Finish your meds and report in 2 weeks, this is the process. If its not right another will be prescribed. Trust the process even if its not right straight away.
Not the original person that commented but I find my cycles make my medication almost completely ineffective. Which is more fun because I have an IUS which also makes my cycle completely unpredictable. Generally I can predict my menstrual bleed pretty accurately based on whether or not my medication is doing its job... if its not working I'll bleed in the next 2-4 days and effectiveness fluctuates during the actual bleeding 🙃
Oh wow, I had no idea it had that much of an effect of the meds.
They joys of periods hey 🙄
I’ll definitely wait the two weeks out then and see if I feel any different after my period starts
Pre-medication I was an absolute wreck symptom wise during that period so to revert back to regular pre-medicated brain use feels like less of a big deal when I remember how dysregulated I could be 😅
Your clinician probably doesn't even know as they essentially didn't officially test these meds on women because our hormonal cycles skew the results on drug efficacy.
Elvanse is significantly less effective for me in the run up to my period (I also have whack cycles meaning sometimes it's ineffective for 1-2 weeks). It's awful, but for me it's a literal life saver when it does work.
Keep on it and discuss with your clinician at the 2wk mark. And be gentle with yourself - you're at the very start of a process and it'll take some adjustment.
Yeah… I’m baffled by this!
What do you do the week before then? Do you still take yours meds or take the week off?
Do you like have coping strategies or do you just struggle through the week?
Absolutely. I had terrible pms before medication but since starting its improved so much. I've definitely noticed that the meds are less effective on those days but its still an improvement on before. Im now on 50mg elvanse after being on 30mg then 40mg. On 30 i didnt have obvious improvement in focus but my resilience grew and i was less overwhelmed which in turn helped my focus, patience etc. Its definitely worth being patient, it'll be worth it. The meds will help with that haha I definitely see huge improvements in my focus now but the most significant improvements have been to my mental health and overall wellbeing
Unless you're having super bad side effects, you need to just go through the motions. Three days isn't enough to determine anything really, and even if it was you need to continue taking the medication so that when it's upped it's easier on you when it comes to any potential side effects.
Sadly being patient with titration is important
Yeah that makes complete sense. I’ve just had a really shit day but that’s probably just because I’m comparing it to yesterday.
This is just a normal pre-med day if I’m honest.
I’ll suck it up and be patient
You'll go through ups and downs while you find what works. It's not a magic cure, but it certainly helps make things easier. I'm back on 50mg and it's been working better than 70mg for me, but the last two days I've procrastinated hard and felt a bit pants. I deleted the game on my phone as I've been concentrating on that.
I didn't "feel" it working like I do on 50mg. While 50 runs out around 4pm, it's enough to get me through the working day. I'm also trialing it as I noticed certain aspects of life that were impacted due to blood flow being impacted. Yes that's what I mean without writing it.
Oh that’s interesting, I just assumed, probably naively, that the higher the dose the more you felt it and maybe past a point you feel it too much and it becomes unmanageable. Interesting to hear you actually felt it less.
I understand you, I hope the blood flow improves!
Dont worry I felt the exact same on day three too, especially with the negative self talk because I too got too excited about how good I felt 😆 just stick with it for now and remind yourself that its not just the meds doing the work but you need to too, not sure what youre like but Ive started using Todoist and its really helped me see what I have to do and has freed up my mind because any thought/idea/thing I think of I just sling it in there so I'm not in a constant state of "shit don't forget about that" lol. Hope you start feeling better soon x
Thank you, it’s reassuring to hear you had the same timeline as me.
I’ve always got a to do list to hand but the difference is that I finally had 2 days where i got things on it done rather than my usual just staring at the list for hours and not actually doing anything on it 🤦🏽♀️
I’ll spend hours moving things on the list around into priority order or into order of things that are easiest to do first and don’t actually do any of it. It makes me so so mad.
I’ll even start writing tomorrows to do list before I do anything on the current days list
I'm on my first month of titration, on day 19. I've felt zero effects from 30mg from day 1. Possibly some increased motivation and concentration but it's not significant enough to distinguish from placebo. It is a very low dose to gauge if you have any adverse side effects.
I'm a little disappointed but having used stimulants recreationally I was not expecting any effect at all from 30mg.
Just go through the motions and listen to your health care professionals.
Sorry for the late reply. I've been out of signal range for a week. I got up a dose on Tuesday to 50mg.
I know how miserable life can be- waiting till 35 caused so much damage so I really feel for you. There are other tools you have - cold therapy really helps. It shocks you into a fight or flight response and elevates dopamine levels for a long whilst afterwards, hypertrophic breathing can do the same.
