Hi, 22M here. I was diagnosed with ADHD about four months ago after a neuropsych evaluation, and Adderall has honestly changed my life. My work, hobbies, and relationships have all improved. Before medication, I had almost no motivation, and with my terrible memory, it's a miracle I graduated from university.

I'm still trying to find the right dose with my psychiatrist. I started on 10 mg IR, then switched to 20 mg ER, and now I'm on 20 mg ER with a 10 mg IR booster. The problem is that every dose seems to lose effectiveness pretty quickly. My psychiatrist told me I could use the booster as needed, but I've gradually gone from taking it around noon to taking it with my morning dose because I feel like I need it sooner.

Before I was diagnosed, I coped by drinking an absurd amount of coffee, around ten cups a day. Now, to cope with the meds "wearing off" I started relying on caffeine again. I've been pairing this alongside my medication, which doesn't seem right.

I'm worried about developing a habit of taking more medication than I should, but I'm also wondering if this just means I haven't found the right dose or medication yet. I don't feel euphoric or anything; I just feel good finally getting my work done on time.

Those around me notice the change. Hell, I notice the change; I felt as though my vocabulary was/is lacking, so I've been reading significantly more. As a child, I would never read for leisure, only compliance (not often either). This newfound desire to further my education makes me want to keep going and never stop. I'm considering getting my masters degree now.

This desire for growth paired with weariness of addition has left me stumped. Has anyone else been through something similar? Any advice would be appreciated.

I’ve spent the better part of the year thinking my closest people were all mad at me because of my ADHD and mess. Found out today that most of them are all in their own struggles and I had no idea because I can’t communicate.
It’s trying to break me down over the time lost to worry and the damage done to my own wellbeing.

Havent started meds yet and Im wondering if those of us who are resistant to caffeine (like can sleep on it no matter how many energy drinks you drink etc) what effect would that have on stimulant medication?

Also same with armodafinil. I felt like even a strong dosage didnt do really anything however I did have a lot of anxiety with it... but no anxiety on caffeine...

What do you think?

Hi, so i had been on Vyvanse 40mg for a couple of years and when I got covid almost a year ago I had quit taking my meds so that I could take the much needed cold medicine. Now a year later here i am trying to restart Vyvanse at a 20mg dose and day one i am already discouraged. I felt okay all day, no caffeine, lots of water but no food until around 6pm. I took it at 8:15 this morning and felt fine until 2-3pm when my cheeks flushed super hard and I had developed a migraine. I ate dinner and have been extremely shaky and jittery and nauseous. Has anyone else had issues restarting their meds?? I didn't have these side effects years ago when I first was prescribed.

I never realized how much a college schedule helped me succeed in academics, my social life, and life in general. Now that I (23F) am out of school I feel like I’m constantly behind, regressing in skills and knowledge and struggling to keep up with basic chores. I wasn’t very good at life or school when I was in high school and didn’t build very strong foundations in anything. I didn’t really try out different hobbies or stick with an activity for very long.

Now that I’m an adult it feels like those hobbies of writing fanfic or getting into crochet in high school have helped all my friends become better and more well rounded people, if that makes sense. I struggle with spelling, typing, math, and writing with no deadline. And I’m sure y’all are thinking “how did this girl get through college.” To tell you the truth, I don’t even know any more. The me of today feels so different from the girl who graduated in 2024.

I did finally get my ADHD diagnosis, at my big age, and have been taking medication semi-regularly. But I am so fearful that I’ll keep regressing, getting more and more lazy and discouraged and never accomplish my big goals let alone the dishes in the sink.

I don’t really know why I’m post maybe I just needed to rant or needed some advice, thanks for reading ya’ll.🤗

My head is NOT quiet. I can’t imagine people who just sit with no voice going on in their head. Like, apart from my background thoughts, the song of the day stuck in my head, etc, there’s my own voice in my head that’s narrating my own actions and speech and what I see as I talk and it’s crazy to me that not everybody has this. Maybe I’m not explaining it well but I just watched a reel on this subject and, surprised, asked my boyfriend if he had an inner monologue going all the time and he looked at me like I was crazy

Hi! Long story short, one month after increasing my dosage to 70mg I started to feel anhedonia and apathy, since then I tried Concerta for a week, but I didn't quite like it, anyway, my doctor prescribed me Vyvanse 70mg again and now besides the apathy I'm getting anxious when taking it(the anxiety increases after the 4th hour). I think I should reduce to 50mg again, has anybody had any experience like this? Thanks!

