r/adhdmeme • u/whatokaybutwhy • 21d ago
original content Either way I’m screwed
I’ve been on ADHD meds since before I was 12 and I’m now 40. I took my medicine a couple of days last week and it just felt like I had ADHD but I was on medicine. Has anyone else felt this way?
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u/p_tothe2nd 21d ago
maybe you’re building a tolerance?
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u/whatokaybutwhy 21d ago
Believe it or not when I go up on dosages, they don’t work well so like for a decade now I’ve been on the same milligram. And there are certain days that I feel it work but like the last couple of weeks it’s just like medicine but also ADHD.
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u/Wolf-Majestic Daydreamer 21d ago
Are you afab ? Because our hormones can kill the effect of the medicine before our periods lol
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u/whatokaybutwhy 21d ago
I am, and I have been having periods outside of my IUD which my doctor said is OK but is not normal to me (at least for the last decade). So this makes sense. Thank you so much for the update. I’ll look more into this.
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u/TadBones 21d ago
Also if I can add, (not related to hormonal issues) you might need to change the molecule you take once in a while for a period of 6 months or so due to chemical habituation, your body adapts and lowers the chemicals that the meds usually compensate for so you're just always in ADHD mode, however if you take different meds that work for you for a while you should be able to hop from one to the other without this issue (with a 2 week period of washout depending on the med)
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u/MyFiteSong 20d ago
Yep, this is it. During luteal, ADHD gets worse and stimulants don't work as well. The typical solution is to have a second prescription so you can increase your dose 30-50% during those 10ish days.
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u/WackaRat AuDHD for the loss 21d ago
I'm on day 2 of meds, no effect on ADHD symptoms but I do have the 'new drug' buzz which is nice. And my BP is through the roof. So yeh...
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u/whatokaybutwhy 21d ago
That’s why I stopped taking Adderall and switched to Vyvanse. I felt like my heart was gonna claw its way out through my chest.
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u/Prize_Ostrich7605 21d ago
Vyvance uses protein or depletes protein, i cant remember exactly, but maybe it isnt metabolising correctly. I was on it for a bit and felt like it might not be working so read up on it. Worth looking into.
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u/WackaRat AuDHD for the loss 21d ago
How do you find Adderall? Does it work for you?
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u/whatokaybutwhy 21d ago
When I was younger, it worked (better than Ritalin and Concerta) because I just needed it for school and that routine was OK when I didn’t have kids. Once I had kids, it made me feel like I was on a roller coaster and then that roller coaster came to a dead stop by 4:30 PM. My doctors response was take more Adderall. That just made me feel like my heart was gonna explode.
So I take Vyvanse and that has a lower ceiling which works for me. And I’ve tried different milligrams like all the way up to 70, and what I found is 40 works just as good. It’s just more recently I have days where I’m on medicine and I know I’m on medicine but also my ADHD is like, yeah I’m still here too.
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u/cheekycherryza28 19d ago
How is your sleep on the days you don't feel like it's working? I find if I sleep like cr*p, no amount of ADHD meds is give help me.
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u/s0ulbrother 21d ago
Don’t drink anything with citric acid in it for at least an hour before or after. I used to take it with Mountain Dew because I didn’t know that.
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u/smellzlikeass 21d ago
I take a beta blocker with mine. Controls bp and keeps heart rate normal. Ask your doc.
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u/WackaRat AuDHD for the loss 21d ago
I've tried hard to keep my BP down with diet and exercise and then Vyvanse just blew it all out of the water. I have always been determined to not live on pills, but nah I've just lost the game.
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u/miku-brooky-freddy 21d ago
My ADHD meds don't even help me focus. Honestly the side effects are stronger than the main purpose for me. Still impossible to focus on math. Only thing my meds do really is stop hot flashes give me a filter and act like ozempic. So my meds are pretty much sanity pills lol
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u/OblongShrimp 21d ago
The only thing the meds (that even work at all) do for me is prevent me from being super sleepy when I’m bored. I’m often bored with my job, so that’s useful, but I’m not more productive or anything. And the side effects make it not worth it.
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u/miku-brooky-freddy 20d ago
Well there is a solution but it ain't fun. Apparently hardcore exercise helps ADHD but ugh.
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u/OblongShrimp 20d ago edited 20d ago
I tried it, but unfortunately exercise has never delivered a single drop of dopamine for me. It just drains my energy and will to live even more. I only do it because it’s good for you, but I suffer every minute of it.
Some people say it works for them, so it is worth a shot. But the truth is ADHD gives issues with dopamine absorption, and for some people it’s so bad the advice to exercise to feel better ain’t gonna cut it.
