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Use the time you have with adderral being effective to build habits that will carry over when you become acclimated or aren't not taking it. Like load the dishwasher every morning, while you make breakfast. It will wear off, you have a opportunity to improve things systemically.
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Oct 25, 2016 06:22
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Astrofig posted:.....so it's bad to wash Vyvanse down with coffee, is what you're saying. Oops. My version of that mistake was Ritabull.
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Oct 25, 2016 14:17
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Chin Strap posted:My version of that mistake was Ritabull. Dexadriet Coke over here.
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Oct 25, 2016 14:40
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So how about alcohol? I usually don't drink too much, maybe get actually drunk once every month or two at most, but I do enjoy a beer or two now and again, or a glass of whisky, etc. My doctor didn't mention anything regarding caffeine or alcohol, nor do the medication descriptions, but I'm curious if I should think differently about alcohol now that I'm on a daily stimulant.
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Oct 25, 2016 16:53
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Harrow posted:So how about alcohol? I usually don't drink too much, maybe get actually drunk once every month or two at most, but I do enjoy a beer or two now and again, or a glass of whisky, etc. My doctor didn't mention anything regarding caffeine or alcohol, nor do the medication descriptions, but I'm curious if I should think differently about alcohol now that I'm on a daily stimulant. The main issue is that stimulants can inhibit the bad sides of being drunk (like getting sleepy etc) and can therefore make you maybe drink more than you would otherwise, leading to more dangerous situations. So don't go getting blackout drunk. I regularly have a beer/scotch here or there with no issues.
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Oct 25, 2016 17:28
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Three weeks ago I stopped taking adderall (20mg twice per day) because I felt like it was the same as taking nothing at all. I started taking some Strattera I had left over from the last time I was taking Strattera. I was on 40mg Strattera until yesterday, when I took 80mg Strattera. Today I took 80mg Strattera first thing in the morning and then took 10mg adderall an hour later because I've done nothing but gently caress around since I quit adderall and I really need to function as an adult again. Two hours after taking the 10mg adderall and holy poo poo I'm tweaking my nonexistent balls off. I've taken two weeks off adderall before and that didn't seem to reset my tolerance so I hardly think one more week would do it so I can only guess that Strattera may potentiate the effects of adderall. jfc I would have had to take at least 80mg to feel this cracked out before. This is very distracting.    On a less TCC note, having been on Strattera for three weeks by using what I had left over from the last time I was on it, I still feel like I've been on nothing at all and work has been incredibly hard, but I know this stuff works on me since it has before. I have 10 pills left so I'll have to make up my mind as to whether or not I want my psychiatrist to prescribe me more or not. That's what's so devilish about Strattera though, you always feel like it isn't working until you quit, then you realize just how well it really had been working.
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Oct 28, 2016 17:42
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I was diagnosed with ADHD-PI as a young fella in the USA and am going in for testing again, only in Germany this time. I know I have it, and it's an enormous stumbling block. I'm a bit concerned because I could tell that the doctor I saw for preliminary discussions was giving me the stinkeye after googling Adderall (she was only familiar with German drug names). She's definitely taking me for some kind of tweaker. She also mentioned that ADHD is mostly only found in kids, but agreed to send me in for testing thanks to a note my wife wrote in German basically listing all of the horrifically annoying things (losing keys/wallet, chronic lateness, sitting in my chair not getting started on work, etc) I do. Are the tests they run pretty reliable? I'm just worried that I'll somehow screw it up because I'll be conscious of the fact that I have it and know all of the symptoms. I'm scared I'm going to try and instinctually act more ADHD than I really am and disqualify myself somehow. This is probably dumb but it's a worry that's been eating at me.
