I was diagnosed as a child things have recently gotten quite bad that I am having a hard time functioning and even staying motivated. I keep starting new task and getting distracted. I have never medicated for this and decided it might be time. My doc started me on Ritalin 10 mg and it made me tired, then I was give Ritalin 30mg and that made me more sleepy. So then she started me on adderall 20mg and that hasn’t made me tired nor has it helped at all with focus. I am still running 100 miles a min cause I can’t stop and focus.
I have a planner and have scheduled things with alarms so I go where I need too. I am zoning out and I blank stare. It is getting quite frustrating and I am new to this whole things. As a child , teen and young adult I could manage everything now at 30 I can’t get my shit together.
Is certain medication geared towards certain symptoms? Is there something that actually works?
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Nostrings
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Since Ritalin was making you tired and so far Adderall hasn't been having an effect, let me ask you this question:
Have you habitually used other stimulants, such as caffeine or nicotine, or both? (The same goes for more potent stimulants, such as cocaine or methamphetamines. No need to say if you've ever used them.)
My stimulant of choice is caffeine, particularly from my daily coffee habit. Sometimes, I develop a tolerance to the caffeine, which causes me to get sleepy from it instead of the caffeine helping my to be more alert. I have to go through this "caffeine fast" for about 5 days about once or twice a year.
People can develop a tolerance for stimulants, particularly if they have used them heavily for a long period of time.
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Increasing or decreasing the dosage might be necessary to find your effective dose. You also might have to try different formulations of stimulants.
e.g. Some people are better treated on Vyvanse than Adderall, even though the two are related, because the delivery mechanism is different.
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Maybe a non-stimulant ADHD medication would work better for you.
• My own ADHD was only moderately treated by Adderall XR at my starting dosage of 10mg. When my dosage was increased to 20mg, I saw no improvement, and developed tachycardia. When my dosage was decreased to 5mg (a child dosage), the Adderall only helped me as much as a couple of strong cups of coffee.
• I asked my doctor to try me on non-stimulant atomoxetine (Strattera is the brand name, but I'm on a generic), it was twice as effective as Adderall was. My effective dose is the starting adult dosage of 40mg. I was at 60mg for 6 months, but it didn't really improve my symptoms and sometimes made me nauseous for a bit. But at 40mg, I have no side effects unless I don't take it with food (then I experience that same nausea).
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Get treatment for other biological, neurological, or psychological issues which may be making your ADHD symptoms more severe.
When I got diagnosed with ADHD, I was also diagnosed with anxiety. These two comorbidities were making each other more severe.
• Treating my anxiety helped bring my ADHD down from severe to my regular baseline of mild-to-moderate.
• Treating my ADHD helped to keep my anxiety levels down.
It's a balancing act...if I don't keep both under control, then the two together will overwhelm me. Even though my ADHD is well controlled on atomoxetine, if my anxiety rises to a certain point, it's as if I'm not taking ADHD meds at all.
I use mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to help with anxiety, try to get adequate rest, try to avoid stressful situations, and the SSRI that I've been taking this year for mild depression also helps with the anxiety.
No other stimulus other then sugar, I know my iron. Was low and that I believed cause all my issues to flare up. I have since returned to normal levels however I can’t get my mind right. I was prescribed the V( not sure on spelling you mentioned) however it is unaffordable.
Aniexty is high due to lack of focus and if I can get it under control then I feel like it will be better.
Low iron can definitely affect how a person feels, both in body and mind.
My mom has had issues with low iron levels in her blood for months at a time. Her energy was low, her mind less focused, and I think it contributed to her depression.
Vyvanse has become one of the most widely used ADHD stimulant medications in recent years. It is chemically related to Adderall.
Several pharmaceutical companies were just approved to start making generic versions of Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine), so I expect that it will be prescribed even more as generics in the near future (probably starting next year).
I hear you about the anxiety. I know that my own anxiety can multiply how bad my ADHD struggles are.
When I was first diagnosed, my doctor started treatment for my anxiety a full month before he started me on ADHD medication. Fortunately, the anxiety meds worked really well too get me back to normal (which for me is persistent, low-level anxiety...all my life, except for when it gets worse, or the short times it goes away for a while).
Besides medication, when my anxiety gets bad, I have learned to keep it down with mindfulness. Even just breath control, like "Box Breathing", can help me to calm my nerves.
* Box Breathing is also known as "4, 4, 4, 4". It's easy to remember:
1. Breathe in for 4 seconds
2. Hold your breath for 4 seconds
3. Breathe out for 4 seconds
4. Hold your breath for 4 seconds
(Repeat)
I do the whole cycle 4 times, because that's easy to remember.
There are different breathing patterns. Some are said to be calming, like this one. At least one is said to help relax to fall asleep.
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Learn "grounding techniques". (Not how to ground your kids, but how to be grounded in the real world, when you feel like you're stuck in your head.)
When you are struggling with:
• too many thoughts on your head,
• intrusive thoughts,
• are experiencing rumination,
• or just feel "stuck" in your head,
...you can try something like the "5, 4, 3, 2, 1" cognitive behavioral therapy technique.
The "How to ADHD" YouTube channel has an excellent explanation of this technique.
** The therapist who taught me this technique told me to practice it regularly, especially when I wasn't in need of it, so that I would have this as a tool to help me when I was struggling. That was the best single piece of advice I got in therapy. It's like how a sports team practices...you play in the game how you play in practice, so you need to practice how you want to play. **
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