Help! What's wrong with my meds

[fishjacks]

Hello all.  New to the forum.  New diagnosis, 35 yr old F.  Started taking Adderall 3 days ago (10mg, moving to 20 tomorrow) and I am SO tired and foggy.  Is this normal?  I questioned my diagnosis, thinking my behaviors were normal.  98% for hyperactivity.  Now after the meds, I am so calm and slow.  Does this mean my diagnosis is right?  Will the fog get better or should I try a different med?  I thought Adderall was suppose to speed you up.  Im so confused.

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[shutterbug55]

I take Adderall as well. I did notice some lethargy which was confusing, because my heart rate was up. I also got a what I can only describe as a tight feeling in my face like all the skin on my head was being drawn back.

My Psychiatrist wanted to up my dose to 20mg and I cut it in half to 5mg, instead.

No more side effects and my symptoms are greatly reduced. I can tell when I am getting frustrated, so instead of going from 0-liftoff, I can do something about it. I don’t go down the rabbit hole NEARLY as much, and I haven’t spaced out in a long time.

Having said that, I am not a physician. You should talk to your doctor, before “experimenting”. That is why I don’t give any advice other than relate what worked for me.

We all have this unique construct between our ears called a brain. What works for me might not work for you, but it might. The symptoms that bugged the heck out of me(and those around me) were impulse control(quick temper), Loss of time (Shutting out the world to solve  a problem), constantly loosing things, burning things, forgetting things, making mistakes(Working memory/executive function).

Adderall seems to give me a chance at employing some coping mechanisms, before I mess up without knowing I have messed up.

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[ramblinon]

@shutterbug55

@fishjacks

I’ve read a lot of descriptions of symptoms on this site but few come as easily and simplistic as what you described Shutterbug55: “I can tell when I am getting frustrated, so instead of going from 0-liftoff, I can do something about it. I don’t go down the rabbit hole NEARLY as much, and I haven’t spaced out in a long time.”

I am just starting to figure out where my Pause Button is so that I don’t liftoff as well, and finding that I’ve been able to face a few of my situations head on however my wife said I’ve spaced out a few times during supper.

Ramblin On

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[deebee]

Stimulants are used to calm hyperactive people down and allow them to focus. If they are making you less able to function, tell your doctor.

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[blackdog]

@fishjacks

You have probably got this sorted by now, but I’ll weigh in anyway.

First, as always, I have to say everyone is different, so it’s not possible for any of us to say what is right or normal for you.

That being said, it sounds like you may be very sensitive to stimulant drugs, as some people are, and you may need a lower dose, like shutterbug. Another possibility is that Adderall is just not the right medication for you. You may possibly do better on a methylphenidate med, like Ritalin. Some people react better to one than the other. Or you may do better with a slow release medication, such as Vyvanse, although typically hyperactive types do better with the fast acting meds (based on comments I have read here in the forums).

You also need to give it a little longer to know if it’s really going to work or not. 2 or 3 days isn’t enough. It will take at least 2-3 weeks on any medication to know how it is really going to affect you.

When you have ADHD, a stimulant medication should make you feel calmer, not speed you up, like it would for other people. We are wired differently so things affect us differently. That is a good indication that your diagnosis is probably right. But if it is making it hard for you to function, or giving you really bad side effects that don’t go away, then it is not doing what it should.

Some doctors don’t  have a lot of experience with stimulants or ADHD, and they tend to think inside the box and don’t consider all the possibilities. And they sometimes make mistakes in prescribing dosages that are too high, or increasing the dosage too quickly, because they are just going off of what they know and are used to doing. So make sure you read up on the medications yourself and you  can make informed choices.

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