u/Quenald_

I had my hair bleached yesterday. I had highlights all over and especially at my roots following a balayage I had done 11 months ago that was growing out. My hairdresser went full-on blonde, applying bleach to lots of small sections of hair. It lifted my hair a lot, which is what I wanted, and she applied a toner which made it a honey-blonde/golden colour.
She said that the bleach she was using was gentle and that the toner would help close the hair cuticle ??? (no idea honestly but it sounded good).

I have been researching products for at least an hour now, reading reviews and such, but still have no idea what to go for as my post-bleach routine. I was previously using Tresemme Moisture Rich products but post-bleach I’m not sure if they’ll be strong enough for how dry it’s left my hair.

I’ve been debating scalp oils, hair masks, leave-in creams vs sprays, bond repair stuff etc, but have no idea what to go for as everyone has conflicting opinions. I know that everyone’s hair is different so there’s no guarantee something will work for me but I don’t even know where to start; there are so many options!

I don’t have a strict budget but I don’t want it to take the P! I’ve looked into both Olaxplex and K18 and both are expensive for what you get but I am willing to* *splash out if it will genuinely help my hair, but the reviews are conflicting.

My hair is thick but I’m not sure if the strands are fine or not, long-ish (falls to the middle of my back), very prone to knots and the hair which has been bleached is obviously now pretty dry. I regrettably didn’t look after my hair properly after the balayage that I had done 11 months ago because I was being too frugal and it left my hair in a bad state for a while. I couldn’t get it to take any moisture and I felt like a stack of hay.

Advice very much appreciated!

Does anyone else basically have no hobbies?
I wish more than anything that I could be one of those people who has a hobby that they enjoy doing regularly, such as gardening, sewing, crochet, painting, biking etc, but I’m just not and never have been.

Even when I’m on my medication (Vyvanse 60mg), I have absolutely no drive to pursue a hobby. I’ve tried; I once tried to play piano but didn’t keep up with it longer than a couple of weeks and I am good at creative writing but I just cannot be bothered, ever, no matter what mood I’m in. TBH, it feels like a bit more than simply “not being bothered”, but I don’t know how else to explain it; I guess it’s more like I feel stuck inside my head and extremely mentally fatigued.

Everything always feels like way too much mental effort and I can’t even force myself to start something let alone continue with it long enough to get better and make it into something I do regularly. My only ‘hobby’ is playing video games but often it feels like too much effort to even pick up the controller.
I feel like such an uninteresting and bland person because whenever someone asks about my hobbies I never know what to say because I don’t have anything that I enjoy doing.

I’m don’t think I’m depressed, I’m just lazy and cannot be fucked to do anything and then I hate myself for having no ambition or drive to improve my life and learn new skills. I feel bored a lot of the time when I’m not doing uni work but I have zero ability to get myself to do something interesting.
Anyone else feel the same?

VERY LONG POST - A LOT TO BE SAID:
I’ve (nearly) decided to break up with my boyfriend of two years, but I need to know how to go about it.
I don’t know what’s happened within the past week but I very suddenly feel at the absolute end of my tether so I really want to rip the plaster off and do it despite the fact that I’ll be left in a bad living situation afterwards.

Our thoughts on equal housework are not the same. I have had over two years of trying to sort this issue, to no avail. I have genuinely had countless discussions with him (calm and not-so-calm) about how stressed and upset it makes me that our contribution to the housework is in no way equal despite us both having full-time commitments, and it never has been since I moved in (I realise I should’ve left as soon as it became an issue, but I stupidly didn’t).
His cleanliness is non-existent (and his hygiene is even worse but I won’t get into that). He won’t pick up after himself or do any chores unless I ask him to.

I have to ask him over and over again to do one chore (or pick up trash that he’s left lying around or laundry he didn’t put in the basket), meaning I have to constantly keep tabs on everything around the house. Then, it’ll be four-to-five days later and it still hasn’t been done so I just decide to do it because I am SICK to death of asking/reminding him and mess stresses me out.

