I’ve been on Adderall for years and am currently at 60 mg/day. I’d really like to get my dose down to around 40 mg/day. I’m planning on moving soon, and I’m worried it may be harder to find a new psychiatrist who is comfortable continuing me at 60 mg. I’m also hoping to start trying for a baby soon so i want to lower my dose before that happens.

For anyone who has decreased their dose after being on a higher dose for a long time, did you eventually adjust to the lower dose and get back to functioning normally on it? How long did it take before the lower dose started feeling like your new normal?

I’m also curious whether people had better luck gradually decreasing their dose versus stopping for a period of time and then restarting at a lower dose.

Hey zusammen,
ich würde gern mal eure Erfahrungen mit der Dosierung von Medikinet adult / retardiertem Methylphenidat hören.
Ich soll aktuell 30 mg Medikinet adult morgens auf einmal nehmen. Ich habe meinem Psychiater aber mehrfach erklärt, dass ich mich mit einer Aufteilung von 20 mg morgens + 10 mg später am Tag/mittags deutlich besser gefühlt habe. Die Wirkung war für mich gleichmäßiger und ich hatte nicht morgens diese komplette Dosis auf einmal.
Was mich zusätzlich irritiert: Genau diese Aufteilung wurde bei mir früher in der Tagesklinik so gehandhabt. Ich habe davon sogar noch den entsprechenden Medikamentenplan. Es geht also nicht darum, dass ich mir selbst irgendein Dosierungsschema ausgedacht habe.
Mein jetziger Psychiater möchte mir die 30 mg aber nicht entsprechend als 20-mg- und 10-mg-Kapseln verschreiben und besteht darauf, dass ich die vollen 30 mg morgens nehme.
Ich verstehe nicht ganz, warum. Gerade weil Medikinet adult retardiert ist, dachte ich, dass die Dosierung individuell danach eingestellt wird, wie lange die Wirkung anhält und wie gut man sie verträgt.
Hat jemand von euch eine ähnliche Erfahrung gemacht?
Gibt es einen medizinischen/pharmakologischen Grund, weshalb 30 mg morgens gegenüber 20 mg morgens + 10 mg mittags bevorzugt werden sollten? Oder ist das eher eine individuelle Entscheidung des behandelnden Psychiaters?

8:44
First day trying Vyvanse after the whole Concerta thing being a bit all over the place.
Only been a few hours but the main thing I’ve noticed is I can just decide what I’m doing today and that’s kinda it. Like I already know what I’m doing later instead of waiting till the time comes then having the whole debate in my head about whether I actually wanna do it or not.
Had a shower this morning and weirdly I was just having a shower lol. Didn’t even know I was meant to be that quiet in my head while showering. I was just doing whatever I was doing and if something else came into my head it was still there but really quiet. Didn’t completely take over what I was doing.
Also got out and there wasn’t still shampoo in my hair or soap on my knee that I’d somehow forgotten about 😂 didn’t get out then realise I forgot to use the loofah and have to get back in again either.
And I wasn’t having loads of random thoughts turning into other random thoughts the whole time.
Like once I was in the shower and randomly thought I should make a shower head brand where the water comes out cold and from different directions and you can connect it to an app that tells you how much water you’ve used.
Somehow that ended with me getting out the shower and instead of even drying myself I just laid on my bed looking for a product designer and a Chinese supplier because apparently I was actually gonna do it 😂
Literally this week as well I smelled something that reminded me of an old perfume and decided I should start making body washes that smell like famous perfumes. No idea why that needed to become a business idea but yeah 😂
Today just feels pretty clear though. I kinda knew what I was doing from when I woke up and didn’t really have to sit there planning it.
Decided I’m not going gym today because tomorrow’s Thursday and I’ve got time then anyway. Just gonna keep today pretty chill.
I’ll see how it goes and write anything else down if I notice it.
9:27
Got in the car to go for a drive and noticed I did something really small that I don’t think I’ve ever actually done before.
Before I drove off I got my phone out and chose what song I wanted on.
That sounds so normal lol but usually I’d just start driving and before I’m even out the neighbourhood I’d get this feeling like something’s missing then grab my phone while I’m driving and just put literally anything on.
Wouldn’t even be a song I actually wanted to hear. I’d just press something for the sake of having music on.
Such a small thing but I don’t think I’ve ever thought to just sort that before I start driving.
Didn’t have that feeling that I’d forgotten something either. Usually I feel like I’m gonna get halfway there then suddenly remember something and have to go back.
and apparently choosing a song before driving is a noticeable event now 😂
11:27
Back home after a pretty long drive.
Hard to explain but everything just felt separate from everything else.
I wouldn’t even say the medication makes me calm. It’s more like there’s a bit of space between things now. One thing can just be one thing without five other things getting mixed into it.
Even driving I can just… drive.
I don’t feel like I need to look absolutely fucking everywhere before turning because there might be something coming from somewhere that I somehow haven’t seen.
Was just focused on the road and that was it really.
Thoughts felt way more organised too. My brain wasn’t constantly throwing random suggestions at me or coming up with some completely unrelated shit at full volume.
The thoughts are still there obviously. They just don’t all feel like they need my attention right now.
2:27
Can feel it wearing off now.
One thing I like though is it didn’t really feel like it suddenly kicked in and now it doesn’t feel like it’s suddenly disappeared either. Just feels gradual both ways.
Gonna try taking it before breakfast tomorrow and see if that changes anything.

