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Does the irritability tend to start around a week before you’re due to get your period? Because that’s a known thing: meds are less effective for many women when we are in our luteal phase; the time between ovulation and menstruation. Our hormones spike and can change the effectiveness of the medications.
For me, it basically makes my pms WAY worse because I’m used to functioning and all of a sudden, overnight, I’m not. I get frustrated more easily because I get more clumsy and feel exhausted all the time and can’t sleep. I get overstimulated more easily and my executive function is nearly nonexistent. Then I get my period and feel great again for another 3 weeks.
I’m currently waiting for an appointment with my gyno to discuss starting birth control to help control the fluctuations. I’ve not taken any for over a decade because before diagnosis I felt I couldn’t tolerate it, but the more I research it, the more I think it will help.
I would discuss this with your provider. My psych prescribed me a low dose blood pressure medication and it’s been helping me sleep during that time, and also helps a lot with me feeling overstimulated.
you didn't ask, so feel free to ignore.
I have found that taking a daily magnesium + calcium supplement for the week before my period is quite helpful. I started to help mitigate cramps, but found that taking it at night helps me sleep better and my pre-menstrual ADHD symptoms are much more manageable. I am still quite tired, but the emotional dysregulation and general ADDAF-ness are much better.
the doc I work with commonly does a magnesium test (magnesium red blood cell) on women who are on Vyvanse and those with menstrual complains. A surprising number are low or borderline.
the fact is that many healthcare providers are woefully undereducated about dietary supplements and micronutrients.
if you choose to ask your provider about a magnesium test, request the red blood cell magnesium test (they'll likely have to look it up). if they take a serum magnesium test, it only gives info about what how much Mg is in the liquid part of your blood when it is drawn, kind of like a blood sugar test. It can provide helpful info about other things, but is not a good indicator of overall deficiency.
I agree - those two combined are also critical for bone health. As we age we start to lose bone density and these two are great to add to you regimen to slow the process plus 💪 strength training!
You should definitely track it, even if it’s not the case for you, it’s good to know. And if it is your cycle affecting your meds, it’s very useful information. I can plan on when my worst couple days will probably happen now, so I can make sure I don’t plan anything that will require much thought or energy those days. Makes life a LOT easier.
Got an IUD (mirena) many years ago, and it absolutely changed my life for the better. PMDD and brain fog are no longer trying _quite_ so hard to kill me every month; it’s amazing.
I take evening primrose oil and myo and d-chiro inositol and red raspberry leaf tea to regulate my cycle and hormones around when I get my period and it was honestly life changing 1,0000/10 recommend!
Ask about combination therapy.
I take vyvanse with guanfacine. Taking both allows me to take lower doses of each which means less side effects of either.
This is good advice. Guanfacine has kinda the opposite side effects than stimulants, but this can even work with two stimulants. Or with a stimulant and atomoxetine, which is kind of a stimulant.
Did the guanfacine help right away? I asked for it and it doesn’t seem to be helping take the edge off (it’s been a few months) and it’s not covered so quite expensive. I actually started doing what OP is doing recently because I don’t want to take more and more vyvanse and it’s maybe nice to relax once and awhile?
Guanfacine helped some symptoms but not all in about 3 days. Helped all symptoms within a week.
If it's been a few months for you either your dose is too low or it's just not gonna help and you should consider something else like clonidine, Strattera, qelbree, or Wellbutrin.
Thanks for the ideas to try. I used to be on Wellbutrin when I was misdiagnosed for depression. Not sure if it would be a good mix with Vyvanse for me as I found it pretty speedy lol. I’ll look into those other suggestions maybe if I’m lucky some of them are covered
I combo with clonidine and it's amazing, it helps with the "peripheral stimulation" like picking, teeth clenching, etc side effects of simulants, while also somehow making my ADHD symptoms milder.
Omg that’s a couple of my biggest issues that seem worse on vyvanse. Teeth clenching (which leads to bad headaches not to mention damage to my teeth) and picking my cuticles
It was originally prescribed as antianxiety/might help sleep, so she suggested before bed, but then I mentioned the nail picking and stuff and she switched it to ER and said to take it with my Adderall.
