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What are people's experiences with alternative medications to Adderall? Right now I am on a few doses of short release a day. I've been having some weird times with my current prescription -- I've been taking it at similar times to previously (i.e. not after ~1-2 PM), but it seems to be causing more problems with my sleep. I'm also having a harder time going off it for 1-2 days and then back on, something I had previously done during weekends in a bid to slow down any tolerance build up. Are there other medications which are frequently considered to have fewer side effects? I've been working out 4-5x a week pretty intensely, and that has definitely been useful, as has keeping a healthy diet (I think), and trying to sleep regularly. I got noise canceling headphones for my open office at work, and that has also helped. I've also been taking more time to draw up really explicit plans and to do lists daily, with the idea that the more memory I can transfer from my head to post its, the better I will be able to accomplish things. I would love to hear more things people do on a daily basis to combat ADHD. Finally, has anyone done something like cognitive behavioral or other types of therapy to deal with ADHD? Unrelated but I have to say this whole ADHD thing is stressful. I intermittently am off ADHD while waiting for refills (a situation I have resolved now), and it always feels like I become someone I like less. My working memory is poo poo, to the point that I forget what I'm doing all the time or lose the flow of conversation, I am more irritable and snap at people more, I forget social engagements and commitments all the time, and have a super difficult time finishing anything. It's just super scary thinking that the only thing between me and being like that all the time is this drug which may or may not continue to work long term.
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May 21, 2015 02:39
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Has anyone gone through the process of getting ADHD accommodations in school/for standardized tests etc? Never had any of these things (or even, you know, medication) the first round through but thinking of grad school and figured it would be at least worth looking into.
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Aug 5, 2016 20:50
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Funddevi posted:I haven't actually used the accommodations, but I got through most of the process as kind of a "just in case I decide I need it" thing. For me, it was just a matter of getting the diagnosis from the school psychiatrist, getting the paperwork to disability services, and having a brief meeting with someone at the disability office. After getting "approved" on their end, you go to each of your professors and have them sign a sheet that tells them what kind of accommodations you need. Then, for each exam you want to get accommodations for, you need to tell both the professor and the disability center ahead of time. It's really pretty straightforward, but does take a teensy bit of effort and paperwork. So my original diagnosis was actually at my college, just in my last few weeks of school, so I never used any of the accommodations there. You don't know if these diagnoses would transfer do you? I guess I should talk to a professional about this.
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Aug 7, 2016 03:25
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signalnoise posted:When I did this, I too didn't use the accommodations, but I did get a folder with my diagnosis and test results, which other places took. Did you get any paperwork? Ohhh, I got like 0 paperwork. I'm sure it's around somewhere though, will look into this.
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Aug 9, 2016 21:36
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I actually have one of these on preorder now, curious what it'll be like.
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Sep 14, 2016 22:45
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Does anyone have experience travelling internationally to places where ADHD prescriptions are not normally legal? I take Adderall and am going to Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia. Each of these appear to have their own restrictions on entry. Only Singapore seems to explain how to apply to apply for customs clearance at all. Does anyone have experience with this? Is my best bet a local doctor in Thailand (where I will be spending the most time?).Holyshoot posted:What constitutes a functioning ADHD adult? To where you don't need meds? I was diagnosed with ADHD during a young age and took rittalin for a few then wellbutrin/aderal until around 17 or 18 and I stopped my meds all together. Got an associates at some lovely tech school did a call center job for a year, then another one for 5 years where I progressed out of the general support line to a more tech role because of my love for computers. Got canned there and then got another call center job for a year and then canned and now working IT help desk at a chill job I could see myself being at for a while. It won't make you more ambitious, and what it really treats is focus issues, at least for me. It might make you more able to act on your ambitions, though. If you found it helpful, I would recommend it. I think it's easy to game way too much when gaming is the only thing which can capture your attention due to ADHD.
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Nov 30, 2016 01:56
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Just bumping my question again -- does anyone have experience travelling with Adderall in Asia? I've literally called embassies for some places (Thailand, looking at you), and they aren't clear on if it's actually banned to bring in or how to get around the issue. I rly don't want to end up in some random prison in Asia. Harrow posted:Another Adderall question: I'm noticing that I'm clenching my jaw a lot, grinding my teeth. I don't love it. Is this a relatively normal stimulant side effect or should I be concerned? Ammmpphheettamiiineeessss~*~*~* This is a normal side effect. Magnesium is a really good idea, as is chewing gum.
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Dec 9, 2016 04:46
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Rabbit Hill posted:I have no experience travelling with Adderall in Asia. But, 1) I'm a librarian, 2) I'm procrastinating on writing an email, and 3) my Vyvanse just kicked in. My hero!!! Thank you!!
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Dec 11, 2016 03:37
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It's like $10 for me with insurance each month. Way more without. Generic and name brand are supposed to be basically the same more or less (name brand might be less of a high?) so no worries there.
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Dec 17, 2016 07:24
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Travel update: If anyone is thinking about going to Thailand, be on Vyanse (sp?) or Ritalin -- Adderall is a class 1, totally illegal, narcotic. RIP.
