Posted by psychobot5000 on January 19, 2007, at 12:31:11
In reply to Re: The basic AD?, posted by laima on January 19, 2007, at 8:59:52
I had a slightly different reaction between adderall and dexedrine--chemically they are very, very similar. I suggest reading the wikipedia article on adderall for details...
(See my experience below this bit)
Adderall XR is comprised of* 1/4 Dextroamphetamine Saccharate
* 1/4 Dextroamphetamine Sulfate
* 1/4 dl-amphetamine Aspartate (racemic amphetamine)
* 1/4 dl-amphetamine Sulfate (racemic amphetamine)The four component salts are claimed to be metabolised at different rates.
The average elimination half-life for dextroamphetamine is 10 hours in adults, and for levoamphetamine, 13 hours.
...So, in terms of amphetamine, Adderall is 3/4 dextroamphetamine (dexedrine is all dextroamphetamine), mixed with 1/4 levoamphetamine, which has slightly different properties, but which is theorized to make it act more broadly, by varying the mechanism of action a bit. Levoamphetamine has the reputation of giving less psychological effect, with more physical (cardiac and respiratory) stimulation. But because it's a slightly different drug, it could enhance the effect of dexedrine. ...The dexamphetamine in adderall is also bonded to various other chemicals, so that (theoretically), it digests and hits the bloodstream more gradually, as the various molecules are digested at different rates. This is supposed to make it a smoother, and also longer acting drug--though it probably only extends the action by a little.
Some people seem to find that it is, indeed, a little better than dexedrine. My experience was that it acted the same as dexedrine, but caused more anxiety, and elevated my heart-rate more than dexedrine. Many people seem to have this response, and my impression is that, on the average, it is inferior for those reasons.
Also, adderall 10mg actually is not equivalent to dexedrine 10mg. Because of the extra weight of the bonded molecules in adderall, there is only about 6.75mg (or maybe it's 6.25?) amphetamine in 10mg adderall. So you need about 15mg adderall to get an equivalent dose to 10mg dexedrine.
poster:psychobot5000
thread:721931
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070119/msgs/724029.html