I have been on dexedrine for 3 weeks for adhd but the side effects have been intense.

I can't get any sleep, my heart is often racing at rest, I have headaches and nausea. I can't see my psychiatrist again for some time so I saw a doctor who just told me the side effects will go away after a few weeks as my body adapts to it. But that was two weeks ago and I am still taking a relatively low dose of 20mg a day that hasn't given me any benefit because whenever I increase the dose the side effects get intolerably worse.

Did anyone else experience anything like this?

I'm almost ready to give up on this medication, should I stick it out?

  • Lussy [any, hy/hym]
    ·
    2 years ago

    They don’t. You need to alter your dosage or switch to a different medication but many stimulants are similar in terma of side effects but you might have better luck with a different one.

    • Sphere [he/him, they/them]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Yeah the inability to sleep is unlikely to be different after switching meds. Same with the heart rate. The headaches and nausea are more unusual though, so changing to a different medication might actually do something for those (and it's possible that they will indeed go away after a while).

      My personal experience suggests that the sleeplessness (along with any lack of appetite you may have) is not going to go away like your doctor suggests, though. When I was put on stimulants as a child, my parents complained about the sleeplessness, which led to me being prescribed a downer for before bedtime.