r/ausadhd

I’m mainly posting this because at this point I need to laugh or I’ll cry.

It’s 5am. I was absolutely exhausted all day yesterday and SO excited to finally get a massive sleep before work. I’ve slept like shit for the last 4 days, but I’m in my luteal phase so I just blamed it on that. Got my period yesterday and genuinely thought I was about to have the most glorious 10/10 sleep of my life.

I took my usual 2 clonidine at around 11pm. I didn’t even really feel like I needed them, but I’ve been taking them consistently and didn’t want to mess around with rebound BP spikes.

Fast forward to 2:30am and I’m still WIDE awake. Not just awake either — my brain is absolutely fucking flying. Thinking about everything I need to do, everything I could be doing, mentally reorganising my entire life instead of sleeping.

So naturally I think, wow, clonidine is really not doing its job tonight.

And I take ANOTHER ONE.

It gets worse.

Eventually I accept my fate, get out of bed and decide I’ll just take a dexy, get some shit done and hopefully crash around 10am.

Except I feel WEIRD. Not my normal medicated/productive feeling. I’m scattered as fuck, wired, and feel like my brain is moving at a million miles an hour.

So I finally look closely at my medication pack.
My neurodivergent ass has filled my ENTIRE WEEKLY MED BOX WITH DEXIES INSTEAD OF CLONIDINE. Which also explains my dreadful fucking sleeps the last few nights.

They look almost EXACTLY the same. Same tiny white tablet, with basically the only noticeable difference being the microscopic pressed letters on them.

So no, my clonidine had not mysteriously stopped working.
I had taken THREE TIMES my usual dex dose throughout the night while repeatedly wondering why I couldn’t sleep.
And then almost took another dexy because I thought I needed one.
😭

I’m sure I cannot possibly be the only person who has done something this stupid, but I needed to vent because I’m currently feeling extremely sorry for myself while also finding the whole situation fucking hilarious.
Safe to say I’ll be checking the tiny letters when I refill my medication organiser from now on.

I have been on Vyvanse/Dex for around 12 months so far. I made a decision about a month ago to come off all stimulants for various reasons. I struggled a lot throughout the month so ended up taking them again at various points. I've now been stimulant free for a week and after the fog/fatigue lifted, I'm starting to feel so much more like myself.

I was just joking around with my wife today and she told me she was so happy to see me laugh for the first time in a long time. I didn't tell her I had stopped taking the stimulants. I never realised how much of a zombie I had become. I was very productive, life changing in that regard, but I realised there's more to life than being a good worker bee. I feel like the stimulants made life very black and white, and I've started to see the colours again, able to stop and enjoy the butterflies in the garden.

I know stimulants are really good for a lot of people, but I wanted to share an experience from the other side, where they perhaps weren't the best fit.

Hello all,

29M recently diagnosed with (mostly) in-attentive ADHD. I've read some posts online, but would like to hear more of people's experiences with Vyvanse? Do you take breaks from it? Do you struggle without them?

I've generally had decent motivation throughout life, but I don't want to grow dependance and my non-medicated days to feel worse now that I have that comparison to hold it against

Any help would be great!

Cheers

I know this probably isn’t the right sub, and I’m assuming most people here have ADHD, but I couldn’t find a more fitting sub so thought I’d ask here anyway. My psychiatrist has prescribed me dexamphetamine 5 mg off label for treatment resistant depression. He’s told me to experiment a little with the dose to see what works best for me. I’m taking this alongside 45 mg of mirtazapine, which I’ve been taking for about two years. The mirtazapine helped a lot initially, but after around 4 months its effectiveness for my depressive symptoms progressively decreased. I also have concentration issues that affect my speech and day to day life, which is why he wanted to give dexamphetamine a shot, but my main issue is still the low mood.

