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Dolemite posted:I don't know if it's the Adderall, lack of caffeine, or my killer sinuses still acting up. But, I'm already getting a headache. Hey, I just weened myself off caffeine, and it's really going to suck for a few days and some nasty headaches, but you'll feel better when it's all done. If you stick with that small cup of tea, the headaches will stop pretty quickly in the next day or two, and when you're comfortable stopping that, it shouldn't be too bad. Caffeine is actually one of the drugs that I've read is recommended you ween yourself off of, rather than go cold turkey. Since I've stopped drinking coffee I've noticed I'm responding better to my Adderall medication. I also noticed that with caffeine a lot of the side effects are greatly exacerbated, like jaw clenching, muscle tension especially in the neck, sweating, and excessive sweating. On a different tangent, 2508084 it's too hard to remember your username without reference, so I'm calling you Number Girl. Hey Number Girl, I hosed up this morning and didn't take my meds at 8am. Sorry.  I am going to take a second dose today at 2pm, 4 hours after the first pill, and not wait until later like I usually do.In other good news I am not procrastinating about getting ready for my flight home tomorrow. Did laundry last night instead of waiting until 10pm tonight, got plans for parking my car and getting a ride to/from the airport, and have plans to go shopping for clothes tonight and get a haircut and shave tomorrow morning to keep the parents happy. Some weeks are easier than others, and I'm glad that with this week so far I'll be in a good mood to see friends and family for a few days.
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Feb 17, 2011 21:24
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Tab8715 posted:Heh, that's an excellent description of ADHD and the affects of Adderall. Though, I wonder is an ADHD person with Adderall a normal person now? If so, goddamn all you normal people got it so easy! I wondered the same thing my self. I always wondered how people around me could kick rear end in schoolwork, etc. Now that I can focus better, I feel like it's no wonder now. TheGopher posted:Hey, I just weened myself off caffeine, and it's really going to suck for a few days and some nasty headaches, but you'll feel better when it's all done. If you stick with that small cup of tea, the headaches will stop pretty quickly in the next day or two, and when you're comfortable stopping that, it shouldn't be too bad. Ug, not looking forward to the headaches. I'll stick with the tea tomorrow. Then this weekend, instead of my morning cappucino with four shots espresso, I'll try knocking that down to one shot. Then come Monday, I'll brave the storm and not drink anything. Besides the temporary ability to focus that I enjoyed getting from coffee, I think I just liked the having something warm to drink in the morning too. That psychological behavior. I think it's similar to how ex-smokers still crave having something in their hands (from what I've heard. Never smoked). I'll definitely look for some Ovaltine and try Qu Appelle's idea. Another idea, is decaf espresso safe? I love the taste of my cappucinos, I'd prefer not to give those up once I'm off caffeine. I know that decaf contains trace elements of caffeine, is it enough to interact with the Adderall? --- Speaking of the meds, I've read in the last few pages that Adderall can keep you up if you take it later in the evening. Well, here's my problem: Now that I've found I can actually focus, I'm just thinking of all the things I want to do that I struggled to do earlier. I want to take my Spanish up to the fluent level, I want to finally learn calculus, and lately, I've been teaching myself Android phone programming. Basically, stuff that interested me but requires focus and attention to details, I want to do. Since I will mainly need the pills to function at work, I'll be taking my two doses during the day. I can't do any of my other pursuits at work since I'nm always too busy with very menial tasks. That means I won't be able to do Android programming, Spanish stuff, etc. until the evening or night time. I wish I could get the benefits of my Adderall at those times. But, I don't want to be wired until 3am or something. Also, I would definitely not want to blow through my prescription. When I decided to seek help, I decided that I would not medicate on the weekends. But, that was when I was very sceptical of the medication. Now that I am finding it's harmless and doesn't turn youinto a zombie, maybe one day in the weekend, I'll take the Adderall. But, are there any other ways to harness the benefits of the meds to do what I want to do at the times I want to do them? All I can think of so far is to maybe wait until like 10-11am to take my doses for the day. Sorry for this wall of text. I just feel like I can really accomplish what I want to do for the first time in my life. I'm on a life high right now - as cheesy as that sounds.
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Feb 17, 2011 21:50
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You're probably experiencing the honeymoon part of the treatment. Remember, people do abuse amphetamines recreationally, and part of it is that euphoric feeling you get, where you feel like you can literally accomplish anything you put your mind to. Before you start worrying about all the things you want to do with your free time, make sure the medication is working well for at work, when you need it most so you can continue to be successful and move forward with your life. As time goes on, you'll notice less of "HOLY poo poo I FEEL loving UNSTOPPABLE. COME AT ME BROS!" and more of, "Ugh I hate my job, but I have a ton of work to do and I can stay focused on the job at hand so I can get to other tasks later." You will have a more subtle reaction to the medication as time goes on, but there is a striking difference between being on Adderall and being off it, even when it's not completely 
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Feb 17, 2011 22:02
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Qu Appelle posted:Yes, yes. A low dose of Adderall made near suicidal when it wore off. And I currently don't have depression issues. Not to mention the high addictive potential these drugs have. They can be lifesaving, yes - but they can also be a serious world of no fun. And if I had a non-speed option to take, I'd do so in a heartbeat. (Already tried Strattera, and that was a no-go.)
