r/adhd_anxiety

I’ve started realizing that bad sleep doesn’t just make me tired. It makes my whole brain feel more anxious the next day. Everything feels slightly more serious than it actually is. Small things annoy me more, I overthink texts, I feel behind before the day has even properly started, and my brain jumps between like 20 different things at once. And with ADHD that’s already kind of my default sometimes, so when I’ve slept badly it feels like someone turned the volume up on everything. The annoying part is that anxiety then makes it harder to sleep the NEXT night, so it becomes this really stupid cycle. sleep badly → feel more anxious → overthink everything → struggle to switch off → sleep badly again. For a while I was only trying to deal with the anxiety part during the day. Breathing exercises, going for walks, trying not to overthink, keeping busy etc. But lately I’ve been paying much more attention to protecting my sleep because I genuinely feel like my ability to handle anxiety is completely different after a decent night. One of the biggest things for me has been having a really predictable wind-down routine. If I leave the evening open-ended, my ADHD brain will find something to do forever. One more video. One more thing to Google. One message I should reply to. Some completely random idea that suddenly feels extremely important at midnight. PS. I haven't written this much text in a long time lol, and I'm spending way to much time, I got some messages to answer ☠️

Then I’m lying in bed tired but mentally still going at full speed. So now I try to make the last 30-45 minutes really boring and repetitive. Lower lights, stop starting new things, get stuff ready for tomorrow, phone away. I also put on the same sound mix in Nocturne: Sleep Sounds & Noise (really really sorry to the Redditor who will be angry at me for mentioning an app), usually brown noise with rain underneath. I like that I can make the mix myself, but honestly the main thing is that I use basically the same one every night. It’s become a kind of “okay, day is over” signal. Nothing magical happens when I put it on, but it helps me stop adding more input. And I think that’s the part I was missing before. I used to wait until I felt sleepy and THEN try to wind down. But with ADHD/anxiety I can be exhausted and still mentally interested in absolutely everything. Now I try to start shutting things down before I’m sleepy and let the tiredness catch up. I’ve also stopped obsessing as much over finding the perfect sleep hack. Because that was becoming another anxiety thing. Is the room cold enough? Am I using the right noise? Should I try another breathing technique? How many hours do I have left if I fall asleep NOW? And suddenly I’m doing maths at 1am while trying to relax lol.

The more predictable my nights are, the less I seem to negotiate with myself. And when I actually sleep properly, I notice a HUGE difference the next day. My thoughts still move fast, obviously, but they don’t feel as threatening. Things that would make me spiral after 5 hours of sleep are way easier to brush off after 8.

Like your anxiety isn’t necessarily gone after good sleep, but your brain suddenly feels much more capable of dealing with it? Because at this point I’m starting to think sleep is one of the most important parts of keeping my anxiety manageable.

Is substance abuse just inevitable for people like us with ADHD and Autism (not to mention those of us who hit the trifecta with C-PTSD on top of it all)?

I feel like I’ve gone back and forth with weed so many times at this point I’m damn near ready to throw in the towel of being able to take on life without it. Even with all the meds I’m on (Vyvanse (30mg), Abilify (5mg), propranolol (10mg)) it still feels like a losing battle…

Hi, first-time posting.

I was diagnosed about a year ago and placed on Adderall XR. I take Wellbutrin for anxiety (but that's hopefully changing soon) but, as I was discussing things with my therapist, I realized I was never taught how to rest.

I know it sounds weird, but growing up I was always on the go with my single mom and special needs sister. There was always something we had to do or place we had to be. When I did rest, it was looked at as laziness or carelessness.

Now, I'm 41 years old, married for a year, new job, and I have a brain that simply won't shut off. At 11pm at night I am looking up stuff for work. On vacation and turning off Outlook notifications made me feel like I was going through opiod withdrawl or something. I've learned my whole life that rest was laziness and I don't know how to unlearn it.

Does anyone have tips for managing this? Thanks for any advice you can give.

I have panic disorder plus generalized anxiety disorder as well as ADHD. I’ve tried therapy for years for my panic disorder but nothing helped. I also tried different SSRI and SNRI over the years that have never really worked for me (too many side effects or not much help with anxiety). I’m interested if anyone here has panic disorder + ADHD and if so what medication or combination of medications has worked for you?

Hi everyone!

I’m seeing my psychiatrist this Friday to finally talk about getting some help for my anxiety, and I’m definitely nervous about it. I do go to regular therapy so that helps a bit.

