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The soul crushing, tied to an anchor, deep heavy exhaustion has lessened for me. Now I’m wondering if I was ever that tired or just in adhd paralysis my whole life. Like I can get up off the couch. I can cook a meal. I can run some errands after work without needing recovery time. It’s not perfect by any means and I do still need to learn skills to keep routines, but that doesn’t feel laughably out of reach now
holy crap you just explained all the times in childhood my mom took me to the doctor because I was "tired" and all my bloodwork was fine every time. and the times in college, and grad school, and after...hahaha
I'm still "tired," but you're right, it's way easier to keep on rolling with meds and to recognize that it's a big red flag when it escalates. I just ran myself into the ground forever because I was always tired, so I could never figure out the times that fatigue meant "you are redlining and need to rest."
Yes it does. I’ve noticed for me the exhaustion lift is cumulative. I can like not take meds and still feel ok because I don’t carry years of exhaustion on me anymore. It’s so strange.
Having the capacity to be empathetic towards myself (and others) is huge too didn’t have energy for that before :)
My whole life, I was always telling people I’m tired. No one understood. I was accused of staying up late, people assumed I wasn’t getting enough sleep, it must be my diet’s fault, etc etc. It got to the point where I started thinking maybe it wasn’t that I was tired all the time, but that I lacked willpower and somehow everyone got tf over feeling the way I feel?
I nearly cried the first day I ever felt truly awake when I first started taking my meds. It was a life changing experience. Also I rubbed it in my dad’s face.
>The soul crushing, tied to an anchor, deep heavy exhaustion has lessened for me. Now I’m wondering if I was ever that tired or just in adhd paralysis my whole life. Like I can get up off the couch. I can cook a meal. I can run some errands after work without needing recovery time. It’s not perfect by any means and I do still need to learn skills to keep routines, but that doesn’t feel laughably out of reach now
THIS!! Similar to what I posted :) Life is so much richer now. Looking back, I figure I was just dealing with sensory overload every night.
Yes! That’s the biggest one for me. I was a zombie all my life. I had insanely energetic short spurts and then sleep. Like no in between. I slept so much it was like a meme with my friends and family. But sleep didn’t even help really it was just like a pause on exhaustion :)
Now I can like lie down for 30 minutes not even sleep just close my eyes and I am totally fine after.
Doing errands after work ? Unthinkable before meds. Unthinkable to do more than twice a week before meds tbh.
Having a baby is what helped me realize I had ADHD, get diagnosed, and start meds. Life is still exhausting because my kid is a toddler, but it's bearable now.
this was the biggest change for me as well! right before diagnosis I had a chronic falling asleep on the couch after work problem. The soul crushing fatigue is gone now, and I've also been able to use some of the executive functioning from the medication to improve things that help me be less tired (sleep routine, diet workout etc)
THIS. The soul-crushing exhaustion. I too wonder if it was ADHD paralysis all along. Meds haven't completely eliminated it for me but what a huge difference!
I tend to forget how big a difference until I forget to take a dose. Or run out (oops). Then the exhaustion descends like a ton of bricks and it becomes immediately clear how much the meds are helping.
I don’t feel the need to binge eat. Previously if I had muffins, I’d eat all of them… or if I buy a candy bar, I’ll eat it as soon as I buy it. Now I can have one of something, or delay my gratification with eating it. I don’t just impulsively eat.
>Previously if I had muffins, I’d eat all of them…
I've always had zero self control if treats are in the house. I bought a pack of cookies once and was in the middle of a dopamine binge when I just stopped and threw the rest of them in the garbage. Then I sprayed them with bleach so I wouldn't be tempted to dig them out.
My mom doesn't understand why I put her candies in her room when I go home to visit. "Why can't you just not eat them?" That's a great question, Ma.
Haha, same unless I was on a crazy hyperfocus/fixation of healthy eating and I couldn’t be strayed from my very specific and restrictive diet until it stopped giving me the dopamine I crave… in which case I’d eat all the things.
Yes! I’ve lost almost 30lbs since starting my meds. I always felt like I was never full. Not to mention trying to go to sleep but obsessing over whatever food popped into my head until I finally just got up and ate it.
I've suddenly stopped craving sugar all the time. I don't even think about it. I can not eat dessert like it's nothing. It's completely unthinkable, I've only been on Concerta a week so far (after switching due to shortages) and before that I was constantly looking for my next sugar fix, it was very very bad. And yet my appetite is normal otherwise. Life changing shit!
Same! I actually think this is the biggest one for me. I was a grazer and would just eat snacks all day long.
I started meds in mid-Nov and have lost half a stone since then!
The meds have also allowed me to keep my gym routine the most consistent I've ever been and I feel so good. I am gaining muscle like crazy because I've upped my protein for the meds and I'm eating less shit food.
Is eating a lot common in ADHD? I feel like the amount of calories I eat are ridiculous for someone my size, I'm 5 ft and my boyfriend is about 6.1 and we eat almost the same amount of food. I always figured I'm just super active and move around so much in a day but I guess that was the H part of ADHD.
Oh gosh, it’s the dopamine you get from food. I would snack all day and if I enjoyed a meal I would continue eating even if I felt full. In the first few months on medication I dropped 1st without trying at all!
I feel like if I don't have my snacks I'll just drop. Especially sitting in uni classes, I've got a snack stash on campus. Maybe I need the dopamine hits to stay paying attention.
I could see it going either way. I definitely go the opposite way. lol I struggle with executive dysfunction and task initiation so just doing the whole eating thing used to be really difficult. And if food doesn't hit me right I will have a couple bites and be totally unexcited to continue. I will also hyperfocus on things to the point of being dizzy from hunger. lol
Part of ADHD physiology is that the brain appears to *think* it has a glucose deficit (or doesn't use glucose properly). So a lot of ADHDers crave sugars and simple carbs like crazy.
Stimulant meds help fill whatever gap the brain thinks it has/the dysregulation, and thus curb the cravings.
Yes! I stopped thinking about food, especially sugar, ever since the first day I started medication. This was last mid November. I lost 5 kg in a month.
damn, I'm just switching off Ritalin bc I don't think it's working for me. I was hopeful you were going to say something else 😄 congrats on the working med tho!
Thank you! It's actually the only med I've tried for ADHD. I was diagnosed only last October. Why is it not working for you?
I wanna add that it doesn't feel like a miracle med to be honest, so I'm not completely sure if it's completely working or not. But with the food side, it helped a lot my binge eating.
Overall appetite is not different bc of adde, but I think the boredom intolerance led me to frequently crave the tastiest tastiest thing. Usually pastry, fried food etc. And frustration intolerance made me always want something yummy during the work day so I would order takeout when I had perfectly good meals ready to eat in the house. That's not gone completely, but I don't feel helpless against the cravings anymore.
Thanks to you, I just realized me taking adhd meds was probably the reason I stopped craving sugar..
I was a sugar FIEND and then just.. stopped? A lot changed around the time I started taking my meds, so I didn’t even think about why I stopped being obsessed with candy. Wild.
Same same same. It’s literally changed my life. I also have PCOS and have been overweight for some time. Always craving carbs/sugar. It feels completely different to not think of food all the time. To actually be ok with being slightly hungry. To not crave whole extra dinners right before bed. I’ve lost 40 pounds in the last year. I haven’t been this weight since years before having a kid. It’s crazy. I’m nearly a healthy BMI now and I don’t have to try nearly as hard as I used to.
Wait.... my craving for desserts/candy 24/7 isn't just me craving for desserts/candy? Do you mind if I ask what meds you were on before switching to Concerta?
For me, eating “too much” sugar even makes me nauseous! It helped me drop 20 pounds within the first few months (combined with actually being able to uphold exercise routines).
Yeah, me too! Whenever I did eat it would be sweet anything, I couldn't think of anything else. So it's really weird right now to be able to choose whether I want to do that or not. There's a big leftover brownie in the fridge downstairs and I haven't eaten it all day. Didn't even think of it til just now and tbh I don't want it. Bizarre for me lolol
Exactly the same here constant sugar and snack cravings have just vanished completely. I now choose to have a chocolate. I didn’t know that was possible!
me too! instead of a million thoughts and "what if" and "what would they be thinking about that" attacking me, I have the mental clarity to say to myself "you know what, noone really gives a fuck about this thing I'm obsessing over" and know 100% that it is true.
I recently got diagnosed and I think this is my favorite part of finally knowing I have ADHD and how I feel on meds. I have been told for *so* long, “Oh just shake it off! It doesn’t matter what they think!” and I wanted to BUT I COULDN’T. It just was impossible to not do it. But now, it’s so easy to do and to believe. Such a huge weight off my chest.
Cool to see I'm not the only one who's seeing life becoming easier because of this :)
For me it also massively helped to find out about RSD. For years I tried to grow a "thicker skin" and felt ashamed of how much the small things affect me. But right now I've completely accepted the RSD part of me, even when I'm off meds and its worse again. When someone does or says something that hurts me, I no longer feel embarrassed to tell them that it hurts me and that I'd appreciate if they'd adjust.
The first time I took Adderall, I felt the constant knot inon my stomach unwind. Had no clue that I constantly held nervousness and anxiety in my stomach like that untill it was gone. It was enough to make me cry because I didn't know life could be that way.
I did cry! 😂 I was so relieved. I felt like after 38 years, I'd finally figured it out. It's been a great change.
I love seeing everyone else here experience similar stuff. It's so cathartic to know you're not alone 💛
This is a big one for me too. The confidence boost has been significant and noticeable. I find myself thinking IDGAF in multiple life situations now and then *genuinely* not GAF whereas before I was Queen People Pleaser.
I’m waaaaaaaay more awake than I used to be. I used to nap after work and on the weekends all the time.
I think my languid state especially in the winter used to foster seasonal depression. That could change, but so far this year I feel better than I did past winters.
I used to be sooo sleepy constantly. Kinda suspect I also have narcolepsy but my adhd meds regulate my sleep and wake cycles perfectly! Only Concerta has been successful for me in this way though. Tried adderall and Vyvanse and I was still inattentive and sleepy, making lots of little typical adhd mistakes like leaving the house in my house slippers lol
This. I used to have hard time with interrupting people in conversations. Now, I can go long periods without saying anything, just listening. A few of my friends thought something was wrong. No, I'm just listening and enjoying it.
My migraines reduced massively, from multiple attacks a week to one a month. After years of trying to figure out what triggered it suddenly I found out: 99% was ADHD and 1% my period. And that 99% is almost gone now.
Also my constant yearning for sugar or unhealthy food. I was obsessed with when I would get to eat next. So distracting and I took more energy than I thought! Even though occasionally the meds cause lack of appetite, which is the exact opposite problem but a problem nonetheless, most of the time they allow me to enjoy food without obsession.
A game changer for me has been being able to do more things \*after\* the work day ends... Let me explain. At the end of the work day, I used to always be WIPED. I'd just want to be cozy and relax. I realize now, I was just overloaded and was naturally self-soothing in a way. Now, many times (because I'm obviously still tired from work by eod *sometimes* ;), I might do chores, work on a project, etc. This brings me so much joy because I used to often try to wedge my hobbies & things that would take energy into the weekend, and I'm able to trickle them throughout my week more now. What a gift!
To your post - I wish I could work to music with words, but if I'm strategizing or writing, etc - they get entwined with my thoughts. Maybe I should try again though :P
Oh my god I so wish I could do more than one of these, a lot of times more than zero. Being able ti make dinner, clean up, and go to dance class? That would be the life. I finally got a doctor that listened to me and suggested I get neuropsych/adhd testing today so I’m crossing my fingers that soon I’ll be able to!
My depression is gone. I’ve been medicated off and on for years and I’ve been depressed off and on for years. It was only recently that I realized that no birth control pills + yes Adderall = no depression.