I was wondering if anyone here has experience adding dexamphetamine and whether you noticed any improvement in mood, rather than just concentration/energy? I’ve found little information or personal experiences online about using it this way.
I can’t lie, it feels a little strange to be popping a stimulant whenever I need it as a way of managing depression, if you know what I mean lol. I’m going to give it a try regardless since I can always stop if it isn’t helpful, but I’d really like to hear from anyone who might have some helpful lived experience. Thanks :)

Looking for psychiatrist recommendations for someone who is supportive and evidence based for medication use (dexamfetamine) in pregnancy and can offer Telehealth or is based in Sydney. My current psychiatrist's position is that I must cease medication. End of discussion. He has not involved me in this decision and has ignored the information I gathered from Mothersafe that my medication is low risk as well as my concerns that this will impact my mental health (as I was very depressed in my first pregnancy)

Hoping to find someone I can get in to relatively quickly as I'm down to my last bottle of medication (delayed telling my psych as I suspected this would be his position)

Hi everyone,
I am a 20 year old female was diagnosed with ADHD while seeing if I have autism instead. I was taking Vyvanse 30mg and sometimes dex and then moved down to 20mg due to heart palpitations but now stopped for a week bcs of high BP (130 systole).
I’m seeing my psychiatrist and GP about the physical symptoms, so I’m not asking for medical advice — just wondering if anyone has experienced something similar.
Since stopping, I don’t feel “fixed.” I still procrastinate, feel anxious/sad, and struggle with motivation. But I also feel a bit steadier and lighter. I can think for longer periods across the day, and the crash doesn’t destroy the rest of my day as much. My mum also says I seem happier.
On Vyvanse, I maybe felt more activated/focused at times, but also more overstimulated, anxious and physically uncomfortable. Off it, I procrastinate more and have less appetite suppression, which is hard because of body image, but overall I feel less emotionally wrecked.
Has anyone else found that stimulants helped some ADHD symptoms but made anxiety/crashes/overstimulation worse overall? How did you explain it to your doctor?

For ADHD people: does this sound familiar? Knowing you need to do something but feeling unable to start?

I'm trying to understand the behaviour of someone I know (mid 20s, 6yrs into Uni degree), and I'm particularly interested in hearing from autistic people about whether this is something you've experienced.

This person is an adult and currently lives at home. They have difficulty taking steps toward independence or "moving forward" such as finding a part-time/casual job or learning to drive for example is very hard for them.

What confuses me is that they don't necessarily seem unaware of the problem. They seem to know they need to make progress and can sometimes express frustration about not doing so.

But when these topics are brought up, they can become very anxious, shut down, and become unable to engage with the conversation.

I'm not asking whether you think this person is autistic, and I'm not trying to diagnose them. I realise these behaviours can have many explanations.

I'm interested in understanding whether autistic people experience anything like this, particularly the feeling of knowing that you need/want to do something but being unable to initiate it, or becoming overwhelmed when the subject is raised.

1. If you've experienced this yourself, what does it feel like from the inside?

2. And what do you find helpful from other people versus what makes the situation worse?

EDIT: Thank you to everyone's replies so far! It's been an eye opener for sure. Given the similarities in everyone's descriptions, is their a term (medical or otherwise) that describes this?

Hey everyone first time poster here (28M)

I was diagnosed at 21, and the diagnosis was life changing. Was on Ritalin 10mg for 4 years, then spent a year unmedicated before starting Concerta 54mg about 2 years ago when I entered the professional workforce.

Concerta has been a godsend, however the last year I have been really struggling with overwhelming anxiety and being unable to switch off, especially when the Concerta starts to wear off (around 4pm, I generally get about 8 hours before this), at which point I sometimes take a 10mg instant which helps me stay focused but usually also increases the anxiety.

My psychiatrist was very keen for me to try Intuvin in parallel with the Concerta to help manage the anxiety, however I don’t know if I can afford the $130 a month for both medications. When I raised this with my prescribing GP, he suggested that I could take Clonidine 0.1mg as a cheaper option. At this stage I have chosen to start the Clonidine, however will switch as soon as possible if I see negative side effects or have mood issues during the day.

I have a few questions or concerns, and if anyone is able to help out I would be extremely appreciative!

1. If you have had experience with both medications, which did you prefer and what were the key differences, specifically in regards to drowsiness and side effects when dose tapers off?

2. I have a very fast metabolism and have read that Clonidine 0.1mg typically will wear off around 17 hours, which is in the middle of the day. Is there any risks associated with redosing 0.05mg during the day (following a discussion with GP of course)

3. What sort of side effects should I be watching out for when taking Clonidine to identify when efficacy is dropping off?

