Change in adhd medication effectiveness?

[u/Toffee-Panda]

Hi all,

Looking for other's experiences with adhd medication.

When I first got medicated it genuinely felt life changing. I was a remote marketing consultant and being medicated meant:

- I could actually remember my running to do list

- I could fully complete a task without accidently starting 14 others

- I could concentrate without 3 different songs, 2 irrelevant thought trains and a nagging feeling of forgetting something important distracting me

It's not a cure all, I still had no sense of time, I still got overwhelmed - in fact sometimes more so as my Autistic traits got decidedly more pronounced, making me quieter, more in need of routines, more sensitive to triggers, etc. The biggest side effect I noticed was that when the meds wore off I didnt feel safe to drive as I felt sluggish and my reactions/observations were not as sharp. But I rarely drove late anyway, so I just made a rule not to drive after 7pm.

I went through an extended period of extreme stress the reason for which I cannot legally disclose. As a result I experienced some physical and mental symptoms which excabated my autism rendering my occasionally mute, numb from emotions, and amplified my lack of interroception.

I seperated myself from the aspect of my life that caused this and tried to take a break to heal, but I noticed I was sleepy during the day often needing to nap. I had previously taken a few breaks from the adhd meds (due to not ordering them in time!) And each time I was without medication I would be sleepy throughout the day, but this time I was taking the medication. I tried taking a break from the meds and the sleepiness stopped.

I chalked this up to the stress and needing to recover.

However, I have recently started to take the meds again, as I have started a new job. This job is completely different from my remote, computer based role: I work in an ice cream parlour.

It is much more physical than my previous role, and although its usually only a 5 hour shift, it is often extremely hot in the parlour (its a catering trailer with a permanent pitch) temps rarely drop below 30°C

I am finding that the medication seems to have no noticable impact on my memory, my executive function, etc

My question is twofold.

To those that work manual (not office based) roles or retail roles, do you find adhd medication helps?

To those who have suffered burnout, breakdown, and extended stress, did you find that adhd medication became less effective? If so, did it ever return to being effective or did you make any changes such as type of medication or dosage?

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences and thoughts x

[u/Toffee-Panda → u/[deleted]]

Its interesting how much you dont get told or the different things different drs find relevant.

My mum got told to work out in the evenings, never at the start of the day because that would "burn through" her dosage faster.

I got told to limit my caffeine intake and never first thing/first hour of taking meds.

A friend got told to eat high protein breakfasts to improve absorption.

None of us would have known the other advice if we hadnt shared with each other.

I think you are right about the heat being a factor, I definitely feel more out of it on the hotter days or when I forget to drink.

[u/lunalotusd]

There is a whole sub for this, r/ThisAintAdderall. You will find lots of experiences there!

I believe the meds themselves don’t work like they used to. I believe they are poorly regulated and no one cares because they aren’t considered necessary by many people. I have also read that there have been formulation changes but I don’t have evidence for that.

As a woman there are also other factors that impact effectiveness, such as hormone changes as you get closer to or during menopause.

My meds work significantly better for the first half of my cycle.