I am just finishing up my first month of trying Ritalin. Going back to the docs on Monday to report how it went. So far it seems the first two weeks were some what productive. Meaning I was able to reach most of my daily goals. The third week was a total flop (surely because of major hormone PMS). I wasn't grouchy. Just distracted, unproductive, late, awful except calm about it...lol The med didn't seem to work at all for focus. This week is ok, but not much better either. This week is better than a "no med" week. I am just wondering if Adderall would be worth trying instead.
Have any of you ladies on Adderall noticed it keep you on track even through your cycle?
Or what can you do to work around it?
What I ended up doing was giving in, skipping a couple days of meds....ugh
it was like overload?
I guess it doesn't matter because doc gave me adderall to try this month anyway. Ritalin did what it was suppose to for me. Now she wants me to try adderall because it lasts longer.
Oh yes, we're all reading to see what happens here. Some of us are too, uh, advanced, to have the cycle problems any longer, that's all. Hope all goes well; I am as yet, unmedicated and reading every word on this forum for direction.
The Following User Says Thank You to Wootton For This Useful Post: LessStress38 (11-29-2011)
I just tried adderall 10mg an hour ago and not impressive...I don't want to do much of any thing.
I did however make good choices thus far as to WHAT to DO. I guess that's a start.
As for the PMS thing that the doc said I may need to increase a pill. We'll see. Probably around the 11th to the 16th I should watch for symptoms.
Not being a lady, I can't speak to the specific issues, but take this for what it's worth:
Trying different meds is certainly worth a try, though if you found that Ritalin works for you, I would absolutely lean in the direction of sticking with it. Methylphenidate (Ritalin) and amphetamine (Adderall) are chemically very similar, but in many cases, amphetamine is associated with stronger side effects. If you're finding Ritalin less useful at certain times, a tweak to the dose may be appropriate.
Additionally, Adderall should, in my opinion, be a last resort. It's an extremely powerful version of amphetamine, being made up of several different types of amphetamine salts (both dextro- and levo- amphetamine). It's sort of the shotgun approach to ADHD management; throw as much as you can at the problem and see if it helps. Should you be interested in amphetamine over methylphenidate, I would recommending discussing some dextroamphetamine-only options with your doctor, such as Vyvanse or Dexedrine.
Last edited by Thunor; 11-29-2011 at 08:48 AM.
Reason: Poor prose
The Following User Says Thank You to Thunor For This Useful Post: LessStress38 (11-29-2011)
So yesterday was a wash. Horrible. But I realized after looking around here a bit that my dose was TOO HIGH.
I did what the pdoc said. She said start out with 10mgs.
Wrong!
Today I cut it in half and much much much much better!
So yesterday was a wash. Horrible. But I realized after looking around here a bit that my dose was TOO HIGH.
I did what the pdoc said. She said start out with 10mgs.
Wrong!
Today I cut it in half and much much much much better!
I found out a lot of things when I couldn't sleep last night...lol
1. there are a lot of threads that say "Adderall vs. Ritalin"
2. it's really important that I drink a lot of water
3. there's probably more I can't think of right now lol
What really helped me was an old addprogrammer post that Bob said he
cut his dose down to 5mg of adderall once and that's what gave me the idea for today. Otherwise I would have probably emailed my doc and said forget it or went without ...whatever...
going to bed early tonight....not taking the other half...no way!
that 5mg lasted and probably is still lasting!! over 7 hrs! not bad
Yesterday was a total nightmare though....I am almost afraid if I ever feel the need to increase...yikes...don't think I will go there anytime soon
I was edgy and lazy, impatient...I just watched a movie with the kids...couldn't even help with homework!..ugh
It's like I took a nap from 9pm-1am and was wide awake until 5am-8am I slept again...Not ideal! So, I just stayed in bed and wished to sleep for 4 hours?
I assume it's because of how the med goes through our system? And of course my system is probably catching up slowly....
I usually have no trouble sleeping at all. I go to bed before 10pm most nights and up before 5am most days. We'll see how tonight goes.
Excellent. It's always nice to hear when things are working out for someone.
Don't be surprised if the effect isn't even; you'll have good days and bad. It may take some time to work with things and come up with a dosage and a med that works for you long term, but don't get discouraged. You have the rest of your life ahead of you, and obtaining proper treatment for your ADHD is unquestionably worth the effort.
