#i asked to switch to non-stimulant adhd meds

[coloursofaparadox]

brain is doing...a thing? meds are.....good?

[toastsnaffler]

I have to be up for work in 3 hours and I'm gonna be real I think ive hit the point where I might not be getting any sleep at all. for fucks sake.

[dndmomquotes]

I don't take Adderall but Ritalin. Adderall patients are desperately getting switched to other drugs so those are starting to be scarce. I was able to get 18 days of my 30 day script filled. I've been on these meds for over 18 years and am terrified. I literally cannot function at all without them. Be careful my adhd tumbles. Scary times are ahead. I've been through this before. Tips :

Ask for partial fills. Call other pharmacies and don't ask about script stock but explain you're having problems filling script. Alot of pharmacies volunteer they are out. Ask about dosage if you take one 20 mg ask if you'd have better luck getting 10mgs. Work closely with your doc. Worse case try non stimulant treatment with supervision..Try half doses if it gets real bad. Tell your employer and loved ones what is going on. Be kind to yourself. You can't do it all or white knockle it. Ask for help on the tasks you can't do. Be safe. Don't try to buy black market. They are dangerous and fakes. Mexico has a shortage too so don't bother. Don't have drugs mailed to you. It's prison time. We can make it through. Shortages last about 3 months or so then there is an influx. I've done it before a few times and as a mom I'm telling you: it will be okay!!

[dovesndecay]

There's plenty in my life to be bitter about, but I think the one that I'm most often actively angry about is the death of the sliding scale clinic that used to serve our area.

The county just decided they weren't bringing in enough profit from insured patients to bother continuing to fund it.

I mean, who really cares about the poor uninsured bastards that need medical support after all? we want them to eventually die anyway /bitter bitter sarcasm.

That clinic was the first doctor appointment I'd had in 20 years that wasn't an emergency room visit, and the NP I got was amazing. I miss her every time I have to go in to my new clinic. She listened to me, she asked me questions that made me feel seen and like she actually cared about my health and well-being.

When I switched from one anti-depressant to a new one, she made a point of checking with me about my disordered eating issues because the new meds were known to affect the appetite.

Compare that to my current physician who, when I mentioned that taking the full prescription of my ADHD meds (non-stimulant) was making it impossible for me to eat on a daily basis, she told me, "sometimes, it's nice to not have an appetite!"

Excuse the fuck out of me? Oh, right. The medical fatphobia people keep telling me "doesn't exist."

I just want to have a medical care team that looks at all of my issues as a Venn Diagram of Me, taking it all into account, and then actually helping me maintain a level of physical and mental well-being that lets me live my life.

[sockeye-run]

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING ⚠️: medication talk, health talk, mental health talk

Yesterday I really needed to shower, but I just... couldn't. I tried the '1 2 3 GO!' method and the 'im here so might as well just do this too' method, but they didn't help. They have helped before in other situations, so I still consider them to be valuable mechanisms. Instead, I threw myself into the bathroom and scrubbed it clean from top to bottom. I never washed myself though lol. But my bathroom is now spotless, and it did need it.

I'm trying to see this as a positive; I didn't do what I was SUPPOSED to do, but I DID do something beneficial. It's a textbook symptom of ADHD though, and it causes problems down the line. I need to be clean to be healthy and to be active in society. I can't afford to replace one important thing with another just because the other thing is also good.

It brings to light where I stand with my diagnosis and treatment so far. I've been doing my own research via books and internet, and everything I've read points to the fact that ADHD needs to be treated with the proper medication. And for most people with ADHD, the proper medication is some form of stimulant. My doctor was wary about my physical health if I started a stimulant, which I appreciate, but my psychiatrist and a leading researcher whom I trust (Dr. Russell Barkley; PLEASE take time to look into his work, he's amazing) firmly believe that the advantages provided by a stimulant medication will far outweigh the concerns of disadvantages.

I've been on a non-stimulant medication for almost a month now, with zero improvement in behavior, or even a noticeable difference either way. It's very frustrating; I unintentionally self sabotage on a regular basis, and with the start of this new job opportunity, I am desperate to be my most high functioning and dependable self. The bee farm is such a good opportunity, I don't want to blow it. So I feel I have a lot riding on my healing process, unfortunately.

But after talking to family and my husband, I've decided asking my doctor to start me on a stimulant medication is the right way for me to go. There is a lot of stigma attached, and I do feel myself pressured by it, but I have to trust the people I have included in my inner circle to have what's best for me in mind, since my self doubt overpowers my own judgement still. I am not drug seeking simply because I am ready to try something slightly controversial which may significantly improve my living experience. I have been validated and verified by unrelated professionals, and I do struggle with an incurable illness. I do deserve to give myself the support I need. I have to trust that somehow. These are my shaky affirmations lol.

