Started with my ADHD drugs this month, they don't work!

Hi all,

I am new to this blog and I am very happy to see so many people here with the same problem as me and I don't feel alone anymore

Where I come from ADHD almost doesn't exist,...I mean I have never heard no one talking about this, it is almost not mentioned in any newspapers, there are no blogs, almost nothing on the internet about this! People will say ADHD does not exist and that I am just lazy and shuld go on with my life. Which I was doing with anxiety and mild depression.

I am 29 years old and I have found out I have ADHD from a movie, funny I was really skeptic about it at the beginning but then I realised after searching on the internet that I have all the symptoms. I am currently studying in Canada and I had an option to go and test myself for ADHD. They confirmed that I have combined ADHD and Matematics disorder.

I have started with concerta 18mg one pill per day on the 1st of April. At the beginning I couldn't believe, how great it works and I was immensely happy. After 15 days it stopped working I had severe insomnia and really bad side effects, paranoia, suicidal thoughts, extreme anxiety, I was crying for 2 days for no reason, chest and throat pain, shortness of breath, my heart was going crazy and I had a panic attack. I never felt so bad in my life.

I was so scared I stopped taking them. I went back to my GP and described everything. I must say she never asked me if I am allergic to anything or if I have problems with my heart (which I don't) or she did not read my ADHD report from my Psychologist. She just prescribed a new drug for me Dexedrine 10mg I took it the next day and it was not working at all. I did not take any pills for the next 3 days. Went to the GP again and she just told me to get a higher dose of dexedrine 20mg per day. I asked her before, if I could get a smaller dose because of my insomnia but she said no it is ok you will be fine.
I took one dexedrine 10mg again yesterday at 2pm (I know I shouldn't take it so late), but I have my final exam in 2 days so I wanted to study because I was feeling extremely low. I was feeling very euphoric and I smoked a lot but did not study at all, could not focus. Did not fall asleep until 7am (my fault I know).
Today I did not take any pills and can not study. I don't know what to do. I feel really anxious right now.

I know I have written too much and probably no one will even read this, but I already feel better just writing this down somewhere.

I am happy that there are people out there talking about this.Thank you so much you saved me, just with your words!!!!

Love, Tara

Tara,
This is okay and normal when you start on meds, trying to find the correct dose. There are a great many of them. And there is no way of knowing what medicine and dose will work for who. A 300 lb man may need a smaller dose than an eleven year old girl.
It is trial and error at first. When you get used to a medication you will not really "feel" it but will be calmer and better able to sit still and accomplish things. Others will notice it probably. You will feel calm, peaceful, awake, alert, and in a better mood. It will make it so you can think and you are less forgetful and spacey.
If it makes you feel speedy or tired, and you have been on it a while and are used to it, the medication is either not right, or the dose is too much or little. That is one weird thing....a little too much will make you sleepy, a lot too much will make you speedy.
Best of luck, I know its frustrating, but once it is right, it really will help you and be a blessing. It may take a while. I am on Ritalin 20 mg three times a day, it works well. I've also taken Adderal, which worked well; Strattera, which didn't; and Vyvanse, an extended release dexedrine which was wonderful and calming, but not particularly motivating (I COULD focus, but I really just wanted to do crafts and make cookies and love everyone). Also, it just was hell on my sleep. Ritalin wears off quickly....I like that. I can take my last dose between 4 and 8 pm, and it doesn't affect my sleep. (Actually, I can easily sleep on most adhd medicine....for some reason, not Vyvanse, though.)
I will be thinking of you and praying you find relief. When you do find it, it is blessed. After a month or so of effective adhd relief, I thought, "Oh! If only I'd had this in college!"

