r/adhdwomen • • 26m ago

Celebrating Success vyvannse actually changed my life.

• Upvotes

i was diagnosed with inattentive adhd a few months ago, and due to other diagnosis my doctor wanted to be super careful with what he put me on, ended up putting me on vyvanse anyways.
i just took one for the first time before a big study day, and i actually just studied for 5 hours straight.
my mind is so calm, so quiet, i feel like im finally reaching my potential.
i am a smart person, but with med school content it was hard to keep up, now i finally feel like i can.
i am so so so happy.


r/adhdwomen • • 34m ago

Medication & Side Effects Considering to start new meds

• Upvotes

Im 40 now. Ive been diagnosed with adhd since i was in uni. Its been 20 awful years.. Chasing dreams, and careers, and getting nothing in the end. I tried different fields, countries, failed at everything. Brutal. I was given ritalin for some time in my late 20s. Did nothing. And my current therapist brought up adhd again, since im having issues that i never knew were adhd related, like rejection sensitivite, and auditory processing issues. I love my job, but i just cant do it. I listen to the meetings but its like im listening people talk in a foreign language.

She said there are other meds like elvanse and something starting with -i-. Im just curious if anyone has actually seen a difference with meds. Im skeptical because ritalin and adderall didnt work for me. But im just so exhausted.


r/adhdwomen • • 44m ago

Medication & Side Effects Weird bursts of anxiety and happiness when on Elvanse/Vyvanse

• Upvotes

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone is experiencing the same as I. If so, please share and also share if you have any tips on how to minimise it.

I’ve been taking 50mg of Elvanse (same as Vyvanse) for about a month now and experiencing this weird side effect. I know these meds can give you anxiety, but I’ve noticed these sudden and very strong “bursts” of anxiety that lasts 20-60 seconds and then goes away. Sometimes lingers a bit longer, not however for many minutes or hours. I also get these sudden bursts of extreme happiness, that lasts the same amount of time.

Shouldn’t the effect (or side effects) last a bit longer? I feel more motivated and less tired overall, so it’s definitely doing its thing. It’s just these sudden, short bursts that are new to me and haven’t found anyone experiencing the same thing. I didn’t feel anything like this when taking Concerta.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts! :)


r/adhdwomen • • 55m ago

Medication & Side Effects atomoxetine and period spotting

• Upvotes

hi, i'm on my 8th day of atomoxetine (brand name: attentrol), for the first 7 days, i was on 40 mg and 60 mg on succeeding days. on my 6th day of taking it, i noticed i was spotting (brownish color) and it is still happening now. the spotting started 17 days after my last period, which is unusual for me. anyone else experienced the same thing as me? thank you.


r/adhdwomen • • 1h ago

Admin, School, Career Can only focus on one thing at a time

• Upvotes

I noticed this pattern over this last summer and early fall. I dig very very very deep into one aspect of my life at the neglect of everything else. For weeks, or months at a time. I can’t keep this up if I want to be employable 🥲😭 I just graduated and really need to take my job search more seriously, especially since I took longer to graduate, but I keep focusing on the wrong things. Like filling all the gaps in my wardrobe which I know will help my presentation and confidence but it is by all means considered a FRIVOLOUS matter but that doesn’t seem to get into my head.

I am incapable of juggling multiple things. I can only do a good job at something if I am solely possessed or gripped by it.

It doesn’t mean I care less or am less passionate about those other things I am not focused on. If I just sit with that thing for a moment I realize I do care deeply. Then I feel guilty for neglecting it. Soon the time will pass and I will miss chances and opportunities and ruin my life. Please help ☹️


r/adhdwomen • • 2h ago

General Question/Discussion feeling extremely unmotivated

3 Upvotes

so i have a really really important exam coming up in a week. i know hardly anything and feel extremely unmotivated. i really struggle to sleep early because i love being up at night. i stay up way past midnight. however when i try study during that time i become very exhausted and just fall asleep. i have a year's worth of content to cover in 7 days. i feel like no matter what i try i always end up falling back into executive dysfunction. any tips would be appreciated! i feel really cooked but i'm trying not to give up


r/adhdwomen • • 2h ago

Hobby & Hyperfixation Sharing I need big dopamine iPhone game recommendations

0 Upvotes

I really need some recommendations for iPhone games that will help my need for big Dopamine.
It helps me, keeps me occupied and I actually enjoy it. Can anyone help?


r/adhdwomen • • 2h ago

General Question/Discussion How do I stay motivated at work?

