5 ms·

I assume you will get a lot of helpful tips here, and I too have successfully managed to cope for almost 30 years, but I have to honestly admit that getting on

by Mo3 4y ago

I assume you will get a lot of helpful tips here, and I too have successfully managed to cope for almost 30 years, but I have to honestly admit that getting on medication was the best thing that has ever happened to me. There is only so much you can do to alleviate a chemical imbalance. My life has never been the same since I got on it. The first few days I had to cry a lot, it was so incredibly beautiful and liberating. It was.. quiet. No more dozens of thought streams at once. Thoughts suddenly had structure. Everything had structure. I could tap into the potential that had always been there, but had been inaccessible. I felt normal. I fixed up my whole life within a few months, organized it (which now even helps when I dont take the medication), took care of things that have been unfinished for years. And that's only work and organization. My social skills went through the roof too. I started to be able to hold normal conversations, I could listen properly, I could reply properly, and any conversations I have have become just so much more deep and meaningful. My depression and anxiety have vanished completely, for they were only a symptom of the ADD too. I eat better, I sleep better, my apartment is clean. I'm happier and healthier than I've ever been. There is no real alternative. You can decide to keep on coping, but at some point you really have to ask yourself if you want to make everything harder on yourself than it has to be.

doodle323 4y ago
I am just starting to look for treatment. If you don't mind sharing, which medication works best for you?
- Mo3 4y ago
  I have a mixture of instant-release and extended-release standard methylphenidate/Ritalin. Adderall works well too, but I find it a little bit too "drug-like" and euphoric, so I settled on regular methylphenidate which has almost zero euphoria.
  - gazby 4y ago
    Fantastic original post Mo3, thanks! May I ask how long it took you to find the right medication and balance of XR/IR please?
    - Mo3 4y ago
      You are welcome. For myself, it was immediate. There seems to be a certain kind of intuitive understanding that becomes obvious after the first doses of a medication. It is quite hard to explain, but it seems like the brain knows exactly what it needs. Unless you have uncontrollable addictive tendencies, you will automatically gravitate towards the dosage necessary to restore chemical balance. You will redose when it is needed, and you will notice quickly if a medication is not the right choice for you. I was and still am very happy with the initial methylphenidate IR and Concerta (same compound but XR). I have tried different options over time, but they did not work as well or had side effects that I was not comfortable with. For example, I noticed that contrary to MPH, Adderall is destabilizing to my emotional state and thus was definitely not suitable for productivity, and the crash mainly consists of horrible mood swings and apathy, which is not the case for me on methylphenidate. On Vyvanse this was better, but the effects themselves still somewhat comparable to those of Adderall. I have not tried Strattera yet, but I do not really see a reason to these days. On this note, I've talked with a lot of those affected by now, and choice and benefit of medications appears highly subjective. It seems like there is no way of knowing without trying it out.
      - gazby 4y ago
        Thank you mate! To clarify, my current dose is 20mg XR daily. I have raised with my doctor that this dose is completely spent (I have other [diagnosed] issues that lead to an overly acidic stomach) long before the end of the work day, and thus I don't have medicinal help when I turn to my personal life. As yet she seems quite unwilling to adjust the dose or add an IR (anecdotally adding an IR seems very common), and I was wondering what the timeline was between starting medication and landing on a sufficient dose of XR+IR between you and your doctor.
        Mo3 4y ago
        Ah, I see. Sorry for rambling. I can understand why you would not be happy with this schedule. Timeline-wise, when I started medication, I was given only IR. As methylphenidate is shorter acting than Adderall, this resulted in me taking 3 doses per day and active levels fluctuating a lot throughout the day, so about a week later I decided to set up another appointment and was given additional XR to be taken once per day, and the IR only when needed. Your doctor does not sound very competent. I would not recommend increasing dosage if the problem is a too short duration, as a higher dosage will not prolong duration, but adding IR to XR is indeed a common course of action to accomplish that. Also, I should note, try making sure to always keep your stomach full during the day. I'm not sure if the same applies to Adderall, but I've observed diminished duration and bioavailability of XR without food.
- gazby 4y ago
  I'm on 20mg XR Adderall daily. My insurance won't cover Vyvanse which seems to be vastly more popular and well tolerated these days (the patent expires next year though, so we'll see what happens).
- sph 4y ago
  20mg Vyvanse at 8am + 20mg at 1pm is the bee's knees for me, lasts until 7pm, not too strong, pretty much no side effects and doesn't disrupt my sleep. In fact, the PM naps when I'm on it and sleep deprived are godly.
- gremlinsinc 4y ago
  I'm also on Vyvanse, 60mg in the morning and 100mg of Wellbutrin which is an anti depressant, that targets the same brain chemicals as Vyvanse. Vyvanse, helped but my depression often cancelled out the med, and SSRIs didn't help at all just made me have erectile issues which really didn't help my depression. I brought up Wellbutrin with my doctor after reading about others with ADHD being successful with it... I found out I had ADHD 4 years ago when I was 38, I'm almost certain I also have autism, as 3 people with ASD have flat out told me I did, and they listed a bunch of reasons and I passed a few online tests...I also over share a lot as you can see from this post.
  - Mo3 4y ago
    Before getting on stimulants, I too have taken Wellbutrin/Bupropion and found it somewhat helpful. SSRIs made it worse for me. I am quite surprised to be honest that you are taking Wellbutrin and Vyvanse at the same time. While not dangerous in terms of possible serotonin syndrome, this combination is a little bit concerning as Wellbutrin can raise the blood levels of amphetamines and lower seizure threshold.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
sph 4y ago
Hear, hear. I tried to make it work without medication - to be honest I didn't even know I had ADHD - and all that resulted was complete burnout, depression and self loathing at being unable to accomplish more. I had just enough energy to pull through the working day and not much else. The medication has freed me. It has removed the ball and chain from my brain. It has saved my career and is pulling me out of a lifetime of coping mechanisms. Now I just need a notepad and a TODO list, which I use religiously to keep track of everything. Previously todo lists were a fad for me that I wasn't able to keep up with for more than a week.
dominotw 4y ago
NZT?

by Mo3 4y ago

doodle323 4y ago

I am just starting to look for treatment. If you don't mind sharing, which medication works best for you?