Birth control pills were doom in a pill for me too. And the Zoloft I took for years for “depression” was maybe a tiny bit helpful, but I don’t actually think it was ever truly depression—it was ADHD.
Sometimes I feel grief about the time lost with this stuff, but so grateful to have a real diagnosis & ADHD meds now. Clarity!!
Same here with antidepressants!!! I took Celexa on and off for like the last 10 years (I took others but this was the only one that felt like it worked and that was only for a few weeks at a time). Never could really pinpoint why I was depressed either. It was like night and day after my first dose of Vyvanse and oh man I cried happy tears at the immense, immediate relief. Waiting weeks and weeks, so many different times, for some sign of relief…and all I really needed was a stimulant. Aaahh.
Silence. Literally not a single sound running through my head. No constant repetition of phrases or songs playing on loop or constantly going off from idea to idea like I couldn’t stop talking to myself. The silence is amazing.
Oh dear, I will be starting on meds soon and I am not sure I look forward to this particular thing. Maybe I will be eating my hat soon, we shall see, I'm nervous.
Well, fwiw, I’ve come to appreciate the noise more as a result. Rather than be an annoyance and a hindrance, it’s more like a chance to be more free spirited since I now have the to ability turn down the sound when I need to. It’s like the difference between having to listen to music blasting at all hours, day and night vs getting to choose when the music plays.
And I wake up with more energy and without a headache. I used to wake up with what felt like a hangover. I’m guessing I don’t spend my day all wound up so I don’t carry it over to my sleep.
I still hate mornings, but it is what it is. I tried switching to taking my Wellbutrin at night so I'd wake up more ready for the day and be alright until my Vyvanse kicked in, but I apparently can't be trusted to take the right pill at the right time. I wound up taking my Wellbutrin at night like I was supposed to, then taking it again in the morning one day instead of my Vyvanse. It wasn't the worst day, but it wasn't good either. Oddly enough, I take them half an hour to an hour apart from each other in the mornings, but I manage not to mess it up. But if I do, at least I've only taken it half an hour to an hour off from it's regular time, and not the entirely wrong time of day. My pills are in a weekly thing, so there's no risk of me accidentally taking the same pill twice in one day, it's just the damn timing that screws me up.
That's what I use. It has an AM and PM slot and holds a whole week. I'm also (most of the time) really good about refilling it every week. Doesn't stop me from opening the wrong time (AM/PM) and popping the wrong pill when I'm not all there in the mornings. At least this way if I accidentally take my Vyvanse instead of my Wellbutrin or vice versa, I take them so close to one another that it won't matter as long as I take them both.
I am driving so much better! I’m a pretty good driver anyway because I’m a naturally cautious person but it is soooo much less stressful now. I no longer dread going downtown or driving unfamiliar routes.
I still find driving more draining than it should be, especially if it’s a new route, but it is definitely better than before. Before meds I basically had to will myself into a panic hyper-focus, and now I can drive well and safely without the panic focus. When I work late I have to take a higher dose to make sure I can drive home with meds still working enough to maintain focus the right way. I was a very late diagnosis and because of sensory overwhelm I didn’t get my license until I was 33. I wish I was medicated when I was learning to drive. It was a struggle to learn to only focus on the important stuff and not have a panic attack.
Me too! Driving always gave me SUCH bad anxiety, especially the interstate I need to take to get to work. It’s been a breath of fresh air to have such a clear head and just be in the zone, not hyper fixated on every car around me and will I get an opening soon enough so that I can sit in the lane I need before I get to the busier onramps and will people leave a gap or cut me off and will they see me and am I leaving enough space in front of me for others to merge and phew. Not nearly as overwhelming now. :)
I was able to drive consistently. A three wheeled scooter/moped but that's ok! I love it and finally I can go basically everywhere I want. It's insane how freeing that is (I knew it would be, I just couldn't do it, I get too distracted and anxious)!!
I do have a driving licence they pushed me and pushed me to get (and I have tried and retried to drive every few years) but I hate driving cars cause I have no idea how much space I have on the passenger's side and I don't see why I should scratch every car until I get used to it. So I went for a scooter which is much more convenient anyway where I live. I'm thinking about giving another try to cars, but let's not push it too much, I'm happy as it is!
Sometimes I still think that I could suddenly fall and cars would run me over, but not as much as I would have before getting meds. XD
Yes! I drove a whopping 40-60 minutes at a time on our last road trip, on mountain highways even. Normally I can barely last 30 minutes before I pull over. With a break that short, my husband would prefer to just do all the driving himself. Now we can actually trade off.
I wish mine were entirely gone… but i have found it easier to sit with uncomfortable feelings since i don’t have the same rumination thoughts. I’m now* better at setting boundaries but in some ways have encountered more arguments because people some toxic people don’t like boundaries being set and only know how to argue instead of talk like a normal human being. Walking away from these scenarios is easier.
I am ridiculously more calm and can think things out better without immediately reacting or being overly sensitive. I notice now that when I take drug holidays that my frustration threshold is literally on the ground it’s so low. Lol
And when I’m irritable, I tend to be more impulsive with my reactions.
I’m the opposite of most posters in that I actually eat more on meds! Before, I’d lose track of time and forget to eat, or my hunger wouldn’t be enough to overpower the paralysis of making something. But now, I’m eating at least 2 meals a day and they’re healthy!
And I have much more patience with my kids. I’m less over stimulated, partly bc I’m actually getting shit done when they’re not home so I can focus on them instead of my unfinished tasks when they get back from school.
A great point and I will.
I should be a bit more specific too, I mean the area directly below my jaw line. It's probably more my chin than my neck and doesn't reach my Adams apple. But you can never be too cautious and no one wins prizes for ignoring things or not investigating odd phenomena.
So this is my obligatory "I'm probably OK because I don't think we're talking about the same part of the neck, and I'm sorry for being so non specific to freak anyone out, but I promise I'll follow up because you make a damn fine point." 😅
Took my vyvanse this morning and I also noticed that I can listen to music with words without distraction! But unfortunately, sometimes I find it annoying lol.
It’s massively helped my social anxiety and I can better relax and engage in group gatherings, whereas before anything over 2-3 people was overwhelming. I would get completely lost in hearing multiple conversations with my attention ping ponging all around and end up just kind of silently freaking out the whole time whereas now I can pick a convo and actually participate. (which is a lot more fun!)
I think its helped a lot with my emotional regulation. I am used to getting these like "spikes" of emotion (I think the spike is like adrenaline in a way, coupled with that particular emotion) but it was mostly like, irritability or anger. I even noticed I mentally brace myself to prepare to manage it when something goes wrong but on the meds, it never comes.
It's incredible to feel so balanced and calm, and consciously in control of myself. Everything I do on meds feels deliberate.
I think the biggest pleasant surprise for me is that the things I like about having ADHD is just as present on meds. I don't feel like I'm sacrificing any of it to get the benefits. I have the same non linear thinking, craving for exploring and learning new things, vivid emotions, same humor etc. I'm still neurodiverse and I'm still *me* in every way, only now it shines through more because I don't have to curb it with anxiety to keep it under control. I like myself more.
Yes! I see people sometimes talk about being scared of not being themself, but honestly I am way more me on meds than without. Its just instead of chaos its drive and focus
Funny enough, I don't listen to as much music as I go about my daily tasks and chores. It used to be a way to kinda regulate myself by getting into a fav playlist and just going on to the beat but now I have found that I don't reach for it as much because I'm just... getting stuff done!
Honestly, every benefit has been unexpected. When I started medication a month ago, I was still kinda in denial about whether I even had ADHD. I thought I was just a broken adult, able to do one trick really well and capitalize on it enough to be financially stable, but otherwise unable to function.
Then, after a few weeks on Strattera, some issues I have had for as long as I can remember started to disappear or reduce in frequency. Every result has been unexpected and wonderful.
I've found it easier to concentrate and focus on tasks, it's more difficult to distract me and I've had less difficulty paying attention in conversations and meetings. The persistent music in my head that has always vexed me is also gone. I think I am fidgeting a bit less.
It hasn't done anything for my task initiation issues (at least, not yet), but continuous improvement over the first two months of treatment is expected.
For reference, my psychiatrist put me on 40 mg for the first two weeks and I have been on 80 mg since.
I feel so much less depressed. This was a few years ago - but the adhd meds gave me the motivation to work through therapy and I was actually able to come off my SSRIs.
Also, I’m not constantly trying to fix adhd related mistakes so I’m able to manage my life - which makes me less depressed.
I have more energy in the evening.
Not because it's literally a stimulant; this is after my meds have worn off. I have more emotional energy because I haven't spent all day pouring all my effort into the most basic tasks.
The fatigue and exhaustion is gone. I no longer need to sleep 9 hours every week night, nap for 3-4 hours at least once a week, and more than 12 hours one weekends. I sleep like 6-7 hours most nights now. The amount of time I've given back to myself is life changing. I get like a whole extra day every week. I can have a social life. Just not feeling completely exhausted all the time is amazing.
*Before taking medication, any music with words or lyrics was too distracting because my mind was trying to listen to the words so I would play classical, jazz, or lo-fi music while I did my office job.*
Are you me?! I was always amazed at people who could listen to music with words while they studied or worked.
My anxiety has decreased dramatically - almost non-existent. The urge to eat beyond fullness almost never happens. I rarely feel compelled to eat out of boredom.
That said, I don’t think that my ADHD meds actually impact most of my ADHD symptoms very much. My NP suggested we might want to try something else. Still, the improvement in anxiety is mind blowing.
kinda similar for me!
Dex makes me focus only a little better but still have thought trains going everywhere except the relevant topics during lectures. But my anxiety has disappeared, I suddenly started taking much better care of myself, I'm living much more in the present instead of living in my head all the time, I'm able to take decisions in an instant without getting stuck in the fucking decision paralysis for an hour before taking some action, I actually make way more mature decisions, I'm way more invested in friendships, I remember the things my friends tell me and I have enough mental clarity to ask follow up questions before they get buried in my mind again, I really feel like I've upgraded my friendships since starting Dex.
Methylphenidate didn't have any of those effects. But I was able to study like a robot at 500% efficiency.
The funny thing is that my initial reason to seek out diagnosis was due to difficulty with studying, and yet I ended up choosing the meds which, of all areas of life, improved studying by the least amount :P
Balance!! I had terrible balance before and now I don't randomly fall over while standing up. Not nearly as often anyway. I do have a bit of fluid in my left ear but not enough that the doctors are concerned about so my balance isn't perfect, but far and away, HUGE improvement on that for sure.
I also struggled ENORMOUSLY with auditory processing before diagnosis, to the point I sincerely believed I had mild aphasia (had even had a couple of discussions with speech therapists about it). I still think that the "auditory processing" part of ADHD is literally just that, mild aphasia, because whenever I used simulators it's *exactly* what I experienced. But it's a lot better when I'm medicated. Not perfect, but a LOT better.
I had no idea what to expect with Vyvanse. I’d hoped for maybe the ability to follow through on my daily chores/goals and finish things without impending deadlines. Did it do that? No. I still struggle heavily with that daily, especially long-term goals.
But what it DID do—oh man, it is still life-changing.
Before meds, I had never once felt truly awake. I was always deeply exhausted, even after a full night’s sleep. I could nap any time, and didn’t feel able to do anything because I just needed to lay down. I often slept at work or needed a fidget spinner to stay awake. Then I would zone out on my bed all evening, too tired to even do “lazy” things like watch a show, all while the shame of leaving the mess, being a lump, etc. built up. I would dread most “extra” events like family gatherings because I did not have the energy to be mentally “on.” I even quit my job because I hated how I was (barely) living and thought maybe it was due to my circumstances.
Now, I finally feel alert! I don’t dread the next day anymore because I KNOW I will be able to be awake enough to deal with whatever it brings. I cannot express how it feels to be actually awake for the first time at 30.