The Following User Says Thank You to Thunor For This Useful Post: LessStress38 (11-30-2011)
Slept beautifully last night 10pm to 5 am exactly! ahhh
5mg of adderall upon my return from my morning gym time and it's time for housework and etc. I was a little stressed earlier but I seem to be ok now. I was happy when I woke up. The stress came right after I took the pill though. hmm..It seemed like everything bothered me. But we were on time for school! Peacefully, of course. I use one word directives, shoes, backpacks, jacket, homework? No one ate my high protein pancakes so they had a spoon of peanut butter lol. I didn't make anything else.
I feel more at ease now that I can think about what I need to do first.
I think my biggest problem is I wanted to get some housework done before I went food shopping. I also have an additional pick up added on last night as a favor. In addition I wanted to cut some coupons before I shopped! Most of the things I need to buy I know I have coupons for. I needed to come on here and vent so I could figure it out?
I feel like I'm trying to figure out an algebra problem and I'm not to sharp with that!
Nope still confused....should I take another 5mg?
Should I just let the day be as it is and ride it out?
I still have all day just to do as best I can as I am.
That's probably the best choice.
I should just do one thing for a half hour at a time.
Only spend an hour at the market and come home.
Wow, see, that wasn't so hard after all!
Take it slow. The biggest problem I had when I started the meds is I expected too much. It's going to take time to get a feel for how things are going. Give yourself a week on the 5mg, and then see where you stand. If you feel you haven't been getting enough 'bang for your buck,' try 10 next week.
As I learned the hard way, treating ADHD with medication is a process that takes time to figure out. Despite what you may hear on here and elsewhere about magic pills, stimulants will ease your symptoms, but never cure them. Find some information on dealing with stress and anxiety, it helps a great deal to be calm when you're thinking about these things. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to improve dramatically right away; despite the cliched nature of the saying, 'baby steps' is very appropriate here.
Last edited by Thunor; 12-01-2011 at 08:25 AM.
Reason: Too . . . many . . . semicolons . . . !
Thanks, I am just in a real bad mood right now. I woke up so happy. Perhaps I should have taken the 5mgs when I felt I needed it. Maybe I was still riding on what was in my system from yesterday and that some extra just put me over...cause this...how I feel now...is how too much felt Tuesday...actually
wow ok
Thanks Thunor! your input helps true, patience is one thing we ah gotta work on a lot
Last edited by LessStress38; 12-01-2011 at 10:35 AM.
Thanks, I am just in a real bad mood right now. I woke up so happy. Perhaps I should have taken the 5mgs when I felt I needed it. Maybe I was still riding on what was in my system from yesterday and that some extra just put me over...cause this...how I feel now...is how too much felt Tuesday...actually
wow ok
Thanks Thunor! your input helps true, patience is one thing we ah gotta work on a lot
Ok today much better...
Sleep was perfect again
Gym time fine
took 5mg of adderall and so far ok
mood is good, motivation is good, focus is ok
Thinking about how Thunor suggested talking this med/ADD process slow. I am seriously considering skipping tomorrow's med completely.
So far my experience with this med has been every other day is horrible.
Maybe that is the size baby steps for me for now... a crawl?
Last edited by LessStress38; 12-02-2011 at 06:36 AM.
Hi stressless,
I'm just now catching up with this thread and how things are going with you. I found medication to be a real roller coaster. I know you're still trying to figure dosage out, but I'm glad to hear you've at least not got the lousy migraine headaches I had to deal with on every stimulant med I took. I'm glad Thunor and addprogrammer are here to guide newbies like us along the path. They have good advice.
I'm not on meds right now so I'm focusing a lot on getting plenty of sleep and exercise daily (thanks in part to your support). I'm also reading up on ways I can better manage my ADD brain. Here are some useful suggestions that I'm doing:
1. For managing email create a folder (or label if you have Gmail) named Follow-up. When you get an email you know you need to read, give it this label so that you can come back later and actually follow up on it. Otherwise for me I typically forget about it. In addition I created another label called Casual Reading because I found I was putting way too many things unnecessarily into the Follow-up category.
2. Keep a daily task list. I'm trying to plan out each day sometime in the morning. When I first started I was trying to cram way too many things into a single day and although I was very productive I wore myself out and ended up in a very bad state of mind and mood. So I scaled back and put down only 1 or 2 high priority items each day and a few low priority ones. My goal is not to accomplish them all but to do the high priority ones and knock off one or two of the others as I have time.
3. On my phone I set an alarm for when I need to stop what I'm doing to be somewhere or do something. I'm still working on actually stopping what I'm doing when it goes off, but it's a start.
I hope one or all of these things help. I know we all have our different challenges with ADD.
