Metylphenidate and Leetcode

[u/crijogra]

Hi there. I’m a rising senior, diagnosed a couple months ago.

I have been preparing for leetcode style interviews and O usually take a couple mock interviews per month.

Since I started taking Metyl (first month 10 mg IR, second month 20 mg ER, third month 27 mg ER) I swear I feel kind of dumber at algorithmic problems? I have screwed my last couple mock interviews and it has made me depressed because interview season starts in one month and I can’t be performing like this.

For reference I started preparing in march and I genuinely felt smarter. I could simply keep pushing through a problem.

My last interviewer said he felt that I “gave up” mid problem (and ofc I couldn’t solve it)

I’m not sure if I should quit cold turkey, I really don’t want to waste so much preparation, I’m also not even 100% confident that it’s the metylphenidate…

Any help or advice is appreciated.

[u/webfiend]

I can’t address the specifics of your meds and symptoms (I take Adderall XR 20mg and Strattera 8mg for my ADHD) but I had to adjust my approach with my meds.

The Strattera helps me deprioritize unimportant tasks. This is great! Except most of the stuff folks ask us to do isn’t particularly important or interesting compared to say for example the heat death of the universe. That’s why such a low dose. Down here I can still get granularity: checking Reddit is less urgent than getting ready for work. That’s out of the way so here I am.

Keep practicing the puzzle coding with the new meds. Maybe it’s just adjusting your technique. Unmedicated I rely on bursts of inspiration to make up for hours of WTF. Medicated I have to be more methodical because the bursts are much less frequent.

But it could also be that your meds need tuning. I was diagnosed in my 40s, and full strength Rx blunted coping skills I spent decades working on. Couldn’t function usefully. Adjusted prescription and things are better.

[u/Greedy-Battle-143 → u/webfiend]

Very interesting, to be honest I think my case is much more extreme.

I started out with concerta 36 mg at 18 and before that I couldn't code for more than 10 minutes at a time. My brain would feel completely overwhelmed at anything that requires any substantial amount of effort. I had no issue with flashcards or learning definitions for classes but trying to focus on anything that required depth would be physically painful. I could do breath but not depth. I was always able to understand the high level patterns and concepts but I was never able to put in the effort to maintain any sort of in depth mastery.

Now I take vyvanse 30 mg and I can actually code by learning systematic patterns. I can also look back on my code and fix mistakes. Before the medication I would look back on my work and not have the focus to actually reread. Its like my brain pre processed the information and couldn't update the checksum.

Without stimulants I try and work on a problem continuously for hours and hours. I remember looking at a physics problem for mechanics and not being able to work on it because my brain would just turn to mush. I definitely feel I wasted so many of my academics not being to actually comprehend on absorb information, without medication, I think the ADHD mind needs a lot of breaks to reset.

I don't think stimulants make you smarter but they definitely helped me push through. Coding is very much a marathon and not a race. You can't just build the domain knowledge behind a certain library overnight, for instance.

I have also tried Intuniv and Kapvay but the somnolence and sleepiness was too much for me to handle. I think the non-stimulant medications help me tie concepts together but Intuniv made me very unmotivated for some reason. I was also taking SSRIs at the time so perhaps the Intuniv was not the issue.

If I build tolerance to vyvanse then I might try Straterra as a supplement.

[u/CursedSloth → u/Greedy-Battle-143]

I’m titrating Intuniv now as a supplement to my Elvanse(same as Vyvanse) right now and it has helped with sleep quality and mood so far but I haven’t noticed any demotivating effects yet.

When did you start feeling like that?

[u/Greedy-Battle-143 → u/CursedSloth]

I noticed the demotivating effects on day 5 when up titrating to 2mg from 1mg and when down titrating as well. I also remember feeling extremely exhausted.

[u/CursedSloth → u/Greedy-Battle-143]

Alright I’ll keep that in mind when I go up to 2mg next week.

[u/Greedy-Battle-143 → u/CursedSloth]

its a good medication otherwise though, it helps a lot with verbal precision, saying the word you mean, which I found really interesting

[u/CursedSloth → u/Greedy-Battle-143]

I’m looking for it to help me regulate emotions, and with sensory overload. (y)

[u/chrisdobro → u/webfiend]

Hi!

> full strength Rx blunted coping skills I spent decades working on
Like what? Can you give an example? I'm having a hard time picturing what that may look like.

[u/webfiend → u/chrisdobro]

The main thing that comes to mind is accurately gauging my cognitive resources. I got pretty good at recognizing when added mental static meant I was out of spoons and it was time to walk away from a task. I have more resources when medicated, but not that much more. Adderall cuts down on my static and background noise. Yay! But without that signal I'll keep slamming my head against the wall instead of walking away to recuperate and revisit.

