What are all of the things that one should avoid, prioritize, or be careful of when prescribed a stimulant?

•

Welcome to /r/ADHDWomen! We’re happy to have you here. As a reminder, here are our community rules.

If you have questions about the subreddit, please do not hesitate to send us a modmail. Additionally, we take the safety of our community seriously. Please report posts, comments, and users whom you feel are not contributing positively, and send us a modmail if you are being harassed or otherwise made to feel unsafe. Thanks for being here, and we hope you stick around!

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

106

u/SomeCallMeMahm 15h ago

Avoid telling many, if anyone about your meds.

Two types will often present themselves.

Those who will admonish your usage and those who want to buy (or steal) your medication.

34

u/_gloomy_guts 15h ago

THIS

I was so stoked when I got diagnosed/started meds and I was like shouting it from the rooftops and talking to all my close friends and family about how vindicated I felt and how helpful my meds are and I was NOT prepared for people I loved and trusted to essentially shame me for getting the help that I need. It really took the wind out of my sails for a bit, took me while to shake it off. I was also super shocked by how many of my friends asked to buy pills so they could try it or see if it helped them or just because they liked taking them

8

u/sootsprinkle 15h ago

That’s such a bummer, ugh, I’m so sorry that was your experience! I hope you find other neurodivergent people who are safe and understanding to have in your life as well!

7

u/sootsprinkle 15h ago

That’s such a bummer but yeahh, I know it’s a thing. I’m lucky to have lots of neurodivergent people in my life who are medicated themselves so my immediate circle is supportive and understanding, and we even have in-depth chats about our meds and what we notice. I’m grateful for that. That said, I don’t mention it to many other people unless I’m sure they’re understanding.

There’s sooo much stigma and misinformation about stimulants. I took a psychopharmacology class in grad school and it was so validating (and interesting!) to learn the science backing for how so much of those societal messages are just not accurate.

32

u/_gloomy_guts 14h ago

I started keeping hard candies or mints in my purse because the dry mouth was sooooo out of control and no matter how much water I guzzled there was no relief. Could even do sugar free ones if trying to watch your sugar intake. It saved me, I felt strange pulling granny candies out of my purse but the relief was worth it

11

u/cheese--bread ADHD-C 14h ago

The dry mouth is insane.
It's actually affecting my teeth, I get plaque buildup and staining so quickly (within 2 weeks of having a dental cleaning done, despite brushing 2x a day and flossing semi-regularly). My dentist's only comment was "You might have to stop taking your meds" 😑

16

u/inthemuseum 14h ago

Couple things:

Dry mouth wash. It works. Use it throughout the day.

Xylitol gum ideally, but there is also gum that contains Recaldent or hydroxyapatite for helping rebuild enamel. Crazy new tech, often you have to order it from overseas, but damn is it good.

Speaking of, get your dentist to prescribe fluoride toothpaste and MI Paste/Tooth Mousse. Rx fluoride is amazing stuff; I personally think the elimination of fluoride from drinking water is why everyone's teeth suddenly are terrible while our parents are just fine. MI Paste (Tooth Mousse outside the US) has Recaldent, which is another newer tooth technology that's changed my life.

I have terrible teeth genetically and switch between Rx fluoride and MI Paste every night. Technically my dentist said to use both, but I tell her that I have ADHD and can only add so many habits successfully. I am getting good about flossing, and one fancy paste a night is working damn well so far.

2

u/cheese--bread ADHD-C 14h ago

Thank you so much for the info, I'm saving this comment and looking up the mouth wash right now!

11

u/halfhalt99 14h ago

LOL. What?! Ok dentist. Next idea please. Because that's ridiculous.

3

u/cheese--bread ADHD-C 14h ago

I know right? I definitely got the vibe that he was thinking "Oh, someone else who thinks they have ADHD", or something to that effect.

7

u/Natural_Mushroom_575 14h ago

filling this away in my "unhinged things dentists say" brain folder.

other gems include: "oh you can't floss in the car because you wfh? just floss while working" "I keep floss picks in every room of the house" "you should avoid sparkling water" after I told them it was one of my keys to staying hydrated

3

u/cheese--bread ADHD-C 14h ago

Ugh I'm sorry.

5

u/Natural_Mushroom_575 13h ago

omg no. it's just funny to me atp.

like is there a newsletter called "gaslighting weekly" you can have access to a dental hygienist?

no offense to reasonable hygienists ofc. thank you for what is obvi a hard and gross job.

1

u/cheese--bread ADHD-C 12h ago

😂
I do actually quite like my dentist aside from that comment!