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Feb 18, 2011 00:00
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Kneel Before Zog posted:Im curious what your experiences with Straterra was. Supposedly it doesn't work right a way and can take upwards of one to two weeks but when i took a two year old expired dose I felt it working over night. Might have been placebo but that was the second time I had taken it, took the same expired bottle like a month before, and still felt something later that day. I have Spastic Paraparesis as well, and it made my spasticity much worse right off the bat. Thus, a no go, but probably not something you're going to run into. (SP is a very rare disease). Also: fellow coffee lover posted:I'll definitely look for some Ovaltine and try Qu Appelle's idea. Another idea, is decaf espresso safe? I love the taste of my cappucinos, I'd prefer not to give those up once I'm off caffeine. I know that decaf contains trace elements of caffeine, is it enough to interact with the Adderall? It was enough to affect me, so I cut it out completely. Now, I just have green tea when I start to feel it wean off (and counteract the Baclofen I also take, which puts me to sleep).
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Feb 18, 2011 00:33
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Well, here's an update on my situation: I saw a neurologist today who told me to go off the ritalin for a least another two weeks so I can get a sleep study done. She also questioned the ADD diagnosis. So I'm off the ritalin.
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Feb 18, 2011 00:38
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Lackadaisical posted:Well, here's an update on my situation: Good! This could save your life and sanity. I used go to sleep at 10, get up at 9:30, work until about 4:30 take a nap while CSI: Las Vegas was playing on Spike until my wife got home at 7ish. I also have adhd, but solving the sleep issue is a quality of life improvement that was way upstream from the problems of this condition. (and I dont have to watch CSI is bonus!) Good luck, keep us posted.
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Feb 18, 2011 01:06
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I heard there were bikes in this wheres my cat?cloudstrife2993 posted:Also I saw someone mention sleeping pills (temazepam) up there. Beware of using sleeping pills to counteract the effects of your ADHD meds - you shouldn't need a pill to put you to sleep (especially a benzo). If it's just a "now and then" thing where you take it a few times a month because you are too excited and can't sleep, that's one thing. But if you take it every night, you should really try to cut it out. I say this because if you get into the cycle of uppers in the morning, downers in the evening, you will become very psychologically addicted and it can lead to a situation that I call "being cracked out" wherein your dopamine levels are unable to regulate themselves and your mind starts to go a little haywire. We're working on this. I don't take them every night, but I do take them more often than not. I've never slept regularly, I'd cycle through sleep patterns. From the age of six months I'd stay up for 2 days, sleep for an hour, up for another day, sleep for three days, wash/rinse. The sleeping pills are kind of a safety net thing right now. I find though, when my adderall does wear off around.. now.. I start getting ramped up, getting hyperfocused on poo poo on the internet (  ) and just generally wanting to be UP AND GO. I usually just dance around my living room. Also, I have a w&w log, I currently lift 3x/wk and bike ~5-8 miles (not much, but hey) per week. I have no shortage of exercise going on :P Coincidentally, I get super tired while I'm working out, then a poo poo load of energy after. I yawn constantly at the gym. tl;dbikes! I'm getting the sleeping pills phased out or in-case-of-emergency but my psych doesn't want to do anything drastic while school is in session and I'm doing so well. We do things slooooooowwwwwwly. TheGopher posted:On a different tangent, 2508084 it's too hard to remember your username without reference, so I'm calling you Number Girl. TheCosmicMuffet (low carb thread poster) calls me 2505646044 or whatever keys he hits. I might change my username, this ones kind of a placeholder. Just put your medicine after something you routinely do every morning. Maybe after you brush your teeth? Keep your pills and a glass next to that sink, and when you're done brushing, take a swig of water and your pills. Boom, morning pill done. AFAIK, its ABOUT five hours worth of medicine, 4 hours isn't awful. 2 hours, however.. TheGopher posted:honeymoon phase ladyweapon fucked around with this message at 04:57 on Feb 18, 2011 |
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Feb 18, 2011 04:53
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TheGopher posted:As time goes on, you'll notice less of "HOLY poo poo I FEEL loving UNSTOPPABLE. COME AT ME BROS!" and more of, "Ugh I hate my job, but I have a ton of work to do and I can stay focused on the job at hand so I can get to other tasks later." You will have a more subtle reaction to the medication as time goes on, but there is a striking difference between being on Adderall and being off it, even when it's not completely I don't know about the rest of you, but I was prescribed 20MG, I break up my pills into thirds and there's still a subtle effect but totally worth. The first time I took adderall, I wondered why I was shaking so much later that evening, it was because I hadn't had anything to eat all day, I totally forgot.
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Feb 18, 2011 05:16
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TheBigBad posted:Good! This could save your life and sanity. I used go to sleep at 10, get up at 9:30, work until about 4:30 take a nap while CSI: Las Vegas was playing on Spike until my wife got home at 7ish. Will do! Lackadaisical fucked around with this message at 08:43 on Feb 20, 2011 |
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Feb 18, 2011 06:25
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Tab8715 posted:I don't know about the rest of you, but I was prescribed 20MG, I break up my pills into thirds and there's still a subtle effect but totally worth. The first time I took adderall, I wondered why I was shaking so much later that evening, it was because I hadn't had anything to eat all day, I totally forgot. I still get a little euphoric, but it's inconsistent, and some days I feel more on top of things than others. I forget to eat all the time. I ate probably like 400 calories of food yesterday morning, and completely forgot to eat until 1am. Was wondering why I had a headache and was feeling so cracked out...
