• Effectiveness

  Slight (for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder)
• Side effects

  Mild (for Overall) (diarrhea, increased insomnia, anxiety and frustration)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 5 mg Daily

Cost: $50-99 monthly

• Effectiveness

  None (for fatigue)
• Side effects

  Moderate (for Overall) (trigeminal neuralgia)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 5 mg Daily

• Effectiveness

  Major (for sleepiness)
• Effectiveness

  Major (for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder)
• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for depressed mood)
• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for fatigue)
• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for problems concentrating)
• Side effects

  Mild (for Overall) (dry mouth, mood swings, decreased appetite)
• Adherence

  Usually
• Burden

  Very hard to take

Dosage: 60 mg Daily

• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for depressed mood)
• Effectiveness

  Major (for fatigue)
• Effectiveness

  Major (for problems concentrating)
• Side effects

  None (for Overall)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  A little hard to take

Dosage: 60 mg Daily

• Effectiveness

  Slight (for problems concentrating)
• Effectiveness

  Slight (for excessive daytime sleepiness (somnolence))
• Side effects

  Severe (for Overall) (excessive daytime sleepiness (somnolence), excessive yawning, jittery feeling)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 30 mg Daily

• Effectiveness

  Slight (for problems concentrating)
• Effectiveness

  Slight (for excessive daytime sleepiness (somnolence))
• Side effects

  Moderate (for Overall) (excessive daytime sleepiness (somnolence), excessive yawning, jittery feeling)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 30 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: Dose: 20mg short acting in a.m. and 10mg short acting at 3 p.m. The first day of new dose was about 75% better. Up all day; took bedtime meds at 1:00 a.m.; woke up at 3:30 and was up for the day at 4:00 a.m. Second day was about 50% better than before I started, but I was yawning all day and started getting tired around 5:30. I started falling asleep during a movie between 5-7 p.m. and continued to nod off/fall asleep while I was on the computer and doing crossward puzzles. This is the third day and I woke up tired. It's 12:30 p.m. and I'm having trouble with concentration and vision. I notice that my sense of tiredness sometimes corresponds with vision and concentration problems. Another dose at 3:00 p.m. Will see PCP on Monday to discuss dose and the Sleep Specialist on Tuesday.

• Effectiveness

  Major (for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder)
• Side effects

  Mild (for Overall) (restless feeling in legs, outburst of anger)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 60 mg Daily

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for problems concentrating)
• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for fatigue)
• Side effects

  None (for Overall)
• Adherence

  Usually
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 10 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: lack of sleep, overwhelming life, too much to do and fatigue 24/7 made it difficult to get anything done. My son was diagnosed with ADD and was on it, and it worked great. So I went to my primary and said I want to try it, and even tho I dont have ADD, it has helped me get through my lists of things to do! Instead of " ok,call the doctor for appointment...look up this or that.....take your shot.." and never getting the doc appt made for example, its helped me focus on a task at a time.

• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder)
• Side effects

  None (for Overall)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 20 mg Daily

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder)
• Side effects

  Mild (for Overall) (addiction, sexual dysfunction, agitation, decreased appetite)
• Adherence

  Sometimes
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: As needed

Advice & Tips: Adderall XR works pretty well for me. I find it works to treat ADD as well as depression - since the increased focus and productivity repels unwanted thoughts and helps me achieve a sense of accomplishment. I only take it 'as needed', so it can be a bit of an issue if I only have a small amount of work I need to get done that day, but end up being jacked on it for the rest of it. I try to be mindful not to take it too much or for a sustained period, because coming off of it produces a certain rebound low, increases my overall tolerance for the drug, and increases insomnia. It's best if I have a stretch of time to dedicate to my work and am in a distraction-reduced environment.

• Effectiveness

  Major (for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder)
• Side effects

  Mild (for Overall) (breathing difficulty, irritability)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 15 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: Lately, it is doing something to my respiratory system; my ears have felt plugged up the last couple of years. In the late 1990's, I was treated for Asthma because I was having some difficulty breathing.

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder)
• Side effects

  None (for Overall)
• Adherence

  Usually
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 30 mg Daily