So at my next appointment, on Monday actually, I'll be switching up my meds and hoping for the best 🤞. I am honestly nervous that my doctor will judge me lol. I shouldn't be; she's been super supportive of this journey, including recommending the specialist psychiatrist that I saw who helped me understand my diagnosis. It's just strange fears I suppose.

[detergent3000]

im on vyvanse right now but ive been on adderall before. i dont really know when or why i switched from adderall to vyvanse honestly cause i really only just started paying attention to my medical stuff this year (ive been on adhd meds since kindergarten). i dont really care that im on vyvanse instead of adderall tho its just that adderall is the more well known adhd med so when i say im on vyvanse the only people who are like “oh! adhd!” are other adhders who are or have been on vyvanse too (where as if i were on adderall itd instantly click. and id be able to quote that one vine). anyways all that is to say that cause im on the less popular one its led to me looking into the differences between adderall and vyvanse (partly so if people ever ask what the difference is i’ll have an answer) and the conclusion ive come to from my occasional research is that vyvanse is just better. Like vyvanse last longer, vyvanse may be slightly stronger/more effective, theres been less reports of sexual side effects for vyvanse than for adderall, vyvanse is harder to get addicted to because your body takes longer to process the non-stimulant part of it (probably also why it lasts longer). all of these differences are only slight and ultimately theyre so similar its hard to really compare them but like if you had to pick which one was The Best i think vyvanse would win, only by a little bit, but it would still win!

[c0smicfern]

can't tell how much of this is just in my head. on saturday, i temporarily lost the ability to verbalize twice for a total of like 2-3hrs that day (or at least i felt like i did bc i suddenly couldn't even force myself to speak). but maybe if i'd just... been less anxious / intentional about wanting to speak or even just not acknowledged the thought of, "is it just me, or can we not talk rn?" then maybe it wouldn't have happened?? least of all, twice in one day?? like that's a relatively new sensation in itself since it only started happening during my burnout. the closest thing i experienced before then was... feeling kind of paralyzed in my ability to articulate moreso bc of tension & needing to express myself perfectly. almost like repeatedly trying & failing a speech check. to the point where somebody has asked me a question & i sit there for some time before i'm able to offer a response. but it's not like i literally couldn't speak in those instances bc i still could have forced myself to say *something* in that time. i had just been paralyzed by social anxiety. which isn't what *actually* temporarily losing my ability to verbalize feels like. most of the time, i don't necessarily feel that anxious about it at all unless somebody's pressuring me to speak, which happened on saturday bc it happened at work. i was mostly just kind of pissed off bc i was so overstimulated, though. i went on my lunch break & felt better afterward. which is similar to how i broke out of it at the arcade later that night. but the fact that i was even able to go to the arcade & actually have a good time makes me feel like maybe i made both instances up in my head? it's just. none of this makes any sense. i've been completely fine since then, btw. went to the grocery store to pick up my meds last night & didn't feel overstimulated in the slightest. idk what's going on with me, but maybe i just need to stay away from substances. if i just stay sober, maybe all of this will just go away.

i just feel stuck between these two sides, people & experiences on both sides telling me that i either can't be or that i must be. i'd say i don't care, but that's obviously untrue. more than anything, though, i just want one stable, consistent sense of self. feels like i may never get there, but it's unlikely that it's bpd either, according to my therapist. maybe it's just adhd & i'm experiencing some very rare side effects from the medication? maybe i'm neurotypical & shouldn't be taking this medication at all? i literally don't know, and the inconsistency of my recent symptoms hasn't been helping the distress caused by the not knowing.

i've been... somewhat more repetitive lately, at least in what i'm consuming & thinking about. feels like my focus has been narrowed somewhat. i feel no more consistent in engaging with my hobbies, though. i'm much more tired. i can't even say my executive functioning has gotten any better, though i guess it has in some regards. task initiation & task switching have gotten more difficult, i think. maybe i'm burning out again? god, i fucking hope not. feels like i'm dragging my feet with everything that was... difficult to do before, but that i could generally still force myself to do. laundry's being done much less frequently. i haven't played a video game in... maybe a week. you *Know* i haven't been writing. i've been much worse about getting my hw done when it was almost a habit only a few weeks ago. i just feel *Tired*. might be worth trying to switch over to a stimulant medication, but i worry some of the side effects might... get worse on one of those. if i've been stimming more & getting overstimulated more frequently on a non-stimulant adhd medication, then what would a stimulant do to me? that is, if i can even trust those side effects to be, well, actual side effects of the medication & not a result of drug use. and *that's* the other thing. i don't feel like my impulsivity has actually gotten much better, at least where drugs are concerned. maybe the recent resurgence of my drug usage is an emotional response to what i've been going through, though? i feel like *maybe* the impulsivity has been less in other areas, though. i feel no more need for a routine, nor any more resentment towards change. but i feel a little more consistent in myself. i feel like *maybe* if my executive dysfunction & fatigue weren't impeding me, i could maybe create a routine for myself. i mean, i've been listening to the same 2 songs for like. a week & a half. where i couldn't stand to listen to one song on repeat for more than a day or two before. i've actually kind of preferred being super repetitive in what i've been listening to. point is, my desire for things to stay the same hasn't gone away, but i feel less impeded by my adhd from creating more stability in my life. which, regardless of if i'm actually autistic or not, i've been enjoying immensely. i feel like the conflict in my brain has ceded a fair amount. only, i don't feel any more functional. but again, i'm anxious about trying stimulant medication. either way, i'm talking to my psychiatrist about this all in a couple of weeks. maybe sooner. and who knows? maybe a higher dosage of this medication will be more helpful. it seems unlikely from the number of side effects i've already experienced at the starting dose (difficulty sleeping, daytime drowsiness, nausea, etc.), but i'm trying to keep an open mind. anyway, we'll see. fingers crossed that i'm normal at work tomorrow.

