I accidentally replied to the comment directly above this, then deleted it. Yup, I have ADHD. Anyways, here is what I said above:
Just commenting on your ways to cope with ADHD. I hate my Adderall, makes me feel like a robot and I get crabby at people for trying to be nice or social with me. I think meditation is an excellent choice. As far as alarms go, my Google calendar is decked out with all of my important deadlines with alarms set to go off. My real preference for treating my ADHD is marijuana. If I smoke just enough of a strong sativa, it helps me level off and allows me to actually focus on one thing. Problem with this is that I have a very very high tolerance, so I don't get very loopy or silly from smoking a few hits. A lot of people get absolutely silly from a little marijuana though, so I could see this method being awful for some people. Figured I'd put in my 2 cents.
Background: my family is rampant with learning disabilities and I have been prescribed to take approx 70mg of amphetamine daily for the last 10 years. Gf is a psychologist and says I have the worst ADHD she has ever seen.
Edit: in true ADHD fashion, I was so absorbed in this thread that I am now late for a med check up at my Dr office for my Adderall.
Don't know if you've tried it but I take Adderall XR. It's a slow release so it works through the day and because only a little bit it entering your system at a time, you don't feel like as much of a robot. I take 20 mg every day except for weekends so that my tolerance stays low and I also get a good burst of productivity at work at the start of the week. I've been on this kind of regimen for two years and it's helped me out a lot. Might be something to talk to your doctor about. In Canada at least, it would be a lot cheaper for me than smoking that much pot haha.
How did you find your doctor? A google search? I had a script 10 years ago and it saved me while going through a difficult and complicated business situation and now I face the same dilemma again. Last time I was in Las Vegas and all I needed to do was call a doctor from the phone book and for $150 he's come to the house and write a script. I'm in another state now and it's not so easy nowadays.
Honestly I'm not even sure I've taken it for so long. I've gone through a ton of doctors who have eventually retired and they just passed me on to whoever was taking over their clients. They are all at mental health facilities. I have to go every 3 months and they give me 3 scripts, one for that day and two that are dated 30 days and 60 days later.
Yeah my Adderall in this story is just the generic amphetamine whereas Vyvanse is brand-name(not sure if they have generic). Insurance sucks lol.
Edit: I don't think I was being clear here. I take generic Adderall aka amphetamine. I used to take Vyvanse, which is brand name, but not the same as Adderall. I am aware of the difference.
I am so frustrated in my state that I can't find a doctor to prescribe me Adderall without spending thousands in cash to go through all their protocols before I would even be considered for a script. I used it about 10 years ago when I needed to concentrate on some very complicated life and business situations and it saved my life. Now I am facing the same type of situation trying to run a business, supporting 5 people and taking care of my late mother's modest estate and I feel like I'm crashing & burning. I know an Adderall prescription would help me deal with this and not make any catatrophic mistakes but I can't find a doctor who I am confidant won't waste my time and money.
Luckily I've got my bases covered on having pot, so the price on that isn't an issue. I have been prescribed XR's before and I took Vyvanse for a few years. I prefer how they work over my amphetamine, but I still don't like it. I experience too many of the negative side effects for it to be worth it. Nowadays when I do take my Adderall (maybe once or twice a year tops), I cut my pills into 4 pieces and take one piece every hour or so. That seems to curb the intensity of the negative side effects a bit. I would be more interested in taking XR again, but I live in the USA and my health insurance is awful. It costs me $50 for a bottle of 60 30mg Adderall vs $340 for 30 70mg Vyvanse. Go American health insurance, wahooo!
XR is so much better than normal adderall. I've taken it for 15 years. I couldn't take the normal stuff because it felt like I was dying every 5 hours or so. With XR coming down is not terrible.
Oh god, I have that side effect with my medicine too. If I have just recently taken it, I get so irritated with people, and have to hold my tongue to keep from snapping at people. They are just trying to be nice and strike up conversation, but in my head I'm thinking, "Stop interrupting what I'm doing, leave me alone, let me do this thing. Go away."
I have that side effect even like 6 or 8 hours after I've taken mine. My girlfriend has wanted to cry while on dates with me acting like this repeatedly. I have to remind her that I can't help but be quiet and crabby in that state. She understands now, but at first she thought I hated her or something. Stuff makes me act and feel like a different person.
That was my situation too. I'm doing stuff, girlfriend gets home from work and wants to talk or whatever, and I give very short responses, I get a "You're mean" or "you're being an asshole". I'm not even trying to be mean, I'm just trying to get the conversation over so I can get back to work, it's just coming out in a bad way. On my meds, I'm an irritable person. To help her understand me, (She agreed to all this, she wanted to know how I felt) I let her take some of my medicine and had her work on her art. About an hour or two into it, when I knew it took hold and she was in the zone, I came upstairs and started talking about my day, she'd respond, wait a little bit, then ask a question. She got sooo upset, "leave me alone, I'm busy." But, after that, she understood what I felt like. She's much more understanding now, and doesn't get upset at me about that anymore.
