ADHD Medication: Pros and Cons

Vyvanse was a game changer for me. I have to have it at the highest dose though. It makes me calm. I can think one thought at a time. I can concentrate on something for more than 5 minutes. I don’t feel on edge. My mood in general is more stable, no anger outbursts or irritability. When I’m not on it I get funky, shaky, fidgety and my head is on a swivel when any and every noise enters my space. I can be productive when I need to be. But productivity is a hit or miss in the way that, if I have something to focus on- super great. But if I don’t- like someone else said, hyperfocus takes me weird places. I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am without taking it the last decade.

Honestly life changing. What helped me the most is to get genetic testing called genesite testing. This allows patients to have an idea of which meds they can take and which ones they can't. My sleep is related, i can focus for an hour without struggling like i used to, my depression symptoms are managed a lot better. It's great! The worst thing about taking stimulants is having to make an appointment every 3 months because each prescription needs a new diagnosis code. But other than that its been one of the best decisions I've made in my life. Its also best to go to therapy as well before starting meds so they can help you navigate life

I take Vyvanse, it it works wonders to keep me focused and motivated. I get so much more done and it's so much easier for me to remember tasks and stay on my routines. The big thing that I feel is important to be aware of is that sometimes, if you *don't* have tasks to focus on, you're medicated brain will find one (when I first started the meds, I was on a school break and didn't have a lot to do, and I ended up hyper focusing on painting for 10 hours straight, no breaks for anything.) It's also important to remember to eat, since stimulants repress your appetite.

I love it, but I also only take my Adderall when I think I'm going to need it, particular school or work days, recently as I've been packing my house I'll take one to make sure I'm actually productive. But if I know I'm gonna have a chill day just lounging or going out with friends, I don't bother.

Also I would get irritable in the evenings when it would wear off

I find it easier to focus after I've spent a period of time eating clean

I took it for years and it eventually triggered an amphetamine psychosis. I do not recommend it

I found it helped with my irritability big time. I'm no longer crabby at the drop of a hat. Thankfully the one I've been on has never had to be changed.

I have Ritalin that I took regularly in school but not so much anymore. It almost feels similar to the Buspirone I have for anxiety attacks, it slows me down in a good way. One issue I had was instead of not being able to focus on anything I would hyperfocus on the thing I was working on, to the point where people sitting right next to me had to shake me to get my attention, but that didn't always happen so idk. It's different for every person, if you do decide to start medication like with anything it might take a few tries to find the right one

I have BPD and was put on ad****al (it was for focus difficulties not BPD but I see it’s a disorder we share). It really messed with me. Terrible psychosis anger and paranoia. It completely messed with my already delicate moods and wrecked my sleep. Made my intensity even more intense. Made me blind to consequences to my actions (I became much more impulsive and reckless). Made such bad decisions on it and it had a negative ripple effect through my life. I regret ever having taken it. It’s different for everyone but especially if you struggle with addiction at all be really careful. It’s fun and helpful until it’s really not. Despite how much I hate who I was when I was taking it, if I saw it laying around I’d still really struggle to say no. Tbf- I think I was misdiagnosed with adhd and it may be totally different if you have adhd. I just want to warn you to be careful because it really worsened my BPD symptoms. Best of luck to you I hope you find something that works for you!

I was put on one that started with a 'P' nd it gave me uncontrollable anger nd I was literally sent to 72 hour hold because of it.

Don't take it

I had bad side effects from the medication I was put on.. I also lost my appetite extremely bad and went into extreme stress before going into Psychosis. I wasn't on a stimulant, I was on a non stimulant where a side effect was Psychosis.. I'm on a waitlist to see another professional.. I am hoping for something I and my family just can't keep going on like this 😩😭

Honestly, it was life changing. I've suffered from depression and anxiety for 10 years before being diagnosed with ADHD and having no meds work, and my meds have helped me regulate my emotions and help me to focus on things I never knew was a problem for me (e.g. ADHD Paralysis). Like someone else said, only "down-side" is appetite, but personally, for me, I don't really see it as a downside as I have had issues with binge eating and am on an anti-depressant that causes me to eat more, this has helped me a lot to get to a healthy weight. It still amazes me when I take my meds and I actually get stuff done like washing dishes/doing chores and comparing to days I forget to take them. Really recommend them.

I found it incredible. It works wonders at making me feel centred and able to focus. The only real side effect I've noticed is a complete loss of appetite. I have to set alarms for myself, to remind me to eat.