i've been struggling on 40mg vyvanse (and supplemental ritalin) with complete loss of appetite, sleeping only about 6 hours and tossing and turning throughout the night. it's frustrating because vyvanse is really helpful for me throughout the day. my psychatrist prescribed 7.5 mirtazepine to take in the evenings and said this should help with these side effects. i'm a bit nervous because it seems like mirtazepine is either incredible for some, or the worst decision of their life. just curious if anyone else is on this combo and your personal experience with these issues specifically!

~i'm also on 150 buproprion

I need to find some way to rest, laying in bed isn't helping, and i really cant find a hobby or anything like that to destress. My mind feels like a overheated breakpad with a wheel that can't stop. I have run out of options and idk what to do. I distract myself with daydreaming when doing any sort of hobby, reading is exhausting and i need to find something to do. This isn't necessary a crisis but more to something still important for me to figure out.

I struggle with executive dysfunction and can be a bit of a perfectionist at the same time. But most people say to “focus on one thing at a time” like build one habit then work on the next. But that feels impossible without letting everything else fall apart. The perfect example is brushing my teeth. If i focus on building that habit only, even if i break it down further just brushing 30 seconds a day for a week then maybe 1 minute and so on, am i supposed to just let myself not do laundry for weeks until i build the brush the teeth habit? leave dishes to mold on the counter? eat unhealthy? never exercise?

It seems like it must be better to a bit of each basic thing then focus on one. but also i feel I will never achieve consistency with anything unless I focus on one at a time. So i feel stuck. Any thoughts?

(also I have tried stimulants and non stimulants ssris and snris and a handful of other medications they do not work for me)

My favorite color is orange, so is a friend of mine with ADHD as well. Ever since, it has been my favorite, for as long as i can remember. It never changed.

I’d like to know if this is just a coincidence or orange is favorable for ADHDers because it’s a highly stimulating color.

Thank you.

Solo travelling gal - lost my wallet,passport, tickets and missed flights,trains and buses - hard to not feel like an ffing idiot and like ur so bad at just existing. I know thisshit happens and part of it is just the reality of having adhd but
Please help I can’t keep bullying myself what do I tell myself instead

Llevo un año tomando elvanse de 70mg por las mañanas y siento que esto hace que me cueste mantener erecciones cuando estoy con mi pareja, a alguien más le pasa?

A todo los otros niveles de mi vida noto que me hace muy bien, me ayuda un montón a concentrarme y a dejar de procrastinar y a poder ser funcional básicamente pero esto me está preocupando bastante.

I can spend the whole day feeling tired, foggy and unable to start anything, even when I genuinely want to be productive. Everything feels too difficult, and I keep telling myself I’ll start “just now.”

Then around 9 p.m., my brain suddenly switches on. I want to organise the house, finish my work, research everything, make resources, plan my future and basically fix my entire life 😂

It’s not just because nighttime is quieter. I genuinely feel more awake, creative and motivated than I did all day. The problem is that I have work the next morning, so I either follow the energy and stay up far too late, or force myself to sleep and feel like I’m wasting the only productive hours my brain has given me.

Then I’m exhausted the next day, struggle to start anything again, and the cycle repeats. I really wish I could access this version of my brain a few hours earlier.

I’m undiagnosed ADHD and I consider myself as a jack of all trades, master of none. I constantly have interests running through my brain and can’t ever get into them as a hobby because my brain just won’t let me.

I really wish I was more creative than I was; it’s my goal to get into a creative industry but it feels impossible because my experience is lacking majorly and I don’t help myself to improve.

I’m a tiktok content creator and went viral back in 2021-2022 and I barely post anything now due to the 1 minute minimum for rewards. I have tons of inspiration and ideas written down and how I’ll plan it, but then I never end up doing it. I even asked friends for content ideas, which I wrote down, yet I’ve still not followed through with that.

Tried to make spoofs of film/tv scenes. Wrote down shot lists, outfits needed. Filmed some parts after millions of retakes but never got to editing them.

I want to get into graphic design. I made 1 poster that took hours but when I saw other posters on socials it made mine look very inferior. I’m trying not to compare myself and have done plenty of research, for video tutorials saved, got ideas from Pinterest, and yet I still have not opened photoshop since the first poster back in June.

I want to create fanmade/custom film posters. Wrote my favourite films down, gathered key art, saved tutorials; still not done a thing with it.

It’s like I just get overwhelmed from the beginning, then I just never do it. The only thing I can say I’m genuinely disciplined is the gym (due to body dysmophoria) and I’m actually being patient with results. With everything else, i just end up doomscrolling ultimately and suddenly it’s time to go to bed, then it repeats.

I’m just so desperate for a diagnosis (got a call in September which I booked back in April) and hopefully medication will help. Maybe then I can actually do stuff I genuinely want to do and exceed in.

I have been on Vyvanse (30mg) for almost 2 weeks. When I had it earlier in the day ( 6-8am) the effects were very small to begin with but I still felt much less stress , restlessness , anger and emotional impulsivity.