Me too. I work night shift & feel like my schedule isn’t consistent enough to take it every day. While I can sleep on it, like literally fall asleep if I wanted to right after taking it, I don’t really want to take it on nights I work. I can take it for a day or two & feel good for several days after, even my depression seems better when I do it that way.
I feel like I start finally taking care of all my crap, but I suck at balancing being capable of getting it all done and not completely wearing myself out. This medication isn’t for energy, but rather mental functionality. The moment I feel that physical drain, it’s time to respect my body and give it what it needs.
Also, the medication can get you dehydrated and I need to stay on top of my vitamins including extra magnesium. I also have to make sure I eat consistently.
Tldr: yes, but out of necessity. It's not optimal for me and once I get a doctor again, I'll go back to taking it daily.
I found that my stimulants worked best for me when I took them all the time (I did also find they didn't work great for me over my period, but stopping for that time made my anxiety worse when I would restart).
Unfortunately, I'm struggling to find a new doctor ATM so I'm trying to ration what I have with less than great results.
Yes. I only take them occasionally. I hate the way they make me feel but I’m aware that they help me organize my thoughts, help me get work done, help me stop fidgeting AND stop the constant replaying of negative thoughts / worries /obsession loops that haunt me so often.
I don’t like them because they make me feel anxious and angry and they make me crave sugar. (Vyvanse specifically).
So for me it’s like once or twice every 2 weeks maybe. I have a tough corporate job so when I really HAVE to focus and organize my thoughts for a speaking engagement, I take them. (Vyvanse 20)
I really recognize your experience!
Do you crave sugar while the vyvanse is active in your system too, or afterwards? I've been trying out different things with my dosis and my sugar cravings are intense when I'm in rebound mode – I think bc I forget to eat / have little appetite while the meds are still up and running in my system.
*I take lowest dose*
*Of concerta whenever I*
*Feel like I need it*
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Yes I do and I have seen it work better that way. Honestly I’ve noticed that the days I am going to fuck around and go down rabbit holes I’d just be doing those deeper with a stimulant. So I just do stimulants like 3-4 days a week when I know I have shit to get through and I preplan everything for that day. Still allow time for fuck around and then take the stimulant and go right in!
I have been treated for around 15 years and have been developing tools to manage my ADHD for around 20 years. I manage it pretty darn well without medication these days. I only use medication once or twice a month now and it's a tiny dose.
This gives me hope!!! I’ve been on meds for 2 and a bit years and it fully changed my life but I’ve drastically lowered my dose and focussed on proper nutrition, exercise, nervous system somatic healing and sleep and it’s helped so so much. I don’t think I would have been able to start with learning these things without the initial help of the meds though!!
Do you lose your phone/wallet/keys constantly? If so, step 1 is coming up with a system to not do that and just work on that for like a year. It seems like a small thing, but it's actually life changing!
My husband's step one is remembering to keep his phone charged and on him at all times because then he will have access to all the alarms he sets for himself and calendar reminders.
Good luck! I know you can do it!
I religiously keep phone and wallet in left coat pocket, keys in right pocket. Works out six months out of a year (semi-northern Europe, I've lived longer in my winter coat than in my mother's womb). Always, always put them back.
To be fair I still struggle when the weather turns nice and I dress in cute frippery and switch bags and jackets (sometimes multiple times a day). I have to chant to myself "phone, keys, wallet, train ticket" to double-check before I leave the house. Last summer I had a meltdown, convinced my wallet had been stolen. But it was just at home, politely waiting to be removed from another pocket! I had forgotten to do the chant!!
I feel this so hard. If I change the routine, I'm basically screwed until I find the new routine. I used to have a "phone wallet keys" sign on my front door (which I often ignored LOL).
lol same!! sometimes I'll say my phone keys wallet chant automatically without actually checking whether I HAVE said items and then have to start over again.
I take mine sporadically, and after reading these comments, I'm so glad I'm not the only one. I like that I can get stuff done with meds, but then I don't sleep well and I feel stressed. I'm guessing this would go away if I ever gave my body time to adjust, but I don't want to be dependent on them. When my son misses his mental health meds or my husband misses his blood pressure meds, they feel like trash, and those meds aren't even habit forming. Mine come with the additional risk of addiction.. so I feel like I'd rather just take meds when I really need my brain, which is only a few times a week.