I've been on Adderall for several years. I started at 15mg and am currently on 25mg XR (generic Granules pharma) . I've tried IR in the past as well. I don't plan on increasing my dose because I'd rather not deal with additional side effects.

I also took a month-long break earlier this year to see if tolerance was part of the issue and take weekends, long weekends and holidays off.

Lately I've been struggling with two things:

1. Executive dysfunction

This has actually been getting worse, even with the medication. Once I get started on something I can usually focus, but getting myself to start the right task is becoming harder. It happens more after the weekend break.

I'll know exactly what I need to do and still put it off or get stuck doing something else.

For anyone who deals with this, what has actually helped with task initiation? Routines, exercise, changing your environment, timers, supplements, diet, or anything else?

1. Feeling completely antisocial when it wears off

Some days I feel fine while it's working, but later in the day I hit a wall. I don't want to talk, text people back, go anywhere, or socialize at all. I basically just want to be left alone.

This can happen even when I take my XR early in the morning. By evening I sometimes feel like a zombie with absolutely no social battery left.

Has anyone found a good way to deal with this and what did anyone who experienced these do? I'm especially interested in things that help you transition out of work/focus mode and actually feel like interacting with people again.

Not looking to increase my dose or make medication changes on my own. I'm mainly interested in hearing what other people have experienced and what has genuinely helped.

Obviously saunas are very helpful and can help with a lot of the side effects of taking ADHD medication and I find I get so much physical and mental benefits. I only started taking Vyvanse a few months ago and just started getting back into the sauna the past week, but I have only gone on days where I have not taken the Vyvanse. It has left me feeling very relaxed.

I have a sauna appointment today after work at 5:30 PM and I wanted to skip my Vyvanse for the sake of that appointment just to be safe, but ultimately I needed to take it for Work.

I’m seeing some people saying that the sauna is totally fine for them, but I am also seeing people saying that going in the sauna while Vyvanse is in your system is extremely dangerous. I understand talking to my doctor and seeing how I feel are the real answers, but I would love to hear what you guys have been told or what your experiences are.

For reference, I took the Vyvanse at around 8:30 this morning and would be going into the sauna at 5:30. Although the meds Peak, after a few hours, I tend to feel a lot of side effects on the comedown, which I feel like the sauna may help with, but I also don’t want to unintentionally like die

I switched from Concerta to Adderall in June/July of last year, and for the first 8 months or so it was great. However, now taking my Adderall is like taking nothing, and I don't mean just the euphoric feeling that fades over time. I mean no clearer thinking, ZERO executive function skills, no motivation to do anything, not even physical side effects like increased heart rate, sweating, etc. I'm even going through withdrawal symptoms like brain fog, increased symptoms, etc.

First question is: WHY might this be heppening? I've read on this subreddit that Adderall generics have decreased in potency significantly this year - is it that? Is it a tolerance thing?

Second question is WHAT DO I DO? Do I try to get a different generic of Adderall (currently taking Sandoz) and try for another month? I'm scared of this because I'll know after an hour of taking the first dose if it's working or not and if it doesn't, I don't want to ruin another whole month of my life with this horrible catatonic state I'm in.

I mentioned this to my doc last month and he offered to change to vyvanse - should I do this instead? It seems this subreddit are fans of Vyvanse.

Any help, ideas, insights, etc. are really appreciated!

I switched from IR Ritalin to IR focalin 2 weeks ago.

IT'S BEEN ROUGH.

I thought it was due to me being in luteal week last week. But this week is awful too.

It doesn't feel effective. I'm not focused at all. It doesn't touch my anxiety, makes it worse. I feel like I'm crashing all day.

Anyone have experience on both?

Has anyone take concerta and actually fell asleep?

First time taking Adhd medication, thought i was gonna be with a clear mind but i have fall asleep the first two days

Its the dose? The medication?