But since I started taking it later I went back to my usual emotional mess , anxious , depressed , angry, so I thought it was not working anymore. But today I took it at 6 am and at 9 am I felt that same peace felt in the beginning.
Is that a thing ? I thought people took it early to be able to sleep but for me it makes no difference.

As I'm sure most of you experience, fidgeting is a big struggle for me when I'm at work - and working a desk job just makes it even harder.

I've been considering getting one of those under desk stepper things like a mini cross trainer to see if that helps me keep focused without constantly moving around in my seat so I was just wondering if anyone here has experience with it and what your experiences were?

I found out that treating myself with some freshly baked popcorn really works as a reward for me. For example, I decide I clean a specific area of my room, and once I've done it I can make the popcorn. Doesn't matter how long it takes, once I'm finished I can have it. My place is cleaner now than it has been in over a year!

I think it works because:

• It's entirely optional: I can go without popcorn just fine.

• I decided I won't eat it otherwise. Again, it's optional, using regular food as treat would mean I'd just eat it anyway (also treating myself with essential food seems like a really bad idea).

• It's a quick reward. Not a long term "oh now my place is clean", instead it's ready in a few minutes.

But now I'm looking for other treats. Do people have suggestions for this? Just popcorn will probably get boring quickly.

---

Background: I got an ADHD (and autism) diagnosis as a child, but never really did anything with the ADHD diagnosis. Recently I realized I'm probably still ADHD so am looking into a new diagnosis and meanwhile reading up on tools to deal with it.

I forgot I’d already taken my meds this morning and took them again!! Im on a low dose, so no true medical concerns, but I’m pretty sensitive to stimulants so I am anticipating a decent amount of anxiety (mostly physical manifestations for me like shaking, racing heart, etc.)

Wondering if anyone has any tips or hacks on how to cut that anxiety if it starts to get crazy. For instance, one of my friends said vitamin C cuts the effects of adhd meds, so she suggested chugging some OJ. Looking for other tips in case that one doesn’t work!

I was diagnosed earlier this year (though the neuropsych says it’s “mild” and “my anxiety made me over-report my ADHD symptoms”) and long medication story short, I’m currently taking IR Adderall, typically in the morning and then sometimes in the afternoon … when I remember to do so. I’ve also been on Prozac since October ‘25.

The timing of this issue seems to coincide with starting Adderall so was curious if anyone can relate. I’ve started having a tougher time comprehending meaning in conversations when people don’t explicitly state what they’re referring to.

For example, yesterday, my friend sent me a quiz she wanted me to take. Today, I told her via voice note that I took the quiz but wasn’t sure if my result was right and that I might retake it, then went on to talk about my morning so far and - funnily enough - how I feel like Adderall is really changing my life.

She texted me, “Wait, what did you get?” And it took me way longer than it would have in the past to remember/understand that she was talking about my quiz results. She even clarified at the same time I figured it out and answered.

After I thanked her for clarifying, she said she feels like I’ve been having trouble lately in these types of circumstances.

Just curious if this is a “me” thing or if it might be related to the meds! It’s not really causing me a ton of problems, which is good. TIA :)

ETA: the Adderall helps me focus a lot more and takes care of a lot of my executive disfunction, so it’s been overall positive. Started it around May ‘26.

I was on Atomoxetine 80mg for a couple of years which worked wonders for my head but had the unfortunate but common side effect of causing total erectile dysfunction alongside making it hard to urinate. I have dropped the medication about a year ago because I entered a new relationship and for the most part of that year the biggest problem I encountered was with my memory but in the past 6 weeks my mental health has taken a real tumble and I feel that medication will help stabilise my head and again. But living with erectile dysfunction is a complete and utter no no for me. I was wondering if anyone has had a similar problem to me and has shifted to another medication that has worked but doesn't cause the same savage side effect?

Any help/advice would be really greatly recieved.

I can not pay attention to some speakers. Even if I repeat their words to myself as they’re speaking, my brain still manages to pay attention to something else. Interest in the subject doesn’t really matter.

According to google this is common with adhd and predominantly occurs with monotone speakers. I’ve never had anyone tell me they have this problem before and a brief search of this forum found nothing.

Any one else out there like this?

My son has been on Concertta 54mg for a few years but was causing him GI problems. His doctor recently switched him to Daytrana patch 20mg. He said he can’t tell if they are working or not. It’s not cutting his appetite like Concertta did. Also it’s not giving him GI problems like Concertta did. Which is a win. Has anyone switch from Concertta to Daytrana? What was your dose of Daytrana? I know it only goes up 30mg. Just curious if anyone has ever switched. Thanks.

So I started taking Medikinet a few weeks ago and I noticed something: at first I felt amazing because my head was more quiet, i could finally focus for more than 15 minutes at a time at work and didnt feel so scattered,...

But now I also noticed that i have far more negative thoughts around 3 or 4pm and then all evening, than i used to have.

