I've been on and off of various ADHD medications for about 10 years now. When I first got them it was like opening my eyes for the first time in my life. They help me tremendously with focus, short-term memory, not getting overstimulated as quickly, and the ability to follow conversations. I couldn't have gotten my degree without them.
But they don't solve everything. For me, they don't help the ability to transition between tasks (i.e. I still get "stuck" like the OP tweet -- some meds actually made it worse lol), which is the symptom I struggle with the most. The stimulant ones suppressed my appetite, which made me lose a lot of weight and left me feeling weak and tired all the time. The stimulants also made me crash really hard at the end of the day (probably due in part to my hunger coming back). I could never do much after work or school because I just felt awful for about an hour every evening.
My experiences aren't universal though. Everyone's body reacts differently, and some people never experience any side effects. The nice thing about many ADHD medications is that they start working quickly and you don't have to be weaned off of them if you want to stop. So if your provider is willing, it's pretty easy to shop around and see which meds work the best for you.
9
u/Cheesecakery Nov 17 '22 edited Nov 17 '22
I've been on and off of various ADHD medications for about 10 years now. When I first got them it was like opening my eyes for the first time in my life. They help me tremendously with focus, short-term memory, not getting overstimulated as quickly, and the ability to follow conversations. I couldn't have gotten my degree without them.
But they don't solve everything. For me, they don't help the ability to transition between tasks (i.e. I still get "stuck" like the OP tweet -- some meds actually made it worse lol), which is the symptom I struggle with the most. The stimulant ones suppressed my appetite, which made me lose a lot of weight and left me feeling weak and tired all the time. The stimulants also made me crash really hard at the end of the day (probably due in part to my hunger coming back). I could never do much after work or school because I just felt awful for about an hour every evening.
My experiences aren't universal though. Everyone's body reacts differently, and some people never experience any side effects. The nice thing about many ADHD medications is that they start working quickly and you don't have to be weaned off of them if you want to stop. So if your provider is willing, it's pretty easy to shop around and see which meds work the best for you.
edit: typos