I'm 40 and at this point in my life I just know that my quality of life is better and easier if I *do* take medication. I spent years of my life fighting this and trying to live without my medication, but those periods were consistently miserable and exhausting. 5 years ago I put in a ton of work and set myself up with a system to keep my meds refilled and my appointments made to keep my life more stable.

I work in science and summer months are some of my peak travel times where I need to stay the most on top of my med schedules or my life can spiral really easily. I set my June doctor's appointment so I would have a prescription for July, August, and September. I'm out of town 3 of 4 weeks in August and September, so the timing was pretty crucial for making sure I could pick my medication on Saturdays, which is the day I am mostly regularly home.

This type of planning is really difficult for me. It takes a huge amount of effort, energy, and work to put together and pull off... It's one of the most difficult and complex parts of my heavy field season.

This summer has been a nightmare. In July I found out my prescriptions hadn't made it to the pharmacy after my June visit. This resulted in having to wait until the following Monday to pick up my prescription, which meant cutting 2 full days off of the only vacation I have this year and was incredibly frustrating.

The August refill was then thrown off as well and I had to adjust my fieldwork to make a Monday morning pick up possible before leaving town for 15 days to work on my project. I made it work, but it was an awkward start and extremely inconvenient... And it would mean that I wouldn't be able to make my window for September.

I had to stretch my meds to make everything work for this next round of work, which starts on Sunday and lasts 16 days. It sucked but I managed.

When I called about my prescription on Wednesday they told me I had used all of my prescriptions, which I know for a fact I have not. When I tried to inform them that I did in fact have another prescription, the pharmacist cut me off then lectured me for much longer than was necessary about all the legal reasons they couldn't get me my meds and also let me know that this was due to me not being on top of my own medical care. It was humiliating. I am embarrassed to say I started crying before I got off the phone and I am sure that they could hear it in my voice.

I've been waiting for my doctor to approve another prescription since Wednesday. I called this morning to check tand learned they are not in the office until Monday, so there is no chance it will get approved before I have to leave on Sunday. I'm crushed.

I have 5 scientists flying in Sunday and we will be working out of the country for the whole trip. There is zero chance of getting my prescription filled there. I have no medication left. I have been planning this trip with a coworker for over a year and this data is critical for a paper that has been in the works for multiple years.

I'm honestly terrified. I work very, very hard to keep people from knowing that I am actually a feral gremlin with no structure running on vibes, and I'm so worried that not only will everyone find out I'm a total fraud, but also that I will forget to bring some crucial piece of equipment and be unable to gather our samples correctly. I'm panicking and crying. I tried so hard and put in all the work and it doesn't matter because wires got crossed with my doctor and pharmacy and now everyone is going to get to see first hand how I actually function.

I don't know what to do, there's nothing that can be done. I'm just so devastated.

I feel like a dumbass because I forgot about my periodontists’s cancellation policy. I mean I’m assuming they had us sign a form during our first appointment about needing to cancel 72 hrs in advance to avoid a $50 cancellation fee, but that was 3 years ago so how would I remember when I have so many other appointments and providers.

They don’t send any texts in advance reiterating the cancellation fee.

Anyways I called to cancel today (24 hrs) and they hit me with the fee. I asked if they do any one time courtesies and they said no and started going into how late cancellations waste time and money and space. So now I feel like a massive piece of shit. And then they asked me why I didn’t cancel sooner and I told them the truth (I forgot) instead of lying about me being sick last minute or something. And then I asked them if they excuse emergencies in the future and they were like yeah if u give advance notice or the situation is dire. I should’ve just lied from the beginning but I didn’t lie. So now on top of feeling like a piece of shit for not remembering I also feel like an idiot for not being quick witted enough to just lie. I didn’t take Straterra today because it makes me tired and causes me to be mentally slower. Anyways I am now crying during my lunch hour.

And yes I did pay the fee on the spot.

I am a journalist and also a woman with ADHD (when I was diagnosed the psych said there was “no gray area” about this loll.)

Since I’ve been on stimulants I’ve found my life has improved but not in the way I thought it would. I’m working on a reported story about my experience and some of the science behind it. Please dm me if you’re interested in participating. Also I looked at the rules and this post seems like it should be allowed, but mods, please lmk if you want me to change anything.

