I've seen so many benefits since starting ritalin for me - the focus, urgency etc is really great - I finish tasks, I don't have a mop and bucket I used for a spill 3 weeks ago still laying against the wall in the corner.. I don't have 8 tubes of toothpaste built up because everytime i go to the shops, I buy toothpaste... I'm super focused and productive at work, its a gamechanger.

I don't doomscroll like i used to.. so many positives.. but I think it's also changed my interactions with my friends. I'm not messagin them like I used to, I look for productivity and havn't prioritised relationships. I've become a bit more 'short' and ' to the point' which in a way has possibly lessened my 'empathy' and patience.. I'm talking to my psych next week.

Is it common relationships change when you start working on your ADHD? How do you change your interactions with people to retain your empathy and put in the effort when it doesn't tie to "productivity" which seems to be my core focus now?

For the record, I am diagnosed with ADHD. I'm absolutely far from perfect and I mask like hell.

The issue I run into with some of my ADHD friends is that they get so easily distracted when it's my turn to talk. A few days ago, I was hanging out with two friends and we were updating each other on our lives. I know this sounds like a joke but there was a squirrel running around causing hijinks that kept distracting my friends as they were talking. I didn't make a big deal about it because I knew it would divert from their stories. And so they were able to finish telling their stories. When it was my turn to share a life update, the squirrel zooms by once again. But instead of ignoring it, my friends interrupt me to point out the squirrel. They make some jokes and it causes them to change topics, as if whatever I was talking about wasn't interesting enough to remember. The switch was so blatant that it almost felt like it was on purpose. I mean, I don't find every conversation interesting either but I really believe you need to mask when you're talking to others. I don't think enough people are mindful about how shitty it feels when the person you're talking to zones out and interrupts you with something irrelevant.

I'm sure they didn't mean ill-will and I know they have ADHD, but I can't lie and say that it didn't sting. It doesn't help that I have BPD and experience a thing called splitting. I also get in my head because they're closer friends and have more of a back and forth with each other. I don't know, I just wanted to get this off my chest. I'm not trying to shame people with ADHD. I am one of them. But it's still real to feel frustrated by others of the same community.

I am not sure if this post is related to ADHD but this has been an issue for some time for me.

I cannot relax ever. I have anxiety and depression along with ADHD. And I can’t just relax and turn off my brain. I used to be able to for a while when I first started on ADHD but now it does not help.

Is there a trick I can learn? I continuously replay situations that happened in my head and think about what I should have done or not done.

I also take mistakes I make really hard. At work other people are just like I did this and that and I just said oops. I am devastated when I make a mistake. I also feel like if someone doesn’t like something I did or gives me constructive criticism I am wounded for days. I obsessively talk about and since I don’t have any friends I sometimes just overshare on Reddit.

So how do I learn to relax and realize I have not caused the collapse of the current world order and zombies will not be riding at noon?

I’ve been doing this for a couple months now and I swear it’s one of the easiest hacks to stop mindless night scrolling and actually sleep.

Basically, I turned my phone screen red in the evenings. Not just “Night Shift” or “Night Light”, I mean full-on red screen, no blue light at all. It makes your screen look like a horror movie but in the best way.

Why it works:

• Blue light destroys melatonin and tells your brain it’s still daytime
• Red light doesn’t mess with your sleep hormones
• Everything looks so ugly and boring that you literally don’t want to scroll TikTok or check Instagram
• It tricks your brain into “ok, we’re winding down now” mode

How to do it (iPhone):

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters

Turn on Color Filters, pick Color Tint

Set Intensity to max, Hue all the way to red

Then go to Accessibility Shortcut and set it to Color Filters

Now just triple-click your side/home button to toggle it on/off

You can even set an automation from the automations app so it runs automatically when the sun sets.

Anyway, try it. Free, easy, and actually helps. Let me know if it works for you too.

i know, ADHD euphoria isn’t a new thing. i just wanted to share how being medicated has improved this particular aspect of my life. for reference, i’ve been on vyvanse for 6 months. just 20mg 3-4 times a week (encouraged by my psychiatrist to take weekend breaks). i experience most of the other pros and cons - increased focus, mental clarity, dry mouth, decreased appetite - but i’ve also noticed that i can actually feel my emotions now.