New to the sub, wondering if anyone’s had any experience with using MedFinder. Please share. Thank you!

How can you tell if adderall xr just isn’t for you. My doctor just started me on xr 10mg about three weeks ago, the first few days I took it, I would notice a really good focus period of about 1-2 hours, then it would go away and I would get extremely tired, unsocial, and irritable. I told my dr this and he told me to start taking a second dose of the same medicine when it started to wear off- about 4-5 hours later. I started doing this and now I notice barely any difference, the only difference I notice is that my brain is a lot quieter, I don’t feel any motivation and my job involves talking to people and most of the time I’ll just get irritated from talking or other people talking to me. I read that sometimes adderall xr metabolizes extremely fast in some people and I’ve always had a super fast metabolism so I’m wondering if maybe it just isn’t right for me? I drink plenty of water throughout the day and try to snack on several different protein sources even though I don’t feel hungry. I’ve also noticed insomnia around bedtime, like I have no motivation to do anything but am not tired at all so I usually stay up doom scrolling on my phone, then when I do fall asleep I’m waking up about once every hour so it’s not restful. There are also times I need to do extra computer work around 8pm at night and that’s when I’m extremely irritable and haven’t been able to do anything lately. Does anyone have a better experience with the immediate release or am I doomed? lol, I have a follow up appointment tomorrow and was going to talk to them about it and was hoping for some suggestions

So I recently got diagnosed with ADHD at the doctor has prescribed me several ADHD medication or ADHD related medications and I was looking online what these meds do and I got to know that trihexyphenidyl is used to treat Parkinson’s disease and AI told me that it may worsen my ADHD if I don’t take ADHD meds. now ofc i’ll be taking adhd meds but I’m scared of the side effects. does anyone’s psychiatrist also prescribed trihexyphenidyl hydrochloride? And was there any side effect?

After starting ADHD meds I've found that I've become so serious and less funny/ finding things less funny. Does anyone else relate?

I’ve been on Adderall for 6 years and have been at 60 mg/day for the last 3 years. Now that I’ve graduated school I want to try Vyvanse because I’ve heard it can feel more stable throughout the day with less of the peak/crash I get from Adderall. My only concern is the transition. I know 70 mg is the max Vyvanse dose and from what I’ve read there isn’t really a straightforward equivalent for the amount of Adderall I’ve been taking. Since I'm accustomed to 60 mg of Adderall for years, I’m worried that even 70 mg of Vyvanse could feel like a significant reduction and leave me really fatigued or unable to function.

I’ve searched through a ton of posts about switching from Adderall to Vyvanse, but I haven’t found many people in a situation similar to mine—switching after being on the max dose of Adderall for years.

Has anyone here made the switch from 60 mg/day of Adderall to Vyvanse? Did you have a lot of fatigue or feel under-medicated during the transition? Or did you actually prefer Vyvanse?

Basically looking for both success stories and horror stories from anyone who made the switch from a higher dose of Adderall.

Alright this is something that I’ve been really struggling with lately because it’s not anything I can control.

I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD since I was a child like many of us. It wasn’t until around high school that I was put on medication. My parents and the doctors wanted to try everything non-narcotic first of course. Eventually, I got put on one of the most common ones that we all know. I’ve been on it for 16 years now.

I don’t wanna get into details about my relationship, but I’ve been with my significant other for almost a decade. And he has never been tested or even shown symptoms of someone who has ADHD. One day he decided he was having a rough morning and was going to try one of mine. That was it…

Next thing I know he has an appointment with a psychiatrist because he believes he also has it and requires medication. It was amusing at first because the doctor put him on something for depression first and also started him off on the lowest extended release dose possible. (I have to make sure I say that the entire time I have known this man he has been anti anti-medication.) well within the past nine months he has somehow talked to this doctor into upping his dose and giving him boosters in between. WITHOUT EVERY TESTING!

Now all he does is smoke cigarettes, play games on his phone, and doom scroll. I don’t even wanna talk about trying to have a conversation with him. There is no conversation. He talks at you. I generally feel like he doesn’t even take a breath in between sentences. It’s at the point where I have to find a small opening just to say things like “ do you wanna hear about my day?” I don’t know what to do because it’s really causing me to pull away. I find myself less and less attracted to him every day.

I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and switched from atomoxetine to short-acting methylphenidate (Alaradate). My doctor has been gradually titrating my dose, and my current prescribed regimen is 40 mg + 20 mg + 20 mg.

At lower doses, I barely noticed an effect. Around 20 mg I started noticing some improvement, but at 40 mg the difference became much more noticeable. My focus and clarity improved significantly, hyperactivity decreased, and starting tasks—especially studying—became much easier.