4. If I decide to switch, will there need to be a titration off Clonidine before starting Intuvin?

Thank you in advance!

So today was kinda the last time I'll see my psychiatrist since he'll be sending a letter for my regular GP to be authorised to give me a script (unless I change medication/lifestyle/Required check in).

I take Vyvanse 50mg, been 3 years since taking vyvanse and I was originally on 40mg but I think it's been maybe like a year of me officially 50mg (old psychiatrist had me try to dose 50mg and drink like 4/5's of it in water lol during 40mg shortages... I sucked at the math).

I have 2 days off a week and when I'm sick I don't take my meds or I've take a couple days off work during my short shift week for my bday, figured I can take a break then to help with tolerance (I do shift work 12hr shifts/84hr fortnightly).

I mentioned to my psych how I do dancing, and only annoying thing is my medication is worn off by then and at work I still get my stuff done... then I think that triggered him to suggest dexamphetamine if I would like to trial it for my work days only.

I do notice when I am lower in energy but I'm used to whatever I have in me left to finish off my day if that makes sense? Plus previously I did think about asking, but my concern would be it'd be too much and I don't actually need them.

I decides when he suggested it to get them to see if it does helps me for the evening at work, cause it's kinda been more difficult for me since I've been doing a larger workload and I've been picking up the slack from some folks on the other rotation... if or else fails I will be on a medication cleanse for a week anyways and I'll give them to the pharmacy (at least that's what I heard of disposing medication).

Anyways I wanted to ask is anyone else on a high dose like 50mg vyvanse and takes 5mg Dexamphetamine (or any short release)? How did you feel afterwards with it wearing off and also how is it with regulating it all?

As the post says as i feel many are late diagnosed as an adult but how old did you guys first took adhd meds

Hi all,

Sorry if this is jumbled, first time making a Reddit post, hoping I've done this right :)

I 20F was recently diagnosed with ADHD in late May, and since then I started 30mg of Vyvanse for one month, then increased to 40mg on the 26th of June. I take 2 x Dex 5 mg booster in the arvo if needed and 100 mcg of clonidine at night around 10 pm for sleep, and after that June appt, my GP (Victorian co-prescriber) said to come back in three months, which would be late September.

I am having two issues and am wanting to see if anyone has any insight.

1. I am noticing a difference between starting 40 mg compared to now. Over the past, say, 3 weeks, my focus issues have slowly crept back, and I am now reaching for literally any quick dopamine thing, whether it be getting distracted and opening up youtube/games on my computer or getting my phone and scrolling or texting. Ontop of this I am having issues with procrastination/task initation, I know medication is not a complete fix and I still need to start the work but I do try but end up just pushing and taking it to extremes as not submitting Uni assignments until 7 days late past the due date and coping 35% off my marks (which is what I was doing proior to diagnosis and led me to seek help). Other differences I have noticed is the start of the semester 6 weeks ago I was able to sit down start, and finish weekly notes for each unit and this has slowly stopped to where I am now 1 or 2 weeks behind and just experiencing general task paralyiss whether it be uni work (where my main issues lie) or doing simple things such as washing and I've noticed that my mind isnt as 'quiet' anymore.

Not sure if tolerance build-up is really a thing, but there is a difference between the first month and now, also wondering could it be the increase in workload as the Uni semester develops (I am taking a double degree which requires intense amount of focus and am majoring in finance as I enjoy it but I feel I need to work harder than my peers due to focus issues and maths/numbers do not come to me naturally)

2. I take clonidine around 10 pm every night, even when I don't take my vyvanse and originally I was fast asleep by 11:30 pm, which was a life changer for me, as before this I can't remember the last time I was asleep before midnight, but usually I was falling asleep anywhere from 1 am to 3 am and then getting up 7/8 am running on maximum 6 hours of sleep for years. Over the past 2 weeks, I've had the same issue as with Vyvanse, where I am taking the clonidine (still at 10 pm) but am not actually getting tired or falling asleep until around 1 am, which is starting to get pretty disheartening as I was enjoying a full night's rest for those few months there. I will note that clonidine has also helped lessen my sleep inertia, and I have been less groggy in the mornings, but the past week I've been waking up tired again and wanting to go back to sleep even if I sleep 1 am - 9 am and get a full 8 hours.