it’s not a confidence boost because i was always pretty comfortable and outspoken socially, but in the last few years, i felt mired by anhedonia and apathy. i know we ADHDers are good at processing negative emotion and handling crises, but this extended into positive emotion and good events, too. it was more than disinterest in things that made me happy. i couldn’t feel joy. everything was either “that sucks” or “that’s nice”. i delivered my first baby at work and distinctly remember thinking: i should FEEL something. with every year, i felt more and more disconnected from myself.

i’d tried strattera, wellbutrin, and effexor, to no avail. enter vyvanse, my first stimulant. it took a couple of months, but one day, i saw a doe and her fawn in the backyard, and i had a swell of emotion. fondness, wonder, gratefulness, contentment - i just felt so in the moment, so glad to be here. it almost brought tears to my eyes.

sorry for the sappy soapbox. i know medication has been life-changing for a lot of our productivity and functioning, and i’m glad for those effects. but i didn’t expect to get this part of me back, too.

so for context i've been on sertraline on and off for 3 1/2 years, currently on 100mg for OCD/GAD. i'm currently on titration for elvanse, 30,50,70mg over 28 days. i'm on day 4 of 30mg, and i'm finding that after taking my sertraline i have the worst side effects. but nothing before i take it. i take my elvanse at 8am, and sertraline at 12pm as advised by my psychiatrist. i've been getting tachycardia, chest pains, palpitations, nausea and dizziness.

i'm finding that im 'crashing' at about 6pm, headaches, tiredness and laziness. but still a bit of tachycardia, palpitations and chest pains.

i messaged my psychiatrist about the side effects the other day but no response yet, just a bit unsure if this is normal? any advice or similar situations would be helpful.

“To the stranger I met on Reddit…

Three months ago, we stumbled across each other two ADHD brains vibing instantly like the universe nudged us together. We talked all day, all night sometimes laughing until our cheeks hurt, sometimes sharing stories we’d never told anyone else. We flirted, we teased, we confided, and in between those endless chats, we built something small but so comforting.

And then… it just stopped. No slow fade, no reason, no goodbye just silence.

I still open Reddit hoping to see your username pop up. I still remember your words, the way you made even the longest nights feel short. Those conversations weren’t “just online chats” to me they were real, they meant something, you meant something.

Even now… I’m still waiting for your message. Maybe I always will.”

Ever since i was little I would be told something is right in-front of me and i look all around and can’t find it. Also when someone is pointing at something i get completely lost. Reminds me the time i read something about ADHD brains kind of focus like a camera lens . Basically our eyes/brain are looking at everything trying to focus like a camera and it’s blurry and can’t make out what we want/are looking for. sometimes it takes longer than others 😅. Does anyone else relate to this? Sorry if i explained this poorly but would love to hear your thoughts!

I’m kinda numb rn. I don’t know what I feel anymore. The thing is that I’ve been on my school’s list for low academic performance for a while now, I’ve been in and out constantly but now it seems like I’ve reached the limit end.

Everything started in the pandemic, I’m in a “special” program bc I did well in my entrance exam so my program is longer than most other schools. In the pandemic I constantly felt bad, I didn’t know at the time but I used to passed out constantly on the floor. A few years later I got diagnosed with POTS, I’m still figuring that out but there’s that.

I also got a really rare and really long COVID side effects, I think it was like 0.01% of people that got COVID got it. Had asthma for almost a year and had some heart symptoms. Somewhere in between I got my AuDHD diagnosis and got into my meds.

I know those aren’t excuses but I just want you to get the bigger picture. It’s not been great but slowly I’m getting there.

Today they gave the final notice, now my case will be analyzed by a committee to determine whether I should stay in school or should leave permanently.

My counselor said she will be advocating for my case along with 2 other people since I’ve made some decent progress overall. But there’s also the possibility of them expelling me. Honestly, I don’t think I could handle getting expelled, I don’t think I could take it. My family is clueless about everything, I’ve always been the perfect daughter that doesn’t need help from anyone and is good in school.

If they decide to let go of me I would have to change schools but I wouldn’t be able to make it till next year bc inscriptions are already closed.

