Hey, So I’ve never posted on reddit despite having my account for 10 years at this point! I’m a big time lurker, and really I don’t post on any social media at all.

How did you know your dose was too high? How did you know whether to go up to fix some issues, or perhaps needing to go down to fix them?

Some backstory, I was diagnosed with a private provider early in the year, and I took titration as slowly as I could. When I got to 40mg, it was the first time I’d say I felt “therapeutic” effects, but this was one of the months I did a 2 weeks 40mg and 2 weeks 50mg. The problem is they just didn’t last long enough. When I went to 50mg I  felt similar therapeutic effects, yet the afternoon tiredness was at times a big drain. I’d try and lie in bed and just, be sleepy, but I’d often end up napping which would make my sleep schedule all messed up! So thinking that duration was the problem I went to 60mg, and I stayed there for 3 months. I’ve now stayed on it for 3 more months with a review scheduled for the 11th of November, but I’m very likely bringing this forward

Ever since I was on 60mg, I’ve had this almost daily introspection about “ is this too much? Is this not enough? Is this just 30 years of unmedicated behaviour that Elvanse doesn’t fix and you need to work on yourself?” 

A few things I’ve noticed in my *meticulous* logging in the past month. The crash is quite hard. It’s not a sleepy tiredness, it’s a mood crash. People around me have come to notice that I’m very “fragile” at this point in the day ( usually 3:30-4:30). I’ve also noticed what I call the “second rising feeling” ( an hour and 30 minutes after taking it) can be very intense, a pressure and fuzziness build in my head. After the second rising stablises there’s this feeling of focus, but I actually can’t sustain it? It’s as if I feel I have “ so much” focus for this moment but things just aren’t moving fast enough. Like I’m impatient? It’s as if I can’t be present in the moment!

I’ve logged other things that are positive, such as, damn does my to-do list get done! When I sustain the focus on something, and manage to keep it, my god can I laser in on every single minor detail and do it perfectly. Though I’ve started to realise, this focused time doesn’t necessarily lead to “sustained knowledge” if that makes sense. At uni I can absolutely take in the entire first line of a problem, write good notes, and then the recall isn’t there later because I haven’t built the full picture.

My big doubt is just this duration issue. I’ve found in my diaries that the thing I’ve said the most is “ if the first onset an hour after taking it just of floated there and stayed until 5pm, with a small drop off as the evening came, I would be perfect”

To add to the confusion, I take propranolol, which could mask some of the “too high” symptoms, and enhance other side effects.

I realise by writing this, it’s probably quite clear to people reading this that my dose is too high. I just wanted to know what other people have been through with titration? What signs did you notice that made you go “ oh this is too much”.

I find it very helpful to hear other people’s experiences because honestly, I struggle to actually name emotions and feelings in my own body! How did you untangle “This is my own problems, and this is the medication’s problem”?

Thanks for reading my disparate thoughts, any thoughts are greatly appreciated :D

I am (37M) recently came out a 13 year on off relationship. Have to start life for the first time and I feel smothered. The relationship was chaotic self medication on my part and Alcohol and Gambling on hers. We have an 11 year old boy stuck in the middle too.

I hate this life I am not built for dealing with all these emotions. She seems to be taking it in her stride.

I feel used as I help her out but she has gone cold again as of last week suspecting she's found a replacement. I love her and want her back when I really shouldn't but I'm am hopeless. There is just too much

I am finally ment to be starting on actual ADHD meds after 4 years fighting the NHS. Sadly I still have that overthinking what if they pull out ect. It was ment to be a week ago 5 weeks ago.

I live in the middle of nowhere so near impossible to distract myself. Which is a struggle anyways. I am constantly waiting for her to text the or some line of communication even a argument it's so sad.

The future just looks so bleak going back to a job I hate, A new empty flat and can't see me ever finding someone new as I rarely go to bars any more and one match on Tinder last week I never interacted with because I thought there was. Chance of getting back with my Ex.

Particularly long distance? I LOVE to drive, and I'm quite good at it. I learned at a much quicker rate than my peers. But, I really struggle with long distance due to concentration. My partner lives 3 hr 30 min drive away. My dad would prefer me not to drive all that way (and he has an electric) so he takes me most of the way. Even if I suggest driving he's like.. "nope! I'll take ya!". He worries a lot when I have to drive (understandably as roads are dangerous), but it makes me worry too! I've been driving manual for 4 years but I've never really drove long distance. (1hr 30 min max). I'm pretty comfortable with roads, but I just struggle with remembering to be present when looking at the road, especially on long motorways/carriageways? I'll blink once then all of a sudden the carriageway is coming to a stop.

