Chalk me up as another adult who has had a lifelong struggle, but never got an official diagnosis until 43.

Doctor started me on Focalin, 10 mg. Only thing I've noticed is it actually makes me sleepy and super chill. Almost like I took a Klonopin. Is it supposed to do that? Hasn't really helped me focus or calm my racing thoughts.

Feels good to know you're special.

Medicine is nice, but a bigger reward is absolving yourself of the shames and frustrations and disappointments that may be riding on your shoulders DUE to neurodivergence.

Good luck!

No, not special. Wish things had been recognized sooner when I was struggling growing up. Even if not medication, some sort of help in how to cope or make plans to try to compensate. As it is, I've just been chalked up to being "lazy and messy" my whole life.

Unfortunately you were in school quite a bit before ADHD research and treatment gained steam. Heck, the Vanderbilt Assessment Scale wasn't out until 2002!

Glad you finally were able to get a diagnosis and treatment started.

Yes, you can often feel more calm on these meds because they are adjusting the norepinephrine and dopamine levels in your brain. Probably a weird feeling given how you've likely felt for as long as you can remember. Keep talking with your doc as often the first dose (and sometimes even the first med) aren't the final treatment.

Good luck getting a prescription filled consistently.

My son's on 10mg and we are only successful at getting it every other month. Vyvanse has been more readily available right now.

I got diagnosed in my early 30's. Did a ton of back and forth with my PCP prescribing/titrating and a psychologist testing me. Never found anything that helped. That was 10 years ago so I never heard of or tried focalin.


Good luck. I still struggle with it, but just recognizing it and acknowledging it has helped somewhat.

I would say that is not an unusual response. I was undiagnosed until my daughter was diagnosed. Guess officially, I am still undiagnosed. But researching it for her, I am sure I have had it all my life and she inherited it from me.

Don't tell anyone, but I have tried her medicine. What you describe is basically how it affects me. Not sleepy enough to need to lay down, but a little. It is noticeably beneficial on focusing and being able to spend a day doing office work or taxes or something. Generally speaking, I dislike it,and feel like I have learned to live with it in my 52 years. Definitely dislike it enough not to seek out medicine to take.

Makes a huge difference to my daughter for school and she realizes that and takes it after many years of it being a struggle. But I know she doesn't love it either. She has taken Focalin for the last 3 or 4 years. Has worked pretty well,with less negative side effects Than others. I believe it is a relatively newer formulation.

As others said, you may need to try different options, actual medications, extended release or short term, etc to find the right thing. What works for a while might stop working or develop negative side effects. We have seen a lot having her on it for over a decade.

It is really kind of fascinating how it works for people with adhd. Who would have thought someone would say "this person acts like they are on speed. Let's guve then actual speed to calm them down..."

Can I ask what negative side effects? I try to only take it 3-4 days a week. I don't take it on the weekends at all. I don't tend to have an addictive personality (heck, I don't even drink), but it is something that worries me.

I notice it lasts about 6 hours for me. And at this dosage, it's not really helping with my focus or wandering mind. My ADHD is mainly the inattentive type. But it is weird how it's helped with my overall feeling of anxiety. For years I thought I suffered from generalized anxiety disorder. I've tried multiple different meds over the years with no real effect. And then I try this and boom....it's like it melted away. I've always felt like my "fight or flight" mode is in the "on" position. But it's like I'm now finally able to switch it "off" for at least part of the day.

When I have tried it, I notice a headache as it wears off. But I only took it a few times. That may go away.

With our daughter there were various things. Maybe more kid/adolescent centered.

Lack of appetite was one. Which was a problem with a growing kid.

I also suspect it Contributed to the chronic stomach issues she has had.

Vyvanse definitely, and others to a lesser degree, eventually led to anger/temper issues. Vyvanse worked great but she became a beast. That was early on.

Thanks for the insight. I've only been taking it for 2 weeks now, and so far so good. I get chronic migraines, so headaches are the norm for me anyway. Haven't noticed any increase in them.

Unfortunately, I still have my appetite. No new stomach issues, but I take pre- & probiotics and have for months before starting these. Maybe that helps.