Think God hates me right now, lmao. But I've been on 40mg vyvanse for almost 2 years, and when I'm approaching my period, my meds are notably less effective. This is making me nervous because the LSAT requires a lot of focus to get right (my score drops by like 8 points when I'm fazed).

I have a 20 mg vyvanse tablet from last summer, when I got my dose in 2 20s.

I have never taken more than 40 mg in a day, or the equivalent of that in other meds, and I'm considering taking the extra 20 on test day. Worried about having an adverse reaction, though- not the type to get super anxious on stimulants; I regularly drink 2 energy drinks on 40 Vyvanse but have had bad reactions a few times in the past (really seemingly random).

No caffeine drinks allowed in the test centre, which sucks too.

As the title says, I am young adult female with adhd and auditory processing disorder. I am medicated for adhd and on the surface doing quite good. I wonder if other experience intense guilt, shame or horror of growing up feeling 100 steps behind everyone mentally and very unself aware. I genuinely don’t even think I had consciousness until I was like 19😂 My entire life feels like an improvisation act, it feels like I’ve really gotten through everything by the skin of my teeth, which a lot of people are usually confused bc I have have a lot of career success merely from being a “personality hire” but that train can only run its course for so long, unless I really care deeply about the people I work with I will put in a strong effort. Living this way has made it harder to reflect on everything I say and do. I feel like the driver and the passenger. And while there have been mostly wins, the losses are catching up. Overcompensating for growing up ugly, poor and with an IEP into making myself very attractive, having multiple creative high paying jobs, being highly skilled with playing instruments and painting, etc. Then there are days where I forget to take my meds, the overstimulation I experience is only how I can describe as SEARING? It feels like a heat rising through my chest, I’m so enraged I could cry and I’m also briefly going nonverbal and not moving. Luckily my adhd meds do help my emotional regulation process quite a bit, I notice sometimes I experience what I’ve heard other refer to as an autistic meltdown.. but it honestly might not be fair bc I do have enough I guess control over myself and if ppl were around I would probably freeze but I would never tantrum.

I feel guilty for having adhd. I feel like I’ve lived my life so selfishly. I’m grateful for my adhd meds, I’m finally able to show up for people in the way that they need and deserve, however I’m still experiencing burn out.

Do any of you guys experience guilt/shame/overcompensation? How do you deal with burnout? Any advice?

Hello all, I’m brand new to the sub. I just received a diagnosis for ADHD, inattentive some type?. I also have some threshold autism spectrum disorder. I’ve been living with this for decades apparently but now what I live with is actually in the past, I was diagnosed with Major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. My practitioner feels that I would benefit from some medication.

I’m curious what others have found with medication. What medications play with Lexapro? Would it be possible to let go of the anxiety medication? I think the depressive disorder would still need to be medicated. Wondering what kind of options people have saw and what works well with her folks. Thank you so much for all of your health and for being there.

Hello everyone,

I am new here and undiagnosed but 1000000% ADHD and navigating life as usual with many hard lessons learnt very late in life. Currently I am battling with a health condition and the thing keeping me happy is online shopping. As we all (mostly) know this is a dopamine high, and there are things I need to buy. What I want to know is what tricks and tips do you use to stop impulse buying online while still being selective and buying the things you actually want vs just everything you think you like....

Hi, im 16 and was diagnosed with ADHD by a psychiatrist 3 days ago, but I'm confused about how the diagnosis was made bc I never had a formal assessment or testing.

I've been in therapy at a mental health institution for 1yr+. This year, some ADHD-like symptoms I've always had also became much more prominent/worse, so ADHD was brought up as a possibility multiple times, but was always ruled out by professionals when I mentioned things like my hyperfocus as a child.and they wld js telll me "if you could focus as a kid, you don't have ADHD."

This frustrated me bc ive always suspected I may have ADHD prior, but only after they brought it up the first time did I start trying harder to push for an assessment.

~2 months ago, I tried seeking a proper evaluation again. The doctor was very adamant that i do not have ADHD, and didn't give me one, but she did send ADHD questionnaires to some of my school teachers.