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Oct 30, 2016 17:35
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Gaspy Conana posted:I was diagnosed with ADHD-PI as a young fella in the USA and am going in for testing again, only in Germany this time. I know I have it, and it's an enormous stumbling block. I'm a bit concerned because I could tell that the doctor I saw for preliminary discussions was giving me the stinkeye after googling Adderall (she was only familiar with German drug names). She's definitely taking me for some kind of tweaker. She also mentioned that ADHD is mostly only found in kids, but agreed to send me in for testing thanks to a note my wife wrote in German basically listing all of the horrifically annoying things (losing keys/wallet, chronic lateness, sitting in my chair not getting started on work, etc) I do. Testing is pretty reliable, and it's going to be questions, not observing your behavior. Also, gently caress that doctor, they sound awful and uninformed.
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Oct 30, 2016 17:59
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Mechafunkzilla posted:Testing is pretty reliable, and it's going to be questions, not observing your behavior. Also, gently caress that doctor, they sound awful and uninformed. Or simply just German. Go find a real tweaker, talk to them for like 2 minutes. It's pretty easy to spot the difference.
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Oct 30, 2016 18:30
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Gaspy Conana posted:I'm a bit concerned because I could tell that the doctor I saw for preliminary discussions was giving me the stinkeye after googling Adderall (she was only familiar with German drug names). I thought adderall was illegal in Germany, like in most (all?) EU countries?
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Nov 1, 2016 11:18
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I have my first follow-up with my doctor today after being on Adderall for a week and a half. I think I'm at the stage now where I don't really notice it too much, although my heart rate is noticeably faster than it is without the drug. Not sure if that's something I should worry about, but I'll definitely ask. I think it's helping, in combination with some other things I'm trying to do to keep the ADHD under control. I've noticed that when I start working on something, I'm much less likely to get distracted before I finish the task. It's still hard to get started, but once I do, I'm in a better place, and I like that.
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Nov 1, 2016 14:43
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If you avoid eating too much really sugary food, manage your stress as best you can, and stay the gently caress away from caffeine, Adderall's pretty good stuff. Pay attention to that heart rate and keep your doctor apprised - I ended up getting heart palpitations and had to switch to a different medication.
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Nov 1, 2016 14:49
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mrfart posted:I thought adderall was illegal in Germany, like in most (all?) EU countries? Ahh, that might explain why she didn't recognize it initially. Hopefully whatever alternatives they give in Germany will be as effective.
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Nov 1, 2016 22:03
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Gaspy Conana posted:Ahh, that might explain why she didn't recognize it initially. Hopefully whatever alternatives they give in Germany will be as effective. I was prescribed Rubifen (Ritalin) in Spain, so it's likely that will be available to you as well.
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Nov 1, 2016 22:28
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I'm autistic and I've got ADD. I'm on Ritalin (2x30mg a day) and I'm a college student. The drugs are very helpful, but I still have trouble concentrating. Specifically, I find that I often succumb to - I guess you would call it brain fog? I'd describe it more as 'static', but basically it feels like my brain gets filled up with jittery bullshit and I just can't cope. I get cranky and frustrated and nothing gets into my head. I usually wake up like this, and it generally shows up after I've been doing anything that requires a modicum of focus for some time. Studying obviously, but also leisure reading, cooking, playing the piano, that sort of thing. The one thing I've found to relieve the pressure is getting on the computer, either lazily internetting (refreshing social media, re-watching youtube videos) or playing some kind of low effort video game. The problem with that is that it's hard to break away afterwards. I wish I could take a 15 minute YouTube break between math problems, but it's never just 15 minutes. Hell, the very idea of imposing a time limit makes me so itchy it basically negates the purpose of taking a break in the first place. Does anyone have suggestions for dealing with this? Ideas for activities that are similarly relaxing but less addictive? An entirely different approach I haven't considered?
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Nov 3, 2016 16:03
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I used to trick myself into playing easy video games and there is something to the frontal lobe stimulation that provides, but really it never translates into actual productivity. What ended up working for me was cardio exercise. That lifts the fog, and has a cumulatively positive effect. even when it doesn't feel like it, everyone around me notices when I'm riding bikes regularly.