Then, as soon as he hears me doing said chore for him, he’ll rush in and exclaim “I was about to do that!” and blame me for “not letting him help” as he says I “always get to it before he can do it himself.” (This, I’ve learnt, is a load of BS and just an easy way to counter my argument or make me feel stupid).
I explain that I know he wasn’t “just about” to do it, because if he was then he would’ve done it 3/4 days ago instead of sitting playing his video game all the time (I’m a gamer too so I understand the feeling of not wanting to do chores, but I still do them without anyone asking me to).
It really fucking pisses me off that he is always conveniently “just about to do it” as soon as he hears me in the middle of it to try and prove that I’m inhibiting him from helping. But if I don’t decide to do it myself, he’ll somehow never be “about to”, and it’ll get left there indefinitely.

I’ve explained this in these exact words time and time again for two years straight, and I’ve told him how incredibly stressed it makes me, even to the point where I’d have to leave if nothing changed, so he’s begged me not to go and has said he would change more times than I can remember. But he never has, and two years later here we are.

My mum gave me some advice that I should make a “chore chart”, so me and my bf sat down and did it together - we wrote down all of the household chores and then split them into what seemed fair between us both so it was visual and no confusion could be had. Needless to say this worked for about a week and then somehow I went back to doing both of our chores because he stopped doing his half.

He says he adores me and says repeatedly that he will do anything for me/to keep me, but apparently that doesn’t apply to basic tasks and doing his part around the house. Why is this???

Despite everything I’ve said, I do love him and I’ll be devastated to leave him behind, but my resentment is ever-growing and I’m losing attraction quickly. To add to this, my 22nd birthday is at the start of October and him & his parents (who I love so much but they have no idea these issues are happening) have booked us a holiday in Greece for three weeks and I’m pretty sure they paid thousands and cannot get the money back for it. I’ll feel incredibly guilty that their money will be wasted, but at the same time I really don’t want to stick around just for a holiday because that’s gross.

Btw I don’t like the ideas that get given to women that we should “stop doing his laundry to make a point” or “leave his dirty dishes/trash on the side for it to pile up so he gets the message” because why should we have to live in our partners’ filth just to prove a point which most likely will never get across? We are not their mothers and I shouldn’t have to choose between asking my grown, adult partner to pick up his dirty laundry five times or stepping over it every day.

I don’t know if I should tell him it’s because of this to prove that I was serious about leaving if it never changed, or just try to pack my shit and leave without a trace when he’s out, block him and never explain myself. Thank you all.

EDIT: A few people keep mentioning ADHD so I’ll just put this in here. I have ADHD, so I have been thinking that he could, too, for a long time, and have suggested that he should look into ADHD symptoms/traits and go to the drs if he thinks he wants to be tested. I have suggested this multiple times, as well as offering to help him if the task seemed overwhelming.
Alas, he said he would, months ago, but never did - further adding to what I’ve said. I refuse to do this for him among everything else. So I just want to leave now.

VERY LONG POST - A LOT TO BE SAID:
I’ve (nearly) decided to break up with my boyfriend of two years, but I need to know how to go about it.
I don’t know what’s happened within the past week but I very suddenly feel at the absolute end of my tether so I really want to rip the plaster off and do it despite the fact that I’ll be left in a bad living situation afterwards.

Our thoughts on equal housework are not the same. I have had over two years of trying to sort this issue, to no avail. I have genuinely had countless discussions with him (calm and not-so-calm) about how stressed and upset it makes me that our contribution to the housework is in no way equal despite us both having full-time commitments, and it never has been since I moved in (I realise I should’ve left as soon as it became an issue, but I stupidly didn’t).
His cleanliness is non-existent (and his hygiene is even worse but I won’t get into that). He won’t pick up after himself or do any chores unless I ask him to.

I have to ask him over and over again to do one chore (or pick up trash that he’s left lying around or laundry he didn’t put in the basket), meaning I have to constantly keep tabs on everything around the house. Then, it’ll be four-to-five days later and it still hasn’t been done so I just decide to do it because I am SICK to death of asking/reminding him and mess stresses me out.

