After 28 years of living with undiagnosed adhd I finally got an appointment and started adderall last month. Immediate effects, I feel like every day is my most productive day from before. Drinking a lot less and able to get up in the morning. A big part in finally doing something about it was based on comments and posts on hexbear, so a huge thank you to everyone for that.
But after a few weeks of taking it I’m taking stock of the side effects. How do you guys remember to eat enough, make sure your tolerance doesn’t increase too much? I’m also getting headaches at the end of the day as it wears off, so wondering about any tips for that too. I’m gonna be talking to my doctor about this next visit of course, but thought some anecdotes might be good to hear about.
:heart-sickle:
Yeah I don’t take it on the weekends but I’ve noticed I’m getting more irritable weekend after weekend, I’m guessing from withdrawal. Nothing too serious but it’s odd since I’m on a pretty low dose still.
Vyvanse works way WAY better for me, almost no side effects if I eat before/ with my medication in the morning. It's a LOT more expensive so it's really only an option if your insurance accepts it
I always make sure to take it before 11 or noon the cutoff depends on your situation, when you need to be asleep, your dosage, metabolism etc, so you kind of have to figure it out but once you have, if it's past that time I don't take my pill that day, because it would mess up my schedule etc etc.
I also try very hard to eat before I take it, which can be really hard sometimes. Some days I just can't get myself to eat anything, but what helps is having lots of easy options, something I can make quickly and easily and is rather neutral, my favorite for this purpose is cup-o-ramen
How do you guys remember to eat enough
weeeeeeed
That’s interesting what’s the difference? Dr Google says it’s just a more pure form of amphetamine?
I need more snacks at work I guess but I’m not allowed to eat at my desk (safety reasons) and money is a bit tight for packaged food.
Not really sure on difference but I was on adderall for years before switching and have never gone back, and one of my roomates is just switching from adderall to vyvanse due to side effects etc
I guess now I'm inclined to ask you for advice, how do you go about getting medication if you suspect you're undiagnosed? Just find a psychiatrist and tell them you think you have undiagnosed ADD?
So I would do some research on what symptoms are, what kind of things are typical, and how that relates to your experience. There’s a classic and somewhat dated book called Driven to Distraction my doctor recommended - great read if you keep in mind it was written by a middle aged white guy in the 90s. Also an audiobook because how can you expect any of us to have the attention to read lol.
But yeah if you think you fit the bill basically make a psychiatrist appointment which might require a referral from your/a regular doctor. The worst thing you can do is wait, especially since ADHD weaponizes procrastination against you. From there they’ll basically evaluate you asking questions about your life.
The two main things I think that are looked for include: are these symptoms present in more than two situations (home, work, etc) and were they present before the age of 12(?). That’s a big way to determine whether it’s ADHD or something else, a lot of other medical issues can have some similarities apparently, like hyperthyroidism.
Edit: I now realize I somewhat missed the point of the post. This should be an actually helpful answer:
Remembering to get enough to eat
This one hasn't been the biggest problem for me, but I guess having a consistent schedule helps. Idk if it's healthy or not, but sometimes I just don't eat lunch and instead have a bigger dinner to compensate, or just eat a bigger lunch the next day.
I’m also getting headaches at the end of the day as it wears off, so wondering about any tips for that too.
This one I kinda covered before the edit, but if you're experiencing these symptoms as a consequence of the meds wearing off, then it's related to the fact that you've been relying on a chemical stimulant to function for the past x number of hours, and now that the stimulants are wearing off, your body is having to switch back to relying on it's own mechanisms to function. For me, most of the time I don't have any noticeable side effects, but I'll occasionally have ~30 minute periods of exhaustion or depression. Personally, I've found that I can help to alleviate my symptoms by putting other less powerful stimulants into my system (sugar/caffeine or food in general tbh), so that my body can transition from stimulated to unstimulated in a more gradual manner.
Pre edit part
Idk how applicable this is going to be for other stims, but I've found that sugar and/or caffeine is mostly a no-go when on Dexmethylphenidate (focalin). They make me anxious/restless while I'm on the stims, and I've had to cut out a lot of sugar/caffeine from my diet, so the stims I take have made me healthier as well as more functional lol. The only time sugar/caffeine might be a good idea while on dexmethylphenidate is when the effects are starting to wear off. I sometimes get bad comedown symptoms (short period of exhaustion/depression), and having sugar/caffeine in the last 30-60 minutes before the effects wear off can kinda help to prevent those symptoms, or at least make them less dramatic.
TL:DR: Might not be applicable for every stimulant, but try eating healthier if you think it might help. Some side effects could be caused or made worse by foods/drinks with lots of sugar and/or caffeine.
Idk if it’s healthy or not, but sometimes I just don’t eat lunch and instead have a bigger dinner to compensate
This is basically Intermittent Fasting, it's not only fine but you'd also be losing more fat
This is basically Intermittent Fasting, it’s not only fine but you’d also be losing more fat
I guess that + vastly cutting down on processed sugar (see pre edit part for why) starting last year explains why I'm 5-10 pounds lighter than I was this time last year.
I lost 5 pounds since starting a month ago, but I’m also trying not to drink on the stim and before I’d usually have a few beers. Also transitioned to more plant based foods. But yeah I don’t eat lunch anymore lol
