hadassahintheshell (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hadassahintheshell) wrote2024-10-05 12:33 pm
hadassahintheshell) wrote2024-10-05 12:33 pm
Entry tags:
ADHD meds and Haddie
I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to seek out medication for ADHD. Its been kind of a long time coming, but I've finally hit the "hard stuff" at least as far as Texas goes. Amphetamine salts (Adderall) have always been off the list for me for a number of reasons, from personal stigma to health concerns regarding my other medications.
Anyway, I've been trying them over the past three months, and I've got opinions. Its interesting how big the difference is.
I started off with just a basic dose of 2 five mg pills of 'instant release" amphetamine salts. The difference wasn't obvious on the first couple days, but then it clicked.
Without medication, I'd always describe the struggle to go do something I 'needed' to go do as a fight between the 'need' and how 'sticky' the thing I am doing at this moment was. I am sure the stickiness has some tie to dopamine reactions or whatever, but the stickiness has been basically between me and my tasks.
On the IR salts, things weren't sticky. I thought about needing to go empty the dishwasher, I could go do it. I also was able to keep a list of things to do in the short term in my head. ( 1. dishwasher, 2. move laundry over, 3. take out trash) I could not do this off of the salts. I also stopped losing things. I remembered where I put things down, and I had an easier time looking through a bunch of similar items to find the one thing I needed, like spices in the spice rack.
But the IR salts, even as I spaced them out, tended to wear off by early afternoon. The effects lingered but by evening I was just back to the start, more or less. I also would find myself having trouble taking breaks from things that were on my "Need to do" list, which basically meant I was over-focusing on work. I get paid well enough, but they don't pay me enough to get 100% of my attention for 8 hours every day and it was a sort of exhausting.
I've been on a slightly stronger dose of the extended release salts this month at 15mg pills once a day, I can tell the effect is still around, but muted. What I am doing isn't super sticky during the day, and I can hold a couple of items in a queue in my head. I am losing things again though.
So I am going to ask for a slight increase in the dose again to 20 mg. I want to find that sweet spot of being able to go just do a thing, hold a list of items, and stop losing my stuff but not working harder than necessary.
Anyway, I've been trying them over the past three months, and I've got opinions. Its interesting how big the difference is.
I started off with just a basic dose of 2 five mg pills of 'instant release" amphetamine salts. The difference wasn't obvious on the first couple days, but then it clicked.
Without medication, I'd always describe the struggle to go do something I 'needed' to go do as a fight between the 'need' and how 'sticky' the thing I am doing at this moment was. I am sure the stickiness has some tie to dopamine reactions or whatever, but the stickiness has been basically between me and my tasks.
On the IR salts, things weren't sticky. I thought about needing to go empty the dishwasher, I could go do it. I also was able to keep a list of things to do in the short term in my head. ( 1. dishwasher, 2. move laundry over, 3. take out trash) I could not do this off of the salts. I also stopped losing things. I remembered where I put things down, and I had an easier time looking through a bunch of similar items to find the one thing I needed, like spices in the spice rack.
But the IR salts, even as I spaced them out, tended to wear off by early afternoon. The effects lingered but by evening I was just back to the start, more or less. I also would find myself having trouble taking breaks from things that were on my "Need to do" list, which basically meant I was over-focusing on work. I get paid well enough, but they don't pay me enough to get 100% of my attention for 8 hours every day and it was a sort of exhausting.
I've been on a slightly stronger dose of the extended release salts this month at 15mg pills once a day, I can tell the effect is still around, but muted. What I am doing isn't super sticky during the day, and I can hold a couple of items in a queue in my head. I am losing things again though.
So I am going to ask for a slight increase in the dose again to 20 mg. I want to find that sweet spot of being able to go just do a thing, hold a list of items, and stop losing my stuff but not working harder than necessary.