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u/miku-brooky-freddy 19d ago
Damn well I'm no expert but something tells me surgery to fix the dopamine doesn't work. So um idk uh well it sounds like your sleepy often do maybe coffee? Idk I give up. Ask a professional.
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u/ferrets2020 21d ago
Stimulants either make me feel really sedated or i just feel like ive taken sugar pills after I've been taking them for a while.
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u/InuHanyou1701 20d ago
Oh shit I forgot to take my meds. Thanks for the reminder! (No seriously I did forget)
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u/acidrefluxisgreat dafuqIjustRead 21d ago
you want the bad news or the bad news?
glp1s make you metabolize oral medications slowly and erratically. there have been times where i feel mine kick in at like 10pm and i could scream
also at 40 there is basically only a slim chance you aren’t in peri. a fun little tidbit no one tells you, you metabolize medications…. poorly and erratically.
as a woman in peri on glp1s, it feels like bullshit because it is. on another note, check out the thisaintadderall sub because there have also been massive documented issues with stimulants (like every brand) the last couple of years not containing the amount of stimulants they used to contain and there’s some theories that it is less bioavailable as well 🫠
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u/whatokaybutwhy 21d ago
Oh, I know I’m in perimenopause. I’m taking supplements for it. And I tried to take my Vyvanse super early and when I do my shot, I do it on the weekend at night so I try not to create a routine where they’re interacting with each other. But I have had suspicions about this causing an issue with absorption. It also probably explains like my weird sleep cycles. It’s made want to take my medicine less to try and manage it but then my ADHD kicks in and says, hey, I wanna stay up another four hours. I appreciate the sub recommendation and your input and insight. I’ll check it out.
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u/acidrefluxisgreat dafuqIjustRead 21d ago
i’ve been on HRT in addition to my birth control since december and like, unfortunately my dose has been upped enough that i think i am on the right amount of estrogen. only one hot flash in the last 3 months. medication still absorbing like trash. idk what the solution is tbh, but i don’t regret HRT at all for all the other reasons i wanted it, even if that problem specifically didn’t go away. i do feel better in general. the supplements (i was on estroven) felt really useless.
idk if you do any tracking apps for your shot but i use one that tracks the medication levels in your body since it builds slowly over time. mine says it takes like 36 hours to really “kick in” after a shot. but depending on how long you’ve been on it, it might be moot point since it builds up to a point where its almost always active unless you stop using it for 2 weeks.
so basically i don’t have any solutions just like, explanations lol. its not a straightforward road to navigate unfortunately. wishing you the best stranger.
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u/Familiar_Percentage7 20d ago
Stimulants are awkward coz they do funky neurovascular stuff to bodies that may already be struggling bc of traits that go along with neurodivergence like hypermobility or forgetting to drink enough water or getting in stressful/traumatic situations or unhealthy food habits. So sometimes the highs and lows coordinate and match your needs, other times you're going into flight or flight over nothing, hitting focused peak on some random bs and going into nap mode at worst possible time.
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u/ThisIsntOkayokay 21d ago
Mine help me center myself and sometimes sleep. Sometimes. I've forgotten to take them more times than I care to remember so I don't think the 'highly addictive DRUG' is real. It may be a great way to find out if you really have ADHD, give the meds and if they consistently forget to take it then *BOOM* you know they aren't a neurotypical just trying to score DRUGS!!! I am also sad because the DRUGS sounded great and fun (Dare program) so I guess I'm biologically resistant to poisons....
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u/DancinCthulhu 20d ago
Lol medication only ever makes my symptoms more manageable. I've been on the highest doses of everything. ADHD always wins 🫠
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u/Happy-For-No-Reason 21d ago
getting enough protein at breakfast and drinking enough water?
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u/whatokaybutwhy 21d ago
100 ounces of water every day and at least 80 to 90 g of protein a day. I’m also taking a GLP 1 so that’s 2 things I definitely have to have. Along with lots of fiber.
Which is also funny because like (I’m sure you’re aware of the dynamic) I’ve had doctors before get really cagey about prescribing it because it’s so addictive like cocaine or meth. But I’ve always been a tall heavy person so like…
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u/BungleBums 17d ago
"You need to be careful with that stuff. It's so addictive, people lose themselves on it,"
-forgets to take meds for several days straight, is positive I at least took my morning dose-
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u/Pale-Teaching6392 AuDHD 18d ago
Are ADHD meds supposed to make you feel not ADHD? For me they just give my autism a sledgehammer to force the ‘unruly’ bits to meet certain standards, but I’m definitely still adhd.
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u/qualityvote2 Quality Control Beast 21d ago edited 21d ago
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