ADHD

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Looking for advice and shared experiences - ADHD medications stressing my body out (self.adhd)

submitted 3 months ago by hank_the_tank66 to c/adhd

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Hi everyone! I was diagnosed a few years ago in my early 30s, and started taking Adderall along with some different drugs for anxiety as well.

With Adderall and then Wellbutrin, even in small dosages, I notice that my HRV Stress (recorded on a Garmin 945 Forerunner) is significantly elevated for the entire day. When I used to take a midday and evening dose of (instant release) Adderall, it severely impacted my sleep. I also tried extended release taken in the morning, and that caused sleeping issues as well. So did an extended release of Wellbutrin.

Basically, any benefits those medications provide (and it didn't really feel like it was helping) were offset by the bodily impact.

Has anyone had a similar experience with either of these medications? Any notable co-morbidities or changed metabolism or something that you identified as causing these symptoms? Did Ritalin or Strattera work for you when Adderall did not? I've been cycling through other non-stim medications with my provider, but haven't found anything that provides benefits for ADHD (I'm currently on guanfacine and zoloft, which mitigates my anxiety at least).

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[–] hank_the_tank66 3 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Thanks for your response! What you've told me is accurate, and I have always taken all my Garmin measurements with a grain of salt. But the measurements of stress also coincide with actually feelings of immense stress, restlessness, anxiety, and extreme debilitating mental and physical fatigue.

I took Adderall for 2 years, starting with small doses and slowly titrating up after a few months of consistency. Over that time, the symptoms I describe began to start and become more severe. I did in fact have a nice stretch at the start where the Adderall was working well. I definitely didn't jump ship at the first sign of physiological changes...only at the point where continuing with the Adderall was going to continue negatively impacting my life and work.

In my futile attempt to stop my post from running on and on with these bits of context, I omitted it and posted it...to a forum full of people that thrive on excessive amounts of context.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Okay yeah sounds like maybe Adderall isn't the right med for you. When I have a period without Adderall and then resume taking it, I'll have a few days/week where I'm headachey and barely hungry. But if I power through, those side effects will go away.

My psych has said that some people just don't do well with Adderall and other ADHD meds are better for them. My best friend also has ADHD and she recently started Adzenys, which is a very recent med (no generics yet.) What I'm trying to say is there's other types of meds out there and maybe something else will work better for you (side effects and maybe less impact on your HRV score.)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

honestly, that sounds like overdose and mineral / vitamin deficency, some people will even lose hair because they just dont eat right.