Then, as soon as he hears me doing said chore for him,* *he’ll rush in and exclaim “I was about to do that!” and blame me for “not letting him help” as he says I “always get to it before he can do it himself.” (This, I’ve learnt, is a load of BS and just an easy way to counter my argument or make me feel stupid).
I explain that I know he wasn’t “just about” to do it, because if he was then he would’ve done it 3/4 days ago instead of sitting playing his video game all the time (I’m a gamer too so I understand the feeling of not wanting to do chores, but I still do them without anyone asking me to).
It really fucking pisses me off that he is always conveniently “just about to do it” as soon as he hears me in the middle of it to try and prove that I’m inhibiting him from helping. But if I don’t decide to do it myself, he’ll somehow never be “about to”, and it’ll get left there indefinitely.

I’ve explained this in these exact words time and time again for two years straight, and I’ve told him how incredibly stressed it makes me, even to the point where I’d have to leave if nothing changed, so he’s begged me not to go and has said he would change more times than I can remember. But he never has, and two years later here we are.

My mum gave me some advice that I should make a “chore chart”, so me and my bf sat down and did it together - we wrote down all of the household chores and then split them into what seemed fair between us both so it was visual and no confusion could be had. Needless to say this worked for about a week and then somehow I went back to doing both of our chores because he stopped doing his half.

He says he adores me and says repeatedly that he will do anything for me/to keep me, but apparently that doesn’t apply to basic tasks and doing his part around the house. Why is this???

Despite everything I’ve said, I do love him and I’ll be devastated to leave him behind, but my resentment is ever-growing and I’m losing attraction quickly. To add to this, my 22nd birthday is at the start of October and him & his parents (who I love so much but they have no idea these issues are happening) have booked us a holiday in Greece for three weeks and I’m pretty sure they paid thousands and cannot get the money back for it. I’ll feel incredibly guilty that their money will be wasted, but at the same time I really don’t want to stick around just for a holiday because that’s gross.

Btw I don’t like the ideas that get given to women that we should “stop doing his laundry to make a point” or “leave his dirty dishes/trash on the side for it to pile up so he gets the message” because why should we have to live in our partners’ filth just to prove a point which most likely will never get across? We are not their mothers and I shouldn’t have to choose between asking my grown, adult partner to pick up his dirty laundry five times or stepping over it every day.

I don’t know if I should tell him it’s because of this to prove that I was serious about leaving if it never changed, or just try to pack my shit and leave without a trace when he’s out, block him and never explain myself. Thank you all.

Random question. I’m usually having my morning shower but sometimes I’ll have fallen back asleep, only to be rudely jolted awake an hour later when it kicks in.

I like to already be up and going for when it starts working because that way I don’t feel that rush of anxiety that I get when I’m still lying in bed.
I don’t know why it works like this, but I also won’t feel the need for a bowel movement if I’m already up. It’s probably the distraction of whatever I’m doing that means I don’t feel the anxiety/adrenaline kick-in rush.

What are you usually up to?

EDIT: Sorry, I’m not sure why I didn’t include my numbers on here. Here they are:
Female, 21
Height: 5’8/172cm
Weight: 12st 7 / 175lbs
Current BMI: 26.6 GOAL BMI: 21.4

I met up with a friend the other day (who I only see irl about once every 5-6 months) and she made some comments about my weight loss.

70% of the conversation that we had was about my weight which I didn’t expect nor want. She kept steering the topic back to it and I don’t know what she was wanting to get out of the interaction, whether she was showing genuine concern or something else.

She told me that she’s worried about my weight because I look a lot different since the last time she saw me (well yeah, a lot can happen in six months on a weight loss journey), and that I should “take it easy or consider stopping so I don’t lose any more.”
She said that I’m starting to look gaunt (whilst gesturing to my neck and shoulder area) and if I lose any more weight then I risk looking like I have “overdone it on the mounjaro” ??? (If it wasn’t obvious already, I’m not on any weight loss medication).