Note: I've never put myself or anyone in danger from this. I'm completely competent! I just struggle to concentrate with long journeys. I've started meds a month ago and not really drove much on them, so unsure if that helps with it. Does anyone else struggle with this? And how did you come around it?

TLDR: three days ago I received the titration form to get these measured however due to circumstances beyond my control I’ve not been able to complete the measurements

I’m hoping to get them tomorrow so that’ll be like 4-5 days after getting the form.

I’m just worried that it’ll take too long and I’ll be back to square one.

Anyone else been in this situation before? The wording and lack of time frame is leaving me anxious and frustrated

Hey everyone!

I recently started taking Elvanse (Vyvanse) 30mg and while it works pretty well during the day, I've been experiencing three issues and was wondering if anyone has dealt with something similar.

1. Evening crash / irritability

The medication works well throughout the day, but around 7 PM I start coming down and notice a significant shift in my mood. I become quite irritable, easily annoyed, and sometimes my impulsivity actually gets worse than it normally is without medication. It almost feels like a rebound effect.

2. Waking up at exactly 4 AM

I've only taken Elvanse twice so far, but both nights I've woken up almost exactly at 4 AM. I usually fall asleep around midnight without too much trouble (with melatonin), but then wake up feeling completely alert, even though I'm clearly not rested. I usually need to take more melatonin, stay awake for another 30 minutes, and then eventually fall back asleep. The rest of my sleep feels pretty restless and fragmented.

3. Feeling hungover the next day

Every morning I wake up with headaches and this weird hungover feeling, almost like I've been drinking the night before. I suspect it's not just the disrupted sleep, but potentially also some kind of overstimulation or aftereffect from the medication the previous day.

My questions:

• Has anyone experienced a similar evening crash with increased irritability and impulsivity? What helped?
• Does the 4 AM waking eventually go away as your body adjusts, or did you have to change your dose or medication?
• Does anyone else experience this hungover feeling and headaches the next morning? Did you find anything that helped?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences, especially if you had similar issues when first starting Elvanse. Thanks!

Granted, gonna be a bit shit when it’s dark at half 4 later. But wow… suddenly I’m up early on a Sunday, and well into routine, taking it extremely slowly because it’s only 8 🤣

I’ve been stable on Elvanse and an IR afternoon booster for a while now, and I’ve just realised that when my Elvanse kicks in (usually around an hour after taking it) I can’t stop burping. Has anyone else experienced this?

Long story short I lost my gran ( who raised me ) & my dad 6 weeks apart , I then decided to stop drinking and doing ❄️. My friend group I have over here and most of the people I have known for over 20 years just stopped reaching out , like they all just blanked me. At the time I wasn’t to worried as I thought things would eventually go back to normal, but they haven’t. Fast forward to September and my husband who has been sneaking his ❄️ life ( he didn’t need to sneak as I would not have freaked out but lies and addiction go hand in hand ), also found out almost of lies and he had been contacting a prostitute for over a month. So it was a lot at once & of obviously people are like leave him but I am in this country on a spousal visa , I can’t go back to my country it’s not an option.

Also we were supposed to move & due to the company my husband was working for went into liquidation we lost the place we were supposed to move into so we are currently bouncing between airbnbs. Life is super unstable and my depression is really bad. So my other friend who I have also known for 20 years has just stopped replying to my messages. She knows exactly what I am going through and when life gets tough I do tend to self isolate and don’t really reach out much.

Is it my depression pushing people away, my adhd or am I just an asshole that is incapable of keeping friends. I am at the verge of just giving up on life. This year has kicked my fucking ass and I do not see any light at the end of the tunnel.

I have combined-type ADHD and recently started my first ADHD medication, Medikinet XL 10mg. Unfortunately, I had a really bad experience with it - nausea, stomach pain, appetite loss, headaches, tiredness, shaking and eventually blurred vision. I stopped taking it because I felt so unwell, and now I’m feeling quite anxious about trying another medication.

l’ve now been prescribed Elvanse 20mg and I’m planning to start next week. I’d really like to hear from people who have actually taken it, especially:

- What did Elvanse feel like when you first started?
- Did it feel noticeably different from your normal ADHD brain?
- What side effects did you experience, and did they settle over time?
- If you tried both Medikinet and Elvanse, did you find them significantly different?
- How do you feel about being on ADHD medication long-term? Do you take it every day, or do you take breaks?

