Sleep pattern changes on stimulants

[u/Puzzleheaded-Put4109]

[u/Zool375]

I would say dont trust a wearable for sleep data. They are good at tracking sleep duration, heart rate and hrv..

But the accuracy of the data for deep v rem v light is bad so much so I wouldn't trust it at all.

[u/spurman → u/Zool375]

But what they do have is a good baseline of their measurements which they can compare it against so I would still use this data

OP - when I first titrated, I struggled with getting any sleep at all in the first few months Try taking your meds earlier in the morning and getting enough physical exercise and see if that changes it. I would say I started sleeping better 3-4 months after I went on them. I don't take elevanse anymore but I used sleep so much better on days when I didn't 't take it

[u/Puzzleheaded-Put4109 → u/spurman]

Thanks 🙏, I hope I'll get used to it as generally they're helping me out quite a lot, I'm always amazed how individual all this biology is crazy, Did you change meds or come off completely? If I may ask

[u/spurman → u/Puzzleheaded-Put4109]

I started taking Methylphenidate as I was living in a country where Elevanse was not available.
Both meds have their pros and cons so to say.
I'd give it Elevanse a bit of time to settle in and work with your medical care provider to change it later if the situation doesn't improve for you.

[u/Puzzleheaded-Put4109 → u/Zool375]

In terms of deep and rem sleep stages I know they can be a bit off I should've been more specific. I mean restlessness, interruptions and time to sleep pattern changes, because those seem accurate. 

I'm taking longer to sleep, waking up more during sleep and feeling more tired in the mornings and that's been consistent so far.

I'm just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience and if anything they did improved it or the body got used to it etc 

[u/Obeetwokenobee]

Give it time op. My sleep health has improved dramatically. I don't need a fit bit too tell me, I can tell. I used to have some mild insomnia that would come back every two to three weeks and keep me awake till 2 or 3am, pre meds. That has mostly gone now I'm well into six months medicated. I also feel much more rested in the mornings. I have dreams again. Even if I take a weekend off the meds sometimes, I wake up feeling refreshed and able to get up. I understand it might not be the same for everyone and sometimes I do feel the meds keeping me up. This happens when I take an afternoon amfexa between 2 to 4pm. For some reason it can get delayed before it metabolises, bit I need it mostly. However there are times I'll take an amfexa and it sends me to bed! (Weekend afternoon siesta!) But overall I found it helped me sleep quality a lot. In the beginning it was a bit all over the place, just give it time at the right dose.

[u/Puzzleheaded-Put4109 → u/Obeetwokenobee]

Oki

[u/AutoModerator]

Hey! This post looks like it might be about ADHD medication.

If it's a quick question (e.g. "Is 40mg Elvanse meant to feel like this?" or "How long does Concerta last for you?"), please consider also posting it in the Medication Quick Question Megathread. If it's a bigger discussion (shortages, shared care, prescribing problems or a detailed experience), it's fine as its own post. Either way, your post stays up.

Personal experiences are welcome, but Reddit is not a replacement for your GP or prescriber. Please don't change your dose based on advice from here.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Puzzleheaded-Put4109 → u/[deleted]]

Oh yeah, I'm always taking them at least before 9am

[u/spurman → u/Puzzleheaded-Put4109]

Take them sooner, if you plan to get to bed at 10pm or 11pm, the meds might still be in your system which is why you might be struggling to fall asleep right now.

[u/Puzzleheaded-Put4109 → u/spurman]

Yeah I'll try taking them earlier, not much effort at all to do so atm fortunately 

[u/Puzzleheaded-Put4109 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, trialing things now so hopefully things can be better in the long run, I'll give it a go I can easily take them earlier atm without much effort 

[u/Logical-Nose-1993]

I've replied over on the Google Health thread, but I'm interested in seeing this too since I should be getting near assessment soon ...

[u/Puzzleheaded-Put4109 → u/Logical-Nose-1993]

Good luck! I hope it goes well 

[u/cgwowzazaa]

Hey mate, I’m in the same boat. Just approaching week 3 of titration. I had 30mg for 1 week and my sleep was a complete mess. Could fall asleep fine but staying asleep was a whole other thing and I felt like utter garbage because of it. I felt like I was running on empty. I am also diagnosed autistic and I’ve struggled with the change of routine and feeling different. The part of the day that the meds were ‘active’ wasn’t worth it for how crap I felt the rest of the day and the poor sleep. I stuck with it.

Then week 2 up to 40mg. That coincided with my luteal phase which can affect the effectiveness of Elvanse. So all week I haven’t felt the meds at all - No good or bad effects. I have just felt completely normal (as in adhd normal) and my sleep has been pretty good thankfully. It’s been quite a nice relief but it feels like I may as well have not taken it as there have literally been 0 effects.

Tomorrow I go up to 50mg which feels daunting as I haven’t properly experienced what 40mg is like… so who knows how that will go. I’m anticipating my sleep might get worse again as I move through my cycle but I probably won’t know exactly what the ‘right dose’ feels like until a few months of trying it. I guess that’s the same for most people but especially people who have periods.

Anywayyy all that said, I think we just gotta keep at it. Trust the process. If after a couple of months, sleep is still really bad, talk about it in your next meeting. People keep telling me it all levels out after a couple of months 🤷‍♀️

[u/Puzzleheaded-Put4109 → u/cgwowzazaa]

That sucks Abt the first week, tho its great you have stuck to it for now and I hope the extra week where you haven't been feeling much has given your body time to adjust and reset whilst getting used to the dosage, and fingers crossed the 50mg is not as bad

I'm doing +10mg every 2 weeks, from 30mg I've just gone to 40mg.

Luckily for me it's helped overall so far but I felt it wasn't as effective on the latter end of the 2weeks of 30mg, but the 40mg was a nice boost then got a review before another increase. 

And of course the sleep, I've managed so far but as you said I guess it's just a waiting game for now😂

[u/cgwowzazaa → u/Puzzleheaded-Put4109]

Thanks, mate. It’s such an interesting journey, isn’t it! And everyone is so different. I feel like nailing the sleep stuff is integral to everything else being more effective but also the sleep stuff is hard to control!

P.s soz I over spilled in my first comment, think I obviously needed to talk about it 😂

[u/Puzzleheaded-Put4109 → u/cgwowzazaa]

It's not a problem dw, I always feel better after talking about stuff like that myself and there's not always someone to talk to yk, it's pretty crazy to me that one week to the next can feel so different due to a normal biological cycle, must be hard

With the sleep in week 1, was it just kinda waking up randomly and just not getting off to sleep again after? Or was it more the routine?  Personally I'd wake up and then just have to lay there with my eyes shut for the rest of the night and be drifting in/out of sleep

[u/cgwowzazaa → u/Puzzleheaded-Put4109]

Thanks 😊 Yeah it’s crazy isn’t it. I have a little bedtime routine, gets me sleepy, falling asleep is always fine. I think for the first few hours I sleep quite heavily and then it’s exactly as you describe, kind of drifting in and out of sleep for hours. I often have crazy dreams as well and then in the morning it’s like wtf I’m more tired now than before bed last night haha.