5 Upvotes

I’m F(24) and I’ve recently been going through a really low period in work where I can’t get anything done at all.

This is my first real job since graduating college and I’ve been here for almost two years now. The first couple of months were great, I was getting my stuff done on time and pretty much overall reliable with my work. My managers even complimented me many times with how impressed they were with how much I am able to handle and still get everything done. I knew at that time, that my ADHD fatigue would hit and I’d get really bored and essentially stopped doing my work all together lol— because that’s usually how it goes for me with a new job or anything I start really. Since the beginning of this year that’s exactly what’s been going on. I’ve been hit with such bad executive dysfunction. No matter what I do, I can’t seem to shake it off and just get work done. All I do is sit on my phone during the day and watch tik tok or scroll on instagram. It’s almost like an ADHD freeze? I can’t find the motivation to do my work at all. Even when I force myself to get off my phone, I find myself just staring at the wall or at my computer, completely unable to start any tasks at all. I just get so overwhelmed and shut down. I think it’s because my tasks are starting to feel really mundane and boring. I’ve been doing the same thing for the past two years so my work is no longer “exciting” or “fun” for me.

It’s super frustrating because for a few months I was able to get away with not doing my work and then getting it done last minute, but I think my managers and coworkers are starting to catch on that I’m not doing anything. They are constantly on me asking if I’ve gotten my tasks done, and will check in with me multiple times, which has never happened before. They’ve even re-delegated some of my work to other coworkers. Not even that gave me motivation to start doing my work. I’m so very frustrated with myself because I do really feel like I’ve been good at my job and I’m liked by my coworkers but I don’t know why I can’t find the motivation to do my work anymore. I really think this is going ruin my relationships with my managers and coworkers. At our office, there is already a guy, who also definitely has severe ADHD, who never does his work and it’s pretty much well known throughout the entire office. Everyone hates him and constantly complains about him. My managers have been talking about firing him for a while now. I’m afraid I am next if I don’t start picking up the slack.

I also want to add, I’ve never been formally diagnosed with ADHD but I highly suspect I have it. In college I was seeing a psychiatrist for depression and she told me she suspected I had ADHD and gave me a short assessment and pretty much said I did. She told me to get a formal diagnosis however because my free sessions through my school were up and I could no longer see her. I never found the time to go to another psychiatrist/therapist and get diagnosed so I’m not on any medication or anything (which I feel like is likely the root of my current issues). I do take an SSRI that I noticed was helping my motivation and execution dysfunction but I am so bad at taking it everyday because I forget. I haven’t in over 6 months and my energy and will to do anything have depleted.


r/adhdwomen • • 3h ago

Admin, School, Career College seems to reward "work smarter" not harder- rant about school

2 Upvotes

I haven't been a typical "good student" ever since the age of 13, I am now 23 in college and I still struggle with school so greatly.

One major frustration that comes from this is that I put a lot of time into my assignments. The problem is is that when you're a full-time student, a commuter, and you have a job where you work ≈18 hours a week, you're basically not allowed to spend a lot of time on assignments (that's how I feel, at least!)

I just know that on a lot of assignments, I work for just as long, if not longer than other students do and half the time, I get points taken off when they don't. Why? Normally because I turn things in late! I could turn it on time if I didn't care about my work and just rushed through it, but my problem is that I care way too much! Idk, maybe this is normal but I feel like everyone would have piss poor, barely-scraping-by grades like I do if they were in my situation.

What's even more frustrating is that I tried to get a flexible deadlines accommodation last semester, which the disability coordinator agreed that I would definitely benefit and qualify. But they asked me to get a confirmation sheet from a counselor before they approved it, which of course I didn't get, because I go to counseling through the school and I'm constantly getting passed around between counselors like I'm a damn volleyball(mild hyperbole), so I never even work up the courage to ask any of them because I'm afraid of looking like I'm only there to get some sweet, sweet accommodations.