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Feb 18, 2011 06:31
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TheGopher posted:I forget to eat all the time. I ate probably like 400 calories of food yesterday morning, and completely forgot to eat until 1am. Was wondering why I had a headache and was feeling so cracked out... I don't forget, but I never want to eat. I have food issues, so food is always on my mind, plus I love to cook. I'm just like  when it comes to eating. I HAVE to eat a certain amount because I can't lift a pencil, let alone a weight, if i don't jam food in my mouth. Full fat foods help with hitting necessary amounts of calories. 1C whole milk is 150, 1 scoop protein powder is 120. 270 calorie breakfast. Almonds as snacks, etc.e, then again, my day is constantly based on the hour. I don't know if I'll convey it right, but everything has to be associated with a time because everything hinges on me doing things at certain times (not ocd). I HAVE to be at the bus by 7:20 every morning and 1:45 every afternoon. That means I HAVE to take my pill by 7AM and 1:30PM every day. B-S-L-S-D eating pattern, I have to eat before I leave so by 6:45AM, then I have to have a snack before lunch so 10:30AM, then lunch while I work by 12:30-1:00 (just in time for a little food in the stomach for my medicine!), then a snack just after class, but before the bus home so 4:00PM, then dinner at 6:30PM while I wind down. God that is complicated, but its a schedule now so I don't really think about it. e. I think I just hit a second wind after dancing around for a while. OH GOD THE BIKES I WANT TO GO BIKE RIDING WHAT DO YOU MEAN ITS DARK AND RAINING?! BIKES! AD(H)D Megathread: From  to  then back to \/ ladyweapon fucked around with this message at 07:07 on Feb 18, 2011 |
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Feb 18, 2011 06:44
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I have to pack for tomorrow. No I will instead browse internet. Oh wait I have like 45 minutes of work to do. No I want to play guitar. Wait I have work. Hold on, I think I need to pack. Very productive night so far. Luckily missing some sleep is totally an option if I need it to be. Almost done with this stupid work. 
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Feb 18, 2011 07:05
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2508084 posted:e. I think I just hit a second wind after dancing around for a while. OH GOD THE BIKES I WANT TO GO BIKE RIDING WHAT DO YOU MEAN ITS DARK AND RAINING?! BIKES! No kidding. Trufax - a couple of months ago, right before job phone interviews, I started to do some jumping jacks and running in place and other aerobic exercise - not enough to be out of breath and panting on the phone, but enough to get the ya-ya's out and to settle the mind down. Sure enough, it seemed to work, for I'm now employed! 
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Feb 18, 2011 07:15
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Lackadaisical posted:Will do! If Grey's Anatomy has taught me nothing, which it has its that you should make fun of neurologists as a general practice anyway. Don't worry about it until you get the sleep study done, the hard data that it produces will be helpful for peace of mind. ALSO: HEY GUYS LETS RIDE BIKES AGAIN!
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Feb 18, 2011 08:29
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TheGopher posted:You're probably experiencing the honeymoon part of the treatment. How long does the honeymoon last? I really hate this feeling.
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Feb 18, 2011 14:13
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My psychiatrist switched me to Adderall 5mg. Way less side effects, but I feel less focussed too. However, I'm still calm, which is the main reason I wanted help. I can't get this idea out of my head that I don't really have ADHD and I'm going to end up a speed addict. I'm a hypochondriac with anxiety/panic issues that I'm working on, and I'm currently taking Prozac to keep the anxiety under control. I just started the Prozac, so I know that's not what's keeping me calm. I did see a psychiatrist who diagnosed me with ADHD, but he just read off of a list of symptoms and asked me on a scale of 1-5 how they effected me. I felt like I was taking an internet test. I've seen two psychologists in the past 9 months who have also thought I might have ADHD. If I do have it, I'm definitely the inattentive type, not the hyperactive type. I dunno, I guess I just want reassurance that people who don't have ADHD don't take Adderall and start feeling very calm and collected. They get all hyped up, right?
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Feb 18, 2011 15:05
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2508084 posted:I don't forget, but I never want to eat. I have food issues, so food is always on my mind, plus I love to cook. I'm just like Oh man this is totally me to a T. I'm a large (6 foot 3, 190 pounds) man and I have a fast metabolism, so I need to eat a lot even when I'm not on my meds. When I'm on them, I need to eat EVEN MORE but I get so into my work that I'm all when it comes time for me to actually eat a meal. Then I literally have to shovel food into my face like a construction worker, just to be able to think. My friends all make fun of me; "you have to eat AGAIN?! Dude you don't have to eat whenever you get hungry." They don't understand that my body and mind will literally just shut down if I don't keep my stomach full. PS it was 50 degrees yesterday BIEEKS! wilfredmerriweathr fucked around with this message at 16:29 on Feb 18, 2011 |
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Feb 18, 2011 16:24
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Moms Stuffing posted:My psychiatrist switched me to Adderall 5mg. Way less side effects, but I feel less focussed too. However, I'm still calm, which is the main reason I wanted help. You can't judge ADD by response to the treatment. Responding or not responding to treatment has no bearing on the diagnosis. You've had three psychs suspect you have ADD and who believe that treating ADD will benefit you. I would just roll with that for now and focus on my day-to-day operation and how the medication affects that. If you really want to know you can find someone who specializes in ADD.
