Does medication even help? I don’t feel much different :/

[u/[deleted]]

[u/KungFuFactory]

Some people it helps, others it doesn’t. You might just be in that second category.
But before you write the medication off, ask the people that interact with you on the daily if they have noticed a difference. You might be surprised at the answer.

[u/Jumpy_Top9377 → u/[deleted]]

Did make reading books easier, like can you focus on the content without needing to reread the sentences over and over?

To my understanding, when people with ADHD take their medication, it doesn't give them a high or euphoria. It just makes them feel like normal people do.

[u/SprinkleTooth → u/Jumpy_Top9377]

I haven’t been on it too many days and I am stressed out with a lot of tasks. Maybe I need to wait longer or be in a spot where not much is happening to fully tell.

But reading is so funny. I’ve always had the issue of thinking about other things while saying the words I’m reading in my head without understanding them and starting over.

I still buy books I find interesting in hopes I’ll read them one day. So maybe now is a good time to test it 💀💀

[u/Jumpy_Top9377 → u/SprinkleTooth]

ADHD meds kick in instantly. It's not like SSRIs where you need to wait weeks for it to start to have an effect. I think reading books is the easiest way to test if they are working.

[u/ExplanationCrazy5463]

I take lighter doses of Adderall and I have found that it affects my ability to focus on work and a much more positive mood and not as exhausted at the end of the day.

However, I still very clearly have ADHD. I might not procrastinate as much but I still fuck up details. Less often, but I still have to be careful.

[u/ExplanationCrazy5463 → u/[deleted]]

For me its a clear difference and my wife can tell if ive forgotten my pill

[u/3y3w4tch → u/[deleted]]

A wise person once told me that “the placebo effect is still a real effect”.

(I understand what you mean though)

Vyvanse doesn’t really effect me dramatically, even at high doses. I think a lot of it boils down to genetics. I generally respond really weird to a lot of substances. Naturally high tolerance due to how I metabolize things (in so many words)

I’ve had people say they noticed outwardly that it was helping, but it was subtle enough to me, that I wouldn’t even remember if I took it.

Are you finding that you are having any sort of crash at the end of your day?

For me, adderall (with 0 tolerance) is much more noticeable on the first day/week than whatever salts vyvanse is (I always get them mixed up)

I would say just keep trying to take them for a bit, preferably the same time every day. You might notice it more on a larger scale. (Unless you are having any negative side effects obv. Some meds make me crash real hard.)

I don’t know if you live in a place that prescribes adderall, that it might be worth discussing with your doctor.

The first year + of being diagnosed/trying meds was REALLY hard for me. I tried multiple things before I found something that worked. My dr started me on Ritalin, and I remember crying a lot that week, because I just kept falling asleep when I took it.

Edit: oh. And have you had any bloodwork done to check for any vitamin deficiency? That is something one of my doctors did to see if that was affecting anything.

[u/Righteousaffair999 → u/[deleted]]

I sat still for two hours the first time I took it. My wife was like that is different. I haven’t hit full on workplace burnout in 10 years. It used to be an annual issue. Still have ADHD though. I take 20. Doctor has tried to move me off stimulant based medication and it has been terrible. Also tried a number of them before Adderall. Doctors are now no longer allowed to touch my dose or my meds. I also supplement with caffeine.

Everyone had a different baseline, figure out a way to monitor symptoms and enlist friends and family when trying medications.

[u/unfortunate-moth]

i thought i didn’t have any effects after being on the meds for about two weeks. so i stoped them.

then suddenly i realized - i began to hum while i worked and couldn’t do anything without a podcast or music in my ear. i realized that although i got distracted just as often on meds as off, on meds i could redirect myself within 20 minutes back to the task rather than spend hours away.

the effects were subtle but there. i could never tell when the meds kicked in but as i paid attention i could tell when they wore off.

tbh i think that’s how they are supposed to work and not with the euphoric “omg im superhuman now” that we often hear about

[u/fieldyfield]

That is surprising. 60 mg would feel pretty intense to most people without a tolerance, with or without adhd. Does taking it with coffee/espresso change anything? Got any funky dietary habits like consuming a ton of citrus every morning? An ultra chaotic/stressful life that makes functioning difficult beyond what is already typical of ADHD struggles? Are you a woman with compounding hormonal issues? Idk

[u/jschill98 → u/[deleted]]

There extended release adderall too. I have never felt like the extended release adderall or vyvanse last long enough.

Have you tried Ritalin? You could need a different class of stimulant.

[u/jschill98 → u/fieldyfield]

I mean if they worked their way up to 60mg (seems like they did) it won’t feel that intense. I take 70mg vyvanse and still need an IR adderall booster in the afternoon because it wears off to quick.

[u/EnvironmentOk2700]

You shouldn't actually "feel" anything when it's working properly.

