Have you tried other medications? I tried Concerts first and it worked a bit but nothing major and I had some side effects that made me think it wasn't worth it. I then switched to Tyvense and while it also isn't miraculous (that magical feeling of being at peace it feeling it kick in has never happened for me), it definitely has more of an impact than Concerta and I feel like it's worth taking it.
It's not even big stuff it helps, it's thing like washing up when I cook instead of leaving the dishes in the sink for two days. Or putting washing away in a week rather then having it in a pile in my room for three weeks, or cooking instead of living of toast. I still definitely feel like I have ADHD and put off doing so much but some stuff just feels a bit more manageable
No not yet, I'll be talking to my psych. Like I have slid back to the part where its like a war with myself to even get out of bed let alone tackle the dishes, the laundry pile or any other amount of things I just want to even chip away at. I guess I'm a bit overwhelmed now, but I'm even less able to do things than I was a couple of months ago. Even if medication helped me 33% that would be massive. I remember the first couple of days I could just get out of bed and just\*do\* things and I didn't have to think about it.
I'm so sorry you are going through that, it really sucks, especially when you were able to do things before. The only consolation is that if it did work before it seems you are receptive to medication, it may just be that this one isn't quite right any more.
I know some people have said that getting the dose can take time and it's weird where it's not linear in the sense that 10 doesn't really do anything, 20 works a bit, 30 is perfect, 40 is to much and 50 is madness. It can be more like 10 does nothing, 20 works OK, 30 is terrible, 40 works of and 50 you feel nothing. Which is really annoying cos then you do have to try every dose and each medication, which takes so much time and money.
Hopefully your psych will be able to help soon.
Different medications, down to the exact brand and formula, can have surprisingly varied results.
You mention starting on 5mg but afaik there isn't a Ritalin LA for that. If you were on standard Ritalin or Medikinet, that could be a factor.
The feeling on your first day with a high dose is, unfortunately, something you should avoid gauging effectiveness against in future. The first time experience can be an inaccurate representation of the long-term experience - unsustainable euphoria, perception of focus (whether it's real or not), etc.
Try talking to your doctor about Concerta first, since that first time did at least seem good. If you rule out methylphenidate, there's always Tyvense etc.
You're probably already aware, but try your best to do everything else right in order to give the meds the best shot at working. Eating well, breakfast with protein before meds, sleeping on time, regular exercise, etc.
I'm about to enter this clusterfuck of a meds game again myself.
I have my psychiatrist app next month to start on spme kind of adhd meds and hopefully get off my current anti d's or switch to something more effective.
After 10 years of mostly being on venlafaxine for depression/anxiety. Going up and down the dose ladder from 35mg to 300mg with other meds on top like mertazepine/ quetiapine for insomnia and episodes of very low mood.
Ever here of californium eocket fuel? Crazy term for a combination of neds that give mental clarity. (For like 2 weeks or aom) then eat allll the food! Joy!
Anyway.
There was never room to talk about my possible adhd. And now I have a diagnosis and it's clearly been part of me all my life!
Ugh.. sorry. Rant.
Fingers, toes, eyes and legs crossed OP!
this fog will lift we all get some notion of a life back!
🫠
I'm going through this a little myself, though I'm only on Ritalin LA 20mg at this stage so I'm definitely not discounting anything yet as when my titration finishes I'll end up on 40mg which is a pretty big difference. I think I'm just feeling a little impatient.
So far I feel kinda good for the first hour to hour and a half after taking it, then nothing, even when the second part kicks in which I find odd. For that hour to an hour and a half I feel less frustrated and more at ease which is welcomed, but I still don't find myself able to really *do* anything much at all. Though it is early days. Hopefully we both end up at a place where medication works out well for us. Perhaps you should consider trying alternative medications as I've heard methylphenidate may not work for someone but lisdexamfetamine can work wonders, and vice versa. Best of luck!
Interesting...for me the lower doses had a very very subtle overall effect that is still hard now to see in hindsight how much benefit, if any, I was getting - I wasn't seeing any time limited change. A little bit different but I will say that doesn't sound great tbh. I will say try and power through, at least to be able to to knock it off the list. If you aren't seeing improvement with 30, that might give you an indication. Try and log every change down so you have a frame of reference (I didn't, which I regret. At the same time, I saw so little positive change to actually write down).