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Feb 18, 2011 19:44
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flavaaDAAAAAVE posted:You can't judge ADD by response to the treatment. Responding or not responding to treatment has no bearing on the diagnosis. You've had three psychs suspect you have ADD and who believe that treating ADD will benefit you. I would just roll with that for now and focus on my day-to-day operation and how the medication affects that. If you really want to know you can find someone who specializes in ADD. FWIW, i started out ADHD as a kid, moved onto Bi Polar II by two or three different docs, went back to straight depression w/ paranoia/agoraphobia/PTSD, now i'm depressed with ADHD but they ruled out PTSD for some reason no one ever told me. Theres no reason NOT to be skeptical of a diagnosis, but do give the treatment a fair amount of time to work. Pretty much everything takes six weeks to see the full effects and you still have to put in your share of the work. You can take all the pills you want, but if you're not proactive about getting better, you won't. Pills are a jumpstart, you've got to do all the footwork. e. Also, you are aware the doctors are trained to watch your behavior throughout sessions? What you say and what your body language/eye contact/nervous habits say are two different things a lot of the time. They also have your file, a life long list of doctors opinions, notes and your behaviors and statements that have been observed. ladyweapon fucked around with this message at 16:48 on Feb 19, 2011 |
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Feb 19, 2011 16:44
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I never liked switching doctors/psychs just because I wonder how they can get an accurate long-term view of my treatment/effects/issues if I'm not with them more than a year/few short months. Still looking right now since my last awful visit, I really miss the place I went to when I lived in AL.. specialized in ADD and eating disorders and the psychologist was a great guy who went into so much detail about ADHD/ADD, how it can affect people differently, etc. Plus I had to schedule a separate appointment just for testing and it took several hours of paperwork, computer tests, and talking to the psychiatrist before they were like "yep, you got it". Felt so reassured. Kind of sad now. I was having my prescription filled at a grocery store pharmacy since moving and the techs found me an awesome deal where my generics cost me something like half what I was originally quoted since I'm uninsured. 60 10mg IR was like $25~ and 90 pills was less than $50. The pills were new to me though, BARR brand generics (these pills) and they really don't have much effect. I went from 20mg a day to 30 simply because I wasn't getting any therapeutic effects and it felt like a waste to take them. That horrible doctor wrote me for 20mg a day (2x 10IRs) and I went to a different pharmacy to have it filled. Got these pills by Corepharma and it's like they are twice as potent as the BARR ones. I'm ecstatic to have found this out and want to continue to fill my scripts there but they couldn't find any deals for me so I shelled out $76 for 60 pills. Wish I could get the different manufacturer at my usual pharmacy but that's life I guess..I know it's not unusual for different brands/MFGs to have variation between their pills even though it isn't supposed to deviate noticeably from brand-name, but has anyone else experienced this? It's just a hugely noticeable different between BARR and Corepharma--Barr had me yawning and feeling barely any effect after 2 hours of taking it, if I felt anything at all, and these Corepharma pills are so strong I only take one a day sometimes. Crazy.
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Feb 20, 2011 12:32
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I think I need some help so I thought I'd post here. I was formally diagnosed 3-4 years ago, and was on ritalin for a little over a year before I fell off my parents insurance and I couldn't afford to keep going to my psychiatrist. I decided it was for the best because the ritalin made me really productive but I felt like it inhibited my sense of creativity. I was good at doing mindless menial tasks and schoolwork and stuff, but when I was trying to write or create or something I felt like my brain had lost color, for lack of a better way to describe it. I also didn't like how the ritalin made me have the appetite to eat maybe once a day. Well, now I'm in my last semester of uni and I am getting my rear end handed to me. I cannot focus to save my life. I've been skipping classes and blowing off reading assignments worse than I ever have before, and I feel like I've got to do something soon as the semester is almost half over and I don't know if I have the self-discipline to pull it out without the meds. I've now got health insurance again thanks to the evils of Obamacare, and I'm seriously considering making an appointment. I guess I just want to be told that this is the right decision and I'm not just trying to make excuses for being lazy, which seems to be the belief of my family. I'm thinking about asking if I can try wellbutrin to see if I can find a non-stimulant that works. Anyone have good or bad experience with it? They tried me on strattera before ritalin and it didn't do a goddamn thing. I was also thinking of maybe trying adderall since a lot of people seem to have good luck with that and maybe it won't have as many side effects as the methylphenidate. I dunno. Anyone got any advice? I'm incredibly frustrated.