Mo3 4y ago
I have a mixture of instant-release and extended-release standard methylphenidate/Ritalin. Adderall works well too, but I find it a little bit too "drug-like" and euphoric, so I settled on regular methylphenidate which has almost zero euphoria.
- gazby 4y ago
  Fantastic original post Mo3, thanks! May I ask how long it took you to find the right medication and balance of XR/IR please?
  - Mo3 4y ago
    You are welcome. For myself, it was immediate. There seems to be a certain kind of intuitive understanding that becomes obvious after the first doses of a medication. It is quite hard to explain, but it seems like the brain knows exactly what it needs. Unless you have uncontrollable addictive tendencies, you will automatically gravitate towards the dosage necessary to restore chemical balance. You will redose when it is needed, and you will notice quickly if a medication is not the right choice for you. I was and still am very happy with the initial methylphenidate IR and Concerta (same compound but XR). I have tried different options over time, but they did not work as well or had side effects that I was not comfortable with. For example, I noticed that contrary to MPH, Adderall is destabilizing to my emotional state and thus was definitely not suitable for productivity, and the crash mainly consists of horrible mood swings and apathy, which is not the case for me on methylphenidate. On Vyvanse this was better, but the effects themselves still somewhat comparable to those of Adderall. I have not tried Strattera yet, but I do not really see a reason to these days. On this note, I've talked with a lot of those affected by now, and choice and benefit of medications appears highly subjective. It seems like there is no way of knowing without trying it out.
    - gazby 4y ago
      Thank you mate! To clarify, my current dose is 20mg XR daily. I have raised with my doctor that this dose is completely spent (I have other [diagnosed] issues that lead to an overly acidic stomach) long before the end of the work day, and thus I don't have medicinal help when I turn to my personal life. As yet she seems quite unwilling to adjust the dose or add an IR (anecdotally adding an IR seems very common), and I was wondering what the timeline was between starting medication and landing on a sufficient dose of XR+IR between you and your doctor.
      - Mo3 4y ago
        Ah, I see. Sorry for rambling. I can understand why you would not be happy with this schedule. Timeline-wise, when I started medication, I was given only IR. As methylphenidate is shorter acting than Adderall, this resulted in me taking 3 doses per day and active levels fluctuating a lot throughout the day, so about a week later I decided to set up another appointment and was given additional XR to be taken once per day, and the IR only when needed. Your doctor does not sound very competent. I would not recommend increasing dosage if the problem is a too short duration, as a higher dosage will not prolong duration, but adding IR to XR is indeed a common course of action to accomplish that. Also, I should note, try making sure to always keep your stomach full during the day. I'm not sure if the same applies to Adderall, but I've observed diminished duration and bioavailability of XR without food.
gazby 4y ago
I'm on 20mg XR Adderall daily. My insurance won't cover Vyvanse which seems to be vastly more popular and well tolerated these days (the patent expires next year though, so we'll see what happens).
sph 4y ago
20mg Vyvanse at 8am + 20mg at 1pm is the bee's knees for me, lasts until 7pm, not too strong, pretty much no side effects and doesn't disrupt my sleep. In fact, the PM naps when I'm on it and sleep deprived are godly.
gremlinsinc 4y ago
I'm also on Vyvanse, 60mg in the morning and 100mg of Wellbutrin which is an anti depressant, that targets the same brain chemicals as Vyvanse. Vyvanse, helped but my depression often cancelled out the med, and SSRIs didn't help at all just made me have erectile issues which really didn't help my depression. I brought up Wellbutrin with my doctor after reading about others with ADHD being successful with it... I found out I had ADHD 4 years ago when I was 38, I'm almost certain I also have autism, as 3 people with ASD have flat out told me I did, and they listed a bunch of reasons and I passed a few online tests...I also over share a lot as you can see from this post.
- Mo3 4y ago
  Before getting on stimulants, I too have taken Wellbutrin/Bupropion and found it somewhat helpful. SSRIs made it worse for me. I am quite surprised to be honest that you are taking Wellbutrin and Vyvanse at the same time. While not dangerous in terms of possible serotonin syndrome, this combination is a little bit concerning as Wellbutrin can raise the blood levels of amphetamines and lower seizure threshold.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

sph 4y ago

Hear, hear. I tried to make it work without medication - to be honest I didn't even know I had ADHD - and all that resulted was complete burnout, depression and self loathing at being unable to accomplish more. I had just enough energy to pull through the working day and not much else. The medication has freed me. It has removed the ball and chain from my brain. It has saved my career and is pulling me out of a lifetime of coping mechanisms. Now I just need a notepad and a TODO list, which I use religiously to keep track of everything. Previously todo lists were a fad for me that I wasn't able to keep up with for more than a week.

dominotw 4y ago

NZT?