I'm on Provigil -- Is Adderall Better?

Hi,
I am a 19 yo female, and I was recently dx with ADHD, Bipolar, and an ED. I'm currently taking Provigil for ADHD, but I'm not seeing as good of results as I'd hoped for. I've been on it for almost a month, and am taking 300mg (400mg is highest dose). My mood highly dictates my level of concentration, but I've gotten a lot of stability in that area from other meds. Right now I'm just becoming increasingly anxious about my future, since I seem to have lost much of my focus and drive, and I can barely manage to keep up in college. My symptoms of ADHD have gotten so intense this year, and even though school has always been a challenge, I've always managed to make it my life, and excelled academically. Now I just can't seem to test, to study, and the even low pressure situations make me procrastinate.

I know that I need to give Provigil more time to work, but I can't sacrifice my grades (last semester dropped from 4.0 to 3.7, and I don't have nearly as much concentration as last semester). My T told me to suggest to my psychiatrist (who I see tomorrow) adding in Adderall. I have a friend who it has been a miracle drug for. Just wondering what some of your experiences are with it.

Thanks,

Jessie

Hi Jessie,

I've just very recently been diagnosed with ADHD (minus the "H"). I also just started law school, after leaving a master's degree program that I couldn't keep up with b/c I didn't realize that I was struggling with ADHD. The symptoms you're describing sound just like what I've been dealing with.

I'm still working on finding the right combination of meds, but recently added xanax for anxiety...which seems to be making the ADD symptoms (& just about everything else) worse. I've been taking (a small dose) of xanax for about a week now, and it seems to be helping the ADHD meds that I'm on (Adderall & Strattera) work soooo much better. Maybe it's just the increased stresses of college that are exacerbating your symptoms? This could be something to look into.

Also, just a subjective word of advise: A 3.7 is still an excellent GPA -- don't worry about the numbers so much! If grad. school is your goal, there are lots of important factors; and maintaining a 3.7 -- especially while learning to keep ADHD under control -- is going to look very good to admissions committees, even at the top-tier universities.

Keep up the good work

Shane

>>but recently added xanax for anxiety...which seems to be making the ADD symptoms (& just about everything else) worse.<<

Oops! Misplaced modifier. ...what I meant was, "...which _seemed_ to be making the ADD symptoms worse." (i.e, the anxiety was making the ADD worse).

It's too early in the morning!

Shane

My first question is about your gpa -- is that based on a 4.0 scale? If so, one 'B' is hardly cause for worrying about your grades slipping!

I am not a doctor, and I don't even play one on TV! However, I'm ADHD and my 11-year old son is ADHD, and we've run the gamut on meds -- especially my poor boy. At any rate, as far as the meds go, my gut feeling is that Adderall and Provigil together would be UGLY at best. I know Provigil isn't a stimulant per se, but it is some sort of 'alertness' drug. My son was on it for two whole weeks, and it was a BAD two weeks. He stopped tolerating stimulant meds last year, which prompted his old doctor to decide to try the Provigil. In his case, it was all the bad parts of stimulant meds without any of the good -- he was edgy, hyper, and couldn't sleep. I can't even fathom adding a stimulant med on top!

HOWEVER, the important thing to remember is different drugs work for different people, and apparently sometimes they stop working, too. I, myself, have been on the same dose of Adderall XR since Adderall XR came out. The only thing that has changed about my meds in ten years is going to Adderall XR from regular Adderall. My son stopped tolerating stimulant meds last year, and we've struggled finding something to help. He's taking a combination of Strattera and Focalin, much like Shane, and while it isn't perfect, he's doing much better.

At any rate, this is my long, rambling way of saying that you may not need more meds -- you may just need some stress coping skills. You may indeed need something in addition to the Provigil, but I'd be extremely leery of that something being Adderall or another stimulant. You may need a different med alltogether!

Whatever you do, keep talking to your doctor and your therapist and remember that there is no magic pill. I'm almost 40 years old and I'm disorganized, impulsive, hyperactive -- and that's with the meds! *LOL!!* I'm also reasonably bright, a good mom, a loving (if sloppy and not exactly domestic) wife, and absolutely contented and happy with my lot in life! The meds let me sit still, and they let me finish tasks I start, but they don't exactly take away the ADHD. I honestly don't believe the med exists that will take those 'bad-ADHD' days away, but I do believe that the meds let me succeed in this farmer's world.

One last thing and then I'll shut up -- in college, I remember when I got my first 'B' and it drug my perfect 4.0 down to a 3.97 or something like that. I called a friend and bawled my eyes out! I'll never forget...she said to me, "So, I guess that means you'll be taking the bridge across the Mississippi with the rest of us imperfect beings then, instead of walking across on the water?" *LOL!!*

If I may suggest, if you feel like your medicine is not working for you, you may want to take supplements that can help curb your tolerance on the medicine - such as ampheta restore. Talk to a doctor first, though, before starting to take it.

I am not sure if adderall is better but I haven't really seen people getting much advantage from this medication. You may consult your doctor on what to take but I can suggest something that might help you, if you have ever heard about Ampheta- Restore. It is a good recovery aid, one of my friend been using this and its been helping her. Try getting some more information about this product and give it a go, you never know it will be useful. Of course be careful at the same time but this can be a good solution.

Take Care

Adderall is more depression oriented. I have used it for 2 years with little withdrawal symptoms and succeeded with the withdrawal in just a few months. However, a close friend of mine is using *mod edit* and feels a better too, so I think both types of medication deliver. If you want to switch, you should read all there is to know on side effects ad withdrawal symptoms.

I took Provigil alone and felt like it made me high almost, with a very loopy feeling.
Adderall alone barely lasted 2 hours.

Together the provigil and adderall is amazing. I can get 4-5 hours out of an adderall.

Its very strange and I cant explain it but together they are so much different then they are alone.

Adderall IR 10mg 6xDaily + 200mg Provigil Daily

Severe ADHD - Inattentive
Minor Sleep Apnea
Possibly Narcolepsy (I can't find the time to go off the stimulants to get tested)

The anxiety may well be worsened by Adderall. This is because Adderall effects Dopamine, Noradrenaline and Serotonin. This means that you may be suffering a form of "come down" between doses, and even during doses. There's only so much a person can take amphatamines before their body responds negatively. This is why (i think) the rise of Provigil for many peolpe has been so welcome in the community.

For your reference here is the page i found the information about Modafinil's action https://modapharma.com/histamine.html. It looks like Modafinil works via the orexin/hypercretin pathway, rather than the Serotonin, Noeadrenaline pathway.