Adderall XR and Dry Mouth: What Users Say

• Jan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 8, 2020

For ADHD "I’ve been on Adderall XR 20 mg since October 6th, 2020. I have to say this medication is life-changing and your psychiatrist, doctor, or whatever will try and find the right dosage for you. I’m 22 years old, male, and I noticed the medication working within an hour. I’m about 220 pounds, 5’8”, and despite that, it still kicked in relatively fast. The side effects I notice the most are as follows: dry mouth, appetite suppression, some irritability, and insomnia on occasion. Adderall XR for me lasts anywhere from 8-12 hours. If it wears off, the medical professional, in most cases, will add Adderall IR to take in the afternoon since upping the dose of XR will not increase duration, only the intensity of the medication itself. ADHD medication is all about finding what’s right for YOU, don’t give up if it doesn’t get manageable or fixed after the first try."

• Ana...
• February 20, 2014

For ADHD "Adderall XR has been amazing for me. I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 5 and was on and off stimulants since the original diagnosis. As a kid, I would go through bouts of taking it and bouts of pretending to take it. I tried to be unmedicated as an adult, but that only produced anxiety, likely due to my naturally occurring rapid thought processing and tendency to fail to complete projects (distracted by new thoughts). My quality of life is significantly better when I take Adderall, and I see no shame to be had in that. I experience dry mouth fairly often, but overall it is amazing and totally worth it. I am, however, nervous about facing pregnancy without it, as well as breastfeeding. This medicine really makes a difference in my life."

• KCi...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 25, 2019

For Narcolepsy "I’ve taken Adderall XR since 2007 when I was diagnosed with a narcoleptic-like disease. It works well for me and has continued to work on the same dosage amount. When I first started taking it, it did decrease my appetite, and I had issues with dry mouth, which still happens every once in a while. I have no problems sleeping at night, but may not get as much deep sleep as others and still spend more time in REM sleep than the average person (according to my Fitbit at least). I wouldn’t be able to work or care for my children without it."

• Yea...
• August 24, 2017

For ADHD "Adderall XR does exactly what it's supposed to for me. I suffer from very little noticeable side effects. The most noticeable ones are insomnia when first taking this medication, lack of hunger in the beginning, and slight dry mouth. Overall, the side effects are not bad at all. The only negative for me is it feels like the medication stops working after 6 hours for me."

• Smi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 5, 2012

For ADHD "I am 22 years old and never was a bad student throughout school but was always very unfocused when it came to reading comprehension and listening to lectures. I now work for a general physician and she seemed to notice my frustration with not being able to get anything done when there was a lot to do. I would get very aggravated easily and had very bad mood swings. My doctor prescribed me Adderall XR and I was very hesitant to take it. When I started taking it, I felt like I was much calmer, was able to do my job. It's really great, me and my husband get along now because I'm not so uptight. It does give me dry mouth and insomnia, but I can deal with the no appetite. Overall, I think it is great!"

• Anonymous
• June 9, 2009

For ADHD "I started taking Adderall XR 12 days ago, and I love it. I immediately started focusing better. I now feel great when I wake up knowing that I will be able to get things done that have been put off for so long. My memory and self-esteem have improved dramatically. The only side effects I am experiencing are dry mouth and mild headaches."

• Jds...
• May 9, 2021

For ADHD "I started on Adderall XR 20 mg and noticed improvements the first day, eventually finding the right dose being 30 mg of Adderall XR and one 20 mg Adderall IR. Adderall XR has some side effects, but overall, if your ADHD is bad enough, it’s easily worth the few inconveniences that may occur, such as dry mouth, stomach ache, joint aches, migraine, some paranoia, and sleep issues. Granted, the only ones I have that are consistent are dry mouth and sometimes a slight stomach ache that goes away after 20 minutes. I highly recommend this drug as it really has improved my life and made me able to get through college and work. I don’t have health insurance, and for a month's supply of 30 mg XR, it’s around $50, and I pay $40 for the month of 20 mg IR. Keep in mind that medication at the end of the day will affect everyone differently, so make sure and do YOUR research on medications that are recommended to you and make sure you’re comfortable with the potential side effects. Be safe!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 10, 2017

For ADHD "I take the extended release once a day. I recently got a dose increase for my extreme fatigue. It has been about 3 weeks, and I do not like the symptoms that occur with it. I feel like a zombie, I don't enjoy talking when I am on my medicine. I get extremely bad, frequent headaches, I am even more tired when it wears off, but I am unable to sleep. I get really irritable and moody. With the lower dose, the main problematic symptom I would have was the dry mouth, but that was manageable."

• sw3...
• August 11, 2010

For ADHD "Adderall XR has changed my life! For years, I have struggled with depression and anxiety, no motivation, mood swings, and couldn't focus on any task. I was diagnosed with ADD/Bipolar when I was 19-20ish (26 now and mom of 1). I have struggled through so many years not knowing after several doctors and tons of medicines or medication combinations. I was put on Vyvanse from 30-50mg over a period of 2 years. It worked well for me. In the beginning, I had dry mouth and palpitations. My coverage stopped paying for it. The doctor tried me on Strattera and Concerta (not together). After several months, I was just still always sick, with stomach cramps, headaches, etc. About 3 years now I've been on Adderall XR 30mg, and I still have dry mouth and loss of appetite. Other than that, it has helped me to be a 'normal' person and a loving, motivated mother."

• Anonymous
• October 28, 2011

For ADHD "I've been on Adderall since I was in high school, so about 5 years. It works well for my concentration and allows me to focus for an extended period of time, such as when studying. This medicine has definitely helped me, but it has a lot of side effects. For me, loss of appetite, euphoria, and dry mouth are the most common. Headaches are frequent, but nothing ibuprofen can't fix. I've been on and off antidepressants that affected the Adderall. When I was on Lexapro, taking Adderall would make me irritable, anxious, and paranoid, sometimes to a full-blown panic attack. Now I'm on Prozac, and the Adderall combination is fine. But I still get anxious and mildly irritable when the 'high' of the Adderall decreases."

• Jab...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 12, 2015

For ADHD "I take Adderall XR 30 mg 1 time per day. When I started, it worked great as long as I took it before 12:00 noon. In the afternoon, I was up all night. After about 3 months, I could not tell that I had taken anything. My doctor added 1 mg intuitively, it seems to work okay. I am about to the 7th month and back to I can't tell whether or not I take it. I do not have a past of any dependencies or addictions (except nicotine), so I am not sure where I will go from here. All in all, it is a good medication for ADHD. The only side effects are dry mouth and grinding my teeth as it wears off."

• Anonymous
• December 9, 2009

For ADHD "First drug I started taking for ADD a month ago. Took the 20 mg, and it felt too intense and had a ton of side effects, but after 3-5 days, it was tolerable but still suffered from really bad headaches and dry mouth all day. Two weeks later, the headaches finally stopped, but dry mouth was horrible, I must have drank a gallon of water or more a day and had to have candy or gum all the time. But I could tell I was a little more productive at work. At night, I would catch myself daydreaming worse than before and wondered if I was worse without it. I felt it basically replaced my coffee and then some, but the dry mouth wasn't worth it. I am now going to start taking Wellbutrin since I am a little depressed too, and that drug is supposed to help with both."