Suddenly I feel motivated to try medication.
Before, I would struggle to do tasks that didn’t interest me. I could game for hours, but if I tried coding itd have to fight to read each line of tutorial, then reread over and over because it just doesn’t stick in my brain. Then I would get exhausted and pass out.
Now I just sit down and do the task.
Better living through chemistry.
Hi, I realise that it’s been a while since the OP, but have you noticed any side effects of the meds so far? Can you tell me what meds you are on?
Hi! It took me a few days to get back to you as I’ve been camping.
I’m finding it much easier to do tasks. My living space is cleaner, my laundry is folded, and the dishes are clean. I was able to do those things when I noticed they were doable instead of when they demanded my attention due to impending catastrophe.
I have been doing work on my PC instead of gaming all day, although I do spend some time gaming. it’s more for fun now, instead of feeling like a way to hide from life.
Cleaning the house and unpacking from camping has demanded my attention for the past few days, but soon I hope to shift focus to getting a CCNA or CompTIA A+ so I can get a better income than service industry labor.
I was previously taking stratera, but was switched as it made me a little barfy and more sleepy than anything else. I am now using ritalin, and I’m finding it is very effective.
Socially, I am finding it easier to pay attention to conversations instead of having to ask people to repeat things every now and then.
I was 41 before I went in to get meds. 4 years on Vyvanse and I’m like yooooou motherfuckers! You’ve just been like this from the jump?! WTF?! Changed my life. Also, a side effect of ADHD is anxiety! I never knew.
Give it a shot.
TLDR: I don’t wanna scare-monger about meds, just want to make sure people are well-informed about the downsides and that there are other non-pharmaceutical alternatives.
I was on medication for years and stimulants do help, they’re really quite incredible… BUT (and this is a big one), once your body can get used to it (over a long period of time), and it stops working as effectively. It’s slow at first, but eventually you may need to try other forms of stimulation.
I went through two stimulants over the course of like 14 years, the first one stopped working long before I stopped taking it because the placebo effect is strong (and I’m sure it did something, just not enough anymore).
The other thing is the side effects, don’t underestimate them, read the label! I dealt with a lot of them without realizing it and they’re often quite common across stimulants. My least favorite side effect was based on the delivery method: I had to remember to take my meds daily, which I often forgot when I was rushed or just didn’t remember, a very common occurrence. And taking them late in the day punished my sleep because I was too stimulated to sleep.
Ultimately I settled on being “unmedicated” by the pharmacy and using other stimulants like sativa and caffeine to manage. It can be a lot cheaper if you are without insurance or can’t afford copays.
I also manage my ADHD through music, sex, really any stimulation that I have reasonable access to because there’s not really a one-size-fits-all solution.
Edit: added/edited context
This is a great analogy. I am the ADHD programming dog.