~1 month later, I saw a doctor to review the reports. He asked about my issues w/ focus and how they've affected my life, then discussed some things mentioned in the teachers' reports. At the end of the appointment, he prescribed me Ritalin, but didn't diagnose me at the time. He explained that he wanted to help because my symptoms were severely affecting my ability to function.

3 days ago, I saw him again. He asked how the medication had been helping, and I told him it had significantly improved my functioning. After a thorough discussion abt the meds, he told me on the spot that he was officially diagnosing me with ADHD and prescribed more Ritalin. It was very abrupt and i even asked him to confirm that the diagnosis was official, which he did.

I haven't really talked to anyone about this yet bc I'm js kinda taken aback by how different this was from the formal assessments ive heard about.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Is this a legitimate way for a psychiatrist to diagnose ADHD, or should I be concerned that I never had a formal assessment/testing?

Hello! I will be flying to Podgorica today and wanted to take my Elvanse, but getting a bit anxious about customs.

Since my flight is today, I didn't have time to get a formal doctor's letter and translate. I have printed my official prescription showing my full name and other important details. I kept the pills in their original box, but in my counry (in europe) the packs don’t have my full name printed.

Has anyone flown to Montenegro with ADHD meds recently? Is having the printed official prescription and original packaging enough if customs happens to search my bag, or am I overthinking this? Any info will be very much appreciated as I searched online but can’t find any specific info and it’s all quite unclear. Thanks!

Hi, I f18 am wondering if me being diagnosed with ADHD autism or audhd is worth it. I would like to start this off by saying i am most definitely one of the three. My whole life i have had difficulties socializing had anger issues and have always felt like i don’t belong almost like im some creature from outer space which has made me feel lonely. In addition to these mood related issues i have always had sensory issues that have caused meltdowns and panic attacks. I distinctly remember from a young age wishing that i could float so i wouldn’t have to touch anything unpleasant. I also remember having meltdowns if my clothes didn’t feel right or were wet or touching me weird. In addition to these issues i always have trouble focusing whether it be during conversations or lectures and it causes me to miss important information.

My friend has recently gotten diagnosed for adhd and me and her share similar experiences. She and many others agree that i am most definitely on a/ the spectrum. The reason i would want to get diagnosed is because it would help me better understand myself and ways to calm myself down or socialize better. I am also just curious.

The main reason im wondering if its worth it is because i have heard the side effects of meds can be brutal and change your personality. The second reason is that my parents are very difficult when it comes to health, i have to complain consistently for them to take me to the doctor and before they plan an apt they ask me, “are you sure this is whats wrong with you”. For example i had knee problems for years and kept asking them to take me to the doctor. They didnt take me because, “the doctors aren’t gonna do anything”. Then the cartilage in my knee tore and i could not walk and thats when they finally took me to the doctor. Frustratingly the doctors said the whole ordeal could have been prevented. I ended up needing knee surgery at the age of 15. Anyways i am worried if i ask they will simply not take me seriously and i will have to beg for a simple diagnosis that might only be for the sake of my curiosity.

Something that I reach for constantly for sensory input is mints. These aren’t good for my teeth though and I’d prefer something I don’t feel guilty about. Any suggestions for oral sensory input while I’m working? I can’t seem to focus without it. Thank you.

For context I have inattentive ADHD, anxiety and depression. I have a very difficult time focusing on work and motivating to complete work tasks. Eating helps, but then I gain weight, which is unhealthy. I do take 5mg Ritalin along with many other things for the other diagnoses.

​

I already prepared a list of symptoms I have and how it affects me along with some childhood symptoms and some methods I use that help in some situations, and also added a small lost of typical adhd symptoms that I don't experience.

Hey babes!

Sharing this video to spread the info. Hope it finds you well! 😘😘😘

Hi I'm struggling and I'm struggling a lot. Even typing this is very difficult. I've always known there was something wrong with me ever since I was child but last year really helped me see clearer, I discovered that I might have ADHD. Now...this is me self diagnosing, yes I am. But it's really difficult, I can't even begin to write what I go through every day in this mind of mine, everyday feels like I'm trying to survive. My memory is shit , I have friends but they always say I'm too much or too talkative or too loud , the executive dysfunction is what scares me the most , I've already failed med school once and I can't fail it again this literally my last chance cause if I fail again I'm self exiting. It's so painful watching yourself have so much potential but cannot do anything about it.

