5 ms·

I did the same two years ago and it's been transformative. There are people who will tell you that medication isn't a complete solution, or that it's not the be

by ynniv 4y ago

I did the same two years ago and it's been transformative. There are people who will tell you that medication isn't a complete solution, or that it's not the best one. They're not wrong, but telling someone who is drowning that they just need to learn how to swim isn't doing them any favors. I was 40 when I was diagnosed, and understanding the implications of that diagnosis has made my life much better. My first couple weeks of medication made me far more aware of the people around me, which was totally unexpected. I wrote down that it was like putting on snow shoes, or adding a block warmer to your car. Obviously those metaphors won't mean much to people who didn't grow up in a cold climate, but the crux is that easy things are much harder than they are for other people. The weird part is that because you're so used to easy things being hard, hard things aren't that much harder, and when you're warmed up you perform as well or better than your peers. But soon everything cools off, and making a sandwich is a grueling decision again. One thing that eventually pushed me towards trying medication is that I realized I had already been self medicating with coffee. Sometimes when people say "they aren't a person until they've had coffee", that might be true. The problem is that coffee lasts an hour or so and makes you jittery and hungry, while Adder-all lasts 4 ~ 8 hours and mildly suppresses your appetite(s). They're not wrong: sleep, exercise, diet, being social, etc also improve your emotional state, but when making a sandwich seems impossible, the first step might be to stop drowning.

falcolas 4y ago
> I had already been self medicating with coffee Very much this. The nice thing about stimulant medication is it provides more of the ADHD brain regulation with a lower impact on your body (jitters, increased heartrate, etc).
- ynniv 4y ago
  You do need to lay off the coffee for a bit though. At first I stopped altogether, then went back to some decaf, now I'm back to drinking some regular, but always careful about how much. Also, decongestant medication, though Adder-all is a mild decongestant so I don't use separate decongestants very often.
  - falcolas 4y ago
    Oh, absolutely. Learn how your body behaves on the stimulants, and I found I really didn't need (or want) nearly as much caffeine as before. I used to consume enough I would have really nasty withdrawals, and now I don't (consume as much nor get withdrawal symptoms).
    - freedomben 4y ago
      Likewise. I'm completely off caffeine now (though do occasionally have a coke on bad days) and I feel a lot better. It frustrates me how hard it is (at least in the US) to get medication.
      - falcolas 4y ago
        Getting ADHD medication in the US is the single most ADHD-unfriendly activity in existence. Frequent appointments with multiple entities, all-too-frequent interruptions to these appointments (with and without mitigations), incredibly strict windows of time for refills, the #*&$ insurance system... And then there's the inevitable "you run out of meds and have to navigate all these hurdles without being medicated" gauntlet that makes you cry in frustration. If I didn't have a non-ADHD spouse, I doubt I'd be able to maintain it.
        striking 4y ago
        Well, there was Cerebral, but their CEO blew the situation up for everyone and now we can't have nice things.
        freedomben 4y ago
        Yes, 100%. The idea that you have to plan vacations around refill windows since they won't let you get more than 2 days before is utterly ridiculous. And at the same time they make it difficult to impossible to get your medications, they (the medical industry) will (with a straight face) tell you "don't go cold turkey off your medications"
  - temporary22 4y ago
friedman23 4y ago
My "coping strategy" if you could call it that, was extreme procrastination and putting myself under extreme stress to the point where if I wanted to accomplish anything I needed to procrastinate to the point where I needed to pull multiple all nighters in a row. I've lost hair and I've gained significant weight from the stress. Adhd medication has probably added years to my life. I can actually proactively accomplish things for the first time in 30 years of living.
- ynniv 4y ago
  There's an insightful Wait But Why on this: https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/03/procrastination-matrix.html https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/03/procrastination-matrix.html
maxverse 4y ago
It's really helpful to hear from someone a few years out from a diagnosis. There are so many accounts from people who just started meds and are thrilled with how it's going and the initial excitement of "life didn't have to be this hard". I'm in the "I should really see someone" stage, and part of the reason I'm skeptical of these accounts is that I imagine stimulants would make anyone more focused and productive. To be clear, I'm not doubting that meds are helpful to people suffering from ADHD symptoms! Just holding myself to a high bar; I'm afraid of benefitting from meds I don't really need. If you're open to sharing, how has your lifestyle changed beyond the first few weeks? Are you still on medication, and how does it help these days? Has your diagnosis been helpful in ways other than meds? Of course, totally understand if you don't want to share.
- ynniv 4y ago
  Now I can procrastinate on twice as many things! (It is important to realize that medication doesn't make you a different person.) I am still on it, and I did ask to slightly increase my dosage after 12 months. I'm often worried that the effects will wane over time, so I work on improving all of those long term tools (sleep, diet, exercise, etc), but the two most important lessons that I've learned are that its okay to be happy that you stopped drowning, and that caffeine is also a drug that is used to treat ADHD and no one feels guilty about using that. There was an interesting point a while ago when I could focus on more, I could handle more, but I still couldn't focus on or handle everything... I was still just one normal person. But realizing that, making sense of it, and making decisions based on it, were also new things that were easier. As was connecting with the people in my life. Medication wasn't just making me better at work, but at being a human being. Obviously YMMV, but I think that in our society there is too much guilt around certain drugs. If you feel like you need a life vest, maybe try one on. As many people have said, it isn't especially difficult to stop.
- y-c-o-m-b 4y ago
  I'm 6 months out now from diagnosis/adderall. I've had ADHD (hyperactive/inattentive combo) all my life, but never got formally diagnosed until 6 mo ago. That first month was weird. Started on 10mg IR (instance release) and felt no difference. Upped to 15mg and the effect was mildly noticeable. Went up to 20mg too fast and inadvertently got "high" for a few days, oops. Let me tell you, I totally understand why people become addicted to amphetamines. I felt like a young teenager again, it was glorious. The clarity was unbelievable. At day 4 on 20mg I suddenly started crashing hard when the meds wore off; suicidal thoughts and dark depression. I quickly went back down to 15mg and stayed there for another month. After month 2-3, I went back up to 20mg and that's where I've been since then just fine. The key is to build up slowly. Each day I can tell when the medication "switches on" and "switches off" because I start getting more focused and I'm actually getting things done. Procrastination is noticeably reduced as well. Unfortunately it seems the body builds a tolerance because as time goes on, the medication is becoming less and less effective. Also if I take any after 3PM, I get insomnia, so this means I only take it the first half of the day. The IR version lasts about 4-6 hours. I usually take it around 10am so I can focus for the core hours of work. This is kinda crappy because my family doesn't get the benefit unless it's on the weekend when I don't work. I totally understand that "do I really need these?" question. I was the same way for a looooong time. I viewed ADHD as an advantage for the first 30 years or so of my life. Then things got to a point where I couldn't even do the bare minimum and that's when I got desperate. In my opinion, it was a bit naive to ignore being medicated for so long. I should've started treatment years ago when I first started experiencing difficulties. You may or may not feel the same eventually.
sverona 4y ago
I thought coffee suppressed appetite too.
ericmcer 4y ago
Do you take it every day? I have always been nervous about "on medication" being my default state. I like taking it before a focused work day, but then I feel like I am missing out on the other benefits, like just listening to whoever I am having dinner with, being present, etc.. From a programming standpoint, sometimes the drug makes me more confident and enthusiastic, which results in me spewing out a few hundred lines of well written but ultimately misguided code. I guess self-doubt and anxious overthinking has a purpose.
- ynniv 4y ago
  My prescription has always been for one in the morning and half in the afternoon. Mindful timing seems to provide decent coverage. Sometimes I'll take less, like over the weekend or on vacation. But again, people who drink coffee tend to drink it every day too.
- temporary22 4y ago
  Yes, I do take it every day. I was a complete mess before medications and skipping days makes me a mess all over again (albeit less so than before diagnosis). My medicated self is "my self" of the best days while unmedicated, so I don't see why not. It's not like my personality changes on meds

