@masukomi holy fuck this is so relatable. im on vyvanse for my apparent adhd. im still in denial in that i cant convince myself i have it because i only took several questionnaires and didn't go through any tests and then had a nice talk with my doctor and she said its all common adhd stuff i talked about and then asked if i wanted to try meds, and they make me feel much better, clearer thinking and less stressed and worried all the time, and no more chained thoughts or actions.
@masukomi i guess im in denial because i havent taken an official like in person assessment, but my doctor mentioned that nowadays they arent as common
@m455 if the meds work as described i think you’ve got more concrete proof than any in-person assessment, because they DON’T work that way if you have “normal” brain.
They wouldn’t be a controlled substance if they only made folks focus more clearly. They’d be in drinks at starbucks. ;)
@masukomi fuck thays such a good way to put it, friend <3
i never knew the thing about coffee before. my wife and friends were always like how can you drink so much coffee and be able to sleep? and i was always like i dunno? i dont feel stressed after i drink coffee? and the more i keep an eye on adhd people's posts the more i have "holy shit, i relate" moments
@m455 stimulants calm the mind of ADHD people. I’m sure there’s an upper bound to that but… yeah lots of undiagnosed ADHD folks are self medicating via atypically caffeine intake because they know it helps but think that it’s the same result that neurotypicals are having from other.
My mom (undiagnosed) was drinking 5 pots a day at one point. The coffee itself became a problem at that amount, but not the caffeine
@masukomi honestly with how i understand how vyvanse and other stimulants work by stimulating your nerves more so your mind or body isnt trying to do so, it feels like adhd should be called something along the lines of like "stimulation deficient" since thats the whole root of things (for me at least (or maybe there is more at play in my brain with my "severe" depression and moderate-high anxiety (according to those questionnaires) )
@m455 that.... doesn't make sense to me for 2 reasons:
1 a stimulant stimulates the body to do things. So, your body is still doing whatever is being stimulated, it's just receiving more influence / instructions to do so than normal. So, they'll never decrease the amount of work a body performs, only increase.
the reason ADHD medications work is that they increase the volume of neurotransmitters. Most importantly dopamine and norepinephrine.
@m455 our brains are still going through the exact same process when an event triggers a response (memory formation / whatever ) but it's not picking up enough of the requisite neurotransmitters to be as successful as a neurotypical brain.
I think it's doing just as much work but producing fewer/worse results.
stimulants stimulate production of higher than normal (for our 🧠s) levels of the neurotransmitters, which hopefully gets us to "enough" to have "Normal" function.
@masukomi ohh that makes, i think more of what i meant wasnt that they do more or less work when on or off meds, but that i was guessing that while im doing x task, my brain or body isnt stimulated enough and tries to think of or do other things while i try to do that task, but on the meds, it feels like they fill that needed stimulation resulting in less brain noise (sorry if that sounds exactly the same as what i said before haha)
@m455 I think that "brain isn't stimulated enough" is ...emotionally close to the truth. I think the more accurate version of that is that without sufficient dopamine (and norepinephrine?) the world is just too boring for our brains to remember.
Neurotypical 🧠s also fail to create memories about, and fail to focus on things that are uninteresting. It's just that - as i understand it - their default level of dopamine lowers the threshold for "interesting"
re ADHD drugs:
Yes, I'm on them. Yes they'd had long enough to kick in.
For those who think giving "uppers" to people with ADHD is bad:
We literally have different brain chemistry so it isn't an "upper". Ex. Despite the fact that many of us are literally taking amphetamines we can go take a nap afterwards without issue.
I literally can't feel any difference, and have to go check my daily pill box thing to know if I've taken them or not. Wifey can see that I'm struggling less at simple tasks
@masukomi Sweet RBG preserve me, all of this is so relatable! 😫 😆
Spouse told me this past weekend that for the first time he is seeing significant differences in my behavior since I got on ADHD meds 2 months ago. It was a relief to hear. I do feel different sometimes, but not all the time, and I was beginning to worry it was all just wishful thinking!
I still have days like what you described above, though -- and must remind myself that this was never going to be a cure-all.
Yeah, important to remember there will still be "bad" days, and that even on "good" days it just... eases the difficulty level. It doesn't make the problems go away entirely.
Personally I can't feel them at all. I can only tell I've probably taken them when I realize I've been more successful at doing the days tasks. So, yes spousey confirmation helps.
side note: Amphetamines have a half-life. So there is a gradual build-up in your system and thus gradually increased efficacy.
@masukomi@Smingleigh In clinic exam room yesterday snapped pics of GP’s laminated guide for patients. Missed the mental heath one as she entered the room.
Add comment