considering to experiment with different pills after about 7 years of Vyvanse

[ohad20]

my meds history: im 20 year old. i was diagnosed with ADD(without hyperactivness) at first grade. i first took Ritalin, but swiched to Aderal after a month of being in a bad and antisocial mood. i switched to Vyvanse in about 3th grade to 8th great(cant remember honestly), and i take it until now.

ive finished highschool recently, and i guess now is the only time(in the near future) it will be safe for to try other kinds of pills to see if it works better for me in terms of productivity, time it lasts and stress(because i actually have to take fewer miligrams relative to my age recommendation because this pill causes me stress). i also hope to start experiment as soon as possible because i planned to start meditating and i can do it only after the pill experimenting to avoid confusing the pill and the meditation effects.

so my question is what you think about it? any interesting or useful opinions? thankyou very much its very important to me because my pills influence my life to a huge extent, and it might be the only chance of mine to experiment before im getting into studying and getting on with the flow of life.

[Gettingittogether]

Don't put off meditating. You'll be able to sort out the specific effect of meditating vs the effect of the meds.

For one, since you have ADHD, you will not meditate every day even if you tried. Two, you'll feel the effects of meditation very differently than medication.

I've been meditating a long time. It's easy for me to sort out the effects of that vs my Ritalin IR or vs my previous meds (adderal, vyvanse, concerta) ... Same with exercise, over time you can sort out the effects pretty easily.

[diamondsinthewater]

My own opinion about Ritalin, based on my own experience with it many years ago, is that it was useful in helping me focus. When I needed to really focus, I took the Ritalin--there were no bad side effects, and it seemed to work. However, I didn't want to have to rely on a pill forever, so I concluded that I'd better figure out how to deal with this ADD myself without depending on a med.

I did a lot of reading--A LOT!!!-- about how to deal with my ADD and how to slow my head down. Meditation helped. Relaxation techniques helped. (To this day, I meditate and use relaxation techniques to calm myself.) Taking life one day at a time helped--worrying about what I couldn't do didn't solve a thing and only increased my stress level. I joined self-help groups, and the self-help slogans , like "Easy Does It," "Keep It Simple," or "This Too Will Pass" helped. And Ritalin helped, too. Everything helps if you are really serious about putting your life together!

You are a lot younger than I am. You have plenty of time to put your life together, and there's a lot more help out there. When I was in college, ADD was unheard of ... that didn't stop me from knowing there was something "different" about me. I just couldn't put a label on why I couldn't focus, why I kept losing things, why I couldn't follow conversations or retain information. These days, ADD is recognized and understood, and that will be to your advantage. If you can find a med that helps you cope with your symptoms, than go for it--you can always stop a med if it doesn't work. But try everything, not just meds!

Regarding getting into the "flow of life": Take some personality tests--find your passion, and go for it! Once you figure out what you want to do with your life, you will figure out how to focus yourself to become successful. You might not even need medication. If you need a pill once in a while (or more often), then take it--you are smart enough to figure out what works and what does not! I am not a coffee drinker, but I find that even something as simple as caffeine helps calm my busy mind!

My "area of hyperfocus" has always been my work. I consider myself lucky because I like what I do. You are young, and life will be an adventure! Give yourself TIME to figure it all out (To Improve My Emotions). Good luck--you will be OK!

[Hominid711 in reply to diamondsinthewater]

I also like my job and better since I started Elvanse/Vyvanse. Don't mind relying on it til I die. The evidence is out there. ADHD should be treated with meds and long term. Coaching/therapy/self-help is complimentary and good too. Other than that like all young people yes, get friends and family to discuss career options and keep in mind job satisfaction depends on many things but ideally you should enjoy it so think first in broad terms eg people vs objects, small vs large team, inside vs outside, one place vs travelling and don't necessarily think the job has to be your hobby but if your hobby makes enough money it could be etc.

[sharkticon]

I don't think you will have any problems sorting out the benefits of meditation vs medication.