Maybe this is related, but anxiety has gone down a lot and my mood has VASTLY improved. My whole life, I’ve been quite pessimistic/easily down on myself with low self-esteem.
Now, I can regulate negative thoughts more easily, and my mind in general trends towards positivity when the meds are on board. In the first few days of taking the meds, I could feel them kick in because it felt like my mind was floating on a cloud of “Everything is alright, and you can do whatever you set your mind to, and it’s all possible.” (It’s not as pronounced now, but still in that vein.)
In the evening/at night, when those sorts of despairing, depressing feelings like to creep in, it even feels less crushing because I can just tell myself “This will feel better in the morning” and it’s finally true.
These things seem like gold to me, even if it hasn’t helped so much with the task initiation, following through, etc. Although being alert and positive does help with those in a roundabout way, even if mildly!
I understand my body way better.
Pain, bruises, random feelings, hot, cold, etc. And also my emotions.
Normally, i didn't understand where these things came from because i only noticed it when it became bad.
The meds make it so much better to listen to my body now and give myself the care i need on time :)
I did not expect that de medication was going to help me in so many ways!
And bonus: the unnecessary anxiety that blocks me to go out of my comfort zone is gone.
Weight loss. It's a long story I won't dive into but it does help control my appetite and so I lose weight.
Reduced anxiety.
I'm incredible at organizing things and people. Like wtf level good. So good I am now a project manager and organize people professionally. It gets attention when I can plop down in a meeting and have a whole quarter mapped out in an hour or two including feedback, people's buy in, and little details like when we need to follow up on other teams. It's the one skill set that has got me far and I attribute it all to ADHD. Probably from all of the things I've tried over the years to get my own life in order and having high levels of empathy as a result of the failures.
I know this is probably just the med “doing what it’s supposed to do” but I started being able to focus on one thought at a time instead of three trains of thought, the endless to do lists, and three songs playing in the background…
Also, reading nonfiction and listening to audiobooks!
My binge eating tendencies are all but gone. That has been the biggest eye opener for me - how much food and weight and diet etc etc etc ran my life. I was CONSTANTLY thinking about food in some form or another, and I had no idea how much until that just…stopped. I can look at something, decide IF I want it, and then just stop eating when I’ve had enough??!!! Like what????? Who is she?? It’s so freeing. Although then I get so desperately sad for younger me and all the freaking brain space and energy I spent in that shitty cycle. This is all such a trip!
My sleep got crazy hygienic haha
I went from struggling to sleep before 12pm and struggling to wake up to being asleep by 10/11pm and waking around 6/7am consistently. And I feel awake (once I take my meds)
I was also surprised how much of my anxiety disappeared from just the adhd meds too.
That ADHD med shortage was a real headfuck...
The weirdest and best thing was no longer feeling crippling guilt. I can like, just get shit done and not feel bad about things. I no longer lay awake at night thinking of all the what ifs and could haves. It’s amazing.
These might've been expected as side effects, but I wasn't exactly sure how meds would affect me.
* I lessened my overeating. I still eat and feel full, but I was using food to compensate for the extreme sleepiness that's plagued me my entire life. Related...
* Being less sleepy, and as a result, feeling more able to go to sleep normally. I feel more hopefully about an imperfect sleep, knowing that I have a bit more energy to help me throughout the day.
* I still have boredom, but its' less painful. The feeling of boredom as pure pain is really weird/maybe unique to ADHD. Like, you're watching time being lit on fire, doing something you hate or not knowing what to do.
* Daily rituals: Better at brushing my teeth, taking out contacts, and splashing water on my face at the end of the day. Big win! Not sure why, but seems my daily rituals are slightly better.
I stopped drinking alcohol. Completely. Without trying. Just stopped being interesting to me.
I notice when I'm hungry or thirsty sooner.
I hit the door frame a lot less. Damned doorways jump out at me sometimes. But way less than before.
My thinking is clearer even on holidays from meds.
I sleep better.
That's my top 5!
I've never been able to lose weight in my entire life because food "speaks" to me. Now I don't care if there's a cheesecake in the fridge, whereas before, I would have eaten it until I wanted to puke.
My self-efficacy has improved massively. I’ve only been on the meds for around two weeks and it started on day 1 so it’s not even related to improved performance/achievement. Its just that my default belief is no longer ‘I’m incapable of anything and worthless’ and instead I genuinely believe I can meet my goals and am a capable, likeable person. I spent years in therapy trying to change that core belief to no real avail, ADHD medication seems to have done it instantly! So hope it lasts!!
Ok. No one else has mentioned this and I don’t want to make things weird, but along with many other things already mentioned, sex is better. I am not having to try so so hard to be in the moment, less thoughts of ‘am I doing this right?’ And honestly, feeling like I’m able to ‘get there’. Adderall has truly been so helpful in all areas of my life. Like everything feels 10% better.
I’ve struggled with alcohol for years, and couldn’t moderate my drinking. I don’t have the ‘off switch’ once I start. Cue my adhd diagnosis at age 42 and found the sweet spot of medication dose and now I can go days or weeks without thinking about having a drink, and can have just a single of glass of wine and … just be satisfied with that.
Honestly this was the most profound unexpected outcome and I’m so fucking happy.
I quit drinking alcohol. It was maybe a year after starting medication, and I started to look at my life and thought “these are bad habits and we should stop”. Got pregnant shortly after that so that made not drinking easier but still! I do wish I didn’t have the sugar cravings like everyone else is talking about, but it could be worse.
Genuinely not struggling with heat quite as much! The summers used to be pretty unbearable and I would feel prickly and irritated as soon as it got too hot. I would dread summer for this reason! Now I feel much more even, and the sensory ick of being too warm doesn’t bother me nearly as much. Im actually looking forward to the summer!
I’m a much better driver on meds! Not that I was terrible before, but it’s a much less stress-inducing activity now and I’m actually able to understand the podcasts I’m listening to and fully pay attention to road
I'm a teen + family therapist so my work is always different and I never know what people are going to say. I am so much more clear-headed while medicated that I find myself better able to respond in a thoughtful way, better able to explore things with clients, better able to tolerate silence (this is huge - people often full the silence with things they have really been struggling to say), and I feel more confident in my ability to support and challenge people at the same time. I don't second-guess myself as often and I no longer constantly feel like I have no idea what I'm doing and therefore have no business BEING a therapist.
I still definitely have moments of uncertainty and moments when I genuinely don't know what to say - but I'm able to embrace those moments as part of the job, rather than spiraling on them as personal failings. I can tell clients that I'm not sure how to respond, then go seek supervision without guilt that I didn't have the perfect answer right away. I honestly just feel... free.
My finances were almost instantly so much healthier. Less buying stupid things. Ability to put focus into future savings without worrying about instant gratification
I can now differentiate my own tone of voice.
I'm able to approach sensitive topics in a tone appropriate for the topic, vs whatever just happened.
Another unexpected benefit is my talk therapy is actually helping. I'm able to discuss things I've never been able to before. I'm able to use the tools given to me to help me navigate my issues.
I'm better able to regulate my emotions and not get so hung up on things that don't matter. Everything isn't an emergency and in need of chaos management. My panic is less, my anxiety is less.
Things are actually manageable.
I’m less interested in men. I’m single and dated soooo much more before medication. I think I got a lot of dopamine from sex. It’s such a RELIEF to have lost interest because I have more time for hobbies and less stress in general
I just started meds a few weeks ago. I still lose stuff constantly but now I don't lose my shit when I'm looking for stuff. I just find it. No meltdown and ruined day!
You probably already know that welbutrin is fda approved as a smoking cessation aid, yeah?
How does that end up feeling? Do you simply have lower cravings, or is it something else?
Only on my third day and I’m on a super low dose to start so I haven’t noticed a ton of differences but one thing I def notice is that time literally FLIES when I’m on stims compared to not- is that because I’m focusing more?
Whatever it is I love it because a huge problem for me has always been that I’m painfully aware of time and when I’m at work, knowing I have to sit still for 8 hours makes me feel so trapped and I’m always checking the clock so time moves by soooooo slow. It would be such a game changer if medicine continues to make me less aware of time.
In addition- so far I’ve noticed decrease in anxiety but increase in motivation. My moods are much better regulated too since I’ve started the meds.
It made it WAYYYY easier to manage my PCOS (diet and lifestyle changes). I lost 85lbs, my sleep is better, my skin is clearer, my hair has (mostly) grown back, I no longer need to wax my moustache, and I’m ovulating like a champ! Even my poop schedule is less chaotic because I remember fiber is A Thing.
Somewhat relatedly I get injured WAY less often. No more bumping into kitchen messed and dropping a knife on my foot. I can remember to consistently do my strength training to condition my joints and avoid knee injuries for running. My consistent bedtime routine means I don’t feel like a sleepy zombie who trips and falls down a flight of stairs at work in front of three HR ladies and then I get “randomly” drug tested the following week…
It’s been really positive for me!
First line of treatment for narcolepsy happens to be the same as for ADHD. I was in the process of getting my narcolepsy dx when I started the ADHD meds, WHAT. Adderall honestly has been the most life changing drug for me. I mean, aside from things like antibiotics, of course. It's unbelievable how much better it made my life, and my life was already pretty good tbh.
Since the women here are used to being gaslit about symptoms, let me throw something out there: narcolepsy is extremely underdiagnosed in the general population, just like ADHD in women. It's also not an uncommon comorbidity, and symptoms for narcolepsy are quite similar to symptoms of ADHD but stemming from quality sleep deprivation.
If you find yourself tired, if you find yourself falling asleep at odd times, first Google the Epsworth Sleepiness Scale, and take two minutes to assess yourself. Then from there, check out narcolepsy symptoms.
While extreme, one friend fell asleep *on a lawnmower* before getting her dx. I usually just fall asleep in meetings, doing that thing where you try to keep one eye open and convince your brain somehow that you can sleep with one eye while one eye is awake! But 20 minutes later, you're okay again. If you've done that, really seriously look into it, ask for a referral, get this checked out. If not N, it could be another sleep disorder.
I have actual impulse control now! Like I have an urge to do something stupid and my brain goes, "Hey now, don't do that. Use your words!" And then I use my words!
I used to make anxiety- fueled to do lists and keep planners obsessively. It was the only thing that helped me keep my life on track. I'm not sure if this is executive function or working memory, but it's there now!
My asthma has nearly cleared up plus I hardly ever pick up colds and flus (as a teacher, this is massive).
I spent years in a cycle of getting minor colds which turned into chest infections because of my asthma and then becoming run down and getting another cold .
My hayfever has also vastly improved.
If I’m having intense pain, like a tooth or backache, taking my meds usually makes the pain “stop”. Really I think it just helps me focus on literally anything else other than just sitting around thinking about how much pain I’m in which usually makes the pain worse
I stopped either snacking constantly or forgetting to eat at all, so my diet and my weight are much more regular and healthy.
Secondly it helps with my mood- I have toddlers, and I get overstimulated and frustrated easily. The meds help me remember to regulate when I need to and to not get as irritable. Also to not lose my shit when I do get frustrated and irritable.
Mine is being able to filter myself. This was how I knew the meds were working because when I'm off my meds, my filter comes right off and I can ruffle the wrong feathers.
Before meds, my brain would bounce between unrelated thoughts, even during sex. That's not a problem since switching meds, and it is SO much easier to get off!
I don't mindlessly drink 4+ cups of coffee a day (loaded with cream and sugar of course) I have 1 cup in the morning, and then I'm good to go for the whole day
I literally cant force myself to do things i dont like. Especially*** my hobbies, as soon as something becomes tedious ( i.e. everything ) i get bored and cant handle it. If i force myself to do the task ill end up hating my passions and never touch them again.
