ADHD in adults

Still taking the Ritalin SR. It seems I realistically get about 5-6 'good' hours out of it. I kind of wish it would last a bit longer though. I'm taking two 20 mg tablets in the morning now, I wonder what would happen if I were to take another 20 mg tablet around noon or 1pm? My therapist said dosage was trial and error because everyone reacts differently. I think I'll try this tomorrow to see if it gives me any significant benefit? I have another doctor appointment soon so I'd like to try it before I go just to see if I should mention changing my dosage again? I know some of you have had to try and figure out what works for you and your kids. If you have any advice feel free to share :)

One of my clients takes one 20 mg SR tab in the AM and then a regular (non-SR) at around 1-2 PM. He had to switch the second dose from 12 to later, to get him through the late afternoon.
Your therapist is right; dosages vary widely for individuals. Weight, age, etc. seems to make little difference in what you need. Talk to your doctor and don't play around with this without some medical advice.

My son used to take SR during the school day, but it always started to wear off after lunch...by the time he'd come home he had to take a standard short-acting Ritalin. We are MUCH happier with Concerta. It's 12-13 hours and seems to release more evenly, so he's not having zombie-fied periods.

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Originally Posted by zoom-zoom

My son used to take SR during the school day, but it always started to wear off after lunch...by the time he'd come home he had to take a standard short-acting Ritalin. We are MUCH happier with Concerta. It's 12-13 hours and seems to release more evenly, so he's not having zombie-fied periods.

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That is exactly what I'm noticing Zoom-Zoom! It's usually after lunch it starts to taper off pretty quickly. I'd love to take Concerta but my insurance is crappy so it would cost me a fortune. That is a thought though, I might mention about trying standard Ritalin after lunch.

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Originally Posted by WindingRoad

That is exactly what I'm noticing Zoom-Zoom! It's usually after lunch it starts to taper off pretty quickly. I'd love to take Concerta but my insurance is crappy so it would cost me a fortune. That is a thought though, I might mention about trying standard Ritalin after lunch.

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Look into it. Concerta went generic a while back, but I'm not sure all insurance companies are handling it as a generic. I'm not sure. I think we may still be paying $40/month. I have to ask DH--he's usually the one who ends up picking up the script from our son's ped. on the way home from work.

So my ADD meds are working fine still. I have been talking to my school counselor and found that i am also dyslexic. Now that this has been brought to my attention I am noticing all kinds of test patterns at school that are causing me to miss answers. I can't believe it. This has been going on for so long that I assumed it was normal. I have researched ADD and dyslexia and apparently they affect the same part of the brain therefore there is a high comorbidity rate between the two. It all makes so much more sense now why I can never tell how well I did on a test. I always understand the material and I can explain it to other students. My knowledge never gets reflected on my tests and that is so damn frustrating I could scream. I have another appointment with my counselor coming up and she is going to help me with some techniques to make things easier for me. I just feel so frustrated right now.

{{{Winding Road}}} It is always good to learn more about what is going on, but of course that gives us more to deal with. Sending you warm thoughts and hugs while you work this out.

Thanks Catrin, I REALLY appreciate that. I am struggling with getting out and exercising on top of things and trying not to get down on myself for that. It's a vicious cycle and I am trying not to get caught in the depression part of it but it is really hard right now. Tonight I plan to take a ride over to Trader Joes and hopefully get a little exercise that way. My schedule has been so intense and I have had to study a ton lately. The whole dyslexia factor makes me question how I need to study too. I wonder if I have been overstudying? :confused: Tonight I have one goal: to ride my bike while it's nice outside. I need to keep it simple today.

I am so glad you kept exploring all avenues, Winding Road. Just wondered how your counselor assessed your dyslexia.
Learning disabilities (of which dyslexia is is just one) is very comorbid with ADHD. You can get a 504 accommodation plan from the office of disabilities on campus; in fact you can get this on the basis of your ADHD diagnosis, or on the learning disability one (which will require a full educational assessment). This way, you might be able to get extra time on tests, and other things that will make school easier. Please talk to your counselor about this!

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Originally Posted by WindingRoad

Thanks Catrin, I REALLY appreciate that. I am struggling with getting out and exercising on top of things and trying not to get down on myself for that. It's a vicious cycle and I am trying not to get caught in the depression part of it but it is really hard right now. Tonight I plan to take a ride over to Trader Joes and hopefully get a little exercise that way. My schedule has been so intense and I have had to study a ton lately. The whole dyslexia factor makes me question how I need to study too. I wonder if I have been overstudying? :confused: Tonight I have one goal: to ride my bike while it's nice outside. I need to keep it simple today.

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((Hugs)).

(((WR))). I'm so glad you figured this out, although I realize that it raises as many questions as it answers. Cranking gives great advice. I hope you're able to learn some new study and test-taking tactics. Please don't be too hard on yourself. Look how much you've already accomplished without the aid of two important diagoses. You're a tough cookie; I have no doubt you'll quickly get a handle on this.

First off thank you all for being so supportive it means more than you might think. Crankin I am receiving test accommodations now. I wasn't at the very start of the semester but now I am. In fact I'm not sure I would have even been observant enough of my own behavior to notice the "flipping" for lack of a better term. Since I could slow down and take my time interpreting questions for the first time EVER, I could see the odd way I read them. I probably read through each question atleast five times. Each time I mentally note the order of the key words in each sentence THEN I understand what it's asking. It's exhausting. I hope my counselor can help. I plan to see my regular psychologist over spring break too and get his angle as well.

I am curious if anyone has noticed that if they change their medication sequence it makes them feel 'off'? I usually take 2/20mg in the AM then another 20 in the evening. However since I wasn't studying until later yesterday I decided to reverse that. I felt sooooo strange? I didn't feel like it ever really worked for some strange reason? I was pretty scattered brained all day? Very strange.

Hi girls. I'm down to my last final tomorrow and I cannot wait! I have noticed through out this semester that my body is becoming more resistant to my medication so I have been adding in extremely low doses of Adderroll around 3 pm to get me through the long hours of evening/night study I've been doing this week and last. I'm planning to go on medication hiatus after tomorrows last test. I'm pretty sure it's not going to be pleasant as my body is basically 'hooked' on this stuff right now. I have a big ride planned Saturday AM and I'm going to try and ride as much as I can to work it out of my system and get my endorphins flowing. I dunno if anyone has ever done this but any input is appreciated.

I think that sounds like a good plan. Even if you can't find out how that's worked for others you'll know how it works for you...and we're all an experiment of one.

My BFF was recently diagnosed. She is basically dealing with the exact same diagnosis that my son has (ADHD with noted impulse control). She is also on Adderall, I believe. She is almost 36 and has been struggling with nursing school and family relationships. She has only been on meds for about a month and already finds that it's helping her a LOT.