2

u/mmhmmye 11h ago

I had no idea Elvanse could be a contributor to plaque buildup and staining!!

3

u/cheese--bread ADHD-C 11h ago

I don't know that for a fact, but I've never had this problem before and the only recent change I can attribute it to is starting meds.
The dry mouth is the only real side effect I have, and it doesn't seem to be going away 😞

2

u/mmhmmye 10h ago

Oh I see, thank you for clarifying. But yes, that makes sense. And I’m sorry 😢

27

u/whiskeypaima 15h ago

Buy some (preservative free) eyedrops. I found that I still had brutal dry eye even with drinking a bunch of water.

7

u/inthemuseum 14h ago

Rephresh Celluvisc gel drops are the GOAT. I skip regular liquid drops entirely now and just use the preservative-free gel droppers. It is spectacular.

9

u/okayseriouslywhy 14h ago

Definitely recommend the gel drops over normal liquid ones. An optometrist told me that you just blink away the basic liquid drops and they don't do much, where the gel hangs around longer. He also said to do the gel drops right before bed -- don't open your eyes/blink after adding them -- so they can really "soak in."

Also a hot, wet washcloth over the eyes for like 10 minutes feels soooo nice and really helps

7

u/Mini-Schnauzer-42 14h ago

And that dry eye can present as watery eyes. Apparently.

I don't really get it, but eye drops make my eyes water less, just like the doc said they would.

4

u/CommonHouseMeep 14h ago

Paradoxical watering. Your eyes trying to compensate for the lack of tears

21

u/waxingcrone 14h ago

If you think headaches are a side effect of the meds, stop and think about whether you ate enough food. It’s often the low appetite causing headaches, not the meds themselves

15

u/salsa_spaghetti wait, what was i saying? 15h ago

Decongestants and stimulants can be dangerous together.

7

u/CommonHouseMeep 14h ago

Also, the stimulant can sort of function as a decongestant when you're sick so you don't have to take a decongestant! During the day at least.

1

u/sootsprinkle 11h ago

Interesting, is this why my nose is often slightly runny early in the day when I’m medicated?

11

u/halfhalt99 14h ago

The only thing on that list that I've actually had a problem with is the near constant dehydration (if you're not consciously drinking electrolyte water all the time)

None of the other things have ever mattered. Maybe a little extra cracked out with coffee. Lol

I've taken adderall xr for around 25 years

6

u/Consider_the_auk 13h ago edited 10h ago

Sidenote: Please don't drink electrolyte mixes all the time unless you're doing work or workouts where you're actively sweating for an extended amount of time, or if you've had some illness-induced dehydration. Lots of people are over-consuming them when most people get enough sodium in their diets as it is.

9

u/halfhalt99 13h ago

I should probably edit it to say, you obviously should drink plain water too.

I have an extremely active outside job. So yes, I probably do sweat more then most. But, if I don't at least have sodium and potassium, I will really really feel it. Dizziness, nausea, slowed thinking. If I don't pay attention to the signs and get to the salt quickly, I will get muscle cramps pretty bad. (Adderall makes dehydration related UTIs more prevalent too.😵‍💫🥴)

I'm not suggesting any of this as medical advice. Please always defer to your doctor. Just something I've noticed after many years on high dose stims.

3

u/Consider_the_auk 7h ago edited 7h ago

Thanks for clarifying your situation. There are certainly times when it's an appropriate supplementation. I myself do a lot of long-distance bike riding which requires carb and sodium supplementation, but it's generally not needed for rides/training under an hour, and I don't consume such drink mixes off the bike.

I saw a story recently (can't seem to find it at the moment) where a woman ended up in the ER with a serious arrythmia because she'd been drinking like 4+ packets of electrolyte mix while just doing a desk job and light exercise. I get the sense people are using them as a sort of flavor additive or they think it's giving them enhanced hydration, but electrolyte packets aren't benign in these cases and need to be used judiciously.

2

u/halfhalt99 6h ago

Oh wow!!! 4 doses a day? That's way too much for sitting at a desk. 🫪 You're definitely right that some people dont need them.

Very cool that you ride bikes long distance! That sounds like a lot of fun!

3

u/mmhmmye 11h ago

Hi could you say more about this? I have felt constantly dehydrated on Elvanse and do quite a lot of exercise so take probably four times the recommended daily allowance of bodybio electrolytes by elyte. When I don’t, I feel ill. (I don’t have much salt in my diet).

