I am 70 years old and newly diagnosed with ADHD. I was blessed to have found FRIDA, an online service that made the diagnosis process easy and fairly quick. I was started on methylphrenidate and then titrated to 40 mg as a stable dosage. However, around that time I switched to my family doctor for care. One of the amazing changes that I noticed right away with the treatment was I was so much more able to relax, and enjoy being with people. I also did not feel like I was in a deep pit emotionally. This was such a blessing to me and has helped me to connect more to my wife and family. However, on the negative side. I noted that I was having problems regulating my emotions. I was raw, much less able to control anger in tense situations with emotional outbursts that were not normal for me. I would also cry at the drop of a hat.. I asked my doctor or rather her mat leave replacement if I could switch to another med and she put me on vyvanse. Vyvanse is working for me much better. I am much more productive without the emotional brownouts. We just switched up the dosage after the preliminary titration process after approx 1 month to 50 mg from the 40 I was on and my heart rate has gone up considerably. I am also not sleeping very well since adding the 10 mg. The good thing is that emotionally I feel better, and except for the physical symptoms this would appear to be the right dosage for me right now.
One difficulty that I do have is that the mat leave doc is not sympathetic to my ADHD diagnosis and does not seem to be interested in treating me. She questioned me even getting diagnosed "at my age" and after me asking to up the dosage to see if I would get better results her answer was "yes we can do this but if it doesn't work maybe that is a sign you don't have ADHD". My life is so much different with the meds, I can't imagine NOT taking them even with the side effects, I am a better person.
My hope is that when my family doc gets back she will be more sympathetic to my situation and more willing to help.
I know each person is unique but knowing other people's experience really helps me to understand what my options are from a lived experience viewpoint. Any comments on/from your experience would be helpful for me. I am also wondering if there are other places where people discuss their meds and their experiences online or any connections online or locally that people have found helpful.(I am in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.)
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Revbill
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not sure about in adults, but I wonder if you could hold your dose at 40 mg and when your good Dr returns discuss if clonidine or guanfacine, especially long acting, are options as add on medication? My son is on a stimulant and couldn’t increase dose because he’s very thin. Psychiatrist added Intuniv, we gradually got him to appropriate dose, and it really helped his emotional regulation. He has mild autism & little insight into his emotions (some of them) so doesn’t get far in CBT. So we and he have been very happy with the improvement. I don’t know anything though about safety in adults over 65, medication interactions etc so your dr would need to advise.
I’m on this combination as an adult, vyvanse and Intuniv- so it’s possible, but it will also cause your blood pressure to drop, which has some side-effects by itself. Many adults aren’t able to tolerate these side-effects.
But like your son I’m on the spectrum, and Intuniv helped with my ADHD and vyvanse was added to keep me awake during the day!
That’s great! Yes, I’m sure in adults it’s harder to handle the blood pressure effects. I would love to try 1 of those medications myself to see if they would help me with emotional dysregulation. However, I don’t want to be blacking out when I stand up 😂
To be told that you don't need or warrant help because you are 70 is despicable but that kind of attitude towards seniors does arise. Medical people who don't believe ADHD is real also exist. I did face some skepticism from physicians who weren't very familiar with ADHD and the latest understandings of the condition and treatment.
Another practitioner refused to prescribe stimulants simply because I take blood pressure medicine for my very well controlled pressure, didn't matter the readings. Fortunately my general practitioner has no issue as long as the pressure stays controlled. I am on Vyvanse, currently trying 40mg and think probably the right dose is higher, but still doing the titration dance with medications.
Everyone reacts differently, some do well on methylphenidates, some on amphetamines. Working with your doctor, as long as they know what they are doing and have the right attitude, is the way to go I think. Hopefully you will be back on a successful track after your primary has returned.
I spent quite a bit of money on a very comprehensive testing regime just to avoid any doubting doctors casting shade on my diagnosis, even though I had a quicker telehealth diagnosis before. This helps me avoid the doubt that can crop up for us when someone belittles or questions our condition. That way I can instantly reject doubt-sowing comments like 'if this doesn't work maybe you don't have ADHD'. After all ADHD is a life long condition with clear evidence of impact from our earliest schooldays through many decades of life, it is not something that is diagnosed from a few short term symptoms.
I’m sorry you’ve been experiencing challenges ignorance and bias from your current provider. Regretfully, this is more common than not, especially amongst those diagnosed “later in life”. You may find that you will have to continuously educate your healthcare providers, friends and family (which can be incredibly exhausting), so I’ve included some resources I hope you will consider watching, reading & sharing with your health care team:
Re: Vyvanse- There's also been a lot of “buzz” on social media (TikTok) re: fluctuation, and/or decline on in the efficacy of Vyvanse over the last few months (since the shortage). As such, many have reported needing to increase dosage and have reported additional issues/concerns. You can lean more here: tripsitter.com/news/why-you...
Yet they refused to put me on stimulants here in the U.S. because I'm 55.I'm on Strattera which is somewhat helpful but I can't believe they're allowed to skip Frontline treatment.
Sadly, MD’s are incredibly misinformed and ignorant about the complexities and nuances of ADHD, especially Adults, BIPOC, women, those diagnosed later in life. You will likely have to educate your care team (which is exhausting and not always well received. Please consider reviewing & sharing the resources I provided in response to earlier post from @Revbill.
Start a journal and talk to your wife. Write down all the things you can do now that you couldn't do in the past pre-treatment.
Handwrite or type and print out ... let the list accumulate ... like don't compile it in one day. Keep adding to it as you notice more. Any time you randomly notice something better about your life remind yourself (or your wife) to write it down on this list.
Take a printout of that list to the next doctor's appointment. There is something about a person showing a list of symptoms and improvements that really impresses doctors--and impresses all kinds of people.
Also, consider bringing your wife with you to an appointment with the substitute doctor. Let her confirm what you're saying--along with presenting the list. Also copy the links provided in this thread (about older people and ADHD) and post those in your list.
BTW: I had the symptoms you had on methylphenidate at 40mg ... and I just stayed with it and the symptoms went away. My memory is I was just too intense. Here's the rub: I needed to be a bit more irritable and a bit more confrontational in my life. Part of my ADHD and depression was to just suffer in silence.
So know that if methylphenidate really worked for you, you can probably go back to it later and you may experience it differently. You were at 40mg ... back down to 30 ... cut a pill in half and go to 35mg ... and ease back up!
Side effects frequently decline over time. Anyway, glad to hear Vyvanse is working for you. Now is the time to work on habits--and negative thinking. Build on the medication. Get some exercise, walk, join a club ... get a planner ... and on and on ... Build on the med!
Hi! I enjoyed reading your testimony. Thank you for helping me debate w myself my best options. I do love vyvance. Smooth transition from Adderall.
I have run in to wall after wall as it relates to finding an ounce of sympathy from the medical profession. Very frustrating.
... but you know what i like? Try meetup.com choose your interests including neurodivergent, AADHD. I love my Thursday night group. It's PTSD, actually, but the nurturing honest environment is a breathe of fresh air supply. 🤣❤️💥
I also loved my AADHD group I haven't attended for some time bc its Sunday 1p. I swear you get us talking we could go on for hours .... kinda like an AA meeting 😆
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