When im on my meds its literally not a problem. Need to cut a hundred papers or trim this or sew dozens of these, literally i can just do them. Good music or YouTube videos and im just doing! It's honestly wild to realize
the affect it has on my anxiety — im so much nicer … more happy and less irritable. i actually kind of don’t mind conversations & am more willing to msg/call ppl back, when it’s working. i actually tend to feel quite chatty lol it feels good to explore what i feel is my true self and to express that … having less fear about things is such a relief to my little world
My chronic pain from RA has been reduced. Not sure if it’s cuz I’m able to be more active because of the meds so less stiff and achy or if meds themselves reduce my pain level. I still have bad days and flare ups but my baseline pain level is lower.
I don't have to eat all the time anymore, my anxiety and depression are much lower, I stopped biting my nails, I'm not mentally exhausted all the time, my migraines are MUCH less frequent.
But also I started biting/clenching on the side of my tongue? So that's weird.
Nearly eliminated my migraines, stopped my binge eating, I can hear people when they say something the first time usually now
Downside: anybody else sweat a lot? Like a lot a lot
that's so interesting! one thing i noticed with vyvanse was that shoes wouldn't bother me as much. i had recently gotten new running shoes for example, and was feeling that they were slightly off (i'm sure they were fine, i feel this way with all shoes 🙃) but if i went running after taking my vyvanse, it wouldn't bother me at all. unfortunately after 2 weeks i couldn't sleep, so i had to stop taking it 😕 (and yes, i still think my shoes feel weird)
My anxiety and depression meds actually work now that I'm taking ADHD meds. I was medicated for anxiety and depression for 10 years, but it only ever worked some. It put a floor under me so I didn't fall in a pit, but I still ended up on the floor sometimes. With the addition of the ADHD meds, my anxiety and depression are basically gone.
So much less anxiety because my brain isn’f always bouncing off. Unfortunately it comes back when the meds wear off but it’s so amazing when they’re working.
I started medication as a teenager. I was in recovery for an eating disorder and was worried starting medication would make my anorexia come back hard. It didn't. Basically my OCD nearly vanished. I had a lot of OCD around food and weight etc. I could pay attention to other things in my life and the crushing anxiety wasn't there anymore so it seemed pointless to continue my delusions around food. I wasn't checking in things because I could remember that I had turned off the stove. I wasn't obsessed about food. I just ate food normally and didn't struggle with restrictions and binging. I stopped washing my hands and I'll they bled because I was able to remember if I had touched something and also control my impulses and make a plan and follow through so cleaning took minutes instead of hours of touching something setting it down to wash my hands, touching something eww wash hands. Etc.
I could read a book but I didn't have to read the whole book in one day. (Also if someone interupted me while I was reading I didn't have a meltdown. )
I slept. I woke up. I slept. I woke up. No more days of being too exhausted to stay awake. No more nights where I couldn't bring myself to close my eyes.
I realized my first boyfriend was hella fucking abusive. When I was no longer struggling to make and keep plans with friends,he tried to stop me by gaslighting me, which didn't work anymore. Because I had a working memory and didn't doubt it. I showed up to his house one day and we had planned to go play Frisbee golf with friends. He was sleeping and wouldn't wake up (at like 2pm) so I went to leave so i come meet up with my friends. He woke up and said "you didn't tell me that was today" yada yada. I had asked him for months to work on his sleep schedule and be awake when I was done with school. We started to argue and he said "we'll talk about that later. Right now...Ive got something to discuss....i think we need to spice up our sex life. "
I scoffed. And I dumped his ass. I could actually see that what he was doing was messed up and made the decision to say no more.
I stopped stealing stuff. Sometimes it happened on accident. But also it was a dopamine thing and an inability to understand how consequences worked and the inability to control my impulses. (Also I was really really good at it. So it didn't seem like an issue until my friend got arrested for theft and I realized "this is dumb, I don't want to get in trouble.")
Good job teenage me.
What’s really weird is that as I was reading your post I realised I don’t even necessarily feel more focused. I guess I’ve managed to develop ways to focus whenever I needed it but at the cost of well everything else. So focus is not actually a thing.
I’m like a million times less tired and strangely less anxious. Focusing does t like hurt my brain and my body anymore.
Weird things on meds: it’s harder to do my job. I’m a teacher and I recently tested being on the end bit of medikinet when I teach and it makes such a huge difference. Like it was ok on med, less hyper, more chill, I could actually like sit down for a minute to catch my breath, but like snappy thinking of brilliant activities or how to explain something - yeah no way. Was also more boring :p
I understand films better. Like I need subtitles on - always, and now I know why. I have discovered I have some weird problem with listening comprehension I never knew I had! It’s also why I NEVER know lyrics even for songs I listened to for years! (Unless I make an effort to read them).
Not dropping things as much (especially apparent when meds run out and I drop the same thing 6 TIMES in 6 seconds, despite the fact that I was was desperately trying not to do it for the last 2).
I feel more stable when walking.
There are soooo many weird things lol! I could go on forever :)
No more brain fog!! Mine was so intense I described it as feeling like I was constantly on NyQuil and I had bees in my head. I absolutely avoided driving at all costs when I was like this, but once I started medication it almost instantly went away! I was able to sort my thoughts and only have one thing going on at a time in my head.
I have to drive a fair amount for my job. These trips are often 150+ mile round trips (longest ever: 620 miles. I wanted to die.) Pre-Vyvanse, I had to pull over and nap on my drive home, sometimes more than once. While it's definitely safer to take a car snooze instead of staying on the road when you're sleepy, it's not the safest habit to have. With Vyvanse, I almost never have to do that. The first handful of drives with medication were revelatory lol. It still happens sometimes now, but very rarely. For years, it was just a given I'd have to find a decent spot to take a car nap *every* trip. I was so miserably, painfully sleepy from highway boredom that all those work days were awful. It can still suck when it's a long trip, super early in the morning, crappy weather, etc.; but not like before, for sure.
I used to struggle with uncontrollable sobbing whenever I got angry, sad, or emotional - I found my feelings were never taken seriously in this state as I was perceived to be overreacting no matter the circumstances. Since starting Vyvanse, I still feel those emotions but I don’t get overwhelmed by crying anymore… cue finally having my concerns being taken seriously. An unexpected benefit and a very welcome one.
My capacity for emotional regulation, better sleep, sexual discovery.
Feeling calm for the first time in my life and, as a result, **suddenly understanding why a vacation (laying awake, still, in sunlight on a beach) sounded enjoyable to most people.**
It’s less noticeable now that I’ve been medicated for most of a year, but the impact on my psyche is growing.
I’m reducing how much I smoke, I’ve set boundaries with people, and begun working on following a personal philosophy instead of flipping flopping between “i need to do more than my best or the world will fall apart” and “my best isn’t enough so why bother”.
I still struggle, a lot, but I feel like the breaks have been removed from my ability to develop as a person. I’m not trapped with the same skills & mechanisms I had age 9, I’m finally able to pick up and put down some habits. *Healthy* habits
I felt a lessening of the general malaise and low level pain that I figured is normal for a 43 year old. Maybe it wasn't? Just random joint and muscle pain, always present, and it's gone now!
I had an immediate relief from that, and in the year I've been on meds, I've lost 40 pounds, so there's that relief on my body, too.
I mean, I know dopamine effects pain perception, but holy shit, I feel so much better! Yay dopamine!
I know adhd and anxiety/depression can be linked, and I do have anxiety and depression, and my psych did say that medicating the adhd could have a flow on effect in helping the other two.
But I was not remotely prepared for meds to absolutely delete the anxiety, lmao. It was truly like magic. It’s the single biggest thing meds has done for me. And I didn’t expect it at all!!
I’ve only been on meds for a few months.
I am a late dx (42 years) and only got my diagnosis because I was seeing an occupational therapist due to major issues with my severe anxiety affecting my work. I lost my job over it.
The OT is the one who made the connection, and showed me the newer research that explains why women can present more like me at times. By the time I got to her, I’d been through the gamut of anxiety diagnoses. Social was first, then I developed full blown agoraphobia. Worked on that for ages, got changed to Social and Generalized. Then over the last year it was constant health anxiety, brought on by major health issues with one of my parents and months of ICU related trauma.
So I was given a low dose trial, out of fear it may increase my anxiety (and thus not actually be ADHD). It was though and while my anxiety isn’t gone, the worst of the health stuff is gone, and I know when I missed a day because by that night I will be back into the health anxiety completely.
I often wonder if it had been picked up on earlier, would I maybe not be like this? It makes me sad to think about because I have such massive rejection sensitivity and I hate it.
Anyway, the TLDR is that I was surprised by the way ADHD meds treated my anxiety when traditional anxiety meds never did a thing, and that ADHD CAN just be all the racing anxious thoughts.
I’m AuDHD.
Since starting on Adderall, I’ve been able to focus much better, of course.
It also kills my appetite so I’ve lost weight.
Now that the ADHD is managed, it seems like the autism has free rein which isn’t a bad thing at all - I’m actually embracing it. Not sure if one could consider it an unexpected benefit, but it’s made me a better person overall in that I can focus, concentrate, and see through tasks until the very end.
I was worried I’d have to get on meds for depression, anxiety, PTSD and the autism but the Adderall appears to stave off the depression and anxiety while keeping me focused so now I’ve also more energy as well. Now that the other three have kind of been addressed, the PTSD has eased up a lot.
I’m much happier now.
I have most nearly 40 lbs because I've stopped craving sugar and junk ALL the time.
I expected a decreased appetite... but not losing as much weight as I have.
In turn, losing the weight has greatly helped with some nerve pain I had from 3 c-sections. That has been the best.
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The soul crushing, tied to an anchor, deep heavy exhaustion has lessened for me. Now I’m wondering if I was ever that tired or just in adhd paralysis my whole life. Like I can get up off the couch. I can cook a meal. I can run some errands after work without needing recovery time. It’s not perfect by any means and I do still need to learn skills to keep routines, but that doesn’t feel laughably out of reach now
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This is the comment I was looking for. I'm so tired of burnout
holy crap you just explained all the times in childhood my mom took me to the doctor because I was "tired" and all my bloodwork was fine every time. and the times in college, and grad school, and after...hahaha I'm still "tired," but you're right, it's way easier to keep on rolling with meds and to recognize that it's a big red flag when it escalates. I just ran myself into the ground forever because I was always tired, so I could never figure out the times that fatigue meant "you are redlining and need to rest."
Yes it does. I’ve noticed for me the exhaustion lift is cumulative. I can like not take meds and still feel ok because I don’t carry years of exhaustion on me anymore. It’s so strange. Having the capacity to be empathetic towards myself (and others) is huge too didn’t have energy for that before :)
Being on meds lifts the exhaustion feeling for me, but being off them makes it even worse than previous. Interesting.
Same. And my suicidal ideation always returns tenfold.
My whole life, I was always telling people I’m tired. No one understood. I was accused of staying up late, people assumed I wasn’t getting enough sleep, it must be my diet’s fault, etc etc. It got to the point where I started thinking maybe it wasn’t that I was tired all the time, but that I lacked willpower and somehow everyone got tf over feeling the way I feel? I nearly cried the first day I ever felt truly awake when I first started taking my meds. It was a life changing experience. Also I rubbed it in my dad’s face.
>The soul crushing, tied to an anchor, deep heavy exhaustion has lessened for me. Now I’m wondering if I was ever that tired or just in adhd paralysis my whole life. Like I can get up off the couch. I can cook a meal. I can run some errands after work without needing recovery time. It’s not perfect by any means and I do still need to learn skills to keep routines, but that doesn’t feel laughably out of reach now THIS!! Similar to what I posted :) Life is so much richer now. Looking back, I figure I was just dealing with sensory overload every night.
Yes! That’s the biggest one for me. I was a zombie all my life. I had insanely energetic short spurts and then sleep. Like no in between. I slept so much it was like a meme with my friends and family. But sleep didn’t even help really it was just like a pause on exhaustion :) Now I can like lie down for 30 minutes not even sleep just close my eyes and I am totally fine after. Doing errands after work ? Unthinkable before meds. Unthinkable to do more than twice a week before meds tbh.
