Hi. I'm new here. I'm 51 and I was diagnosed with ADHD last year. Although I know I've had it much longer. I think the stress of the pandemic made it worse. I'm getting treatment now and trying to figure out my meds. So far I still have the symptoms.
I recently got an increase in the dose and I think it's affecting me in a bad way. I'm feeling anxious and depressed. Fortunately, there's no thoughts of self harm. But I'm stuck with a feeling that my life is a series of joyless chores and tasks and even things I normally like haven't been enjoyable.
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Sharkweek178
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You might have depression. A huge number of people with ADHD have depression. That has to be treated in addition to the ADHD. Treating the ADHD won't necessarily "fix" the depression.
And yes, the pandemic has been super hard for everyone, but yes, I think especially hard for people with ADHD. We had to spend all kinds of self-regulation energy just getting through ... tapping us out for getting organized and following good habits and so on ... Definitely the pandemic was not good for executive function.
Call your provider and report the symptoms you're having ... the malaise and the lack of any improvement in your ADHD symptoms. That what we have to do. Take meds, assess, report to the provider. Provider responds, usually with a change. We go home and take the meds ... again assess .. .and so on.
If these feeling of anxiety are fairly new since the meds increase, let your doctor know. It could be temporary while you are adjusting, or it could be a sign that this med is really not a good fit for you. Unfortunately that’s how it goes with adhd meds, it sort of a try it and see. Hopefully your doc is paying attention. And yes, it could be depression, but if it’s only onset since the med increase, it’s most likely med induced. Hope it all gets sorted soon.
Thanks everyone for the replies. I've spoken to my provider and was advised to go back to my old dose, as opposed to not taking the meds at all. That's helping. I'll have a more in depth conversation soon.It's frustrating because I didn't feel like the medication has been helping and have been wanting an increased dose. And now this happens. So I guess it's back to the drawing board to find something that works.
For me the ADHD medication does not manage all the symptoms. I've noticed that when things happen in life I feel like my meds are not working. I'm still navigating this stuff myself. But I've struggled with a lot of depression. One thing that helped is getting regular exercise. and then probably even bigger was learning to do more of the things that I enjoy.
On you said originally having a partner ... you mean not having a partner. I misread you or misunderstood you. So you're sayng the missing libido is not medication related? But rather divorce-related?
It is. I came off the fluoxetine and I’m good now. But it did kill my desires for her. But I just have look forward and be aware when I find my new partner
Really just tell your provider about this issue. This is as typical to a psychiatrist as a cold is for a family doctor. They know generally how to adjust meds to restore libido. Just report the symptom .. . which is hard ... because when the libido is absent, we don't miss it. It's usually a partner who complains. We have to listen to that partner.
ADHD is something that you were born with and it does not get worse over time. It is simply a chemical imbalance in the brain. But other things can make your ADHD symptoms worse or cause ADHD symptoms. ADHD can effect your motivation by making tasks feel boring or less interesting, and possibly make you always wish you were doing something else. But if you just had ADHD, you would would still enjoy doing the things you like doing. Depression, on the other hand, can make you not not even want to get out of bed or do anything at all. If you look at the symptoms of ADHD and trauma you will see a tone of correlation. I've read that ADHD meds are sometimes used off label to help people with trauma because trauma can also cause you to not produce enough dopamine. But unlike ADHD, these chemical imbalances can often be corrected through therapy.
Anyway, I can't diagnose you, but considering you are feeling like your ADHD is doing worse due to the pandemic, I think the number one thing that is going to help you is some therapy work. Maybe some Depression medication might help.
For me personally, what you are saying sounded very similar to me. I started feeling like life was a series of joyless tasks, and everything in life started to lack luster. And I started to not even want to do the things I used to enjoy. The doctor gave me depression medication, and things just got worse. Also, I was not getting any good therapy. At some point I realized that, if I could eliminate all my obligations, responsibilities, and tasks, quit my job, and really just do whatever I wanted to each day, I would actually be happy. But of course that is not possible. I think what was really going on was that I was overwhelmed. Being ADHD, it was much harder for me to enjoy work like my peers, and many of the obligations and commitments I had were just not enjoyable to me. It made me feel worse that other people seemed to take great pride and enjoyment in those same tasks and responsibilities. I think this is what was really at the heart of my depression. Years of having to really work hard with no reward. Because with ADHD you don't get the same dopamine burst that other people do from accomplishing tasks. So my brain isn't telling me, that was good, let's do it again.
Getting on the right ADHD meds is what really turned things around for me. I started getting dopamine hits for the good work that I was doing. When my daughter smiled, I felt more joy inside. But I think what was really driving the depression was trauma. Years of beating myself up. Sometimes Depression medication helps with that. In my case I just needed the right ADHD meds. But at first it was a bit of a struggle, because ADHD meds can easily increase your anxiety. I also had to start exercising (it works like a natural antidepressant, but hard to motivate yourself to do when depressed) . Now I really look forward to running which is something that was never true for me in the past. I like the way it makes my mind feel afterwards.
Anyway, maybe you will find some answers in my story. The answer for everyone can be very different. And multiple things can cause the same symptoms. But I would look deep inside, and see if you can see what is at the root of your wound. And then keep working with your doctor and therapist. You are on the the right track, and every setback just gets you closer to steps in the right direction.
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