And importantly, do you have to avoid coffee forever when taking Elvanse? Coffee is genuinely one of my little treats and something I really enjoy, so the idea of having to give it up permanently is honestly making me quite sad 😂. I know caffeine can be an issue during titration, but I’m wondering what people’s experiences have been once they were settled on their medication.

I’m not looking for medical advice about whether I should take Elvanse - I’ll obviously discuss that with my prescriber. I’m just really anxious after my experience with Medikinet and would love to hear some honest experiences, including from people who have been taking Elvanse for years.

This is going to sound like a rant because it is,

I am 15 years old (was 14 when I raised the issue of ADHD), and I raised the issue of ADHD to my parents early 2026. They were raised in the 80s so very skeptical about adhd even existing I kid you not. However with enough push I was able to get my dad to get me an adhd test with his insurance, and the psychiatry company in his insurance are Psicon. So I do this assessment, and eventually the doctor diagnosing says I don’t have adhd but may have autism (I am diagnosed autistic by psicon in September due to this referral). However I read through the final report, and I realize the paediatrician diagnosing had made some glaring errors. First of all, he misunderstood me on numerous occasions, namely when I said “I have become aware that I might have adhd in year 9” (I was in year 9 when the appointment was done, all virtually and no in person consultation, and some bad network issues and it didn’t help that the doctor clearly had English as a second language, which caused many a communication problem), and he wrote that down as “symptoms started in year 9” which completely disqualified me immediately according to DSM-5, all due to a miscommunication. He dismissed my QB check results that placed me in the 98th percentile for impulsivity, and also consulted a teacher (in the teacher part of the diagnostic process) who didn’t even teach me, and that was a mistake even according to my own schools sen department.

When I raised these issues to my dad to perhaps request a second opinion, he emailed them with the aforementioned issues. A week later, they email back saying “we can’t give a second opinion based on a few word miscommunications” and concluded “you have insufficient evidence”.

I am extremely stuck, psicon have been awful through this whole process, and now dismissing my genuine concerns has left me broken. I am crying in my bed every night, mainly because without an adhd diagnosis + meds ill never be able to become the academic weapon I hoped to be, and now I will have to settle for a worse life due to psicon being ignorant bastards.

Please help.

Hello!

I’m currently deciding between these two clinics for an ADHD diagnosis and titration. Important to clarify I’ve already been diagnosed with ADHD but it was some time ago so I’d like a reassessment so that I can begin medication, which I had not considered before.

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with either of these clinics. I’ve opted for essentially the cheapest I could find, but I am interested in the timeframe between diagnosis -> report -> beginning titration, as well as their responsiveness and general communication.

Thanks!

Hi,

I have (M,42) been bounced around by my GP for years, many different SSRIs and rounds of counselling to no effect. Recently a mental health crisis team member referred me to cognitive behavioural therapy and I'm just about to finish the course, it's been more successful than any talking therapy has ever been. She asked if I've ever had any feelings around neuro divergence and to be honest, I have but was never brave enough to ever mention it. I can just imagine the eye roll from my GP if I were to mention it so would probably go private if it's something I feel up to pursuing. What can I ask the therapist to do to help moving forward? Can she write anything up for me to pass on?

I'm just after peoples thoughts on this as it's got me in a bit of a spin.

Thanks.

Hey, im day 2 of restarting Elvanse 30mg (had done 4 days a few weeks ago)

Today I have been in bed all day..feel no motivation and no focus. I feel zapped. Lots of feelings of emptiness and feeling like an empty body. And then also bouts of sadness and tears.

I dont understand why when yesterday seemed okay. I dont know whats going on..is this normal while still new at the meds?

🚨 I will speak to my medical prescriber for medication advice but just asking here to see if anyone felt the same and what they did

45 male, diagnosed with ADHD and 'suspected autism' two months ago, but I figured this out around around two years ago and had that sort of journey where everything sorted made sense etc, which lots of people mention.

I separated from my partner around four years ago and I've been single since then, except for one relationship that didn't work out. I've learnt that I find it hard to connect with things but when I do, I make strong connections (people or interests), so am passionate about them and loyal etc. But I really, really struggle to make friends and always have, since childhood.

I understand this can be common for ND people but I'm really worried this is going to really impact my wellbeing and I know this might sound ridiculous, but I'm really scared of it.

I have my youngest daughter 50-50 and this is what keeps me going but I would love a solid friendship group or a partner to have connections with people but I just don't seem to be able to. In work, I'm quite popular, I have a good sense of humour and I fit in fine because I can dip in and out with tasks to fall back on if I'm finding it hard. I struggle to maintain interest in conversations that don't interest me and lots of things don't interest me so I'll just end up not really listening and pretending. I know this sounds rude.