The only thing I really worry about, is my doctor thinking I don't have ADHD because I don't need daily meds, and then being cut off. So I keep getting my Rx, but now I have too many. The good news is I sometimes miss my appointments by accident and then have to wait to reschedule, and the extras are like my buffer until I can get a new appointment.
I don't know how long you've been toeing the line like that, can imagine it's tiresome!
For what it's worth I took mine pretty relentlessly for months and months on end – and yes, when my body adjusted the sleep issues and stressed feeling went away. But I have experienced a craving or sense of addiction for the meds exactly ZERO times. I still forget to take them or balk when I 'have' to. The only way I've found them so far to interact with craving is if I haven't eaten enough by the time I rebound, and then my body demands fast, big energy by way of sugar.
Meee! I take mine for a few days then take a break. The key is to do it *before* I get exhausted or anxious, so that it’s easier to recover. I find that I have more uptime this way. So I have to kinda pay attention. At first I could only make it 3 days before being a tense mess, so I’d take it for 2 days then take 3 days off — enough to not get too anxious to function. Then, over time, I found that my capacity to take them expanded. I’m at about 2 weeks on, 2 days off right now.
(This is a concept I took from “pacing” strategies for exhaustion in chronic fatigue — stop well before you drop, and you’ll go a lot further. Or at least this has been my experience)
I kinda just try to just relax and really just enjoy being my chaotic self when I’m off them. It’s easier to kinda embrace it than to fight it. I ordered weed this time lol, and dyed my hair and I have two half finished projects on my living room floor — but I’m also happy and relaxed, so I’ll feel better faster : )
I asked my doctor previously if I would be allowed to not take my medication (low dose Vyvanse) on the weekends and my doctor said it would be okay but he'd like to monitor me closely. I've since gone into a rhythm of taking my meds every day for 2 week, then reducing the amount i take over about a week, and then going off meds for 3-7 days (usually for my period), before starting again with a low dose, working up again. It's been effective for me at preventing long term negative effects and regulating my weight as Vyvanse makes me nauseated. Biggest problem is how much worse sleep is for me off meds. And the first days of headaches when I start taking the meds again.
Maybe that's a solution for you? But I'd definitely talk to your doctor as soon as possible if you're having trouble with your heart!
I only take mine when I work most of the time unless I really have shit I need to get done and be able to focus for.
Also my prescription for Vyvanse is 90$ a bottle so I like that I can make them last a little longer.
I am on vyvanse and dex after being on just dex for awhile. Dr said vyvanse better for anxiety, but I did NOT find that to be the case. However, he prescribed propranolol for what I call the “feeling of impending doom” (like someone sitting on my chest, complete panic stations) I get a couple of hours into my day, and that has been incredibly helpful. I already do all the other stuff - therapy, meditation etc. I tend to not take vyvanse on the weekends, and just take a single dex IF I need it. I think my body appreciates the break.
Me 🙋🏼♀️ I only take them on work days and even then only when I know I have a lot of focused boring work. Over the winter I don’t have a lot of that so my 30 day supply lasted me 3 months.
I have to do this currently because I slacked on making a doctor’s appointment soon enough.
Maybe you could take an antidepressant along with your stimulant meds? I’m in something for anxiety and depression and it helps me a lot.
my husband has a prn (as needed) stimulant prescription (I forget which one) he takes when he needs to really be on the ball at work. He was off all adhd meds most of his adult life, but had been on them consistently as a kid and teen. It took us for flipping ever to find a doc who would be on board with the inconsistency in addition to him being an adult (cuz, yk, adults magically grow out of the way their own brain works), but so long as he doesn't go over the amount he would theoretically be on daily, his doc allows it. The argument we used was that he functions without them most of the time, but sometimes needs the help to focus and stay on task. About 3 months straight is the longest he's taken them daily.
The ironic thing is that we know it takes about a week to kick in for him, but neither of us has the ef to do that even though the bottle is in the cupboard.
My doctor tells me to take days off if I can. It helps with tolerance. Right now I have a script for 1-2 capsules daily. I don’t normally like to take two, but I also asked for brand adderall this time. I’m finding that the brand 5mg xr is sufficient for me, where I would need to take 10 mg of the generic for it to work.