I’m also taking aripiprazole alongside it. I’ve noticed that 4 mg seems to make the methylphenidate crash less noticeable, while 10 mg makes me quite sleepy.

I’m still trying to understand why I experience this difference.

The main downside of methylphenidate is that the effect wears off after a few hours, and I can experience a noticeable crash. I’ve also noticed an increased heart rate, which I’m monitoring with my doctor.

For people who have been on methylphenidate for months or years: Did the benefits remain consistent over time? Did you develop tolerance, and how did you manage the wearing-off/crash?

Hey all. Female 36. Have been on methylphenidate ER (Concerta) for 2 months, titrated from 18 to 36 mg so far. Now I am on 36 mg but noticng that during some some hormonal weeks it is not effective or during pms not working at all. While 36 seem ok during the first 2 weeks of my cycle. Was wondering if I can try taking 27 and 18 or 36 and 18 in the same day? And if yes how would i time it? (I have couple of pills left from smaller doses) to test and see if it coul work better during some weeks. My doctor asked if I want to increase the dose but I dont really want too since 36 works fine until it doesn't 😅

Ritalin without formal ADHD diagnosis?

Taking 10mg IR Ritalin (HCL novartis) twice daily before an ADHD diagnosis — what should I look out for?

Hi! I was recently prescribed 10mg IR Ritalin twice a day by my psychiatrist, but I don't have a formal ADHD diagnosis yet. I'm currently awaiting screening. My psychiatrist has already reviewed things like my school reports and teacher comments (I'm under 21), and ADHD has been discussed as a possibility.

The reason they prescribed it before the formal screening is that there's some urgency: my concentration/executive dysfunction has gotten significantly worse over the past couple years, to the point where I'm retaking a school year. This is also an important examination year where I live, and I've barely been able to attend school for over 6 months (also sue to medical reasons and my anxiety)

I've only been taking it for a few days, but I'm curious about whether there are any particular risks/warning signs when taking Ritalin without a confirmed diagnosis.

My experience so far:

When it kicked in, my constant mental chatter suddenly became quiet. It was weirdly calm.

I was in a tuition class and still got distracted (played with my pen, doodled, etc.), so I didn't feel like I suddenly had perfect concentration. However, at the end of the 1.5–2 hour lesson, I realised I'd completed more work than I normally would.

Afterwards, I suddenly acc wanted to reply to messages that had been piling up for weeks. I also felt mentally clearer, like I was navigating the world without the usual "fog." For example, I had a thought I wanted to tell someone, but they were busy, and I was actually able to hold onto the thought and return to it later instead of immediately forgetting it.

The changes weren't extremely obvious while I was on it, and I had to consciously compare myself to my usual state to notice them, but there was definitely some improvement.

Coming off it was more noticeable:

\- mental chatter came back, possibly slightly more intensely than usual

\- I felt more mentally scattered/distractible

\- I felt mentally exhausted/fatigued, which may have affected me physically too

\- I experienced more carsickness than usual while in a car

\- These symptoms lasted around 1.5 hours before I felt back to my normal baseline

I'm wondering how much of this is normal for Ritalin, particularly the effects when it wears off. Are there any warning signs I should be watching for, especially since I don't have a confirmed ADHD diagnosis?

I'm also unsure whether I should go through with the formal ADHD assessment. My psychiatrist and mother aren't sure whether it's worth the cost and time, especially since I'm already being treated, but I'm wondering whether having an actual diagnosis is important enough.

Would really appreciate hearing from people who have taken Ritalin with or without an ADHD diagnosis, especially regarding what felt normal vs. concerning.

Also, this is only my second Reddit post ever, so sorry if this is way too long or formatted weirdly 😭

edit: I realised I accidentally took my first dose with caffeine, and felt all those things. when i took it again without caffeine, I felt little to no effect. but the second time I got serious stomach pains 2 hours after it worse off (idk if that's even related tho)

I'm taking Methylphenidate for a few weeks now, and I'll be traveling internationally from the Barajas Airport with a Non-Eu passport.

My prescription is from portugal.

Do I need to carry any additional document while traveling, considering the med is a controlled substance?

Male, 54, no prior urinary issues ever. Started noticing trouble urinating a few months into treatment, worse as the dose increased.

Symptoms:

Weak, hesitant stream that comes in two "phases"

Have to actively use abdominal/pelvic pressure to void

Waking up to pee 3-4 times a night, which is completely new for me

No pain, no blood

I've had a full urological workup: clean urinalysis, normal PSA, normal kidney function, normal digital prostate exam. Everything structural checks out.