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Nov 3, 2016 16:15
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TheBigBad posted:I used to trick myself into playing easy video games and there is something to the frontal lobe stimulation that provides, but really it never translates into actual productivity. What ended up working for me was cardio exercise. That lifts the fog, and has a cumulatively positive effect. even when it doesn't feel like it, everyone around me notices when I'm riding bikes regularly. Just to clarify; you're talking about habitual exercise, right? Not going for a run when the fog descends?
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Nov 3, 2016 16:29
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Gaspy Conana posted:Ahh, that might explain why she didn't recognize it initially. Hopefully whatever alternatives they give in Germany will be as effective. Well, let me know if you get something similar. I was given Dexamfetamine, which is one part of the ingredients of adderall if I'm not mistaken. But the side effects made it impossible to keep taking, like most medication I ever tried. It was clearly frowned upon by both doctor and pharmacist. But it's the only thing that comes legally close to adderall here in Belgium, and I think it's similar in most eu countries.
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Nov 3, 2016 17:12
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For most people with ADHD exercise helps stave off the fog when it descends, but there's also a cumulative benefit if you're exercising regularly -- you usually end up with lower levels of distractability to begin with. You have to be really consistent to get this benefit though. I've really fallen off with exercising lately and I'm finding that just hitting the elliptical once a week or so isn't enough to do much of anything.
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Nov 3, 2016 22:47
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Terrorforge posted:Just to clarify; you're talking about habitual exercise, right? Not going for a run when the fog descends? Yes. 3 times a week 30 minutes each time. Also yes, take a jog when you have the fog.
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Nov 4, 2016 04:42
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Okay, cool. I've just started working on getting regular exercise anyway - I've failed repeatedly in the past due to executive dysfunction, but I've got periodic home support now and there are few motivators more effective than having someone physically push you out the door. My feet/legs are kind of whack so jogging is unfortunately not a good option for me, but there's a handful of cheap 24h gyms in the vicinity so I'll probably just see about getting on their ellipticals. Thanks for the advice!
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Nov 4, 2016 06:55
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TheBigBad posted:Yes. 3 times a week 30 minutes each time. Also yes, take a jog when you have the fog. I always get frustrated when doctors suggest exercise because I forget I actually meet the recommendation in my weekly routine. 
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Nov 4, 2016 07:33
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Terrorforge posted:Okay, cool. I've just started working on getting regular exercise anyway - I've failed repeatedly in the past due to executive dysfunction, but I've got periodic home support now and there are few motivators more effective than having someone physically push you out the door. My feet/legs are kind of whack so jogging is unfortunately not a good option for me, but there's a handful of cheap 24h gyms in the vicinity so I'll probably just see about getting on their ellipticals. Jogging is for weirdos who want to run to nowhere. ADHD prefers riding bikes, and at worst, riding a stationary bike. (Ellipticals are good for reading books if you have a hoodie on to block peripheral vision and a white noise generator on your headphones.). Another thing I've read and tried with some anecdotal success is Tibetan Throat Chanting. Listening to that regularly clears my mind up, its something about the deep low tones with the occasional chimes.
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Nov 4, 2016 16:45
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mynoise.net Seriously, the best thing ever for blocking out distractions. There's around 100 noise generators for everything from rain sounds to tonal drones to the gentle hum of a server room, all of them fully customizable and calibrated to your individual hearing curve. It's also free because it's the pet project of a sound engineer who's hobby is recording live audio, but if you like it you should really toss Dr. Pigeon  because it's an absurdly good service he provides. Something non-free I've been experimenting with lately is brain.fm, which uses algorithmically generated music to entrain your brain to states conducive to concentration, relaxation or sleep. It seems like it operates on the same principles as other audio brainwave generators but they're creating music at the right frequencies rather than playing tones so it's a lot easier to listen to for long periods of time. It's subtle, but it does seem to help with concentration when I'm writing. Whether it's better than just layering an isochronic tone with some Opera music or something, I can't say.