Based on this, I'm not sure if I should go back to my doctor now or hold out another month, but I am concerned if this continues all the way up until exams start. I just have a humongous (probably irrational) fear of looking like a drug seeker and would love any advice lol.

​

I have never abused my Dex script - I have been on the same dose for 2.5 years however I just moved to Tasmania from Victoria.

I went to see a GP down here last week about getting my s8 permit changed over to a Tassie one and said it could take a bit over a month.

so today I thought crap I might run out of medication for a new job that I have started and am heavily reliant on them at present. so I went to try and fill my script 5 days early just in case the permit doesn't come in time.

obviously it was a new pharmacist here in Tassie and for the first time in my life the pharmacist told me it's too early, wait until next week. I politely said no problems.

have I just gotten flagged? it's a bit of a minefield changing states and ADHD :(

I’ve switched to Ritalin over the last week from dexamphetamine. And bro I’m just really really dizzy. My doctor prescribed the IR 10mg tablets and said just to pace myself follow my body. There just making me dizzy. Like I’m looking at a straight wall and it’s spinning and my focus from it is way worse. I have cut the pills in half I have no idea what’s going on.

Has anyone had a similar experience and how did they fix it ????

TLDR: can vyvanse cause acid reflux/heart burn/gerd? if this has happened to you, what was your experience and what were your symptoms?

hi everyone, i’m wondering if anyone here has had a similar experience to me.

i’ve been on vyvanse for nearly 3 years now (i think) and recently ive started experiencing what i think is acid reflux/heart burn/gerd.

roughly 2-3 hours after taking vyvanse i’ll start feeling a mild burning sensation in the back of my throat and my stomach will feel very bloated and gassy, kind of like i need to burp but i dont? then ill get a weird sensation on the surface of my tongue, kind of like when your foot is half dead but not as extreme, and a mild metallica taste in my mouth which makes me nauseous. it gets better when i eat food but then comes back about an hour later.

i always eat before taking vyvanse, i drink 3-4L of water every day, i haven’t changed my diet or eating habits. i have however been experiencing what i thought was very low blood pressure from clonidine and melatonin (i made a post a few days ago about it) but now im noticing the connection between my light headedness and these acid reflux symptoms. the first day i experienced the dizziness and feeling faint was also the first day i felt the stomach bloating, nausea and metallic taste in my mouth.

as i mentioned in my last post, i am seeing my GP wednesday morning so i will be discussing this then but in the meantime i would like to hear from others if they’ve had a similar experience and if it was caused by vyvanse?

One month ago and my life has changed completely, I bought them for a night out and next thing you know I can do washing. I can reply to emails I can achieve more than day than what used to take me 3 weeks and 30 deadlines

My life is 100 times better.

Whats the process from here?
I spoke to a psychiatrist and he wants school reports letters from my parents etc before willing to diagnose further

I don’t have school reports from 20 years ago, I’m not in touch with my parents

I don’t know what to do from here

I’m in Melbourne and will pay a small fortune just to keep my life on track again

Edit: corrected physicologist to psychiatrist

ADVICE PLEASE! My diagnosing psych said if I get an ECG and urine screen done, he can start prescribing me Vyvanse. I know that meds work great on adhd, but I have some concerns:

1. I don't want to become dependent on meds - yes I'm struggling without them right now, but I'm scared that once I start taking them I won't ever be able to do anything without them again. I feel like I'll never be able to 'fix' my bad habits (procrastination etc) on my own and just rely on medication forever.

2. I'm also scared that once I start taking them, my personality and mannerisms will change a lot (because in all honesty, I don't really know what my real personality is since I mask according to the people I'm with) and that will somehow impact my relationships.

3. Very much a me problem - but I still live with my parents and I haven't told them about my adhd since idk how well they would take it. How would I hide my meds? My mum likes to go through my room to help me keep it tidy (yes this is very lovely) but I'm scared she's gonna find new meds and freak out. I also don't know how I'm gonna go and get the tests done since we're on Life360 and there's no reason for me to go to the GP randomly.