[baladric]

(this is long and rambly so cut after the first paragraph)

re: analogies about getting ADHD diagnosed and medicated at the very end of one’s 20s, i’m struck with the memory of when i played the entirety of bastion with a file i had no idea was corrupted.

the game’s ground textures were entirely missing, and if you’ve played bastion, you know that falling off the edge of the world is a big component of the game, as the walkable paths rise up as you traverse each level and are notably very rickety because, you know, the world has ended in huge cataclysm. with the ground textures missing, i had no way of seeing where the edges were—so understandably, i died a lot. the game was fucking hard.

i didn’t find out this was a game error until about a month after i beat the it, when my brother and i were talking about it and i said, “it was really good but i don’t understand the design decision to make the ground invisible??” to which he said “what?”

i showed him my game file and he was fucking gobsmacked that i’d made it past the first level, let alone beat the whole-ass game, and sent an email to supergiant for me to tell them his younger sibling had just become the best gamer alive by beating a corrupted-ass download of their game (a funny statement to me that he meant in all seriousness because what the fuck), at which point i was sent a fresh download key and a lot of Very confused and adulatory emails asking for screenshots. i vaguely remember them adding a steam achievement for beating the game with that glitch.

i replayed the game, and i immediately felt like i’d been ripped off. it had taken me about a month to beat the game without ground textures; it took me four days to beat it with them. all that hard work and frustration and, honestly, full-on weeping, and it had been a machine error the entire time. it did not have to be as hard as it was. it was not intended to be as hard as it was.

i’ve been on a non-stimulant ADHD medication for almost 7 months, and once again, i feel so fucking cheated. for 29 years, the simplest tasks defeated me. my GPA never once peaked above a 2.9 because i just couldn’t do the work from the first moment i started elementary school until i eventually got kicked out of graduate school. i hated myself every single day for being unable to muster the wherewithal to do any of the things that other people did daily with seeming ease—and i hated all the mental health professionals who told me i just lacked work ethic, that things were hard for everyone, that i just had to take it one step at a time and power through. i saw so many fucking therapists and psychiatrists and art therapists and fucking ayurvedic practitioners, and nothing helped.

i had never finished a significant project in my life without the threat of extrenal repercussions, but three months after starting the new meds, i wrote and finished two stories, one clocking in just shy of 20,000 words, the other 40,000.

seven months in, and i have blossomed as an artist on a level i couldn’t even dream of before this, because i now have the seemingly simple ability to sit down and work. i’ve made so much art i love that i’ve had to open a new drive account to store it all. i’ve written at least another 40,000 words since finishing Sweet Hope, including the 20,000+ words of pirate au. i’m learning how to record audiobooks, i’m getting into proper singing shape for the first time since i graduated in 2015, i’m forming invaluable new, collaborative friendships and deepening my long-term relationships to untold levels.

i wake up at 9 every day of my own accord, and going to sleep past 1 am feels horrible. my thoughts are clear more often than not, and in this vivid, present space, i’ve come to understand myself on such an intrinsic and intimate level that all the clawing and fighting and internal screaming i’d been doing about my gender identity for years has gone quiet like the flip of a switch. i’ve found ways to not care if people don’t like me, to speak my mind, to permit people to see me how they are going to see me, regardless of the actual truth of their perceptions.

literally every part of me has not just changed, but condensed down into a solidity i never, ever thought i would achieve. people think i’m funny now, i keep getting invited to parties and being sought after as a friend, music opporunities are cropping up, unsought, like fucking dandelions, and i've had multiple job offers from incredible theatrical creators. something huge has shifted in me, something that’s visible from the outside, something that’s good. i’m not exaggerating when i say that i love who i am now, when before i was honestly lucky to live through some days, so deep and ingrained was my self-hatred.

i jokingly attribute this frankly fucking astonishing and sudden leveling out of my entire existence to the mystical magic of turning 30, but honestly? it’s the meds. it’s the fucking meds, and the knowledge that this is all it would have taken the entire time makes me so unspeakably sad for my past self—because it literally did not have to be as hard as it was. not once.

