It’s probably because you are true ADHD, hence stimulants work a bit differently on us. PLUS you are taking the XR so peak plasma level is a slow incline so you won’t “feel it”.

Were you on a different stimulant prior to getting the Adderall? I take 30mg-IR (old generic Instant Release) twice (or thrice) a day.I definitely feel it “kick in” 30-45min after dosing, and I’ve been on it for 8years. I started with 10mg-IRbid (twice a day), moved to 20mg-IR bid, then talked doc into giving me 3 20mg IR/day so I could break on in half and take 30mg when needed…now he just gives me 30mg-IR bid.

20mg XR qd (once a day) is like taking 10mg-IR bid…so for an adult that, in my opinion, it too low…and depending on your weight it may not “give you energy”  unless you crush it before taking it so you get 20mg “instantly”, but then it would peak out earlier and you would need to crush and take another one around noon (then you would run out of your script after 2 weeks, and your doc can’t call-in a script or give you refills since all stimulants are Class-II narcotics and require an original script.

If you’re looking for energy then as for 2 20mg IR pills a day. The entire “XR” or “XL” or “SR” was marketing strategy (known as “line-extension”) back in the day when Ritilan was coming close to patent expiry so they put out Ritilan SR…but it wasn’t a true “SR” as it still needed to be taken twice a day (bid). Adderall line-extended as well, but they put out Adderal XR which was a once-a-day (qd) dose, so parents loved it as they didn’t need to give their kids a second pill to take at school. When Adderall XR was coming up on its patent expiry Shire put out Vyvanse so they wouldn’t lose market share to generic XR…which is when Instant Release went bye-bye (i.e. there is no Vyvanse IR, however Adderall XR and Adderall IR are still on the market in branded-name and generic, as is Ritilan).

As an adult I believe we are smart enough to know when we need to take an Instant Release stimulant, just as we know if we need to pop an extra one if needed, which is why my doc gives me what I ask for (with regards to Adderall…not like he’d jot a script for Oxies if I asked him), because he knows I many times work late and may need a third dose, or a day when my attention is real bad and I need to break a pill and take 40mg-IR (I just have to watch when I take my last dose as I’m a chronic insomniac and don’t need any stimulant in my blood when I’m trying to sleep…which is actually the original reason I asked for IR over XR so I could control when it peaks and when it will be “gone”).

All that said…..

Adderall was originally approved for weight loss, but due to its high abuse among women, they were forced to take it off the market, and later launched as ‘Adderall” for ADD/HD.  HOWEVER in true ADHD folks it doesn’t prove to be the case. Shire is looking to get their main stimulant approved for use in a wide range of non-ADHD “disorders”, and MANY doctors already use Adderall off-label for narcolepsy, weight loss, “excessive daytime sleepiness”, etc, etc. BUT the way Adderall works on weight loss is by it adverse event (side effect) of decreased appetite. Again, an adult on 20mg XL will most likely not have a decreased appetite from such a low dose, nor will they experience “energy” with such a low dose that is released over a 12-15 hour period of time.

As far as weight loss goes, I HIGHLY doubt the FDA will every approve a stimulant…too much negative history of abuse/dependance with stimulants and folks trying to lose weight.

If I were you I would try smashing one and see if you “feel” the way you desire to for control of your symptoms of ADHD…if so, then ask your doc for 2 pills a day of the 20mg (later ask for 30mg bid, but I highly doubt he/she will give it to you for a while…in fact, he/she may even down-dose you to 10mg bid at first). Tell him/her that it’s not working and you notice no change at all…also tell them that you would like to control your peak plasma levels and want instant release. If you do not have a history of drug abuse/dependance your doctor should have no problem upping your dose and giving you a script for IR as opposed to XR. If your doctor switches you to Vyvanse, be aware that it is a “pro-drug” and still releases at a slow rate whether you crush and swallow it or snort it…it was the ultimate marketing strategy deployed by Shire when Adderall XR’s patent was close to expiring and when they purchased Vyvanse they also purchased the technology used to make it a “pro-drug”....so I wouldn’t be surprised if you start to see more extended release products from Shire since they own the technology and it can be used on pretty much any generic drug to make it a branded, patent exclusive pricy-brand (although to ensure people switched from Adderall XR to Vyvanse they priced Vyvanse LOWER than Adderall XR, and it worked…Vyvanse is the market leader in ADHD sales)!

Jeez…lunchtime just blew by…guess it’s time for 30mg-IR…..

I have been on Vyvanse 70mg for a while now & only get a true & lasting effect if I take 2 at a time.  Even then, it only last about 6-7 hrs, if I’m lucky.  Of course, couldn’t tell MD that 1 was taking 2 to get effect + would have 2 go several days w/o, before next appt. & new script. He then added Adderall 20mg IR, to take when I felt the single Vyvanse dose wearing off.  That gave me a couple more hours, once again, if I took 2. But, would have a major crash about 5-6pm.  Last week he switched me from Adderall 20mg IR to the XR.  When I took the Vyvanse & Add.20 XR together, I actually got sleepy.  What’s going on?  & How SHOULD I take these, 2 get lasting & beneficial results???  ie. more energy & focus (and decreased appetite)