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Feb 22, 2011 03:29
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I'd definitely make an appointment again, preferably with the same doctor. And even if you have to go to another doctor, having a definite diagnosis behind you should help the doc in finding a set of meds that work for you. As for creativity, I haven't really noticed any decline in mine since seriously going on meds. But, that's just my experience. If anything, I find that it helps me be more creative, because I also have the attention span to do the tedious stuff (sorting out paints, setting up a drafting table, spending 30 minutes or so deducting exactly what paint colors I put on what palette because when I laid it out originally I wasn't on and didn't write poo poo down at all) that goes along with my creative outlet of choice (visual arts).
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Feb 22, 2011 03:44
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mr. mephistopheles posted:I'm thinking about asking if I can try wellbutrin to see if I can find a non-stimulant that works. Anyone have good or bad experience with it? They tried me on strattera before ritalin and it didn't do a goddamn thing. I was also thinking of maybe trying adderall since a lot of people seem to have good luck with that and maybe it won't have as many side effects as the methylphenidate. WellB does gently caress all for ADD, but its a good one to supplement add meds. If losing your creativity is a huge issue (and it seems as such) talk to your doc about only taking the adderall during the week when you need it, then taking weekends off to go be creative. WellB you have to continuously take, but it doesn't screw with creative processes as far as I can tell.
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Feb 22, 2011 03:45
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Well, you all weren't kidding about that honeymoon phase that comes on Adderall. What started as 'FUCKIN' BRING IT, LIFE! I AIN'T SCARED' has indeed turned in to 'Well, I really hate what I'm doing [at my lovely job]. I better get back to work now...' I'm kind of wondering if maybe my dosage is too high though. I'm on the peach colored, 20mg pill. It's the 'standard' release and I take half of one pill in the morning, the other half around noon time. When I take a dose, I'll start to feel that caffeine high in my head. I think that is the best way I can describe it. It's like when coffee first hits you, but amped up some. Yesterday, I noticed for the first time that I also had some dry mouth, my body temperature felt elevated, and my heart was beating faster. But, here is what makes the diagnosis difficult: Yesterday, I also went on a ~20 minute lunch time bike ride where I basically went balls to the wall. I am also still fighting off allergy. I'm at the tail end of the allergy, but it's still midly there. Even though I went on my ride around noon, even by 3-4pm I was feeling the side effects. So I'm not sure what's attributable to the Adderall versus the other two things I mentioned. Dolemite fucked around with this message at 14:12 on Feb 22, 2011 |
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Feb 22, 2011 14:09
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Dolemite posted:I am also still fighting off allergy. I'm at the tail end of the allergy, but it's still midly there. Even though I went on my ride around noon, even by 3-4pm I was feeling the side effects. I'm not sure what "fighting off allergy" is, springtime allergies? You were feeling the side effects of your allergies at 3-4PM or from biking? Generally, if you go hard during an exercise, you'll feel it longer. I'd give it a couple of days and see what happens. I swear theres a Paranoia Stage directly after the Honeymoon Stage. I've been having a, I don't know how to properly word it, disassociative mindtrip the last couple weeks because I've progressed (before and more so after starting my medicine) into a person I never thought I'd be. I don't feel like me because I'm not doing things I do. I biked five miles yesterday because it was gym day and the buses didn't run due to the holiday. Me would barely ever go to the gym, let alone bike there, put personal records on drat near everything, then bike home afterwards. Am I cracked out? No, but I can tap into my motivation now to get things done that are important to do. Those side effects are side effects of the medicine. Call your psych, if you can, and see if he'll okay you taking 1/4 pill 2-3 times a day? It might lessen the severity of the side effects while still getting you the medicine. Also, how much are you THINKING about the side effects? Your body can make things happen just because your brain expects them to, you know?
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Feb 22, 2011 15:48
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2508084 posted:I'm not sure what "fighting off allergy" is, springtime allergies? You were feeling the side effects of your allergies at 3-4PM or from biking? Generally, if you go hard during an exercise, you'll feel it longer. I'd give it a couple of days and see what happens. I swear theres a Paranoia Stage directly after the Honeymoon Stage. I've been having a, I don't know how to properly word it, disassociative mindtrip the last couple weeks because I've progressed (before and more so after starting my medicine) into a person I never thought I'd be. I don't feel like me because I'm not doing things I do. I biked five miles yesterday because it was gym day and the buses didn't run due to the holiday. Me would barely ever go to the gym, let alone bike there, put personal records on drat near everything, then bike home afterwards. Am I cracked out? No, but I can tap into my motivation now to get things done that are important to do. First off - I can't believe how you've managed to hit the nail on the head with all the phases and feelings of being on the medication so far! The allergies are indeed springtime kind of allergies. Stuffy nose, etc. I'm on the tail end of that. Still have a few sniffles and mild congestion, but that's about it. Nothing blowing my nose won't clear away. I've been feeling the same way regarding the mindtrip. It's just so odd to get things DONE. Especially things I hate doing. Yesterday when I came home, I saw the dishes were dirty. I just put all my work stuff away, then went into the kitchen and cleaned the dishes. WTF? I struggle and procrastinate so hard with chores! I couldn't believe I was washing dishes so soon. I'll definitely admit that I may be thinking too hard. Any little thing I feel immediately makes me go "AHHH THE MEDS ARE FUCKIN WITH MY BODY!". Today, I feel absoutely fine. Maybe I feel a little bit of that caffeine, focus-y effect, but I actually kind of like that feeling. I'll try to chill out and I'll stay on