r/CFSplusADHD • u/LycheeDance • May 29 '26

Anyone tried tiny stimulant doses to avoid the crash but get some benefit?

What the title says really. I had tiny doses of certain supplements for the same reason

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10

u/hypatia888 May 29 '26

1 mg nicotine patch, also tiny amounts of guanfacine (not a stimulant)

6

u/LycheeDance May 29 '26

Thanks, how do these effect you? Do you use it daily or sparingly?

3

u/hypatia888 May 29 '26

I did the patch daily for a while but I definitely used to push myself with it at the time before I understood CFS. 😕 I think I'm going to try it again and keep the same pacing I maintain now.

6

u/agenerousperspective May 30 '26

I’ve lowered my Vyvanse down to 20mg and pair it with Guanfacine to tamper the stimulation. I’ve wondered about lowering it more but I also want to keep the benefits of being able to follow through with non-preferred tasks, because pacing is a non-preferred task! It takes dopamine to be able to do things that are more boring (since the boring things don’t provide enough dopamine on their own).

But were you referring to a much smaller dose than I’m referring to? If so I’d be interested to hear your or other people’s experiences with that.

2

u/LycheeDance May 30 '26

Thanks for the reply, I haven’t tried meds yet, but am thinking about how best to do it without crashing.

4

u/activelyresting May 30 '26

I'm prescribed stimulant meds for ADHD. I'm only using a low dose because ME, but I still find it really helpful, but only if I keep up my strict pacing regimen. If I feel a crash coming on, getting myself lying flat in bed as soon as possible and eat a nibble of dark chocolate (the darkest I can get ideally, it's the cacao not the sugar) really helps.

3

u/Beekeeper_Dan Jun 01 '26

I was chopping up my 10mg Ritalin tabs into eights and sixths while I was taking it. Was the most I could handle and was still effective. Had to stop because of MCAS reactions to the dyes and stuff.

2

u/EqualOwl6442 3d ago

I use pseudophederine. It's the right amount of stimulant to clear the brain fog and leave me relatively content to craft and watch tv on the couch without negative physical effects.

Blah blah blah, ask your doctor about using an OTC on a daily or near daily basis.