Is this normal? | ADHD Information

Well my first few weeks were the best, not the worst!!  After the first few weeks, when I thought Adderall would take care of everyADHD trait under the sun, I realized that wasn't the case for me!  But I've never felt lethargic after taking it--only get lethargic now if I haven't taken it in 24 hours.

I second Diane's advice... plus, if you've been drinking a lot recently, your body is probably going through some adjustments there as well if you've now stopped (hopefully you can).  If after a week or two, varying the dose or whatever approach you and your doc decide on, it still is making you sleepy after you down your dose, could be, as Diane says, it's not the right med for you. 

Couple more questions.  I finally think like I can make an accurate statement about how it is making me feel since I've got some sleep and eaten. 

Let me throw a little more background in first.  I have 80% of the symptoms of adhd but without the hyperactive.  I sometimes get that natural "high" for no reason but it isn't a daily thing.  The reason I'm on this drug currently is that my mind runs 900 miles an hour.  Normally this isn't too much of a problem but it balls up into a mass of thoughts that I can't get out of my head when there is any sort of stress in my life.  It usually takes a few days to hit my limit and then it is anything goes...binge drinking...drugging myself to sleep...etc.  The fact that my job basically entails doing nothing all day until server hardware breaks doesn't help keep my mind occupied. 

Today I feel like I'm actually losing focus and having problems with normal conversation.  My mind has slowed down and I love that but there is a "change" in me that people already notice.  I'm making mistakes while typing which usually never happens and smoking more cigarettes than normal.  I'm not a very social person to begin with and I'm even more anti-social today.  I still don't feel "speedy" or anything but I'm much more energized than when I made my original post.  I attribute that to having eaten and slept.  Any opinions?



I finally broke down and went to family Dr. yesterday after drinking myself into a coma Tuesday trying to get my mind to stop racing. I told him my life story and he said it is very likely I have one form of ADHD and prescribed me 20mg of Adderall XR once per day.

I took the first one at lunch yesterday and within the hour my mind stopped racing. It felt like somebody hit the brakes and I could let thoughts flow in and out at a normal pace.

Now that bad part. The side effects of this stuff almost made me not take it this morning. I felt lethargic and wanted to go to sleep after taking the medication but that was impossible. There was no "high", increase in energy, or feeling like I needed to clean the floor with a toothbrush so I'm assuming I've actually got the chemical imbalance this drug should even out. I didn't eat a thing yesterday. I couldn't sleep for sh*t even after it should of worn off. I forced myself to drink a protein shake this morning before taking the pill and had to literally force down a bag of peanuts at lunch. I have no real increase in motivation to do things today but work is slow. I feel out of it a bit and a little grumpy today but that may be that I'm used to eating quite a bit and sleeping at least 8 hours per night.

Now my questions. Is this something you just have to deal with to get your mind to slow down? Did the side effects subside over time? Did you get accustomed to the "idle feeling" mind? I think my brain is in shock or something because it isn't processing information at the speed of light like it has been for 27 years.

I'm going to finish out the weekend and then call my Dr. and see what he says of course but any information from somebody who actually takes the drug would be beneficial. I most certainly don't want to be taking this stuff if I'm not having the correct reaction to it.

It definitely takes some time. Maybe going to a lower dose until your body adjusts. OR it could just be the "wrong med" for you and you need to try something different. It's good to give things a couple of weeks ot see side effects will subside. BUT if your miserable, ask for a lower dose.   They always say the first few weeks are the worst, I notice that most negative comments about ADD drugs are from people who just started them, or only took them a couple of times. It has been lifechanging for my son, and I notice a huge change when he forgets to take it. Stick it out, then tell your doctor all of your side effects, even write them down. ~Also, it seems like fruity, juicy, things are better to get down, like a fruit smoothy or sorbet? And LOTS of ice water! :)

My opinion:

When you call your family Dr. ask for a referral to a specialist, psy MD doc who will give you a thorough evaluation.

If you want to know of the possible or usual side effects of the medication read the medication sheet that came with the Rx or just do a web search on the side effects.

Your side effects seem very strange. I'm diagnosed with ADD-innattentive and never had any of those side effects on Adderall. And I've never experienced my mind running 900 miles per hr when not on medication. Geesh, if I could get my mind running at 200 miles per hr that would be nice!   I've been kinda slow and spaced out all my life!

Good Luck!

 

[QUOTE=Nocnoc]
Today I feel like I'm actually losing focus and having problems with normal conversation.  My mind has slowed down and I love that but there is a "change" in me that people already notice.  I'm making mistakes while typing which usually never happens and smoking more cigarettes than normal.  I'm not a very social person to begin with and I'm even more anti-social today.  I still don't feel "speedy" or anything but I'm much more energized than when I made my original post.  I attribute that to having eaten and slept.  Any opinions?
[/QUOTE]

Since you asked.... my opinion is it's still too early to tell.  Like me when I started medication, I suspect you are in the "Super Self-focused" phase.  You're not letting a damn thing go unnoticed about yourself.  Right now you're monitoring yourself 24/7 (well, when you're awake anyway): how you are feeling physically and menatally, how you are responding to yourself when you're alone and with others when you're with others.  It's as if right now you've got another "you" hovering with you all the time with a 10X magnifier analyzing everything.

When I started on Adderall (and by this time I was nicotine free 10+ yrs and alchohol free 6 mos.) I felt a lot different too those first couple weeks, as my wife can attest!  I would get really cranky when the meds started to wear off; I could maintain focus much better for most of the time, but lose it easily at others.  Most of all, I was kinda freaked out (now that I look back on it) at having to adjust to this new, medication-induced behavior displayed by me and my brain.  I just wasn't used to my brain functioning in this new way--not used to "staying tuned-in" for so long during a meeting; focused for so long on some rather menial work task.  Plus, the new-found patience the medication afforded me caused me to sorta take a back seat and just be an observer in social situations were before, if I wasn't actively engaged, I was tuned-out. 

So, my advice is stay with this trial period and, if you are focusing on ed on yourself as much as I suspect you are, try to let up and just "go with the flow" for awhile.  Of course, if the meds are causing problems and you're really uncomfortable, or making others uncomfortable at work, use your judgement and call your doc or whatever... Otherwise, just be reminded of what's said here so often--everyone responds to these meds differently and, how you respond will vary over time, especially the first weeks and months on a new medication.