I've Been Off Of Meds For Just Under 6 Years Now And Am Wary Of Long-term Psychiatric Medication Use

I've been off of meds for just under 6 years now and am wary of long-term psychiatric medication use due to overprescribing by a my psychiatrist I had before I tapered down. However, here are some pros and cons on the ADHD meds I've been on (inattentive-impulsive combination)

Vyvanse: I'd reccommend against this one if you have a history of restrictive disordered eating, that being said, this was the most effective at the lowest dose for me, and was the amphetamine of choice when we weaned me off of my meds after the aforementioned psychiatrist lost her license for 3 years after killing 2 patients with the same protocol she had me on. It wasn't jittery, or too focused, I was sharp but able to switch between tasks and return to tasks. I will say the withdrawal on this was moderately rough, usually about 4pm and I'd trend towards being angry/aggressive as they wore off.

Desoxyn: Pharmaceutical Grade Methamphetamine: I'll qualify this with the fact I was never on it on its own... but it's also the drug that pushed me into signing myself into a unit after about 2 weeks. Major stomach cramping and anxiety on it, I also lost about 20 lbs on it. I'm not a fan, would not recommend. The focus level was insane but ended up resulting in me being incredibly overstimulated and light sensitive. It did wonders for my test scores, but wasn't worth the physiological and psychological cost.

Adderall Extended Release: I liked it a lot, didn't have a ton of side effects, it was the best focus I had, but it was also significantly more tempting to abuse than Vyvanse since it only lasted me about 4-6 hours and I was already dealing with 12-14 hour days. It did affect my sleep quality a bit if I took it after 6.

Concerta: I can't speak to this one directly. However, I can say it's worked wonders for my boyfriend, and if I needed meds again, I would probably put Concerta as my second choice. He hasn't had major side effects, it's working well for his work, which is fairly active work to begin with, and he's not as anxious anymore. It has made some of his dreams really weird though, but less nightmares and more just... weird.

Also, if something feels off, you're having weird heart sensations, talk to your doctor, and don't be afraid to get 2nd or even 3rd opinions on your medication protocol.

I have adhd (inattentive type) and might be considering medication soon. Would you be willing to talk about your experience with medication just so I could get some first hand experiences? It's totally fine if you don't want to discuss this though :)

omg yes I definitely can!

I'm also inattentive type, and additionally have chronic fatigue. before I took meds, I was perpetually stuck in a guilt loop of thinking that I am awful and lazy because I could never bring myself to do things that I wasn't interested in (busy work for school), but also dedicating hours of focus to things I did like (video games, random books, obscure research), and then feeling awful that I had spent so much time being "unproductive." I was diagnosed about three years ago now, and I have definitely benefited massively from taking ADHD meds.

I was first given generic adderall, which worked well in terms of focus but caused me to shake pretty badly and have heart palpitations. I switched to vyvanse, which was actually even more effective, and did not cause me to shake profusely. unfortunately because of the demand for ADHD meds/stimulants in addition to the fact that vyvanse is still only a name brand drug (no one is allowed to make and sell the drug under a different name), the prices have been jacked to high heaven. even with my health insurance, I just can't afford vyvanse, so I have switched back to adderall. adderall, like I said, works fine for me, but does cause me to shake depending on how much sleep I've had and how much exercise I do (ei, running up a flight of stairs an hour after I've taken my pill causes me heart palpitations).

how the meds work for me:

adderall: causes my baseline energy level to go up a bit, and allows me to focus on something deeply for a long time. my brain still jumps between things, but I am overall able to zone in on one task at a time. I am on a low enough dose that I can still force myself to take breaks (pomodoro my love) and maintain a healthy work pattern. one problem I have is that if I am paying attention to something when the adderall kicks in, that is what I am going to be focused on - and sometimes that will happen to be Pintrest, drawing, or writing, rather than schoolwork or my job.

vyvanse: I prefer this one because it allows me to think in straight lines. It allows me to only think about one thing at a time, and when I need to divert my attention to something more specific, its like a branching straight line goes off the main line of focus, but importantly, it can join back up with that original line of focus. does not make me shake. I occasionally can fall into the same trap as will adderall, where I am focusing on the wrong thing when it kicks in, but overall it is easier to direct my concentration.

generally, I always take the "extended release" (ER/XR) version of either medication, because a regular pill causes me intense and obsessive focus for about two hours, followed by an energy crash. XR means I have a good 8 hours of mild focus improvement. I don't take my pills every day, partially because I don't like the idea of being dependent on anything more than I am, and partially because I don't necessarily need them. I normally take a pill early mid-day (10am - 1pm) before my classes/lectures, or before I start classwork, and that works well. taking one any time after like 4pm-5pm means I can't sleep.

damn that was a lot lol. I hope that helps -- overall, taking medications has allowed me to feel like a functional student, and makes me very aware of the fact that my brain works slightly differently than some of my friends lol