Medication Help (Vyvanse 40mg + Clonidine 100mcg) - Go back to the doctor or hold another month?
Hi all,
Sorry if this is jumbled, first time making a Reddit post, hoping I've done this right :)
I 20F was recently diagnosed with ADHD in late May, and since then I started 30mg of Vyvanse for one month, then increased to 40mg on the 26th of June. I take 2 x Dex 5 mg booster in the arvo if needed and 100 mcg of clonidine at night around 10 pm for sleep, and after that June appt, my GP (Victorian co-prescriber) said to come back in three months, which would be late September.
I am having two issues and am wanting to see if anyone has any insight.
- I am noticing a difference between starting 40 mg compared to now. Over the past, say, 3 weeks, my focus issues have slowly crept back, and I am now reaching for literally any quick dopamine thing, whether it be getting distracted and opening up youtube/games on my computer or getting my phone and scrolling or texting. Ontop of this I am having issues with procrastination/task initation, I know medication is not a complete fix and I still need to start the work but I do try but end up just pushing and taking it to extremes as not submitting Uni assignments until 7 days late past the due date and coping 35% off my marks (which is what I was doing proior to diagnosis and led me to seek help). Other differences I have noticed is the start of the semester 6 weeks ago I was able to sit down start, and finish weekly notes for each unit and this has slowly stopped to where I am now 1 or 2 weeks behind and just experiencing general task paralyiss whether it be uni work (where my main issues lie) or doing simple things such as washing and I've noticed that my mind isnt as 'quiet' anymore.
Not sure if tolerance build-up is really a thing, but there is a difference between the first month and now, also wondering could it be the increase in workload as the Uni semester develops (I am taking a double degree which requires intense amount of focus and am majoring in finance as I enjoy it but I feel I need to work harder than my peers due to focus issues and maths/numbers do not come to me naturally)
- I take clonidine around 10 pm every night, even when I don't take my vyvanse and originally I was fast asleep by 11:30 pm, which was a life changer for me, as before this I can't remember the last time I was asleep before midnight, but usually I was falling asleep anywhere from 1 am to 3 am and then getting up 7/8 am running on maximum 6 hours of sleep for years. Over the past 2 weeks, I've had the same issue as with Vyvanse, where I am taking the clonidine (still at 10 pm) but am not actually getting tired or falling asleep until around 1 am, which is starting to get pretty disheartening as I was enjoying a full night's rest for those few months there. I will note that clonidine has also helped lessen my sleep inertia, and I have been less groggy in the mornings, but the past week I've been waking up tired again and wanting to go back to sleep even if I sleep 1 am - 9 am and get a full 8 hours.
Based on this, I'm not sure if I should go back to my doctor now or hold out another month, but I am concerned if this continues all the way up until exams start. I just have a humongous (probably irrational) fear of looking like a drug seeker and would love any advice lol.