the dosing schedule a little longer. That way I can truly see if it's all in my head. I kind of think the exercise is helping to smooth out the effects of the focused feeling. I feel focused like during a caffeine high, but less 'medicined' out. I wish I had a better way to describe that. Last weekend when I took the medications, I noticed the focused effect was more intense. Coincidentally, I never got any time to exercise that weekend since I had family in town. One thing I'd like to find out - does Adderall increase metabolism or calorie consumption? It's not the healthiest, but I've only been having time to have a small snack for breakfast. Maybe a cookie or some crackers or something. My usual breakfast was a snack and 2-3 cups of coffee. I would go on my usual lunch time ride and feel fine. I hadn't gone exercising at lunch since my allergies made me feel like poo poo the last week or two. I started up again on Monday. So, yesterday and today are the first two days I've been cycling while medicated. During both rides, I began to notice during the rides that I would get a little bit of nausea. Nothing that makes me want to stop, but just a hint of it. I just wonder if I really need to eat more calories while taking Adderall? EDIT: Another question - is it a good idea to occasionally cycle off the medication? Like say, not take it one day a week? Is my plan to just take it every day during the week a bad one? I'm reading all these dependency stories. Accounts of people saying that when they need the pills to function or they feel like total poo poo and can't even get out of bed, etc. I'm scared of that happening. But man do I love the effects of this medication! I want to find that right balance that lets me take the pills but not end up like the cases I read about. Dolemite fucked around with this message at 20:50 on Feb 22, 2011 |
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Feb 22, 2011 19:56
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Dolemite posted:One thing I'd like to find out - does Adderall increase metabolism or calorie consumption? It's not the healthiest, but I've only been having time to have a small snack for breakfast. Maybe a cookie or some crackers or something. My usual breakfast was a snack and 2-3 cups of coffee. I would go on my usual lunch time ride and feel fine. Its an amphetamine, which are notorious for cutting appetite to almost nothing. It doesn't jack with your metabolism at all, though, iirc. I force feed myself 70% of the food I eat in a day or I would just eat nothing. You really need to keep a focus on how much youre eating ESPECIALLY if youre physically active (gym + biking, which is my thing too). Yesterday I ate 1000 calories, ~400 of which I made myself eat because 600 calories a day is bad. If you're not eating AND you exert yourself, you will get light headed, dizzy, nauseous, etc. quote:EDIT: Another question - is it a good idea to occasionally cycle off the medication? Like say, not take it one day a week? ..I'm reading all these dependency stories. Accounts of people saying that when they need the pills to function or they feel like total poo poo and can't even get out of bed, etc. If you're comorbid with depression and such, not taking your adderall can give you pretty bad mood swings. I tend to get very, very irritable if I haven't taken my second dose, but if I just don't take it all day I'm fairly okay. You don't know what those other people on the internet have. If youre schizophrenic, but fail to mention that, then complain you have visual hallucinations when you don't take your adderall (without mentioning you stopped taking all your other pills), then that doesn't mean the adderall causes visual hallucinations when its not taken. Thats a really bad, stupid example, but I think it gets my point across. Just because I get cranky when I don't take my pill, doesn't mean you will. I just gave this to the poster asking about decreased creativity, but some people do take "holidays" from their adderall. I believe Qu Appelle doesn't take her meds on the weekends. Again, consult EVERYTHING with your doctor before doing ANYTHING. I don't know what else you're taking, and even if I did, I don't have the medical expertise to know how they interact. Although, you have kind of a cognitive dissonance going on. You realize you have a disorder, but you don't want to be dependent on them to be functional. Thats like a diabetic saying they don't want to be dependent on insulin for the rest of their lives. Some poo poo your brain needs because it fails to make it naturally. e. as far as force feeding, calorie dense solid food and whey protein in milk are your best friends.
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Feb 23, 2011 02:04
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Adderall definitely helps my metabolism. I immediately lost 10 pounds when I started taking it, and then shed another 20 over the next few months. I've been eating pretty lovely lately, which I've been trying to improve, but instead of gaining weight I've been maintaining, which is new for me. Need to cook more of my own meals at home, but it's just another thing I should do that I just get anxious about. Might be time to try out Prozac and see if that helps my anxiety/depression since it works so well for my mom's depression.
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Feb 23, 2011 02:45
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2508084 posted:I just gave this to the poster asking about decreased creativity, but some people do take "holidays" from their adderall. I believe Qu Appelle doesn't take her meds on the weekends. Again, consult EVERYTHING with your doctor before doing ANYTHING. I don't know what else you're taking, and even if I did, I don't have the medical expertise to know how they interact. Yup - I'm the one who takes drug 'holidays' on the weekends - partially because the lack of appetite + semiphysical job with a fair bit of stress makes me feel run down by the weekend, and I use that time to relax and eat. I also have the 'insurance company being poopyheads' thing going on, so it's to also ration out what I have in stock until my ADHD is technically 'covered' again.  (Long story short - new insurance plan has a 'pre-existing clause' for my ADHD and other disorders in place, and even though I sent in the paperwork showing that I met their criteria via HIIPA, they still haven't made a decision yet). (Why is Universal Health Care bad again? Oh yeah - SOCIALISM.  )All of this I'm doing with my doctor's blessing, and I asked him before I started doing that. As for the meds and creativity and being on vs. off, I actually get a lot more done when I'm on my meds. A couple of weekends ago, it took me 4 hours to draw one page of a comic. The drawing isn't that complex, either. If I was medicated, I could have probably drawn it in half the time.
