What does it feel like for you when you’ve used any ADHD medications? I have looked at a bunch of reddit-logo posts but I feel like there are never good answers for this. I have heard that they can help NT people with focus and such, or that y’all build up a tolerance after a bit. And then I hear for people with ADHD, that the first couple of times you take the meds, or if the dose is too high, that you’ll feel speedy/high.

I’ve been trialing meds with my psychiatrist for a while and I feel like I don’t even know if I have ADHD because of all this conflicting info and how I feel on them. I know it can take a lot of trying different types and doses but I just doubt my diagnosis I guess.

TL;DR: What do stimulants feel like for you’ve taken them semi-regularly?

  • ratboy [they/them]@hexbear.netOPEnglish
    3·
    2 days ago

    Thanks for sharing. I guess I want to know how folks who don’t have ADHD react because I really can’t tell if the meds I’m taking are working or not. I’ve tried Focalin IR and XR, Ritalin LR at different doses, Strattera at two different doses, and now Vyvanse at 3 different doses and the stimulants makes me feel pretty similar. Like I feel like I have more energy and less resistance to doing things, but just barely. I don’t feel like my brain quiets down at all and I still feel quite scattered. And when I first started trialing meds (Strattera) I tried really hard to get a good routine going so that I could keep it up when the meds worked, but after that it was Ritalin, then the second or third titration of ritalin I started to lose the routine, then I kept losing it more and more on Vyvanse even though I had more energy; I was just obsessive about cleaning. So like, I feel like I don’t have a “control” variable to even be able to tell what works and what doesn’t, or if I don’t ACTUALLY have ADHD at all and I’m just feeling the effects like an NT person would ooooooooooooooh

    Was the “quiet and calm” something that was extremely obvious to you? My psych seems afraid to even say the “A” word so I don’t know if she will even prescribe me Adderall, even though I think it did work for me yeaaaaars ago when I did it recreationally. I could never tell her that though

    • FishLake@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
      6·
      2 days ago

      Stimulants help with facilitating executive functioning, but that doesn’t mean they give you those skills. You do have to practice things like prioritization and planning.

      I might experience things a little different because of OCD, but I remember early on in my ADHD diagnosis feeling like I had to “use” my time on Ritalin. And it was hit or miss for a while.

      It took a long time to become proficient in day-to-day living. No one teaches you how to put away dishes. NTs might just “put them away” but that never made sense to me until stimulants. Slowly I learned to parse out what’s important about “putting them away.” Where as I used to become overwhelmed by the amount of dishes, now I simply start. I used to question whether or not this shelf is the best place for the plates, now I think “maybe I’ll try putting the plates elsewhere this weekend if I have time.”