I've Been Struggling (ADHD) | Reducing Medication Dose
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- Опубліковано 22 лип 2024
- How I feel about meds now: • Video
Sorry about the sound quality in this video. I'm not sure what happened. Also, it's a bit all over the place for obvious reasons. Thanks so much for your recent comments on my community post. They really mean a lot. I've already started to feel better in myself on the higher dose even though I feel more tired right now. I can't believe the difference such a small amount of medication has on my mental state. I'm not sure how anyone copes long term off medication and I know that I certainly struggled for all of my life with something I wasn't diagnosed with until three years ago. I wish there was more I could do to help those that are struggling. I think the overwhelm is the worst part. Or the anxiety. Or both together. ADHD is just so hard to deal with and this time has definitely made me have so much more empathy to everyone who has ADHD. I think people don't understand what it is like and how difficult it is for the sufferer. Over and over I've heard things said about ADHD such as people not believing in it or people calling others annoying who have ADHD or incompetent and all I can say it if you ever spent one day in the head of a person with ADHD you wouldn't be able to handle it. The one with ADHD is the one suffering not the one who believes it isn't real or makes harmful comments. Most people believe life to be hard but this, THIS is a whole different ball game where there is little relief. I've been reminded of what my life used to be like and I am hoping to share more content to spread awareness of ADHD, to praise those who go through the daily struggles of ADHD and more.
PS I've been reminded that some of what I experienced could have been withdrawal but what I feel is that medication helped me so much to feel a lot more neurotypical or at least found life a lot easier to cope with and then all of a sudden went back to how I used to feel. It was on a mild scale because 18mg is not 0mg! So if I had stopped altogether I would have found it almost traumatic going back to experiencing life that way. I relate this to if a neurotypical person developed mild ADHD in a few weeks. I had forgotten the struggles and what it felt like. How I ever coped with no medication... I have so much empathy for my past self.
I am not a medical professional.
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Please if you have any questions for me I am going to put together a Q&A type video. Please leave them here.
Have you tried stimulant meds?
Would you consider a guided trip with psilocybin (a psychedelic mushroom)? Guided trips have been being used as a new sort of therapy for discovering things about yourself. I think I will try it some day.
Have you tried any talking therapies, such as CBT or ACT? I think CBT is available on the NHS, but I live in Scotland so I am not sure about England. Also, are you planning on doing any live streams? Or invite guests for a chat? (youtubers or regular viewers of yours).
I think the INTP’s ability to possibility spiral does not help. You don’t just get one problem, you get the multiple scenarios of possible catastrophes that you create. I find that if I have 3 large problems I start to suffer. You are doing the right thing by meditating and getting out in nature. Nature creates alpha waves in the brain that helps you to sleep. Sleep is incredibly important. Make sure you have a steady rhythm. I personally find that exercise helps a lot. I know that the idea of exercising is not exactly thrilling if you have a lot of stress but I you treat it as medication it really does help.
@@thebigredwagon Thanks
Hey Sarah,
I love listening to your videos when needing to validate what im going through. im journeying through the same waves as you currently - this has been my battle for over 6 years now on and off and I have been in denial by loosing memory of what life was like on medication yet also wanting to stay with all my feelings. I feel like it's finally coming to an end.. congrats on learning so quickly. I'd love to have a chat sometime over zoom if you ever feel like talking to someone going through the same journey at the same time as you on the other side of the world! Id like to speak to someone around my own age journeying the some of same experience and have a platform to talk to someone who may also have an adhd inner battle/wound she's trying to sort out between unmedicated and medicated selves within herself. This has been my journey... coming off meds has cost me a lot but I have been able to see and learn. I wasn't able to before experiencing going on meds and then going off because I too didn't know there was something wrong. So coming off and journeying through life healing traumas meeting plant medicines and getting lost in living my adhd has been the best teacher! I would love to connect. Xx
Sounds good - email me if you like or DM on Instagram :)
Phones apps are designed to target parts of your brain and feed you novelty. Stick it in a drawer when you get home for a few days. You need to train yourself to get bored with anxiety. You can’t be bored and anxious at the same time. Start subjecting yourself to small amounts of negative stimulus. When you get anxious what’s happening is your brain is perceiving a danger. You need to retrain your fight or flight mechanism to stop triggering. Find something that bothers you and subject yourself to it. After a while you will acclimate to the stress and become resilient to it, I promise it works.
Hey I wish you good luck
I take Guanfacine with Strattera to lower my heart rate and blood pressure. I've had to lower my stimulant dosage too, but the Strattera has just been too helpful.
If you're also taking an SSRI, you could try stopping Atomoxetine and the SSRI and switching to an SNRI like Venlafaxine or Duloxetine. I take Zoloft/Sertaline with my ADHD meds.