[awsugar]

Re: can't do anything feeling

Basically described the pattern of my whole life until I got diagnosed with adhd as an adult. Meds changed everything. And not in a 'oh now I have energy' way (because my meds are non-stimulant) but in an 'oh now I actually have free will' kind of way. I didn't have any of the 'classic' symptoms which is what took me so long to get diagnosed but meds changed my life so radically it was a shock to discover the amount of willpower some people just *have*.

see i have been diagnosed with adhd and im on meds but i dont think my meds work. when i was first on adderall it worked wonders. then i went off it for a while and then i went back on and it seemed to not really have the same effect anymore, then i switched to vyvanse and im still not noticing any of the effects i had when i first was on adderall. so im not sure what to do. :/

can i ask what you're on?

[bonsaisheep]

My experience starting ADHD meds (for the first time) as an adult:

So I started ADHD meds recently. I contacted my doctor in early December, and spent the next month or so trying to figure out the right medication and dosage via basically weekly doctor’s appointments (online). Since there was a lot I found out after starting the meds that are apparently common experiences, I figure it might help to talk about my experience with all of this.

So I am medicated for my ADHD for the first time in my life at 27. There were two attempts when I was a kid, but neither of them worked out. The first when I was in fourth grade (I was diagnosed somewhere between first and third grade, I can’t quite remember), it was decided the side effects were not worth it, and a second attempt in middle school, but I refused to take it since I bought into a lot of the BS around brain meds. Its only in the last few years as I have learned more about ADHD have I learned exactly how it is effecting me. I managed to do well enough in high school to get into a good college (after doing really poorly in jr high). Managed to get an engineering degree (in 4 years with research, I was hella burnt out by the end of that) and managed to get (and hold) a job as an engineer shortly after college. Basically, since I could at lest fake functional and manage well enough (mostly because I was taught a ton of coping mechanisms by my parents as a kid), I just, never realized how much it effects me. I have been living an interesting and fulfilling life (as long as you ignore my mail bathtub).

After learning more and realizing that it was my ADHD was the source of a lot of the frustrations and struggles (I am basically a human checklist of the symptoms), I started to consider medication. The biggest reason for me is that I wanted to be able to focus on my own hobbies. I am incapable of hyper-fixating on anything that involves sitting down (or like, in general I am really bad at sitting down). I put off doing anything about if for years because well... executive dysfunction is a thing. It is really because of my roomate I finally went through with getting on mediation. This summer I moved in with a couple of close friends, one of which is also a cis women with ADHD who was diagnosed in elementary school. After not being interested in medication herself for most of her life, she recently decided to pursue it after some long conversations with another of our roomate’s girlfriend (I am one of 7 people in my friend group with diagnosed ADHD). Basically it was an accountability thing. We both held each other accountable for contacting our doctors.

Ok so after that very long introduction, what exactly are my experiences then? One of the things that surprised me was that I didn’t really run into too many barriers regarding getting on meds. In my case, I just talked to my general practitioner and she was like cool, lets start with XYZ. She actually didn’t want my original diagnosis since it was so old that she felt like any proposed plan would be out of date. (This is compared to my roommate who had to get a copy of her original diagnosis and even then her doctor was mostly comfortable prescribing meds because she is in talk therapy). (Though she has also pointed out I have been seeing my doctor for a bit now and therefor have a repor with her compared to her own doctor who was basically randomly assigned to her by her insurance and she met for the first time (online) when she contacted him to discuss meds)

I was originally prescribed Wellbutrin, a common off lable option for ADHD (it is a non stimulant, and by extension less bad side effects). My doctor wanted to go with it due to my really bad anxiety since it could potentially help with both. Unfortunately it made my anxiety way worse and I had a panic attack for the first time in years so we quickly stopped it and switched to other options. The next thing we tried (which is what I am now on) was extended release adderall. This is the most common stimulant prescribed to adults with ADHD. From what my doctor was saying, it is preferred for adults since it lasts all day (and with pretty even effects), it helps cover both work and the evening since most adults have additional responsibilities in the evening. In my case, due to how I responded to the Wellbutrin she also wanted to make sure I was on something that would not spike my dopamine. When messing with the dosage, I found that the amount that seems to help is also the amount that make my insomnia worse, so I am take a slightly lower dosage of the extended release, and make up the small difference using the short release.

Regarding side effects, the two noticeable ones that did not go away after a week (I initially had problems with a high heart rate, but that went away after a few days) are thirst and hunger suppressant. There is not much I can do about constantly being thirsty other then drink a ton of water. I was able to talk to a friend about the hunger thing, so I was able to implement quite a few tips and tricks that help me eat something during the day.

The two odd side effects I was not expecting is that caffeine actually effects me now and I also have way less of a sweet tooth. My doctor warned me about the caffeine thing, and my coffee drinking has really gone down. I went from at least two cups a day to a mug of half caff in the morning (I can’t cut it out entirely due to withdraw symptoms (so you know addition)). Regarding the sweets, I don’t know if I crave sugur less, or if it is improved impulse control. A good portion of my impulse control issue revolve around food so I am unsure.