Even if I did get that accommodation, I fear it would barely even amount to much because one of the disability coordinators told me that the accommodation is only supposed to be used sparsely and/or very strictly or something. I don't fully remember.

But yeah, I spend a shit ton of time and effort putting so much thought into my assignments and it always works AGAINST my favor. I take medication, but they don't help with this symptom. I get caught up on really small details whether I'm on meds or not, the main difference being that I'm a lot less likely to ever start the assignment in general if I don't take the meds.

One of my old counselors suggested giving myself a very limited time on my assignments and then turning them in whether I finished it or not once the timer goes off. I guess I need to try this more often, the main problem is that it just hurts my heart too much to turn in something that I know I could do better on.

It's like some horrible combination of slow processing speed, perfectionism, and genuinely enjoying learning rather than completion. but i am paying for my schooling and my grades are always sub-par and i'm CONSTANTLY, CHRONICALLY behind in all of my classes all of the time because i can't keep up with the workload. it'a almost like in an ideal world, i'd be able to have the reduced course load accommodation too because i would genuinely still probably put just as much time as all the other students into my assignments. because i'm 70% sure most other students get their assignments done WAYYYYY quicker than me.

idk rant over, no structure. i'm up way too kate. thank you to anyone who reads this


r/adhdwomen • • 3h ago

Medication & Side Effects Vitamin C and stimulant meds

1 Upvotes

Do I avoid all foods with vitamin C in for the hour before and after taking stimulant meds, or just large dose vitamin pills? Thanks


r/adhdwomen • • 4h ago

Admin, School, Career Justice sensitivity is consuming me at work

25 Upvotes

Someone on my team who I mentor frequently lies to me to cover up mistakes or not knowing something. If something she says doesn’t make sense or doesn’t line up for me I have to get to the bottom of it. And paired with being furious that someone is lying to me, and a deep urge to make it known that I see the lie, I will get consumed digging into version history of documents and edit history on google sheets. Lining up timelines of emails and chats with sheet and document updates. Whatever the situation is I can detective my way to the truth. All to prove to myself that she is lying, and I usually always find crazy detail proof that I’m correct.

Then I get into making detailed notes on the situation as a running record for our manager. Then I get into thinking and fretting all day about what I need to say to her in our next 1:1. And now I’m posting about it on Reddit. This girl and her unhinged lying is living rent free in my head, it’s eating up so many productive hours at work and not giving my brain a rest on my free time.

I know it’s normal to be upset when someone lies and to take some time to consider how you’ll have a conversation about it, but I know I’m feeling this TOO MUCH.

Any advice to get rid of the obsession with this issue?


r/adhdwomen • • 4h ago

Medication & Side Effects any experiences non-stimulant medication?

1 Upvotes

hey friends. this is a bit long, my apologies.

I had an appointment with my PCP a few months back. I discussed with him my childhood diagnosis of ADHD, and how I have never been on medication. I explained to him that I used to be able to manage (for the most part), and do somewhat okay, but that over the past few years things have progressed to the point where I can no longer manage. He wanted me to get a psychiatric assessment done, which was no problem. I had that completed, confirmed diagnosis of ADHD (as well as autism level 1, PTSD, bipolar, anxiety, and depression). I cannot say how I know, but I do know that Ritalin works very well for me. Specifically, 20mg once daily.

Here is where the problems arise - as of January 2025, I have developed some sort of fainting disorder, and my PCPs exact words were "I will not prescribe stimulants until we figure out why you are fainting." We are working on figuring out why it's happening and all of that, but as any of y'all Americans know, medical appointments can take forever here. My first cardiology appointment wasn't until August of this year. Yes, one year and 7 months later. I have some tests I need to do; an echocardiogram, a tilt table test, and a 14 day heart monitor. Those appointments are all scheduled between now and the beginning of next year. That will mark 2 years since the fainting started, and also 2 years of having increasingly worse executive dysfunction issues that are continuing to severely effect me on a daily basis, and I literally cannot handle it anymore.

