Newly diagnosed

[ginarose]

I was diagnosed with ADHD earlier this week. I have a question about adderall. I’m sure I’ll be on a low dose because I’m sensitive to medications. Would anyone be so kind as to give me a heads up about the side effects? I know it can be different for everyone & I’ve read about the side effects of the medication that have been studied, but I would still appreciate information &/or advice about it from this community.

I also noticed Ritalin works faster & leaves the body quicker. What differences have people who’ve tried both noticed?

I’m going to consult with my psychiatrist again this week. I tried Strattera but I stopped taking it because of a mild-moderate adverse reaction. I’ve taken SNRIs for depression in the past & had to stop for the same reasons.

Thanks in advance.

[Hidden]

I had to take Aderrall for about 2 weeks before I could go on to the medication I really wanted, Vyvanse. The Adderrall was a short-acting (4 hour) dosage which was good when I was on it but I didn't like the withdrawal after the 4 hours. It left me feeling manic or super anxious and impatient.

Vyvanse is supposed to be very similar to Adderrall except it is an extended release, long-acting medication without the symptoms that Adderall has.

My insurance doesn't cover Vyvanse, I use a financial aid program for Vyvanse which surprisingly gives me my medication for free. I have enjoyed Vyvanse and have had no negative reaction to it. I have been on the medication for a month and half now.

[ginarose in reply to Hidden]

I work at a clinic & Vyvanse nearly always requires a prior authorization & that is usually rejected. You know what I’d like to take? Provigil. I took it while I was going to school while having 2 young kids about 10 years ago. I didn’t know I had ADHD back then, but I remember feeling “evened out” when I took it. If that makes sense. It’s off-label for adhd though, so I may hit the adderall & if that doesn’t work for me, I’ll see if I can get Vyvanse through my insurance at a fairly reasonable rate. Thank you for responding!

[wtfadhd]

Hey Ginarose. I took addy xr in AM, and then addy short acting in the afternoon. I did not like the addy xr. I didnt like how it seemed to fade out of my system and i would think i was fine but really i was being a pain in the ass. So i switched to 20 mg addy short acting 3 x a day but now after 6 yrs i only take 10 mg short acting addy 3x day. Some people do not like that abrupt withdrawal but i rely on it bc it lets me know that i need to take my next dose in order to be tolerable to others. Totally a preference thing.

Side effects- thirsty, clenching/ grinding jaw, loss of appetite maybe.

I take addy “ breaks” sometimes. Sometimes just on a weekend when i want to. Sometimes for a few months at a time. I do it cuz i hate medication. However, it usually ( 95% of time) ends up in a disaster bc i will cause car accidents, get tickets, forget all my responsibilities, renewing tags, oil changes, paying bills, appts, etc etc n its super unfair to my hubby to have to do all my adulting while i am happy n free n unmedicated, so i always restart my meds n just start off lower n increase back up to 10mg or 20mg if needed. My psychiatric NP is okay with me doing this. She much prefers that i take it consistently, however, she understands my perspectives n motives n just checks in with me every 2 months.

Hope u get alot of responses to your question bc i think we all have very different experiences when it comes to meds!!!