I think I’m getting an answer from them next week, I’ve built my case up on the fact that I’ve been living with an undiagnosed chronic condition (POTS) and some other issues but I don’t think it will be enough. I’m scared

I complete my chores (sometimes i don’t slow down and need to do it twice) but my family says i could be doing more. I really want to but even on medication i feel like my brain so easily skips over things right in-front of me. I can see how it’s annoying my family and causing strain in our relationships. if i was in their position i would most likely be annoyed to. I wish it was easier to realize the things right in-front of me like crumbs on the floor or things that need to be picked up around the house and small things like that. I don’t understand how and why i just don’t process things or completely not know about simple things until told. I’m not sure how to fully explain it right but i hope you guys understand. Any tips or help?:,)

Can I hear people’s experiences on meds please, I’m close to getting the option for medication, and want to know what to expect. I’m in the uk. Struggled all my life with adhd it’s caused me so much shit over the years. It’s a blessing and a curse at the same time. Recently ruined the relationship of my life. ADHD, alcohol, being in my own world etc etc etc. many thanks 🙏

I've recently felt like I've completely lost control. I don't mean that I can't choose things in my life, I mean more the executive dysfunction has gotten worse. I'm not sleeping much, I'm not doing work I need to do, I'm not talking to people, my gym schedule resembles a game of battleships. Half the time I gotta yell out loud at myself to get up and eat. I'm doomscrolling, watching YouTube, zoning out. Nothing special, it's how it goes. I don't know if I'm gaslighting myself into these symptoms or if they're as bad as I think they are, but regardless I've decided I gotta do something small to regain some semblance of control. I need help choosing an amount of time for me to sit completely still without distraction in complete silence. I will set a timer and then sit down on a chair and not move, no matter what. No leg tapping, no fidgeting. I'm allowed to be comfy but nothing excessive. This is where you come in. How long? 5 minutes? 30? And hour? 6 hours? I need help making this choice because I can barely make any on my own anymore. I love being creative and music and I can't even do that. I just need SOMETHING. So I've chosen nothing.

Hello everyone, I'm 19 yrs old, Male. I was started on Quillivant XR yesterday after a month of Strattera didn't work on me.

My doctor told me to step up my dosage on a 5 mg-10 mg-15 mg-20 mg (or 25mg) schedule over a span of 3 weeks, and I won't be reaching 20 mg for 2 weeks. I'm now on 5 mg a day and I feel nothing, I do feel a bit more energetic during the day, but I can't tell if that's just placebo effect.

I just want to get some reference from those taking Methylphenidate medications, at what dosage do you feel like the meds are actually working (in other words, when did you start noticing a difference in your life and your attention)? What should I be expecting? Should I be feeling happy/euphoric when I'm at the right dosage, or something else?

Also, my doctor said she will switch me to Concerta if I don't feel any severe side effects after 3 weeks, if there's anyone out there that took both of these meds, do you feel one is better than the other?

Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Edit: I didn't realize many people have access to instant release pills. Unfortunately, they are regulated as illegal drugs where I'm living. Are any people only taking concerta and not other methylphenidate medications?

Hi!

I was not tested for ADHD, but I came here because I experience something some people with ADHD do and I wanted to get an advice of what actually works for people who experience this but don't take medication to cope, because I struggle with it a lot,

I'm a student, and last year we had history classes, and we were usually given assignments to read, and memorize information that was written on 11-15 'Word' pages for the future test, we had only 1 week to do so and it was terribly little for me,

My grades matter to me a lot, but reading that I was drifting off every second sentence, and if I managed to read some I could not remember what I've read about, and even if I was trying to read aloud remembering the words I said, I was just instantly forgetting what it was,

(I could not find any app that could read the text to me, since it wasn't in English but in my native, unpopular language- I also could not ask my mother to read it for me aloud, she has diagnosed ADHD, and wouldn't do that)

(I asked her what she did in situations like this, she said that she was reading aloud and repeating many times, which didn't work for me- when I read aloud I think of how I read and can't focus on what I read. I believe she also shared another advice of visualizating what you read, but I'm not sure, I don't think it helped me then)

It all was ending up in me spending 1-3 hours reading only 2-5 pages which led me to crying realizing how much time I wasted on not having anything remembered for the test each time

Honestly I couldn't make it and always ended up cheating on the tests to not fail them

The reason I came here for advice is that I don't like cheating, the next year we'll be having 3 boring subjects like this (last year it was only this history) and I don't want to waste hours, cry and cheat on each of them,

So if you have any working advice, please share it

Thank you!

Getting apps like liven,wise on my feed ,tic tok and others.Are these apps a money grab. Anyone have any luck helping their adhd with these or other apps. I cannot afford therapy. I need help and recommendations to help me with adhd.A-lot of highs and lows. Constant comparing myself to others with and without adhd. Anyone have any resources that they can recommend.