The thing is, I am still \*\*overweight\*\* for my height and age, albeit coming towards the lower end now, based on BMI and what I’m reading on the NHS website. When I look in the mirror, I still see my curvy figure, which I like, but I have definitely noticed that my face and shoulders have slimmed out. I’m seeing my collarbones clearer, but not in a concerning way. I still have a fair bit of fat on my tummy and legs, which I think is normal considering I’m still classed as overweight and I think my face and shoulder area tends to slim down first before anything else.

My goal is to get \*well\* into the healthy BMI range but I’m now concerned that I’m not doing as well as I thought and that my weight loss is somehow making me look uglier than before? She was speaking as if I look concerningly underweight but when I look in the mirror that is not what I see so I’m just utterly confused. I still have chunky legs and whilst my clothes usually hide it, I still have a pudgy tummy like I said before. My usual clothes are starting to feel looser and I am able to wear slightly more form-fitting tops without feeling self-conscious - all wins in my book.
I haven’t received any compliments so far from anyone and being spoken to like this has killed my confidence in what I’m doing. I’m not relying on compliments for motivation (as that would never work) but I expected to hear one or two by now from family or friends as I’ve lost over 2 stone. My friend assured me she’s speaking from concern but now I feel like crap.

Any advice? Thanks :)

EDIT: Sorry, I’m not sure why I didn’t include my numbers on here. Here they are:
Female, 21
Height: 5’8/172cm
Weight: 12st 7 / 175lbs
Current BMI: 26.6 GOAL BMI: around 21.4, not really sure.

I met up with a friend the other day (who I only see irl about once every 5-6 months) and she made some comments about my weight loss.

70% of the conversation that we had was about my weight which I didn’t expect nor want. She kept steering the topic back to it and I don’t know what she was wanting to get out of the interaction, whether she was showing genuine concern or something else.

She told me that she’s worried about my weight because I look a lot different since the last time she saw me (well yeah, a lot can happen in six months on a weight loss journey), and that I should “take it easy or consider stopping so I don’t lose any more.”
She said that I’m starting to look gaunt (whilst gesturing to my neck and shoulder area) and if I lose any more weight then I risk looking like I have “overdone it on the mounjaro” ??? (I’m not on any weight loss medication).

The thing is, I am still overweight for my height and age, albeit coming towards the lower end now, based on BMI and what I’m reading on the NHS website. When I look in the mirror, I still see my curvy figure, which I like, but I have definitely noticed that my face and shoulders have slimmed out. I’m seeing my collarbones clearer, but not in a concerning way. I still have a fair bit of fat on my tummy and legs, which I think is normal considering I’m still classed as overweight and I think my face and shoulder area tends to slim down first before anything else.

My goal is to get well into the healthy BMI range but I’m now concerned that I’m not doing as well as I thought and that my weight loss is somehow making me look uglier than before? She was speaking as if I look concerningly underweight but when I look in the mirror that is not what I see so I’m just utterly confused. I still have chunky legs and whilst my clothes usually hide it, I still have a pudgy tummy like I said before. My usual clothes are starting to feel looser and I am able to wear slightly more form-fitting tops without feeling self-conscious - all wins in my book.
I haven’t received any compliments so far from anyone and being spoken to like this has killed my confidence in what I’m doing. I’m not relying on compliments for motivation (as that would never work) but I expected to hear one or two by now from family or friends as I’ve lost over 2 stone. My friend assured me she’s speaking from concern but now I feel like crap.

Any advice? Thanks :)

I’m wondering how many others have had awful a&e/urgent care/doctor visits. I’ve had a few and it’s made me lose a lot of trust in doctors & specialists, and has made me afraid to seek help.

I have rung the emergency line and been to urgent care 3 times within the past year (one being on Christmas day 😭) because I’ve had flare ups (burning & stabbing vulvar pain)** **so bad that I was vomiting and on the verge of passing out. It felt like I was being tortured down there & I genuinely thought I was going to die.

