11 PM

How do you maintain a stable tolerance?

I got to the point in about a year where 60mg of adderall barely felt like it was doing anything, and that’s not sustainable at all

Claym0ar t1_j8j68si wrote on February 14, 2023 at 6:23 PM

Well sadly I think a lot of it comes down to body chemistry/metabolism. I have a pretty slow metabolism. If you can, I would suggest taking the weekends off, and whenever you are on vacation (activity permitting). This can help to reset your tolerance and get you back to baseline. I know there are also a bunch of non-stimulent medications that have come out, which are likely to reduce/eliminate the tolerance factor. I tried 2, both were a nogo for me. But that doesnt mean that one wouldnt work for you.

djenejrufickdj t1_j8j7q6l wrote on February 14, 2023 at 6:32 PM

I’ve tried strattera and it worked for a day then didn’t work since then so I’m kinda skeptical of nonstimulants except maybe like modafinil which is almost a proper stimulant at that point lol. It still might not work for me who knows, never been on it and my insurance will find a reason to deny coverage

maybe focalin would be better because it doesn’t cause the NT efflux like amphetamine

Ironically the long term tolerance was much more noticeable with adderall than with desoxyn for some reason