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Nov 4, 2016 19:09
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Starting Wellbutrin tomorrow, woohoo. Wish me luck, ADHD goons
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Nov 5, 2016 00:56
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TheBigBad posted:Jogging is for weirdos who want to run to nowhere. ADHD prefers riding bikes. Jogging is one of the few things that keep me sane. Traffic and the streets are so bad where I live that riding a bike takes full concentration sprinkled with spikes of adrenaline when cars honk at you or nearly miss you. When I get home from a bike ride I'm furious. I love going for a run in the forest and fields. My brain still trails off, but it's ok, I'm not gonna ride under a truck or something.
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Nov 5, 2016 01:49
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I really need to get a job so I can afford my medication again. I was really productive at getting poo poo done around my apartment for the first 3 weeks of being unemployed, but then my adderall ran out, and now the motivation is gone.
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Nov 5, 2016 01:57
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mrfart posted:Jogging is one of the few things that keep me sane. I live in a state where people cross double yellows up a blind hill to give a cyclist room on the right.
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Nov 5, 2016 05:47
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I quit my meds when I was 18. Sometimes I regret it. Now I'm 30.
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Nov 5, 2016 16:22
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CommieGIR posted:I quit my meds when I was 18. Sometimes I regret it. Now I'm 30. How do I avoid sudden age gain
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Nov 6, 2016 02:27
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Music Theory posted:How do I avoid sudden age gain Stay on your meds.
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Nov 6, 2016 03:51
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Music Theory posted:How do I avoid sudden age gain McGruff the Crime Dog did warn me....
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Nov 6, 2016 17:39
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CommieGIR posted:I quit my meds when I was 18. Sometimes I regret it. Now I'm 30. Same pretty much. I quit my meds partway through college because Adderall was making my anxiety go full tilt and I was too lazy/busy to go to the doctor and try different meds. Now I'm 32 and the executive dysfunction hits me like a truck at work every day. I keep "meaning" to get to a doctor and see about getting back on meds, and then I keep failing to do so because guess who gets loving distracted and/or anxious about it. 
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Nov 6, 2016 19:15
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So I talked to my therapist (I should really say Clinical Psychologist) about going back to college. (It was something we've talked about before) and so he's referring me to a psychiatrist for a consult to start putting me on meds so that the kinks are worked out BEFORE going back to school and not during. I'm sure it'd help me in day to day life as well since KNOWING you have ADHD only makes me recognized when and HOW the "gifts" of ADHD like to gently caress with you. =/
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Nov 17, 2016 16:11
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Robzilla posted:So I talked to my therapist (I should really say Clinical Psychologist) about going back to college. (It was something we've talked about before) and so he's referring me to a psychiatrist for a consult to start putting me on meds so that the kinks are worked out BEFORE going back to school and not during. I'm sure it'd help me in day to day life as well since KNOWING you have ADHD only makes me recognized when and HOW the "gifts" of ADHD like to gently caress with you. =/ That's actually pretty useful information, though. Finding the patterns of when, why and how it trips you up is the first step to finding ways around those problems. Problems that likely won't vanish instantly when you pop your first pill, for the record; you'll still need to be identifying issues and building strategies. At the very least, being able to replace "why am I such a useless fuckup" with "goddammit, ADHD" is pretty good for your overall mental health.