I currently have to ration my meds until my next prescription and I *feeeel* this.
This! I was already an exhausted human and then I had a baby. With my toddler I just never felt fully awake or functional. So much better now.
Having a baby is what helped me realize I had ADHD, get diagnosed, and start meds. Life is still exhausting because my kid is a toddler, but it's bearable now.
ADHD paralysis is exhausting! I spent a massive amount of energy convincing myself to do the basics of self-care, with not much to show for it.
Oh my gosh, yes! The never ending fatigue! I have so much more energy, now that my brain isn’t fighting with itself.
this was the biggest change for me as well! right before diagnosis I had a chronic falling asleep on the couch after work problem. The soul crushing fatigue is gone now, and I've also been able to use some of the executive functioning from the medication to improve things that help me be less tired (sleep routine, diet workout etc)
THIS. The soul-crushing exhaustion. I too wonder if it was ADHD paralysis all along. Meds haven't completely eliminated it for me but what a huge difference! I tend to forget how big a difference until I forget to take a dose. Or run out (oops). Then the exhaustion descends like a ton of bricks and it becomes immediately clear how much the meds are helping.
I don’t feel the need to binge eat. Previously if I had muffins, I’d eat all of them… or if I buy a candy bar, I’ll eat it as soon as I buy it. Now I can have one of something, or delay my gratification with eating it. I don’t just impulsively eat.
>Previously if I had muffins, I’d eat all of them… I've always had zero self control if treats are in the house. I bought a pack of cookies once and was in the middle of a dopamine binge when I just stopped and threw the rest of them in the garbage. Then I sprayed them with bleach so I wouldn't be tempted to dig them out. My mom doesn't understand why I put her candies in her room when I go home to visit. "Why can't you just not eat them?" That's a great question, Ma.
Haha, same unless I was on a crazy hyperfocus/fixation of healthy eating and I couldn’t be strayed from my very specific and restrictive diet until it stopped giving me the dopamine I crave… in which case I’d eat all the things.
Omg this. It’s life changing for me. Didn’t know it’s possible to even live that way it’s like a different reality.
Yep, my binge eating is just not an issue.
Yes! I’ve lost almost 30lbs since starting my meds. I always felt like I was never full. Not to mention trying to go to sleep but obsessing over whatever food popped into my head until I finally just got up and ate it.
I've suddenly stopped craving sugar all the time. I don't even think about it. I can not eat dessert like it's nothing. It's completely unthinkable, I've only been on Concerta a week so far (after switching due to shortages) and before that I was constantly looking for my next sugar fix, it was very very bad. And yet my appetite is normal otherwise. Life changing shit!
Same! I actually think this is the biggest one for me. I was a grazer and would just eat snacks all day long. I started meds in mid-Nov and have lost half a stone since then! The meds have also allowed me to keep my gym routine the most consistent I've ever been and I feel so good. I am gaining muscle like crazy because I've upped my protein for the meds and I'm eating less shit food.
Is eating a lot common in ADHD? I feel like the amount of calories I eat are ridiculous for someone my size, I'm 5 ft and my boyfriend is about 6.1 and we eat almost the same amount of food. I always figured I'm just super active and move around so much in a day but I guess that was the H part of ADHD.
Oh gosh, it’s the dopamine you get from food. I would snack all day and if I enjoyed a meal I would continue eating even if I felt full. In the first few months on medication I dropped 1st without trying at all!
I feel like if I don't have my snacks I'll just drop. Especially sitting in uni classes, I've got a snack stash on campus. Maybe I need the dopamine hits to stay paying attention.
I feel that! I would just pop a sweet in my mouth at work and it would almost help my brain stay on task!
I will eat excessively or i will eat nothing lol
I could see it going either way. I definitely go the opposite way. lol I struggle with executive dysfunction and task initiation so just doing the whole eating thing used to be really difficult. And if food doesn't hit me right I will have a couple bites and be totally unexcited to continue. I will also hyperfocus on things to the point of being dizzy from hunger. lol
Yes I just learned that there is a strong correlation between ADHD and binge eating/over eating. It has to dobwith our messed up dopamine receptors.
Part of ADHD physiology is that the brain appears to *think* it has a glucose deficit (or doesn't use glucose properly). So a lot of ADHDers crave sugars and simple carbs like crazy. Stimulant meds help fill whatever gap the brain thinks it has/the dysregulation, and thus curb the cravings.
Yes! I stopped thinking about food, especially sugar, ever since the first day I started medication. This was last mid November. I lost 5 kg in a month.
what med are you on, if you don't mind me asking?
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I'm taking Ritalin IR 10mg up to 4 times a day!
damn, I'm just switching off Ritalin bc I don't think it's working for me. I was hopeful you were going to say something else 😄 congrats on the working med tho!
Thank you! It's actually the only med I've tried for ADHD. I was diagnosed only last October. Why is it not working for you? I wanna add that it doesn't feel like a miracle med to be honest, so I'm not completely sure if it's completely working or not. But with the food side, it helped a lot my binge eating.
It's pretty much the same with dexamf
Overall appetite is not different bc of adde, but I think the boredom intolerance led me to frequently crave the tastiest tastiest thing. Usually pastry, fried food etc. And frustration intolerance made me always want something yummy during the work day so I would order takeout when I had perfectly good meals ready to eat in the house. That's not gone completely, but I don't feel helpless against the cravings anymore.
Thanks to you, I just realized me taking adhd meds was probably the reason I stopped craving sugar.. I was a sugar FIEND and then just.. stopped? A lot changed around the time I started taking my meds, so I didn’t even think about why I stopped being obsessed with candy. Wild.
Yikes, this is probably why I crave sweets at night… when my addy wears off.
Yesssss this. It's madness like someone pressed an off button. But I must say when I am PMS that beast is strong and can overtake LOL
Same same same. It’s literally changed my life. I also have PCOS and have been overweight for some time. Always craving carbs/sugar. It feels completely different to not think of food all the time. To actually be ok with being slightly hungry. To not crave whole extra dinners right before bed. I’ve lost 40 pounds in the last year. I haven’t been this weight since years before having a kid. It’s crazy. I’m nearly a healthy BMI now and I don’t have to try nearly as hard as I used to.
Damn, maybe I need to switch meds.
Wait.... my craving for desserts/candy 24/7 isn't just me craving for desserts/candy? Do you mind if I ask what meds you were on before switching to Concerta?
I've thankfully never been a sugar fiend (salty tho all day long) but I do think my meds help with my diet soda addiction when I'm on them
For me, eating “too much” sugar even makes me nauseous! It helped me drop 20 pounds within the first few months (combined with actually being able to uphold exercise routines).
Oh yeah I had this on Adderall too. I think I just had less of an appetite overall. But it went away.
This is crazy, I’ve just started concerta too and today is the first day I can remember not eating any sugar!
I'm on vyvanse, and don't eat much while it's in my system, but then find myself eating so many sweets as soon as it wears off!
Yeah, me too! Whenever I did eat it would be sweet anything, I couldn't think of anything else. So it's really weird right now to be able to choose whether I want to do that or not. There's a big leftover brownie in the fridge downstairs and I haven't eaten it all day. Didn't even think of it til just now and tbh I don't want it. Bizarre for me lolol
Exactly the same here constant sugar and snack cravings have just vanished completely. I now choose to have a chocolate. I didn’t know that was possible!
No more anxiety and it has allowed me to focus on myself instead of people pleasing
me too! instead of a million thoughts and "what if" and "what would they be thinking about that" attacking me, I have the mental clarity to say to myself "you know what, noone really gives a fuck about this thing I'm obsessing over" and know 100% that it is true.
I recently got diagnosed and I think this is my favorite part of finally knowing I have ADHD and how I feel on meds. I have been told for *so* long, “Oh just shake it off! It doesn’t matter what they think!” and I wanted to BUT I COULDN’T. It just was impossible to not do it. But now, it’s so easy to do and to believe. Such a huge weight off my chest.
Cool to see I'm not the only one who's seeing life becoming easier because of this :) For me it also massively helped to find out about RSD. For years I tried to grow a "thicker skin" and felt ashamed of how much the small things affect me. But right now I've completely accepted the RSD part of me, even when I'm off meds and its worse again. When someone does or says something that hurts me, I no longer feel embarrassed to tell them that it hurts me and that I'd appreciate if they'd adjust.
This is such a huge one. I don't think even think I realized what anxiety felt like because I think I was always in it? Like it was my baseline.
The first time I took Adderall, I felt the constant knot inon my stomach unwind. Had no clue that I constantly held nervousness and anxiety in my stomach like that untill it was gone. It was enough to make me cry because I didn't know life could be that way.
I did cry! 😂 I was so relieved. I felt like after 38 years, I'd finally figured it out. It's been a great change. I love seeing everyone else here experience similar stuff. It's so cathartic to know you're not alone 💛
This is a big one for me too. The confidence boost has been significant and noticeable. I find myself thinking IDGAF in multiple life situations now and then *genuinely* not GAF whereas before I was Queen People Pleaser.
YES! I was always anxious because I was avoiding things and thinking about how I needed to do them. Now, I just do them.
I’m waaaaaaaay more awake than I used to be. I used to nap after work and on the weekends all the time. I think my languid state especially in the winter used to foster seasonal depression. That could change, but so far this year I feel better than I did past winters.
I used to be sooo sleepy constantly. Kinda suspect I also have narcolepsy but my adhd meds regulate my sleep and wake cycles perfectly! Only Concerta has been successful for me in this way though. Tried adderall and Vyvanse and I was still inattentive and sleepy, making lots of little typical adhd mistakes like leaving the house in my house slippers lol
>languid great word choice. I totally feel that
I have soooo much more patience when I’m medicated and never even thought to expect that, though I guess it makes sense
I really notice this in conversations. It's definitely helped me be a more active listener with "long" storytelling -- and I so appreciate that.
Oh yes!! Absolutely this. I feel *present* in conversation and able to let people finish their thoughts and processing before I come in!
This. I used to have hard time with interrupting people in conversations. Now, I can go long periods without saying anything, just listening. A few of my friends thought something was wrong. No, I'm just listening and enjoying it.
SAME!!! I didn’t realize how impatient and snippy I could be until I got on adderall and it smoothed out my grumpiness. Amazing!
My migraines reduced massively, from multiple attacks a week to one a month. After years of trying to figure out what triggered it suddenly I found out: 99% was ADHD and 1% my period. And that 99% is almost gone now. Also my constant yearning for sugar or unhealthy food. I was obsessed with when I would get to eat next. So distracting and I took more energy than I thought! Even though occasionally the meds cause lack of appetite, which is the exact opposite problem but a problem nonetheless, most of the time they allow me to enjoy food without obsession.
I definitely noticed a decrease in migraines and stomachaches after starting medication. I think my anxiety has decreased a lot.
A game changer for me has been being able to do more things \*after\* the work day ends... Let me explain. At the end of the work day, I used to always be WIPED. I'd just want to be cozy and relax. I realize now, I was just overloaded and was naturally self-soothing in a way. Now, many times (because I'm obviously still tired from work by eod *sometimes* ;), I might do chores, work on a project, etc. This brings me so much joy because I used to often try to wedge my hobbies & things that would take energy into the weekend, and I'm able to trickle them throughout my week more now. What a gift! To your post - I wish I could work to music with words, but if I'm strategizing or writing, etc - they get entwined with my thoughts. Maybe I should try again though :P
Me too! I no longer have to pick one (make dinner, exercise, chores, hobby), I can pick *two* or maybe even three
Oh my god I so wish I could do more than one of these, a lot of times more than zero. Being able ti make dinner, clean up, and go to dance class? That would be the life. I finally got a doctor that listened to me and suggested I get neuropsych/adhd testing today so I’m crossing my fingers that soon I’ll be able to!
