hello! finally getting on the lemmy bandwagon

Mighty@lemmy.world to ADHD@lemmy.world – 310 points –

I was diagnosed at 36 (2 years ago), unmedicated so far, too many antidepressants to be taking add meds, hopefully changing it this fall. Good luck to all of you

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Funny meme.

27, got diagnosed about 1year ago and have been decreasing my anti depressants since then and will start my ADHD meds tomorrow. Here's hoping you get there too!

Kinda scared though not gonna lie, because I read the fucking side effects... Shouldn't have...

Edit: Thought I should give you all some feedback. Took the meds and I'm feeling fine. It's a very small dose for now though. 2.5mg which according to my Dr. should be barely noticeable but we'll adapt as time goes by.

What side effects are you scared of? (I'm nearly 40, got diagnosed and been on medication for about 6 years)

Concerta/Ritalin. Heart failure apparently and potential dependency :/ (not sure if these are the exact conditions in English as I'm not from an English speaking country)

I was also afraid of becoming addicted to them. Considering I can't remember to take them, I probably won't have to worry about that

Lmao that's too funny. But great news too :)

First up - I’m not a doctor, just well versed in this subject as a layman, I’m offering reassurance not medical advice.

If you’re talking about serotonin syndrome you might be worrying too much. It’s a very rare condition, and it is important to understand the side effects and what you need to look out for. If you’ve been honest with your doctor about what medications you take and how much you drink etc, their job is to provide you with the safe medications and advice to treat your condition. Try not to let anxiety about potential side effects creep in. You’ve done the right thing and informed yourself. Stick to your prescription, follow your doctor’s advice about alcohol and lifestyle, and don’t fuck around with your dosages. I’m sure you’ll be ok. This is an exciting time for you. You’ve been working towards this for a year and a new chapter in your life starts tomorrow. You have every reason to look forward to it Waker.

Hey! Thanks, that was a very wholesome read. I usually just lurked around reddit but lemmy is lemmy :)

I think the brand name is Concerta/Ritalin and apparently it's been connected to heart failure. And obviously has dependency concerns but... Yeah I'm probably worrying too much.

I don't drink alcohol at all or smoke anything, but I do take too much caffeine. I'll start to reduce it not only for myself but also because my shrink said that, while it's not absolutely necessary, I should try to cut back.

Maybe I'm confusing fear with excitement. :)

it's always a trade-off with effects and side-effects. some meds i couldn't deal with the side-effects. some i can, when the main effects are worth it. try them out, you can always go back

Which meds?

When I started taking adderall at about your age I felt similar so I tried to make sure I was covering all of my bases-exercise, sleep, diet, supplements, organization.

I’d suggest trying to stick to some new, productive, habits for the first 3-6 months. That will go a long way and set you up to be able to do less or get off over time, ime. Learn healthy habits with medication, easier to do them off the meds.

Good luck!

Concerta

Oh that's great to know! That's what I'm trying to do as well. A bit apprehensive on the exercise because the meds are supposed to mess with your heart and I'm way out of shape. I'm more active for sure, that was part of of getting off some anti depressants.

Consistency over quantity has worked well for me. Getting outside early, as close to when you wake up as possible, and going for a walk is a good way to build up to jogging. 15-30 min of cardio does a lot for cognition, doesn’t have to be intense either.

I regularly exercise on 10-15mg of adderall, and while I definitely sweat more and my HR is higher, I’ve never felt like the meds have made it dangerous to workout for my heart.

Thank you so much! Your feedback has left me more at ease. I was likely overthinking it.

Overthinking? With adhd??! Lol, I get that. Glad it helps! Nice with the small community here, seems more genuine.