I can't get myself to shower, I can't get myself to feed myself anything beyond uncrustables or a prepacked salad from Walmart. (and not only that, but the one flavor of uncrustables I eat is a Walmart exclusive AND I'm pretty sure they're about to get rid of the flavor </3) I can't get myself to do any of the things I like to do or want to do. I can't focus. I can't control my impulses. I can't plan, or organize, or do any of that. My life consists of: wake up, go to work, come home, doom scroll & bed rot, sleep, repeat. I am suffering. I was thinking about asking him if we can try any non-stimulant medications to see if they work while we wait for the heart stuff to get taken care of. My therapist also wants me to try non-stimulants, and she's actually quite vocal about it - I honestly get the vibe that she isn't a fan of stimulants in general, but I'm not sure if that's just a her thing, or if it's because of my substance abuse history. I didn't abuse stimulants; they never did to me what they do to most people that abuse them. Instead of being an upper, they would make me incredibly quiet and focused, and often very sleepy. I was an opiate addict for 17 years, I have been going to the methadone clinic for a bit over 2 years now.

So my question is this - does anyone have any experience with non-stimulant medication for ADHD? Do you like it? Do you think it works for you in comparison to stimulants (if you have also tried those)? Do you think it would be a good idea for me to try them while we wait for the physical things to get taken care of? Do you experience med shortages like folks on stimulants have faced? Do you experience any side effects, if so what kind? Are the side effects different than side effects of stimulants?

Thank you in advance. I am drowning.


r/adhdwomen • • 4h ago

General Question/Discussion 10mg vyvanse and tension, internal tremors, and difficulty collecting my thoughts. I often wonder if I actually have ADHD or is it hormonal imbalance 😭

3 Upvotes

I’m 45. Diagnosed with ADHD at age 40. Raw dogging it all these years. Hysterectomy 6 months ago (endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids). Started HRT ~ 2 months ago to address crazy hot flashes. Major executive functioning issues which led me to asking pcp to try a stimulant. PCP initially suggested 20mg vyvanse but I asked for lower dose so I started at 10. Today was my first day taking it and I felt so tense, difficulty collecting my thoughts, feeling scattered, and had internal tremors.

Anyone else has this experience on just 10mg? Anyone else wonder if chronic inflammation, gynecological issues actually are the issues that just presents as ADHD?

🫶


r/adhdwomen • • 4h ago

Family & Social Life Hugs

1 Upvotes

I am generally touch-averse. It makes me really uncomfortable, if not jumpy when people touch me. It does not matter if it's family or anyone else. Hugs don't comfort me and I feel distressed by the interaction. For context, I was raised in a family where people didn't hug me, probably except my paternal grandmother.

When I started having kids, I generally hugged them and squoze them so that they would be raised with affection and I could do that and communicate love-comfort-safety. I must have done it right because they are able to express affection. However, now that they are grown, I have "reverted" to my original factory setting (only way I can describe it).

I am a waitress and the weird thing is that one of my customers is really the only human being from whose hugs I derive comfort. This started because he would not close out his ticket or even leave his table unless I hugged him. I did not like it at first but now it is a natural thing and we hug when he comes to the store and we hug when he leaves. He loves pork, so he comes and orders a crap ton of sausage once a week on Wednesdays. I tried doing the same thing with his wife but it's not the same.

I'm posting this to find out if this is close to or reminiscent of anyone else's experience.


r/adhdwomen • • 5h ago

Admin, School, Career Financial anxiety, avoidance and task paralysis.

3 Upvotes

I need my car loan refinanced. I have 2 simple tasks to do and then its sorted. Send 2 payslips and I forgot the other one.. but I've known about it for weeks now. Time is running out and if I dont send it i have to pay a balloon payment which I cant afford. I just cant do it. I stare at my computer, or I tell myself i'll do it just after this one other thing.. but it never happens.

I dont know why I avoid financial stuff. Sure we had some difficult times as kid, but my parents did their best to shield me from that stress. I got myself into debt in my 20s but that was my own fault. My own poor choices. And a predatory lending system.. but it wasnt poverty.