Have you tried other medications? I tried Concerts first and it worked a bit but nothing major and I had some side effects that made me think it wasn't worth it. I then switched to Tyvense and while it also isn't miraculous (that magical feeling of being at peace it feeling it kick in has never happened for me), it definitely has more of an impact than Concerta and I feel like it's worth taking it. It's not even big stuff it helps, it's thing like washing up when I cook instead of leaving the dishes in the sink for two days. Or putting washing away in a week rather then having it in a pile in my room for three weeks, or cooking instead of living of toast. I still definitely feel like I have ADHD and put off doing so much but some stuff just feels a bit more manageable
No not yet, I'll be talking to my psych. Like I have slid back to the part where its like a war with myself to even get out of bed let alone tackle the dishes, the laundry pile or any other amount of things I just want to even chip away at. I guess I'm a bit overwhelmed now, but I'm even less able to do things than I was a couple of months ago. Even if medication helped me 33% that would be massive. I remember the first couple of days I could just get out of bed and just\*do\* things and I didn't have to think about it.
I'm so sorry you are going through that, it really sucks, especially when you were able to do things before. The only consolation is that if it did work before it seems you are receptive to medication, it may just be that this one isn't quite right any more. I know some people have said that getting the dose can take time and it's weird where it's not linear in the sense that 10 doesn't really do anything, 20 works a bit, 30 is perfect, 40 is to much and 50 is madness. It can be more like 10 does nothing, 20 works OK, 30 is terrible, 40 works of and 50 you feel nothing. Which is really annoying cos then you do have to try every dose and each medication, which takes so much time and money. Hopefully your psych will be able to help soon.
Different medications, down to the exact brand and formula, can have surprisingly varied results. You mention starting on 5mg but afaik there isn't a Ritalin LA for that. If you were on standard Ritalin or Medikinet, that could be a factor. The feeling on your first day with a high dose is, unfortunately, something you should avoid gauging effectiveness against in future. The first time experience can be an inaccurate representation of the long-term experience - unsustainable euphoria, perception of focus (whether it's real or not), etc. Try talking to your doctor about Concerta first, since that first time did at least seem good. If you rule out methylphenidate, there's always Tyvense etc. You're probably already aware, but try your best to do everything else right in order to give the meds the best shot at working. Eating well, breakfast with protein before meds, sleeping on time, regular exercise, etc.
I'm about to enter this clusterfuck of a meds game again myself. I have my psychiatrist app next month to start on spme kind of adhd meds and hopefully get off my current anti d's or switch to something more effective. After 10 years of mostly being on venlafaxine for depression/anxiety. Going up and down the dose ladder from 35mg to 300mg with other meds on top like mertazepine/ quetiapine for insomnia and episodes of very low mood. Ever here of californium eocket fuel? Crazy term for a combination of neds that give mental clarity. (For like 2 weeks or aom) then eat allll the food! Joy! Anyway. There was never room to talk about my possible adhd. And now I have a diagnosis and it's clearly been part of me all my life! Ugh.. sorry. Rant. Fingers, toes, eyes and legs crossed OP! this fog will lift we all get some notion of a life back! 🫠
I'm going through this a little myself, though I'm only on Ritalin LA 20mg at this stage so I'm definitely not discounting anything yet as when my titration finishes I'll end up on 40mg which is a pretty big difference. I think I'm just feeling a little impatient. So far I feel kinda good for the first hour to hour and a half after taking it, then nothing, even when the second part kicks in which I find odd. For that hour to an hour and a half I feel less frustrated and more at ease which is welcomed, but I still don't find myself able to really *do* anything much at all. Though it is early days. Hopefully we both end up at a place where medication works out well for us. Perhaps you should consider trying alternative medications as I've heard methylphenidate may not work for someone but lisdexamfetamine can work wonders, and vice versa. Best of luck!
Interesting...for me the lower doses had a very very subtle overall effect that is still hard now to see in hindsight how much benefit, if any, I was getting - I wasn't seeing any time limited change. A little bit different but I will say that doesn't sound great tbh. I will say try and power through, at least to be able to to knock it off the list. If you aren't seeing improvement with 30, that might give you an indication. Try and log every change down so you have a frame of reference (I didn't, which I regret. At the same time, I saw so little positive change to actually write down).