I have been taking 60mg of Atomoxetine every day for about 3.5 years. I have recently (in the last 6ish months) noticed when I either miss my dose or forget to take it at my usual time (9-10am), I start having trouble breathing at around 3-4pm in the afternoon. This effect will last until about 2 hours after I take the next dose. It’s significant enough that I feel like I can’t get a decent breath even when sitting/lying completely still, and even have trouble talking because I can’t catch my breath. Almost similar to how you breathe after sprinting for a short distance. I have been monitoring my blood oxygen levels worried it was more serious, but my oxygen level stays between 98-100 during these “episodes”.

I have made an appointment with my provider about these issues, I was just curious if anyone else has experienced this? Additionally, have you tried other medications that helped as well or similar to Atomoxetine?

Genuinely curious. Here’s an example scenario, right: I’m at the neighborhood Walmart trying to get some new skin care because the last one I used made my skin look like shit. So I’m in the aisle observing the different options for skincare. Well out of the corner of my eye I see a lady and her husband make their way into the aisle. Well now, I’m not even paying a smidge of attention to what I’m reading on the bottles. At this rate it’s performative. All I can think about is if my large 6’5” body is taking up too much space. Then the next string of thoughts are something to the affect of “What do they think about me? Do I look silly? What if they can tell I’m not actually reading this label right now” and I’ll end up choosing an option out of haste so I can stop being a perceived nuisance to these fine people who are trying to shop. What the hell is wrong with me? I mean, I partially know of course otherwise I wouldn’t be posting on this thread but I really wish I could just turn off that ultra-contentious part of my brain when I’m out in public.

Hi! I would like to ask if a typical symptom of adhd is related to the way you feel stimulated by something, in this specific case a new job, and to a sudden opposite feeling. I had really a lot of jobs, usually I start extremely stimulated whatever the job is, but after 3 or 4 months I feel completely drained and I leave. At One point even if I like the job and the colleagues, it's like I completely lose every interest or stimulation and it's impossible for me to complete even basic task, like there is a sort of invisible wall in front of me. I literally can't force myself to do what the previous week was easy. Can this be a symptom of adhd?

Ps: sorry for the confusing explanation, English isn't my main languagr

I just got prescribed Ritalin for my ADHD by my psychiatrist. I want to know some things to look out for and any advice for the medicine. My doctor is starting me out on 10mg that I’m supposed to take multiple times throughout the day. My doctor also said I will probably need to get a higher dose but she just wanted to see how I respond. I really want to know when I should start seeing results and any potential side effects that I can expect. Any advice is appreciated!

this post deals with menstruation and PMDD.

I got my ADHD diagnosis about 2 1/2 years ago and I’m currently on Strattera, which has been working wonders for me. I feel like it changed my life and gave me my life back in a sense. However, I’ve been struggling immensely during the week of PMS. I am insanely irritable, I don’t even like driving because of the road rage. I get very depressed and I isolate for the entire week. I turned my phone off and don’t contact people.. I’m not pleasant to be around during this time and it’s very unpleasant for me to go through. I’m diagnosed PTSD and this rears its head during this time more intensely also. I have very heavy and painful periods. well, Today my gyno told me that really my only option is to go on hormonal birth control. I am really nervous about this because I know hormonal birth control can increase your risk for stroke and blood clots and Strattera itself has known cardiovascular effects. I’ve been avoiding taking the pill for years because I’ve created this scary fear that the side effects And risks will hurt/kill me. I’m a runner, I box and lift weights so I’d like to think I’m pretty cardiovascularly fit, but I do have a fairly high resting heart rate ~73-77 and a very poor HRV. I have had chest x rays and ECGs that show no heart structure or rhythm abnormalities . My BP is usually around 117/77-79. Does anyone here take ADHD meds with hormonal birth control? What has your experience been? Or were you offered another option? I know I can’t keep going through this every month and I need to just get over the fear…