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Feb 23, 2011 02:55
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TheGopher posted:Adderall definitely helps my metabolism. I immediately lost 10 pounds when I started taking it, and then shed another 20 over the next few months. I've been eating pretty lovely lately, which I've been trying to improve, but instead of gaining weight I've been maintaining, which is new for me. Why does cooking make you anxious? And the weight loss, were you eating food? A drastic cut in calories (especially if you're overweight) is enough to cause you to lose a lot of weight without touching your metabolism. Now I have to google around about that since i'm on a math-homework-break.
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Feb 23, 2011 03:03
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2508084 posted:Why does cooking make you anxious? And the weight loss, were you eating food? A drastic cut in calories (especially if you're overweight) is enough to cause you to lose a lot of weight without touching your metabolism. Now I have to google around about that since i'm on a math-homework-break. Any kind of "chore" makes me anxious. On some days I'm so paralyzed by the anxiety that I can't do much more besides keep playing video games, or keep pressing refresh on various websites. When I don't have time to think about what I need to do, it all gets done no problem. Take today at work for instance. I was kind of procrastinating on making a few phone calls, because even though I don't really mind talking on the phone, anxiety builds up about needing to do it. Didn't do much all morning, went to lunch, came back and finally made a couple of calls. Had some work to do as a result of it, and all of a sudden I got a bunch of calls out of the blue that I had kind of been waiting for. For the last 4 hours I've been working frantically because I've had almost too much work to do. Even though all of these tasks have looming deadlines from demanding customers, it's not a big deal, and doesn't stress me out. Got most of the work done, and now I'm going to go home and finish up there in a few hours after something finishes on a client's computer. Same thing with chores. Last night I cleaned up my room at a pretty basic level, and it took a lot of willpower to do that. This is true for anything I should do, but don't have to. (Or at the very least, should do at some indeterminate point in the future) The worst part about this anxiety, is it's self perpetrating. The more I procrastinate on doing chores or work, the worse the consequences become from continuing to not do it. For the most part, I like cooking. I don't like having to figure out what I'm going to cook, having to go buy ingredients, preparing the ingredients, cooking it, having to stand over it and monitor progress, and clean up pots and pans when I'm all done. It doesn't matter what it is, folding clothes, mopping floors, going grocery shopping, running errands, etc. There's nothing really intellectually stimulating about the process, so my mind goes a million miles a minute over one stupid thought process, to a point where it becomes obsessive. It's usually negative, like something that pisses me off, or social injustice I wish I could change. Music helps, but it only goes so far. Then again, I am reminded my iPod has a radio, so I might try listening to NPR because that usually makes my commute home enjoyable, or at least not painful. Part of the issue I run into is that I've listened to all my music way too much, and I need to find new music to listen to, but that's something I should do. To be fair, I am getting better at a lot of this, and it's a skill I never really learned because my coping mechanism for all of my teenage years was escapism through video-games or otherwise. Nobody said breaking bad habits was going to be easy. tl;dr: Stuff stress me out and I don't do it. I should, but I don't. As for the Adderall, when I started it, the first few days I didn't really eat much. The amount I ate kind of stabilized, and over the long term I was/have been eating fairly normally. I notice that my heart rate elevates when I take the medication, and I was/am out of shape enough that the small increase in heart rate would burn a significant amount of fat.
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Feb 23, 2011 03:30
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2508084 posted:Its an amphetamine, which are notorious for cutting appetite to almost nothing. It doesn't jack with your metabolism at all, though, iirc. I force feed myself 70% of the food I eat in a day or I would just eat nothing. You really need to keep a focus on how much youre eating ESPECIALLY if youre physically active (gym + biking, which is my thing too). Yesterday I ate 1000 calories, ~400 of which I made myself eat because 600 calories a day is bad. If you're not eating AND you exert yourself, you will get light headed, dizzy, nauseous, etc. quote:If you're comorbid with depression and such, not taking your adderall can give you pretty bad mood swings. I tend to get very, very irritable if I haven't taken my second dose, but if I just don't take it all day I'm fairly okay. You don't know what those other people on the internet have. If youre schizophrenic, but fail to mention that, then complain you have visual hallucinations when you don't take your adderall (without mentioning you stopped taking all your other pills), then that doesn't mean the adderall causes visual hallucinations when its not taken. Thats a really bad, stupid example, but I think it gets my point across. Just because I get cranky when I don't take my pill, doesn't mean you will. When the doc was trying to feel if I have depression or bipolar disorder, none of the symptoms described me at all. So I would think there's nothing there for Adderall to play up if I took a break from them. So far, I don't see a reason to. I feel that the meds have been beneficial for themost part. My brain can still wander some during tasks I hate doing. My brain can sometimes still feel a litle disorganized. It still takes effort to do things I don't like doing. But, it takes far less than when I was unmedicated. I haven't noticed any kind of hit to my creativity yet. I can still day dream. I want to maybe say my day dreams are less vivid by a smidge, but who knows if I'm just imagining things about the meds again. In the end, your analogy makes sense and is what prompted my question. I can tell that the medication makes a difference and will help me live my life in the way I always wanted to. And if there's no real downside to using the meds as long as they're used the way the doc intended, I plan to use the medication like a diabetic uses insulin.