EDIT: I had a few well-meaning comments concerned about this, so I'm gonna put it here: I am an adult, not constantly monitored, it's more about feeling bad making up excuses. They would be asking from a place of genuine curiosity/concern.

Has anyone else had the same concerns but still started medication anyway? How did you overcome the concerns?

My other treatment option is to search for an adhd coach but I'm very much aware that meds are heaps more effective - but again, if anyone has had positive experience with adhd coaching please comment!

Edit: thanks to everyone who commented, I couldn't reply to all of you but please know that all your advice and input is very much appreciated. When I next get the chance, I will be visiting my GP for the tests and then hopefully start medication asap - I have been persuaded in the right direction lol. Hopefully this post can help any others who are in my position!

So, I hit my wall with the Dex. I got to day 3 with taking 5mg x twice a day and it became too much for me. My heart palpitations were completely non-stop, I was super anxious and by the 2nd dose Iiterally couldn't concentrate on anything. I felt like I was in a fishbowl just super speedy and wired feeling and the crash was absolutely horrible. Extremely irritable and snappy.

I dropped the dose to 2.5mg x twice a day for the next 3 days and thought I found the sweet spot. Except it happened all over again with the third day taking it at work and I had a full blown panic attack. I had to go sit in a dark room for 10 minutes to calm down. I am so frustrated because it was working but I have no idea why my body decided to completely flunk out on me. I only had my first 2.5 mg dose at work and it sent me off the edge and the whole day was basically a write-off.

Over the weekend, I completely realise how bad my ADHD is. More than I actually thought. I was super scattered over the weekend and never realised how loud my brain is with chaotic thoughts and disorganisation.

As mentioned in a previous post, I recovered from very severe Pericarditis earlier this year which was a super stressful, albeit, traumatic time for my health but with no health negative health outcomes after recovering. However, I found that I can't even ingest caffeine like I used to. I used to be able to down 4 double shot coffees in a day to lock in at work and not feel the rush of caffeine and now even a strong Matcha can send me in a bad way. :( Just venting a little but I'm really annoyed at how my body has reacted so badly to the medication. Mind you I fully felt the effects and the difference it made but the rush of it seemed to much for my nerves.

My doc has now prescribed me 20mg of Vyvanse but I am also slightly worried that the same thing will happen...

EDIT: I should've of clarified (apologies) that I've been caffeine free since recovering from pericarditis in April as my body chemistry has completely changed to how it reacts to caffeine. I have not consumed any caffeine during my course with Dexamphetamine :)

I've been skipping getting diagnosed because of the thought that everyone has ADHD these days so it'll be fine. I'm at a point where it's severely effecting me these days jumping from job to job because it all gets boring after I get the hang of it and all. I'm a recovering addict coming off shooting up heroin, meth and taking any pill that comes my way. Almost 3 years now and I just take a pinch of 2 substances which have been very good. I'm almost 30 now and I'm worried and can't do all this any longer. I was thinking of getting adhd medication and the thing that worries me is what comes after the honeymoon period. Exercising and meditation helps alot but I still can't push myself to work hard to pay bills. I'm lost. Anyt thoughts

I’m kinda good with wording, and you would need to get this pre-approved by your provider prior, but I felt like letting some of you guys know this.

I managed to successfully get ETC to refund my initial $500 out of pocket cost (.. well $477 but close enough) by claiming it as a work related expense.

So as we all know, your initial assessment is around $950 - $1000, and Medicare will do a rebate bringing it down to around $500 out of pocket.

Our ADHD affects our abilities to focus and maintain employment, perhaps not for every one, but a significant portion of us at least.

It took some fancy wording on my part, but I managed to successfully have $477 refunded to me by ETC, meaning my real out of pocket expense for my initial assessment was under $100.

For those already assessed I doubt they will backpay an old assessment but as mine was under 2 months, I was successful, and felt I should share it for those who may be struggling to even consider the costs it takes to get that initial appointment.

Good luck friends ✌🏻

So I reported my adhd to the department of transport.

A few months later they sent me a letter saying I have to do a fitness to drive assessment.

I’m currently doing ok on one medication, however there are some side effects and not sure what will happen down the line.

Am I going to have to do one at anytime I change adhd meds now?