I (25f) am recently diagnosed (April 2023) and still figuring out meds. My primary started me on qelbree which was a total mess and the worst month of my life. After being referred over to a psychiatrist because my doc was uncomfortable prescribing anything other than non-stimulants, my psych started me on adderall. It was a godsend from day one. I noticed an immediate decrease of stress and uptick in being able to actually get things done which helped with a whole slew of related mental health struggles. We have gone through a few different dosages, and I am currently at 15 XR in the morning and 5mg IR in the evening. I am thinking, sleeping, and working better than I have for as long as I can remember, though not without some issues when the drug leaves my system.

Now to the point- About two weeks ago, I went on vacation and the week after was trash as far as the meds working. I felt terrible, and all of the issues that adderall was helping with came back with a bang. The issue has since mostly resolved itself, but I am trying to figure out what caused the problem so that I can keep myself from spiraling in the future. I will include some details below and would appreciate any ideas or thoughts from your experience.

• the vacation lasted 6 days, all of which I took my meds.

• all 6 days, I averaged less than 5-5.5 hours of sleep

• I consumed alcohol the last 2 days out of the 6 with the last evening possibly exceeding what I should have. I do not drink more than once a month usually

-food consumption was normal and I did not eat anything out of the ordinary.

-the last day of the trip, I noticed that I was not feeling as focused with my evening dose. The morning that I left, I was back to feeling like trash mentally as I had prior to starting these meds back in May.

-because I have heard hormones could impact things, I ended my period half way through the trip. I do not remember having any issues following other periods.

Please let me know what you guys think.