Posted by tim-dc on April 20, 2009, at 11:07:58
In reply to Re: adderall, stimulants..., posted by elanor roosevelt on April 19, 2009, at 20:19:46
I'm in my late 40s and have been on Concerta for about 5 years, since shortly after my ADD diagnosis. The diagnosis explained so much about my life history (errors here, lack of follow-through there). Then the medication opened my eyes to what I'd been missing for decades ... it was like I'd been living in a small hotel room for years and then somebody opened up the door to the rest of the larger suite that I never new was there.
Initially, I tried lower doses -- 27 mg. I got more effective results from going up to 36 and then 54. After several years at 54 mg, I am down to 36 mg, in an effort to tease out whether I really needed the higher level (and figuring that less is better, all else equal). At the lower 36 level, I've been somewhat less focused, and no less anxious (perhaps a bit more). The jury is still out after a few months -- I may go back to 54, but I'm going to stick out the 36 mg experiment for a while longer.
Key point I think: Everyone is different, and it is important to have an individualized plan. Make sure that the mixture of meds, talk therapy, life coaching, or whatever are a good match for your particular situation. I find myself getting quite anxious at lower levels of medication. I tried several anxiety meds along with the concerta, but none seemed effective at much of anything (except to make me need more stimulant to stay awake at all).
It's also important to remember that the meds aren't going to do the laundry for you. It is perfectly common to have the meds (ritalin, concerta, adderall) help you focus on something entirely irrelevant. You need to work WITH the pharmaceuticals -- remember you are taking them because you have attention issues, forgive yourself for having them in the first place, and then make the effort to act affirmatively to do what you need/want to do.
You are taking drugs for a reason; remember that reason as your are making those little bitty choices that can divert your day for the better or else for the worse. Try to be mindful. It's harder for us ADD types, yes, but try to honor your commitment to your body by helping the drugs that you take do their work.
poster:tim-dc
thread:890712
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090416/msgs/891762.html