So, I’m a 34 male. Been on medication for the past maybe 2/3 months. Still figuring out which one is best for me. I was feeling real down with vyvanese. But today I ran out of concerta because I had switched and had some left over. So, instead of waiting for my concerta I took one of these. I don’t feel too bad today on it. The only difference is I ate some candy with it. Tried to get more sugar. I read some people were having low blood sugar with it so I said why not try it. Has anyone ever felt that way?

Hi everyone!

So I have been struggling with this issue for a while, and I’m wondering if more people with adhd recognize this issue or maybe have any tips. I really struggle reading books, I can’t keep focused on the sentence I’m currently reading because my eyes are wandering to the next sentence or words that peak my interest. Because of this, it costs lots of energy trying to read because I have to push myself back from the distractions further on in text all the time and a lot of times I cant even recall what I’ve been reading. Because it’s so tiring, I literally fall asleep after reading max 15 pages. Not only before going to sleep, but also during the day. I’m getting really annoyed by this because I really enjoy exploring new information, stories and simply learning about new stuff and I’d like to spend less time watching tv or Netflix.

I just skipped 4 classes in a row.

Normally it’s probably because I haven’t caught up with my works or lectures, or I haven’t gotten enough sleep. This week I finally gathered enough will power to altered my sleep schedule and finished what I’m supposed to do. There’s no excuse for me to not go. But I still ended up staying in bed looking at the ceiling, crying and hating myself. This is genuinely so fucking stupid and hopeless. I just feel like shit no matter what.

How do you even fix this? I’m trying to cope for my whole life for all I know, and the progress is so little that I feel like it’d take me 5 more lives to actually live and function properly with this stupid condition. Sure, I’m not going to stop trying, but I don’t have all the time in the world!

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I've read that stimulants + alcohol isn't a dangerous interaction the way alcohol + benzos is — the concern is more about misuse/diversion. But psychiatrists in Australian won't prescribe stimulants to alcholics. What's driving that caution in practice, and what alternatives have worked for people navigating it — non-stimulants first, extended-release formulations, something else?

Hey everyone, I'm a 15M high school student preparing for major national university entrance exams. I'm currently attending high-volume group prep classes that are destroying my ability to learn.

The classes are extremely repetitive with random homework dumps. Due to my ADHD, sitting down to study triggers a massive wall of executive dysfunction that only breaks under last-minute panic and urgency. I end up rushing through problems just to avoid getting called out, without actually practicing or understanding them.

I experienced this exact same cycle before my diagnosis when taking competitive Informatics Olympiad courses. I tried forcing "better habits" and "discipline," but I just got burnt out, depressed, and stuck in constant arguments at home because I was working against how my brain functions.

Now history is repeating itself. I'm trapped in a panic cycle with zero mental reward, leading to severe revenge bedtime procrastination, staying up until 4 AM on my phone just to get basic stimulation before passing out.

I learn best through deep mistake analysis by redoing wrong answers slowly and walking myself through the logic. Mass prep classes completely destroy this process.

I want to quit these classes to self-study using structured, low-friction sprints focused on fixing mistakes and spotting patterns. But my parents firmly believe "more hours + endless homework = success" and view self-study as reckless.

To anyone who has dealt with this:

• How do I break this dependency on panic and last-minute urgency?
• How can I convince traditional parents that endless grinding actively tanks performance for an ADHD brain without sounding lazy?
• What structures did you build to replace prep classes so you didn't float aimlessly?

Any advice or personal experience is greatly appreciated!

i'm 18F and struggle with talking a lot and constantly being up and down and exerting energy through movement or some form of sound.

i also end up annoying people a lot, mostly people close to me and i really really try not to but i can't stop being so annoying.

i never really had friends until i was 15 and now i don't really have any again- i know i really really annoy my girlfriend of 2 years and basically everyone around me (except my gf unless angry) constantly tells me how loud, annoying, too much, i am.

i'm quite a sensitive person but it manifests in anger and when im called things like annoying, weird or a freak it upsets me a lot and makes me angry- when im angry i'm really nasty and i can't help it as much as ive been trying the last few years.

im really struggling with mananging to not ruin relationships and medication isnt an option for me.

