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Whats the cure for adhd?

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IsabellaLinton
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03 Jun 2024, 7:55 pm

I'm hypersensitive to the side effects, and neutral to the medicine actually doing what it should.
There's no situation in which I need more.


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blitzkrieg
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04 Jun 2024, 6:51 am

IsabellaLinton wrote:
I'm hypersensitive to the side effects, and neutral to the medicine actually doing what it should.
There's no situation in which I need more.


Oh right. Thank you for clarifying.



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04 Jun 2024, 7:42 am

My girlfriend has bad ADHD & she's tried a few different meds sometimes used to treat ADHD including a couple stimulants, Wellbutrin, & she's been taking Provigil for about half a year now. The meds help her feel less depressed & have more energy but they haven't helped with her focus & paying attention. Stimulants tend to make her feel overly stimulated & cause her to stay up later. Provigil is working better for her since the stimulant effects are more mild & shorter lasting. I'm thinking some more non stimulant meds might be worth trying.


blitzkrieg wrote:
I have used Clonidine in the past, which is similar to Guanfacine, for Tourette's Syndrome (the medication can also be used for adhd, same as Guanfacine), but I found it:

A) Made me unbearably drowsy
B) It made my depressed mood worse

The only medications that I seem to tolerate are antidepressants and anti-psychotics. Everything else I have tried have been too much with the side effects.
I've been taking Propranolol for a few years now to prevent migraines & I'm starting to consider asking my doc to change that to Clonidine. I looked Clonidine up before in case Cass would be interested in trying it but I read some stuff about it yesterday that made me think it might be worth me trying & being the guinea pig first so to speak. I have lots of symptoms of ADD & been diagnosed with ADHD as a kid & it was changed to ADD in my teens but I think those issues may be more like Sluggish Congintive Tempo &/or Maladaptive Daydreaming. I tried Strattera briefly in my early 20s but I thought it might have made it harder for me to focus but I was on three other psych meds at the time that were getting changed periodically & I was working a lot at times so it's hard for me to know what the Strattera did. I've been taking Wellbutrin for a few years now for depression & feeling tired but I haven't noticed it helping with my attention or focus. If I were to get a job I would probably ask my doc about trying Provigil to help me feel more awake while at work. I'm more hesitant to try typical stimulants due to anxiety & a chance they may make me more irritable.
The reason I'm suddenly interested in Clonidine is because I read it's sometimes used to treat menopausal flushing & some pain issues. I'm on a couple meds that affect my hormones & do have hot flashes & cold chills. I've also been having problems with my feet hurting at times for a couple years now & I just finally got a referral to a foot doc for the middle of next month.


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blitzkrieg
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04 Jun 2024, 8:02 am

nick007 wrote:
My girlfriend has bad ADHD & she's tried a few different meds sometimes used to treat ADHD including a couple stimulants, Wellbutrin, & she's been taking Provigil for about half a year now. The meds help her feel less depressed & have more energy but they haven't helped with her focus & paying attention. Stimulants tend to make her feel overly stimulated & cause her to stay up later. Provigil is working better for her since the stimulant effects are more mild & shorter lasting. I'm thinking some more non stimulant meds might be worth trying.


blitzkrieg wrote:
I have used Clonidine in the past, which is similar to Guanfacine, for Tourette's Syndrome (the medication can also be used for adhd, same as Guanfacine), but I found it:

A) Made me unbearably drowsy
B) It made my depressed mood worse

The only medications that I seem to tolerate are antidepressants and anti-psychotics. Everything else I have tried have been too much with the side effects.
I've been taking Propranolol for a few years now to prevent migraines & I'm starting to consider asking my doc to change that to Clonidine. I looked Clonidine up before in case Cass would be interested in trying it but I read some stuff about it yesterday that made me think it might be worth me trying & being the guinea pig first so to speak. I have lots of symptoms of ADD & been diagnosed with ADHD as a kid & it was changed to ADD in my teens but I think those issues may be more like Sluggish Congintive Tempo &/or Maladaptive Daydreaming. I tried Strattera briefly in my early 20s but I thought it might have made it harder for me to focus but I was on three other psych meds at the time that were getting changed periodically & I was working a lot at times so it's hard for me to know what the Strattera did. I've been taking Wellbutrin for a few years now for depression & feeling tired but I haven't noticed it helping with my attention or focus. If I were to get a job I would probably ask my doc about trying Provigil to help me feel more awake while at work. I'm more hesitant to try typical stimulants due to anxiety & a chance they may make me more irritable.
The reason I'm suddenly interested in Clonidine is because I read it's sometimes used to treat menopausal flushing & some pain issues. I'm on a couple meds that affect my hormones & do have hot flashes & cold chills. I've also been having problems with my feet hurting at times for a couple years now & I just finally got a referral to a foot doc for the middle of next month.