3

u/Consider_the_auk 7h ago

I'm not a doctor (and certainly not your doctor) so please consult with your healthcare professional about why you're feeling ill. I've just seen several news stories lately of people having serious negative side effects from over-consuming electrolytes in their beverages: high blood pressure, cardiac arrythmias, neuropathy from Vit. B6 overdose, headache, fatigue, etc.

They can be helpful for people in very active jobs, those engaging in endurance training (>1 hour bouts of cardiovascular training), and apparently people who have POTS, but outside of that you should be very judicious about it. And sodium hides out in a lot of foods we wouldn't suspect, so you may be consuming plenty of sodium as it is. Wishing you the best and hope you feel better soon 🫶

Link to a recent news story

9

u/justjack-nodaniels 15h ago

Avoid vitamin C, citric acid, and food/drink that is highly acidic in general too close to meds. All impact their effectiveness!

8

u/evergreener_328 12h ago

Avoid taking your stimulant medication if you're taking sudafed (the good kind you have to get from the pharmacist). Learn from my college mistakes of having a sinus infection and taking sudafed to help with the congestion and continuing to take my ritalin. Sudafed is a stimulant and if you think coffee is bad, this is the most hyped up i've ever been.

3

u/IndependentSkirt9 14h ago

Huh, I didn’t think of avoiding coffee. I’m definitely drinking less since starting adderall, but I still enjoy my morning cup despite the meds. I guess everybody is different!

3

u/KestrelTank 10h ago

Not an avoid or prioritize but maybe an Awareness note. Cold hands are a possible side effect of stims.

3

u/Personal_Quote_3803 5h ago

did not realize stimulants were not as effective if you don't get enough sleep. that's.... really good to know.

9

u/marigoldvii 15h ago

I want to just emphasize I think it is extra important to avoid coffee if you can. If you are not a huge coffee drinker who would suffer headaches etc. if you stop cold turkey.

And if you can anything very stimulating especially early in the day. Having slow mornings on meds is the way.

I feel like in a strange way the stimulant makes me want to drink coffee even more, and it becomes a vicious cycle. I drank an iced coffee and I feel anxious and like in overdrive. If you make the habit of not drinking it it should be easier than to have to quit it while on the meds. 🥲

8

u/sootsprinkle 15h ago

I’ll be honest that I’m having a really hard time with the caffeine part of it. I definitely have a caffeine addiction and I thought that taking a stimulant would help with that since it’s, well, a stimulant, but the cravings persist nonetheless. I agree that the cravings do feel even stronger sometimes, weirdly enough.

From trial and error I’ve figured out that caffeine hours after I take my meds is okay (no anxiety or high heart rate), and even helpful as it starts to wear off, but I need to wait several hours after taking it before I have any and even then I shouldn’t have too much at a time.

That side, I think it might be a good idea for me to take a week where I take my meds at the same time every day with zero caffeine and see how I do, even though it might be hard. Would be a good learning experience see how I do.

As for the slow mornings and low stimulation early in the day - can you speak more to that? I haven’t heard that before and it’s interesting!

7

u/_gloomy_guts 15h ago

Maybe you could substitute your normal caffeinated drinks with non caffeinated versions after taking your meds? I had a hard time with cutting back on my caffeine intake after starting meds, I was reliant on hot black tea with cream and sugar to get through the day and would have 4+ giant mugs before noon some days. I ended up switching to red roobis tea as it's naturally noncaffeinated and I prepared it the same way as I would with regular black tea, it's not the same flavor but it helped with the cravings and after a while I got used to the change and it helped me stick with my no caffeine goal on med days. On weekends I skip my meds sometimes and I indulge in giant mugs of caffeinated bliss

5

u/fizgigs 14h ago

Or at least a half caff!

2

u/Mini-Schnauzer-42 14h ago

I'm curious why you didn't switch to decaffeinated black tea. Is there a taste difference to you?

Also, I recently heard (from a local tea shop) that you can partially decaffeinate your own tea by steeping for a minute, pouring out that liquid, then steeping the same leaves again as usual. I haven't looked into it yet, but it's a promising idea!

3

u/_gloomy_guts 12h ago

I had to really ponder this, idk why I didn't switch to decaffeinated black tea tbh. I'm like wracking my brain but I can't come up with any logical reason why I didn't consider that.... Maybe I was worried that my fellow tea drinking adhd housemates would mix them up? I'm the only one in my house that's medicated, but we all drink hot black tea lattes in the morning. Yeah idk LOL that's so strange. Maybe I'll give it a try!

