ADHD medication after one year

A few months after getting my ADHD diagnosis I received a surprise message saying my medication would be arriving 2 months early. Throwing the spirit of Dry January out the window, I spent a weekend clearing out the Yamazaki 12-year-old, beautifully smooth, whisky that my lovely wife bought me for my 40th birthday and prepared myself for a productive year. 6 weeks later I caught Covid and spent the rest of the year dealing with Long Covid or ME/CFS (Myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome). Woo and also, yay.

After 2 weeks

Side effect-wise I had headaches every morning for the first 10 days. Thankfully the headaches did not increase as the dosage did. I’m maybe a little bit more easily irritated now and then. I had to lock my cat out of the office as she kept jumping on my desk and wouldn’t lie down. I had work to do and needed to see the monitor. I love that she sleeps on my desk, but I need to work.

The headaches did go away and it is possible that was caffeine withdrawal.

The other possible side effect is that I’m a little bit more fidgety in the afternoon. While my computer is processing my hands want to do something. Doomscrolling social media is the go-to, but that’s bad. I’m currently using an old Nintendo Joy-Con as a fidget toy while mounting my phone on top of my computer so it’s just out of reach. This may be the lower doses wearing off.

The fidgety craving went away as well, but I can’t say when exactly. I looked into getting a fidget spinner/toy but they were all plastic. Occasionally I do fancy a 10-minute go on a Rubik’s Cube as a distraction but I’m sure that would turn into a 2-hour session. The joy of ADHD distraction and autistic hyperfocus.

The side effects are fine so far. The benefits? I’m not feeling anything. I had hoped that this pill would feel like that first coffee in the morning... So far the only thing I’ve managed to achieve is closing my exercise ring and hitting my water goals every day since starting the medication. I’m drinking 2.5 litres every day. No caffeine. No alcohol. My pee colour is mountain spring clear. I guess that’s something? - Two weeks on ADHD medication. 11th Feb, 2024.

Would they kick in after 2 months?

After 2 months

Would I say that the meds work? Honestly, it does not feel like they do. I take my morning pill and feel nothing. No energy boost, clarity of thought or eagerness to do my accounts. I do sit down and work with a reduction in impulsive task switching. I’m still easily distracted if I choose to be, but I’m maybe more aware of that and better able to resist. - 2-month review of ADHD medication. 7th April, 2024.

Annoying. I wanted to be setting reminders and ticking them off while doing a TikTok dance and building an audience that I could monetise to enable a sustainable lifestyle. Unfortunately, nothing.

After 3 months

By 10 AM I feel like I’ve just run naked along the beach without a care in the world. I feel great. Raaaaa! Let me at the world. The medicine finally works. I’m seeing the benefit. - ADHD medication after 3 months. 28th April, 2024

Boom! Show time. Let’s fluffing go! 2024, the year of getting everything done. Everything!

I discussed this feeling with the titration doctor and we both agreed that feeling this way was perhaps not healthy. They lowered my dosage and the morning europhoria faded. There was still some feeling in the morning. It was less “LET’S GO!” and more “Alright then.”

Whatever happens with this feeling, right now there’s something incredibly comforting about it. I can look forward to tomorrow. I’ll take the pills, feel good about myself and do good things. I’ve never experienced this level of security in my mental health. To know that I will feel good tomorrow, it’s absurd. I can feel good today because I know I’ll be good tomorrow.

After one year

If you see me running naked down the beach holding a tax return, you’ll know the feeling has gone. 28th April, 2024.

The feeling did indeed go. The medication has become fairly everyday and the novetly of the new has faded. I miss that boost of energy from the higher dose. Somedays I notice the “Alright then” feeling and on an average day, I’m maybe a bit more focused than without the meds. I still need an app to disable news and social media sites. After reading Craig Mod’s Roden newsletter I’ve started leaving my phone in the office at the end of the day so it isn’t the first thing I do in the morning. At least, I did for a week.

I need to remove and block distractions to get anything done, and constant reminders. Life does not feel more organised than before and I’m not sure I’m getting anywhere. The photos and videos from our Europe trip in September 2024, five months ago, have not yet been sorted because when I came back I got distracted by life.

After a year on medication, I feel like I’m back to how I was 2 months in.

Would I say that the meds work? Honestly, it does not feel like they do. I take my morning pill and feel nothing. No energy boost, clarity of thought or eagerness to do my accounts. I do sit down and work with a reduction in impulsive task switching. I’m still easily distracted if I choose to be, but I’m maybe more aware of that and better able to resist. If the meds are working then they work like my hearing aids. I’m unaware of their utility unless I stop using them.

I wish I could take the medication and get everything done. My personal Instagram account has fallen by the wayside when I should be using it to promote my work. My business account is doing OK though. I had planned to empty our front room so someone could sort the issues in there, but I’ve not yet done that either. My portfolio needs a lot of work. The personal blog, travel blog, bank account switch, etc all need sorting. There are many thoughts in my head. The medication isn’t a magic switch that removes ADHD. My hearing aids do not enable me to hear every word, they only boost certain frequencies and give me a better chance of hearing something. I have to remind myself of this each day.

Am I getting things done? Yes. Everything? No. Should I be? No, and that’s OK. Given everything, I’m doing OK and that is something to be happy about.

“Given everything...” I am currently being tested for ME/CFS (Myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome) due to sporadic spells of exhaustion that last for days. Even if I took the stronger dose of ADHD meds that make me feel able to rip a phone book in half, I’m not sure I would have the energy to do anything.

For some people, the medication is life changing. For me, I think there is more work to be done on staying focused.

Links

• How I Get Anything Done Ever. After a lifetime of struggle, I was diagnosed with ADHD at 36. I’d long suspected I was neurodivergent, but the diagnosis still hit me harder than I expected. So much grief. The question—what would my life have looked like if I’d known this as a child?
• What Does Overstimulation Sound Like To Someone With Autism? (PLEASE WATCH THIS WITH HEADPHONES ON) - YouTube. This was mainly made to show my mom. Ha ha. So please remember I am just trying to show (to my mom) what it's like for me to be in a crowded room and why it'...
• The 'Great Comet of 2025' Lights Up the Skies in Stunning Photos | PetaPixel. Astrophotographers in the southern hemisphere captured remarkable images.
• Living with ME | Wellcome Collection. Nine people with ME reveal their unremitting struggles as they negotiate life with their illness, including their battles to be believed, diagnosed and supported.
• DOOM: The Gallery Experience. Have you ever wanted to browse art from the Metropolitan Museum in a first-person shooter interface? You are in luck because DOO
• iPhone's Action Mode helps people with Parkinson's shoot videos. Apple puts a lot of effort into promoting accessibility with things like the hearing aid feature for AirPods Pro. This...
• Agender: Portraits of Young People Who Identify as Neither Male or Female. Sasha was lit on fire on a public bus because they were wearing a skirt and a men’s shirt. The image was taken shortly after Sasha was released from the…