I was in no state to drive so my bf took me and I explained everything to the doctor when I got there, barely being able to speak because I was sobbing, and when asked I told them that my pain was a 9 on the pain scale, verging on a 10 because I was almost becoming unconscious.
I was clearly in great distress, but all I was given was a UTI test even after explaining that I do not have a UTI and I do not have an infection; I have a diagnosis of vulvodynia! I have chronic vulval/vaginal pain!
Even so, they always insisted that I took one, and when it (obviously) came back negative, they sent me on my way and told me “don’t wash the vulva with soap and drink lots of cranberry juice.”
I remember having an absolute breakdown whilst waiting to be discharged and just wishing to die in that moment because I felt so fed up and unheard.

Another time I went to urgent care, the dr refused to examine me because I was on my period, and then gave me a box of tablets for herpes, with absolutely no evidence that I had herpes. 😭 Needless to say I didn’t take them because wtf?

My GP put me on 2 rounds of unnecessary antibiotics despite no indication of an infection, which caused further pain. Then he became adamant that I had an STI, so I went and got tested, my results came back clear, and then he said “I don’t know what else to do for you.”

I’m in the UK and I spent hundreds of ££ (as a full-time student with little money) to have two appointments with a private (male) gynaecologist. (I had to, because NHS waiting times are ridiculously long and my quality of life was nonexistent). I told him I had been doing some personal research (he did not like that and it almost seemed like I hurt his ego or sense of authority) and asked if it was possible that I could have vulvodynia. He proceeded to laugh in my face and ask “where on Tiktok did you get that information from, then?”
I felt so humiliated and started crying out of embarrassment. He decided to put me on vaginal estrogen and told me he didn’t know what was wrong so it’d be a case of trial and error. He said to come back (spending even more money) if it wasn’t working and he’d put me on something else. It irritated the hell out of my skin and my urethra, so I stopped the estrogen and never went back to him.

The only time I felt like I was truly listened to and acknowledged was when I saw a female vulval specialist. She listened, examined me and gave me the diagnosis of vulvodynia, but even then, I didn’t feel like it was fully explained what I could do to help myself whilst starting the medication she recommended or what the diagnosis actually means.

I have spent SO much money on seeing specialists and trialing creams/medication that it makes me feel so let down and frustrated that this is the reality of my life at the age of 21. I suffer through every flare up myself, despite my bf pleading that I get help because I lie screaming in pain, because I have been shown time and time again that doctors don’t listen and won’t take me seriously when it comes to this condition.
I have had an extremely poor quality of life for the past year and a half and got very close to being kicked out of university for my poor attendance despite explaining the situation to them (which they do not deem sufficient enough to warrant time off when I need it.) I have felt >!suicidal!< more times this past year than I can count because my whole world has felt like a nightmare and nobody seems to want to help me.

Does anyone else relate?

I’m currently having a horrific vulvodynia/possible hypertonic pelvic floor flare up, so far it’s lasted over a week but is getting slowly worse each day and no end in sight yet. I have been diagnosed with vulvodynia and prescribed pregabalin + lidocaine ointment, (which the pharmacy hasn’t gotten ready for me yet), but not a hypertonic pelvic floor, although I suspect I have one.

I’ve had very little sleep over the past couple of days. I made the mistake of going to the toilet at 4am as I was desperate and I have been in horrible pain since then with my vulva. Horrific burning, soreness like I’m raw, twinges of pain etc that hasn’t stopped for nearly 4 hours. I have had codeine, paracetamol and 2 doses of ibuprofen and I’m still in too much pain to sleep. I do have co-codamol with me, but since I’ve had paracetamol and codeine I don’t think I should take it for a while.

I really, really need to sleep; I am absolutely exhausted but the pain won’t let me. I’ve had possibly 6 hours sleep over the last 3 days. I don’t know what to do. I tried having a bath yesterday but it didn’t help so I’m unsure whether to try again as it is very difficult to move at the minute and walking makes it so much worse.

