4 ms·

So I agree this article is kind of a mess, the title misleading. This is the nature of ADHD. It's a magnet for people wanting to cry "overdiagnosed"! However,

So I agree this article is kind of a mess, the title misleading. This is the nature of ADHD. It's a magnet for people wanting to cry "overdiagnosed"! However, tolerance is a big question. Taking an ADHD medicine for the first week or so after not taking any for months prior is a pretty profound experience. But that tapers off. And leaves one to wonder... is my condition still improved? I have seen very few studies (though the ones I saw were positive, indicating positive effects even a year out). I've heard of doctors prescribing drug holidays to minimize tolerance (and also heard this was no longer current practice from an expert in the field). It's an area I'm always somewhat concerned about. I've read anecdotal stories suggesting that one becomes tolerant and experiences less of certain effects (such as appetite loss, and the 'buzz' feeling) but not others (such as attention span). I will say that as physical effects go dependence is not an issue. But it is for mental ones - without the medication I'm just exceptionally tired and hungry, and almost entirely useless for anything that requires focus.

trillium 13y ago
I've written a book on ADHD (Adult ADHD: What You Need to Know). I specifically looked into the tolerance questions. The doctors I found who are experts in the field and have treated a very large amount of patients say developing tolerance is unusual. *Minor edit
- JimboOmega 13y ago
  What in unusual? Any sort of tolerance?
  - trillium 13y ago
    Edited to make more clear, thanks!
- darkarmani 13y ago
  Thanks for writing a book. I haven't read your book, but I've found Delivered from Distraction to be a godsend. You can't help but read that book and either feel comfort for yourself or a better understanding of someone else who you just realized has ADD. http://www.amazon.com/Delivered-Distraction-John-J-Ratey-ebook/dp/B000FCKLWK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395164321&sr=1-1&keywords=delivered+from+distraction http://www.amazon.com/Delivered-Distraction-John-J-Ratey-ebo...
JohnBooty 13y ago
> I've heard of doctors prescribing drug holidays to > minimize tolerance (and also heard this was no longer current > practice from an expert in the field). When you say "drug holiday" do you mean temporarily reducing your dosage, or temporarily stopping the medication entirely? I can't speak for current practice in general, but I've had a couple of doctors and a nurse practitioner recommend tapering down my dose a bit on days when it's possible (ie, days off from work, etc) in the last few years. I don't know if everybody would respond this way, but a lot of feel doing that helps stop tolerance/dosage creep, which was definitely a thing I experienced in the beginning. After some experimentation it seems like the way to go for me. I've been steady at a prescription of 15mg/day for a few years. Some days I take ~10mg and some days I take ~20mg.

trillium 13y ago

I've written a book on ADHD (Adult ADHD: What You Need to Know). I specifically looked into the tolerance questions. The doctors I found who are experts in the field and have treated a very large amount of patients say developing tolerance is unusual. *Minor edit

JimboOmega 13y ago
What in unusual? Any sort of tolerance?
- trillium 13y ago
  Edited to make more clear, thanks!
darkarmani 13y ago
Thanks for writing a book. I haven't read your book, but I've found Delivered from Distraction to be a godsend. You can't help but read that book and either feel comfort for yourself or a better understanding of someone else who you just realized has ADD. http://www.amazon.com/Delivered-Distraction-John-J-Ratey-ebook/dp/B000FCKLWK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395164321&sr=1-1&keywords=delivered+from+distraction http://www.amazon.com/Delivered-Distraction-John-J-Ratey-ebo...

JohnBooty 13y ago

> I've heard of doctors prescribing drug holidays to > minimize tolerance (and also heard this was no longer current > practice from an expert in the field). When you say "drug holiday" do you mean temporarily reducing your dosage, or temporarily stopping the medication entirely? I can't speak for current practice in general, but I've had a couple of doctors and a nurse practitioner recommend tapering down my dose a bit on days when it's possible (ie, days off from work, etc) in the last few years. I don't know if everybody would respond this way, but a lot of feel doing that helps stop tolerance/dosage creep, which was definitely a thing I experienced in the beginning. After some experimentation it seems like the way to go for me. I've been steady at a prescription of 15mg/day for a few years. Some days I take ~10mg and some days I take ~20mg.