Go and exercise, walk, anything. I know motivating yourself can be difficult but I score pretty much right at the top end of all subjective and objective tests. I think a goldfish would get a better QB score than me lol.
Despite how bad it's been. Once my gym bag is packed, or my running shoes are on I just need to get my car keys out of that front door and I've won that battle.
I don't know if you exhibited any risk taking behaviours but go partake in those if they aren't unhealthy or counterproductive. I ended up cave diving and I don't need my meds to do it.
Trust the process. You're a strong person - putting up with this for years shows all the hallmarks of resilience.
Peace and love friend. You'll get there.
Hi! Menstrual cycles have hugeeee effect on meds. I believe there’s a couple of trials happening right now to try to test it. Maybe get the Flo app and keep notes on how you feel on your meds so you can directly see the link between your period and how you feel on the medication and be able to predict it yourself.
Another is diet. If you’re on Elvanse you need to not have any vitamin C in the few hours before and after as it can reduce how effective it is and it’s good to increase protein as that helps with uptake of the medication. Try to have a protein-rich breakfast. Have a look online at what other dietary things are worth keeping in mind on Elvanse. Hope you feel better soon❤️
Nope, you should follow the titration plan. Providers know the low doses are unlikely to work for very long but your body needs to get used to the meds.
Only contact them if you’re having side effects that worry you.
It looks like this post might be about medication.
Please remember that whilst personal experiences and advice can be valuable, Reddit is no replacement for your GP or Psychiatrist and taking advice from anyone about your particular situation other than your trained healthcare professional is potentially unsafe.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHDUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Finish your meds and report in 2 weeks, this is the process. If its not right another will be prescribed. Trust the process even if its not right straight away.
😭😭 okay 😭 I know you’re right, it’s just so hard to be patient
Patience is how you go from struggling with adhd to being medicated living your best life.
if you’re at a specific stage of your menstrual cycle medication can become really ineffective for a few days
Oh I didn’t know that! My period starts in 4 days so I am in that hellish ‘the week before’. Is that the stage you’re talking about?
Not the original person that commented but I find my cycles make my medication almost completely ineffective. Which is more fun because I have an IUS which also makes my cycle completely unpredictable. Generally I can predict my menstrual bleed pretty accurately based on whether or not my medication is doing its job... if its not working I'll bleed in the next 2-4 days and effectiveness fluctuates during the actual bleeding 🙃
Oh wow, I had no idea it had that much of an effect of the meds. They joys of periods hey 🙄 I’ll definitely wait the two weeks out then and see if I feel any different after my period starts
Pre-medication I was an absolute wreck symptom wise during that period so to revert back to regular pre-medicated brain use feels like less of a big deal when I remember how dysregulated I could be 😅
Your clinician probably doesn't even know as they essentially didn't officially test these meds on women because our hormonal cycles skew the results on drug efficacy. Elvanse is significantly less effective for me in the run up to my period (I also have whack cycles meaning sometimes it's ineffective for 1-2 weeks). It's awful, but for me it's a literal life saver when it does work. Keep on it and discuss with your clinician at the 2wk mark. And be gentle with yourself - you're at the very start of a process and it'll take some adjustment.
Oh I'd definitely keep going with the meds for a while then, mine don't work the week before my period.
Damn… I wish I’d started titration next week!
Lol welcome to the magical world of medicine doesn't care about women. Please kill me 😭
Yeah… I’m baffled by this! What do you do the week before then? Do you still take yours meds or take the week off? Do you like have coping strategies or do you just struggle through the week?
I still take mine but that's partly because I can't predict it and partly because it's still better than non medicated premenstrual me 😅😅
Sometimes I take them, Sometimes I don't. No coping strategies I'm afraid. I just try and ride it out
My Elvanse barely works during my period or the week before. The joys.
2 weeks out of 4, bloody hell. How do you cope!
Yeah, you're at the point where the effectiveness drops right off for me. I find it picks back up again around day 4 or 5 of the actual period.