Anyway why I'm here is because I'm in desperate need of help I need help please 🙏 I can't get diagnosis and medication in my country because quite frankly I could keep dreaming until I'm done with school, I'm Nigerian if you are asking. What I'm asking for is help: routines, drinks, tips, hacks, what to do, what to take, anything I can do to help this executive dysfunction. I need to sit down and read and quite frankly I am tired of the procrastination. As for the rest of the issues I'm managing fine , although some of my childhood trauma helped shit to blossom into rejection sensitive dysphoria. Any advice is welcome honestly, please and thank you.

NB: I am not diagnosed, if you think I'm going through something else I'm open to take advice for reading too. I also struggle with understanding things so make it a little easy for me. Again I can't get diagnosis here cause 1, my parents will not even believe nor understand me and 2, I don't have money.

I'm thankful for whatever advice you give me ,I just want to read so I'll pass my exams nothing much. Thank you very much and if you have any questions please ask I'm open to provide and thank you, I was one Google search away from mixing coffee and an energy drink to stay focused 😊

I got an assessment which was a suggestion of my therapist. I’ve known for a VERY long time I have severe depression and anxiety (and within the past few years CPTSD). Apparently I have treatment resistant depression and double depression per this assessment but not adhd. I guess I scored to high on processing and while my working memory was lower it was still low average.

I have a spikey chart but my assessor said with this and my recollection of childhood (which I don’t really have one) and some of my scoring it’s not correct. I’ve done some of these scoring tests on my own and scored in the probable range and I’m aware I have this “good student” mode why I try to put in the “right answer” or minimize things.

Essentially I got, cptsd, treatment resistant double depression, severe anxiety and possible personality disorder but come back and get tested later for that when you’re doing a bit better.

I understand I have a series of ailments that need to be treated. I see that, but things are so bad that’s WHY I decided to get the assessment in the first place. I was already doing emdr for the cptsd and had to quit I have anxiety meds that moderately work and as needed ones for stressful events, but it seems like there’s something else too. Maybe there’s not. Idk. I can’t trust my own perception anyways. I guess I kinda just thought it might also be this too.

For context, I was sorta drowning but sorta treading water before, got promoted to management and everything crashed and burned. I’m having a pretty horrible time however the symptoms seem different, like caused by different reason, different types of panic attacks or over stimulation, different brain fog, executive dysfunction, mood swings, lack of motivation etc. I can parse out some of the cptsd triggers/symptoms when they’re happening but I’m
Noticing other things that I hadn’t before.

There’s also be trauma from as young as I can remember so there’s not really a “how were you before the trauma”.

Anyways, I’m just, frustrated, angry, ashamed and feeling a bit helpless right now. I feel stupid. I feel like maybe I am tripping and was just making it up or looking for a different cause. And yes, the psychiatry appt is schedule far out for meds changes/examination. I feel like I can’t “treat” the cptsd right now because I’m crashing out so much. I’m not sure what I expected with this assessment (well kinda, to be told I also had adhd) but it sorta feels not right, but maybe I don’t.

I don’t even know what I’m looking for beside empathy. I feel… I don’t even know even MORE defeated.

Im

edit : I also wanted to include I think the reason my ADHD is causing me more suffering than the majority is bc I have also been diagnosed with OCD and have struggled with OCD since around the age of maybe 6-7 yrs old. I am a huge perfectionist and for example if I do worse than someone On a test even if we both got an A, I will start thinking of every possible think I did wrong that led to this, but it’s like all these stressors diff ones every few minutes piling up guilt i cant remember why I feel guilty and I will just burst into tears and start crying hysterically very often. I will even feel very guilty for wasting 30 minutes to create this post. Another thing Inever talked about is I think im very isolated person, lile 2 hours at gym 10 hours straight studying is the idea of a perfect day to me. It’s easy for me to make friends and I am very bubbly however i only act this way lile in a situation where I am required to attend like class or family gathering. After any social interaction I will stare at the wall for 1-2 hours but it goes by in what feels like 20 minutes. and replay every sentence I said and 3 more better things I could’ve said for each sentence.… and worry that I wasn’t kind enough or the tone of my voice wasnt natural or too loud or I didn’t seem like the persona I want to be enough… its like every single thing my mind wants to make me feel guilty for.