Also I am running into a thing a friend was telling me about. The meds help you focus end of statement. This means you can end up focusing on things you don’t want to be focusing on.

As for the positives, well, I guess I was expecting more. I knew that meds weren’t some magic bullet and I was still going to need to use all of my coping mechanisms, but I guess I thought that the focus issues, would, just go away. But this is not how meds work. The way my roommate’s girlfriend describes it is that it gives you 15% more spoons, and that makes a ton of difference (for some people, this can be the difference between stuff like being able to hold a job). It is also really hard to tell if your meds are working. I texted a friend asking about how to tell, and he basically told me that it was the million dollar question (meaning there is no clean answer). Honestly, I still don’t know for sure if they are working or if I am just saying that. Part of it is that i literally can’t remember what I act like or feel when I am not on meds (and if I take a break for a day, vice versa). I am currently going with the assumption they are though.

For me, what I have been finding is that while I still get distracted from tasks I don’t like, I return to them faster. So rather then getting bored, getting on my phone and like, fucking around for a long time. I might just briefly check social media and then return to my task (meaning I get more done faster). I have also found it is making the executive dysfunction way easier for me. It is still difficult to start tasks, but, it takes distinctly less energy to do so meaning I generally start tasks sooner, or in some cases, do them at all to begin with. It helps curb some of my impulse control issues, mostly around stuff like food and impulse purchases of going out for lunch or coffee. It might be helping with the emotional dysregulation, but I have a hard time gauging that one. It’s just making things a bit easier, and well, that goes a long way.

More importantly, I am achieving my original goal. I am more able to focus on my hobbies and interest. I am starting to return to robotics, and it is already going better then when I tried it out as a teenager. I don’t know how well this will work out in the long run, but I am cautiously optimistic.

TLDR: I am not quite sure how to summarize, but if you know people on ADHD meds and are considering them (or are otherwise not on them and want to know more), it is probably worthwhile to have a conversation about them.

[leostudyblr]

studying sucks as someone with adhd/add

and that’s not talked about nearly enough! in general and in the studyblr community.

i’m making this “guide” (of sorts) to, at the very least, let adhd/add ppl who struggle in school know that they’re not alone!

(also, just for reference, for the rest of this post i will be referring to adhd and add people as just adhd, because that is the official diagnosis for both. just know that i’m not excluding y’all inattentive types!!)

btw: neurotypical/non adhd studyblr are allowed and 100% encouraged to reblog this post!

distractions. my mortal enemy

writing this post is literally my distraction from writing my english essay. which is weird because i’m actually interested in the topic of my essay!

so why am i hyperfocusing on something completely unnecessary?

in short, because dopamine! that bastard.

long version is that people with adhd have unusually low levels of dopamine (the happy chemical, if you weren’t aware!) in their brain. this makes it extremely hard to stop doing something that is giving you dopamine and switch to something that won’t give you that sweet sweet dopamine.

in my case, it means that it’s hard to stop writing this post (which is about something i’m very passionate about, albeit hypocritical of me) and write my essay (which i’m also passionate about, but that includes writing an essay).

also, under this category i’d like to mention something that i found on the wikipedia page for hyperfocus that is just a great explanation of adhd!

“Some types of ADHD are a difficulty in directing one's attention (an executive function of the frontal lobe), not a lack of attention.”

thanks, wikipedia! what a nice helpful source. (note: wikipedia is a great resource that we all use, but that doesn’t mean you are bound to donate. don’t, if you don’t want to. they don’t have a fundraiser going on at the time of writing this, but.... still. don’t feel bad. other people will donate, and wikipedia will stay running.)

^ can you tell i’m adhd. geez. ok moving on

(another sidenote: apparently i lied. as soon as i went on another wikipedia page, they asked me to donate. damnit)

how do i... stop getting as distracted?

first off, understand that hyperfocus/lack of focus is part of your condition. you are not broken or “bad” for not being able to focus on what you need/want to.

try a pomodoro timer. this has literally saved me so much.

try a pomodoro... with friends! let them keep you accountable and working on what you need to.

have you been watching youtube for 3 hours and haven’t gotten out of bed that entire time? get up. get moving, walk to your kitchen and get a snack! some water, for god’s sake. take your snack time to think about what you need to work on and decide on one thing to do before you get another snack.

