r/ADHDmeds

I’ve had many failed attempts at meds for ADHD and looking to try a methylphenidate. Vyvanse gave me severe depression when it wore off in the afternoon and I only figured that out after 3 years on it. Ugh. I also felt manic at times, had ocd tendencies, increased anxiety, pelvic pain and felt massively overstimulated by everything. Adderall caused massive fatigue to the point of falling asleep when it wore off a few hours later. I’ve tried non-traditional meds like Wellbutrin and clonidine and also had bad side effects. I’ve been on and off meds for almost 20 years and still haven’t found the best fit for me. I’m very sensitive to all sorts of meds and supplements. I’ve now been off meds for adhd for almost a year and I’m realizing I really need help. I’m mostly inattentive ADHD and have low energy and blah mood when I’m unmedicated.

Does anyone relate to this and has had success on a methylphenidate?

Has anyone switched from Dexedrine spansules to azstarys. I was on 50mg Dexedrine spansules daily. I told my psych I wanted to try azstarys as I knew I was about to hit the max 60mg for Dexedrine. He prescribed me the 39mg middle dose of azstarys. On it I have felt sleepy and less focused but also more focused in other ways I don’t know how to explain it but I also dont feel like it last about 8hrs not 10-12hrs. I’ve been on vyvanse, metadate CD, aderall XR and IR and zenzedi. How have people felt on focalin XR, concerta? Or would the best be to just increase the azstarys?

I started taking ritalin two months ago 3 pills of 10mg everyday, and now my Dr increased my dose to 4 pills and i take them in pairs so only two times a day. But I’ve been experiencing weird things happening where i get stuck for hours on a thought, for example seed oils and if they are safe or not and at first i was just doing research and stuff since I’m in food science but it turned into hours of being stuck in this loop where i think about seed oils and which ones to use over and over again to the point i can’t concentrate on something else like reading my book. Is this normal? Has this happened to you?
Also ive been experiencing something else where if i am focused on my screen all surroundings seem not there and i feel like im flying , i get that “high” feeling that i experienced in marijuana kinda.

I mean, not in a craving caused by addiction - way (I can only assume), since it’s been a few months (almost half a year) since I was taken off Adderal. But I sometimes (and only sometimes) still find myself missing it, or wishing I had this. And this is weirdly enough - mostly for daily life stuff and not in academic contexts (in them I’m doing fine with non-stimulant adhd meds)

Ive been on 70 mg vyvance and 10 mg dexamphetamine daily for 5 years and recently made the decision to stop based on several factors. Ive tried stopping by tapering/ or cold turkey but the withdrawal symptoms were unbearabow 😢 went to my GP who advices based on the high dosage/ duration of use, that rehab would be the path forward. Im now feeling so disheartened and anxious. Is there anyone who has stopped with similar dosage a duration and can give me some support?? Is my doctor being to dramatic. Im a mum with young kids. Going to rehab would be very overwhelming!!!

Hi, I’ve been documenting my symptoms all day (I’m a CNA, so literally all I ever do is document symptoms). Here it is in a nutshell (btw yes I did take it at 4:00PM, I work overnight so my morning starts around 2-4). Positive effects after the symptom documentation (you can quickly skim over I basically just felt like shit, anxious, euphoric, didn’t want to eat, dissociated, dizzy, fatigue, confusion)
4:00 took with food, immediately became disgusted
4:30 expected good stuff
5:00 sudden euphoria but also anxiety, heavy dissociation (I have severe dissociation issues so trust I know what heavy dissociation is), tachycardia (120 BPM)
5:30 started going nonverbal but could talk when prompted
6:00 went on a walk to try to burn off the anxiety and jitters. Vision distorted, dizzy (walk was fine but I was confused as fuck the whole time)
6:30 came home, mom is a nurse so she checked pupil responsiveness. It was dilated, minimally reactive. Anxiety had gone down at this point
7:00 distracted myself by hyper focusing on plant research. Very focused and productive atp
8:00 super motivated and focused, drove to Home Depot to get said plant stuff
8:15-50 adderall crash as soon as I got there, socialization a bit off, took FOURTY MINUTES to get three bags of soil and a damn pot, could not figure out for the life of me how to scan the items for self check out, girl had to come help me
I got home fine, driving ability unaffected, but I was still dissociated and felt funky
11;30 finally ate
1:30-now: I have a horrible head ache, I’m overstimulated, I’m irritated, hungry even though I already ate, restless. I’m usually awake until 4-7 in the morning so it’s not like I’m way too awake right now compared to my usual.