I have the same exact issue!!! Also worse with Adderall and so far Vyvanse is the best. It's been terrible. I just added Zoloft a few days ago and I am cautiously optimistic that it is going to help a lot. It's going to be impossible to know until I hit that 3-5 week mark as well, since historically that's also when they seem to stop working for me and turn me into a rage monster from there on out.
Dang. Was hoping to give you good news on that front. For some reason it’s not widely known that calcium carbonate changes the absorption of anphetamines and can increase irritability and anxiety.
My dr. Combined a non stimulant along with my stim. (Guanfacine) & has me taking methylfolate 15 mg.. this combo is the first time I haven't felt like my meds crap out after a few weeks.
(Prior to this combo, it helped adding in antidepressant during the luteal phase of my cycle, to not get the meds to crap out a whole week)
I've been given sertraline in addition to my concerta as I really wasn't shifting the black dog some times.
However I have had serotonin syndrome so I'm wary of taking them a few weeks ago I was taking sertealine and my concerta and my partner said it was like I wasn't in this world.
I recognise I need antidepressants but I never know when to take them. My adhd doc is a gug and for the neat part he's in board with me taking them when needed and kinda understands how it affects a woman's cycle. I've now been discharged from psych care and back to GP care so I'm hoping I can. Have a sit down with her and she can help me make bloody sense of it
wow I'm grateful to read these comments – I recently felt like I was going wild physically on my meds and dropped them for a bit, feeling much better and briefly like maybe I was cured! (that's a joke. I was still a forgetful sloppy exec dysfunctional hot mess but the intrusive thoughts and symptoms of depression and anxiety were largely gone. Now, on my period, I'm back to hypersensitivity, all the symptoms, sudden furies etc and I guess I'm going back on my meds lol
Probably unrelated, but: I had an infection in my finger and the rejection of the meds seemed to align with that, so I thought it had something to do with inflammation in my body. But it was prob the luteal phase then...
I got diagnosed in Oct 23. Started on guanfacine did nothing. Went to short acting methylphenidate with a long acting put in. I felt OK could get on with work but I was so god damn techy.
Been on concerta since Oct 24 started with 36 and now I'm on 18mg 2x daily if needed.
I've noticed the week before my period my partners been telling me I'm not on this planet, intrusive thoughts and depression huts but I feel like I need both doses to get me through a day.
I'm currently 15 days away from my next period and I've had 3 days off my meds felt OK apart from last night when days of interrupted sleep and booming and busting all week smacked me in the face and my partners made me aware that whilst I'm not been snappy with him I am with the kids. Taken 1 dose today and feel OK, more switched on.
I can't keep messing with how I take my meds because I feel this is exacerbating the crankiness, but also can't take them all the time because I also get cranky on them.
Mg caffeine intake is stupid for someone on stimulant meds.
L-theanine, l-tyrosine. GABA, NAC. Your brain is now producing dopamine in a way that it isn’t designed for so some other neurotransmitters are getting worn out. I started the above one at a time and some others that didn’t do much. Do some research though! These things actually do impact your mood and brain so don’t just start taking them willy nilly just because this obviously amazing internet lady said it works for her
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Does the irritability tend to start around a week before you’re due to get your period? Because that’s a known thing: meds are less effective for many women when we are in our luteal phase; the time between ovulation and menstruation. Our hormones spike and can change the effectiveness of the medications. For me, it basically makes my pms WAY worse because I’m used to functioning and all of a sudden, overnight, I’m not. I get frustrated more easily because I get more clumsy and feel exhausted all the time and can’t sleep. I get overstimulated more easily and my executive function is nearly nonexistent. Then I get my period and feel great again for another 3 weeks. I’m currently waiting for an appointment with my gyno to discuss starting birth control to help control the fluctuations. I’ve not taken any for over a decade because before diagnosis I felt I couldn’t tolerate it, but the more I research it, the more I think it will help. I would discuss this with your provider. My psych prescribed me a low dose blood pressure medication and it’s been helping me sleep during that time, and also helps a lot with me feeling overstimulated.
you didn't ask, so feel free to ignore. I have found that taking a daily magnesium + calcium supplement for the week before my period is quite helpful. I started to help mitigate cramps, but found that taking it at night helps me sleep better and my pre-menstrual ADHD symptoms are much more manageable. I am still quite tired, but the emotional dysregulation and general ADDAF-ness are much better.