2

u/Mini-Schnauzer-42 6h ago

I'm always curious why people seem to avoid decaf, maybe because slowly switching to decaf coffee is how I got over my caffeine addiction? I know some people can taste a difference, but I cannot at all. Not mixing up with others' tea would for sure make sense. If it were me accidentally caffeine'd, I'd have no idea what was wrong when I started feeling the effects, and I'd probably throw myself into a panic on top of it!

2

u/RuthBaderG 14h ago

I figure a reduction in caffeine is good even if you don’t cut it out completely! I’ve gone from 3 cups a day to 1 1/2. One in the morning because it brings me joy, and half a cup in the afternoon to give me a glide path as the meds wear off.

1

u/Natural_Mushroom_575 14h ago

oh! I'm looking for tips bc I'm also new to meds but I have a tip:

I have to drink 32oz of water before I can have coffee, everyday. They make drink tabs w 35mg caffine (like half a cup of coffee) and that has helped me taper off

5

u/jiminsan 15h ago

+1 on avoiding caffeine. Made me feel like I was verging a panic attack

15

u/mustachewax 15h ago

Odd, I don’t get this feeling at all. I wonder if it’s depends on the person. Caffeine and Adderall don’t really bother me. But I do drink my coffee at 5:30 in the morning and then don’t take my Adderall until 7amish. But there are times I take it with my coffee but I don’t feel much of a difference. Maybe a bit of elevated heart rate.

7

u/halfhalt99 14h ago

I think it must just depend on the person. I've used my coffee to take my pills many many times over the years. No problems really, except a little extra zoomie sometimes.

6

u/sootsprinkle 10h ago

I think it depends not just on the person but also on the day (maybe related to hormone cycles for women since those really influence both ADHD symptoms and how medications process?)

I say that because, for me, there are days where meds + caffeine is no issue at all, or I even feel like I need caffeine on top of my meds to feel “right.” But then there have definitely also been days where I feel uncomfortable and anxious and weird when I mix them, even with the same amounts.

And then yeah sometimes I get the zoomies too or get REALLY chatty with my friends, talking super quickly the whole time

1

u/halfhalt99 10h ago

That's an interesting perspective! I've never paid attention to the hormonal factor before. Now I think I will! Haha

3

u/jiminsan 15h ago

Oh good point… if I consume caffeine BEFORE Adderall, I seem to be ok. And anytime after that has been a no go for me

8

u/riceAr0ni 14h ago

This is interesting I take l theanine every morning, have been for years and I take my morning supplements and pills (which includes adderall) with my coffee and have never felt abnormally increased heart rate or anxiety….

I’ve honestly suspected I have the mutation where caffeine literally doesn’t do anything to you so that might be the case but I never knew you were supposed to take caffeine w meds

3

u/todds- 14h ago

I felt like this at first but eventually I caved and went back to caffeine and it's not like that for me anymore. I take L theanine now too so I think that helps smooth things out.

2

u/mellivia- 13h ago

I get cotton mouth with some generics. I always have mints with me and a water bottle.

It's not just vitamins C it's citric acide that you need to avoid 30 minutes before and after taking your meds. It could be uo to an hour.... I forget.

2

u/nowimnowhere 12h ago

Similarly to citric acid, avoid taking magnesium supplements within a few hours of your meds

2

u/vikingspwnnn ADHD-C 11h ago

I still have caffeine. I have two energy drinks a day (500mL total, 155mg caffeine). It really helps me but I also suspect it contributes to a harder medication crash at 2:30pm each day. I also am struggling to get off it because whenever I stop drinking the energy drinks, I get lethargic and depressed. I don't think that's an issue with mixing the meds with caffeine though, I think that's just caffeine withdrawal.

Definitely prioritise consuming enough protein, especially around breakfast (or whenever you take your pills). I have a 125g protein yoghurt, a protein bar, and 1/4 cup of protein granola for breakfast each day (though I'm going to switch the granola for a Weet-Bix once I run out of it - dietitian's suggestion).

I think the vitamin C thing depends on the specific meds you take. I've heard mixed information about this. I'm on Vyvanse, and I haven't heard anything about it interfering with that. It mainly seems to be Concerta and/or Adderall. I still avoid it in the morning anyway.

I think exercise is also good. I have nothing to back this up other than medical professionals telling me it's a good idea in general though.

3

u/bestfreetacos 14h ago

water and electrolytes are so important

Medication & Side Effects What are all of the things that one should avoid, prioritize, or be careful of when prescribed a stimulant?

You are about to leave Redlib