as for your other issues: 1) what to store the split dose in and 2) getting those teeny tiny beads to all go into the gel cap.... Seems like you could fashion a gizmo to hold the empty gel cap (with a white sheet of paper under it just in case of spillage) and another gizmo to act as a recepticle/funnel in which you could dump the measured amount of beads and then pour into the gelcap. I'm thinking that could also be fashioned out of white paper of heavy stock. [/QUOTE]
Oh, that's an interesting idea. I'll try it.[QUOTE]When I take a partial dose of my 20 mg Adderall XR, I can be less fussy than you...I carefully twist and pull the capsule apart, pour as much of the beads as I want to take now into the smaller half of the gel cap, tip my my head and dump the beads into my mouth! then I put the top back on and pinch the capsule so I know it's one with less than a full dose inside. If you chose to take your medication without consuming the gel caps you could avoid purchasing empties at the store!!
[/QUOTE]I don't think I would only take half the beads at one time. There are two types of beads inside the capsule. Some are released immediately and some are time delayed and will release later so you have no idea which beads you are taking...some may be immediate release and some delayed release. The way it works is that you get an immediate effect and then the delayed beads give you another dose later...thats what makes it an "all day" med.
[QUOTE=lovemyboys]I don't think I would only take half the beads at one time. There are two types of beads inside the capsule. Some are released immediately and some are time delayed and will release later so you have no idea which beads you are taking...some may be immediate release and some delayed release. The way it works is that you get an immediate effect and then the delayed beads give you another dose later...thats what makes it an "all day" med.
[/QUOTE]
challenging question...almost as challenging as trying to split a strand of hair in half!! I'm sure someone will have a cleverly simple solution... all I can think of is taking a sensitive scale--such as the kind used by handloaders to measure out gunpowder--and using that to measure out 2.5 mg.
I'm very curious how did you and your doctor settled on this dose. Did you start higher (I can't imagine starting lower!) and work down to find the best amount for you?? Did you try the regular Adderall? Generic regular Adderall (IR) would be cheaper and would also seem to be no harder, and perhaps easier, to divide...
[QUOTE=John D]challenging question...almost as challenging as trying to split a strand of hair in half!! I'm sure someone will have a cleverly simple solution... all I can think of is taking a sensitive scale--such as the kind used by handloaders to measure out gunpowder--and using that to measure out 2.5 mg.[QUOTE]I'm very curious how did you and your doctor settled on this dose. Did you start higher (I can't imagine starting lower!) and work down to find the best amount for you?? [/QUOTE]
He used a computer test (TOVA). That's the one with the flashing boxes where you have to press the button when it's in one position and lay off the button in the other.
He tested me unmedicated, then with 5mg. At 5mg I had problems laying off the button, but my ability to concentrate and my reaction time went from extremely sub-par to normal. I came back the next day to try the 2.5mg dose. This time I had all the benefits with none of the false positive button presses.[QUOTE]Did you try the regular Adderall? Generic regular Adderall (IR) would be cheaper and would also seem to be no harder, and perhaps easier, to divide... [/QUOTE]
I did wonder about this. Isn't the non-XR something that doesn't last 8 hours? I'd hate to go to the regular Adderall and have to spilt that on into quarter and take it every 4 hours...
Correct, the non-XR doesn't last 8 hours--more like 4 or 5 hours. That can be a real pain in the X@#!
as for your other issues: 1) what to store the split dose in and 2) getting those teeny tiny beads to all go into the gel cap.... Seems like you could fashion a gizmo to hold the empty gel cap (with a white sheet of paper under it just in case of spillage) and another gizmo to act as a recepticle/funnel in which you could dump the measured amount of beads and then pour into the gelcap. I'm thinking that could also be fashioned out of white paper of heavy stock.
When I take a partial dose of my 20 mg Adderall XR, I can be less fussy than you...I carefully twist and pull the capsule apart, pour as much of the beads as I want to take now into the smaller half of the gel cap, tip my my head and dump the beads into my mouth! then I put the top back on and pinch the capsule so I know it's one with less than a full dose inside. If you chose to take your medication without consuming the gel caps you could avoid purchasing empties at the store!!
I'm on a 2.5 mg dose of Adderall XR twice a day, and am faced with the task of daily splitting the smallest manufactured dose of 5mg. My Adderall XR 5mg capsule is filled with micro beads (perhaps it comes in other forms), not a tablet that can be split. My compliance suffers because of my inability to carefully open a capsule and measure out a half dose each morning (at times I feel like I can't spend the time during the rush to get out the door).