I am not taking an SSRI but my doctor never seemed concerned when my psychiatrist told him that my resting heart rate is in the 90s. It's like I have to say to my doctor about this in order for him to actually do something! Do you have any side effects with Guanfacine?
@@FindingYourSerenity dry mouth is the main problem. I also have to be careful to take it at the same time every day because if it wears off, my blood pressure could get dangerously high. It's called rebound hypertension. I make sure to take atomoxetine an hour after Guanfacine.
What was your heart rate at before starting?
@@RsRj-qd2cg It was early 80s before I started medication and when I went up to the dose I am on now it went up to early 90s. It only seemed to rise when I started a higher dose as was fine on 10 & 18mg.
@@FindingYourSerenity yep, just stay on 18mg if you're getting benefits from it :)
@@RsRj-qd2cg I already went back up because I couldn't work with that dose, it was too overwhelming. If I had a different job I'd probably be okay but I work in a chemistry lab where you have to be precise with numbers and reports and it's super important not to mess up and I started to do that and it made me super anxious.
Does it matter what time of the day you take the medication?
Also doesnt Strattera help with some executive function and lowering of anxiety. This will help bring a task back into focus easier but unlike a stimulant this probably will not be a super focus medication. Maybe... but apparently stimulants cause anxiety sometimes like coffee...
@@mtgrabbitwizard1679 I take mine at night due to the tiredness it originally gave me. I would say you are correct with what you are saying. This medication has helped me A LOT with anxiety and I’ve heard in some people that stimulants increase anxiety and possibly even anger. But I’m not sure how often that occurs.
But no it doesn’t matter otherwise what time you take it because it works over 24 hours unlike stimulants which many have crashes from later in the day.
I wonder why don’t you take stimulants?
I suffer from anxiety and tried Strattera.
It helped me a bit with anxiety but didn’t help me with focus. The side effects were terrible and I had to stop it!
I started taking Ritalin 17 days ago and I must say that Strattera was a joke compared to Ritalin!!
The stimulant help me with my anxiety, impulsive eating and focus with no side effects at all!
Of course this is my personal experience. I read that stimulants can cause anxiety or increase it if you already have it but this is not my case at all.
I know that my medication started to wear off when my anxiety and food cravings come back.
Give stimulants a try if you have access to it.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I've heard many people say that stimulants is worse for people who have anxiety problems and also can increase anger. My doctor recommended Strattera to me because I had anxiety and depression and mood instability and it helps me a lot with these things to the point it rarely bothers me anymore. I think Strattera is a good medication. It has actually helped me a lot with focus. But I am going to talk to my doctor when I see him again which is next year. I want to discuss other medications and see what he says about them. My heart rate and palpitations is what worries me the most about this medication but I also thought that stimulants have this effect too.
@@FindingYourSerenity Some doctors prescribe a low dose of stimulants as an addon treatment, if Strattera on its own is not very effective. Ask your doctor!
@@FindingYourSerenity I’ve been on Vyvanse for quite some time. (I’ve also been on Strattera). At first Vyvanse also helped a lot with anxiety, but overtime it didn’t work as well for me in regards to anxiety disorder, so my Dr. added Zoloft to the mix and I have to say that the combination of those two meds has been magical. I know the struggle you describe in this video as I’ve been in the same silent struggle for decades. I connect with just about everything you describe. I honestly think you should at least try a different med, a stimulant and/or something like Zoloft/Sertraline. Vyvanse definitely helps with impulse control. You can always stop if you realize it’s not for you. Of course, I’m not a doctor. But I thought I’d share my experience. Thanks for the video. Hang in there.
Its a good point, stimulants on a low dose with strattera can work well, again its just trying them, nobody says you HAVE to stay on anything 🤗
Dont be scared of stimulants, they can really help you, especially the short acting ones, many people reduce the dose later or use alternate days too
people anxiety rage and have similar issues with adhd because of focus frustration alone, if you can focus more then likely you can succeed possibly!
I wish you the best but please just try different options you owe it to yourself, it maybe what you need 😇
@wafaa Your comment gives me a lot of hope! I am reducing Strattera in order to quit it, and around the 20th I should start taking methylphenidate (Ritalin).
Strattera to me was nothing but an anti-anxiety/mood stabilizer. Cool, but that's not what I was looking for or needing help with. Strattera gives me really bad nausea even with "perfect" breakfast and sometimes it makes me tired, which is weird for a medication for ADHD.
At least in my case, I think some anxiety is normal because I feel frustrated about not being able to be... an adult? Hopefully Ritalin will work better for me too.
Thanks for sharing your opinion, this community is great