Feeling of confidence

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I think this is the right forum in which to post this. If not, I apologize.

Several months ago, I started a common ADHD medication and started feeling very confident and strong. I felt like I could do anything and felt super about my abilities. The projects I tackled, even if they ended in failure made me feel as if I was learning and taking steps toward something great. I tried figuring out what was wrong with my lawn mower and took apart the float and cleaned it and the foam filter with gasoline. Even though it didn't work - the lawn mower was still surging, I felt as if I learned something and did what I felt was within my current skill set to troubleshoot the situation. Turns out, it needed hoses and a new carburetor.

I was doing math very well which is a big deal for me. I gained 4 grade levels in a few months.

I was taking apart and upgrading my computer. I'd never done anything like that before.

I was doing feats of great strength like moving a huge tree trunk a few feet in the yard.

Now, that feeling is gone and I want it back. I just need to know how without stopping the medication and starting again in a few months.

Also, I should also mention that at the time I was having this surge of confidence, I was watching the 2009 version of Sherlock Homes and I actually started to feel more logical, more analytical, more skeptical-minded.

Just asking you folks if you know of a way to get it back and have it stick.

The experience you had is not unusual for stimulants. What has happened is your body has habituated to them. It is normal.

You should not stop taking the meds just so you can wait a period of time and then get the initial exhilaration back. Doing that will put you on the road to drug abuse. You can ask your doc to up the dosage and you will get some of the same reaction you initially had for a while but again, you cannot keep increasing the dose to get that initial buzz back or it is drug abuse.

You need to accept that no matter what dosage you are on you will become habituated to it. I have been taking adderall for eight years. I feel normal when I take it but it helps me go through life with more motivation and less distraction. If I do not take it for a day the only thing I notice is I feel more tired. Even if I accidentally take a double dose because I forgot I already took the first one, I just get jittery like I drank too many espressos.

All that, thanks and yeah, I kinda figured that it was me getting accustomed to the new and totally awesome medication.

Just that I wish there was a way to get that feeling back without the aid of meds.

I also remember something else that triggered it: My desire for a two-story garage with an upstaris living space for my daughter so when she's in college, she'll have someplace to live that's both at home yet her own.

I know exactly what you are talking about. I had the same reaction when i started my adderall. I remember going into the basement and being really ambitious about reorganizing my tool area.

My diagnosis is ADHD, Autism, depression and anxiety

I take 30 mg Adderall XR (time released capsule) for my ADHD
40 mg Paxil (an SSRI) for depression and anxiety and
0.5 mg Clonazepam (a benzodiazepine similar to valium) 2X daily for anxiety.

My life is much better with these 3 meds than it would be without them. I take them as prescribed. Over the years my psychiatrist and I have tried a variety of me4ds and combos to finally arrive at what is most effective for me.

I went off my meds about 5 months ago for a one month period and the difference was very clear; these meds work for me. I am still an aspie, sociial interaction remains a challenge and I still feel anxiety although it is lessened.


Good Luck.