by ynniv 4y ago

falcolas 4y ago

> I had already been self medicating with coffee Very much this. The nice thing about stimulant medication is it provides more of the ADHD brain regulation with a lower impact on your body (jitters, increased heartrate, etc).

ynniv 4y ago
You do need to lay off the coffee for a bit though. At first I stopped altogether, then went back to some decaf, now I'm back to drinking some regular, but always careful about how much. Also, decongestant medication, though Adder-all is a mild decongestant so I don't use separate decongestants very often.
- falcolas 4y ago
  Oh, absolutely. Learn how your body behaves on the stimulants, and I found I really didn't need (or want) nearly as much caffeine as before. I used to consume enough I would have really nasty withdrawals, and now I don't (consume as much nor get withdrawal symptoms).
  - freedomben 4y ago
    Likewise. I'm completely off caffeine now (though do occasionally have a coke on bad days) and I feel a lot better. It frustrates me how hard it is (at least in the US) to get medication.
    - falcolas 4y ago
      Getting ADHD medication in the US is the single most ADHD-unfriendly activity in existence. Frequent appointments with multiple entities, all-too-frequent interruptions to these appointments (with and without mitigations), incredibly strict windows of time for refills, the #*&$ insurance system... And then there's the inevitable "you run out of meds and have to navigate all these hurdles without being medicated" gauntlet that makes you cry in frustration. If I didn't have a non-ADHD spouse, I doubt I'd be able to maintain it.
      - striking 4y ago
        Well, there was Cerebral, but their CEO blew the situation up for everyone and now we can't have nice things.
      - freedomben 4y ago
        Yes, 100%. The idea that you have to plan vacations around refill windows since they won't let you get more than 2 days before is utterly ridiculous. And at the same time they make it difficult to impossible to get your medications, they (the medical industry) will (with a straight face) tell you "don't go cold turkey off your medications"
- temporary22 4y ago

friedman23 4y ago

My "coping strategy" if you could call it that, was extreme procrastination and putting myself under extreme stress to the point where if I wanted to accomplish anything I needed to procrastinate to the point where I needed to pull multiple all nighters in a row. I've lost hair and I've gained significant weight from the stress. Adhd medication has probably added years to my life. I can actually proactively accomplish things for the first time in 30 years of living.