And I've actually notice my impatience and short-temper has gotten better since I started taking it. So maybe they landed on the exact right med the first time. I just need to adjust the dosing since it doesn't seem to be helping with concentration and focus. My mind still wanders.

What I recognized from my medicated daze was the lack of empathy I experienced and the tremendous drive to finish tasks over everything else.

ADHD. At least my version, heightens my awareness of anyone nearby's emotional state. It's probably a major reason I was so distracted (didn't hurt that I was ahead of most people in school). It's almost like I can viscerally feel people's emotional fluctuations. The meds deadened that, for better or worse.

I'm off them for better part of 17 years, after being on them for 15 years or so.

I go back and forth on wishing other avenues were presented or taken versus medication.

There was a period at puberty that we had to try 3 different medications because I started having suicidal ideation.

Yikes!!! I wonder if age also played a role in those suicidal feelings?

I'm hyper aware of people's feelings and emotions (overly so) because of my upbringing with a borderline mom. I don't think it's the ADHD that makes me that way. Honestly, I find myself being more patient, better mood, more positive, and more outgoing so far with it. But still distracted and can't focus.

One of the reasons she switched to Focalin was that it was supposed to and seems to have less of the negative side effects.

The big catch all saying, that our experience definitely confirms is that everyone will be extreme individual in their reactions, side effects successes. Everything. Guess it comes with the almost pseudoscience that goes with this line of medication. When I was researching it years ago with my daughter, the main take away I got was "it works. We don't know why exactly, but it does. Since it is so counter intuitive, there is a lot of wild variations."

Hope it works out for you. I can definitely identify with dealing with the adhd conditions when people didn't understand it. I still have to step in with my wife to explain why our daughter has certain habits that drive her nuts, but I can completely understand. My wife understands on some levels but not all.

I will say, positively, that despite carrying a ton of shame and negative internal monologs for majority of my life, psychedelics helped remove much of the excess noise and truly love everything about who I am now, the past me and the future me.

I also tried NeuroArt Therapy, and that was actually pretty powerful as well. Would Recommend.

I found one out of network that doesn't even take insurance. They are amazing so far to work with. I haven't felt any judgment whatsoever. It was actually cheaper to go out of pocket with them than through insurance anyway. (Insurance told me the test would be $880 out of pocket, and I paid $555 to do it outside of insurance).

All their staff at this location, including the therapists, pride themselves on being Christians and using faith based principles in healing.

Adverse Event said:

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I will say, positively, that despite carrying a ton of shame and negative internal monologs for majority of my life, psychedelics helped remove much of the excess noise and truly love everything about who I am now, the past me and the future me.

I also tried NeuroArt Therapy, and that was actually pretty powerful as well. Would Recommend.

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Please tell me more. What kind of psychedelics? We're these under the guidance of a physician or "self-prescrived"? Don't give away more than youre comfortable with, but I'm curious about this. I too have a lot of negative self talk regarding my struggles and my self-worth because of those struggles.

I suspect but cannot confirm that pseudoephedrine has positive side effects for ADD sufferers, strangely enough. It causes a bit of extra alertness and focus for me, as I take it for sinus headaches and also as an alertness aid, as that is one of its useful side effects for me.

I would believe it. I noticed a difference when I used it. I would get by on caffeine and Monster Energy drinks. But I think I just developed a tolerance because at some point, it became more out of routine/habit than any real increase in focus.

aggie_wes said:

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Adverse Event said:

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I will say, positively, that despite carrying a ton of shame and negative internal monologs for majority of my life, psychedelics helped remove much of the excess noise and truly love everything about who I am now, the past me and the future me.

I also tried NeuroArt Therapy, and that was actually pretty powerful as well. Would Recommend.

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Please tell me more. What kind of psychedelics? We're these under the guidance of a physician or "self-prescrived"? Don't give away more than youre comfortable with, but I'm curious about this. I too have a lot of negative self talk regarding my struggles and my self-worth because of those struggles.

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Self-prescribed and administered, psilocin. But tons of research beforehand and set and setting self-administered to my personal satisfaction. Lots of rabbit holes to dive into depending on one's level of curiosity.

Ketogenic diet was more powerful for me than any medication. Harder commitment but worth a shot for anyone trying to avoid the dude effects of medications.