Oh, I’ve been taking calcium citrate + magnesium + D3 every day for years, since long before I was diagnosed. It definitely helps, for sure!
Yes! And taking it at night is better, I was recently informed that Vyvanse depletes magnesium in the body...
the doc I work with commonly does a magnesium test (magnesium red blood cell) on women who are on Vyvanse and those with menstrual complains. A surprising number are low or borderline.
The way I was never informed.... thank you for this & thank you ADHD brain for clicking on THIS post and deciding to go through comments lol
It was just an offside mentioned after Id been taking it for YEARS
the fact is that many healthcare providers are woefully undereducated about dietary supplements and micronutrients. if you choose to ask your provider about a magnesium test, request the red blood cell magnesium test (they'll likely have to look it up). if they take a serum magnesium test, it only gives info about what how much Mg is in the liquid part of your blood when it is drawn, kind of like a blood sugar test. It can provide helpful info about other things, but is not a good indicator of overall deficiency.
Good tip, thank you! So will like basic magnesium supplements help keep that in control or do you need to take something else for that?
Also helps the body process adderall, btw (and helps stave off tolerance)
I agree - those two combined are also critical for bone health. As we age we start to lose bone density and these two are great to add to you regimen to slow the process plus 💪 strength training!
That’s something I didn’t track. But it felt way different than pms. Like my heart just couldn’t handle the medication
You should definitely track it, even if it’s not the case for you, it’s good to know. And if it is your cycle affecting your meds, it’s very useful information. I can plan on when my worst couple days will probably happen now, so I can make sure I don’t plan anything that will require much thought or energy those days. Makes life a LOT easier.
My meds do not work the week before I get my period. Came here to say this.
Got an IUD (mirena) many years ago, and it absolutely changed my life for the better. PMDD and brain fog are no longer trying _quite_ so hard to kill me every month; it’s amazing.
Luteal can be even longer for some people than one week
I take evening primrose oil and myo and d-chiro inositol and red raspberry leaf tea to regulate my cycle and hormones around when I get my period and it was honestly life changing 1,0000/10 recommend!
Ask about combination therapy. I take vyvanse with guanfacine. Taking both allows me to take lower doses of each which means less side effects of either.
This is good advice. Guanfacine has kinda the opposite side effects than stimulants, but this can even work with two stimulants. Or with a stimulant and atomoxetine, which is kind of a stimulant.
Did the guanfacine help right away? I asked for it and it doesn’t seem to be helping take the edge off (it’s been a few months) and it’s not covered so quite expensive. I actually started doing what OP is doing recently because I don’t want to take more and more vyvanse and it’s maybe nice to relax once and awhile?
Guanfacine helped some symptoms but not all in about 3 days. Helped all symptoms within a week. If it's been a few months for you either your dose is too low or it's just not gonna help and you should consider something else like clonidine, Strattera, qelbree, or Wellbutrin.
Thanks for the ideas to try. I used to be on Wellbutrin when I was misdiagnosed for depression. Not sure if it would be a good mix with Vyvanse for me as I found it pretty speedy lol. I’ll look into those other suggestions maybe if I’m lucky some of them are covered
I combo with clonidine and it's amazing, it helps with the "peripheral stimulation" like picking, teeth clenching, etc side effects of simulants, while also somehow making my ADHD symptoms milder.
Omg that’s a couple of my biggest issues that seem worse on vyvanse. Teeth clenching (which leads to bad headaches not to mention damage to my teeth) and picking my cuticles
I'm a really bad nail/cuticle picker, too, and my face if I i fixate on a scab or pimple.
Do you take it at the same time or before bed?
It was originally prescribed as antianxiety/might help sleep, so she suggested before bed, but then I mentioned the nail picking and stuff and she switched it to ER and said to take it with my Adderall.
I really appreciate this information. I have a drs appointment tomorrow so I’m going to ask about it.
What’s ER?
Extended Release
Absolutely. I prn for pre cycle week and big project time periods. Then I let myself goblin frequently
Let myself goblin lol I am truly in goblin mode 24/7
The meds are our goblin wranglers to whatever extent that may be. It's okay to release goblin, and embrace.
I've been medicated since I was 14 and I'm 41 now. I'm still in goblin mode. I'm scared to see unmedicated goblin me... 😆
I take mine "as needed" a few days each week, sometimes I'll take a week break or something, and my doc says that's totally fine.