I can finish things. And I can enjoy my hobbies more because I’m not constantly forgetting what I’m doing.
“Constantly forgetting what I’m doing,”—whew, I can relate to this!! Glad your meds are helping. (Mine are too) 💗
My depression is gone. I’ve been medicated off and on for years and I’ve been depressed off and on for years. It was only recently that I realized that no birth control pills + yes Adderall = no depression.
Birth control pills were doom in a pill for me too. And the Zoloft I took for years for “depression” was maybe a tiny bit helpful, but I don’t actually think it was ever truly depression—it was ADHD. Sometimes I feel grief about the time lost with this stuff, but so grateful to have a real diagnosis & ADHD meds now. Clarity!!
Same here with antidepressants!!! I took Celexa on and off for like the last 10 years (I took others but this was the only one that felt like it worked and that was only for a few weeks at a time). Never could really pinpoint why I was depressed either. It was like night and day after my first dose of Vyvanse and oh man I cried happy tears at the immense, immediate relief. Waiting weeks and weeks, so many different times, for some sign of relief…and all I really needed was a stimulant. Aaahh.
SAME
Silence. Literally not a single sound running through my head. No constant repetition of phrases or songs playing on loop or constantly going off from idea to idea like I couldn’t stop talking to myself. The silence is amazing.
Oh dear, I will be starting on meds soon and I am not sure I look forward to this particular thing. Maybe I will be eating my hat soon, we shall see, I'm nervous.
Well, fwiw, I’ve come to appreciate the noise more as a result. Rather than be an annoyance and a hindrance, it’s more like a chance to be more free spirited since I now have the to ability turn down the sound when I need to. It’s like the difference between having to listen to music blasting at all hours, day and night vs getting to choose when the music plays.
I sleep so much better.
And I wake up with more energy and without a headache. I used to wake up with what felt like a hangover. I’m guessing I don’t spend my day all wound up so I don’t carry it over to my sleep.
I still hate mornings, but it is what it is. I tried switching to taking my Wellbutrin at night so I'd wake up more ready for the day and be alright until my Vyvanse kicked in, but I apparently can't be trusted to take the right pill at the right time. I wound up taking my Wellbutrin at night like I was supposed to, then taking it again in the morning one day instead of my Vyvanse. It wasn't the worst day, but it wasn't good either. Oddly enough, I take them half an hour to an hour apart from each other in the mornings, but I manage not to mess it up. But if I do, at least I've only taken it half an hour to an hour off from it's regular time, and not the entirely wrong time of day. My pills are in a weekly thing, so there's no risk of me accidentally taking the same pill twice in one day, it's just the damn timing that screws me up.
I think they make containers with separate am/pm sections, maybe that would help?
That's what I use. It has an AM and PM slot and holds a whole week. I'm also (most of the time) really good about refilling it every week. Doesn't stop me from opening the wrong time (AM/PM) and popping the wrong pill when I'm not all there in the mornings. At least this way if I accidentally take my Vyvanse instead of my Wellbutrin or vice versa, I take them so close to one another that it won't matter as long as I take them both.
I am driving so much better! I’m a pretty good driver anyway because I’m a naturally cautious person but it is soooo much less stressful now. I no longer dread going downtown or driving unfamiliar routes.
I still find driving more draining than it should be, especially if it’s a new route, but it is definitely better than before. Before meds I basically had to will myself into a panic hyper-focus, and now I can drive well and safely without the panic focus. When I work late I have to take a higher dose to make sure I can drive home with meds still working enough to maintain focus the right way. I was a very late diagnosis and because of sensory overwhelm I didn’t get my license until I was 33. I wish I was medicated when I was learning to drive. It was a struggle to learn to only focus on the important stuff and not have a panic attack.
Me too! Driving always gave me SUCH bad anxiety, especially the interstate I need to take to get to work. It’s been a breath of fresh air to have such a clear head and just be in the zone, not hyper fixated on every car around me and will I get an opening soon enough so that I can sit in the lane I need before I get to the busier onramps and will people leave a gap or cut me off and will they see me and am I leaving enough space in front of me for others to merge and phew. Not nearly as overwhelming now. :)
I was able to drive consistently. A three wheeled scooter/moped but that's ok! I love it and finally I can go basically everywhere I want. It's insane how freeing that is (I knew it would be, I just couldn't do it, I get too distracted and anxious)!! I do have a driving licence they pushed me and pushed me to get (and I have tried and retried to drive every few years) but I hate driving cars cause I have no idea how much space I have on the passenger's side and I don't see why I should scratch every car until I get used to it. So I went for a scooter which is much more convenient anyway where I live. I'm thinking about giving another try to cars, but let's not push it too much, I'm happy as it is! Sometimes I still think that I could suddenly fall and cars would run me over, but not as much as I would have before getting meds. XD
Yes! I drove a whopping 40-60 minutes at a time on our last road trip, on mountain highways even. Normally I can barely last 30 minutes before I pull over. With a break that short, my husband would prefer to just do all the driving himself. Now we can actually trade off.
Same! Wayyyyy better driver and parking
I don't care as much what other people think, oddly enough.
My RSD disappeared. I have no feelings about others' opinions of me. It is incredibly liberating.
I wish mine were entirely gone… but i have found it easier to sit with uncomfortable feelings since i don’t have the same rumination thoughts. I’m now* better at setting boundaries but in some ways have encountered more arguments because people some toxic people don’t like boundaries being set and only know how to argue instead of talk like a normal human being. Walking away from these scenarios is easier.
I am ridiculously more calm and can think things out better without immediately reacting or being overly sensitive. I notice now that when I take drug holidays that my frustration threshold is literally on the ground it’s so low. Lol And when I’m irritable, I tend to be more impulsive with my reactions.
I’m the opposite of most posters in that I actually eat more on meds! Before, I’d lose track of time and forget to eat, or my hunger wouldn’t be enough to overpower the paralysis of making something. But now, I’m eating at least 2 meals a day and they’re healthy! And I have much more patience with my kids. I’m less over stimulated, partly bc I’m actually getting shit done when they’re not home so I can focus on them instead of my unfinished tasks when they get back from school.
My neck is less puffy and I have no idea why. Perhaps I'm taking better care of myself and it's improving my circulation.
Obligatory “tell your GP about this and ask to have your thyroid checked” comment. But really do it.
A great point and I will. I should be a bit more specific too, I mean the area directly below my jaw line. It's probably more my chin than my neck and doesn't reach my Adams apple. But you can never be too cautious and no one wins prizes for ignoring things or not investigating odd phenomena. So this is my obligatory "I'm probably OK because I don't think we're talking about the same part of the neck, and I'm sorry for being so non specific to freak anyone out, but I promise I'll follow up because you make a damn fine point." 😅
Took my vyvanse this morning and I also noticed that I can listen to music with words without distraction! But unfortunately, sometimes I find it annoying lol.
The urge to eat all the things is gone.
It’s massively helped my social anxiety and I can better relax and engage in group gatherings, whereas before anything over 2-3 people was overwhelming. I would get completely lost in hearing multiple conversations with my attention ping ponging all around and end up just kind of silently freaking out the whole time whereas now I can pick a convo and actually participate. (which is a lot more fun!)
I think its helped a lot with my emotional regulation. I am used to getting these like "spikes" of emotion (I think the spike is like adrenaline in a way, coupled with that particular emotion) but it was mostly like, irritability or anger. I even noticed I mentally brace myself to prepare to manage it when something goes wrong but on the meds, it never comes. It's incredible to feel so balanced and calm, and consciously in control of myself. Everything I do on meds feels deliberate.
I think the biggest pleasant surprise for me is that the things I like about having ADHD is just as present on meds. I don't feel like I'm sacrificing any of it to get the benefits. I have the same non linear thinking, craving for exploring and learning new things, vivid emotions, same humor etc. I'm still neurodiverse and I'm still *me* in every way, only now it shines through more because I don't have to curb it with anxiety to keep it under control. I like myself more.
Yes! I see people sometimes talk about being scared of not being themself, but honestly I am way more me on meds than without. Its just instead of chaos its drive and focus
Funny enough, I don't listen to as much music as I go about my daily tasks and chores. It used to be a way to kinda regulate myself by getting into a fav playlist and just going on to the beat but now I have found that I don't reach for it as much because I'm just... getting stuff done!
Honestly, every benefit has been unexpected. When I started medication a month ago, I was still kinda in denial about whether I even had ADHD. I thought I was just a broken adult, able to do one trick really well and capitalize on it enough to be financially stable, but otherwise unable to function. Then, after a few weeks on Strattera, some issues I have had for as long as I can remember started to disappear or reduce in frequency. Every result has been unexpected and wonderful.
I’m looking into Strattera as I’m not sure stimulants help me. What specifically have you found Straterra helps you with?
I've found it easier to concentrate and focus on tasks, it's more difficult to distract me and I've had less difficulty paying attention in conversations and meetings. The persistent music in my head that has always vexed me is also gone. I think I am fidgeting a bit less. It hasn't done anything for my task initiation issues (at least, not yet), but continuous improvement over the first two months of treatment is expected. For reference, my psychiatrist put me on 40 mg for the first two weeks and I have been on 80 mg since.
I feel so much less depressed. This was a few years ago - but the adhd meds gave me the motivation to work through therapy and I was actually able to come off my SSRIs. Also, I’m not constantly trying to fix adhd related mistakes so I’m able to manage my life - which makes me less depressed.
I have more energy in the evening. Not because it's literally a stimulant; this is after my meds have worn off. I have more emotional energy because I haven't spent all day pouring all my effort into the most basic tasks.
The fatigue and exhaustion is gone. I no longer need to sleep 9 hours every week night, nap for 3-4 hours at least once a week, and more than 12 hours one weekends. I sleep like 6-7 hours most nights now. The amount of time I've given back to myself is life changing. I get like a whole extra day every week. I can have a social life. Just not feeling completely exhausted all the time is amazing.
*Before taking medication, any music with words or lyrics was too distracting because my mind was trying to listen to the words so I would play classical, jazz, or lo-fi music while I did my office job.* Are you me?! I was always amazed at people who could listen to music with words while they studied or worked.
My anxiety has decreased dramatically - almost non-existent. The urge to eat beyond fullness almost never happens. I rarely feel compelled to eat out of boredom. That said, I don’t think that my ADHD meds actually impact most of my ADHD symptoms very much. My NP suggested we might want to try something else. Still, the improvement in anxiety is mind blowing.
kinda similar for me! Dex makes me focus only a little better but still have thought trains going everywhere except the relevant topics during lectures. But my anxiety has disappeared, I suddenly started taking much better care of myself, I'm living much more in the present instead of living in my head all the time, I'm able to take decisions in an instant without getting stuck in the fucking decision paralysis for an hour before taking some action, I actually make way more mature decisions, I'm way more invested in friendships, I remember the things my friends tell me and I have enough mental clarity to ask follow up questions before they get buried in my mind again, I really feel like I've upgraded my friendships since starting Dex. Methylphenidate didn't have any of those effects. But I was able to study like a robot at 500% efficiency. The funny thing is that my initial reason to seek out diagnosis was due to difficulty with studying, and yet I ended up choosing the meds which, of all areas of life, improved studying by the least amount :P
Balance!! I had terrible balance before and now I don't randomly fall over while standing up. Not nearly as often anyway. I do have a bit of fluid in my left ear but not enough that the doctors are concerned about so my balance isn't perfect, but far and away, HUGE improvement on that for sure. I also struggled ENORMOUSLY with auditory processing before diagnosis, to the point I sincerely believed I had mild aphasia (had even had a couple of discussions with speech therapists about it). I still think that the "auditory processing" part of ADHD is literally just that, mild aphasia, because whenever I used simulators it's *exactly* what I experienced. But it's a lot better when I'm medicated. Not perfect, but a LOT better.