ynniv 4y ago
There's an insightful Wait But Why on this: https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/03/procrastination-matrix.html https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/03/procrastination-matrix.html

maxverse 4y ago

It's really helpful to hear from someone a few years out from a diagnosis. There are so many accounts from people who just started meds and are thrilled with how it's going and the initial excitement of "life didn't have to be this hard". I'm in the "I should really see someone" stage, and part of the reason I'm skeptical of these accounts is that I imagine stimulants would make anyone more focused and productive. To be clear, I'm not doubting that meds are helpful to people suffering from ADHD symptoms! Just holding myself to a high bar; I'm afraid of benefitting from meds I don't really need. If you're open to sharing, how has your lifestyle changed beyond the first few weeks? Are you still on medication, and how does it help these days? Has your diagnosis been helpful in ways other than meds? Of course, totally understand if you don't want to share.

ynniv 4y ago
Now I can procrastinate on twice as many things! (It is important to realize that medication doesn't make you a different person.) I am still on it, and I did ask to slightly increase my dosage after 12 months. I'm often worried that the effects will wane over time, so I work on improving all of those long term tools (sleep, diet, exercise, etc), but the two most important lessons that I've learned are that its okay to be happy that you stopped drowning, and that caffeine is also a drug that is used to treat ADHD and no one feels guilty about using that. There was an interesting point a while ago when I could focus on more, I could handle more, but I still couldn't focus on or handle everything... I was still just one normal person. But realizing that, making sense of it, and making decisions based on it, were also new things that were easier. As was connecting with the people in my life. Medication wasn't just making me better at work, but at being a human being. Obviously YMMV, but I think that in our society there is too much guilt around certain drugs. If you feel like you need a life vest, maybe try one on. As many people have said, it isn't especially difficult to stop.
y-c-o-m-b 4y ago
I'm 6 months out now from diagnosis/adderall. I've had ADHD (hyperactive/inattentive combo) all my life, but never got formally diagnosed until 6 mo ago. That first month was weird. Started on 10mg IR (instance release) and felt no difference. Upped to 15mg and the effect was mildly noticeable. Went up to 20mg too fast and inadvertently got "high" for a few days, oops. Let me tell you, I totally understand why people become addicted to amphetamines. I felt like a young teenager again, it was glorious. The clarity was unbelievable. At day 4 on 20mg I suddenly started crashing hard when the meds wore off; suicidal thoughts and dark depression. I quickly went back down to 15mg and stayed there for another month. After month 2-3, I went back up to 20mg and that's where I've been since then just fine. The key is to build up slowly. Each day I can tell when the medication "switches on" and "switches off" because I start getting more focused and I'm actually getting things done. Procrastination is noticeably reduced as well. Unfortunately it seems the body builds a tolerance because as time goes on, the medication is becoming less and less effective. Also if I take any after 3PM, I get insomnia, so this means I only take it the first half of the day. The IR version lasts about 4-6 hours. I usually take it around 10am so I can focus for the core hours of work. This is kinda crappy because my family doesn't get the benefit unless it's on the weekend when I don't work. I totally understand that "do I really need these?" question. I was the same way for a looooong time. I viewed ADHD as an advantage for the first 30 years or so of my life. Then things got to a point where I couldn't even do the bare minimum and that's when I got desperate. In my opinion, it was a bit naive to ignore being medicated for so long. I should've started treatment years ago when I first started experiencing difficulties. You may or may not feel the same eventually.

sverona 4y ago

I thought coffee suppressed appetite too.

ericmcer 4y ago

Do you take it every day? I have always been nervous about "on medication" being my default state. I like taking it before a focused work day, but then I feel like I am missing out on the other benefits, like just listening to whoever I am having dinner with, being present, etc.. From a programming standpoint, sometimes the drug makes me more confident and enthusiastic, which results in me spewing out a few hundred lines of well written but ultimately misguided code. I guess self-doubt and anxious overthinking has a purpose.

ynniv 4y ago
My prescription has always been for one in the morning and half in the afternoon. Mindful timing seems to provide decent coverage. Sometimes I'll take less, like over the weekend or on vacation. But again, people who drink coffee tend to drink it every day too.
temporary22 4y ago
Yes, I do take it every day. I was a complete mess before medications and skipping days makes me a mess all over again (albeit less so than before diagnosis). My medicated self is "my self" of the best days while unmedicated, so I don't see why not. It's not like my personality changes on meds