Med vacation for intolerance | ADHD Information

Geez - how the heck did I miss this thread! LOL!! You guys should pm me when I am mentioned.

Yes I take one week off for every 2 months.  That's the plan anyway.  Sometimes its hard and I get only 3 or 4 days but generally I get a week.  This last holiday in mid-april I did a whole 2 weeks while helping my gf's dad put up a house addition.  Was too busy to let ADHD get me!

I still use coffee throughout.  I love coffee honestly and it's different than our meds.  It's the equivalent of damaging your eardrum - being told to avoid loud noise then being afraid of a whisper.  Coffee is way less chemically active on you then dexedrine or ritalin.  Don't fret that - and it does help take the edge off as you can tend to be a tad bit grumpy when you lose the energy boost.

I heard about med vacations initially here when starting on dexedrine.  I looked up the techniques and tried the 2 months one week schedule.  This was after going from 10mg twice daily to 20mg twice.  I decided to stop there.  I have been on 20 mg since january 2005 now.  I got an Rx for 30mg but never needed to use it.  It makes me feel in control not having to constantly up it due to tolerance.

Every day on is like the first for me.  I don't need to up it because I feel the anchor and fog-free days.  There are always days it doesn't measure up as well but don't put it down to tolerance right away.  And give the med vacation a shot.

I never felt withdrawl per se - like smoking for example.  I do admit at the end of the week off I feel tired and the fog comes back a bit.  Fight it and it's worth it.

 

[QUOTE=chjones] I still think you may crash with tiredness for the first few days....
and probably sink back into being slightly fogged for the others.

in the 20s/30s in the UK people who worked in factories and office jobs
used to go on 'holiday' for two weeks to farms (in fact i think it
continued up until the 60s almost)! where they would help with
the harvesting, hay baling, cleaning the stables, whatever - whatever -
whatever... all that hard, physical work and it was considered a
holiday because at least you were out in the sunshine. out from a
stinky office.

you weren't obliged to work i think, you could just stay in the farm
cottages and chill - but the option was there.... and i think most
people took it! that kinda work i reckon is good for the mind and
for the spirit.

nowadays of course it only takes one man and a tractor - to run 100 acres of farm! it's pretty amazing.
[/QUOTE]
That's really cool! Reminds me of how I loved it when in grade school (grammar/elementary school) on nice warm spring days we'd hold class outside on the lawn. I'm positive it helped with us learning those days, being outside and soaking up the good vitamins.

As for crashing...I don't even crash now on Adderall, nor have I ever on Ritalin or Concerta. I'm still not convinced it even works as well for me as it does for many, since day one. I may focus a little better, although I don't really feel much different when it should have worn off for the day. Next month I begin on brand name short-acting Adderall vs generic. We'll see if it works any differently for me. And once I find the best dosage and adjust the other meds I'm taking, hopefully I will find that magic dosage...the one I'll eventually be able to try mini-vacations while taking. And when that time comes, I'll probably only take two days off, perhaps every two weeks. We'll see. Also, I suppose if that week is taken off because of an intolerance, there obviously wouldn't be any concern for 'withdrawl' symptoms from the med, since you're already 'withdrawn,' right? It seems that people who finally find a good dosage that works for them most likely eventually develop an intolerance to their AD/HD meds. And of course, increasing the dosage isn't really the answer, since an intolerance will most like be built up for that dosage, as well.   

I've read where some people on Adderall periodically take a med vacation (if they feel they've developed an intolerance or it doesn't work as well) for perhaps 3 to 5 days until their body has time to 'recover' or tolerance sets in once again. Or some even regularly take their med five days and are off two, to prevent building such an intolerance, therefore having continuous success for years taking their meds.     

Since I plan on taking for years the lowest possible dosage of Adderall that works for me, it sounds like a good idea for me to learn what works best for preventing an intolerance build up.   

Now, what I'd like to know is...for any of you who have sucessfully been on an adhd med for a while and actually do take 'med vacations' for this very reason, do you do caffeine when off your meds (pop, coffee, etc.)?? Or do you actually take a 'true' med vacation, if you kwim.      In other words, are the med vacs tolerable for you?

Also, for those of you who use med vacations to prevent intolerance to your med, what sort of 'vacation' do you take that works for you?

Thanks!    
i don't know why i am answering for him - cos i am sure he can speak for himself but Glen W tries to do two months on - one week off! 

seems to work.

my own pov would be don't supplement with coffee.  the point is to give your system a BREAK from being stimulated.  most of us here lived with our ADD for the first 30 odd years of our life.  you can certainly cope for a week --- !

good luck with it!
[QUOTE=chjones] i don't know why i am answering for him - cos i am sure he can speak
for himself but Glen W tries to do two months on - one week off! 

seems to work.

my own pov would be don't supplement with coffee.  the point is to
give your system a BREAK from being stimulated.  most of us here
lived with our ADD for the first 30 odd years of our life.  you
can certainly cope for a week --- !

good luck with it!

[/QUOTE]
My point exactly, chjones! It wouldn't be a true med vacation if caffeine was included in lieu of meds. Although, those 30 years I did self-medicate one way or another.

Anyway, if it works for Glen W, that's good enough testimony for me. Thanks, cj!ummmm - i'd like to say yes gypsywomyn i would.  but i think the answer is no.  i'm no expert here tho - never having been on the meds myself!

i still think you may crash with tiredness for the first few days.... and probably sink back into being slightly fogged for the others.

but exercise is always helpful in anti-fogging (especially if it is outdoorsy work, physical but in the nature - which generally suits us adder-types) - perhaps you could combine coming off meds with two days of "down time" just sleeping, and the rest incorporate some kinda workout/ physical exercise routine?  that sounds good and healthy....!

in the 20s/30s in the UK people who worked in factories and office jobs used to go on 'holiday' for two weeks to farms (in fact i think it continued up until the 60s almost)!  where they would help with the harvesting, hay baling, cleaning the stables, whatever - whatever - whatever...  all that hard, physical work and it was considered a holiday because at least you were out in the sunshine.  out from a stinky office. 

you weren't obliged to work i think, you could just stay in the farm cottages and chill - but the option was there.... and i think most people took it!  that kinda work i reckon is good for the mind and for the spirit.

nowadays of course it only takes one man and a tractor - to run 100 acres of farm!  it's pretty amazing.