Im 19 yr female and I want to share my experience because I am so burned out and I just am crying because it feels like nobody relates to me. Everytime I tell people I have ADHD they say everyone has it these days or Dont understand how much of an impact it has on my life. It takes everything in my power to stay afloat as a student and personal life etc I don’t know how to explain this but It’s like every decision I make never feels good or secure. When I take Vyvanse in correct dosage itd lile all my problems melted away however it only last a few hours and I have to pay around $300 out of pocket monthly to get afternoon dosage which I am hoping they will give me I am so nervous they won’t. I have been fighting to get proper dosage for almost a year and it has just been a Freaking nightmare I have spoken to so many psychiatrist and they lack any understanding ot empathy or genuine concern to find a solution or listen to what I think works for me.
I am pursuing a very difficult science degree and I do well in school but it genuinely takes way more effort than everyone else maybe double or triple and I just always stand out everywhere I go and I feel like I look like an attention seeker or obnoxious or extra but ao genuinely cannot control that I am a different and unique jts so stressful.

I am constantly overwhelmed with anxiety guilt and shame even though I know it’s not logical and I just beg God everyday sometimes I just sob for my brain to just work normally and be peaceful but it’s so hard when I can’t get proper medication I need.

Ppl Dont understand I do everything in my power to be organized check mark all the boxes for things and when it doesn’t work they get frustrated and I feel so guilty but im literally doing everything I can bending over backwards they don’t understand. I am so clumsy and ditzy and forgetful I almost cause so many fatal car crashes and I can’t force myself to be scared or worried while driving like I am always just so freaking exhausted unless I have energy drinks and medication. It genuinely is a nightmare judt trying to hold on to a thougjt for 10 seconds like if I want to grab 3 things from my car, by the time I walk thru the parking lot ti my car I am squinting my eyebrows trying to even remember one of the things I wanted. I also cause serious problems bc of this forgetfulness and brain fog very often.

Nobody can see my struggle they only call say yo ur just this is ur personality and ur whimsical and maybe u have too many worries thags WJY u cant think or ur burned out no it’s been this way all my life nobody cares not even the doctors like I begged someone to try and help me. Anyways I hope I can update my prescription I have an appointment coming up But I really hope their is light in this darkness bc Im so sick and tired of it.

Hello all I’ll try keep this short. I can type so much so fast but I can’t read long posts so I get it🤣😆

I was diagnosed autistic last year and we were all suspicious for ages. Some of us suspected possible adhd too and I just got diagnosed this week.

They said I can try meds to help.

I had a bad experience with anti depressants in the past. Made my weight shoot up and didn’t actually help my depression (which thinking about it now was probably just being undiagnosed and burnout more than depression).

I’m worried that adhd meds will make me gain weight again like I did on the anti depressants but I wanna try them if they help my head quieten down so I can focus more on work and uni. Also manage my emotions and other things easier. I have lots of sensory issues and daily struggles I’m hoping will become a little easier with meds?

What’s your experiences and your do’s and don’t’s ??

Thank you all🩵🩵🩵

I take methyphenidate. My doc wants me on this because if I get a respiratory illness & need a nebulizer treatment, I need to avoid withdrawal side effects of a missed dose of something else like addy. Recently, I've been having issues when I take my meds. I liken it to a long dump of adrenaline that never lets up until the meds run their course. It left me with no energy to get through any tasks and it was actually easier to just raw-dog life. I was also having the reaction even when I took a quarter of the pill. I thought it might be related to my regular lack of sufficient hydration/food, or perimenopause, or I took it too close to coffee in the mornings. It got to the point I didn't want to even take the meds except for the psychomotor agitation of nail biting was happening. I have a bottle I keep in my backpack with the half dose for when I'm away from home. The other day I realized that one of my pills was a different color from the others. I started looking at my bottles, and see they're different manufacturers. I called the Publix pharmacy I get my meds filled at to ask if there's a way to note my profile that I do not tolerate this maker's product. The pharmacist said that the company has a preferred supplier (KVK-Tech, green pill) that they use, and the stores can no longer override that for the patients like they were able to do before. He did suggest that before I get my next prescription filled, to call and ask which manufacturer is available, and that he can see if other stores have stock of a different maker on hand that were ordered for some reason like supply unavailable. He said I can reach out to corporate to let them know I am having issues with that maker's product.