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Feb 23, 2011 17:53
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Lackadaisical posted:To everyone who commented on my situation, I want to be VERY clear about one thing: I am admittedly pretty desperate to figure out the cause of my fatigue and to be able to treat it, but I would never take the medication other than directed. In the past, I've been given large quantities of highly abused pills (valium, percocet, vicodin, etc) and have never been tempted to abuse them and this is no different. I also would never doctor shop for meds and I certainly don't want to be on anything that isn't doctor recommended to treat my fatigue. I know I'm late here, but that sounds a lot like my Mom, who is also ADHD. She would literally come home from work after teaching elementary school, go to bed, wake up for dinner, watch TV for an hour or two till she drifted back off to sleep, till my Dad came in to go to bed. Then she would get up, brush her teeth and go to bed. That was her routine literally every day. Now that she's on medication for her ADHD, she can actually stay awake and, god forbid, read a book. She's also driving me nuts because now all of a sudden she's actually following through with things, but at the same time she's not sleeping constantly.
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Feb 23, 2011 22:17
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I'm currently 20, live in the UK and have been diagnosed with higher functioning autism and ADHD since I was 6. I've been on some medication (initially Ritalin but that didn't work out too well, then some other thing of which I only remember that it lowered my blood pressure and they were these small sugar coated blue pills.) but when I was 15 or so I essentially weaned my self off them and stopped taking them. Did fairly fine with school and went on to college, the course I did didn't go very well (in retrospect ADHD had something to do with it but the course being horribly misrepresented didn't help), I then did a bunch of time at a fairly laid back college and did pretty well there and am now back at a proper college taking Game Design. While this is really what I want to do I'm finding it really hard to focus on my work and when I eventually get it done it's usually just hitting the pass criteria (Though that's more to do with the autistic side and how i's interpreting the project requirements.). Any advice on how to focus it better? I'm not against going back on to medication now that I have a more mature perspective on the matter instead of drugs are bad never touching the things again! (which was pretty silly considering I still need to take allergy medicine).
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Feb 23, 2011 22:50
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TheGopher posted:I have to pack for tomorrow. No I will instead browse internet. Oh wait I have like 45 minutes of work to do. No I want to play guitar. Wait I have work. Hold on, I think I need to pack. Story of my life. I've been trying to do about 2 hours of work since I woke up this morning and I've still only done about 10 minutes worth... Admittedly I haven't really read through this thread yet (I'll get to it eventually), but have any of you tried any non-medication based treatments? I have this horrible fear of almost every type of medication (even ibuprofen) and I'm wondering what other routes I can take. I've never been formally diagnosed because I don't have health insurance, but I can say with certainty that I have it based on my own behavior.
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Feb 24, 2011 08:48
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Your only option is really to go to a doctor. Otherwise read the book, "Delivered from Distraction" for basic tips. (Things like what to eat/not eat, getting exercise, etc) Though you may have an aversion to medication for a legitimate reason, it could also be that you feel like you don't need a "crutch" to get by, and you can stand on your own two feet, which is entirely ridiculous. If you do have ADHD you need a formal diagnosis for, no matter how sure you are. Symptoms of ADHD can be confused with Bipolar disorder and OCD; depression/anxiety can also have symptoms that may leave you feeling like you have no attention span. As for non-medication treatments, there aren't really any options besides figuring out coping techniques, and strategies that work for you. There are things you can do to help ADHD, if you have it, but medication is the only thing that has proven positive results for a majority of patients.
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Feb 24, 2011 09:27
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mattdev posted:I've never been formally diagnosed because I don't have health insurance, but I can say with certainty that I have it based on my own behavior. I can say with certainty that I'm a unicorn, however I am not a unicorn specialist therefore no one cares. Seriously, go see a doctor. There are sliding scale psychs in your city, I can guarantee it. Otherwise google "ADHD coping strategies" and do what you can.
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Feb 24, 2011 15:13
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So I could be overreacting again, maybe not. I would just feel better if I picked your brains on this one. The last 2-3 days, I've noticed that later in the day while on the second of my two doses, I'll feel a slight numbness or tingling on the cheeks of my face. I've read some HOLY poo poo YOU GONNA DIE side effect listings and they mention numbness or tingling in arms or legs is bad. I never get anything like that, it's strictly confined to the facial cheeks. The curious thing is I only notice this happening in the afternoon after the second half of my 20mg pill.
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Feb 24, 2011 22:03
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Dolemite posted:So I could be overreacting again, maybe not. I would just feel better if I picked your brains on this one. I've never felt that effect at all. However, I'd put a call into the doc on this one.
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Feb 24, 2011 22:31
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