What effects have you noticed if your dose of meds was too low?

[Anonymous0418]

I’ve been on a roller coaster trying to find the right meds for me, it’s so frustrating and exhausting. One thing I can’t seem to figure out is whether I need a higher dose or a different medication or to just give up on meds. I see information on what happens when your dose is too high but nothing on if it’s too low!

[F_RN_Dx_at_39]

I have read that you want to titrate to take the highest dose of ADHD medication you can before you experience side effects so that you can have the most benefit. Too low of a dose may do nothing for you. Or perhaps it's just not the right medication.

I struggled for a full year trying to find the right type of med. Adderall had worked best but gave me migraines so I tried what felt like everything else over the course of a year and a half since diagnosis and wound up coming back to Adderall at a very tiny dose and have titrated up from 5 mg to 30 mg of the short acting twice a day. I feel like this is working better for me mentally. I'm just hoping my body adjusts to it and I can get my heart rate below 100. I had some blood work done and my ALT has been high twice, which is new, and a marker for a liver problems. I'm hoping it's not the meds. My liver ultrasound was negative.

Good luck. It's definitely a journey.

[Anonymous0418 in reply to F_RN_Dx_at_39]

Thankyou!! That actually gave me some good insight

[F_RN_Dx_at_39 in reply to Anonymous0418]

I'm really glad to hear that. One thing I forgot to mention but wanted to is that you will be starting off at a lower dose. No provider is going to start off with a very high dose because they want to make sure you don't have any reactions or immediately experience negative side effects. You can titrate up over time, perhaps monthly. It's a lot safer this way. I'm also working with the counselor on Executive Functioning to fill in the gaps since medication is not going to fix everything.