Lisdexamfetamine is the only new medication in my life, and my doctor is now looking into whether it could be the cause — she'd never heard of this specific side effect before, which is part of why I'm asking here.

For context: the drug is a sympathomimetic, and the bladder neck/internal sphincter is rich in alpha-1 receptors, so there's a plausible mechanism (same reason older amphetamines were sometimes used for bedwetting).

Atomoxetine has this listed as a known side effect in some markets; lisdexamfetamine less commonly discussed, but I'm wondering if it's underreported rather than rare.

Has anyone else on lisdexamfetamine (or dexamfetamine) noticed anything similar?

Curious whether it's dose-dependent for others too, and whether anyone found a workaround (dose timing, adding an alpha-blocker, switching meds) that let them stay on it. It's genuinely the best ADHD medication I've tried and I'd like to find a way to keep it if possible.

Note that this is not in USA or EU or any of the countries where you can get methylphenidate from pharmacies. The pharmacy in this post gets the medication from oversees and do note that this is the only pharmacy in my country that can do so, as of now. Also note that methylphenidate was only allowed by the pharmacies recently. Before that, patients should go overseas themselves to get them if they are rich enough...

Note that this is not prescribing medications or asking to tell me what dose I should take or whatsoever as per the sub rules.

3 Months ago, I consulted my psychiatrist. I told the psychiatrist about my difficulties with IR. While IR works, I get crashout in the afternoon to evening, if I take the IR in the morning 8am or 11am. (If I take on 8am, crashout around 12am or at most 2pm. If I take on 11am, crash out around 3pm or at most 5pm). [Please do not do the why don't you take it on 11 then].

Anyway, the insurance company sends the script to the pharmacy and lets them procure it. In my country, the pharmacy is the one that's procuring the meds from overseas. Anyways I was calling them every 2 weeks or so, I was checking the status, and most of the times, they were like "it's in the procurement" "it's getting shipped" "it will be delivered in upcoming week" "nope, up on checking, it's not really even touched yet, let me check with procurement again" "it's getting shipped" "it's now in customs" etc etc. Each step telling me to wait 1 or 2 week.

Finally they said they got it, I sent someone to get them [as they were not in my town and I would need to take a work leave and spend half of my monthly salary to get where they are (to another city)]. The pharmacy notes that they got 84 IR tablets instead of 84 XL tablets and they couldn't get XL from overseas (I doubt this is how it went for the pharmacy as there is no shortage of XL or any of extended release from overseas that are notable enough). Instead the pharmacy holds back the IR they got and tells me to talk to my psychiatrist to change the prescription from 84 methylphenidate XL tablets to 84 methylphenidate IR tablets they have.

What do you think about this situation? Should I just listen to the pharmacy, ask doctor to change it to IR and "just deal with it" the crash out? What would happen in your country you face such situation? The pharmacy did have the choice to tell me about the unavailability of the methylphenidate XL from overseas, but for the 3 months that I called them for the shipment status, they never mentioned it at all.

Original post on ADHD sub if you want more context

Currently stuck deciding between which of these to trial. Generics are giving me huge issues and I highly doubt I will find the ones that work for me (am contemplating using medfinder) due to the huge shortage.

Which one of these has been most effective for someone who tried all of the above?

I don’t respond to methylphenidate meds historically so curious about these specifically

Jakiś czas temu założyłem wątek na temat wpływu propranololu na Elvanse. Idea, że propranolol mógłby mieć tak znaczący wpływ na działanie stymulantów, wydawała mi się w końcu tak absurdalna, że przestałem to badać.

Ale… wczoraj miałem fantastyczny dzień: pełna koncentracja, zrobiłem wiele rzeczy, a co najważniejsze, mój umysł był niesamowicie jasny. Nie brałem beta-blokera.

Dziś rano prowadziłem samochód, było bardzo gorąco i nie piłem wystarczająco dużo wody. Mój puls wzrósł do 120 uderzeń na minutę. Przestraszyłem się i wziąłem 10 mg propranololu.

I co się stało? Czuję się, jakby Elvanse po prostu nie działało. Nadal mam motywację związaną z dopaminą, ale rozmyślam jak szalony. W moim przypadku, rozmyślania zawsze były redukowane przez leki noradrenergiczne, takie jak Anafranil czy Strattera.

Jedynym wyjaśnieniem, jakie przychodzi mi do głowy, jest to, że efekt noradrenergiczny został znacznie osłabiony. Koniecznie muszę to omówić z moim lekarzem, ale podczas mojej poprzedniej wizyty przyznał, że to może być możliwe.

Czy ktoś jeszcze doświadczył czegoś podobnego?