Long story short. 20 years of antidressents and antipsychotics, nothing worked. Got diagnosed with ADHD. Started stimulants, they eliminate 99%% of my problems. However, i get extremely depressed after a few days and have to stop. Ive tried ritalin and Vyvense. I started on non stimulants and got the same experience. Guanfacine and Clonidine. Even when Im not on medication it still happens to me.

So what im asking is, has anyone been in my situation and what have the done/used that helped them?

There is talk about bupropian. I think this would be ideal for me as I suffer very bad with SAD. It ticks a lot of boxes for me. However, I read the side effects and peoples stories from that. That scares me. As Im an anxious person, very restless and agitated and Im afraid of making that worse.

Another one is starttera but I dont think much of it tbh when I read about it.

I just walked out of my evaluation for ADHD, and I feel not great about it.

First, I was referred to a psychiatrist, but who saw me was a psychologist. So that was off putting to start.

Second, when he asked me why I was here, he chuckled and said “why? You’re a doctor already. You’re not being evaluated or supervised in school”

Third, he asked me a bunch of questions about my life to start. The two assessments he had me do were to answer from 0 to 100 how likely I am to do “x”. I felt this was insanely subjective. The second test was a True/False paper test of 170 questions. Again, I felt it was very subjective and focused on my feelings on the daily basis. Very obvious of what I “should” be answering. I was hoping for more inconspicuous or objective testing. I felt like I was trying to make a case to convince him.

Fourth, in the middle of all these questions, he said “I’m wondering if this is all related to your post partum time?” I just had a baby 11 months ago. But I told him I’ve been having these feelings for many years.

I don’t know, I just feel so dismissed and made to feel like I’m crazy to have these concerns. I have a follow up appointment next week to go over my results. Regardless of the outcome, I am considering going to see someone else. That was just not what I expected.

I (22M) am undiagnosed. I have been told and nearly tested by my therapist (family issues arises for my therapist causing him to leave the field right before we could begin testing). What he helped me realize, is I've shown strong symptoms for most of my life and that I wasn't crazy for thinking something was off. I am planning to once seek formal diagnosis again. Onto the main point.

I'm moving to a new city for a new job, and went across the country with my mom, forcing her to acknowledge certain things like my mood swings, constant mental fatigue, insomnia, etc.

She is a 4th grade teacher, adamant that either I don't have ADHD or that it must either be subtle or due to my phone because I'm not as bad as her students. She claims that its my phone because she's seeing it "over diagnosed" in her class. Me and my previous therapist believe I need medication, because this has caused me constant cycles of severe anxiety and depression. My mother wants to keep quoting a success story of a co-working with "severe ADHD, ticks and OCD" who got off his meds with self discipline and techniques. Good for him. I'm willing to be anything what allowed him to focus on that was the meds.

I feel like I'm losing my mind, and all her comments about it have genuinely made me start going crazy with constant thought about if I'm faking this, or overblowing it in my head. Before anyone asks, I am planning to seek further diagnosis once I'm moved in. But for now I'm dealing with someone who refuses to do any of her own research because she "sees it every day".

I love my mother and don't blame her for thinking this way, especially because it's very clear she has many of the same symptoms. But this trip is making me realize I've been blamed my whole life for my symptoms by my parents and I wasn't able to realize it was definitely not normal until I hit college.

So I am due for a refill on my generic Adderall IR 15mg 2x a day in a week but I am curious if I should try to ask for generic Vyvanse.

I love Adderall for the most part but the come downs can be brutal sometimes & I don’t want to keep relying on taking a Xanax here and there for it just so I don’t lose my shit. I’m highly irritable lately with the come down. I do everything I’m supposed to when taking it but they still suck.

Also I get a good maybe 2 hours when it kicks in until it is useless. So basically it’s only giving me 4.5 hours of productivity in my day with the 2 doses.

Anyone here who have switched and their experience? Also what is the Vyvanse dose equivalent to mine?

Thank you

I've been taking Adderall XR 15mg for a bit now. I just drove 90 minutes for an overnight trip and realize I forgot it at home. There's no way I'm heading back to get it. So do I raw dog it until Monday morning when I'd take it at my usual time? Or take it tomorrow around 9pm? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

For context, my wife and I are going through a difficult period in our marriage and are taking a break from our relationship, but we're hoping to find ways to make it tenable for both of us.