As well as the negative side effects I experienced with Clonidine, I did gain some beneficial effects of the medicine including:

- Reduced anxiety levels
- A real mellow feeling which was helpful for social interaction



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04 Jun 2024, 8:24 am

Highly_Autistic wrote:
So my problem is adhd.
I get tasks done very slowly and cant concentrate properly.
My focus shifts from something to something else over and over.
I cant focus on what im doing at the moment because of worrying about future.

Do I need meds for dealing with it?
Have any of you treated their adhd and how?
Whats the cure of it except medications


Cure: none

Management: meds, there are many with different mechanisms of action. Stims like dex (dextroamphetamine) and Ritalin (methylphenidate) in the amphetamine family are the most popular and probably work for most people. There are slow-release and other variations. Might not be for you. I take Strattera (atomoxetine). My one son takes Strattera, the other takes Focalin. The active ingredient in Focalin is dexmethylphenidate, which is the dextrorotatory (d-enantiomer) form of methylphenidate. This makes Focalin a more refined version of methylphenidate (Ritalin), focusing on the more active isomer for potentially improved efficacy and reduced side effects.

Exercise helps focus. If you are looking for a non-med way to manage ADHD try exercise.

Externalization can also help. Write stuff down and let “paper remember”. Sometimes I write notes on origami - harder to loose and easier to remember. Pads of paper and cell-phone note taking apps (simpler the better). Text files at work. Use alarms. Use multiple alarms. Use six or seven alarms.

Hire a coach or work with a peer, friend, family member. Two heads can be better than one.


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04 Jun 2024, 9:50 am

My daughter ran out of Vyvanse last week and thought she could coast through until tomorrow when she's seeing her doctor. I was away on the weekend and when I got back she was so out of sorts from lack of meds that she looked somewhat unrecognizable and she was walking in circles shaking, and talking about quitting her job.

We had to get her a repeat asap.

I'm not saying that it's addictive, but it's the kind of thing where neither of us ever think the meds are working ... until they're discontinued. Then it's scary how obvious the difference is.


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04 Jun 2024, 10:07 am

IsabellaLinton wrote:
My daughter ran out of Vyvanse last week and thought she could coast through until tomorrow when she's seeing her doctor. I was away on the weekend and when I got back she was so out of sorts from lack of meds that she looked somewhat unrecognizable and she was walking in circles shaking, and talking about quitting her job.

We had to get her a repeat asap.

I'm not saying that it's addictive, but it's the kind of thing where neither of us ever think the meds are working ... until they're discontinued. Then it's scary how obvious the difference is.

It's worth recognizing that some medications, like Ritalin and Adderall, can typically be discontinued like that, and others are intended to be taken every day and may take some time to reach peak effectiveness.

This is a good example. I personally get like that occasionally without the Ritalin, but that's because I'm right on the border between ADHD, ASD and the schizophrenia spectrum and I sometimes need the ritalin to clear up my thinking enough to think straight.

I hope she gets here refill and things go back to normal.



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04 Jun 2024, 10:37 am

IsabellaLinton wrote:
My daughter ran out of Vyvanse last week and thought she could coast through until tomorrow when she's seeing her doctor. I was away on the weekend and when I got back she was so out of sorts from lack of meds that she looked somewhat unrecognizable and she was walking in circles shaking, and talking about quitting her job.

We had to get her a repeat asap.

I'm not saying that it's addictive, but it's the kind of thing where neither of us ever think the meds are working ... until they're discontinued. Then it's scary how obvious the difference is.


I relate a lot to this.

I had a very bad time coming off of Methylphenidate (Ritalin), it plunged my mental health into a different level of difficulty where I could barely form coherent thoughts for a long time, possibly six weeks or more after coming off of the drug.

I was also pacing and walking around in circles during that period.



IsabellaLinton
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04 Jun 2024, 11:48 am

MatchboxVagabond wrote:
I hope she gets here refill and things go back to normal.



Thanks. Our chemist will front us three or four tablets of any meds when we're between scripts, but that's not usually necessary because they just fax our doctor and she'll authorize a repeat same day.

Unfortunately she couldn't do the doctor fax because our doctor is closed on weekends, and this weekend the pharmacy was closed as well because of reconstruction. That meant she couldn't ask for a couple to tide her through.