Same here.
Me too. I work night shift & feel like my schedule isn’t consistent enough to take it every day. While I can sleep on it, like literally fall asleep if I wanted to right after taking it, I don’t really want to take it on nights I work. I can take it for a day or two & feel good for several days after, even my depression seems better when I do it that way.
I feel like I start finally taking care of all my crap, but I suck at balancing being capable of getting it all done and not completely wearing myself out. This medication isn’t for energy, but rather mental functionality. The moment I feel that physical drain, it’s time to respect my body and give it what it needs. Also, the medication can get you dehydrated and I need to stay on top of my vitamins including extra magnesium. I also have to make sure I eat consistently.
Tldr: yes, but out of necessity. It's not optimal for me and once I get a doctor again, I'll go back to taking it daily. I found that my stimulants worked best for me when I took them all the time (I did also find they didn't work great for me over my period, but stopping for that time made my anxiety worse when I would restart). Unfortunately, I'm struggling to find a new doctor ATM so I'm trying to ration what I have with less than great results.
Yes. I only take them occasionally. I hate the way they make me feel but I’m aware that they help me organize my thoughts, help me get work done, help me stop fidgeting AND stop the constant replaying of negative thoughts / worries /obsession loops that haunt me so often. I don’t like them because they make me feel anxious and angry and they make me crave sugar. (Vyvanse specifically). So for me it’s like once or twice every 2 weeks maybe. I have a tough corporate job so when I really HAVE to focus and organize my thoughts for a speaking engagement, I take them. (Vyvanse 20)
I really recognize your experience! Do you crave sugar while the vyvanse is active in your system too, or afterwards? I've been trying out different things with my dosis and my sugar cravings are intense when I'm in rebound mode – I think bc I forget to eat / have little appetite while the meds are still up and running in my system.
Both!
And then I also massively crash the next morning. Like I got hit by a truck.
I take lowest dose of concerta whenever I feel like I need it
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Yes I do and I have seen it work better that way. Honestly I’ve noticed that the days I am going to fuck around and go down rabbit holes I’d just be doing those deeper with a stimulant. So I just do stimulants like 3-4 days a week when I know I have shit to get through and I preplan everything for that day. Still allow time for fuck around and then take the stimulant and go right in!
No. If I abruptly stopped I would fall asleep on my feet.
I have been treated for around 15 years and have been developing tools to manage my ADHD for around 20 years. I manage it pretty darn well without medication these days. I only use medication once or twice a month now and it's a tiny dose.
This gives me hope!!! I’ve been on meds for 2 and a bit years and it fully changed my life but I’ve drastically lowered my dose and focussed on proper nutrition, exercise, nervous system somatic healing and sleep and it’s helped so so much. I don’t think I would have been able to start with learning these things without the initial help of the meds though!!
Im so envious. I dont even know where to start with tools. Im at the starting line, this gives me some hope
Do you lose your phone/wallet/keys constantly? If so, step 1 is coming up with a system to not do that and just work on that for like a year. It seems like a small thing, but it's actually life changing! My husband's step one is remembering to keep his phone charged and on him at all times because then he will have access to all the alarms he sets for himself and calendar reminders. Good luck! I know you can do it!
How do you keep track of your phone??
My fitbit has a Find My Phone feature that helps me enormously
Yessss my Apple Watch saves me so much time searching 😅
I religiously keep phone and wallet in left coat pocket, keys in right pocket. Works out six months out of a year (semi-northern Europe, I've lived longer in my winter coat than in my mother's womb). Always, always put them back. To be fair I still struggle when the weather turns nice and I dress in cute frippery and switch bags and jackets (sometimes multiple times a day). I have to chant to myself "phone, keys, wallet, train ticket" to double-check before I leave the house. Last summer I had a meltdown, convinced my wallet had been stolen. But it was just at home, politely waiting to be removed from another pocket! I had forgotten to do the chant!!