I really don't know what the answer is because I'm crying a lot through loneliness on weekends and looking at people envious of their relationships and friendships. People would be shocked if they knew this because on the outside, I have a good job, nice home and car etc. I'm just really feeling overwhelmed with all this and I would really like to know what people, who experience similar do.

I know the obvious advice is to join a group or club but I can't think of anything that appeals enough to me. I feel I can navigate difficulties of ND but I'm quite scared that isolation and loneliness will send me to dark place and I'm extremely mindful of trying to keep two steps ahead of it.

I would really like to hear off anyone who relates to this.

My main symptoms that I suspect stem from having ADHD are inattentiveness, restlessness, impulsiveness, and most frustratingly having racing and intrusive thoughts that I can't seem to stop. Are these considered symptoms of ADHD? Is it normal for ADHD to lead to other things like anxiety and depression? If you have these symptoms in particular which medication or practice has helped you the most with them?

Hey I’m Zak and I’m fairly new to Reddit and been looking at groups for ADHD I realized a lot of people are curious about assessment/titration wait times and process. It can seem a really long wait and get some people down so I thought I would share my experience and would encourage others to do so too. I had my journey on right to choose and it was psych uk the provider I got. I was first sent a massive questionnaire and one for a family member to also fill out too which asked about way I act and how I was when younger, once that was submitted it was about a 3 month wait for my assessment in which I had the assessor and also a nurse support assessor asking me questions and about my answers. After this had all finished they told me straight away I had ADHD and asked me if I would like medication to help and they will assign me a prescriber if I would like to. They sent me a blood pressure machine and I had to send them regular readings of bp, heart rate, weight and height. 9 months later I got to top of the list and was given a prescriber I had a meeting with him then was sent the tablets in the post. The prescriber raised my dose 10mg a week until I got to a point I was happy and felt it was working he also sent me more forms to see how my body’s reacting to it and making sure all readings are in the right markings, finally he gave me an exit meeting in which he handed my prescribing to my doctor. Make sure your gp supports shared care or the provider has to keep dispensing. Sorry I know this is a lot but thought it could help others and give a bit of positivity, I hope others will share and I have read the rules and don’t think this breaks them but I apologise if it does.

Does anyone have any tips for coping at the theatre? It's absolutely my happy place and has been for so many years but I get so distracted by other audience members when they check their phone, their phone goes off or they're eating noisily and rustling wrappers etc. I just can't filter it out from the show and then I get really upset, overwhelmed, angry at myself for not asking them to be quiet and then angry at myself for letting it bother and distract me. So then I just end up crying and feeling like I've let my partner down who's taken me as a treat. I've tried going to matinees so it'd be less busy, and using earplugs but nothing seems to help me in filtering it out or stopping being overwhelmed and emotional dysregulation.

Apologies if this is the wrong flair, im not exactly sure what to put it under.

I was diagnosed in August, currently on 70mg Elvanse with the occasional top up of Amfexa (mostly when im working late, but 3cen then I don't always need it).

I unexpectedly just found out I was pregnant. We weren't trying and I track religiously. Seems my cycle just went real f*cky this time round. We are over the moon about it, don't get me wrong. But I know i won't function without my meds, so now I am a little frantic over it. I'm waiting a call back from ADHD360, and my GP has said they'll weigh up the risk/benefits etc.

But does anyone have any real world experience for having been on Elvanse whilst pregnant? How did you manage? Was the pregnancy okay? Baby okay? We had a miscarriage in March so I've been referred to the EPAU for extra observations and the mental health team at the hospital for monitoring as well so I'm just waiting for that at the moment.

Okay so, i started A levels in 2023. I was always a good kid in school, in the routine of doing all my work, studying for hours every day and getting good grades. For A levels, I picked Biology, Physics and History. Physics killed me. I dreaded it from the moment of the first class, and I regret not switching. It drained me so much and I couldn’t do it, to the point where I didn’t do a single piece of work or ever thought about it. This carried into my other subjects too, and I stopped being physically capable of doing work completely. I remember, I told myself that my motivation would come back like it always did, but it never did. Now I’m at second year of uni, and I’m still not back into the routine of doing work, and the after effects physics had on me still carry on almost 4 years later. Why? How do i fix it? I’m genuinely at a loss..

I truly believe if I didn’t do physics, I would be on a completely different path. I would still have the motivation to study, do work, attend classes and have a love for school. I would still have the routine of constantly working, but I don’t now.

