TLDR: What is ADHD medication supposed to feel like? Is it supposed to feel like anything at all? Will someone with ADHD feel really gacked out/high? does it change based on food intake or other factors?
So I received an unofficial diagnosis from my AuDHD psychologist a while ago, and then my psychiatrist did a very short written assessment on me and determined a positive diagnosis. I really want to get a full assessment one day, but for now I was prescribed Focalin (dexmethylphenidate). I originally wanted it as a prn.
The first time I took it, I definitely felt "peppy", needing to stand while gaming, needing to move around more frequently, generally more awake. I didn't eat breakfast, and had coffee. My blood pressure was also very high. Within a couple of days I took it again, but being good and eating in the morning with no coffee. I couldn't even tell if it was working. I may have taken it another time soon after and did not notice a difference, so I stopped taking it. I've been extremely fatigued and my executive dysfunction has been off the charts so I tried taking it again. Yesterday I didn't eat right away, and I felt gacked. Tight jaw, jittery, like definitely felt like I was on stimulants. I felt like that today as well; I tried to eat a little something this morning but it didn't seem to make much of a difference. It kicked in during a client appointment, too. Jaw tight, jittery, making a ton of typing mistakes, my body feeling fuzzy.
So, is it something where you should be able to notice a difference when you take ADHD meds? I'm assuming that I felt it so intensely because I didn't eat, but when I do it it literally doesn't feel like anything has changed. I may also not even have ADHD at all and was misdiagnosed (I was informally dx'ed with ADHD, Autism and bipolar disorder).
This sounds like either too high a dose or the wrong drug for you. I used Ritalin for years and then Concerta, which is a slow-release version. It fucked with my sleep and appetite and mood too much. So now I'm on Strattera, which is a non-stimulant. It helps me concentrate and I otherwise don't really notice any effects. I'm also AuDHD instead of just ADHD, so that probably makes a difference too.
That's what I'm thinking; it was just odd that the times when I took it with food I didn't feel it at all, whereas even eating as much as I could stomach this morning I still felt all over the place. The exaggerated differences in what I feel is what is kinda weirding me out. I also really want to do actual in depth assessments for both autism and adhd because their symptoms overlap so much. I trust my ND psychologist but I still don't know if ADHD is part of the equation :/ if I work up the nerve to go back to my psychiatrist I may see about switching.