Had a rough start on Elvanse
Hi everyone,
I started Elvanse 30mg yesterday for ADHD-c, which is severe. This has been a really huge milestone for me, so I’m feeling quite emotional about how it went and would really appreciate some reassurance.
I took my first dose at about 5:30am- I didn’t eat breakfast because I wanted to see what the baseline effect was like. I felt it kicking in around 6:30. For the first couple of hours, it felt fine, if a bit buzzy. I went out for a walk and had this incredible sense of clarity, when I spoke to someone, my head felt clear like there weren’t 15 thoughts competing for space at the same time.
But then when I sat down to work things didn't go so well. I have a very busy desk based, technical adminy job. As soon as I needed to absorb things, it was like my brain just wouldn’t take anything in. Obviously this is a 'thing' for me because of my ADHD, but yesterday felt like there was an extra layer of treacle over everything. I was fighting to read and think, and when I had to speak to people I was getting words in the wrong order, I couldn't really think things though. It was dreadful.
For the rest of the afternoon, my head felt 'swampy', like it was stuck in mud. I got so overwhelmed and upset about not being able to handle a meeting that I postponed it to today.
At around 2pm, a really bad headache kicked in, and it stayed all evening, I went to bed with it, slept badly, kept waking up, and woke up with it this morning. OTC painkillers aren't touching it.
Trying to anticipate some things I might be asked:
- I ate ok yesterday, though probably a bit less than normal
- I drank about 3 litres of water
- I had no caffeine at all
- I’ve been reducing caffeine over the last few months, but I definitely didn’t have my usual cups of tea yesterday, so I don’t know if caffeine withdrawal could be part of the headache
Today I feel a bit wiped out, and I’m facing a similar kind of work day. I’m really torn about whether to take today's dose or skip it. Tomorrow should be easier, and then I have the weekend, so part of me is wondering whether it would be better to restart when I don’t have to think and function.
Does this resonate with anyone? Does it settle? I’m just feeling really deflated after being so optimistic about this.
Thanks in advance.