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Nov 17, 2016 16:58
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I recently got diagnosed with ADHD at 35, and my psychiatrist has started me on adderall IR 5mg, 2x a day. Is this basically a bullshit dose for a ~190lb male or is dosing too variable from person to person to say. The first day on it, I actually felt pretty well focused, and even seemed like I had a little bit of heart racing or palpitations, but after the first day I didn't notice either effect so much. Then, for a few days in the first week, I became very drowsy and had to nod off for a couple hour nap in the middle of my work day, shortly after taking my second pill of the day(napping was sooo comfortable, normally I would never nap, and feel worse after getting up from one). That effect also seems to have gone away. I think I may have taken them slightly too close together (like 4hrs apart instead of 6 or so) on those days. I don't know why they don't just say how many hours apart to spread them on the prescription,but it just says "one in the morning and one at noon", which obviously doesn't make sense if you wake up at 11 or so some days. I've been on it for 2wks now. I think its helping a little but kinda hard to tell honestly, it just wasn't as huge an effect as I expected from what I read of other people's experiences. The doctor was wary of putting me on stimulants because my blood pressure is a little high. So I guess I'm also a little concerned about upping the dosage, but I think I higher dose would make sense for me? I will see my doctor in 2 more wks to talk about it. I had tried Strattera for 1 month before the adderall but the side effects were unacceptable. e: the other reason i'm wondering if its a bullshit dose is that the first 2 pharmacies i went to did not carry that strength, and said no one had ordered it in the past year, and had to call around to find a pharmacy that had it. I also assumed XR would be the more typical prescription instead of IR, but didn't question it because it was dificult enough to get to this point. peepsalot fucked around with this message at 21:28 on Nov 17, 2016 |
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Nov 17, 2016 21:23
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TheBigBad posted:Another thing I've read and tried with some anecdotal success is Tibetan Throat Chanting. Listening to that regularly clears my mind up, its something about the deep low tones with the occasional chimes. So I've had a really odd reaction to music. Back in college I was essentially a music minor, and I was in the orchestra (viola) and was a bedroom DJ. When I was performing with the orchestra, I would always get this kind of light headed feeling where I would suddenly have a million ideas of things to do (which of course never actually happened). When I was DJing however, the whole thing would take up my entire focus (beat matching, finding the next track) and I wouldn't be distracted by anything. Perhaps the fact that I only had around 5-7 minutes to get the next track set up meant I was always under the gun and thus my mind didn't have a chance to wander off. Anyone else ever have any odd reactions to performing music in any way?
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Nov 17, 2016 21:34
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peepsalot posted:I recently got diagnosed with ADHD at 35, and my psychiatrist has started me on adderall IR 5mg, 2x a day. Seems a tad low to me, but starting low and gradually working your way up is absolutely the right way to do things for someone starting stims, particularly if they have a history of high blood pressure. Dosage is VERY dependent on the person, and you're looking for a sweet spot that minimizes the ADHD symptoms while keeping the stimulant side effects minimal. For the record, I'm similar to you (mid 30s, male, 200ish pounds and don't tolerate Stratera very well) and my most effective dose is in the 10mg to 15mg range. In my experience, the active time for a dose is 4 or 5 hours. The "crash" you're describing is very common with Adderall. I had a similar problem when I was on IR, but switching to the extended release has made it much less noticeable. The extended release caps are basically two IR pills put together that trigger at different times and there's kind of a ramp up and ramp down that mellows the crash a bit. So if you normally take 10mg IR, you take a 20mg ER when you get up in the morning and you're usually set until the evening.