“but i can’t do just one task at a time! i’m better at multitasking!”

might i suggest fidget toys? i used to say that i was great at multitasking—no. no one is good at multitasking, it’s just not human nature to multitask. just trust me on this one, aight?

btw, sleep. not sleeping will only make it harder to focus on the things you have to do!!

if you take meds: take your frickin meds, dude. like seriously. take them.

if you don’t take meds and want to: talk to your doctor asap. tell them your concerns, and how adhd affects your life on a daily basis. and stimulant meds are not the only option!! be open to suggestions from your doctor, but if you feel like they don’t get what you’re going through: you gotta tell them again. give them more info, because what you tell them is literally the only way they’ll know something is wrong.

getting. overwhelmed. a trap that’s too easy to fall into

lord knows i’ve been overwhelmed. i’m overwhelmed right now. maybe you’ve been sick, or there was a really hard assignment in this class or that, and you had an exam in three classes over a two day time period—i get it. and you felt like this was your year! you were doing so well! but now you have late work in multiple classes and you’re not sure what to actually... do for those assignments.

a lot of this overwhelmed business has to do with not knowing how to start. you have this pile of work to do, how are you supposed to do any of it when there’s just so much and you know you can’t possibly get it all done.

“try and do one thing,” people will say

“just start! it’ll be easier once you start,” people will continue saying

“but it’s too much,” you’ll argue

“you don’t have to do all of it,” they’ll argue back, and you’ll realise that they’re right but it’s so easy for them. for you it’s like pulling teeth to start writing that essay outline or to start working on those chemistry problems. it feels like there’s no point if you don’t finish it—if you can’t turn it in, what’s even the point?

hey. i feel you. ppl w/o executive dysfunction just don’t understand how your brain works differently. and that’s not your fault.

the main thing i can say is: talk to people who do understand. 

your friends that have seen you struggling in school forever? they get it. maybe they don’t understand exactly how you do things differently, but they see the grief you go through each year just to survive.

if you don’t talk to people about what’s going on in your life, you’re gonna explode. like actually.

so how do i stop from getting overwhelmed?

talk about your stress early on, before it’s “too late”

that said, it’s never too late. it is NEVER too late to get help.

you got friends who have the same classes as you? have you made friends in your classes? ask them for clarification on assignments, if it’s too scary to go to the teacher.

i know that for me, at least, it doesn’t even cross my mind to ask my teacher about these supposedly silly thing! but i’ve started trying to take into account that if it’s preventing me from knowing where to start something, it’s not silly. it’s something that i need to ask about.

if you can afford to do so, consider asking your doctor if they can refer you to a therapist. this comes from someone with zero experience in therapy (altho i really want to! it just hasn’t worked out that way yet.), so take it with a HEAVY grain of salt. i just know that from other’s experiences, it has helped them immensely.

self esteem. what’s that?

with all this getting distracted and overwhelmed, it’s easy to confuse your adhd with yourself. yes, you have adhd, but it’s not all of you. and did you know that adhd people have enhanced creativity? you probably did, actually. isn’t it amazing that people with adhd have figured out how to persevere and live in a world not built for us!

now, i’d like to address some common self-esteem issues in adhd individuals and why it’s all your brain tricking you!

feeling down about our abilities.

this can mean not feeling good enough when you fail to do something that you previously thought you could do easily.

this is your brain trying to tell you that you can do better than this, but the signal is getting messed up somewhere along the way! when something doesn’t turn out as well as you want it to, you have to take that and push down the urge to beat yourself up about it and use that disappointment and turn it into self improvement!

comparing ourselves to neurotypical people.

“why can everyone else do it, and not me?”

because your brain isn’t built to work like that, silly! you need to think hard about why you can’t do it the same way as them—and find a way to accomplish the same goal but with a method that works for you.

it feels like we get more criticism than praise.

listen. maybe you are getting more criticism than praise—and that sucks! like absolutely, positively fuckin sucks. but more than likely:

that’s the rsd baby. your mind naturally takes criticism as a personal attack, AND it amplifies it in your mind! double whammy, if you will. this is why having someone to talk to who supports you is so important, so you can have an outside source telling you that you don’t deserve to feel like shit. because you don’t.

thanks for getting through this post ☺

all bases of the art in this post come from this website of open source sketchy illustrations!!

i sincerely hope that this has been at all helpful. if you have anything to add onto this post i encourage you to do so! if you have any questions about anything in this post, feel free to hmu at my ask box !!!

[abcsofadhd]

Study on Meth vs Amphetamine

The study is called:

Amphetamine and Methamphetamine Differentially Affect Dopamine Transporters in Vitro and in Vivo 

It states:

Together these data demonstrate that METH has a stronger effect on DAT-mediated (DAT: dopamine transporter) cell physiology than AMPH, which may contribute to the euphoric and addictive properties of METH compared with AMPH.

Yes, meth and amphetamines have similar effects (as they are both amphetamines) as they work in similar ways. However, the former is much more addictive and potent. 

It’s similar to morphine vs heroin. Hospitals give morphine to patients after surgery.. but they don’t give them heroin. Cause the latter is significantly more addictive, despite ‘killing’ more pain.

Our meds are prescribed to us in appropriate dosage which negates the addiction. However, like MOST MEDICATION, if you take more than the prescribed amount, it can caused addiction and EVEN DEATH. 

It should go without saying but substance abuse is bad. Drugs are bad, mmkay. Don’t take more than the amount you were prescribed.