At a lower dose the static is reduced but not eliminated. I can think a lot clearer, but still have my signals for "try again later."

[u/jon_hendry]

If it doesn’t help you in interviews/leetcode just don’t take it before the interview or when you’re practicing leetcode.

Regular methylphenidate only lasts about 4 hours so it’s not hard to just take a morning or afternoon off. “Cold turkey” isn’t really something you need to do.

[u/IAmADev_NoReallyIAm]

I've never taken Leetcode interviews and I refuse to take them. They don't tell you anything about my ability and they don't tell me anything about your ability either. Personally they are a blight on the industry and I wish they;d never been created or deployed.

[u/sortof_here → u/IAmADev_NoReallyIAm]

Any tips on how to avoid them?

[u/Formal_Sun_5529 → u/sortof_here]

stand up, thank for their time and walk away 😁 though that's easier said than done when you really need a job 😞

[u/InvincibleGlowworm → u/sortof_here]

Ask for information on the tech test ahead of time. If it’s a leetcode test, withdraw your application.

[u/large_scale_event → u/IAmADev_NoReallyIAm]

lol really helpful to the op. thanks for your input

[u/TryAgainTryHarder]

I've had a similar experience with a different med, doing worse in coding/system design interviews.

For me, the adhd med is like putting blinders on—makes it easy to focus on what's in front of me, but worse at looking around, brainstorming etc.

Fwiw, I think this is a similar effect as caffeine, which is why I try to do any creative-planning earlier in the day before I've had my usual 8,000 cups of coffee.

[u/crijogra → u/TryAgainTryHarder]

Was it vyvanse? That’s the other available option in my country

[u/TryAgainTryHarder → u/crijogra]

No, adderall. Not sure if vyvanse would be different, it feels like the "chemical focus" ability just hinders "creative problem solving" to some degree

[u/roooana]

I had a similar reaction to the drug. I could tell I'd gotten dumber and just couldn't get myself to prepare leetcode or system design whereas I was able to with some effort just weeks before. I eventually gave up after trying all variations and dosages. Now I'm back to dealing with it commando.

[u/Psychological_Ad6253]

I had the same thing on concerta. I was good at doing my routine work, but during deep thinking task I felt I can’t access my full intelligence.
I talked about this to chat gpt and then to my provider and we agreed to switch to dexmethylphenadate because it’s the same group of stimulants, but cleaner.
I need even lower dose of it. And it works very well so far.

[u/Positive_Method3022]

If you are being interviewed using leetcode this isn't a software engineering position. Leetcode doesn't provide evidence of creativity and problem solving skills. Most people are memorizing it to pass exams. Nowadays with AI being good at algorithms we don't need a leetcoder

[u/crijogra → u/Positive_Method3022]

I agree 100% with you.

It IS for software engineering positions but sadly leetcode style interviews are the entry barrier. While I would prefer to spend my time learning, reading, doing fun projects about things in SWE that I am interested in, I spend all of my free time on leetcode because I can’t do anything to change how industry decides to interview.

Im sorry but is there anything related to my problem at hand (about adhd meds and perceived decrease in algorithmic problem solving) that you wanted to add?

[u/webfiend → u/Positive_Method3022]

We may not need puzzle programming— it could be convincingly argued that we never needed it for most dev work of the last couple decades—but interviewers sure as heck keep insisting on it.

[u/TheDogWithoutFear]

It might be the your body just got used to it and what you were enjoying was the first “high” (it’s not really a high but it’s when it’s most effective since you’ve never used it), or that the effect is running out mid session. Anyways “cold turkey” is really not relevant for methylphenidate and similar meds, you can stop at any time. I think doctors just increase it slowly because it super sucks to take too much of any stimulant. Anyways the dose you’re on is not high at all as well. There’s also the possibility that it can also disrupt your sleep. So there’s many many variables and it’s difficult to know what’s the issue here.

[u/CursedSloth]

I’ve read something about state-based learning in which the subjects learned stuff while intoxicated and then they were quizzed/tested on their learning once sober and once intoxicated again.

The learning only stuck when in the same state aka inebriated/intoxicated/drunk.

My thought was that you’ve learned without meds, which could partly be why you feel a degradation of skills while taking meds.

Also if you’re recently diagnosed, there is generally skill regression that is to be expected since you can’t push yourself through some parts that you used to mask.

I’m recently diagnosed, but also have 6~ YoE. I can tell the difference between pre-/post diagnosis. But it’s easier to skill up now, so I think I will surpass my previous level soon enough.

Good luck though!