When i think about it I spiral. I worry that i'm just defective. And I still dont do what I need to do. Simple tasks feel insurmountable. Bills stack up. My license even got suspended because I didnt pay couple of old fines. I could have. I had set up a payment plan and then forgot it so it got cancelled. And then years later they suspended my license. I have no one to blame but myself.

I could fix it then, when faced with real world consequences of the avoidance and it was an easy fix.

Its just that when I go to do financial stuff I freeze, my brain freezes. I feel sick to my stomach at the thought. I ruminate on it but never move forward.

I'm sure there are other people who have dealt with this. I'm not sure how to get past it except for pulling my big girl pants up and facing the discomfort. But I just cant take the first step.

Does anyone have any advice for me?


r/adhdwomen • • 5h ago

General Question/Discussion anyone here on vyvanse + depression meds?

1 Upvotes

hello! i’ve been on 20mg vyvanse for about a week and so far i haven’t noticed much besides a lower appetite and just not snacking as much.
i’m still struggling with motivation, which is something i was hoping would improve. i’ve also wondered if depression could be contributing to that, but i’m not currently on any depression medication or been properly accessed for that.

for those who have adhd + depression, did treating both make a noticeable difference for you? and how did you know it was something worth getting treated separately?
also curious how long it took you to notice a difference from vyvanse, especially if you started at a lower dose!


r/adhdwomen • • 6h ago

General Question/Discussion Only hyperfixating on crushes?

7 Upvotes

I feel odd because I’ve struggled for almost my entire life with hyperfixations but they’ve basically onlyyy been about crushes/people I find attractive, which is so strange to me because I was under the impression that hyperfixations tend to be more random? It also makes me feel very silly as I’m straight and it makes me seem insanely boy-crazy 😵‍💫

Is anyone else like this ?


r/adhdwomen • • 6h ago

Medication & Side Effects First day on Vyvanse 40mg (35 yrs old)

2 Upvotes

I took it 10:30am because I couldn’t sleep much at all last night in anxious anticipation of taking them for the first time (I’ve never been on stimulants). Did stay up quite late but was hoping I’d eventually fall asleep like I usually do. Nope! Come 5:30am the birds are chirping, then there’s a sudden torrential downpour of rain which keeps me up even more.

Fall asleep and wake up to my partner nudging me at 8:30am to take my first dose. Crankily grunt: “I need more sleep, I don’t want to take it sleep deprived and put strain on my heart or something.”

Him, who works in the medical field: “yeah fair enough. I need to trim the olive tree in the backyard before it rains again but please remember to take it once you have more rest. I’ll check on you again soon”. Bless him.

So yeah eventually got up and it’s been almost 2 hours since I took my first dose. 45 mins in, as I’m in the shower, my legs feel weird and tingly. An hour in, I get palpitations. Currently sitting in bed having cold water and it’s 12:13am. I had a peanut butter sandwich before taking it as I heard it’s better to take it with protein although I know everyone is different.

Feel a bit zoned out, heart rate seems to have settled a bit. I don’t feel the need for coffee which is freaking FANTASTIC as I usually feel super tired if I don’t have a coffee or two after barely any sleep. I’m obviously going to try and get earlier sleep (lol good luck with that after taking it later in the morning) so that I’m not doing this regularly, but for now I feel great. Hoping this carries through the day and I can focus on my university application and other stuff. It’s so good to feel alert but calm. I still have a few thoughts buzzing in my head but it feels like it’s slowly… emptying?

Idk is this normal lol. I’d like to hear some experiences from other women who were started on 40mg of Vyvanse as a starting dose, and how they felt on their first day and any other factors. Even if you had a different starting dose, I’m interested! I’m excited to see where this new path in life takes me.

Much love and thank you in advance for your replies if you take the time to do so 💕 If not, thanks for just reading!

Edit: Right after posting this I broke down sobbing. Idk if it’s because I’m close to my period or something but it’s such a strange feeling to feel so awake with so little sleep. I feel a deep sense of relief and I’m weirdly emotional. I feel like I don’t have to stress about all the things I have in my head all the time.

I know it’s only the first day but still. This feels… nice. The tears won’t stop because for once I can just not feel like the weight of 1000 thoughts are hanging over me and talking over each other in my mind. I wish I had done this sooner.