I'm glad you were able to resolve that issue. My gf has taken Adderall recreationally and experiences euphoria so that approach wouldn't work with her, but luckily she is a psychologist and is pretty understanding of the situation. Especially considering how I only act that way on my meds and off them I'm a totally different person.
now i'm wondering if it's to blame for how i've been over the past like 6 months sometimes... i just can't stand irritating people anymore, they grate so much more than they used to
I have pretty severe ADHD and marijuana only makes it worse. It seriously worsens my memory, attentiveness, motivation, and hyperactivity, which ADHD already has problems with. It almost crippled me in life at one point and things got much better once I stopped smoking. Just saying different things work for different people, but I'm so glad you found something that's working. I'm combining Adderall XR and weekly therapy personally, and things are slowly getting better.
Yeah I totally agree with you, there is no end all solution and what works for some people doesn't work for others. I know people with ADHD that are definitely negativity impacted by smoking. I am just fortunate that I seem to have a naturally high(no pun intended) tolerance and I don't really get loopy or confused unless I am smoking a lot. Please don't blindly follow my advice, weed isn't for everyone.
Hey there! I don't tolerate Ritalin, Adderall, or Concerta, without nasty side effects. But, I have found incredible success with Vyvanse. My god, the difference on the Vyvanse and off couldn't be more stark for me.
Give it a look. If marijuana helps to tamp down some of the problems, I think you might have success with it. I also take a low dose (150 mg) of wellbutrin. The combination of the 40mg Vyvanse and 150mg Wellbutrin is by far the most successful treatment I have found for my ADD in 30 years of medications.
Ironically enough I used to take Vyvanse (70mg) and Wellbutrin (150mg) daily for about 3 years. I like how Vyvanse affects me more, but the side effects were awful. I'd get about 45min of sleep a day and have hardly any food. I was like 6 foot 3 and 150lbs so it wasn't cutting it for me. Love my Wellbutrin though! Plus, as I stated somewhere else here, my insurance is awful and a bottle of 30 70mg Vyvanse cost me about $340.
Fully understandable. I am a larger guy, so the calorie reduction is a good thing in my case. 6' , 300lbs @ 40mg. I did notice a sensitivity to increasing dosages. And yeah, the Vyvanse is really fucking expensive. With the discount program, I pay $40 a month, but who knows when that will run out.
For me, the Wellbutrin is part of the focus side of my treatment. I do have mild depression that is mostly related to the time of year (I live in Western Oregon, we don't see the sun for months at a time).
The come down from Vyvanse is fucking awful. But I take it every day, with no breaks. With other meds, I took them on an "as needed" basis. Vyvanse goes down with my morning cup of coffee or smoothie, every day. I was specifically warned about what could happen if I went off the Vyvanse without preparation (extra depression meds and mood stabilizer).
Not sure what you mean about treating depressive effects of failure caused by ADHD, I never had a total breakdown of functionality. It takes all my energy to function at a minimal level unmedicated. Now, I understand the phrases "normal" and "under control". But like I said, I have made a commitment to take my meds every day (along with a shitton of vitamins and supplements)
Vyvanse without preparation (extra depression meds and mood stabilizer).
Basically whenever I pull an all nighter to try to make up for lost time, but still fail. I'll come off of it too medicated or caffeinated to sleep immediately, and I'll have taken an additional vyvanse at midnight to work overnight, so for about a day after my test I'll have something equivalent to seratonin syndrome or temporary chemical imbalance/chemical depression.
Combine that with failing an exam and its not fun.
Wellbutrin is used off label for ADHD sometimes. I tried it for a while and it made me feel like a raving lunatic. I had energy but no motivation at all. I was depressed and anxious and very very angry all the time. Just saying, it works great for some people but there's a reason it's not a first line treatment. I take Vyvanse now and it's fabulous.
God, I hate my Adderall. The medication itself is fine, but the crash leaves me feeling so depressed and worthless.
I tried Vyvanse, which is GREAT if you only use it 1-3 times a week, but after taking it everyday for a week I turned into a huge, raging bitch. I couldn't keep taking that for my fiance's sake.
Have you tried taking L-Tyrosine about halfway through your adderall effectiveness? It helps to replenish the lost dopamine that leads to the crash afterwards. Also, magnessium is a must because it has been shown to reduce the neurotoxicity of long term amphetamine use.
No, I should try it. I've had to rely on betaine HCL to help my stomach acid when I take it or I feel terrible. I take IR rather than XR because of the stomach issue (sometimes when my stomach is really acting up I have to take it sublingualy) so I could take the L-Tyrosine in between.
I take 500 mg daily about 4-5 hours after taking adderall 25mg XR. it seems to potentiate the effects as they start to wane and reduces come down for me
One horrible crime about ADHD is, for how long we've known about it, and how much we've learned in the past 10-15 years particularly, most primary care and even older school psychiatrists are still quite ignorant about how to treat it.