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Dec 21, 2016 20:11
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skull mask mcgee posted:Even going by FDA standards there's like 20% of wiggle room for bioequivalence. So even in ideal circumstances there could be a perceptible difference. Im under the impression from talking to some medical people irl a lot of that is differences in fillers vs active ingredients, but that matters for delivery etc. Very confusing, feels like there should be more transparency about different effects when you're picking stuff up from a pharmacy.
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Dec 23, 2016 22:16
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Exercise and do other basic strategies for sure. Make repeatable, references and checklists for common tasks. Set interim deadlines.
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Dec 24, 2016 03:17
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signalnoise posted:I am the sole support technician on the east coast for a startup, so I work from home when I am not traveling to sites to fix hardware. When I am working from home, I answer support calls and chats, and I'm supposed to busy myself with things that improve the company in my downtime. There's a lot of downtime right now, and staying active for two 4-hour stretches is uhhh difficult. Find projects you think might be interesting for your improve the company time. Then whenever you feel motivated to work on them just work as long and as intensely as they come? This only applies if you are occasionally able to focus and work, but I've found that with a flexible schedule and meds you can get as much done if you have 1-2 really focused periods a week as if you'd worked steadily that whole time.
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Dec 24, 2016 04:11
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skull mask mcgee posted:I was already underweight before starting Adderall so the appetite suppressant effect kinda sucks. I hover around 130-140 usually but at my doctors visit this month I clocked in at 126 I might consider a good tracker and setting a calorie goal.
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Feb 4, 2017 18:00
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Maybe bullet journal (google to learn more!), start time blocking much more, and get a smart watch which will pop up notifications 15/10/5 minutes before you have to do something. I find it helps if you can use planning to remind yourself of stuff. It's also a lot easier to get into the habit of just checking a journal or calendar than it is to magically stop going blank. Also getting her on board with this system means you can work towards something constructive instead of putting it all on you. Share her on the calendar (g cal is good) and then she can be part of reminding you too. E: also checking re: anxiety would be a smart move. Also also I think being upset @ someone for forgetting when they are ADHD is a different deal than when they don't. So it's not totally your fault IMO I think it has to be also some acceptance that forgetting will just happen a bit more and not blaming you as tho it's a conscious choice. Fusion Restaurant fucked around with this message at 07:23 on Feb 6, 2017 |
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Feb 6, 2017 07:20
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You guys should see if you like this! http://bulletjournal.com/ System for to do lists and poo poo.
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Feb 6, 2017 18:36
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Tab8715 posted:I'm under the impression adderall is illegal in Europe. Fwiw I've found Ritalin to be really similar to adderall, and it comes with the benefits of actually being able to travel with it because adderall is restricted basically everywhere to some degree.
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Feb 16, 2017 09:38
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Can someone recommend supplements to counteract some of the stimulant side effects like jaw ache? I've heard magneisum and l-theanine?
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Feb 26, 2017 22:04
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MOVIE MAJICK posted:I got three months of todoist premium code here. It's been a great tool for me remaining productive. Thank you! Going to try this out 
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Mar 22, 2017 19:10
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Exercise is a good idea anyways, not just to help counteract effects of Adderall or whatever, but also as a good general boost to focus. Broadly speaking I'd do something 1/day and try and do real exercise 3/week. Similar deal w diet, I think it's best to give yourself the best chance possible to be focused + productive. So I'd use drugs as a way to jumpstart the other habits which can you want to have to deal w ADHD. E: also if you have issues w tooth grinding I've tried magnesium supplements now and it really does work - totally got rid of it for me. Sleeping more and not drinking caffeine also helped.
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May 1, 2017 21:25
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~*~*~* Try and remember what you wanted to ask us about ADHD *~*~*~ We will be the prettiest thread on the forums
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May 23, 2017 22:14
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Catsplosion posted:gently caress. I've been waiting 3 1/2 months for my NHS referral from psychologist to psychiatrist and it turns out that not only did they forget to do it but the ADHD workshop I went to forgot to do it too. Queue waiting another 3 months (most likely) until I'm medicated Oof. That seems insanely slow 
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Jun 5, 2017 23:20
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Just go lift weights at a gym imo! It's good exercise and is actually good for your joints and such
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Jun 14, 2017 05:54
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Yea treadmills are sort of a sad way to run for me
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Jun 14, 2017 07:25
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As far as I know 20 mg is the standard starting dose for ER adderall, so shouldn't be a surprise I think.
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Aug 1, 2017 02:17
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Astrofig posted:How do I go about finding therapy for ADHD? Everything I've read or heard from my pdoc seems to suggest that there's only meds for it, not really therapy apart from 'this is how to be organized. Here's a schedule, work on filling it out and sticking to it', etc. Not hugely loving Vyvanse so far, even though it is supposed to be way better than short term release Adderall according to everything I've read. Not sure if it's a dosage thing, or if it is just easier for me mentally to work in 3-4 hour chunks signaled by taking a pill. re: Therapy for ADHD, I'm not sure what you mean. If you just want to talk about problems in your life/thinking, any therapist should work for that. One who is also experienced in treating ADHD might be a bonus, but I don't think you need to look for anything special.