TIME FOR THE POSITIVES YAY: I didn’t crave nicotine at all (it’s been a problem recently), I was way more productive than usual (I’m typically just on my phone all day but I was actually doing shit), I was motivated, people noted I sounded a lot more focused on what they were saying and even happy, I generally got all I wanted out of adderall but I feel like absolute dog shit. Does it get any better? And how soon will it get better?

Hey everyone,

I’m moving into a sober living house this week and I’m curious if anyone has any advice or recommendations for ADHD medications that have been effective for them. I’m specifically looking for alternatives to amphetamines like Adderall and Vyvanse.

Thanks a lot!

:)

I’m on 20mg adderall xr and it works really well for 8 hours then I’m pushing myself through mud again. I need longer coverage for long work days and mom duties in evening. In this situation what would you ask your doctor for? Maybe adderall IR booster, try vyvance, higher dose of adderall xr?

Hi everyone! I’ve just started titration and I’m currently on day 3 of taking Elvanse 30mg. So far, though, I honestly haven’t noticed much of a difference.

I think I was expecting a pretty obvious improvement in things like concentration, motivation, and executive function, but at the moment I still feel mostly the same. I also haven’t had any appetite suppression, which I know is something a lot of people notice when Elvanse starts kicking in.

I’m aware that I’ve only just started and that titration is a gradual process, and I’m due to increase to 50mg in two weeks. But I was wondering if anyone else had a similar experience where 30mg didn’t really do much, and then things changed once their dose increased?

For context, I’m a 6’3”, 105kg man, so I’m not sure if body size could also be part of why the starting dose feels quite mild.

Would appreciate hearing about anyone else’s experiences with this during titration. Thanks :)

Hi, I know it varies depending on the person, but is 20mg of IR dextroamphetamine a lot to take at once? I see posts of ppl taking a lot more daily but I feel like more people take XR meds. Personally, they don’t work for me. My doc prescribed me 10mg IR twice a day, but taking them at different times didn’t work for me either so he said I could take both at once. So I just take the 20mg once per day in the late morning

Hi, I'm new I'm my journey in adhd meds. I tried Concerta (slow release) and it was giving me too much side effects, like heart palpitations.

I tried some non excitant but that was even worse, apparently my body cannot properly process those.

Currently I am trying a very low dose of fast release methylphenidate. It going greate, buuuuut I am sometimes feeling something in my chest. It's not pain. But it's just a ... feeling. Sometimes it's a "fresh" feeling, sometime it's more like a tight feeling. If i breath deep it goes away for a second when i inhale. It's in the left side of my sternum.

I don't even know if it's the chest itself or actually the heart. I was wondering: does someone else has something like this? And, if you take methylphenidate, are you supposed to have absolutely zero side effects? Or is this "normal"?

