Expert: Dr Billy Levin - 12/9/2010

Question
I been diagnosed with ADD for a while now ,but I just have recently been taking medication (Adderall XR) When I first started to take adderall XR I felt jittery and my concentration was a little better for the first 12 days, but I knew my ADD symptoms were still very noticeable. The next week I felt that the jitteriness was gone but also my concentration was allot better, but only 2-3 hours after I  have taken adderall. My Doctor told me there is a big difference between concentration and motivation, he told me to try to do something I like, or simple tasks like cleaning a room, and then see if your concentration is better. He told me symptoms with doing hard tasks might not be noticeable until you build on the hard task. (like studying)So my question is does adderall have a peak after taken were it is most vulnerable. Is treatment with adderall progressive like other medications or should I have noticed a big difference the first day I took it. thank you for your help, I greatly appreciate any help

Answer
If the dose is optimal within about 40 minutes the treatment starts working and lasts between 8 to 12 hours. Your dose appears to be too little. The symptoms only improve while the medication is effective. The  jitters fade after a few days in most cases.