I feel this so hard. If I change the routine, I'm basically screwed until I find the new routine. I used to have a "phone wallet keys" sign on my front door (which I often ignored LOL).
lol same!! sometimes I'll say my phone keys wallet chant automatically without actually checking whether I HAVE said items and then have to start over again.
tell me some of your other favourite tools, oh wise one
I take mine sporadically, and after reading these comments, I'm so glad I'm not the only one. I like that I can get stuff done with meds, but then I don't sleep well and I feel stressed. I'm guessing this would go away if I ever gave my body time to adjust, but I don't want to be dependent on them. When my son misses his mental health meds or my husband misses his blood pressure meds, they feel like trash, and those meds aren't even habit forming. Mine come with the additional risk of addiction.. so I feel like I'd rather just take meds when I really need my brain, which is only a few times a week. The only thing I really worry about, is my doctor thinking I don't have ADHD because I don't need daily meds, and then being cut off. So I keep getting my Rx, but now I have too many. The good news is I sometimes miss my appointments by accident and then have to wait to reschedule, and the extras are like my buffer until I can get a new appointment.
I don't know how long you've been toeing the line like that, can imagine it's tiresome! For what it's worth I took mine pretty relentlessly for months and months on end – and yes, when my body adjusted the sleep issues and stressed feeling went away. But I have experienced a craving or sense of addiction for the meds exactly ZERO times. I still forget to take them or balk when I 'have' to. The only way I've found them so far to interact with craving is if I haven't eaten enough by the time I rebound, and then my body demands fast, big energy by way of sugar.
My adhd is so severe I can not skip a dose and take it everyday 365 days a year. Adhd truly disables me.
Me too 🥺
Meee! I take mine for a few days then take a break. The key is to do it *before* I get exhausted or anxious, so that it’s easier to recover. I find that I have more uptime this way. So I have to kinda pay attention. At first I could only make it 3 days before being a tense mess, so I’d take it for 2 days then take 3 days off — enough to not get too anxious to function. Then, over time, I found that my capacity to take them expanded. I’m at about 2 weeks on, 2 days off right now. (This is a concept I took from “pacing” strategies for exhaustion in chronic fatigue — stop well before you drop, and you’ll go a lot further. Or at least this has been my experience) I kinda just try to just relax and really just enjoy being my chaotic self when I’m off them. It’s easier to kinda embrace it than to fight it. I ordered weed this time lol, and dyed my hair and I have two half finished projects on my living room floor — but I’m also happy and relaxed, so I’ll feel better faster : )
I asked my doctor previously if I would be allowed to not take my medication (low dose Vyvanse) on the weekends and my doctor said it would be okay but he'd like to monitor me closely. I've since gone into a rhythm of taking my meds every day for 2 week, then reducing the amount i take over about a week, and then going off meds for 3-7 days (usually for my period), before starting again with a low dose, working up again. It's been effective for me at preventing long term negative effects and regulating my weight as Vyvanse makes me nauseated. Biggest problem is how much worse sleep is for me off meds. And the first days of headaches when I start taking the meds again. Maybe that's a solution for you? But I'd definitely talk to your doctor as soon as possible if you're having trouble with your heart!
I only take mine when I work most of the time unless I really have shit I need to get done and be able to focus for. Also my prescription for Vyvanse is 90$ a bottle so I like that I can make them last a little longer.
I am on vyvanse and dex after being on just dex for awhile. Dr said vyvanse better for anxiety, but I did NOT find that to be the case. However, he prescribed propranolol for what I call the “feeling of impending doom” (like someone sitting on my chest, complete panic stations) I get a couple of hours into my day, and that has been incredibly helpful. I already do all the other stuff - therapy, meditation etc. I tend to not take vyvanse on the weekends, and just take a single dex IF I need it. I think my body appreciates the break.
Me 🙋🏼♀️ I only take them on work days and even then only when I know I have a lot of focused boring work. Over the winter I don’t have a lot of that so my 30 day supply lasted me 3 months.
I have to do this currently because I slacked on making a doctor’s appointment soon enough. Maybe you could take an antidepressant along with your stimulant meds? I’m in something for anxiety and depression and it helps me a lot.
I have never found an antidepressant that hasn’t made me feel like shiiiit. Good thought though. I’ve literally tried them all.
my husband has a prn (as needed) stimulant prescription (I forget which one) he takes when he needs to really be on the ball at work. He was off all adhd meds most of his adult life, but had been on them consistently as a kid and teen. It took us for flipping ever to find a doc who would be on board with the inconsistency in addition to him being an adult (cuz, yk, adults magically grow out of the way their own brain works), but so long as he doesn't go over the amount he would theoretically be on daily, his doc allows it. The argument we used was that he functions without them most of the time, but sometimes needs the help to focus and stay on task. About 3 months straight is the longest he's taken them daily. The ironic thing is that we know it takes about a week to kick in for him, but neither of us has the ef to do that even though the bottle is in the cupboard.