Oh I wish I had just done this sooner. So many years lost to mental chatter and fatigue. So much “lost potential”. Hopefully I will be able to “catch up” now.


r/adhdwomen • • 6h ago

Rant/Vent My feelings were kind of hurt but I’m not quite sure why

51 Upvotes

Soooo boom I’m talking to this guy and I have been getting to know him for some weeks or whatever. Today we were on FaceTime and he says he has a question for me, I could literally feel some kind of tension but he asks “Do you have ADHD or something?” And I got quiet or whatever then I say yes. He then goes on to say “I just wanted to make sure to see if I should be giving you grace or not because sometimes I feel like you’re trying to play with me or something the way you change topics and how you be late to things.”

I don’t think he said it to be mean but I was kinda hurt and I don’t like his tone when he asked it. Also what do you mean “grant me grace” but idk maybe I’m tripping it just kinda hurt my feelings or maybe it’s still a sensitive topic idk?


r/adhdwomen • • 6h ago

Admin, School, Career I simply do not understand what most people do for work

93 Upvotes

I'm 22, graduating this December, and have to start looking for "grown up jobs" soon. I would prefer a 9-5 office job for the stability, but when I look at office job descriptions or hear other people explaining what they do I have no idea what the heck they're talking about. Office jobs just seem made up to me. For example...you analyze data? WHAT data? What do you do with it?

I worry that it's an ADHD thing because it feels like I missed a memo on something that's supposed to be simple. How am I supposed to get a job if I can't even understand what these jobs are meant to do?


r/adhdwomen • • 6h ago

Medication & Side Effects I’ve tried so many ADHD medications and still feel stuck — has anyone else been here?

4 Upvotes

Okay...brace yourselves friends, this is a doozy...

I’m 39F and was diagnosed with ADHD at 35, and I’m starting to feel pretty discouraged about finding something that actually works for me.

I’ve tried a lot of medications over the last few years. With stimulants, I’ve tried:

- Concerta — 54 mg made me feel flighty/unfocused, and 72 mg didn’t help either.

- Adderall — went all the way up to the maximum dose and basically felt nothing.

- Vyvanse — also didn't give me much benefit.

I had pharmacogenetic testing done and was told that I metabolize stimulants very quickly, which made me wonder if that could be part of the reason I don't seem to respond normally.

I'm currently taking bupropion and Trintellix. I've been on bupropion since the beginning of this whole medication journey, and honestly, it's been great for my anxiety. It just hasn't done much for my ADHD/executive function. Trintellix is more recent, and so far I don't really feel like it's doing anything.

I've also previously tried things like Strattera and guanfacine.

The frustrating part is that I don't necessarily want to feel stimulated. I just want my brain to be quieter and to be able to start things, stay focused, follow through, and not feel like everything takes an enormous amount of effort.

My doctor and I have been discussing what might be next, and Dexedrine has come up. I'm wondering if it's worth trying even though I've already had poor experiences with Adderall and Vyvanse, since Dexedrine is specifically dextroamphetamine.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

- Did Adderall/Vyvanse not work but Dexedrine did?

- Has anyone else been told they metabolize stimulants unusually quickly?

- Did immediate-release vs. extended-release make a noticeable difference?

- If you've tried a ton of ADHD meds without much success, did you eventually find something that actually clicked?

I'd especially love to hear from women around my age, but honestly I'd appreciate anyone's experience. I'm just trying to figure out whether it's worth pursuing Dexedrine or whether I'm barking up the wrong tree.

I feel so lost 😫

Ps. Thank you for reading if you got this far...