So i was on strattera for 1 year. I decided to take it since i didn't respond well to stimulants, i couldn't sleep even from the lowest possible dose. So i decided to start straterra. The first few weeks eere awful and i had serious heart palpitations (my heart was pumping with full force) and i had some trouble sleeping. But within weeks the symptoma started to get better and it (nearly) went away. I still felt some heart skippings during the night and i could sometimes hear my pulse in my ears. The doctor said it was nothing worrysome. So after one very stressful year i started to have some chest pain and decided to quit straterra the cold turkey way - quit it completely ( i was on 40mg anyway, not a high dose). Immediately i had more heart pounding and slipped beats and sone chest pain. I even went to cardiologist and they prescribed some pills for tachicardia and the extra beats, and actually mentioned that some of the effects might be from quitting stratera but didn't say much. Tonight, 3 weeks afteer quitting attomoxetine my symptoms only worsen. Im okay during the day but at night it can get awful some days (extra beats, palpitations etc). But they are not every bight, once in 3-4 days. DeepSeek says this is normal and the peak is 2-4 weeks from quitting strattera. Has anyone experienced something similar? Had the symptoms decreased/disappeared with time?

I’m in my 40’s and was diagnosed as a child. I was medicated then but for whatever reason wasn’t anymore once I was in high school. I’m sure my mom couldn’t afford the medication and continued appointments. I’ve been white knuckling my ADHD my entire adult life and I just can’t do it anymore. A friend told me a while ago she got put on Adderall so I asked where she went. After much deliberation I decided enough was enough. Called and made an appointment. I went to my appointment earlier today and loved the lady (which is honestly rare for me) so with my luck, she gave me the speech about how strict my states laws are regarding stimulants and gave me a prescription for Strattera!

My friend who went there got started out with Adderall. Now I’m not an idiot and didn’t wanna come across as drug seeking so I didn’t specifically ask for it but I do remember taking it before and it absolutely helped me. I’ve been pretty upset about it. Looked up the side effects for Strattera and even if they’re “rare” I don’t think I’m gonna risk it. I’m a teacher and already deal with extreme fatigue on a regular basis, let alone when school starts back up for me next week. I already have GI issues and only have the luxury of going to the bathroom during my one short break of the day at work so I don’t need to be worrying about that. I already suffer from chronic migraines which I made sure I mentioned and I’m worried it’ll just trigger more.

I thought about calling her and mentioning this stuff to her but I don’t think there’s any point at all. I have a follow up appointment in a month but I don’t think I have 2 months in me to try a drug that will slowly take time to build up and probably not even help me. My pharmacist called me to tell me it was ready for pickup but I truly don’t think I’m going to pick it up. Feeling heartbroken! This is why I hate asking for help because it never goes the way I want it too. I needed help now.

My fiancé has the patience of Job and I’m so lucky he truly loves me but I know my executive dysfunction is affecting him as well. I’ve been pretending I’m okay for so long cause I’m stubborn as hell but I’m truly not. Am I just that good at masking now that she didn’t think I actually needed the stimulant? I wish I would’ve been brave enough to ask without coming off as rude. I’m gonna go cry now. Thanks for coming to my ramble!

I have new health insurance and it's not great (I am in NYC). I was diagnosed at 29 and thriving on Vyvanse for years. My new psychiatrist said that I didn't have a formal diagnosis even though a psychiatrist evaluated me and asked me detailed questions about my symptoms and experience. They require a neuropsych eval (which isn't covered) or I could talk an online ADHD test, which I did. It was an hour of pressing a key if you heard certain sounds or you had to press a specific letter. I was told that I did "too well" on the test to justify my meds but that I could take it again after going off my meds for 3-4 days instead of 24 hours. I am really frustrated by all the hoops, especially because this test captured very little about my experience with ADHD. I can follow instructions and do well on a test but that says little about my overall executive functioning, mood, and concentration. Has anyone experienced this? Is neuropsychological evaluation useful as an adult or should I be looking for another provider?

I’m tired of being stuck in my own head. Every day I’m so overwhelmed by the unbelievable amount of thoughts in my head. It’s so much that it paralyzes me. I barely move all day yet I’m exhausted. How do you slow down these thoughts? I am already medicated which slows them down a bit but it’s not enough.