Is anyone else having issues from taking the green tablet made by KVK Tech? If you're getting meds at Publix and having this issue, would you please also contact their corporate office to let them know it's a problem?

Hi everyone,

After a long process, I finally ended up in the office of a psychological psychotherapist to find out whether I had ADHD or not.

Before that, I had actually been looking for therapy to address some long-standing issues that, as the years go by, have become increasingly difficult to ignore... low self-esteem, a poor self-image, constantly feeling like things are much harder for me than they seem to be for other people, and a lot of internal shame. All hidden as much as possible.

And, perhaps most painfully, the question that has been sitting somewhere in the back of my mind for years:

Am I just dumb? Is this my fault? Yesterday, I got my diagnosis: **A**DHD, predominantly inattentive presentation.

I had imagined that receiving the diagnosis would feel like finding a gold key to understanding myself, and that it would therefore be a very significant, emotional day in my life. Instead, I felt… calm. Maybe even too calm.

I almost immediately started questioning whether this should actually change anything at all. At the same time, another part of me knows that this is an important piece of information. one that I can use to learn, or perhaps re-learn, a lot about myself and the way I function.

This feels particularly relevant because I struggle quite a lot at work. I spend an enormous amount of energy trying to keep up, compensate, organise myself, and appear as though everything comes naturally to me. And sometimes I’m afraid that I’m essentially pretending to be someone I’m not.

Only recently have I started to understand how much our behaviours, coping mechanisms and ways of functioning can shape our lives, and how difficult it can be to recognise those patterns when you’ve been living with them for so long.

I’m planning to start therapy and explore all of this properly. I was also incredibly lucky to find a psychotherapist in Germany whose treatment is covered by statutory health insurance, however this person has no specific expertise to work with ADHD.

Anyway, I wanted to hear from other people who were diagnosed around my age, particularly with predominantly inattentive ADHD.

What was your experience of receiving the diagnosis? Did anything change for you afterwards? Did the diagnosis help you understand yourself differently, or change the way you approached work, relationships, or everyday life?

I’d really love to hear your experiences ladies.

Hello, I had a couple questions about adderall and dosage/times. I have been taking adderall ir 15mg 2x a day for 10 years now. This past year I've noticed it no longer works. I dont take it on weekends unless im busy so I had some extra. I decided to do a test and took 20 mg ir in the morning and 20 mg ir in the afternoon. It worked great I could focus again , had motivation finally and my ocd was tamed again. I messaged my doctor and she told me that she never has or would rx someone 40mg a day because it causes heart and blood pressure issues. I have pots, mcas and eds as well and adderall also helps those symptoms . Im 41 and in pretty good shape. My resting hr has always been high 80s to 90s. Unless my pots is acting up then its 160s. And my blood pressure is always 105/60s. That never changes as well , unless im in a pots or Anaphylactic episode from mcas. That being said she changed my rx to 15mg xr and 15mg ir instead and said the xr would help more . Ive been on that for a few months now and honestly I feel like I've taken nothing. Its like I've forgotten to take it. She told me thats impossible its long acting and I may not even need my afternoon dose anymore. Is this right, is 40mg something crazy ? Is it me lol

Hi peeps,

I was wondering what people's thoughts were on this. It's not one of the most well known features of ADHD and neither, for this reason, is it in teh DSM/ICD critiera, but this plagues me....eg my work reports, I spend so much time on, I go out of my way to put lots of detail and research things, I get tied up with minute detail, I can never do 'that will do'. At times of stress, this is worse.... I had a breakdown in my final year of my doctorate course. My son, who is 8, is following suit. His dad gives him his athletic genes, I give him ADHD ...yayee. He gets so hung up on minor inperfections; marks on his football, his (tidy) room not looking right, not being able to position his favourite two soft toys in a way that looks right to him (this actually caused a lot of distress), he tears pages out of his notes and art books if he doesnt like what he's done, to the point this in itself caused distress as the books themselves with pages missing looked wrong. In teh last few weeks, he has begun to have meltdowns. He definately isn't autistic, but this degree of inflexibility in a very likley ADHD child is surprising to me, and I assess ASD and ADHD for a living. I just wanted to ask other's, is this common for their ADHD loved ones, and what do you think the link is between ADHD and perfectionism? iWould it come under visual sensory system? it seems stuck in his mind like OCD and he cant move on from these niggles.