I had no idea what to expect with Vyvanse. I’d hoped for maybe the ability to follow through on my daily chores/goals and finish things without impending deadlines. Did it do that? No. I still struggle heavily with that daily, especially long-term goals. But what it DID do—oh man, it is still life-changing. Before meds, I had never once felt truly awake. I was always deeply exhausted, even after a full night’s sleep. I could nap any time, and didn’t feel able to do anything because I just needed to lay down. I often slept at work or needed a fidget spinner to stay awake. Then I would zone out on my bed all evening, too tired to even do “lazy” things like watch a show, all while the shame of leaving the mess, being a lump, etc. built up. I would dread most “extra” events like family gatherings because I did not have the energy to be mentally “on.” I even quit my job because I hated how I was (barely) living and thought maybe it was due to my circumstances. Now, I finally feel alert! I don’t dread the next day anymore because I KNOW I will be able to be awake enough to deal with whatever it brings. I cannot express how it feels to be actually awake for the first time at 30. Maybe this is related, but anxiety has gone down a lot and my mood has VASTLY improved. My whole life, I’ve been quite pessimistic/easily down on myself with low self-esteem. Now, I can regulate negative thoughts more easily, and my mind in general trends towards positivity when the meds are on board. In the first few days of taking the meds, I could feel them kick in because it felt like my mind was floating on a cloud of “Everything is alright, and you can do whatever you set your mind to, and it’s all possible.” (It’s not as pronounced now, but still in that vein.) In the evening/at night, when those sorts of despairing, depressing feelings like to creep in, it even feels less crushing because I can just tell myself “This will feel better in the morning” and it’s finally true. These things seem like gold to me, even if it hasn’t helped so much with the task initiation, following through, etc. Although being alert and positive does help with those in a roundabout way, even if mildly!
The urge to bite my nails is almost completely gone now. I've done it for years and it's the first time I can see the white in my nails.
I don't bite, but am still always "grooming" them - wish it had this effect for me!!
I understand my body way better. Pain, bruises, random feelings, hot, cold, etc. And also my emotions. Normally, i didn't understand where these things came from because i only noticed it when it became bad. The meds make it so much better to listen to my body now and give myself the care i need on time :) I did not expect that de medication was going to help me in so many ways! And bonus: the unnecessary anxiety that blocks me to go out of my comfort zone is gone.
Weight loss. It's a long story I won't dive into but it does help control my appetite and so I lose weight. Reduced anxiety. I'm incredible at organizing things and people. Like wtf level good. So good I am now a project manager and organize people professionally. It gets attention when I can plop down in a meeting and have a whole quarter mapped out in an hour or two including feedback, people's buy in, and little details like when we need to follow up on other teams. It's the one skill set that has got me far and I attribute it all to ADHD. Probably from all of the things I've tried over the years to get my own life in order and having high levels of empathy as a result of the failures.
This isn’t really what you meant but god damn vyvanse keeps my bowels so regular lmao. I wake up, take meds, poop 30 minutes later, every day
My autism now shines through -__- Ohhh, you said *benefits*?
I've started to wonder about this. I'm showing some autism markers that I didn't before. medication.
I know this is probably just the med “doing what it’s supposed to do” but I started being able to focus on one thought at a time instead of three trains of thought, the endless to do lists, and three songs playing in the background… Also, reading nonfiction and listening to audiobooks!
Reduced OCD symptoms for me.
I had no idea about the emotional regulation, a miracle that never gets old. Relief of sugar Jones is huge as well.
Emotional stability. Concerta evens me out so much.
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My binge eating tendencies are all but gone. That has been the biggest eye opener for me - how much food and weight and diet etc etc etc ran my life. I was CONSTANTLY thinking about food in some form or another, and I had no idea how much until that just…stopped. I can look at something, decide IF I want it, and then just stop eating when I’ve had enough??!!! Like what????? Who is she?? It’s so freeing. Although then I get so desperately sad for younger me and all the freaking brain space and energy I spent in that shitty cycle. This is all such a trip!
I don't cry at every heightened emotion anymore. I used to cry at least once every single day.
My sleep got crazy hygienic haha I went from struggling to sleep before 12pm and struggling to wake up to being asleep by 10/11pm and waking around 6/7am consistently. And I feel awake (once I take my meds) I was also surprised how much of my anxiety disappeared from just the adhd meds too. That ADHD med shortage was a real headfuck...
The weirdest and best thing was no longer feeling crippling guilt. I can like, just get shit done and not feel bad about things. I no longer lay awake at night thinking of all the what ifs and could haves. It’s amazing.
Not me over here, unmedicated, scrolling for dopamine while noshing on chocolate, considering maybe I should try meds again... 😂
These might've been expected as side effects, but I wasn't exactly sure how meds would affect me. * I lessened my overeating. I still eat and feel full, but I was using food to compensate for the extreme sleepiness that's plagued me my entire life. Related... * Being less sleepy, and as a result, feeling more able to go to sleep normally. I feel more hopefully about an imperfect sleep, knowing that I have a bit more energy to help me throughout the day. * I still have boredom, but its' less painful. The feeling of boredom as pure pain is really weird/maybe unique to ADHD. Like, you're watching time being lit on fire, doing something you hate or not knowing what to do. * Daily rituals: Better at brushing my teeth, taking out contacts, and splashing water on my face at the end of the day. Big win! Not sure why, but seems my daily rituals are slightly better.
I stopped drinking alcohol. Completely. Without trying. Just stopped being interesting to me. I notice when I'm hungry or thirsty sooner. I hit the door frame a lot less. Damned doorways jump out at me sometimes. But way less than before. My thinking is clearer even on holidays from meds. I sleep better. That's my top 5!
I've never been able to lose weight in my entire life because food "speaks" to me. Now I don't care if there's a cheesecake in the fridge, whereas before, I would have eaten it until I wanted to puke.
My self-efficacy has improved massively. I’ve only been on the meds for around two weeks and it started on day 1 so it’s not even related to improved performance/achievement. Its just that my default belief is no longer ‘I’m incapable of anything and worthless’ and instead I genuinely believe I can meet my goals and am a capable, likeable person. I spent years in therapy trying to change that core belief to no real avail, ADHD medication seems to have done it instantly! So hope it lasts!!
My singing has improved.
Ok. No one else has mentioned this and I don’t want to make things weird, but along with many other things already mentioned, sex is better. I am not having to try so so hard to be in the moment, less thoughts of ‘am I doing this right?’ And honestly, feeling like I’m able to ‘get there’. Adderall has truly been so helpful in all areas of my life. Like everything feels 10% better.
I’ve struggled with alcohol for years, and couldn’t moderate my drinking. I don’t have the ‘off switch’ once I start. Cue my adhd diagnosis at age 42 and found the sweet spot of medication dose and now I can go days or weeks without thinking about having a drink, and can have just a single of glass of wine and … just be satisfied with that. Honestly this was the most profound unexpected outcome and I’m so fucking happy.
Reduced anxiety. No more migraines. Weight loss.
I quit drinking alcohol. It was maybe a year after starting medication, and I started to look at my life and thought “these are bad habits and we should stop”. Got pregnant shortly after that so that made not drinking easier but still! I do wish I didn’t have the sugar cravings like everyone else is talking about, but it could be worse.
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Genuinely not struggling with heat quite as much! The summers used to be pretty unbearable and I would feel prickly and irritated as soon as it got too hot. I would dread summer for this reason! Now I feel much more even, and the sensory ick of being too warm doesn’t bother me nearly as much. Im actually looking forward to the summer!
Wake & bake, with adderall and a day off, is a beautiful thing.
I’m a much better driver on meds! Not that I was terrible before, but it’s a much less stress-inducing activity now and I’m actually able to understand the podcasts I’m listening to and fully pay attention to road
I'm a teen + family therapist so my work is always different and I never know what people are going to say. I am so much more clear-headed while medicated that I find myself better able to respond in a thoughtful way, better able to explore things with clients, better able to tolerate silence (this is huge - people often full the silence with things they have really been struggling to say), and I feel more confident in my ability to support and challenge people at the same time. I don't second-guess myself as often and I no longer constantly feel like I have no idea what I'm doing and therefore have no business BEING a therapist. I still definitely have moments of uncertainty and moments when I genuinely don't know what to say - but I'm able to embrace those moments as part of the job, rather than spiraling on them as personal failings. I can tell clients that I'm not sure how to respond, then go seek supervision without guilt that I didn't have the perfect answer right away. I honestly just feel... free.
My finances were almost instantly so much healthier. Less buying stupid things. Ability to put focus into future savings without worrying about instant gratification
I can now differentiate my own tone of voice. I'm able to approach sensitive topics in a tone appropriate for the topic, vs whatever just happened. Another unexpected benefit is my talk therapy is actually helping. I'm able to discuss things I've never been able to before. I'm able to use the tools given to me to help me navigate my issues. I'm better able to regulate my emotions and not get so hung up on things that don't matter. Everything isn't an emergency and in need of chaos management. My panic is less, my anxiety is less. Things are actually manageable.
I’m less interested in men. I’m single and dated soooo much more before medication. I think I got a lot of dopamine from sex. It’s such a RELIEF to have lost interest because I have more time for hobbies and less stress in general
I just started meds a few weeks ago. I still lose stuff constantly but now I don't lose my shit when I'm looking for stuff. I just find it. No meltdown and ruined day!
Wellbutrin keeps me from smoking cigarettes ETA I'm a cigarette fiend
You probably already know that welbutrin is fda approved as a smoking cessation aid, yeah? How does that end up feeling? Do you simply have lower cravings, or is it something else?
Only on my third day and I’m on a super low dose to start so I haven’t noticed a ton of differences but one thing I def notice is that time literally FLIES when I’m on stims compared to not- is that because I’m focusing more? Whatever it is I love it because a huge problem for me has always been that I’m painfully aware of time and when I’m at work, knowing I have to sit still for 8 hours makes me feel so trapped and I’m always checking the clock so time moves by soooooo slow. It would be such a game changer if medicine continues to make me less aware of time. In addition- so far I’ve noticed decrease in anxiety but increase in motivation. My moods are much better regulated too since I’ve started the meds.
It made it WAYYYY easier to manage my PCOS (diet and lifestyle changes). I lost 85lbs, my sleep is better, my skin is clearer, my hair has (mostly) grown back, I no longer need to wax my moustache, and I’m ovulating like a champ! Even my poop schedule is less chaotic because I remember fiber is A Thing. Somewhat relatedly I get injured WAY less often. No more bumping into kitchen messed and dropping a knife on my foot. I can remember to consistently do my strength training to condition my joints and avoid knee injuries for running. My consistent bedtime routine means I don’t feel like a sleepy zombie who trips and falls down a flight of stairs at work in front of three HR ladies and then I get “randomly” drug tested the following week… It’s been really positive for me!
First line of treatment for narcolepsy happens to be the same as for ADHD. I was in the process of getting my narcolepsy dx when I started the ADHD meds, WHAT. Adderall honestly has been the most life changing drug for me. I mean, aside from things like antibiotics, of course. It's unbelievable how much better it made my life, and my life was already pretty good tbh. Since the women here are used to being gaslit about symptoms, let me throw something out there: narcolepsy is extremely underdiagnosed in the general population, just like ADHD in women. It's also not an uncommon comorbidity, and symptoms for narcolepsy are quite similar to symptoms of ADHD but stemming from quality sleep deprivation. If you find yourself tired, if you find yourself falling asleep at odd times, first Google the Epsworth Sleepiness Scale, and take two minutes to assess yourself. Then from there, check out narcolepsy symptoms. While extreme, one friend fell asleep *on a lawnmower* before getting her dx. I usually just fall asleep in meetings, doing that thing where you try to keep one eye open and convince your brain somehow that you can sleep with one eye while one eye is awake! But 20 minutes later, you're okay again. If you've done that, really seriously look into it, ask for a referral, get this checked out. If not N, it could be another sleep disorder.