Ok I've been diagnosed with adhd, but only tried concerta and Ritalin itself. I started with ritalin 10mg twice a day a few years ago but I got too anxious and impulsive, had kind of a borderline personality, so I stopped it. Few months later, tried concerta 18mg but it didn't do much except for giving me severe insomnia. Recently I really wanted to do good on studies, since I've always REALLY struggled to study in general, so I started to "peel" some of the concerta I had left, it was almost expired. It worked like magic and I was just exceeding my expectations, studywise. When it ended, I bought an off label generic methylphenidate, 10mg. Took like 2 at a time, around 4 or 6 a day. When I went to my psychiatrist again, told him the evolution on my studies and socials in general and he prescribed me 2 boxes of 60 pills from the original ritalin, telling me to try only two pills a day again but tbh i didn't even try, went straight to the dose I was used, which was 2 at a time, but it went sideways and I got addicted to the feeling. The power to finally do what I wanted, less social anxiety, being able to focus and just adjusting my life in general. I upped the dose "slowly". One day I took like 7, the the other I took 8, then 10 and so it went on. It's been like 3 or 4 weeks since I've been abusing it and it turned into a recreational drug. Bit less than a week ago I started snorting it. I've always been curious about cocaine, but absolutely never used it because I am so sure I would love it and it would destroy my life. So I, in my stupidity, thought: "if i snort ritalin I can "kill" the curiosity of snorting drugs in general" and it was one of the best/worst decisions. It hits faster, not sure if stronger. I am a smoker, like half a pack a day, sometimes more, sometimes less, I also was heavily addicted to weed but nowadays I smoke like once or none a day. I really enjoy alcohol, couldn't deny an opportunity to drink, but I do it on a basis of 4 times a week. I kinda suspect that I don't have adhd at all because 20mg of ritalin at a time makes me feel very euphoric, like I own the world, and people with adhd usually report a calm, clear feeling. It does give me peace of mind, as I said, less anxiety in general, but the comedown is excruciating. I feel like Algernon, the rat, loosing it's intelect, like the control of my life is slowly(sometimes rapidly) escaping my hands, so it gives me urge to take more to feel that control again and the cycle repeats itself faster everytime. I plan on exchanging it for a long acting med, live Vyvanse or something similar so I don't feel that urge to renew the effect, but my next consult with the psychiatrist is like a month away.

So, knowing I tend to abuse substances, I am afraid. Today I took 12 for the first time on a span of 12 hours. Ingested a couple, snorted a couple. Should I be REALLY worried about having a heart attack or just "normally" worried about the substance abuse itself? I wanna stop and have thought about going into rehab, but I am afraid of loosing this semester at college, so I plan on keep taking it until the end of it, even though my performance at studying has worsened due to the anxiety and abuse of methylphenidate itself, but I am afraid of just stopping and the abstinence+difficulty to do basic things and studying hitting like a truck and I don't know what I would be capable of if I don't have anything to "hold on" to. I know I should stop, I have a good life and feel like I'm throwing it away by abusing substances. So my final question is: has anyone here taken the same or similar doses and/or used similar methods? It's been like an hour since I snorted the last one and I feel fine. Fast heartrate, just like during the day, kinda anxious to use again but am trying to hold the urge. If anyone has gone/is going through a similar situation, please help.

I know that it’s the first choice for methylphenidate, but I am really struggling. I’m on day 11. I cannot stay awake, I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck, I’m hungry, cranky, unmotivated.

I’ve had 2 good evenings, once the meds would have worn off, but otherwise I’ve wanted to quit. I’m really deflated about the whole process.

Prescriber has suggested a change to Elvanse. Anyone else had issues with Medikinet / changed from methylphenidate to lisdexamfetamine?

I (m38) have been newly diagnosed with AuDHD.

It's mostly my ADHD symptoms that are wrecking havoc in my life.

I will soon go through the process of also adding medication to my toolbox to alleviate some of these struggles.

I've been doing a lot of research and am wondering what other AuDHD people are taking.

I don't struggle too much with things like task initiation (I think).

The things I would like medication to help me with are mostly:

- Emotional regulation. (RSD and feeling and reacting to everything so intensely)

- Impulse control. (the continuous urge to have to act on any thing that pops into my mind. Also during conversations).

- Dopamine chasing behaviour.

I've understood that typical ADHD medication like methylphenidate and dexamphetamine isn't always fit when there's also autism in the mix. Things like increased anxiety wouldn't do my autism well.

I've read people also benefitting from medication like

Vyvanse, Strattera, Guanfacine and Clonidine.

What are other AuDHD people using, for what symptoms?

What has and hasn't been working, and why?