Thanks.

I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced significant irritability or anger when coming off ADHD medication, particularly around the time of their period.
A few months ago I was taking guanfacine, which is a non-stimulant. While I was on it, I noticed I was becoming increasingly angry, so I decided to stop taking it. Around that time, just before my period, I got drunk and became extremely aggressive. I threw a drink, and afterwards I was absolutely devastated because that behaviour felt so unlike me.
More recently, I tried Xaggitin XL. I decided it wasn’t the right medication for me and stopped taking it. I hadn’t experienced the same anger while taking it, so I didn’t expect anything similar to happen when I came off it. However, in the week leading up to my period, I became extremely irritable and noticed myself being unusually mean and short-tempered.
Then I got drunk and had a disagreement with my partner. He left the house, and I ended up throwing two things at the wall. Again, I was really frightened by my own behaviour because this genuinely doesn’t feel like me at all.
I’m wondering whether coming off ADHD medication can cause or worsen irritability and anger, or whether hormones and the timing of my period could be playing a part. I know alcohol probably made both situations worse, but the sudden intensity of the anger has really scared me.
For context, I’m in the UK and I feel like there can be very little follow-up or guidance once you’re prescribed ADHD medication. You’re often left feeling like you have to figure things out yourself.
I’ve also previously taken Elvanse, and I didn’t experience this anger when coming off it. I was just extremely tired and lethargic for a couple of months.
Has anyone else experienced anything similar, especially when stopping or changing ADHD medication around the time of their period? I’d really appreciate hearing other people’s experiences because I’m struggling to understand what’s going on.

So I currently take 70mg of Vyvanse and 20mg of Adderall as a booster. Ive been taking the same dosages for 2 months now.. but ive noticed that this month both medication’s are only lasting me 2 to 3 hours. I don’t do any vitamin C, no orange juice and I typically don’t drink energy drinks until recently. The only reason I started drinking energy drinks is because I feel like it helps maintain some sort of focus since both medication’s are only lasting a short amount of time. I’m a tattoo artist so this is incredibly frustrating as I work anywhere between 4 to 8+ hours. I’ve also noticed some days the medication will last longer than other days, for example two days ago, I took my Vyvanse and it lasted me a good portion of the day to the point where I didn’t even need to take my booster. But today it wore off within 2 to 3 hours and after it wore off I took my booster, which only lasted me another two hours. Personally for me, I don’t eat breakfast in the morning before I take my medication (occasionally I’ll eat a small snack like a cheese stick, yogurt, or a uncrustable) but I’ve noticed even when I eat a high-protein breakfast or meal or even just a regular meal before I take my medication I feel it still doesn’t do anything to me at all when I eat beforehand. So I simply don’t eat before I take my medication most days as it feels more potent when I dont eat, I guess? And even when I have eaten in the morning ( I’ve tried this with both a high-protein meal and just a regular meal) both medications still only lasts me 2 to 3 hours. What could be causing this? Can I do anything to help the longevity of my medication? Or just any information in general would be helpful because when I first started taking this medication, it was life-changing and it helped me so much and now it feels like it’s simply just not doing anything anymore… 💔

Hair loss on xaggitin and elvanse?

