Can I Take A 'Drug Holiday' From Adderall XR?

Adam asked

I'm on 30 mg of Adderall XR once a day. I want to take one day off from taking it, so I don't build a tolerance to the medication. Is this OK?

Answer

Hi Adam and thanks for reaching out to us. 

It is usually safe to take a day or two off your Adderall XR or what we usually call a drug holiday. It’s a strategy that is recommended in some individuals, especially children who are underweight or undersized (based on growth trajectory percentiles) ...take a day off here and there to improve appetite, eat more, and hopefully improve growth trajectory. In addition, some studies show that taking weekends off from stimulants in school aged children can reduce symptoms of insomnia on weekends and on the first day of the school week.

One of most important things about drug holidays for stimulants like Adderall is to make sure they are timed appropriately. For example, if you are in school, make sure that you take your drug holiday on a weekend or a day that you are not in school. Likewise, if you are employed, take your drug holiday on a day off from work to make sure that your work doesn’t suffer. It's important to remember to restart the medication the next day. While you might feel fine without the medication, it’s probably temporary. If you intend to stop taking it, you should do so under the supervision of your physician.

Lastly, I want to never make changes to your regimen without talking to your doctor first since 'drug holidays' for stimulants aren't routinely recommended for everyone. They can advise you as to the safest way to take a 'drug holiday' for your specific medical situation.

As a final note, I want to point out that non-stimulant drugs for ADHD, like Strattera, clonidine and guanfacine, should not be stopped for 'drug holiday' periods. They work differently than stimulants like Adderall and consistently stopping and starting them can be dangerous.

I hope I was able to help. Feel free to write us back in the future.