Hi all! I take a relatively low dose 10mg adderall xr and have been for the past few months. I’ve had adhd all my life and was medicated throughout my schooling years, but stopped in adulthood. I actually recently started the medication again out of hopes it would help my anxiety. A lot of my issues stems from racing intrusive thoughts, so the adderall has helped wonderfully with that.

My boyfriend’s mother suggested he may have adhd, and encouraged him to try medication. His response was very different from how adderall works for me. He got a burst of productivity and increase in mood. When I take adderall, I just feel calm and even sleepy. It doesn’t necessarily help me complete my tasks, I just feel less mental fatigue and stress from all the noise in my brain.

I think his response to adderall may be confirming he doesnt need it after all. Isn’t an increase in productivity and mood how a neurotypical brain responds? I just feel mostly normal when i take mine

​

I just started taking Vyvanse 30mg last month. Signed all the contacts for regular drug testing and everything. I was a drug addict and have been sober for 6 and a half years; I've been honest with my doctor about everything too. I've been sober from everything, even weed and alcohol. The other day I went to my check up a month later and did the rapid urine tests, had no worries because I have nothing to hide and have no urges to misuse it or anything. I take it at the same time everyday right before work at 8am. The doctor comes in the room to tell me my results and I tested negative for everything. Not only my Vyvanse but my Lexapro I'm prescribed and take everyday as well. Needless to say I was very thrown off.

A little context here. I'm a woman who's 5'9 and 215lbs. I exercise regularly, cardio mainly and currently have been in a calorie deficit for 8 months, I've lost 45lbs so far. I sweat a lot after my workouts and drink plenty of water and have told my doctor in case that would interfere with the negative drug tests. I was very embarrassed because since I use to be an addict, I can see why they'd be concerned. I've always been honest with them and told them I take it everyday; my husband even locks it in a safe and gives me one in the morning because of my history for safe measure which my doctors encourage. Thankfully my doctor does believe me and thinks it's an issue with the rapid urine testing there for they're going to do more complex tests which I am more than willing to do. I told them they can test me multiple times for blood, urine, hair if needed because I have nothing to hide.

This medication has worked great for me, I am more calm and collected and can stay focused. It doesn't effect my appetite or sleep either like I thought it would which is good. I'm very relieved the doctor is working with me, but has anyone else gone through this? I talked with my parents about this and they're just as confused. My cousin's who's on the same meds tested positive for her regular drug screenings too, so this is just super weird to me and I'm very proud and devoted to my sobriety. This is also the first time I've ever been tested for meds before because this is my first time being prescribed an ADHD medication.

Like the title says, how do you know youre on the rights dosage?

6 months ago I started with dexamfetamine instant release 5mg twice or three times a day. The first two or three weeks there were side effects including the difficulty falling asleep if I took it too late, decreased appetite and feeling euphoria. They went away and I increased the dosage to 10mg two to three times a day. I also had the same side effects that went away after around two weeks.

I usually take around 20mg a day and but lately 5mg or 10mg extra. The first two weeks I did that had the same side effects that went away.

When I took the 5mg pills it didn't feel like it helped too much. The 10mg ones definitely help a lot more with focus and starting tasks.

Also a thing I'm worried about is the nice euphoria and energy when the dosage gets upped. This goes away aswell, but how do I know I'm not chasing that?

So do people here have experience about how they found the right dosage? Did they keep increasing it and at what point did they stop? How did they know to stop?

I am 7 weeks pregnant and my doctor has given me the okay to continue my 10 mg Adderall XR script. This morning, I accidentally took 15 mg of instant release. I feel like a total idiot. I was not planning on continuing the instant release during my pregnancy.

Maybe I’m overthinking it, but did I just put my baby’s heart rate at risk?

I’m having to change my routine that’s worked for years due to insurance. They want me to only take 2 IR’s a day but they will likely allow me to take an XR also anyone have this quandary already. I’ve been taking 90 mgs IR’s a day for 10-15 years. Now I have to try to use the XR again anyone know a good combo that’s worked for them. Please help.