I got hold of the chemist yesterday and he said he'd give her a couple to use until seeing the doctor tomorrow. When I got there he'd actually prepared a month's worth because he faxed the doctor and got the repeat approved.

She skips a day or two sometimes if she feels like she has enough in her system, but I think she left it too long this time. That, and she had a lot of responsibilities at home because I was away for three nights.


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04 Jun 2024, 12:19 pm

IsabellaLinton wrote:
MatchboxVagabond wrote:
I hope she gets here refill and things go back to normal.



Thanks. Our chemist will front us three or four tablets of any meds when we're between scripts, but that's not usually necessary because they just fax our doctor and she'll authorize a repeat same day.

Unfortunately she couldn't do the doctor fax because our doctor is closed on weekends, and this weekend the pharmacy was closed as well because of reconstruction. That meant she couldn't ask for a couple to tide her through.

I got hold of the chemist yesterday and he said he'd give her a couple to use until seeing the doctor tomorrow. When I got there he'd actually prepared a month's worth because he faxed the doctor and got the repeat approved.

She skips a day or two sometimes if she feels like she has enough in her system, but I think she left it too long this time. That, and she had a lot of responsibilities at home because I was away for three nights.

That's tough. ADHD medication is something that really ought to have a different process as it can be a real challenge to manage the doses so that you've got the number on hand early enough.

But, at least you're not having to deal with the BS right now in the US where there's an artificial shortage of a few key medications, which impacts the availability of all the other ones as folks switch to find something that works for them.



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04 Jun 2024, 12:33 pm

I'm not sure if this is the case with ADHD meds like stimulants but lots of various other psych meds can cause a dependency where symptoms will flare up if the meds are suddenly stopped. Weather the meds are currently helping or not there can be rebound effects after a couple days of not taking them if they've been taken regularly for a while.

It's great you can get a few extra meds from the pharmacy if needed Isabella. Here in the US the pharmacists usually require you to pay the full uninsured price for each extra pill which is probably a lot more than they cost in other countries. Plus pharmacist can not legally give or sell you extra meds if the meds are controlled substances like stimulants that have no refills left on the prescription. However our federal government classifies pot as having no approved medical uses & there was a time in the US when people could easily get prescriptions for narcotics because the docs were getting kickbacks from the companies. Our bureaucracy is a huge f#ckin mess. This reminds me that I know some people use pot for ADHD to help manage their hyperness & help them sleep.


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04 Jun 2024, 12:47 pm

I've never had a problem with withdrawal symptoms from methylphenidate

I can stop and start at will


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04 Jun 2024, 12:56 pm

With amphetamines I get constipated for a few days when I stop taking them and I get the s**ts when I resume, but besides that it's manageable.


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04 Jun 2024, 1:01 pm

Oh yeah they certainly move my bowels but I'm not all that bothered about them not moving so much when I stop


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04 Jun 2024, 1:02 pm

babybird wrote:
I've never had a problem with withdrawal symptoms from methylphenidate

I can stop and start at will


That's good, bb.



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04 Jun 2024, 1:04 pm

MatchboxVagabond wrote:
That's tough. ADHD medication is something that really ought to have a different process as it can be a real challenge to manage the doses so that you've got the number on hand early enough.



You're right. In our case, I used to take Vyvanse but switched to Dexedrine. I still had a full bottle of Vyvanse. My daughter ran out of her own Vyvanse about a month ago, so to avoid wasting mine and paying another dispensing fee I just gave her mine. It was the same strength and everything, but that meant the pharmacy viewed her as being more than a month overdue. Even then, when mine ran out she went a solid week or more with nothing. She mentioned it the first day or two but thought she'd be OK. Then I went away (turns out I was gone four nights not three - I can't count), and her work is crazy right now plus she had to look after the pets and visit my mum in hospital, and she's had my Covid or a facsimile thereof with a bad illness. That's why I say she didn't even look like herself. She looked really bad.

When I was on Vyvanse if I missed a couple of days I was so earth-shatteringly shattered that I couldn't function. I was absolutely exhausted to the point I couldn't even brush my teeth.

On Dexedrine I don't feel much of a crash except that I get sleepy earlier in the night.





MatchboxVagabond wrote:

But, at least you're not having to deal with the BS right now in the US where there's an artificial shortage of a few key medications, which impacts the availability of all the other ones as folks switch to find something that works for them.


I know. I've heard how bad that is. We don't have any shortages here. We can always get the doctor to fax a repeat same day, unless of course it's the weekend. That's when they'll usually just front us a couple for free.


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