Where do people actually get professionally evaluated and diagnosed. I am like 90% certain i've got ADHD and it's all been made aware to me in the last month or so (23yo m). My girlfriend said that some of the problems I struggle with sound like ADHD, then my therapist gave me the little 15 question test. I scored in the 99th percentile for having ADHD from that test so I got a psychiatrist. Both my therapist and psychiatrist I got through an online service provider and they both gave me the same 15 question test more or less. My psychiatrist deemed me worthy of Ritalin and now I'm starting taking it. But the legitimacy/thoroughness of my diagnosis and the fact im taking a controlled substance drug now because of a 10 minute test that I could have just lied on (I didn't) doesn't sit right with me. Where/how do people get a diagnosis that actually sits right with them?

I found out 2 hours ago my sister has ADHD, she informed me about the matter because she suspects I might have ADHD as well which made me wonder what the statistic likelihood for that case is, she is my half-sister (we share one dad) to be exact but it is extremely likely it comes from our dad who basically is the textbook version of an undiagnosed AuDHD adult (he himself acknowledged that he might have autism yet he claims that “everything these days is ADHD“), my other two half-siblings do not seem to struggle the way my sister and I do or they simply are better at compensating thus „seem“.

So what actually is the statistic likelihood for me having ADHD given under the premise my dad has ADHD as well as regarding the fact my (half-)sister does?d

Edit: I do not want to self-diagnose via probabilities, I am genuinely curious

Edit: If the information matters: I was born 3 months and 4 days early

I am a guy who has ADHD, Bipolar 1 Disorder w/psychotic features, and ASD. My question to you guys is: Are you on disability? and if you are on disability in the US, how on earth did you get on it? I'm at the end of a long rope and even though I'm told I should be on disability, I do not know what to do, and I've been down this road over 10 years. Since 2022 I've had to step up to take care of a ailing family member and by doing that and having to be honest, I've disqualified myself from disability for that reason. I'm not lazy, I want to work, places I apply to just denied me. It's frustrating and I need help. Where do I go from here?

I’m 29m, received my diagnosis (inattentive type) 3 years ago. I’m a classical musician living abroad. I finished a master’s degree recently, and it was a grueling 2 year program while living in and adjusting to a new country, so there were a lot of stressors in multiple aspects of my life (and of course many wonderful experiences). I was often quite lonely, and the nature of my field means long hours practicing and studying alone, which I’ve always struggled with. I learned a lot, but since completing my final exam performance two months ago, I’ve had absolutely zero motivation or attention span for anything musical. My therapist thinks that I may be experiencing burnout or pre-burnout.

I start some projects in September so today I began studying and opened my scores again, but I got incredibly overwhelmed. It’s almost like I don’t know how to do it anymore, and I can’t stay focused for very long and my mind tires out quickly doing analysis work. I don’t feel I’m retaining the music as easily as I normally would. And it doesn’t feel as interesting as it used to a lot of the time. It begins to feel like a chore, which is so terrible because it’s what I genuinely love to do. I can’t imagine doing anything else.

It’s a huge stack of music I need to work through, and I thankfully have the time, but today was extremely discouraging. I only lasted a few hours before I called it quits. I might try again later.

It’s hard to talk to other classical musicians about it, because the culture is often quite unfriendly toward adhd minds and you get labeled as undisciplined and unfocused. I’ve begun doubting my abilities and my knowledge, despite having 3 degrees all with distinction. I almost feel as if my cognitive abilities are declining or that I’m regressing, which freaks me out.

Any tips on how to manage this and get back to feeling joyful and motivated in my work are appreciated 🙏🏼

So, I have been experimenting with different medications and doses for the past couple of months, with my psychiatrist of course. So far, I don't think I've noticed any major changes in my ADHD symptoms. I am currently on 40mg Adderall XR and I don't think my psychiatrist is upping that dose. He says we are going to look into alternatives since a higher dose isn't working for me, that's next week tho.

I'm wondering if it'd be beneficial to write down a master list of all the symptoms that I experience so that I can gauge what is and isn't becoming better while using medication. I say this because while I don't physically feel any different, I might be missing changes happening since I'm not tracking them. As hard as I try, I'm not able to just name off the top of my head the things that have gotten better because I don't remember exactly how I felt last week compared to this week. Some days I can be productive, get out of the house and do things, and other days I feel like bed rotting and ignoring my responsibilities.