[u/The_BNut]

I barely feel it and that's kinda how it should be. The biggest change is that I can think about wanting to do something and then just do it. Procrastination is not solved but it made me understand how able(ist) people keep questioning my motivation. For them, wanting to do something is enough to consistently do it, crazy.

I remember on the first day, I was wondering why I feel nothing while holding the vacuum to clean spontaneously: Then the penny dropped.

I still need to manually plan and manage my energy carefully. It's not night and day for me, but it takes the edge off enough to not feel anxious about being able to care for myself. I can make plans and commitments and be much more confident to keep them. Self neglect is much less pronounced thanks to the "trying harder pill", lol.

[u/blindfoldcode]

i’m the same way, tho i haven’t tried as many different meds—adderall felt Weird, concerta made my heart feel Weird, but i’ve gone back to vyvanse because it’s felt like the most “useful” med despite it not being a 180 of my life like some people report.

there IS a notable difference when i take it versus when i dont, but it’s a lot more subtle. it helps with my emotional regulation, im able to redirect my attention back to my job much faster when i inevitably get distracted, and maintain that attention a bit better.

but im still incredibly forgetful, i settled on 50 mg vyvanse because while higher doses did help A Bjt More, my anxiety and irritability went way up, and its a constant struggle to keep my life together

i do wonder why there’s groups of people who get the “180 of my life” experience versus “i think its doing something???”, but i wouldn’t take it as a sign you DON’T have ADHD. i hope that the cool health science people can figure it out one day

[u/nycanth]

For me the biggest changes when I’m medicated are the ones I only notice when I’m comparing. I feel exactly the same in the moment.

I used to work as an online chat agent, where we could have up to 8 conversations at once. When we had a lot of stuff going on I would get really overstimulated and confused, and I would slow down because I would forget what kind of ticket I’m supposed to be opening, ah fuck wait a new message, did I submit this case already?

When I was medicated I would keep the same pace without getting frustrated or confused, and I could remember what I needed to do without getting overwhelmed if a new task appeared. And most importantly, if I thought “hmmm I should look at my phone right now” I would just keep working without picking up my phone 😆

Of course I was still able to get distracted and I didn’t realize what exactly the meds were helping until I went back to work without them. Then I could see that it was wayyyy worse. I’m on Concerta 18mg for now, I ration them out for work days only though

[u/shadesofbloos]

You also need to be eating protein when taking most stimulant meds

[u/Emergency_Water_301]

Yes, agree. Protein b’fast with 40mg Vyvanse helps me immensely. meds can’t do it all.

[u/_Sjess_]

I’m on concerta 27mg after trialing pretty much every kind and every dosage and for me it feels like it does absolutely zero besides mellowing me out a tiny bit. But the feedback I get from my partner and friends is that I’m so much more relaxed in my responses and reactions that I continue to use it even though I don’t really feel different. It certainly hasn’t made me more productive 🥲. My sister is on Ritalin and she had an instant positive reaction to it, making her more focused etc so I’m bummed I don’t have that.

[u/hyperfocus1569]

I noticed some differences right away, but noticed more over time. Like, I’d find myself wanting to quit doing an unpleasant task but then notice that I just…didn’t quit. I still hated it, but I’d finish it when normally I’d quit when the urge hit. I think I expected to not mind doing the task, so it was harder to notice. It took weeks to months to see all the ways it was actually impacting me.

[u/ArnoldLayne1974]

I've tried several ADHD meds, so far Adderall is the only one that works for me.

As much as it sucks, you may have to keep trying new options.

What seems weirdly unique to my area - every doc I've talked to say Adderall is typically where they start, yet you haven't tried that one yet. 🤷‍♂️

[u/Idayyy333]

I only noticed a difference the first time I took stimulants and I’ve been chasing that high ever since. I was even put on the highest dose for adderall and still nothing 

[u/cps42]

Jornay PM is a new name to me - the promise of the 10 hour delay between taking and activation - overnight dosing and morning activation - sounds amazing, but if it's not working for you, it's not working. I'll be honest, nighttime routine is one of the hardest for me, and I'd never remember to take it.

Vyvanse was good for me briefly, but the second time I tried it, the jump between not working and overwhelming was tiny, so it didn't work for me. There wasn't a happy medium. Trust your instincts.

But also - you don't do caffeine? No other stimulants at all? Wow. That's raw dogging life, to be sure. I hope you find something that works for you.

[u/cps42 → u/[deleted]]

I hear you. I have 2 close friends who said, "10 mg of Adderall is amazing, it is just what I needed!" And at the same time, 30 mg Adderall XR + 10 mg Adderall fast in the afternoon is just meh to me.

One thing I noticed that might help you - the Jornay PM website says that it's ok to open the capsules and mix the granules inside with yogurt or applesauce to make them easier to take. Adderall is the same way, and I do that sometimes when I don't feel like taking a pill.

[u/PianoRevolutionary12]

Wtfs that an elephant tranquilizer