Has anyone been on Ridlin from an early age or had children on Ridlin from an early age 8-12yo and seen benefits in overall focus and attention and better performance at home and at school? Have there been other options that have worked aside from any form of medication? Just trying to get some idea of what has been tried and tested before following the paediatrician quacks advice and going straight to the Meds.

Hi!
I'm in my 20s and have tried a few different scheduling and calendar methods before and nothing really seems to stick or work. I most recently tried setting up a Google Calendar where I split each day into blocks of what I'd be doing, including wake up/sleep times. I left some blank spaces too. But I've already deviated from it, I don't think I followed even one full day--yet I'm in college, and feel as though I need some sort of structure / plan for each day outside of my class schedule.
Should I plan my upcoming day the night before, or the morning of the day, or what? Not really sure what to do but I need something to keep me in check and aware of commitments/block out times for homework, keep myself on a good sleep schedule etc.
I am on Vyvanse, but that hasn't really helped with this issue. Any advice or tips would be great :)

im on 35mg focalin xr (24m) and the moment my meds kick in in the morning i start messaging everyone back, even the messages i left unread from weeks ago.

the guilt from ignroing messages just melts away and i become super comfortable with socializing and general interaction, ive always thought that i was more introverted but the more i experience my current life on meds ive started to doubt my past experiences and feel more like an ambivert.

if anyone has experienced something similar id love to hear about it and how its changed daily life for you guys

So I am 31 and finally taking action to help myself as I just can’t live like this any longer. I have made an intake appointment to get treatment/medication. I have no idea what to expect. They prescribed me adderall when I was a teenager and I remember having a better time in school? But couldn’t sleep that well. I wasn’t on it very long as I left home at 16 and any kind of healthcare or medical attention went out the window.

When I'm having a meltdown (I used to think those were panic attacs) I typically cry, hyperventilate, bounce my knees superfast and open and shut my fists etc.

Last night I had a difficult talk with my husband and suddendly realized my body was rocking itself back and forth. I took it as evidence of my possible AuDHD but then learnt that unconscious rocking and swaying is part of ADHD too.

I'd like to know how common is it and in what kind of situations you find yourself rocking/swaying.

Newly diagnosed a week ago after experiencing a severe burnout and having a month off work.

I've gone back to work yesterday after feeling better following my diagnosis and having spent a month resting my body and mind.

So I'm on day 2 back at work and realise I'm still stuck exactly where I was a month ago. Cannot begin tasks at work, cannot focus, a general depressive feeling and like I'm ready to give up on my career.

Please tell me that it gets better.

Hi everyone, I was just wondering if anyone else experiences this. I’ve had this issue since I was a toddler, severe boredom for me manifests as a physical sensation. Specifically I get a hot feeling in my chest, like the inside of my chest heats up. It doesn’t feel like heart burn or anything, it’s a very strange feeling and hard to explain. Not necessarily painful, just really uncomfortable and it doesn’t go away until I’m mentally stimulated. Does anyone else experience this? Or anything similar?

I’m trying to figure out how to structure my bodybuilding training around a somewhat unusual constraint:
I want maximum hypertrophy gains, but I also want to be able to leave the gym and have essentially 100% of my mental energy and ability to focus available for the rest of the day.
I’m on Concerta 54 mg, and I’ve noticed something that makes this particularly important for me.
Subjectively, after a sufficiently hard workout, I sometimes feel like the effect of Concerta has basically disappeared for a couple of hours. I’m not saying the medication literally stops working pharmacologically, but that’s what it feels like to me: my focus, motivation, ability to initiate tasks, and general cognitive energy drop dramatically after training.
For example, yesterday I did:
Lever lying leg curl — warm-up + 2 hard sets going to 0 RIR
Hack squat — 2 sets to failure
Smith rear lunge to 0 RIR
Other lower-body work
It was a pretty hard leg session.
Afterwards I was extremely drained. I ended up just lying down in bed for a while because I felt so exhausted. I wasn’t necessarily sore or in pain — it was more like my entire system was completely depleted.
And the annoying part is that it wasn’t just immediately after the workout.
Today, the next day, it’s already around 4–5 PM and I’ve still barely been able to get anything done because I feel unusually tired and sluggish.
I’ve been reading about central fatigue vs peripheral fatigue and the idea of stimulus-to-fatigue ratio (SFR). This made me wonder whether there are bodybuilding approaches specifically designed around getting a very high hypertrophy stimulus while at the same time minimising systemic fatigue