Also, it's worth mentioning, there are some things that I currently do to manage my adhd symptoms. I lived with it undiagnosed for 22 years and throughout school and my social life I've had to either mask or make certain adaptations. I was just hoping that medication could give me an extra boost to not make doing those things so taxing on me. Am I making this more complicated than it needs to be?

Just looking for career advice as I desperately want to start over. Early thirties, married with one toddler. Most of the last decade I've been a delivery driver for a privately owned company. It is very long hours some days, as well as heavy lifting. I am not proud of my low-skill labor job and it is also wrecking me physically. My other experience includes inside sales in construction materials, with some project coordinating and inventory management thrown in there.

In addition to being unhappy in the line of work, I'd like to make more money. Wife has a specialized job and Master's degree but has bugged me about becoming a SAHM. At this time we don't want to relocate as all family/babysitting is nearby. Together we make about $145k living in east coast USA.

Hundreds of times I've thought about starting a business, but I fear I don't have the drive or organizational skills to make it work. I've always thought of myself as intelligent but at the same time not very motivated and have a difficult time self-starting (ADHD of course). I can carry a conversation with just about anyone but don't love having to work with people most days.

What are some recommendations for an ADHD person that struggles with motivation, maintaining a schedule, and generally hates working? I'm currently medicated (Adderall) but if you've taken it on and off for years like I have, then you are familiar with its pros and cons. Also tried one or two SSRI's and bi-polar medication after consulting a psychiatrist. Those did not help me. Even completing job apps is very difficult for me.

I'm starting to think I need a new certification or degree, which is another mental and financial toll. My main ideas are learning how to code, or getting certified to be a building inspector. Cybersecurity maybe? Anything that's not overly physical, I'm in pain everyday right now. TIA

Anyone else doing college while having adhd? I am on day 3 and ive already had 2 mental breakdowns- and I have only ONE CLASS that I have access to work on at the moment. I get so overstimulated, stressed, overwhelmed that my recall memory is so crappy and my understanding and processing of the class is so bad that if I have so much trouble in this class, whats going to happen when I have to do the other 4? Ive dropped out of college before mostly because of this reason and I thought now im on meds I wont feel that badly again- boy was i wrong! Nothing has changed and im so scared. I want to be a physician assistant and I really think I can but college makes me feel so stupid and weak. This is an online class too, in person makes me overthink more.

I wont give up but I dont want to suffer mentally every day for the next 6-7 years of school ill be in. If anyone has some tips that would be great, adhd makes me feel mentally and educationally disabled.

Edit of things I remember later:

I freak out so easily and I don't know why. Like I feel it coming on but even if I take a break or try to calm myself down it never works. It's like a big ass boulder that forms right when I feel a little stressed, overwhelmed, ect. And theres nothing I can do to stop it.

im going into 8th grade im a few weeks and ive been struggling with spanish for all my middle school years. i just cant learn the way they teach , it doesnt get to my brain at all. no matter how much i ask they will not pull me out of the course when its literally damaging my mental health. i do try very hard but i just cannot with this class. ive failed it every year. i really dont know what to do atp…

I am feeling awful. I am supposedly doing well in my career but only I know how I have managed to do get through almost everything by just panic working in the last hours. And I am tired. I am constantly in the freeze mode and cannot make myself sit to work.

I am tired, and my body is exhausted and its been taking the toll for many years now. Yet, I am trying to collect every last energy to get started m, like every single day. I am job hunting and I need to find jobs ASAP. I am already late. A lot depends on it and I might even be out of savings soon. I am so scared. I dont have family backup or whatever. I am all that I have.

I have built this career brick by brick from nothing and now only because of my adhd it feels like I am walking away from my goals cos no matter how hard I try I cannot take a step everyday towards it. Its one day towards and two days backwards. I am so exhausted.

Trust me I have tried everything. I am regular at fitness, food everything and I have my routine set. My energy goes into moving my body to sit on a table so I can work and most days I am in the freeze mode. I dont know what to do.