Also, I wanna mention that in most of the anti-ADHD meds hit pieces, they always interview the Adderall abusers who DON’T have ADHD (I’m looking at you “Take your Pills”). Or the studies that use non ADHD addicts. 

I’ve already posted studies previously that showed that ADHDers react differently to meds compared to non ADHD people. Using studies with non ADHD people is just being deceitful. 

(Note: not all meds work the same way for everyone. If one doesn’t work, you should ask to switch to another type, which have other ingredients. So for example Adderall has amphetamine and Ritalin has methylphenidate. Or try different doses. Alternatively, you can also get non stimulant ADHD meds).

[beautifulinsanesanity]

I saw you posted about having ADHD, diagnosed at a young age. My 6 (almost 7) year old has ADHD, and I was wondering from a personal point of view, what are some things your parents/network did to support you, or somethings you wish they had done to support you. (Feel free to answer this privately, if you prefer.)

Hey! So my mother was my absolute number one advocate! My dad was also my advocate, he just worked for 12 hours for 6 days since we own our own business, but once he was home, he tried his best with helping me with my homework! My original psychologist was also a life-savior! Unfortunately, he no longer practices, but I absolutely love my psychiatrist!

Seeing as my brother and sister are 9 and 10 years, respectively, older than me, my parents had many challenges raising me due to the different time alsongside my adhd issues. They had to learn that you simply cannot only tell me to do something once, I had to be constantly watched over. Not because they didn’t believe I could do it, but rather because I got distracted so easily!

Like I had said in my post, I take medications, and I have since I was 7, two years after I was diagnosed. My mother, like any other logical person, did not want to put her 5 year old on medications before exploring other options. She read so many books and other things to help me. So we tried everything from switching things out of my diet to enrolling me in many extracurriculars before they came to the conclusion that I did indeed need medications. Because truly, not all individuals with ADHD need medications, the above things can actually help them cope and manage their ADHD. And even then, we went through a few different meds before we found what was right for me.

I am currently on 2 stimulant medications which are forms of the same drug methylphenidate, these are Concerta and Ritalin. I am also on two non-stimulant medications, one of which I had to recently change due to me building up a tolerance to. But until recently they were guanfacine and clonidine, both of which have been shown to help with ADHD. Clonidine, also known as my sleep med, is the one I had to stop taking because it is also used as a blood pressure medication and to up the dosage wouldn’t be medically safe. So now I am currently taking trazadone, my new sleep med. But supplements were also a huge help, especially fish oil Omega 3s and glutathione.

Ok and on to school related things. I was also diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) which is commonly diagnosed alongside of ADHD in children. So because of all this, I was quite the handful. My pre-k teacher basically said I was possessed by the devil and didn’t want to allow me to go to kindergarten. However, my kindergarten teacher was an absolute God send! She would write daily updates to my mom every week, which was great as this was when we were trying out different medications to find the correct combination.

So I would say a good piece of advice is to be there for your child, be their advocate, set up schedules that they can follow and reward them for sticking to it, since in the long run it will truly help them!

I’m sorry if this post was everywhere! How ironic is that, a post about ADHD being ADHD haha! But I really hope this helped you! If you have any further questions, please don’t be afraid to ask! I’ll even recruit my mom 😊

[adhd-queer]

I know you're not an expert on meds or anything, but I thought I'd send you this question and you can answer it if you can? I tried a stimulant medication, but I got really bad stomach aches basically every day while on them. So my doctor switched me to a non-stimulant. I don't feel like the non-stimulant is working as well, and I want to ask to try a different stimulant. But since I had a bad reaction to one stimulant, do you think I'm likely to get a bad reaction to most stimulants?

Non-Stimulants take a while to be effective. While you may feel a more immediate effect with stimulant meds, it can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks for a non-stimulant to help with ur ADHD. Give it a bit longer, and if you still don’t think it’s working for you, talk to your doctor. 

[specialchan]

Less ideas/creativity/problem solving skills on medication via /r/ADHD

Less ideas/creativity/problem solving skills on medication

Hello,

i am prescribed the european version of vyvanse and started taking it yesterday (~20mg solved in water). before that i took a methylphenidate medication for some months. im currently on it, so excuse me if this thing will get bigger than intended, i will write a tldr. im not asking for medical advice, just seeking experiences and tips.

now im aware that the medication making my brain quiet so i can focus is a desired effect, but its making it difficult for me to hold a conversation and to study.

i study math and the adhd "daydreaming" is somehow related to my problem solving mode, most of the time i find good solutions to problems only when i get distracted from the obvious.

on mph i "saw" the ideas but fishing them out of the depths of my mind was almost impossible, they became "heavy" from the medication. on vyvanse im so "clear" that i dont even see them anymore. so instead of thinking of a smart and intuitive solution to a problem i just execute the textbook approach, the first thing that comes up in my mind is where it stops, otherwise my mind would wander and maybe find a better and faster solution. time is precious with adhd and the difference between carrying out a full calculation and coming to a solution by intuitively seeing it can spare a lot of time. if you want to see it like this increased focus comes at a loss of skill. its also hard to get curious or excited about something, because everything has this "cold" medication feeling to it.