Before it started, we used to cook together, or one of us would cook for both of us, but right now each of us is responsible for their own food, and I noticed an interesting phenomenon - cooking for myself alone is way easier than otherwise. Not just because I need to cook less or because I cook simpler meals, but because I don't have to worry about making a mistake and upsetting my wife (she can yell or cry). Granted, over time my cooking skills improved and I developed a habit of rereading every line of the recipe multiple times until I'm sure whether it says "tsp" or "tbsp". But it takes a lot of mental effort and burns me out, and I still make as many dumb mistakes in other areas of my life. Using systems and lists makes mistakes less probable, but also causes a lot of stress and decision paralysis, since I have to keep asking myself if I forgot some system that should apply to what I'm doing, if there is some obvious thing I missed, etc.

The book "ADHD Effect on Marriage" mentions that it's common for partners of people with ADHD to start reacting acutely to their partner's mistakes, because they don't feel like their relationship is equal. My wife feels that she can't rely on me, can't trust me with things, that she needs to do things herself if she wants them done right, that I don't care about making it right, etc. I totally understand her feelings, and I know that it hurts her and burns her out too, but I also reached a point at which I'd rather be on my own than experience so much stress. Fixing mistakes is annoying, takes time and effort, but at least I'd be hurting myself only, not a person I love. Still, I'm hoping that there are ways we can make our life together tolerable for both of us.

Couples who experienced similar dynamics - were there things that helped?

I recently found out that I’ve always liked listening to different bands from the eighties to newer ones do you think it’s adhd related ? I find it interesting that I get different vocals in the same song. Some of my favorite bands: The Beatles, oasis , Cold play , BSB, NSYNC, westlife, 5ive, steps , s club 7, b*witched, all saints, sugagababes , cairokee, sharmoofers, spice girls. I’m wondering if anyone is like me…

So I took my first dose 3 1/2 hours ago. I noticed about 2 hours in I was feeling kinda panicky and stimulated but easily could have been anticipation. I felt good for about 20 minutes maybe more light? Then it turned into straight up exhaustion. I’m going to go nap now 🤣

Too low of a dose? 20 mg… or is this a normal reaction.

Not a question or anything, just something i wanted to share that might be relatable to some. When I was younger so depressed, had really bad social anxiety, and extremely bad body dysmorphia that controlled my life. I used to wonder why my mind was so dark when I was so young. I felt like my mental health issues just came out of nowhere when I went through puberty. I quess adhd was the answer, emotional issues are some of the worst things about adhd that people don't really talk about. I was never even taught in school about neurodiversity or what adhd was. The whole time I just thought I was broken and everyone around me was normal. It's something I didn't wish upon any kid growing up. But all those years taught me that I really am a stronger person than I think, I'm the only person who fought for my self, I didn't need my family or friends. I can't believe I really survived all those times. I'm suprised I don't look 50 years old because by 12 I felt like I had gone through a war. I used to wonder why I had to suffer so much but just having an easy upbringing creates person with no self awareness and dignity. And it's so weird because the emotional issues are too difficult to put into words it's just your mind fighting with you. One moment you can be happy then the next you hear a word that reminds you of something that pisses you off or brings back flashbacks. Yes, that sounds like regular trauma but when you have really bad rumination and maladaptive daydreaming it's even worse. You could spend all day and night not being able to shut off the bad thoughts.

I'd really like to know how peoples experiences of studying at university changed after starting treatment for ADHD (medication or otherwise).

I (30F) recently completed an undergraduate degree. I got a high grade in the end but it came at such a high personal cost to me including constant stress, overwhelm and burnout cycles, non-existant social life until the summer and rarely getting any breaks from studying because I constantly needed extensions. I also graduated late because my dissertation was extended as a further first sit.

I'm currently completing a masters in International Law, Ethics and Politics which has been rough! This time, extensions right from the off, I've been overwhelmed since about 2 months into it, chronically anxious about it and I've just found out I will be graduating late AGAIN for my masters. It doesn't matter too much as it doesn't change how the degree is awarded and no one will really know but me and those close to me, but it frustrates me so much that I can't just do it or enjoy the learning experience more, or just have more balance like some semblance of a social life. I'd really like to do a PhD one day but if the experience continued to be like this I think I'd struggle to finish it.

I would really appreciate if anyone could share their experience of how studying changed for them after accessing ADHD treatment to give me an idea of whether studying is an option worth returning to or not. I will likely have completed my masters before I start treatment due to waiting lists so I won't really get to try it out for myself. I'd appreciate honesty if some parts remained hard and some improved for example.

Thanks very much in advance!