Eli5. Isn’t it just microdosing amphetamine?
Yeah, more or less. Stimulants tend to have a contradictory calming and/or focusing effect on the ADHD brain. I don’t remember why exactly but it probably has to do with dopamine regulation, which our brains crave like a zombie does brains.
My diagnosis kind of explained why I can drink inordinate amounts of coffee or energy drinks (don’t do this) and sleep like a log 30min later lol
Some brain cells make dopamine to reinforce behaviors. Dopamine slots into receptor, you get that feeling of satisfaction. A protein in the brain cell wall vacuums up excess dopamine so it doesn’t just flood the brain forever, constantly triggering the receptors.
ADHD brain cell dopamine vacuums are just always on max speed all the time.
Methylphenidate slows the vacuums down so the dopamine doesn’t get sucked right back down, meaning it actually has a chance to reach the receptors and do its job.It’s not quite that our brains crave dopamine, it’s that our brains are too good at tidying it up, kinda like someone following around behind you as you set the table, putting all the clean dinnerware straight into the dishwasher unused.
Man, the more I’m on Lemmy the more I think I might have ADHD lmao
Same when I got on ocd meds. Love being able to go and do a thing without compulsively making lists of every other tasks that I could be doing.
What’s your drug name? If you don’t mind me asking. Mine was risperidone but I had to stop.
When starting these meds, Euphoria is a common side effect.
It can still make a huge difference in your life, but the euphoria isn’t permanent.
I felt like the euphoria was from being able to focus and retain details about uninterrsting things for more tha a few minutes, and after a few weeks the novelty wore off.
That’s why it’s not prescribed willy nilly. If you can improve sustainably with coping mechanism, that’s always healthier in the long term. It’s always preferable to depend as least as possible on the meds.
Good to know.
There’s also usually a ramp up period with a lot of medication. It takes time before it really starts working so there’s a very real chance this is more of a placebo effect
I think it depends on the meds there to some extent. Anecdotal, and certainly not immune to my own placebo effects, but Adderall always feels pretty good at giving me laser eyes – even when being a bit on/off with it.
Not with stimulants, one of the major benefits of them is that they work immediately.
They also stop working quite suddenly.
So after it wears off you need bits of shrooms. Got it.
It’s never too late for the people that had parents that said “my kid isn’t crazy” and grew up unmedicated and without support. I was a giant fuckup until 35 when I went and got a diagnosis and support. Graduated top of my class at 38, bought a house, got married, and now working on my masters degree.
Although… my meds have been on back order for the past two months…
I waited until the last minute to get a refill (work has been hell, and the entire having to call in for renewals is so anti ADHD it’s not even funny) and was off them for the weekend and today, not even funny how much more anxious and cranky I am right now, I do not have any energy to deal with peoples stuff today.
The first 5-7 days off meds are the worst. It gets better after a little bit, but I’m pretty worthless for the entire time and definitely irritable. Ride it out, it’ll get better!
How… do you go about getting diagnoses as an adult? I am 38 years old and relatively well adjusted, I think?. Career, home, family, degrees. But I always just thought I was just, idk, wierd, but I have learned to occasionally point my hyperfixation in a constructive direction. It is always fixated somewhere, getting through school, my job, but whatever I am fixated on, it is the only thing that matters in the whole world. I graduated at the top of my class with a 4.0 and all the awards and accolades possible. I am a high level supervisor at my work, etc. Like, I am doing OK, but other times I will get distracted, and for a month my fixation will be a video game, or my fish tank and my work will suffer. Once I lose interest I would rather put my head through a fucking wall than deal with the details of something I no longer care about. Even if other people depend on me to finish something it is pulling teeth for me to finish it. All it gets is a superficial level of attention. None of the passion. My life is a series of rabbit holes and half finished projects. For me I am fine, but the people around me that get neglected when I am on to something else… if I am focused on my job, it consumes me, every waking second I am either at work, talking about work, working on stuff for work, getting another certification for work, and I am terrified if I try to refocus to try to maintain some sort of work life balance I will lose any reasonable interest in work and everything I have done will be for nothing.
Writing it out I feel far less “adjusted” than I thought… my wife has pointed it out for years how it actually affects me, (and her, and the kids) more than I realize. Sometimes I get in the threads in this sub and I have a “Oh, shit…” moment where I realize so many of my own patters relate to the comments in here and wonder what life would be like if I actually took care of it. I was diagnosed when I was like 7 but it was never followed through with or treated. IDK. 🤷♂️
My hobbies used to be collecting hobbies. CBT helped me realize that, and now I know when to pull back before I jump 10000% into a flavor of the month. I still get interested in things, but I give myself a 72-hour cooldown before purchasing anything new for a hobby. If I’m still interested after that, I dip my toes in. I more often than not realize it’s just a fixation and save myself a ton of time and money that I can put towards my long-term goals.
If you feel you might have adhd you would want to start with getting a diagnosis. Usually, through a psychiatrist. From there, they can work on a treatment plan.
So can I start with something a little milder or do I need to jump straight in to CBT? I guess I was expecting to ease into things with maybe some light spanking or candle wax.
Don’t neglect the balls.