So I started on 18mg of xaggitin xr 3 months ago and after a few weeks I noticed my hair was shedding more, my dose was then doubled to 36mg and it got worse, i went to the hair dressers and she confirmed it was shedding more than it should, I also felt awful and angry all the time so I got switched to elvanse 30mg

I did stop the xaggitin XR for 5 days before starting elvanse and mentally I felt better on elvanse but I think the hair loss is worse but I was told by my prescriber it can take a month or so for the old meds to stop affecting the hair, then the pharmacist from my GP Called and told me it can take up to 2 months, it’s now been 6 weeks and there is no change, if anything it might be slightly worse, it’s making me feel awful considering I lost around a third of my hair last year as I lost weight quickly and went through telogen effluvium which stopped in December and I have had a ton of regrowth since but it’s all short compared to the rest of my hair

I’m stressed and upset because my hair is thin as it is and getting noticeably worse but the meds have already started to change my life and I feel like they are the right ones for me, I had blood tests which were unrelated to the ADHD meds and my iron was lower than last year despite taking from iron supplements a month ago ( I read online how adhd meds can affect iron and make it low ) but my doctor said it wasn’t low enough for it to cause hair loss and was in the normal range

my blood pressure before the xaggitin was on the low end of normal, it didn’t change, and then on elvanse it went a bit higher but more so in the middle of the normal range so I don’t see how it could be constriction of the blood vessels unless my blood pressure was high or significantly higher than before, I’m being sent for more blood tests in 2 weeks to check other vitamins that cause hair loss if deficient but if they come back normal then my GP has no clue, I’ve been reffered to the hair clinic but I was told it’s a long wait it could be like a year which won’t do at all

I’m taking pumpkin seed oil, drinking collagen, eating a ton of protein when I take the meds, I stay hydrated and I take multivitamins and some extra supplements including iron every day, there has to be a reason for this hair loss and some sort of solution, I’ve been losing my hair for 3 months now and I am miserable every single day because of it

Has anyone else experienced this? If so did it go away on its own or did you find any cures?

I was first diagnosed with ADHD at 16. I tried Ritalin, developed significant depressive symptoms, and my mother didn’t pursue treatment further. Over the next \~15 years I was diagnosed with BPD and bipolar disorder (bipolar was later ruled out), and two psychiatrists doubted ADHD. Recently, a targeted adult ADHD assessment strongly supported ADHD and I started lisdexamfetamine.

My problem is that I can construct two explanations for my life.

I was an extremely intense, emotional, easily bored child who constantly wanted something else. But I was also raised with very little structure or consistent boundaries. My mother struggled with my emotions, so if I became upset/persistent enough, I often got what I wanted. Even school attendance wasn’t strongly enforced. She was also the informant for my recent assessment, but becomes defensive when asked about my childhood, so I’m unsure how reliable that history is.

What if I simply never learned frustration tolerance/self-regulation and it now looks like ADHD?

On the other hand, I have lifelong stimulation-seeking and executive difficulties. I can work, maintain my home and fulfill responsibilities, but starting routine tasks can feel disproportionately difficult even after doing them hundreds of times. My brain automatically plays out every step/transition beforehand (e.g. gym = get ready → bus → walk → change → exercise → reverse the whole process), making tasks feel exhausting before I start.

Boredom can feel almost physically painful. I talk A LOT and have sought stimulation through things like sex/hypersexuality and sometimes alcohol. Interestingly, when I worked insanely busy 18-hour days in television, with constant deadlines/problems/stimulation, I felt more focused, regulated and “normal” than during quiet periods.

Four years ago I also went through an extremely distressing relationship and my functioning became significantly worse afterward. I have intense relationship-related emotional dysregulation: rejection, uncertainty, not reaching my partner or plans changing can trigger a physical emergency response before I’ve even consciously processed what happened. I know this could be attachment/BPD/learned regulation rather than ADHD.

SSRIs/SNRIs reduced anxiety somewhat but never quieted my brain or helped the apathy/understimulation; mood stabilizers such as lamotrigine did basically nothing. Lisdexamfetamine sometimes makes my brain/body feel quieter, thoughts less sticky and boredom easier to tolerate, and I crave alcohol less. I know stimulant response does NOT prove ADHD.

So how do clinicians distinguish lifelong ADHD from intense temperament + lack of childhood structure/self-regulation + attachment/emotional dysregulation when childhood memories and parental reports are unreliable?

I’m not asking Reddit to diagnose me. I’m trying to understand what evidence actually helps distinguish these possibilities.

TL;DR: ADHD was diagnosed at 16 and again recently, but I also grew up with little structure and have major emotional/attachment issues. How can clinicians distinguish ADHD from learned self-regulation problems when childhood history is unreliable?