Deep breathing and cold packs aren’t working like usual. My very intense pain flares after using the toilet only usually last about half an hour, possibly 1-2hrs MAX before subsiding. I don’t know why this morning is different. I’m at a loss and exhausted.
My bf is here but he has a broken foot so cannot look after me, and it is excruciating when I try to walk/stand up. He is sleeping soundly next to me (that’s fine, I want him to rest), but this is making me feel so hopeless and drained, as I woke him up to confide in him and he said he doesn’t think there is much else to do to help since I’ve taken so many painkillers already & they haven’t done anything. Then he kissed me, rolled over and went back to snoring. I don’t think he was fully conscious when he said that, but it made me feel so hopeless. Why do I have to endure this horrific suffering?

I’m lucky in the sense that that I’m currently a full-time student (I’m 21) in the UK, and I’m on summer break, so I don’t have anywhere to be and can just rest. The sleep that I have had wasn’t at night so I fear I’m becoming nocturnal.🦉

This is a vent post but I’d also appreciate any kind words or tips from when you’ve had such a bad flare up that nothing seems to touch it. Thanks:(

Hi guys,
I have been on Vyvanse/Elvanse 60mg for around two months now. I’ve just finished titration after trying Concerta (which didn’t work for me), so I’m now on Elvanse. All doses up to 50mg had some positive effect but ultimately didn’t work well enough, so I tried going up to 70mg, which I could tell was slightly too high, and settled at 60mg in the end.
My prescriber seemed happy with how I am on this dose, and even with the side effects I told her about, since I am getting major benefits from the medication and my blood pressure + mental health is doing good, she said I should stay on it if the good outweighs the bad and I think I am benefiting from it.

And yeah, the good *is* really good:
I feel motivated all day but also find it easy to relax, my mood is stable (baseline good but not euphoric) most of the day, the comedown in the evening isn’t that bad (I can definitely feel when it’s wearing off but wouldn’t describe it as a *crash*), I can actually get out of bed, be productive and function, and I just generally feel good on it without feeling euphoric or like I’m “high”, which would indicate that it’s too strong of a dose.

So I really can’t figure out why mornings are so horrible. I’ve tried both methods of taking it and then going back to sleep or taking it when I’m fully awake for the day. Neither made a difference.
Around one and a half to two hours after taking it, I can literally feel the medication “kick in”, and very suddenly my heart will start to race, I feel nauseous, I get a nervous stomach (anxiety butterflies, urgent need to use the bathroom), sometimes I start to sweat, I get panicky and I can’t focus on anything else except riding it out.
If I take it at 6am and then go back to sleep for say, three hours, I’ll still experience it. I don’t seem to be able to sleep through it like other people can because it seems to delay itself until whenever I wake up.

After half an hour it passes, and for the rest of the day I feel absolutely fine, but sometimes I dread taking it in the morning because I know what’s coming.
Granted, it is only half an hour out of the entire day but it’s extremely unpleasant to go through and I can’t tell what it is or if it’s normal, because I guess in the end it *is* a stimulant.
As 50mg is too low and 70mg is too high, 60mg should be a good middle-ground. It has such great benefits, so I really don’t know why I can’t handle it specifically in the morning.

Any ideas/similar experiences would be very much appreciated.

I’ve been dealing with vulvoldynia for about a year and a half now, and I saw a specialist 2 weeks ago, who diagnosed me and put me on Pregablin. This seems to be my only option as she said any similar pain meds she could’ve prescribed would interact with my ADHD meds.
This specialist cost me almost £300 to see, and I cannot afford to go back & speak to her a second time until I’ve saved up again.

I was really hopeful about finally finding some treatment for the horrific pain I’ve been in until I googled the side effects and all of the awful experiences people have had with the medication popped up, and now I don’t even know if I want to start it. I don’t know if I’m being dramatic, but I’m just so worried.