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Nov 17, 2016 23:11
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I guess this is just another post more on the lines of "that's SO TOTALLY me", but, well, a lot of the symptoms people have shared in this thread just ring true with me. From fidgeting with anything I can get (have never seemed to be able to keep my hands from moving) to not being able to pay attention to anything that didn't catch my attention to start with, being distracted by outside conversations or talky music or talking really fast and overlapping/finishing other people's phrases. I am not really looking for a self-diagnostic and well, even if I have ADD, it's not that bad that it affects my daily life to a significant degree. But it's just... interesting to know there could be some things to help me focus when I need it, even if as I said, I am actually not ADD and just a bit scatterbrained. I used to wonder why my brain seemed to work odd, especially on learning settings. At primary and high school, I was a quiet shy kid who did pretty well without really studying too much, but I distinctly remember struggling with calculus and hating it, just because adding/multiplying numbers never seemed to give me the same result twice, so it was a crapshoot if I got the result right or wrong. My father, who was a really intelligent guy who loved maths, tried a lot of times to make me understand how it all worked, but I just could not see it. For me it was chaotic. Once I got older and moved out to algebra that effect faded out for some reason, and I can (usually) operate equations without messing up, but even today I hate doing sums. But other than that, I did fine. Funny thing, I also remember not liking TV at all as a child because I had to sit quiet paying attention to a TV for a long time and that was just boring, why would anyone like it. That still happens today, too, the only way I can watch a full movie is split it on several sessions or by sitting on a cinema or a train with no other options to do. University was another story, though. I am a Chemistry major. At the first and second years I actually struggled with lack of base knowledge (which was nobody's fault, just a crappy school system) and depression/anxiety. Once that cleared out and I found my feet, though, I started doing a bit better. But now that I actually had to study big chunks of text and pay attention to classes, I found out that around 75% of them were boring and I could not follow them at all. It wasn't that I already knew what was being taught (I did not) nor that I didn't understand a thing. It was more like "I paid attention for like 5 minutes and I understood that thing" then proceed to unfocus for almost the rest of the class. As someone in the thread said earlier, taking notes did not help, in that I focused on the notes, but not the class. Needless to say, studying up the subjects was harder that it should. Some I could get into even if the lessons had flown over my head. Some were as bad in paper as in person. In order to study, I got into a dynamic of "pay attention to that for an hour, get up, do something for fifteen minutes, then come back and do some problems for another hour, or tackle up that other subject so there's a bit of variety". That usually worked. I still passed the tests and graduated in time, just not with the best grades. I got resigned to not being a top student, but it was OK, I felt good enough. Fast forward to PhD studies. Due to the afforementioned less-than-stellar grades I could not get a scholarship, but where I live studying is cheap so I could do it. I ended up working with two teachers independiently. Both great people. Both fields were really interesting. But one of them insisted on making me do repetitive work and analyze results and not much else, which... well. The other actually wanted me to think about what I did and why the results happened and discuss them. And that worked for some reason. I found myself being able to focus on my work (sometimes too intensely, like I'd start writing some research results and not stop for two or three hours straight), and actually enjoyed learning things. The other teacher's work suffered as a result, but I still think it was no fault of her own. I got my PhD and still love my field and my work. But still, I was lucky that one of my teachers somehow hit the right buttons. It did wonders for my self-esteem too, to be able to get things done. Sorry for the E/N wall of text, everyone. I will look at some of the resources on this thread. You all have made me realize it can be a good idea. Thanks for sharing your experiences, it really helps.
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Nov 19, 2016 22:25
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peepsalot posted:I recently got diagnosed with ADHD at 35, and my psychiatrist has started me on adderall IR 5mg, 2x a day. Starting below what you would probably need for maximum benefit is a good idea in general, even with no definite concerns like blood pressure. They'll probably up it in the minimum increment assuming that you have tolerated 5mg well. I had no relevant concerns, and I went through the same when I started stimulants. And then again from a low dose when I switched meds from the methylphenidate group (Ritalin, Focalin) to the amphetamine group (Adderall, Dexedrine, Vyvanse). I don't recall if I started that low, but I went through 3-4 steps for each. peepsalot posted:I don't know why they don't just say how many hours apart to spread them on the prescription,but it just says "one in the morning and one at noon", which obviously doesn't make sense if you wake up at 11 or so some days. peepsalot posted:e: the other reason i'm wondering if its a bullshit dose is that the first 2 pharmacies i went to did not carry that strength, and said no one had ordered it in the past year, and had to call around to find a pharmacy that had it. I also assumed XR would be the more typical prescription instead of IR, but didn't question it because it was dificult enough to get to this point. Vyvanse, which is internally processed differently and has a lot smoother uptake due to that, is good though in my opinion. If it wasn't so expensive I'd take it for regular workday type stuff where I can expect to need 6-8 hours of effect. Don't feel the same kind of initial push, the peak is lower compared to the plateau, the rolloff is a good bit slower, and it's steadier for the middle 6-7 hours or so. Too bad about the price and insurance issues though. Hopefully it will be a lot more affordable when generics are out.
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Nov 20, 2016 03:32
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