How does ADHD medicine affect autistic people?

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asalem
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25 Jun 2017, 6:43 pm

I feel like people with any form of autism are much more sensitive to prescription medicine that NTs tend to abuse. My days of experimenting are long over but I just recently found out i have ADHD. The effect of a 30 mg adderrol lasted me 20 hours where other people experienced 4-8 hour effect l. And this is even after trying Addys for 3 days. I dont want to get prescribed common drugs people like to abuse as they make me more autistic and even in low dosage can frighten me. Is it common for us to be more sensitive to prescription drugs?



asalem
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25 Jun 2017, 9:33 pm

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SaveFerris
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26 Jun 2017, 6:35 am

I have no idea but from what I've read I would like to try adderrol to see if it alleviates any of my symptoms.


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avxscott
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26 Jun 2017, 4:54 pm

I have both ADHD and ASD as well. I've been taking 20mg Adderall XR for the last 4 months (roughly?), along with 60mg Strattera, which is a non-stimulant. I take both in the morning, and find that they generally last me all day, usually at least until mid-to-late evening.

I find that it helps me with low motivation, autistic inertia, and my concentration problems, although it makes me somewhat jittery and more easily overstimulated, irritable, and easily startled. After starting the Adderall I haven't felt much hunger, which is both good and bad since I sometimes boredom/stress-eat, but it also makes it even harder for me to tell whether I am hungry or not until I am starting to get reflux out of hunger. I also feel a little spacey, tired and 'zombie-like', and have occasional palpitations, but other conditions and medications I take, including SSRIs, make it harder to tell where a particular symptom or side effect is coming from, so they could be unrelated :?

I personally found them beneficial, but I can definitely see where they might be too little or too much for other people. It might just be because of the extended-release dose, but I just don't really experience whatever NTs do which makes Adderall so appealing for some people. They just kind of nudge me up closer to normal. :|



SaveFerris
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26 Jun 2017, 5:01 pm

avxscott wrote:

I find that it helps me with low motivation, autistic inertia, and my concentration problems, although it makes me somewhat jittery and more easily overstimulated, irritable, and easily startled. After starting the Adderall I haven't felt much hunger, which is both good and bad since I sometimes boredom/stress-eat, but it also makes it even harder for me to tell whether I am hungry or not until I am starting to get reflux out of hunger. I also feel a little spacey, tired and 'zombie-like', and have occasional palpitations, but other conditions and medications I take, including SSRIs, make it harder to tell where a particular symptom or side effect is coming from, so they could be unrelated :?


You've put me off wanting to try it now


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avxscott
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26 Jun 2017, 5:31 pm

SaveFerris wrote:
You've put me off wanting to try it now

Yeah, I get what you mean. ADHD meds, particularly stimulants, are definitely a mixed bag, and it's hard to tell what somebody's reaction to them will be. Non-stimulants don't have quite the same intense effects, but IME they're pretty good at helping ADHD symptoms with generally milder side effects. I guess the easiest comparison I can think of is caffeine - if coffee or energy drinks help you go through your day clearer and with more energy, stimulants might help you, but if all coffee does is make you jittery, a stimulant might not be the best choice.

Of course, I am absolutely not a doctor, so take my assessment with a great big pile of salt :P Talking to a doctor about it would be the safest choice, they'd be able to help you figure out whether it'll benefit you or not, and some of these things can have nasty side effects or interactions with other conditions or meds, even really common ones. :o



will@rd
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26 Jun 2017, 5:56 pm

Personally, I have always avoided SSRI meds because of their association with side effects that cause erratic and sometimes violent behaviors.

That said, I have a niece DX'd PDD-NOS who's taking meds for ADHD and such and she's doing okay with them. Depnds on your body chemistry.

Just remember if you use them and a doctor decides for any reason to change to a different medication, it takes several months for one to completely leave your system and mixing meds can be very bad. Be sure you're off one completely, before starting another.


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SaveFerris
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26 Jun 2017, 8:20 pm

avxscott wrote:
SaveFerris wrote:
You've put me off wanting to try it now

Yeah, I get what you mean. ADHD meds, particularly stimulants, are definitely a mixed bag, and it's hard to tell what somebody's reaction to them will be. Non-stimulants don't have quite the same intense effects, but IME they're pretty good at helping ADHD symptoms with generally milder side effects. I guess the easiest comparison I can think of is caffeine - if coffee or energy drinks help you go through your day clearer and with more energy, stimulants might help you, but if all coffee does is make you jittery, a stimulant might not be the best choice.

Of course, I am absolutely not a doctor, so take my assessment with a great big pile of salt :P Talking to a doctor about it would be the safest choice, they'd be able to help you figure out whether it'll benefit you or not, and some of these things can have nasty side effects or interactions with other conditions or meds, even really common ones. :o


I couldn't get through the day without tea/coffee :D


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JakeASD
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26 Jun 2017, 11:48 pm

I have been clamouring for an ADHD diagnosis for the past year now. Unfortunately there have been many complications with my referral process to a specialist diagnostic clinic in West Malling.

Without wanting to infer that I am yearning for drugs, I would love to try either adderall or ritalin to see if my levels of productivity would rise.

I have tried piracetam and modafinil, two of the world's most renowned 'smart drugs', but they made me either drowsy or manic.

If there's something out there that could potentially improve my executive functioning then I would want to try it. I have the worst short-term memory in the world, and I am highly distractible in seemingly any environment.


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