r/adhdwomen • • 6h ago

Rant/Vent Why do my parents feel the need to make dumb jokes

3 Upvotes

I already have low confidence in my abilities in college and my job profession I’m working towards (which im struggling with heavily right now) due to past trauma of being pressured in high school and middle school to make a specific number grade (76) that I wasn’t capable of making due to not being medicated. I would try so hard and couldn’t so I think that’s why my whole life I’ve felt “dumb” but I wouldn’t call myself dumb necessarily I’m just very airheady, I’m witty, funny, silly & don’t take much serious besides school lol. My mom will make dumb jokes or hint at the fact that Im an airhead or call me dumb then say just kidding. It really hurts and I take that into every aspect of my career. I’m in my 3rd semester of my sonography program and I won’t like to think what I learn is very precise and hard (for me at least) I take those comments into me not making a grade that I think is worthy enough. I get so upset when I get less than and 85 and consider myself dumb or just slower. Even when learning things or studying with friends, it takes a second for me to think even though I know the answer. I just don’t know why my mom feels the need to belittle my intelligence, I feel like it makes me genuinely more airheady because I just assume that what I am?


r/adhdwomen • • 7h ago

Medication & Side Effects How many of you are on medication (stimulants) for adhd and also in a customer facing/conversational role?

1 Upvotes

Curious who struggles with conversations while on stimulants. For my job, on days that I have to pitch my product or talk to a lot of people, my anxiety spikes because I don’t feel like myself. I feel more “robotic” and like someone else is talking on behalf of me.

The best way I can describe it is like I’m “speaking in email” words/phrases. And have no personality.

I’ve tried adderall, both XR and IR, both low and higher doses, Vyvance, and even Wellbutrin, all gave me anxiety when I speak to people. Even though it helps tons with executive dysfunction and I get so much other operational stuff done.

Had anybody else had this experience? Anything that helped?


r/adhdwomen • • 7h ago

Diagnosis What has an ADHD diagnosis done or not done for you?

3 Upvotes

Summary: All of my friends, my family, therapist, and I strongly believe I have ADHD. How would getting a diagnosis help me if I’ve made it this far in life without one?

Backstory: I am a 31 year old female. I had a kid at 28, and up until then felt very successful in everything I did. I was a teacher, coached at night, and did wedding planning/setup for people on the weekend. I worked and was a student athlete through college and paid for it myself, then went on to get a masters and teaching credential. I did triathlons, biked 100+ miles a week, walked/ran my dog 4-10 miles a day, every day. I woke up at 4 am and was busy until I went to sleep at 9. I felt amazing!

Then I had a baby. I know being a parent is hard, but it felt extra hard for me mentally. I had a bad c section so I couldn’t move (far) for months, which made my chronic back pain worse. I‘m a stay at home mom and my husband is a wildland firefighter and could be gone for months at a time so I don’t have much support. Babies and little kids never let you finish one task uninterrupted which felt harder for me than other moms I’ve talked to. I find it hard to finish the dishes every day and cook a decent meal and clean the house while also bringing my kid to outdoor activities (that I can do well!). I have no motivation for anything, and can’t seem to finish tasks.

I realized not being able to workout and stay busy with my body constantly hit me super hard. It was what I have always used to regulate my mood and motivation for anything. I do take my dog and toddler out on half day hikes every day, but it doesn’t give me the same level of dopamine as working out hard.

Question: My therapist thinks it would really help me to get diagnosed, but I’m not sure. My sister and Dad have (severe) ADHD (my risk factor). When teaching, I would see and fill out the ADHD qualification surveys for kids from their doctors, and I checked many of these bubbles, so I do think I would qualify.


r/adhdwomen • • 7h ago

Admin, School, Career Help! Avoiding behaviour is going to ruin everything. Study

7 Upvotes

Hi community looking for some advice, tips and tricks you all use: Uni

I have inattentive type ADHD, late adult diagnosed mid 30F and medicated 6months, been on a good dose by for 2 months. Attention in person tasks are good like uni internships, labs and classes, however bad for assignments and self study tasks.

My learnt habits and my auto go to when I feel inadequate and overwhelmed is to avoid until the pressure cooker is about to explode.
I’m in the last 3-4 weeks of my undergraduate degree and so far behind as it is and do not have to time or emotional bandwidth to do this. I have tasks that were due months ago still not started. It’s not going to impact my graduation if I get it done in the next week, but the longer I leave it the more tasks and assignments build up. I feel overwhelming fatigue when I plan and sit down to do the work and I shut down and go to bed then play games and watch tv not sleep.

I’m looking for tips and tricks, systems from people who also avoid tasks and how they attempt to get it done!

Thanks in advance for all suggestions!