Speaking of alarms I need to head out to a birthday party for a friend of mine right now. Should have set my alarm, but it's more important for me right now to be a part of this community and to support those who support me.
Keep in touch,
Aaron
The Following User Says Thank You to addventurous For This Useful Post: LessStress38 (12-06-2011)
heard back from my pdoc
she said to stay on the 5mg for two weeks
then go up to 10mg
if I'm still uncomfortable then she will switch me back
Yesterday went ok, no bad mood
Got some stuff done
I know I can't expect too much of myself. Be reasonable.
I really should look at what I have done instead of what needs to get done.
Also, recognize that I'm trying to manage what's been out of function for a while and it takes patience and love. Really, if I needed to help someone else take care of their stuff, I could do that! Why can't I take care of my own things?
I can be patient with someone else (most people), why not myself? So, attitude adjustment, I guess is on the agenda today....giving myself a break, a pep talk... I always did respond better to positive pressure
I think I read that somewhere about ADD kids...if a teacher notices they do good work they do better! But if a teacher keeps saying "do the work! do the work!" they will probably be like...."um..wha?" I think that would go for any kids
This week so far so good
up to 7.5 mg a day
I seem to be tolerating the med much better.
Getting things done. Making good choices.
Still it's a slow process. I know nothing is an overnight success.
Being positive is becoming easier and that is so important for everyone
but I think especially for US with these ADD challenges.
I am all for celebrating every little accomplishment!!!
I'm so glad to hear things are going well for you stressless. I'm still without meds but working hard to learn about how my brain works. I'm also striving to incorporate daily exercise and positive thinking into my daily life. It's helpful, but I'm hoping to get back on meds soon.
Aaron
The Following User Says Thank You to addventurous For This Useful Post: LessStress38 (12-08-2011)
I'm so glad to hear things are going well for you stressless. I'm still without meds but working hard to learn about how my brain works. I'm also striving to incorporate daily exercise and positive thinking into my daily life. It's helpful, but I'm hoping to get back on meds soon.
Aaron
The Following User Says Thank You to LessStress38 For This Useful Post: addventurous (12-08-2011)
Worked my way up to 10mg
yesterday and today so far so good without any real sour affects.
It is about that PMS time and can say I have been about the same.
I think the adderall was such a low dose so far that it hasn't really benefitted me all that much as yet. It kinda has felt like I have been PMSing all along slightly anyway with the gentle moodiness. I have cried at least once a day. Not yet today though. And not for long. It just easier to think of something sad, but just as quick the thought is gone and I'm done 5mins. fine
Let's see if 10mgs will up the game a bit and move me to action!
I am so happy to say!!!
That my blood pressure is better with the med...ironic ???
I put on some weight since last year for a number of reasons...
at my last GP visit (June) my BP was avg. like 138/90 and not changing with other things
I rarely ever have coffee or the like anymore and I have increased my cardio/exercise routine.... I lost 8lbs
I know it's not seriously high, but since starting a stimulant I still had my concerns.
I got my beloved Memere's old (it's not old) blood pressure cuff and have been taking my BP these last couple days....here's my discoveries:
Last week I was still taking 7.5 mg BP was still: 129/90 & 138/85
yesterday late afternoon a 10 mg day was: 135/83
132/81
128/81
131/75
ya know I had to keep checking it...
This morning when I got up I checked it and it was 138/89
after my gym time it was 136/87
about half an hour after my 10mg adderall 132/83
132/82
128/75
What I'm thinking is the med is diverting the blood to my brain where it's needed and making my heart's job easier??
Makes sense?
I was diagnosed with ADD a year ago. The first medication my doctor prescribed was the brand Vyvanse. I'm not very drug-tolerant, so just 20 mg of it made me a little too wired. There's something about the brand name, I think they put some sort of extra chemical in it to make the effects stronger. 10 mg of generic Adderall XR was too little, and I often found myself getting distracted. Now I'm on 15 mg and it's just right. I've been taking it for almost a year now and it's helped me focus every day.
On my time of the month, I'm a little crankier, and prone to being a little more lazy, but I blame that on cramps. I can't imagine any medication being able to plow through those hormones unless it was specially crafted to do so.
I highly suggest taking a look at a book called "The six types of ADD" by Dr. Daniel Amen. Different ADD medications affect the the different types of ADD in odd ways. What's good for one type is awful for another. He describes the different types, provides case studies, and what worked for them.
Good Luck!
Last edited by gamergirlZimbar; 12-15-2011 at 10:36 AM.
Reason: forgot
The Following User Says Thank You to gamergirlZimbar For This Useful Post: LessStress38 (12-27-2011)
