Concerned About A Friend Taking Adderall XR Capsules The Wrong Way

Answer

Thanks for reaching out! In your question, it isn't entirely clear what your friend is doing after the Adderall XR capsules are opened, and whether or not there is anything to be concerned about in regard to how they are taking the drug.

Are they simply swallowing the contents of the Adderall XR capsule or are they chewing the contents?

We've written a number of answers about Adderall XR and it is perfectly fine to open the capsules and mix the contents with food or liquid and take it that way. One of our previous answers on the subject can be found here.

Adderall XR capsules contain a number of small drug-containing beads, and the actual outer capsule simply holds the beads together in place. It does not really influence how the drug is absorbed or works. Below is an image of Adderall XR capsules, and inside, you can see the small drug-containing beads:

There are two types of beads contained in Adderall XR.

One type of bead is designed to release the drug immediately upon dosing, and the other beads release the drug a few hours later to prolong the duration of action.

In fact, one Adderall XR capsule per day is designed to mimic taking two immediate-release Adderall tablets dosed four hours apart (i.e., Adderall XR 20mg is equivalent to Adderall immediate-release 10mg twice a day). You can see this illustrated in the below chart:

The chart above shows blood (plasma) concentrations of Adderall XR 10mg per day, and Adderall (immediate-release) 20mg per day (dosed 4 hours apart), to be essentially the same.

What Happens If You Chew The Drug-Containing Beads In Adderall XR Capsules?

It is important that when opening Adderall XR, the beads contained inside the capsule are not crushed, chewed, or otherwise altered before taking. They must be taken intact. If mixed with food or water, they must be consumed immediately, and not stored for later use.

If the beads are crushed, chewed, etc..., the entire dose will be released at once, instead of over a period of time as intended. This is considered 'dose-dumping' and will essentially cause a higher dose than intended to be ingested, increasing the risk of side effects, which include:

• Increased heart rate
• Sweating
• Muscle spasms/tremors
• Increased blood pressure
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Euphoria
• Delirium
• Emotional lability
  
• Confusion
• Difficulty concentrating

What you describe happening to your friend (being overly lethargic for a little bit) could be a side effect of too high a dose of amphetamine, or it could be just the effect the medication has on them.

Even though Adderall XR is a stimulant, it's certainly not uncommon that people can feel 'spacey' or 'zombie-like' on the drug, especially if a high dose is taken. It's very tough to say if this is just how the medicine affects them, or if it is due to too high a dose (it should be noted that lowering the dosage generally helps to relieve this side effect).

So, going back to your question, whether or not your friend is abusing Adderall XR depends on how they are taking it.

If their doctor prescribed them Adderall XR 25mg to be taken once daily, opening a capsule and mixing the beads with something (or just putting it in the mouth and immediately swallowing) is safe and would be following the doctor's prescription.

If they are chewing the beads before swallowing, they would not be taking the drug as directed as would be resulting in a higher blood concentration of amphetamine than intended (and a greater risk of side effects). It is also certainly possible that if your friend is chewing them, they just don't know that you are not supposed to do that.

Final Words

I hope you found this answer helpful and that it has some information you can use for your friend.

Your first step would be to find out if they are taking Adderall XR the correct way, and if not, educate them on how to properly take the drug or if they are intentionally abusing it, provide the support they need.