ADHD

9665 readers

86 users here now

A casual community for people with ADHD

Values:

Acceptance, Openness, Understanding, Equality, Reciprocity.

Rules:

No abusive, derogatory, or offensive post/comments.
No porn, gore, spam, or advertisements allowed.
Do not request for donations.
Do not link to other social media or paywalled content.
Do not gatekeep or diagnose.
Mark NSFW content accordingly.
No racism, homophobia, sexism, ableism, or ageism.
Respectful venting, including dealing with oppressive neurotypical culture, is okay.
Discussing other neurological problems like autism, anxiety, ptsd, and brain injury are allowed.
Discussions regarding medication are allowed as long as you are describing your own situation and not telling others what to do (only qualified medical practitioners can prescribe medication).

Encouraged:

Funny memes.
Welcoming and accepting attitudes.
Questions on confusing situations.
Seeking and sharing support.
Engagement in our values.

Relevant Lemmy communities:

Neurodivergent Life Hacks

lemmy.world/c/adhd will happily promote other ND communities as long as said communities demonstrate that they share our values.

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

Changed meds, now getting irrationally angry on downtime (lemmy.world)

submitted 9 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

9 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I was initially given Ritalin (10mg pills) to try out; I cut them into four pieces each and spread it over the next month and a half. It worked well, allowed me to work, and felt 'smooth'.

I ran out, found that they are expensive here (I was diagnosed and prescribed a week of pills - 14 - initially in Taiwan), and went to Thailand (neighbouring country) to get more. Turns out the place I went to only had Rubifen, a generic variant. It was about the same as I paid for Ritalin so I thought why not, and got enough to get me through the next year.

Fast forward a month and a half... when I am on my 'off' days (Sat & Sun, when I don't need to work or study), I am now reacting to things pretty badly. I snapped at my partner very easily, I almost put a window through because I knocked a bottle over, and generally had a miserable weekend. With Rubifen, I feel fine, able to complete tasks, work and whatnot. Without it I'm not sure I should be around other people. Is this normal? Will it level off or should I go and get something else instead?

top 9 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] [email protected] 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Being in charge of your own treatment without the help of medical professionals is dangerous. You might be having contraindications and not even realize. I would advise you to see a doctor and explain your situation.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago

I was diagnosed at one place and saw another psychiatrist in another to get my current prescription.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Sounds normal for some people and im sure your personal biology effects it. But yeah... That's typically what happens when you don't take stims. Withdrawal symptoms. I used to get that way by the end of the day when my Adderall wore off. It's sucked. In the end I just stopped taking it because it wasn't worth the rollercoaster ride of emotions. That irritability is what drives addiction. Be careful and tread lightly as you figure out the best usage.

In my case, in America, my doctor just kept increasing my dose... Which ended badly for me. Trust your gut feelings.

Maybe try a smaller dose?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Thanks, I will make sure I take quarters only. I guess it all builds up then by the weekend going cold turkey I just... ran out of spoons.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Just an idea; You might be able to supplement meds with caffeine to reduce the withdrawal.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

Thanks, I usually do have caffeine on the weekend but didn't for this one. Good idea to make it more consistent.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (2 children)

That's common withdrawal symptoms for amphetamines (what Ritalin is). Taking more will obviously alleviate the effects short term but make you more dependant and worsen when you'll stop, and taking less will eventually run into tolerance and stop working.

For the immediate future I suggest to take less if you can manage, and to take other, lighter stimulants on your off days ( caffeine is the big one, also try simply exercising for an hour to let out all the frustration and produce dopamine on your own).

[–] [email protected] 16 points 9 months ago

FYI, Ritalin (methylphenidate HCl) is not an amphetamine. Methylphenidates and amphetamines are considered separate drug classes for treating ADHD. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/11766-adhd-medication

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

Thanks, good ideas. I didn't exercise much outside of cycling (and some idiot managed to bump into me by not indicating so I snapped at them pretty badly), will make time for it this week.