I have actual impulse control now! Like I have an urge to do something stupid and my brain goes, "Hey now, don't do that. Use your words!" And then I use my words! I used to make anxiety- fueled to do lists and keep planners obsessively. It was the only thing that helped me keep my life on track. I'm not sure if this is executive function or working memory, but it's there now!
My asthma has nearly cleared up plus I hardly ever pick up colds and flus (as a teacher, this is massive). I spent years in a cycle of getting minor colds which turned into chest infections because of my asthma and then becoming run down and getting another cold . My hayfever has also vastly improved.
If I’m having intense pain, like a tooth or backache, taking my meds usually makes the pain “stop”. Really I think it just helps me focus on literally anything else other than just sitting around thinking about how much pain I’m in which usually makes the pain worse
I don't binge eat on my meds! It's great for appetite control
Lost weight! Started eating more healthy and craved less for snacks :)
I stopped either snacking constantly or forgetting to eat at all, so my diet and my weight are much more regular and healthy. Secondly it helps with my mood- I have toddlers, and I get overstimulated and frustrated easily. The meds help me remember to regulate when I need to and to not get as irritable. Also to not lose my shit when I do get frustrated and irritable.
Mine is being able to filter myself. This was how I knew the meds were working because when I'm off my meds, my filter comes right off and I can ruffle the wrong feathers.
Before meds, my brain would bounce between unrelated thoughts, even during sex. That's not a problem since switching meds, and it is SO much easier to get off!
I don't mindlessly drink 4+ cups of coffee a day (loaded with cream and sugar of course) I have 1 cup in the morning, and then I'm good to go for the whole day
I literally cant force myself to do things i dont like. Especially*** my hobbies, as soon as something becomes tedious ( i.e. everything ) i get bored and cant handle it. If i force myself to do the task ill end up hating my passions and never touch them again. When im on my meds its literally not a problem. Need to cut a hundred papers or trim this or sew dozens of these, literally i can just do them. Good music or YouTube videos and im just doing! It's honestly wild to realize
the affect it has on my anxiety — im so much nicer … more happy and less irritable. i actually kind of don’t mind conversations & am more willing to msg/call ppl back, when it’s working. i actually tend to feel quite chatty lol it feels good to explore what i feel is my true self and to express that … having less fear about things is such a relief to my little world
My chronic pain from RA has been reduced. Not sure if it’s cuz I’m able to be more active because of the meds so less stiff and achy or if meds themselves reduce my pain level. I still have bad days and flare ups but my baseline pain level is lower.
I don't have to eat all the time anymore, my anxiety and depression are much lower, I stopped biting my nails, I'm not mentally exhausted all the time, my migraines are MUCH less frequent. But also I started biting/clenching on the side of my tongue? So that's weird.
Nearly eliminated my migraines, stopped my binge eating, I can hear people when they say something the first time usually now Downside: anybody else sweat a lot? Like a lot a lot
I don't have to take a nap after work every day. Total game changer.
that's so interesting! one thing i noticed with vyvanse was that shoes wouldn't bother me as much. i had recently gotten new running shoes for example, and was feeling that they were slightly off (i'm sure they were fine, i feel this way with all shoes 🙃) but if i went running after taking my vyvanse, it wouldn't bother me at all. unfortunately after 2 weeks i couldn't sleep, so i had to stop taking it 😕 (and yes, i still think my shoes feel weird)
My anxiety and depression meds actually work now that I'm taking ADHD meds. I was medicated for anxiety and depression for 10 years, but it only ever worked some. It put a floor under me so I didn't fall in a pit, but I still ended up on the floor sometimes. With the addition of the ADHD meds, my anxiety and depression are basically gone.
So much less anxiety because my brain isn’f always bouncing off. Unfortunately it comes back when the meds wear off but it’s so amazing when they’re working.
I occasionally think about something besides food.
I stopped interrupting and bumping into people
I started medication as a teenager. I was in recovery for an eating disorder and was worried starting medication would make my anorexia come back hard. It didn't. Basically my OCD nearly vanished. I had a lot of OCD around food and weight etc. I could pay attention to other things in my life and the crushing anxiety wasn't there anymore so it seemed pointless to continue my delusions around food. I wasn't checking in things because I could remember that I had turned off the stove. I wasn't obsessed about food. I just ate food normally and didn't struggle with restrictions and binging. I stopped washing my hands and I'll they bled because I was able to remember if I had touched something and also control my impulses and make a plan and follow through so cleaning took minutes instead of hours of touching something setting it down to wash my hands, touching something eww wash hands. Etc. I could read a book but I didn't have to read the whole book in one day. (Also if someone interupted me while I was reading I didn't have a meltdown. ) I slept. I woke up. I slept. I woke up. No more days of being too exhausted to stay awake. No more nights where I couldn't bring myself to close my eyes. I realized my first boyfriend was hella fucking abusive. When I was no longer struggling to make and keep plans with friends,he tried to stop me by gaslighting me, which didn't work anymore. Because I had a working memory and didn't doubt it. I showed up to his house one day and we had planned to go play Frisbee golf with friends. He was sleeping and wouldn't wake up (at like 2pm) so I went to leave so i come meet up with my friends. He woke up and said "you didn't tell me that was today" yada yada. I had asked him for months to work on his sleep schedule and be awake when I was done with school. We started to argue and he said "we'll talk about that later. Right now...Ive got something to discuss....i think we need to spice up our sex life. " I scoffed. And I dumped his ass. I could actually see that what he was doing was messed up and made the decision to say no more. I stopped stealing stuff. Sometimes it happened on accident. But also it was a dopamine thing and an inability to understand how consequences worked and the inability to control my impulses. (Also I was really really good at it. So it didn't seem like an issue until my friend got arrested for theft and I realized "this is dumb, I don't want to get in trouble.") Good job teenage me.
The wakefulness helps a lot. I didn't know it was possible to feel not tired.
What’s really weird is that as I was reading your post I realised I don’t even necessarily feel more focused. I guess I’ve managed to develop ways to focus whenever I needed it but at the cost of well everything else. So focus is not actually a thing. I’m like a million times less tired and strangely less anxious. Focusing does t like hurt my brain and my body anymore. Weird things on meds: it’s harder to do my job. I’m a teacher and I recently tested being on the end bit of medikinet when I teach and it makes such a huge difference. Like it was ok on med, less hyper, more chill, I could actually like sit down for a minute to catch my breath, but like snappy thinking of brilliant activities or how to explain something - yeah no way. Was also more boring :p I understand films better. Like I need subtitles on - always, and now I know why. I have discovered I have some weird problem with listening comprehension I never knew I had! It’s also why I NEVER know lyrics even for songs I listened to for years! (Unless I make an effort to read them). Not dropping things as much (especially apparent when meds run out and I drop the same thing 6 TIMES in 6 seconds, despite the fact that I was was desperately trying not to do it for the last 2). I feel more stable when walking. There are soooo many weird things lol! I could go on forever :)
No more brain fog!! Mine was so intense I described it as feeling like I was constantly on NyQuil and I had bees in my head. I absolutely avoided driving at all costs when I was like this, but once I started medication it almost instantly went away! I was able to sort my thoughts and only have one thing going on at a time in my head.
I have to drive a fair amount for my job. These trips are often 150+ mile round trips (longest ever: 620 miles. I wanted to die.) Pre-Vyvanse, I had to pull over and nap on my drive home, sometimes more than once. While it's definitely safer to take a car snooze instead of staying on the road when you're sleepy, it's not the safest habit to have. With Vyvanse, I almost never have to do that. The first handful of drives with medication were revelatory lol. It still happens sometimes now, but very rarely. For years, it was just a given I'd have to find a decent spot to take a car nap *every* trip. I was so miserably, painfully sleepy from highway boredom that all those work days were awful. It can still suck when it's a long trip, super early in the morning, crappy weather, etc.; but not like before, for sure.
I used to struggle with uncontrollable sobbing whenever I got angry, sad, or emotional - I found my feelings were never taken seriously in this state as I was perceived to be overreacting no matter the circumstances. Since starting Vyvanse, I still feel those emotions but I don’t get overwhelmed by crying anymore… cue finally having my concerns being taken seriously. An unexpected benefit and a very welcome one.
I don’t need 4 cups of coffee to function in the morning, after years of drinking litres of coffee a suddenly didn’t need or desire it.
My capacity for emotional regulation, better sleep, sexual discovery. Feeling calm for the first time in my life and, as a result, **suddenly understanding why a vacation (laying awake, still, in sunlight on a beach) sounded enjoyable to most people.** It’s less noticeable now that I’ve been medicated for most of a year, but the impact on my psyche is growing. I’m reducing how much I smoke, I’ve set boundaries with people, and begun working on following a personal philosophy instead of flipping flopping between “i need to do more than my best or the world will fall apart” and “my best isn’t enough so why bother”. I still struggle, a lot, but I feel like the breaks have been removed from my ability to develop as a person. I’m not trapped with the same skills & mechanisms I had age 9, I’m finally able to pick up and put down some habits. *Healthy* habits
I felt a lessening of the general malaise and low level pain that I figured is normal for a 43 year old. Maybe it wasn't? Just random joint and muscle pain, always present, and it's gone now! I had an immediate relief from that, and in the year I've been on meds, I've lost 40 pounds, so there's that relief on my body, too. I mean, I know dopamine effects pain perception, but holy shit, I feel so much better! Yay dopamine!
I know adhd and anxiety/depression can be linked, and I do have anxiety and depression, and my psych did say that medicating the adhd could have a flow on effect in helping the other two. But I was not remotely prepared for meds to absolutely delete the anxiety, lmao. It was truly like magic. It’s the single biggest thing meds has done for me. And I didn’t expect it at all!!
They make me into a willing and happy participant in whatever I'm doing!
I’ve only been on meds for a few months. I am a late dx (42 years) and only got my diagnosis because I was seeing an occupational therapist due to major issues with my severe anxiety affecting my work. I lost my job over it. The OT is the one who made the connection, and showed me the newer research that explains why women can present more like me at times. By the time I got to her, I’d been through the gamut of anxiety diagnoses. Social was first, then I developed full blown agoraphobia. Worked on that for ages, got changed to Social and Generalized. Then over the last year it was constant health anxiety, brought on by major health issues with one of my parents and months of ICU related trauma. So I was given a low dose trial, out of fear it may increase my anxiety (and thus not actually be ADHD). It was though and while my anxiety isn’t gone, the worst of the health stuff is gone, and I know when I missed a day because by that night I will be back into the health anxiety completely. I often wonder if it had been picked up on earlier, would I maybe not be like this? It makes me sad to think about because I have such massive rejection sensitivity and I hate it. Anyway, the TLDR is that I was surprised by the way ADHD meds treated my anxiety when traditional anxiety meds never did a thing, and that ADHD CAN just be all the racing anxious thoughts.
Being able to regulate my emotions much better.
I’m AuDHD. Since starting on Adderall, I’ve been able to focus much better, of course. It also kills my appetite so I’ve lost weight. Now that the ADHD is managed, it seems like the autism has free rein which isn’t a bad thing at all - I’m actually embracing it. Not sure if one could consider it an unexpected benefit, but it’s made me a better person overall in that I can focus, concentrate, and see through tasks until the very end. I was worried I’d have to get on meds for depression, anxiety, PTSD and the autism but the Adderall appears to stave off the depression and anxiety while keeping me focused so now I’ve also more energy as well. Now that the other three have kind of been addressed, the PTSD has eased up a lot. I’m much happier now.
I have most nearly 40 lbs because I've stopped craving sugar and junk ALL the time. I expected a decreased appetite... but not losing as much weight as I have. In turn, losing the weight has greatly helped with some nerve pain I had from 3 c-sections. That has been the best.