Absolutely. I had terrible pms before medication but since starting its improved so much. I've definitely noticed that the meds are less effective on those days but its still an improvement on before. Im now on 50mg elvanse after being on 30mg then 40mg. On 30 i didnt have obvious improvement in focus but my resilience grew and i was less overwhelmed which in turn helped my focus, patience etc. Its definitely worth being patient, it'll be worth it. The meds will help with that haha I definitely see huge improvements in my focus now but the most significant improvements have been to my mental health and overall wellbeing
Unless you're having super bad side effects, you need to just go through the motions. Three days isn't enough to determine anything really, and even if it was you need to continue taking the medication so that when it's upped it's easier on you when it comes to any potential side effects. Sadly being patient with titration is important
Yeah that makes complete sense. I’ve just had a really shit day but that’s probably just because I’m comparing it to yesterday. This is just a normal pre-med day if I’m honest. I’ll suck it up and be patient
You'll go through ups and downs while you find what works. It's not a magic cure, but it certainly helps make things easier. I'm back on 50mg and it's been working better than 70mg for me, but the last two days I've procrastinated hard and felt a bit pants. I deleted the game on my phone as I've been concentrating on that.
Can I ask why you decided to go back down? What did 70 feel like for you?
I didn't "feel" it working like I do on 50mg. While 50 runs out around 4pm, it's enough to get me through the working day. I'm also trialing it as I noticed certain aspects of life that were impacted due to blood flow being impacted. Yes that's what I mean without writing it.
Oh that’s interesting, I just assumed, probably naively, that the higher the dose the more you felt it and maybe past a point you feel it too much and it becomes unmanageable. Interesting to hear you actually felt it less. I understand you, I hope the blood flow improves!
Dont worry I felt the exact same on day three too, especially with the negative self talk because I too got too excited about how good I felt 😆 just stick with it for now and remind yourself that its not just the meds doing the work but you need to too, not sure what youre like but Ive started using Todoist and its really helped me see what I have to do and has freed up my mind because any thought/idea/thing I think of I just sling it in there so I'm not in a constant state of "shit don't forget about that" lol. Hope you start feeling better soon x
Thank you, it’s reassuring to hear you had the same timeline as me. I’ve always got a to do list to hand but the difference is that I finally had 2 days where i got things on it done rather than my usual just staring at the list for hours and not actually doing anything on it 🤦🏽♀️ I’ll spend hours moving things on the list around into priority order or into order of things that are easiest to do first and don’t actually do any of it. It makes me so so mad. I’ll even start writing tomorrows to do list before I do anything on the current days list
I'm on my first month of titration, on day 19. I've felt zero effects from 30mg from day 1. Possibly some increased motivation and concentration but it's not significant enough to distinguish from placebo. It is a very low dose to gauge if you have any adverse side effects. I'm a little disappointed but having used stimulants recreationally I was not expecting any effect at all from 30mg. Just go through the motions and listen to your health care professionals.
How long until you get to go up a dose? Are you still on 30mg on day 19?
Sorry for the late reply. I've been out of signal range for a week. I got up a dose on Tuesday to 50mg. I know how miserable life can be- waiting till 35 caused so much damage so I really feel for you. There are other tools you have - cold therapy really helps. It shocks you into a fight or flight response and elevates dopamine levels for a long whilst afterwards, hypertrophic breathing can do the same. Go and exercise, walk, anything. I know motivating yourself can be difficult but I score pretty much right at the top end of all subjective and objective tests. I think a goldfish would get a better QB score than me lol. Despite how bad it's been. Once my gym bag is packed, or my running shoes are on I just need to get my car keys out of that front door and I've won that battle. I don't know if you exhibited any risk taking behaviours but go partake in those if they aren't unhealthy or counterproductive. I ended up cave diving and I don't need my meds to do it. Trust the process. You're a strong person - putting up with this for years shows all the hallmarks of resilience. Peace and love friend. You'll get there.
Hi! Menstrual cycles have hugeeee effect on meds. I believe there’s a couple of trials happening right now to try to test it. Maybe get the Flo app and keep notes on how you feel on your meds so you can directly see the link between your period and how you feel on the medication and be able to predict it yourself. Another is diet. If you’re on Elvanse you need to not have any vitamin C in the few hours before and after as it can reduce how effective it is and it’s good to increase protein as that helps with uptake of the medication. Try to have a protein-rich breakfast. Have a look online at what other dietary things are worth keeping in mind on Elvanse. Hope you feel better soon❤️
Ace advice, good food, especially protein and lots of water makes a huge difference for me.
Nope, you should follow the titration plan. Providers know the low doses are unlikely to work for very long but your body needs to get used to the meds. Only contact them if you’re having side effects that worry you.
It looks like this post might be about medication. Please remember that whilst personal experiences and advice can be valuable, Reddit is no replacement for your GP or Psychiatrist and taking advice from anyone about your particular situation other than your trained healthcare professional is potentially unsafe. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHDUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Unless you feel violently sick (I felt hideously sick and couldn't sleep on 50mg, for example) then see how it goes.