Are you me?
I finally asked my wife to find someone to discuss it with. Scheduling appointments is so difficult for me, let alone finding who I’m supposed to see, whether that’s a vet, a doctor, or a mechanic. I imagine you can Google (or duckduckgo) “Adhd doctor near me” or something
Anyway, I only take meds on the days that I need to be productive, but same story. On those days it feels like I snuck a cheat sheet into a test. The same kind of “this is just how most people live? You can just get shit done?”
Although… my meds have been on back order for the past two months…
How does going off them affect you? I’ve always been hesitant to start medications for my issues because I worry what will happen if I lose my insurance or supply issues happen. It’s getting to a point where I’m running out of coping strats that actually work though…
I have a stash because I tend to take on weekends or vacations unless I absolutely need it. I do this because I built up a tolerance at one point, and increasing the dose often left me gorked out.
For me, adderal just affects my focus, I don’t have any ntocible mood issues that adderal improved. CBT was a bigger help for mood and impulsiveness.
What’s gorked out mean?
Becoming one with the Speed Force. Excessive side effects of taking amphetamines. Taking chelated magnesium seems to help with leveling out the side effects.
They help but the side effects sometimes suck. Sweats/chills, lower blood pressure, etc. Worth it for the clarity I get though.
My problem now is that I’m burnt out, which no drug is going to fix.
My meds make my penis sleepy
ADHD meds are lowering your blood pressure?
I forget what it’s called but there is one medication that doesn’t act as a stimulant and is closer to that of an antidepressant
Could be Bupropion or Atomoxetine. I’ve been on the former, but it didn’t do a lot for my ADHD. It did give me a wonderful few weeks filled with panic attacks and having my mind convinced that every little ache I felt must be because I was dying of something. Of course everybody responds differently, so don’t let that deter you if it is prescribed, but for me I never want to touch that stuff again.
I’m on Buproprion SR now for my recent ADHD diagnosis. That said, I absolutely know what you mean about the anxiety that it can give you! When I was younger, I was prescribed it for a different reason and it remains the only time in my life that I experienced actual panic attacks. I’m so relieved it hasn’t been my experience with it as an adult. I’m very fortunate to have a doctor that was taking my concerns serious and supportive as I adjusted to it - still is, we meet again in May. I’m not sure I’ll stay on it because it doesn’t do enough I feel like. Plus, while it doesn’t give me anything even close to panic attacks, it still makes me feel more anxious that usual I think…
I tried Atomoxetine and didn’t like it, I don’t recall any major mental benefits (maybe my motivation was non existent) but I did recall MAJOR sex related side effects that absolutely sucked.
Oops, no, it raises it. It lowers your pressure when peeing lol. I crossed the wires.
It’s Atomoxetine for context.
Ah, that makes more sense!
Must be nice. The only one that works for me is Vyvanse which is literally just cocaine, and the max dose of 70mg causes my heart rate to hit 120 while sitting down and doing nothing but watching YouTube for two hours.
Why do you think it’s cocaine?
It’s just another amphetamine derivateBecause I’ve been told by my pharmacy tech wife and my doctor that it is. Or close enough, anyway.
But that’s a completely different molecule
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LisdexamfetamineAdderall is practically pharmaceutical street speed. That’s why I got interested that they found a new application for coke again, besides as a numbing agent.
I think it’s important to note that while chemicals can be similar in structure minor differences affect both their chemical properties and the way they interact with our body. Being close to something chemically has no bearing on what it does.
…tell them both to visit erowid or wikipedia, and look up cocaine and amphetamine separately. Then, look at vyvanse’s wikipedia page. That type of description is part of the reason why it’s tough for us ADHD folks to get access to our meds.
Definitely this.
Concerta is diet cocaine, whereas Vyvanse is a miracle (and Lisdex is the devil’s apple)
Well, as a pharmacist whose been stable on 50mg of vyvanse for more than 3 years, your wife and Doc are both incorrect…
Both are stimulants, yes, but
Vyvanse is an amphetamine and works to produce more neurotransmitters you don’t already have.
Cocaine is a reuptake inhibitor… thus preventing the breakdown of neurotransmitters you do already have.
While fundamentally they may look like they’re doing the same thing, they are in fact 2 totally different mechanisms. Furthermore, in neurotransmitter depletion the effects of cocaine will severely diminish, where as amphetamines will thrive.
That’s awesome info, thank you.
Yeah, that’s not a fun trade-off.
Heart issues run in my family, so I’m not trying to expedite my trip to the grave.
My experience is the opposite. I used to take Adderall, and I fell that is too close to coke. I switched to Vyvanse about 6 months ago and I’ve been really liking it. It’s much more soft, less of a comedown.
I take 60mg.
I ran out of Vyvanse three weeks back. It’s been months my rather low dose didn’t do its full effect anymore, I just didn’t go back to see my doc to get it adjusted. However, looking at how much of a disorganized mess I am these last couple of weeks, I guess it was still doing something - holy shit am I not getting much done, like, at all 😬
Yeah, I’ve felt a bit of the same. My meds don’t seem to do much until I miss a dose then I’m like… Whelp, I’m fucking useless today.