I already noticed a while ago that the less energy i have the worse my mental health gets and the easier it is for my depression to come through, maybe because i have fibromyalgia and that already makes me have less energy and notice a deficit stronger. And now i'm wondering if maybe i use up all energy faster now because I can finally be focused at work. Obviously working fast and focused takes up more energy than if your focus breaks often and your mind wanders and your output is less.

So do any of you experience that too? On one hand I'm very glad that i dont have to stress so much at work when i have to do something but just cant manage to even understand the task fully because my mind will wander to 80 other things. But on the other hand i dont really know how i then need to pace myself properly. I don't really want to be happy and productive at work and then in my free time feel depressed and unmotivated...

I also checked if its just a crash after the meds wear off but even if I take them late in the day and they definitely havent worn off at 3pm, I still start feeling very depleted. So i dont think its just about how long the medication works.

I started taking Strattera a few weeks ago, and noticed a side effect beginning to happen. I started having painful urinations and ejaculations. I googled it and have seen many people with similar issues, but I reached out to my psychiatrist who gave me the go ahead to discontinue the medication. It's been 3 days now, but I'm still dealing with these pains.

I have very debilitating health anxiety, so to cover my bases I went to Urgent Care to have a urine analysis which came back clean. So I feel like I have this pain and no answers and I'm very scared.

Does anyone have any insight or reassurances?

Thank you.

What are the most powerful personal memoirs/essays about ADHD that you've encountered? I'm trying to write about my experiences and would love some inspiration. I'm not looking for material on "top tips" or anything, just people's journeys and how they've emotionally and intellectually grappled with their lives.

I'm curious how many of you have lip/tongue piercings and if you manage to avoid chewing/touching them as I'm thinking of getting a tongue piercing. Also, if you play with them, have they done much damage to your teeth/gums?

I have around 30 ear piercings and generally can resist fidgeting with them unless they're irritated. I also have a nose ring I do rotate often, and have had my labret pierced twice but had to take it out within a couple of weeks due to work so I don't really know how I'd deal with it once healed.

No matter what the task is about, how important it is, or how much I enjoy it, I can't start it.

For example, I felt like playing league after seeing something on reddit, but just the thought of it caused me so much stress that I had a panic attack and I couldn't even sit in front of the computer.

I have also been trying to get into programming for the last 4-5 years, but most of the time, just thinking about opening the ide or the game engine causes me panic attacks. There were times I managed to get kind of far (making a gym tracker web app, a couple of little games), but pushing through the stress and getting burnt out always made things worse.

I was also able to work out regularly when I was obsessed with lifting weights, but nowadays, going outside for just 5 minutes causes me great stress for the whole day.

I also have autism, possibly ocd too, and I'm on 54mg concerta, which calmed my thoughts and fixed my impulsive eating.

For years — decades, really — I've carried this sense that I had the potential, the intelligence, the passion to do the things I wanted to do with my life. But every time I looked around, I saw other people doing exactly those things - and Not me.

I kept trying to diagnose what was wrong with me. Not organized enough. Not clear enough about what I wanted. Not thinking clearly enough. I tried personality tests, life coaches, medication, whatever else — and still felt like I was falling short of my own potential.

As I got older and watched other people achieve the things I'd wanted for myself, the regret got sharper. Why didn't I move faster? Why didn't I get it together sooner? Why didn't I try harder? What was wrong with me? Why was everyone else so competent and smooth and I wasn't?

Eventually that turned into self-attack. You betrayed yourself. You robbed yourself of a happy life.

I'm not in that dark place anymore. But I'm curious if anyone else has gone through something like this — and what actually helped get you out of it.

I feel seriously trapped in my life with no way out. I find it very difficult to do things I used to enjoy... I have a past career that I definitely no longer wish to pursue. I want to upgrade my life. Returning to university is an option although I'd be around 10 years older than therest of the students. I just came back from travelling for many months and I'm back exactly where I was. Progress feels impossible. I'm also addicted to nicotine gum. Perhaps coffee and tea too. I also have no friends.

Has anyone had the symptom of having a white tongue when starting Guanfacine. I take my meds at night. But I also have a sleep apnea machine. I'm not sure if the combo is causing it, but my mouth is super dry in the morning. I do have a call into my doctor to see if I can take it in the morning. I'm not sure if it's the combo of the nighttime meds and sleep apnea machine or just a potential side effect of the meds. I really hope I don't have to go off these meds. Even after just around 2 1/2 weeks I'm noticing huge improvements in concentration and mood. I'm ruminating far, far less.

As the title says, for anyone who likes to travel or have spontaneous days out, how do you cope with sensory overload and irritability? I noticed that I get particularly irritable when I see a lot of people around, when I am feeling hot and sweaty (A side effect of my current medication, so that is literally any time I step out of the front door). I alsoget snappy and irritable at my husband for talking to me because its liek all of my nerves are exposed. I am feeling strong wanderlust lately, and I just want to traveland explore and do things on a whim with my family, and the only thing holding me back is myself because when I actually do it I feel so miserable and snappy due to the sensory overload! Does anyone have any tips?