I have ADHD and do have medication for it, but I honestly barely take it because I’ve always been someone who is really hesitant about taking medication in general. I have pretty bad social anxiety and can also experience panic attacks, especially in public settings or situations where I feel like I can’t easily leave.

For those of you who also have social anxiety and/or panic attacks, do you take an SSRI? If so, which one has worked well for you? I’d especially love to hear from people who have had positive experiences with medication and noticed an improvement in being able to go out, socialize, or just feel more comfortable in public.

Did you start at a really low dose and work your way up? What was your first week or first month like, and how long did it take before you started noticing that it was actually helping?

Also, any tips for taking that first dose when you already have anxiety around medication itself? I will literally convince myself I’m having a reaction after taking a new supplement 😂 so taking my first dose of an SSRI is probably going to be an event lol. I found that sitting in front of a fan helps.

I know everyone reacts differently and I’ll obviously be talking everything through with my psychiatrist. I’m just hoping to hear some encouraging firsthand experiences before my appointment. Please no fear-mongering or horror stories, I know side effects and negative experiences are possible, but reading a bunch of them will probably just feed my anxiety and make me afraid to even try.

Thank you!! 🫶

Hi all, combined type ADHD here, only med I take for it is Vyvanse. I have this intense urge to be outside during the day, especially when it's nice weather out. Not just like a guilt thing, like I start feeling really claustrophobic and feel like I need to IMMEDIATELY stop what i'm doing and go outside. Obviously in our society, there are many times where that's just not allowed and you're required to be somewhere inside and stay there. Does anybody else have this? Have you found anything that helps with it??

I wanted to add the medication flair too but I need more input on what others have had experience with and how they've managed it.

To start, basically I've been on both Vyvanse and Ritalin but am currently still using Ritalin. I want to take an anxiety focused medication as my day to day anxiety has definitely been increased since taking stimulants.

I've tried these drugs below but all have been super unpleasant long term.

- Mirtazapine (sleeping in causing me to not wake up in the mornings for work or really anything at all)

- Venlafaxine (sexual dysfunctions and horrible withdrawl)

- Desvenlafaxine (same as above but worse withdrawals)

At this point im unsure what other medications to try. If there's anyone here that has had a positive experience with an anxiety medication that doesn't have awful withdrawl symptoms or common sexual dysfunction as I seem to be sensitive to those effects.

I'm a bit lost and am struggling to find some way to make it work

Maybe it's just me and whatever weird corners I find myself in while idly scrolling but I see... so often... people treat anxiety as “fake.”

Can it sometimes be a misdiagnosis? Absolutely! But can it be something else but still with anxiety? Also yes!

I get the misdiagnosis frustration. My ADHD went ignored/undiscovered until I was pushing 30. And I’ve tried SSRIs and they’re not my friend so I get the unhelpful medication frustrations.

To be clear, I’m in full support of second opinions if something feels wrong. I’m pro “the treatment that works for you, whatever the label.”

But it still sucks when someone seeks an assessment / treatment for the first time, no prior medications, no prior diagnoses, and hear “anxiety” and have an automatic “misdiagnosis” reaction. Sometimes they go in expecting a certain result and come back to gripe that the doctor told them it was “just” anxiety. Just. And the comments also affirm “it’s not anxiety, it’s (other thing.)”

I see this at least a lot in ADHD spaces, where someone shares what symptoms prompted them to seek treatment and they resonate with the anxiety side of my life. Often with my ADHD side too! But some symptoms fit more with GAD criteria.

And the discourse can turn into… not even being open to trying to treat that, just an automatic “Wrong.” Which can strike me less like “anxiety’s not my diagnosis” and more like they’re handwaving it away, treating it as a “lesser” diagnosis, or medical misogyny, or the 21st century version of hysteria. And when people affirm them, the intent might be to support, but it makes me feel dismissed.

There’s a high comorbidity rate, it easily could be both! I’m not saying “if you were told it’s solely anxiety then it’s solely anxiety” at ALL because yes, psychs and doctors can be wrong!! I’m more trying (poorly) to kinda just… blah… about how people inherently reject anxiety as not a thing in favour of something they view as “more serious / real.”

Was my anxiety just anxiety? Nope. So I get it. But. I’m also not treating the anxiety directly right now, more treating everything else around it to at least help. And I had a panic attack last night that caught me by surprise. It wasn’t “just” anxiety. But it was also anxiety.

