I have been on ADHD medication for about two years now. My journey has looked something like this:
| Iteration | Medicine | Dose | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rapid release | Small | First few months |
| 2 | Extended release | Medium | Rest of first year |
| 3 | Extended release, delayed release | Medium-High | Second year |
| 4 | Extended release, delayed release | Small-Medium | Going into third year |
Iteration 3 worked really well for me for the longest time. This was a point in my life where I really needed any assistance I could with just getting starting on anything. This delayed release medication allowed me to start sleeping in for the first time in ages.
But when you improve you start to check things off the list. Eventually you hit a wall and wonder why you are not able to cross more items off of the list. In my case the cause of this was my diet. I was barely eating, for months. If you have read my previous posts you will know that I had a very stressful time at work in August 2022 that set off a bit of a depressive episode. My diet was rocked. I was eating maybe one meal a day, if that.
I thought about it for a while and I decided I was over-medicated. I was not eating in the morning because I had too much "oomph" from the medication I was taking. While it was useful for the year I was taking it because it allowed me to gather all of my stuff into a nice little pile it was now time to start walking without the crutches -- or at least without them touching the ground for a little bit.
I took a week of PTO and pretty much skipped my meds for a good portion of it. I spoke to my doctor and I cut my regular dose in half, and it seems as if it was a good idea so far.
Life is amazing, and I am so happy I feel things again.