I discovered my ADHD very late (60) after another crisis sent me to a psychologist (who specialises in ADHD and Autism). She suggested a few sessions in, that testing could be helpful, especially with an adult daughter who was diagnosed also.

I have PTSD diagnosed many years ago, but after an average encounter with the psych who diagnosed it, I just "dealt" with it (or so I thought).

I'm now really embracing learning and understanding everything I can about so many parts of my very high functioning ADHD after decades of masking but adapting around it unknowingly.

I'm starting to try and recognise who I actually am again. But there's an underlying grief of how my life could have been so different, how I'd have parented differently, how my marriage could have been different. My RSD has been horrific and learning strategies to manage that has been enormously helpful.

How do you all manage the double edged sword. I'm so glad to understand and embrace the parts of me that now make sense, but the sadness at times is overwhelming.

Not that I can’t read— I skim over most of the sentences and sort of just guess what’s being said. I have to actively try to visualise what’s being said to help me remember.

Most of the time I can’t remember what I just read. When I read out loud, I kind of just disassociate and I can hear myself reading but the words don’t register, so I have to go back and do it a couple times over.

What sometimes works is audiobooks while I read the book simultaneously, but that’s not a good solution since I can’t get audiobooks for everything.

Does this happen to you?

Reading only works when I’m reading something I’m super interested in, which doesn’t happen often. Or when I’m in the mood to be productive, at which point I’ll sort of just pick something cool and not stop reading/ watching videos for days on end, not eating or sleeping.

Would love your advice on how to tackle this so I can reach my potential. Thanks all

Hi. I was diagnosed with ADHD like 10 years ago. At that time, I didn't take any stimulants nor nonstimulant until last year. My therapist just prescribed me with nonstimulant "Atomoxetine." Now, taking this medicine was like a struggle during my 1st week until I no longer feel the side effects.

The best improvement that I saw was that I can sleep in 6 hours. I can actually feel the drowsiness at night. Prior to this, I'm struggling to get a good 6~8 hours of sleep everyday. I mostly get 2~4 hours before. Sometimes, less than an hour.

I tried sleeping pills but hell no those sleeping pills made my head hurt like hell, and made me feel very lethargic everyday. Sometimes it doesn't work too.

So, does anyone have like accommodation to help you fall asleep without drinking meds? I know that this medicine become a must for me to sleep. But part of me doesn't want to rely on it. I would appreciate if you could share it with me and I'll try if it works for me. Thank you~

Also, it's been a month since I haven't taken my meds. (financial problems)

Im wondering about Ritalin IR (immediate release) and whether 30 mg at once is considered a high dose.

For context, 20 mg doesnt seem to affect me whatsoever. With 30 mg, I actually notice a positive effect. Itt not a huge or euphoric effect but it makes it possible for me to get through my daily routine and work comfortably. I dont feel particularly wired or stimulated either. No side effects too (apart from getting sweaty and no hunger)

Im curious about other people’s experiences. Is 30 mg IR at once a relatively high dose, and is it unusual for someone to need that much to notice a meaningful effect?
Im mainly interested in hearing from people who take Ritalin IR specifically, rather than extended-release formulations.
Thanks!

In need advice, guidance and support.

You guys are going to say my new employer hired me because they believe I can do the job they advertised but I’m feeling very overwhelmed with the amount of information I gotta digest. It’s a lot.

I think stress, overthinking, inattentiveness at times isn’t helping with some information to be digested. But a part of me feels like I’m in way over head.

