Feeling hopeless

[briancampbell4793]

Hi everyone,

My name is Brian– 230 lbs, 5’10, age 26. I was diagnosed with inattentive type about 6 months ago and started exploring drug options with my doctor 4 months ago. I am petrified that no medication will ever work for me. Thus far I have been gradually increasing my dosage of Intuniv (currently at 2mg) and Vyvanse (started at 20mg, now at 40). So far, nothing. I have tried hard not to get my hopes up, but at the same time, I have spent hundreds of dollars on diagnostics, doctor appointments, and prescription copays, only to be increasingly frustrated as my symptoms remain the same and I continue to let myself and others down. I know that medication is not a magic cure, but everyone I’ve talked to has said that ADHD medication has been life-changing for them. With this in mind, I have a few questions for you all. First, how long did it take before you found that your medication regimen created a noticeable difference? Second, does increasing your dosage gradually rather than suddenly build a tolerance, thus minimizing the drug’s effects? Lastly, has anyone found that other drugs work better for them than Vyvanse? I have heard that Vyvanse is considered the most effective/safest stimulant for ADHD, but so far I have experienced no change, other than mild anxiety side effects.

Thank you all

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[buschman]

Hey Brian

I’m a person that has not had dramatic success with medication, but am still learning how to use it and still determined to master it as a tool because I think the potential is there. I’m also a newly diagnosed adult with inattentive ADHD and 37 years old. to answer your questions. I think you need to try a couple different meds because some work better than others. I’m taking Dexidrine (related to Vyvanse) and tried Concerta before that (didn’t give great results).

Couple questions for you.

Is there a particular area of your life that you are most focused on improving? Mine was work.
Are you good at taking the medication at the recommended dose, every day? I kept missing days or thinking I didn’t need it certain days. this hurts the success rate.
Do you have habits that are destructive or time-wasting that you still can’t shake even with the medication? I do, and have to consciously attack the bad habits or else no results.
Do you have worries, or bad feelings of dread towards certain tasks that the medication won’t erase? I do, and I’ve realized that medication only reduces your brains need to get that high from jumping from thought to thought, but it doesn’t do anything for buried memories or feelings of negativity surrounding topics you may have screwed up at or failed at in the past.

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[luisba]

Hey Brian and Buschman!

My name is Luis, I am 28 years old and I was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia when I was 5 years old. I do not actively take medication but I was medicated until I was 17 years old, then back at it between 22 and 26 although not constantly. Concerta was the weapon of choice for most of my life, Ritalin used to give me tics when I was a kid but it was fine as an adult. what I can tell you is that you don’t feel the medication until you do a task you struggled with before and it wont do stuff on its own, you need discipline and routine to help you out. In my experience you need to take the medication daily or you’ll spend most of your time with the side effects and not doing what you need to be doing, I know a lot of people that take their pills only on days they think are going to need it. In my experience that is a load of BS haha. Take it daily, and continue with your life, you’ll feel a difference within a week, if you do not, dont worry about it. Everone is different in their biology and their needs, your doc and you will find the right dosage for you.

Medication is not magic, and most of the time we can learn to function in this not adhd friendly world. We will always struggle and the silver lining is that wr get can get used to it and shine in the adversity. I am not gonna lie, there are some days when I think I am gonna die if someone does not invent Rosie from the Supersonics soon. Who knows maybe Ill just get fed up with not remembering to eat or do the dishes and invent it myself, maybe someone reading this will invent something like it (if you do, you have no idea how grateful I am). The important thing is that we try, know your weaknesses and compensate. We would be unstoppable if we could f$%^*#@ multitask. It is important to remember that our weakness can also be our strength, our ability to focus on something is extraordinary, when we get “in the zone” nothing else exits but ourselves and whatever has caught our attention. Sometimes our attention is focused on the cure for cancer or a particularly difficult engineer problem, maybe the notes composing a song, and sometimes our focus is in a bouncy ball our the tennis shoes of an 8 year old that shine every time he takes a step and we resemble a particularly large cat lost in a laser pointer.

What I am trying to say is that all of us feel hopeless from time to time (some times it lasts for years) but you never know whats around the corner, do your best, have a laugh with yourself [I am hilarious when I forget to turn off the stove (sarcasm) thank whomever is above that I am still alive] dont give up and take comfort that there’s other people going through the same things you are struggling with.

Wish you both the best!

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[crystalsphinx]

Hey Brian my name is crystal and I’ve been through this too. I wasn’t diagnosed with adhd until I was 45. So all those years before I know I had problems I just self medicated. So now that I now I have inattentive adhd with impulsivity I am on biphentin 30 mg. I was on vyvanse for about 4 years but had to go off because of side effects. I definitely become tolerant with each stimulant: ie: vyvanse, concerta etc and need to switch pills when it stops working.. hang in there it’s a struggle but eventually you’ll get on the pills that work best for you. It takes time and patience and you will feel better. By the way I was not on any medication for half my life and I find that on the meds when tsken every day I feel much better than the days or weeks I take a break.
I agree with luisba it’s best to take the pills everyday in order to see best results. I also have days where I forget everything and so scattered and distracted but I’ve learned to laugh it off and say that’s just my disorganization. It gets better especially if you can do something that takes your mind off the negative 👎 and crappy aspects of adhd. All I can say is keep thinking positive and live your life the best you can.
Good luck!!

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