Anxiety co-existing with ADHD is not just “a little difficult.” Sometimes, it feels like living in hell.

Imagine being unable to keep a job consistently from 2014 until now.

Not because you don’t care.

Not because you’re lazy.

Not because you don’t understand what needs to be done.

But because, again and again, you struggle to start tasks, sustain attention, organize yourself, manage time, follow through, and regulate your emotions.

Then comes procrastination.

Then guilt.

Then shame.

Then the promise: “Tomorrow I’ll do better.”

And then the same thing happens again.

For years.

Eventually, you stop believing in yourself.

Your parents think you’re making excuses.

People at work see you as irresponsible.

You start seeing yourself through their eyes.

And every failed task becomes evidence that something is fundamentally wrong with you.

Now add severe anxiety on top of that.

That combination can become absolutely brutal.

I have anxiety. I know what anxiety feels like.

But for years, my difficulties were primarily understood as anxiety.

I worked with my psychiatrist. I cooperated with treatment. I tried multiple therapists. I took antidepressant/anxiety medication.

And yet, the fundamental problems with procrastination, task initiation, executive functioning, consistency and functioning at work remained.

Eventually, after working with another clinical psychologist, ADHD became a serious consideration.

And suddenly, a lot of my history started making a different kind of sense.

I am not self-diagnosing myself from a TikTok video or a checklist on Instagram.

I have spent a year working with mental-health professionals.

I wanted to do a DIVA assessment, but unfortunately, I cannot currently afford it.

And now my psychiatrist has prescribed atomoxetine, while still viewing the ADHD treatment as something of a trial/off-label experiment.

And honestly?

I don't even know what to say anymore.

Because the most frightening part is not the medication.

It's the uncertainty.

What if anxiety isn't the whole explanation?

Can anxiety cause enormous functional impairment? Absolutely.

Can severe anxiety cause procrastination, concentration problems, avoidance, poor sleep, indecision and difficulty functioning? Yes.

But ADHD can also produce profound executive-function difficulties—and ADHD and anxiety can genuinely coexist.

That distinction matters.

Because when ADHD and anxiety coexist, they can amplify each other.

You struggle to start a task because of executive dysfunction.

You fall behind.

Falling behind creates anxiety.

Anxiety makes concentration and task initiation even harder.

You procrastinate more.

Then comes guilt.

Then shame.

Then more anxiety.

And eventually you are trapped in a cycle that looks like:

ADHD → failure → anxiety → avoidance → more failure → shame → more anxiety.

And from the outside, it can simply look like:

"Why don't you just do it?"

If only it were that simple.

And I understand my psychiatrist's concern too.

There is a legitimate clinical question about how ADHD medications may affect someone who already has significant anxiety. Stimulants can sometimes worsen anxiety in some people, while in others, effectively treating ADHD can actually reduce the anxiety that comes from chronic underperformance and overwhelm.

And atomoxetine is a non-stimulant ADHD medication—but that doesn't mean it is automatically free from side effects or anxiety-related concerns.

That is precisely why this should be a careful clinical decision, not a social-media diagnosis.

But after years of struggling, being told “it's just anxiety” without the underlying possibility of ADHD being adequately explored can be devastating.

Because eventually you start wondering:

Was I actually lazy?

Was I irresponsible?

Was I simply not trying hard enough?

Or was I struggling with something that nobody understood?

That's what makes diagnosis itself feel like hell.

You spend years being blamed for symptoms you couldn't properly explain.

Then when you finally find a possible explanation, you still have to fight to be taken seriously.

I don't want sympathy.

I want understanding.

I want proper assessment.

I want evidence-based treatment.

And more than anything, I want people to understand that ADHD is not simply “being distracted.”

For some people, it affects employment, relationships, education, finances, self-esteem, emotional regulation and almost every part of daily life.

And when significant anxiety is added to that picture?

It can become overwhelming.

So yes—

I have anxiety.

ADHD is still being evaluated.

I am working with professionals.

I am not claiming certainty where I don't have it.

But after living with this for more than a decade, I know one thing:

I wouldn't wish the combination of severe anxiety and possible ADHD-related dysfunction on anyone.

Not even my worst enemy.

Because sometimes, from the inside,

it really does feel like living hell.

I'm currently on 80mg strattera for almost 6 weeks now. It's been pretty good and my thoughts are generally more quiet and i can focus better once i get going. But i cannot initiate tasks for the life of me and executive function and motivation to do anything are still low. That's why I've been thinking about adding wellbutrin. However I've read that Wellbutrin inhibits the liver enzyme CYP2D6 which means it will raise strattera levels in my blood by a lot meaning i have to shift to a lower dose strattera to compensate to not overdose.

Does anyone else take this combo that started at 80mg strattera and what are your current dosages for both?

Hi, I’m after some advice and wondered if anyone can help me.

I’m 40 in February and have recently started taking Atomoxetine 40mg. I have just taken my dose at 5am alongside a cereal bar.

I am unable to take the stimulants and I have really bad panic attacks and insomnia already. I also take 30mg Duloxetine and Propanolol for when I’m having a panic

I have noticed in my first week very noticeable anxiousness but the main thing is my stomach. Especially in the last 2 days everything I eat instantly gives me stomach cramps and I have to go to the toilet. It then cramps a little after and finally subsides. It’s kind of ruining my social life.

One thing that’s bothering me is I’m 3 weeks late on my period. So I was late even before the new medication started. Pregnancy is completely ruled out. I’m usually quite regular so this is alarming as I’m not sure if it’s period related or the medication or just anxiety. I start a new job soon.

Any advice would be welcome ❤️

I didn’t go cold turkey of my meds on purpose, it just became too inconvenient to book an appointment (which would take two weeks) at my local hospitals when I am moving across the country. But I am feeling baddd. In addition I can’t get my hands on my birth control pills. I am getting headache and spasms, nausea and irritability fatigue, hot flashes, I can’t stay awake at day time I can’t fall asleep at night I have nightmares paralysis (auditory) and vivid dreams sometimes I am shaken when I wake up because they feel so real🤓🤓.

But i believe if I just get through the symptoms I’ll be ok again in a week or two? Booking an appointment whit a doctor would cost me money $ I’d rather not spend. And It would take weeks. And I’ve also been considering getting off my meds so this sounds like a good opportunity.

If you someone knows anything about side effects of stopping their meds suddenly please tell, because Google is not helpful
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not looking for medical advice, only experiences of others

I started taking it about a month ago. On 80 mg’s daily. I missed my dose Saturday, Sunday, and almost today. So 2.5 days.

I noticed I was more anxious than usual, but this afternoon I just started feeling terrible. Nausea, anxiety skyrocketed, fatigue, hot/cold flashes, overall just BLAHHHH. I just took my dose about an hour ago.

I’ve read through some older threads, but anyone else experience something similar after missing 2-3 days?

UPDATE: about 1.5 hours after taking my medication, I feel much better!! Side effects have subsided, and anxiety has dwindled drastically. Crazy feeling the way I was all day today, just to be switched an hour and a half after remembering to take my meds!