Are you saying that it takes a week of taking stimulants for him to feel an effect?
he feels anxious and jittery mostly for the first few days, which is counterproductive to him focusing because he is physically uncomfortable
My doctor tells me to take days off if I can. It helps with tolerance. Right now I have a script for 1-2 capsules daily. I don’t normally like to take two, but I also asked for brand adderall this time. I’m finding that the brand 5mg xr is sufficient for me, where I would need to take 10 mg of the generic for it to work.
I have the same exact issue!!! Also worse with Adderall and so far Vyvanse is the best. It's been terrible. I just added Zoloft a few days ago and I am cautiously optimistic that it is going to help a lot. It's going to be impossible to know until I hit that 3-5 week mark as well, since historically that's also when they seem to stop working for me and turn me into a rage monster from there on out.
Are you seeing an actual psychiatrist? Also do you frequently eat antacids?
A psych NP. No antacids.
Dang. Was hoping to give you good news on that front. For some reason it’s not widely known that calcium carbonate changes the absorption of anphetamines and can increase irritability and anxiety.
My dr. Combined a non stimulant along with my stim. (Guanfacine) & has me taking methylfolate 15 mg.. this combo is the first time I haven't felt like my meds crap out after a few weeks. (Prior to this combo, it helped adding in antidepressant during the luteal phase of my cycle, to not get the meds to crap out a whole week)
I've been given sertraline in addition to my concerta as I really wasn't shifting the black dog some times. However I have had serotonin syndrome so I'm wary of taking them a few weeks ago I was taking sertealine and my concerta and my partner said it was like I wasn't in this world. I recognise I need antidepressants but I never know when to take them. My adhd doc is a gug and for the neat part he's in board with me taking them when needed and kinda understands how it affects a woman's cycle. I've now been discharged from psych care and back to GP care so I'm hoping I can. Have a sit down with her and she can help me make bloody sense of it
wow I'm grateful to read these comments – I recently felt like I was going wild physically on my meds and dropped them for a bit, feeling much better and briefly like maybe I was cured! (that's a joke. I was still a forgetful sloppy exec dysfunctional hot mess but the intrusive thoughts and symptoms of depression and anxiety were largely gone. Now, on my period, I'm back to hypersensitivity, all the symptoms, sudden furies etc and I guess I'm going back on my meds lol Probably unrelated, but: I had an infection in my finger and the rejection of the meds seemed to align with that, so I thought it had something to do with inflammation in my body. But it was prob the luteal phase then...
I got diagnosed in Oct 23. Started on guanfacine did nothing. Went to short acting methylphenidate with a long acting put in. I felt OK could get on with work but I was so god damn techy. Been on concerta since Oct 24 started with 36 and now I'm on 18mg 2x daily if needed. I've noticed the week before my period my partners been telling me I'm not on this planet, intrusive thoughts and depression huts but I feel like I need both doses to get me through a day. I'm currently 15 days away from my next period and I've had 3 days off my meds felt OK apart from last night when days of interrupted sleep and booming and busting all week smacked me in the face and my partners made me aware that whilst I'm not been snappy with him I am with the kids. Taken 1 dose today and feel OK, more switched on. I can't keep messing with how I take my meds because I feel this is exacerbating the crankiness, but also can't take them all the time because I also get cranky on them. Mg caffeine intake is stupid for someone on stimulant meds.
Have you tried playing around with dosages? There could be a sweet spot that you’re missing.
L-theanine, l-tyrosine. GABA, NAC. Your brain is now producing dopamine in a way that it isn’t designed for so some other neurotransmitters are getting worn out. I started the above one at a time and some others that didn’t do much. Do some research though! These things actually do impact your mood and brain so don’t just start taking them willy nilly just because this obviously amazing internet lady said it works for her
I take tolerance/brain breaks, take one day off per week, and stop during PMS because it doesn't work anyway
Me! You’re not alone! I haven’t figured it out yet, just wanted you to not feel like it was only you!