Also, watch out for orange juice or tums! Orange juice or anything really acidic do not mix with adhd meds, and if taken simultaneously or close together, can negate the effect. Supposedly this is an "urban legend", but neither amphetamines nor ritalin (a quasi-amphetamine) work well in an acidic environment.
Tums make your stomach more alkaline, and make the medications stronger....I didn't know that, or at least not consciously....til I did it....I hadn't "felt" my medication for years, and it was like "OH! Hello!" I could definitely feel it, really feel it, and that's not a good thing, because it IS a pleasurable sensation, and you don't want to rely on that or crave it. That's not the purpose of it.
So just be careful with what you eat and drink right when you take it, an empty stomach is best, but it's not like you have to obsess about it, most things will affect it very little, and it's not like it will kill you or make you sick. Just be aware that foods can have a marginal effect on it, as well as other medicines. And if you take it with, say, Red Bull or something, it may make you either jittery or tired.

Tara, it's okay to feel overwhelmed. It's hard finding the right medication and the right dose for any mental ailment. For example, for a while I had mood stabilization on my medicines, but now they have stopped working. If it wasn't for my mood journal, I'd be a mess.

I agree with everything Joker Girl says here. I've been on generic Adderall 20mg 3X per day and also take my final dose around 4pm. I actually have a harder time going to sleep if I take the last dose earlier. As the meds wear off the ADD brain starts with all the racing thoughts, so it makes sense that having the meds still working a little helps you sleep. I thought Ritalin was a little inconsistent, Vyvanse was okay (Both of my daughters take this), but I liked the quick acting Adderall the best. I found the right dosage quickly and it has not changed in 4 years since my ADD diagnosis.

I hope you find the right med and dosage soon

I also agree w/ Joker Girl. The only thing I would add is some meds take longer to kick in. The first med I took worked w/ in two weeks. I'm taking a new med that takes 6 weeks.

Stay strong

Thank you everyone!!! Thank you, thank you!

HI, The standard MD doesn't know enough usually. Psychiatrists also may not know. Try the internet for people. - they have sources at this site. Around here a lot of groups meet or post meetings at the library. Maybe you can find others in your area. The best start is ritalin, but it only lasts 3 1/2-4 hours, but it can give ideas. Took it for 15 years. Concerta is long term and can act differently. Took 4 months but it gave me bad depression - the real stuff, not bad thoughts.

I also keep hearing about dexetrine, but never knew anyone who took or perscribed - don't know. Caffeine is a short term thing. Coffee is preferred. I Went through college on a gallon or so of pepsi a day. It gave me back some control. Even took it to sleep.

If the MD you use doesn't recommend fish oil - dha - lots of it, he/she is out of the loop. It's pushed a lot for this, other things as well, but I don't know about them. Some recommend some vitamins. You can do some web search for other supplements - it's your body that's out of whack - so it's individual. What does scare me is people who take meds just for certain situations. ADD is like diabetis, high bood pressure, any medical problem - it's always there injuring you, and it's systemic. When I got on meds, I made a list of changes that occurred when medicated. The list for physical was 30, for psychological/emotional/cognitive - only 24. This is going to take time. Keep a daily log - that will help you observe good and bad changes.

Hi guys,
just another question. Is dexedrine dangerous?????
Now I am worried as Kath said that she does not know anyone who took it. And was surpirsed that anyone would even prescribe it.
I took another pill od dexedrine 10mg today. I am worried now.

Also, generic is different. I took ritalin and generic ritalin. Generic put me through the roof, but regul was great.

I am sorry for being ignorant, but, what is the difference between generic and regular medicine?

Name brand meds are the original med created by the drug company, like Adderall.
When their patent runs out (I think) other companies can create their own version of the med. Generics cost less and are supposed to be just as good. Not always true though, as with Adderall in my experience.

