I know about Concerta (similar to Adderall I believe),short-acting Ritalin and Stratera
Concerta stays in your system for about 6 hours, depending on dosage and your body.
All meds have different side effects for each person. I personally experienced the following:
insomnia (slightly common)
lack of appetite (very common, although not to the degree where you aren’t eating 3 meals a day)
(on high dose) Depressive episodes (uncommon if you do not have depression)
worse anxiety (common if you have anxiety)
(because of worse anxiety) worse rsd
It also made me feel as if i lost my personality when i was on it. I felt like a completely different person on weekends and holidays when i didn’t take it
hyperactivity (to an extent)
My conclusion about Concerta:
Look i was on it for 8 years, it works to help focus. Now that i’m on Stratera i will never go back personally. I know plenty of people who find that Concerta is the best for them and they don’t experience many of the side affects that i had.
Stays active in system for about 4 hours. Personally experience huge crash after, but i know people who don’t.
I’ve only ever taken in conjunction with Concerta or Stratera, so I can’t tell you what it’s like by itself.
I find this great for supplementing my focus when I’m tired and need to study or do homework.
I typically am not hungry the evenings when I take it, bu that may just be because i feel very tired.
My current medication. Not sure how long exactly it stays active in your system for, but at least 24 hours.
Stratera is a non-stimulant medication. It is also extremely long acting.
when i was getting used to it it made me a bit grumpy
tired soon after taking it (which is why you take at night)
I don’t experience that many side affects from Stratera, but i have a friend who was allergic to it, it made her throw up.
(slightly) anxiety relief
Have a better grasp on time
While Stratera doesn’t help with my hyperactivity as much as Concerta did, I feel so much better on it. My marks are better this year (except maths). It doesn’t change my personality like Concerta did. But the biggest change for me from concerta is the fact that I actually get hungry. I’ve been on Stratera for around 6 months now and my family and I are still getting used to the fact that I’m wanting lunch instead of forcing myself to eat it.
Its also strange realising that I do in fact have combined type ADHD, when i was initially diagnosed with ADD. My hyperactivity is more apparent now than when I was younger
I can’t say how much it helps my anxiety on its own, because 1) i am on anxiety medication and 2) I’m in my last year of high school which is extremely stressful.
Hope this helps! Sorry about the inconsistent formatting