Experiences - Taking Adderall on empty stomach more effective?

[boots12]

Swim usually takes his adderall on an empty stomach, if i eat something i wait a couple of hours before i take a dose because i feel like when I take it with food, i barely, if at all feel the effects....I am prescribed IR Adderall for my ADHD by my doctor,and have been on it 10 years or so, and can't imagine my life without it, it makes me feel like im in control of the day, i can be focused, motivated, not distracted, listen, basically since i started taking it when i was 13 years old, and was diagnosed with ADHD, it was like a "fog/haze" was lifted from my brain and I could think clearly and be productive.

Anyways, I was just wondering your time schedules for you Adderall use, and if you take it with or without food??

thanks

[dark12]

Yes, one will notice faster absorption of Adderall on an empty stomach. Also, SWIM recommends taking 2 Tums antacids 30 minutes prior to dosing. This will increase absorption and keep it in your system longer.
SWIM takes his ADHD stimulant strictly as needed. sometimes 10mg of Dexedrine(dextroamphetamine) per day and sometimes 80mg. It really depends on how his classes are treating him.
SWIM definitely agrees with the overall improved quality of life since he started treating his ADHD.

[crazyhorse]

SWIM totally agrees Dark12. Tums can seriously cutdown dosing amounts too. Taking it in the morning is much preferred too since Adderall can effect ones sleep. SWIM never takes it after two pm. However Swim is a light sleeper and cannot even drink caffeinated pop in the evening wo being affected

[TOOmuchSEX]

My pet squirrel says baking soda works better than tums, the sodium part of it raises ph in urine, which in turns helps in retention of the drug. Oddly enough Citric acid/absorbic acid converts into an alkaline before hitting the urine, excellent way to do that end. Cranberry juice is a no no, makes it more acidity results in more metabolic loss of the salts.

Try a TOOmuchFUN slammer
4 ounces of hot to touch water
x Mg of your goat's favorite instant release fun...30?
Tablespoon of Baking soda *not baking powder!*
*disolve and stir*
Chug

TOOmuchSEX added 1 Minutes and 4 Seconds later...

Cooling a minute or two wont hurt, just stir again before drinking

[boots12]

yes on an empty stomach is best, taking a Zantac and couple tums an hour or so before hand helps a ton with absorbtion, also take it with water.......

[violentcheetah]

SWIM personally tries to eat a piece of bread or some yogurt or something with any pill(at least most of the time). When swim was taking pills swim was also drinking and to not have something on swim's stomach would kill!
Zantac or nexium works well but just covers up the fact that something is wrong.
In the long run swiy should put something in swiy's stomach.

[allyourbase]

its pharmokinetics suggest acidity is key to bioavailability. so yes an empty stomach would mildly increase effectiveness. so would consuming something acidic. and logic would force one to postulate that antacids and most foods would lower effectiveness.

[Gradient]

I believe an effort at basifying digestive compartments might actually serve to enhance the effects of ingested amphetamines. Here's a snippet from a website describing prescription information:

Since amphetamine has a pKa of 9.9, urinary recovery of amphetamine is highly dependent on pH and urine flow rates. Alkaline urine pHs result in less ionization and reduced renal elimination, and acidic pHs and high flow rates result in increased renal elimination with clearances greater than glomerular filtration rates, indicating the involvement of active secretion.

Here's another quote from another website discussing pH and amphetamines.

When the urinary pH is alkaline (pH 7.5 to 8.0),
elimination is predominantly by deamination (less than 7%
excreted unchanged in the urine); the half-life ranging from
16 to 31 hours (Ellenhorn, 1997).

And here's a quote from the wikipedia:

Co-administration of acidic substances (e.g. citric acid) causes decreased renal reabsorption of DL-amphetamine, while alkaline agents (e.g. antacids) may cause a marked increase in renal tubular reabsorption. The increased reabsorption can increase the retention of amphetamines, potentially resulting in dangerously high amphetamine serum levels...Alkalinity increases bioavailability and acidity causes the drug to be excreted sooner. Manufacturers claim that the mixture of salts in Adderall XR makes its effects smoother (that is, makes softer highs and lows)...Having an alkaline stomach will cause the drug to be absorbed faster through the stomach resulting in a higher blood level concentration of amphetamine. Having an alkaline bladder causes the drug to be excreted very slowly. It is possible with acute doses of sodium bicarbonate dissolved in water during amphetamine's course in the body for the half-life of the drug to last about 24 hours, with after effects lasting another 10 hours.

With a pKa (pH of 50% ionization) of 9.9, it'd seem that any agent ingested to reduce acidity in the stomach would act to prevent what would typically be significant ionization in the metabolism of the amphetamine cocktail. Since ionization of any drug renders it unable to reach the brain, reducing this activity will increase the bioavailability of the drug.

My chimp certainly agrees with Bajeda; a good diet despite loss of appetite serves to generate the most balanced and smoothest experiences he's ever had. Basifying the stomach should be a secondary consideration to a rational diet to facilitate the most effective action from the drug.

[Bajeda]

For health reasons, I would recommend eating a good meal before taking adderall. It tends to curb your appetite and make it harder to eat later on, which often results in one not eating much or even anything until the drug has worn off. This doesn't help with focus or concentration, which is ostensibly why most people take prescription amphetamines, and in the long run is bad for personal health.

Antacids can prolong the duration of effects, but I don't think they should have much if any potentiating influence.

Taking vitamins and mood-boosting supplements (fish oils and the like) are also useful in conjunction with adderall, and even if you aren't taking adderall.


So basically, if you need to have an empty stomach for adderall to kick in effectively, be sure to eat a good meal beforehand and wait until you have digested before taking it. Then be sure to eat fruit, fruit & nut or protein bar, smoothies, or whatever nominally healthy thing you can get down your throat so you aren't short changing yourself whilst under the influence of its stimulating effects.