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Aug 15, 2017 23:19
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The theory behind this one seems to be that high theta-beta ratio sometimes correlates w ADHD symptoms (tho not enough to be used for diagnosis), so if you make them do a game which lowers that ratio their symptoms might improve. I am not super convinced by this research yet - it doesn't seem like there's a really compelling explanation of why you'd actually find a behavioral benefit and studies seem like they've gotten mixed results. Maybe I'm missing something though? e: Also I'd defer to the dude named after a part of the brain on this defs not a neuroscience expert
Fusion Restaurant fucked around with this message at 02:16 on Oct 4, 2017 |
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Oct 4, 2017 00:28
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Laserface posted:Thanks. Same here re: caffeine normally, but it's different when you're on stimulant ADHD meds. Using caffeine really screws with the ability of the medication to work in odd ways, and might be part of why effects aren't so noticeable as well as why there are side effects. Some psychiatrists seem better about mentioning this than others, but it pretty much seems like regardless of your normal caffeine tolerance you shouldn't have any while you're trying to figure out what dose works.
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Nov 10, 2017 06:42
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Tab8715 posted:Is true adderall is banned outside the US? It is banned in a lot of countries. If you are traveling and from the US I'd be very careful about bringing Adderall with you. Your best bet is individually looking this up by country -- calling their consulate seems to work (or finding a research librarian on SA to help you lol). For example, in a lot of SE Asia it is totally banned and treated like an illegal drug, so you have to go with Ritalin instead. Laserface posted:For the record I have one coffee a day, ... Ah gotcha, might have been projecting my old habits :p
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Nov 11, 2017 01:23
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Eeepies posted:Ok, thanks. I'm still struggling mentally with this, as it's hard for me to come to terms that it could be a mental condition and not just willpower that I cannot concentrate in work. At the very least, the improvement at work helps reinforcing that I'm doing the correct move. The strict schedule thing is a pretty good idea I think, or at least some order. Until you have medication you could try a self CBT course of some kind, exercising, and getting sleep, though each of these could be tough until medicated they're at least good goals to have. I don't know if this is helpful, but I think it was helpful for me to think of it more as: people exist along a distribution of executive control, and some parts of that range have become tough to deal with given the very bizarre demands of modern society. So, medication makes sense, but it isn't really a disorder so much as a mismatch between your brain's functioning/your environment's expectations.
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Feb 21, 2018 05:10
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Eeepies posted:Well, my boss just moved me to another floor in the office, where I'm surrounded by people and thus cannot simply browse other websites without people realising, so hopefully this helps. Thanks for the advice though. That's great. Setting check ins with someone you trust about how you've progressed with work can help too I think. Mechafunkzilla posted:The best thing you can do without (or in addition to) medication is to change your environment. The impairment is in your brain's ability to use your goals to activate memory and generate motivation and focus, and something like CBT -- which is great for addressing negative thoughts about yourself or anxiety that might have developed as a result of living with ADHD your whole life -- isn't going to to address that core impairment. If working collaboratively helps you focus, try to make more of your work group oriented. If you're always losing your keys, put a table with a dish right next to the front door so you see it every time you walk inside, so that it's not a matter of remembering. quote:I don't agree with the idea of a fluid continuum of executive functioning and it being about "fitting the demands of modern society", there's a pretty clear distinction between most individuals with and without ADHD both in terms of behavioral functioning and neurology. Hm I'm having a hard time articulating this well, but I don't think of anything I said as at odds with this. Executive functioning, working memory, etc. being a normally distributed continuum, with ADHD people a standard deviation or two below the mean, doesn't mean that there isn't a clear distinction between those with ADHD and those without on average, it just means they can still be drawn from the same distribution which is due to natural variation. Similarly, given the time scale of evolution it's very likely that as many people with the level of functioning of ADHD people existed 10,000 years ago, but this deficit became a much bigger problem and more noticeable with the demands of industrial society/knowledge work etc. I think both of those observations are consistent with science, such as it is, on ADHD, it's just a different way of looking at it. For me, thinking of ADHD not as a (quite harmful ofc) difference in degree, not difference in kind, and as a result of an interaction of my natural abilities with the environment was really useful. (The whole "was ADHD ever being advantageous" thing has always seemed like a bit of an evolutionary psych rabbit hole to me given that we don't have time machines, and it doesn't change what you should do about the problem in the present, but it is at least interesting that eg alleles which correlate with ADHD seem to keep getting selected for by evolution. There are some interesting but maybe totally BS evolutionary psych papers on why this occurred + some speculation about how it may have conferred a group advantage to have some individuals with ADHD, even if it may have been individually bad for them)
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Feb 22, 2018 07:07
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ewiley posted:Ah, that makes sense. I'm finishing up week 1 and it's...good? I get an attention boost but still get distracted, but I'm kinda consumed by what distracts me. I think this is probably more a self-discipline thing than the meds at this point. I feel like if I pull myself back to the task-at-hand, I can get back to work with minimal disruption. It's cool to have this kind of control. Echoing call your doctor -- timing matters, so he should definitely have some prescription for it.
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Mar 10, 2018 15:51
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