IDK. Anxiety isn’t “lesser.” It can be “lazy doctor being lazy and writing a script for Lexapro” but that doesn’t mean it’s not a legitimate diagnosis, or that it’s a lesser one, or that an anxiety diagnosis is always wrong, or whatever.

Hi there! My psychiatrist is working with me to really understand whether my anxiety or ADHD is really giving me the hardest time. She asked me several questions and asked me to tell her if I believed it was rooted in adhd or anxiety. I find it INCREDIBLY challenging to decipher the root of the symptoms and issues I experience. It’s not super clear at all. Does anyone else feel this way? I genuinely think it’s a split between the two but due to challenges getting good outcomes with meds we have tried, she wants to try and determine which ones worse? It’s making it hard to get the most “suitable” and accurate treatment/medications.

I don't usually post about things like this, but I'm having a really difficult time lately and I want to hear from people who might have gone through something similar.

I have ADHD and generalized anxiety disorder, and I've had quite a few medication changes recently.

My current medications are:

Atomoxetine 80 mg

Venlafaxine (Effexor) 75 mg

Quetiapine 25 mg

Before this, I was taking atomoxetine 60 mg and venlafaxine 225 mg/day. I was also taking risperidone (Psychodal) 1 mg.

My psychiatrist then wanted to switch me from risperidone to brexpiprazole (Neuropression) 10 mg. I accidentally took both because I didn't realize I was supposed to stop the risperidone. My doctor told me to stop the risperidone, and later the brexpiprazole was also stopped and replaced with quetiapine 25 mg.

Around all these changes, I went through a period where I could barely sleep for about a week.

Now, over the last few days, I'm feeling something that I honestly can't describe very well.

I feel extremely restless. It's like there is this huge amount of energy inside me that I can't get rid of. I can't properly relax. I can't just sit down and feel comfortable. I constantly feel like I need to move or do something.

It's not just normal nervousness. It feels physical, like my body won't let me rest.

And the worst part is that the feeling itself makes me anxious, and then the anxiety makes the restlessness even worse. It's becoming a horrible cycle.

I've also been feeling more depressed and sad lately, and there have been moments where I've thought, "I just want this to end" meaning I desperately want this feeling to stop. It's honestly exhausting.

I've been reading about akathisia, and a lot of the descriptions sound frighteningly similar to what I'm experiencing.

I don't know if this is actually akathisia, severe anxiety, medication activation, venlafaxine withdrawal from dropping from 225 mg to 75 mg, or some combination of everything.

I have messaged my psychiatrist and he told me to stop atomoxetine until I have the chance to visit him

I have anxiety disorder and inattentive ADHD.

I am addicted to using Reddit, X and Discord. I use these total about 2-3 hours per day.

I want to quit X all togther and use Discord with only my friends and game community. I have two accounts one only with friends and game and the other is way more social.

X/Twitter is the most problematic since It is common in my country and most used and I like the memes and historical subjects there a lot,
but I am an impulsive person and I often post without thinking and I fear a lot that I may be jailed due to local speech laws.

Police constantly monitor that website with AI.

I also scroll on facebook and like posts but I barely comment, and I deleted Instagram months ago and only have it to keep in touch with my friends.

I use TikTok for downloading edits.

Hi,

I have been diagnosed with GAD and panic disorder for two years now. I was put on Venlafaxine with tough side effects upon starting it. I have tried Aripiprazole to calm my thoughts but got headaches daily so I had to stop taking it. I have also tried Buspirone in different strengths, got dizziness, nausea and headaches, I am now phasing it out. I am wondering if I myself have an NPF diagnosis as both my children have autism and ADD.

Anyone else have similar thoughts?

​

Hi guys,

I've been reflecting on some of my behaviours and difficulties for a while, and I'm wondering whether I might have ADHD, OCD, or possibly something else.

I did consult a psychologist once, but I didn't feel that the assessment/diagnosis was very thorough or satisfactory, so I'm looking to get a proper evaluation from someone experienced in adult ADHD/OCD and differential diagnosis.

Could anyone recommend a good clinical psychologist or psychiatrist who actually takes the time to properly assess these conditions rather than making a quick diagnosis?

I'm open to online consultations or in-person consultations anywhere

I'd especially appreciate recommendations based on your personal experience , someone who you felt genuinely understood your symptoms and conducted a proper assessment.

Thanks!

I have been on ADHD medication - methylphenidate (18 mg + 10 mg SR between 7-8 am) and (10 mg SR booster dose at 12 pm).

