Adderall is a wonderful medication prescribed for the treatment of narcolepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is a combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. The amphetamine and dextroamphetamine are stimulants of the central nervous system which work to affect the chemicals in the brain and nerves that could lead to hyperactivity or control of impulses. Adderall has been in the market since 1996. This medicine is also available in an extended release form. Both of these drugs are used extensively for the purpose of treating narcolepsy and ADHD in a full-fledged manner. This blog helps you to explore the difference between Adderall and Adderall XR i.e. the extended release form. You can also learn from here about the efficacy of both of these meds and how they work to treat the aforesaid medical conditions efficiently.
Adderall IR and Adderall XR in brief
Years after the drug was approved, one pharmaceutical company named Shire Pharmaceuticals had developed an extended release form of Adderall giving the name Adderall XR. This version of Adderall was created in 2001 in an attempt to provide extended relief from various deficits spanning for about twelve hours.
Those who take the original formulation i.e. the Adderall immediate release form will often end up taking multiple pills throughout the day as the effect of the drug is known to dwindle away in about four to six hours. This becomes a complicated form of treatment especially for school going children where nurses will have to pay extra attention to the children and administer them the drugs properly and on time. Fortunately, there was one good solution to this problem and that was Adderall XR. It was indeed also a solution to combat the popping of additional IR tablets.
Potential difference between Adderall IR and Adderall XR
The XR capsules comprise of beads having the same active ingredient as that of Adderall IR in the composition of 75% of dextroamphetamine and 25% of levoamphetamine. The major difference between them is that Adderall XR brings forth nearly double the duration of effect than what was produced by Adderall IR. Some people are able to tolerate the Adderall XR better while some others claim that they can tolerate Adderall IR. The varied tolerating ability of people is due to the psychological differences in absorption of the beads within the extended release form than that of the Immediate release form.
The immediate release formulation is being manufactured in the form of tablets while the extended release version is being manufactured in the form of capsules. The total duration of effect provided by XR tablet is believed to be about twelve hours while that of IR tablet is for about four to six hours.