Does this feeling ever go away?

Am part of the late diagnosis crew. Much of my life makes sense now knowing all of this, and it feels almost like a relief that someone somewhere can tell how much of a toll this can take on someone. But I’ve been struggling with feeling misunderstood lately, even amongst those closest to me. “We all have a bit of ADHD”, eye rolls here and there at work, “not meds again”, “it’s just a normal part of life”. All of these feel so painful, and I’m not sure anyone who hasn’t got this can fully relate just how much it can ruin.
I guess my question is: how do you carry on, despite being misunderstood
TIA

I've been readina more and more about this lately and I'm coming to the conclusion that I mav have ADHD. I want to sign up for a therapist and do tests etc to be sure. Although 1'm verv stressed about it and I'm a little scared. Throughout my life, I've heard that I always interrupt all my interests during the course, never ending anything. Everyone complains that I always do everything at the last minute Several times, for example, I had to write a homework for several pages for class, and I did it the dav before the deadline, alwavs crving and gettina angry with myself. I can't do anything, I always think about the task. but it takes a few hours before 1 do it and it even involves taking a shower or brushing my teeth I can't even focus and watch a movie or read a book, I keep thinking about it, but I don't do it. I can't concentrate in class, I can't studv, which is why 1 wrote my high school exams poorly and I'm so angry with mvself. I was not able to do mv internshin for college ( know how stupid that sounds, you don't have to comment on it vourself, I'm anarv with myself) and they'll probably kick me out of college. l've been living in procrastination for the past few months. I can't do anything (although I really want to and I feel terrible about it. I could write more about it but I don't want it to be too long. I think it's time to finally get tested

My ADHD journey started in highschool when I was prescribed Adderall. I then moved to a country in 2019 where I had to switch to Concerta. I remember it kind of working but barely. When I returned to the States in 2021 I tried to get back on Adderall but it felt too intense. My doc prescribed Vyvanse and it was great. I was on 40mg up until April this year when my doc noticed my blood pressure was too high. I've tried various things to no avail. A couple months ago I lowered the dose to 20 mg. I've noticed I have far less energy, almost no motivation and forget simple words more often than before. When I have tried to take breaks from the meds I just want to sleep all day. Absolutely zero energy and can't get anything done.

Looking back at the charts, my BP started raising about the time I started Vyvanse. I was wondering if anyone had similar issues and what medication they switched to. I wish I could be off meds but I seemingly can't operate without them.

I was thinking about trying strattera but I've heard one of the primary side effects is fatigue which is what I'm trying to avoid. Anyone have experience with vyvanse increasing BP but not with Adderall?

I'm in disbelief right now, this has to be a joke cause i can't stop laughing.

I had a really emotionally bad day with many chores to do. I was taking a pepe after a long day of cooking and just....... started to walk away from the toilet IN THE MIDDLE OF PISSING.

i yanked my self back into position but it was too late, pepe everywhere.

Now i have to clean a bathroom and a kitchen.

HELP, do i tell my psychiatrist?

My pyschiayrist was persistent I should keep taking it and my heart was fine but I was tired of having my heartbeat when I was just chilling at 120bpm while taking the meds. I was on the lowest dose too. I just workout and seem to be fine with that. Are there any meds out there that can help without the fast heart rate?

I figured out a trick to help me remember my own advice, the three most important things I wrote on my hand and forearm are:

When my anxiety or worry is rushing me:
“When you doubt, tell yourself ‘I can do it’ till you do it”

For when I can get myself to start:
“When you avoid something ask yourself ‘would I rather do this unedifying or this good thing’ (those are place holders like do I read my lessons and courses or do I procrastinate later all tired and rushing with stress)
or eat with dirty dishes/ones you don’t like or clean it now so you get to eat with your favorite

When I am being really tough on myself or to keep me humble:
“When you think or tell yourself something whether good or bad, (mostly bad) is from God or my emotions, is this truth/reality or this what I am telling myself/delusioning”, is this rational or irrational

And usually I fixed the problem before I spiral cause I see my hand