I’m 21, in university (which I’ve already almost been kicked out of since I’ve had so much time off due to this awful condition, and they don’t offer remote learning), and I want to live my life and do things, but the side effects make it sound like I won’t be able to: nausea, fatigue, swelling, memory problems etc. It all sounds so scary and serious, especially since I was told I’d need to be on it for at least a year for it to have effect & so the pain doesn’t come back as soon as I stop taking it.

I’ve been on a weight loss journey for a long time and so I’m very upset to hear that most people experience lots of weight gain that they say is out of their control (due to it affecting metabolism??). I don’t think I could handle seeing the scale go up after all the work I’ve put in to get the weight off. I really don’t want to choose between living pain-free and swollen, tired and gaining weight, or the opposite.

I’ve also read that it can counteract ADHD meds as they both work in opposite ways, essentially making my Elvanse useless?

I feel very stuck, hopeless, and I don’t know what to do.
I was thinking about coming off my Elvanse, to see if I could go on a different treatment, but Elvanse helps me wonderfully & I’ve only just finished my titration so it would be a huge shame.

After a year of immense pain & a lot of suffering, I was so hopeful coming out of my appt until I googled what I was prescribed. Now I feel back to rock bottom. :(
I’m confused and I feel like every time I go 2 steps forward I take 3 back, as the thing that could potentially help has major drawbacks. Does anyone have any advice or anything?

Not coping well in this heat at all.

I’m lying downstairs, fan pointed at me, blinds shut (light is still getting through because downstairs blinds are shite), cold pack on my forehead, sipping lots of water, but no matter how hot I feel, for some reason I’m not sweating. And so I don’t feel like I’m cooling down.

I have goosebumps all over despite being very warm and a lot of nausea. I had a snack half an hour ago, a chocolate salty peanut protein bar thing, but I still feel like vomming. The air is so heavy it feels like I’m having trouble breathing which is making me slightly panic. I don’t mean to be dramatic or anything because I used to not mind the heat at all, but this is my first heatwave on Vyvanse.

No alarming signs like confusion or dizziness thankfully.

Feel like I’ve followed all the usual tips & tricks for this heatwave so what gives? I’m in the Midlands so it’s not as hot as down South. I’m praying for all of you who are there!

I’m expected to go on a 4-hour car journey later today and I’m dreading it. At least I have AC.

Thanks in advance
Edit to say I am on 60mg Elvanse

I am currently on Vyvanse/Elvanse (in the UK) 70mg for combined ADHD, and whilst it has been working brilliantly so far, I’m wanting to go down to 60mg as I think is is a little bit too high.

It is helping improve so many things: executive dysfunction, emotional regulation, overeating, impulsivity etc, but one thing I haven’t had relief with is my mental noise.

Every single second of the day, from the moment I wake up to when I go to sleep, I have constant internal monologue, multiple trains of thoughts at once, constant songs looping, thoughts jumping rapidly between topics etc.
The song(s) looping never goes away, it just repeats until I hear a new song and it switches. It is always in the background, along with all of the other noise, meaning my brain is constantly overloaded and busy.

I find myself having to listen to YouTube or a podcast all the time to try and give myself a bit of a break from it all, but even then, it gets so loud that I find I get distracted from what I’m listening to by the mental noise, and I’m back feeling overwhelmed again.

Sometimes I crave sleep just so it will stop. On very bad days, it gets extremely upsetting and I can’t cope with much in life due to the fact that my brain causes me to always be on the verge of overstimulation.
It feels like im trapped inside my own head, constantly.

I have tried Concerta before, but it wasn’t for me.
Vyvanse is amazing, but I was waiting for it to have that effect that a lot of people on here talk about, which is the sudden silence of their brain, which feels like a miracle and like they finally have relief after so long.
For me, the meds haven’t lessened the mental noise even a little. It’s had no impact on that, but a lot of impact on other aspects of my ADHD. I feel like an abnormality and like I should have experienced this amazing silence which makes me feel genuinely jealous of those who have.

Is there any hope of relief, or should I accept that this is how it is forever?