At first the drugs have a kind of amplified effect, as that simmers down, the effects are still there, it’s just, not as pronounced and noticable.
And to be clear to anyone who isn’t ADHD and on meds, they’re not magic. The ADHD is still definitely there, all the medication does is dim the effects to a more manageable level. Before medication, trying to get something done that my brain wasn’t super interested in, would be like trying to nail jello to a wall. It just wouldn’t happen. Now I can actually get myself off the couch, put down my phone and do a thing without feeling like I’m dragging my corpse along for the ride.
Damn must be crazy
my first dose of adhd meds was atomoxetine and instead of gaining clarity of mind all that happened was 56 hours of insomnia with gut wrenching nausea
I used to be on ADHD stimulant meds up until I just tried living without them. Was on them as far back as I can remember, and then one day, I had no appetite, so I stopped and realized that the anxiety they gave me was hurting me more than I thought. Now, I’m on anxiety medication that sometimes makes it hard to focus, and I’m not entirely sure how to find that balance of being productive and not having panic attacks daily. Has anyone else experienced this?
Yes. Same experience. I have now dropped my Adderall to 2.5 to 5 mg per day, depending on how productive I need to be, splitting between 6 am for the first dose and noon or so for the second if I need it. Additionally on buspirone for anxiety and prazosin for PTSD symptoms I have from a childhood of undiagnosed ADHD. With that mix I find myself able to do things, capable of feeling some hunger, and not having panic attacks about the most meaningless garbage. But don’t take my cocktail as gospel. Brains are weird. Everyone is different. Try everything until you find what balance works for you. If your doctor won’t let you try and find the right meds and the right dose, get a different doctor.
Yes which is why I was switched over to the Strattera generic which isnt a stimulant. It helps but honestly therapy and exercise did most of the work.
Sounds similar to my girlfriend. She gets overwhelmed with how much she has to do that she freezes, then has a panic attack because nothing is getting accomplished. I help by picking whatever seems most pressing and telling her to focus on that and nothing else. When it’s done we pick another thing.
I’m sure this isn’t groundbreaking advice (or even good advice, “just do the thing” yeah no shit), but if you struggle with getting started it might be worth to ask someone to handle organizing the tasks for you.
Sounds like concentration meditation.
(Aka samatha and a few others)
It’ll give you the clarity and the amazing can-do power.
And unlike drugs, it has no ceiling. You can pump up that power to crazy heights.
It takes like 4-6 weeks to start seeing effects. She must have had “the placeebe effect”
Unless adderall or ritalin
Adderall IR hits in 20 mins and does not have the ramp up of other drugs.
I gotta get back on the dose again. Lost insurance when I aged out of my parents and it took closer to a decade to get a proper job with good insurance. Of course, I’ve now had good job over a year and yet to make a single appointment because, well, still raw-dogging reality without meds.
Tomorrow’s a dayyy awayyyyy 🎶
It’ll be fun if you try, hope you’re not good at your job because then you’re clearly just looking for drugs /s
ADHD is the worst at this.
A disorder that makes it hard to have cognitive function & execution has you required to do the following:
- Remember that you have the disorder.
- Remember that you can get treatment for it.
- Find a doctor/NP that specializes in ADHD or cognitive disorders.
- Schedule an appointment.
- Go to the appointment and go through the rigmarole of getting a new RX.
- (Current Market) Call around to pharmacies to find one that has your RX in stock and hope your medical insurance doesn’t reject it or prescribe you something else because you don’t have patient history with just Adderall yet and have to repeat this step because this pharmacy only had the other RX available.
- Go pick up your RX.
- Repeat 4-8 monthly since ADHD meds are tightly regulated and you can only get a 30-day supply without auto-refills.
Yeah… We’re completely setup for success.
Man I got distracted twice just reading that list :c
Thanks for proving my… What were we just talking about?
I have done, though usually have to trick myself into it by doing something small and barely related so that a chain of activity gets started
I do this accidentally. I do one thing that’s inhibited by another thing not being done, repeat, until I’m doing 3 separate tasks and forgot what I was trying to do initially until an hour later.
I have tried 4 or 5 meds for ADHD and nothing seems to work, or help at all :(
I’ve just been raw dogging it for my whole life
Let’s see if Vyvanse is the magic bullet.
Concerta is at least making me do the dishes some times, unlike any of the other meds. Might help you.
I am on another form of Methylphenidate (Medikinet CR) and it has not been great.
Thought I heard that the side effects tend to be better with Concerta than the one I’m on.
Apparently the official Concerta version has some trademarked time-release technology, so it’s a series of small evenly-spaced doses.
I don’t know what about it is trademarked but it makes it very hard to compete with.I’ll have to ask my doc about Concerta then, it’s supposed to be available here but apparently pharmacies have a hard time sourcing it :/
Well there’s your problem. You only need 1 medicine. If you eat more than they fight each other in your system and don’t work because they die in battle. 4 or 5 is like a world War.
They likely tried them one after the other… Makes more sense before you assume they just down 4 different meds at the same time. Still possible of course.
I tried one after the other. Tried to give each of them a fair shot, using each for 30 or 60 days.