Initially I experienced greater motivation and focus in my academic tasks that I was previously used to procrastinate about.
Over the course of a month or so, I've started feeling the focus dwindle in my academics.
Instead, now I feel hyperfocused and stimulated during my workouts or just ANY physical activity.

I used to workout before starting medication as well, and even then, the mere act of being doing physically rigorous and intense activity used to allow me to be fully focused without stimulants (including coffee as most days I wouldn't drink caffeine before workouts).

I won't say that I'm procrastinating just as badly as I was before, but it feels like the stimulation I'm supposed to be putting into my academics is being "wasted" on my workouts.

Have you ever dealt with something like this, and if so, how did you work it out?

21 m, I’ve been dealing with depression/anxiety since I was a teen. I noticed in my adult years that I could never hold a single job for more than 4-6 months, I would get so burnt out on the work I was doing and just stopped completely caring about the consequences and the fact that I need a job to pay for my necessities. I’ve probably had over 10 job by now and it’s embarrassing to admit that because all I ever was told from family/friends that I’m just being lazy and should try harder, basically cope. I would later become very depressed due to trying to understand why I wasn’t like everyone else and how much of a “fuck up” I was and eventually it would end me up in a psyche hospital. Spent a few weeks in there and left with different medications , I started off with lexapro which I think had no effect on me , then to hydroxyzine and then now Zoloft . In my personal experience I really just feel numb more than anything and have lost a lot of interest for the little things I cared about . I seriously don’t know where to even begin to fix this and see it as pointless in useless to keep on going . Sorry to rant I just want to see if anyone could help me understand why I’m like this.

Not asking for any medical advice, just seeing some empathy as I (37M) type this in the morning feeling a little sad about myself. I have a stable job, a great wife, great kids but something just feels off about me.

Ever since 2020/2021, I’ve been dealing with tons of brain fog, memory lapse, migraines, rumination, social / performance anxiety. I’ve theorized it could be long COVID or burnout from being in a leadership position with ADHD. I’ve thought about switching jobs but don’t want to risk ending up in a worse situation.

Been to various doctors and even a neurologist who ordered a brain MRI (everything normal). Got officially diagnosed with ADHD a couple years ago. It’s gotten worse with time. I’ve tried various medications one at a time (Zoloft, Prozac, Lexapro, Vyvanse). The side effects of all those were too negative for me to keep up with.

Recently went to another psychiatrist, they said I have anxiety and ADHD. They said stimulants may make my anxiety worse so wanted to try non-stimulants first. Gave me an option between Qelbree and Intuniv. I took the Intuniv because I’ve read good things about it and the side effects listed seem to be milder than Qelbree.

I’m on day 5 of Intuniv, I know this med takes a while to work so I’m being patient. But just wanted some sympathy and hope that I find something that works because it’s exhausting to keep living like this.

• when i'm in the office or busy w work, i don't worry about adulting
• i should do housework instead of the treadmill after meals bc otherwise i'll end up "recovering" at my desk and posting to reddit
• high standards are robbing me of mindfulness
  • today matters
    • what am i doing today that won't add value today?
    • what THINKING am i doing today that:
    • ...won't make today better?
    • ...is DISTRACTING FROM today?
  • NOW matters
    • what am i doing right now that has nothing to do with right now?
  • maximum longevity doesn't
  • maximize AWARENESS; not years
  • sensory pleasures (incl intellectual stimulation) are fleeting so why be distracted by seeking and indulging in them when they won't carry over to tomorrow?

I don't mean things i can write down in a calender or set an alarm for, i mean the little things at work.

I get constantly told to remember better, sometimes nicely, sometimes passive-aggressively, sometimes it feels really demeaning and often they straight up make fun of me. I always apologise i always say i will do my best to keep it in mind moving forward, i often have to explain that i know and do it usually, but just forgot few times, which they for some don't want to believe usually, and insist I do it constantly (even if i know it happened around 2-3 times max, out of like 40). It's things like washing a rag with warm water, replacing toilet paper after i finish, throwing out the used role, putting things in their place, turning of lights, and whole lot of other details concerning specific work tasks.

I don't understand what are they expecting me to do, I'm already trying more then my best, I'm already ocd checking everything constantly, I am constantly trying to gauge out what would they think is important, but I still miss and I still forget sometimes, I don't know like how I'm supposed to fix this in their mind, why would they keep assuming I'm just not trying hard enough, when it should seem obvious at this point, that I'm doing my best just have kind of a bad memory and forget some details sometimes.