Honey, no, dexedrine isn't dangerous, any more so than anything else, it is just another medication. It is an amphetamine, the same as Adderal. Vyvanse is nothing but extended release dexedrine. I found it to be "smoother", sometimes Ritalin and Adderal are kind of up-down-up-down and even if you can't really "feel" it, you spend less time with just the right amount of medication in your system than you do either coming up or down. When you first are prescribed, it is not unusual to actually feel yourself coming up or down...after all, it IS a stimulant...a strong one. But quickly, you become accustomed to it. If you have been on it a while, and think it isn't working, skip a day. I used to take weekends and holidays off. Then I figured, why? My adhd doesn't take the weekend off! It is unpleasant, you feel even spacier and bouncier than normal, you are tired, and irritated, and hungry. The knowledge that I am indeed tolerant to it bothers me, but it is simply a side effect, and it is what it is. I don't abuse it. I will probably have to take medicine for it the rest of my life, or else I will be a spaz, I will create panic, chaos, and disarray, and I will feel crazy. It is much easier to think when medicated. I'm smart. I did well in school. I obtained two degrees. But I had to read and reread everything. I used to copy my notes over and over to make it stick in my head. I was an honor student, and I didn't find my work difficult....I just couldn't focus on it for any length of time. I struggled, I procrastinated, I crammed, I lost papers and books and forgot about tests and what room my class was in, or to bring a pen.

I found a temporary, less than healthy way to medicate myself....without even knowing it. No one talked about adult adhd in 1990! I would go to the convenience store after class, and buy a bottle of Jolt (like Mountain Dew, with more caffeine!) and a bottle of these nifty things my friend introduced me to called "mini-thins". Each one contained about 25 or 50 mg of Ephedrine, which I didn't know what that was. My roommate took one to study, but that knocked me out (sudafed, also, knocks me out). So I would take about four, with a big swig of Jolt, and get down to business. You can't buy them anymore, because people make meth out of them. I didn't know that either, or what any of it meant, only that I could sit still and read when I took them. Just like when my friends did cocaine. They wanted to dance. I wanted to do homework!

Generic means the medicine is produced by someone other than the original manufacturer. For a period of time after a medication comes out, the manufacturer holds a trademark on it. That means no one can duplicate it for a period of time...it is like a patent. Vyvanse, even though it is basically dexedrine or dextroamphetamine, has a lysine molecule attached to it, so that it dissolves in your intestine. This makes it "abuse-proof", what Shire, the manufacturer, pushes, to encourage them to prescribe it over, say, Adderal. Of course, just because snorting it would be ineffective doesn't mean people won't abuse it...they just take extra.

Ritalin, brand name, is produced by Ciba. The generic methylphenidate is produced by several companies, including Sandoz, Watson, and Mallinckrodt. The generic preparations differ only in the use of different fillers, and should contain the same amount of the actual drug, and are considerably cheaper. 90 generic 20 mg Methylphenidate, here in town, are $18.00 (until we reach our deductible, then it is covered). 90 name brand Ciba Ritalin 20 mg are $125.00. We have now met our deductible ($3,000) due to my stupid knee, so it is covered...but up until then, I shelled out the extra cash for the name brand. Why? Because I swear, some meds, there is a difference...and this is one. Sandoz generic is excellent, but they haven't had it here in years. We have experimented. I have tried all the generics, and saved some....and my husband has tested me, with my eyes closed, not knowing if I had taken a yellow Ciba tablet, a white Mallinckrodt, or a pink Watson....and I am right 90% of the time. It is subtle, but I can tell, and the generics, to me, are less effective and do not last as long. It is hard to describe something so abstract as a general "feeling" and how they seem to work differently, or even BE different, as they shouldn't be much, and maybe I'm just nuts (probably)....but I just like the name brand ones better....a lot better. People have strong feelings about different generics of other psych medications, too.

joker girl thank you. Everything you told me is like gold to me. It is so great to hear that you have 2 degrees. I hope I get my degree to. I just need to find the right madications as you said and also YYZadd told me.
I also need to read and reread and I write everything I read and copy my notes and it takes so much time. I have no concentration and procrastinate and the result is I become anxious tremendly. When I go to exams I forget a pen or my student card or something, always
I will go to a new GP because I will travel to another country soon I just hope I find the right one. I am very unlucky with GP's.

Thank you again for everything!!!

I had a similar reaction to concerta a few years back. It really is awful when you don't react well to meds, but I'm glad you knew something was wrong and you had to switch. Talk to your doctor about nonstimulant meds if you want to switch again- they may make you a bit tired but they help a TON with the anxiety caused by other meds.

Oh my this is so true. My son tried the vacation weekend thing.