u/amber440

Hi all!

I've been struggling to find a stimulant med that works for me. I was diagnosed with severe inattentive adhd, and suspect there's some AuDHD in there.

I've tried multiple stimulant options, and the only thing that's worked for me nominally without too many side effects is Vyvanse. It worked miraculously for about 2-3 months, and then has lost effectiveness since then.

I told my practitioner that Vyvanse helps with daytime focus at work, where I can lock in on my tasks, but focus has never been my lifetime struggle. I sought out treatment for adhd for executive function help. I struggle with task initiation and extreme procrastination. Even on Vyvanse, I still hate doing mundane and complicated activities like cooking, errands, cleaning, etc. I've gained tons of weight because my brain would rather order takeout or delivery rather than spending an ounce of brain capacity on planning or preparing a meal. I haven't always been this way, but I think work burnout and medical trauma has pushed me to a point where I got depressed and struggled to function. I just started adhd treatment about a year and a half ago to pull me out it.

My psych told me she's heard this common complaint with a lot of her patients on Vyvanse, and suggested Qelbree to add on top of it. That Vyvanse helps with focus, but that Qelbree has helped her patients fill that executive function gap. I'm supposed to take 100mg for two weeks, and move up to 200mg. She warned that the first two weeks would be the most symptomatic, and that I might need to "push through" to see the long term benefits.

I took a look through this sub, and admittedly, am a little scared to start.

There's a lot of stories of the extreme vomiting or stomach issues the first two weeks, and scary stories about the withdrawal effects when missing just one day. I've never had a migraine in my life, and I'm not excited to potentially experience one if I miss a dose.

I'm also in the middle of an interview process for a potential life changing new job, and I'm afraid to start this med during such a critical time in my life.

I guess my questions are:
- Are the extreme scary stories on here just rare cases? Has the initial two week period been mild for some, and have you been able to continue your day to day life even with symptoms?

- Has Qelbree helped you with executive function? Do you have that "verve" to do daily tasks and keep up with them? Is it easier to keep routines on Qelbree?

- I'm forgetful (because adhd) and sometimes miss taking my vyvanse dose. Is it common to feel severe withdrawal effects after just one missed dose of Qelbree?

I've had this script in my home for two weeks now, but I just haven't had the courage to start. This med comes across as very scary, so any positive stories would be really helpful!

Hi all, I need an opinion.

My therapist and I have been meeting about once a week for about 16 months now, and have recently graduated to every other week.

This particular therapist specializes in addiction disorders and ADHD, and herself is diagnosed and medicated for ADHD. I was struggling with food addiction and disordered eating, and after a session with her, learned she had healed from one as well.

I found a lot of common ground with this therapist, and genuinely found her rapport and support an integral part of my healing this last year.

Here's where things have gone south....

In the last 3-4 months, she would chronically late to our afternoon sessions. About 10-15 on average, but she almost always made up for the lateness with extra time or longer sessions the following week. She said it was because the client she had before me was always in crisis, and needed the extra time to address her before starting my call. It became so chronic that I finally said something about it with her in a session, and asked that we push it 30 minutes, to give more of a buffer between my session and her other client. She was extremely apologetic, complimented me on my practicing of "boundaries" and "self-advocacy," and I forgave her. Her timeliness did improve after that.

About 1-2 months later, I experience this (seen in the above screenshot).
I had a call scheduled with her Wednesday afternoon, and about 25-30 minutes into our scheduled time, frantically texts me about how her internet connection isn't working that day. Ok, fine. I get it. Shit happens. So I ask to be rescheduled, and we agree on Friday morning at 9am.

Friday morning comes, and I hop on my computer. She never sent me a link for the video call, so I text her around 9:05am and ask for her to send a link.

Silence. I follow up again at 9:15am, asking if we're still on for today. No answer.

Finally, at 1pm I get another frantic style text. She overslept and forgot about our appointment. At this point, I see her texts and start crying. I really valued our time together and how much she has helped me, but this feels heartbreaking. I feel like I'm begging her for time and attention, which is not a great feeling for someone who struggles with extreme self esteem issues.

What should I do at this point? One one hand I sympathize with her struggles with time management, as she has severe ADHD like I do. I can understand that mistakes happen, but to a point.

Or is her conduct wholly unprofessional?

Afraid to take Qelbree - help?

Am I valid in feeling upset (client) and wanting to discontinue our relationship (therapist)?