The simple fact is... most people have to go through a dozen medications at several doses and in different combinations to find the right med for them. The chances of finding the "right" one that does everything you need it to with the least amount of side effects with your first prescription or two is exceedingly rare.
I don't know your medication history, but if you've only tried 3, 4 or 5 medicines, consider trying more, and at different dosages. There might be a med out there that doesn't have this side effect for you.
What strains do you enjoy? I too am trying to tailor my sativas to help me throughout the day. Nebula II is one of my favorites but I'm only starting to get familiar with this realm.
I live in a non-legal state so it's a bit harder to tailor exactly what strain I have access to, but luckily my cough job cough gives me access to a decent variety of medical grade nugs. I'll have maybe 4 top shelf strains at a time.
A good rule of thumb for me is anything that smells like gasoline or skunk. Really, it's anything that isn't indica dominant. Even sometimes a good indica does the trick for me. But most of the time, sativa's.
I think I'd have to say sour Diesel and gorilla glue are my fav straight sativa's for my ADHD (I also like getting ripped off of them too hahaha). I also like just having a little blue dream too. Blue dream has a really mellow background high for me that never really makes me feel like I'm a complete fucking idiot or like I need to take a nap.
Other times I love me some OG Kush to help.
So pretty much it's strong sativa's, or at least hybrids with a taste of sativa. But, if it came down to it just a hit of any strain will have me sitting good.
I also love dabbing, but find it harder to not get stupid high which isn't really a productive method of treating ADHD.
My latest method is using a volcano set around 350°F (rather than around 372° which I prefer for recreational use) and just sipping on a very small bag.
Just to put this into context, I'm also a Chemist. In other words, I'm not so absolutely blazed that I can't do intense math or follow tediously specific directions.
Your volcano tip is essential! Thank you. (Still haven't got a dab rig but appreciate the warning.) Will be sure to try that Gorilla Glue and Blue Dream.
My fiance has an extremely high tolerance and I'm an easy bake oven. We never incinerate our bud (as we save the vapoo for butter) but I'll keep a closer eye on what temp he sets (classic volcano).
It was actually only a couple months ago after having access to a mail order service did I realise I even enjoyed toking. Smoked since high school, never really was my jam despite partaking semi-frequently for decades (hated the sluggishness/paranoia.) Finally tried some sativa and my view completely 180'd. I also heard that women responded to sativa's better.
With the whole ADD addictive tendency, mine's online shopping for deals. Now I research and shop online for which strains will help me best. My current trouble is being sure to toke that baby amount to ensure a productive and focused high instead of becoming blazed as well. It certainly helps to take the edge off dexedrine.
I never really understood the whole "stoner culture" before but now I'm always on the hunt for a strain that can assist my "performance disorder". I even made a menu with Leafly readouts: so I can choose what best helps my mood at the time.
Nice! If you are an easy bake oven I might be cautious with Gorilla Glue #4(the strain I was referring to), it is pretty potent and may knock you on your ass if you aren't careful. I can smoke all day but my GF is also an easy bake oven (or as I like to say, a flower pants) and she gets demolished by the stuff. She also doesn't enjoy sativa's, but I think it's moreso the potency that gets her with this stuff. I def recommend the blue dream for you tho. Make sure to get the sativa dominant because it can end up indica dominant some of the time, like 25% or less I think but still it would be the opposite of what you wanted.
HA! lol awwwwe, thanks again for the tips Fart_Parade! Maybe suggest Girl Scout Cookies (original) for her? It was the first one I truly enjoyed ("where have you been all my life?!?"). And to be mindful of quantity smoked. In my waterpipe, I only use a tiny, almost embaressing amount. I used to try to keep up with everyone by taking huge hauls and holding it for way too long etc. No one taught me smoking procedure and etiquette. I'm only just figuring it all out now and I'm 28 lol. We even make our volcano bags rather modestly sized.
I'm sure there's a strain out there for her! Just takes some time to know what your body likes. Again, never really "got" weed until February 2017. And I've been living with someone who vapes erry day for 6+ years and only JUST got it. I hope she gets the chance to have her "happy high."
As a fellow ADHDer/stoner, I recommend checking out this article on how different vape temps create different highs. Super interesting read, and after trying out various temps myself with different strains (as low as 330° with a sativa first thing in the morning), I've found an amazing regimen that keeps my focus up, my energy even, and my productivity through the roof.
Yay for Chemistry! This is why I max out at 372°F. Benzene starts popping up at around 374 and that's the first carcinogenic chemical to appear at that temp range. I figure if I'm vaping I might as well just ditch all the cancer and blast my AVB.
From what I've heard cannabis deregulates the uptake (reuptake may be the word?)of dopamine so that could be a reason as to why it helps. From what I've read it more or less serves to increase dopamine levels, which is in large part what medication like dextroamphetamine in adderall does.
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u/[deleted] May 30 '17
How can I fix it?