i could expand this a bit that i dont only lose sense for math but also for other things too, but maybe this part is just me not being used to the feeling. outside of math i notice that, for example when writing this text, i feel like i cant structure it better, but its harder to put it straight so its similar to my calculations, theyre bigger but with less novel content.

when socializing, without medication, i am stuck in my head because i cannot decide what to say or in my opinion it does not fit into the conversation. on medication only the simpler answers are left and i can focus on them and speak whole sentences etc. but i feel a bit uninspired/boring. not sure how my personality interacts with the medication here, maybe its more on my side, but i was hoping that medication will help with that as i thought its part of my adhd.

i was hoping that vyvanse is different after having these issues on mph, and it is, but these issues persist. so i suppose all stimulant medications share this "sideeffect". my experience with mph was that when climbing up with the dosage the silence comes before the desired focus improvements. maybe its different on vyvanse or i was just expecting too much.

my questions are, do/did any of you have the same issues on stimulant meds? did you find a solution? did lowering/raising the dose or switching to non-stimulant meds help? did it fade after your body got adjusted to the medication? does a certain way of taking the meds help with this, like drinking the glass of water with the medication slowly in the course of 30 mins or something?

sometimes i write down notes or journal how i feel so i can look at it more objectively later. but often i dont know what to write down exactly, do you know good methods to evaluate the efficacy of your medication? if you guys journal about the effects, how do you do it?

tldr; medication blunts my thoughts too much, but lowering the dose would cost me focus, so im looking for experiences/other solutions and tips how to maintain creativity and problem solving skills while on medication.

Submitted July 26, 2020 at 06:39AM by colouredgraph via reddit https://ift.tt/2OZxM8q

[specialsmoke]

Less ideas/creativity/problem solving skills on medication via /r/ADHD

Less ideas/creativity/problem solving skills on medication

Hello,

i am prescribed the european version of vyvanse and started taking it yesterday (~20mg solved in water). before that i took a methylphenidate medication for some months. im currently on it, so excuse me if this thing will get bigger than intended, i will write a tldr. im not asking for medical advice, just seeking experiences and tips.

now im aware that the medication making my brain quiet so i can focus is a desired effect, but its making it difficult for me to hold a conversation and to study.

i study math and the adhd "daydreaming" is somehow related to my problem solving mode, most of the time i find good solutions to problems only when i get distracted from the obvious.

on mph i "saw" the ideas but fishing them out of the depths of my mind was almost impossible, they became "heavy" from the medication. on vyvanse im so "clear" that i dont even see them anymore. so instead of thinking of a smart and intuitive solution to a problem i just execute the textbook approach, the first thing that comes up in my mind is where it stops, otherwise my mind would wander and maybe find a better and faster solution. time is precious with adhd and the difference between carrying out a full calculation and coming to a solution by intuitively seeing it can spare a lot of time. if you want to see it like this increased focus comes at a loss of skill. its also hard to get curious or excited about something, because everything has this "cold" medication feeling to it.

i could expand this a bit that i dont only lose sense for math but also for other things too, but maybe this part is just me not being used to the feeling. outside of math i notice that, for example when writing this text, i feel like i cant structure it better, but its harder to put it straight so its similar to my calculations, theyre bigger but with less novel content.

when socializing, without medication, i am stuck in my head because i cannot decide what to say or in my opinion it does not fit into the conversation. on medication only the simpler answers are left and i can focus on them and speak whole sentences etc. but i feel a bit uninspired/boring. not sure how my personality interacts with the medication here, maybe its more on my side, but i was hoping that medication will help with that as i thought its part of my adhd.

i was hoping that vyvanse is different after having these issues on mph, and it is, but these issues persist. so i suppose all stimulant medications share this "sideeffect". my experience with mph was that when climbing up with the dosage the silence comes before the desired focus improvements. maybe its different on vyvanse or i was just expecting too much.

my questions are, do/did any of you have the same issues on stimulant meds? did you find a solution? did lowering/raising the dose or switching to non-stimulant meds help? did it fade after your body got adjusted to the medication? does a certain way of taking the meds help with this, like drinking the glass of water with the medication slowly in the course of 30 mins or something?

sometimes i write down notes or journal how i feel so i can look at it more objectively later. but often i dont know what to write down exactly, do you know good methods to evaluate the efficacy of your medication? if you guys journal about the effects, how do you do it?

tldr; medication blunts my thoughts too much, but lowering the dose would cost me focus, so im looking for experiences/other solutions and tips how to maintain creativity and problem solving skills while on medication.

Submitted July 26, 2020 at 06:39AM by colouredgraph via reddit https://ift.tt/2OZxM8q