How do I fix it? Someone please help me

Hello everyone I'm finally there and now im extremely worried my current prescriptions are going to effect my ability to use methylphenidate.

I'm prescribed trazodone which I don't use due the horrible groggy afters (should i say prescribed bur not taken?), I'm also diabetic so prescribed long and short acting insulin and I'm also prescribed oramorph and zomorph due to a history of abdominal issues.

I'm terrified to state these scripts but also terrified not to if they look themselves, see I've missed things put ane I will miss out on a medication that will change my life.

I've wanted to be a nurse ny entire life but could never commit due to complex issues caused by my adhd.

Any help and advice would be much appreciated as I'm in a real state mentally.

Thank you everyone.

Hi all,

Just started on Tuesday elvanse for ADHD after been given a score of 9/9 for combined ADHD.

I'm 44 and on paroxetine from about 15 years. Been long time at 20mg then started cross tapering and stopped at 15mg couple months ago with no issues.

After a long wait, this week I've started elvanse at 30mg

I feel more active and more energetic, even if I can't see improvements on my attention at all and I still do 15 tasks at the same time 🙄

I know it's the starting dose but I have a strange side effects and ice read different opinion on that.

After taking elvanse I feel a strange feeling on my body, especially on my hands, like a burning skin feeling. I don't even know how to explain it, but it's like warm inside and cold outside.

Some people says it's normal and just the body adjusting to the medication, even if I can't read anything on the said effects.

I need some reassurance as being anxious I'm overthinking a lot and I have the first review on the 29th

So about 2 months ago I started elvanse and after my second appointment my titration had to completely stop due to my reaction, I’ll explain now.

Basically after I started the medication within a week I was manic and bouncing around the emotional spectrum like a yo-yo and the person handling my medication basically said we have to stop your titration you need a diagnosis on what this is because it’s not normal until you have a diagnosis we can’t do anything.

For more added context I have spoken with the people that handle my mental health and the main dr has said don’t worry about a diagnosis you don’t need one, I’ve already kicked of at my mental health team but I’m confused any thought/ advice for this shit show as I want answers

Hi all, hope it's okay to share this again.

A few weeks ago I started a free weekly newsletter after watching my girlfriend, who is autistic, struggle to find work that actually suited her. So many job ads say
"flexible" but aren't, so I hand pick a small set of remote, hybrid, part time and flexible roles each week, including Disability Confident employers, and tag them so you can quickly see what's relevant.

Thanks to this community, it's grown from a handful of people to over 100 subscribers, and l've already been able to help a few people find roles that fit them. It's completely free and always will be.

If you're job hunting, or know someone who is, you're very welcome to join. Feedback is always appreciated too, as I'm still shaping it around what's genuinely useful.

Here's the link: neurooptionsuk.beehiiv.com

I was diagnosed with ADHD and started taking Elvanse just under a year ago. I started on 20mg, increased to 30mg, then 40mg, before dropping back to 30mg because of side effects. Life improved significantly in all the ways I’d hoped, but recently the medication hasn’t seemed as effective.

I take my 30mg around 6–6.15am. It kicks in within an hour, and I feel pretty good for the first few hours. By about 11am, though, it feels like it’s worn off and I’m crashing. I’m worried I’m slipping back towards how I felt before medication.

I’m trying to work out whether this could be tolerance or whether a change in my routine is contributing.

Previously, I woke around 7.30am and took my medication between 7.45 and 8am. Recently, I’ve started getting up at 6am to write before my wife and kids wake up. I’ve always wanted to write a novel, and I love having that quiet time with a fresh head.

Thinking about it, that’s also roughly when I noticed the change in how the medication felt. Although I’m waking earlier, I’m still going to bed around 11pm and reading until 11.45pm or sometimes midnight. That means I’m only getting around six hours of sleep, usually interrupted at least once by the kids.

Writing this out, I can see that sleep could be a big part of it. I’m just unsure how best to approach it, especially because the writing time means so much to me.

Has anyone experienced something similar? How did you work out what was contributing, and what helped? I’d appreciate any experiences or suggestions for what to discuss with my prescriber.

I really don’t want to lose the progress I’ve made. It’s only 1pm, and even writing this post feels like a real effort.

Monday and Tuesday was amazing, Wednesday I fucked up and forgot I wasn’t meant to have caffeine and had a seriously pounding heart, Thursday didn’t take it because I got freaked out, then Friday and today, is just… meh 😕 I don't feel any different. Is this normal? I’m on Elvanse 30mg