Sounds like you are getting good care through the process. I have been happy with my clinician/prescriber, we started on elvanse 30mg, first couple days was like putting glasses on...then by 2pm I was ready to sleep anywhere! I asked to try methylphenidate, so he got me week by week up to 20mg 3xdaily, I prefer this medication...thankfully as elvanse was then the one that seemed hard to get. So I think I’m as stable as il get regarding the crazy hormonal shifts, I also still feel kinda just like me...just with a quieter clearer mind, that can process one thought at a time 🙌 who knew eh!!
YES - I love that metaphor- like putting glasses on.
I'm on Concerta XL which is timed/slow release. I'm not sure I'd remember to take three tablets a day, but I'm open to anything. The sleepy feeling really surprised me.
Yes the remembering of course is tricky, Iv consciously tied it into eating times(I’m not great at remembering food) so stacking the two together works, also alarms on my phone...
Hi Susan, I'm currently undiagnosed and on the looooong NHS waiting list for an assessment. God only knows when that will come through 🫣😬. I had a BPD diagnosis last October, apparently the two can co-occur. I'm wondering now if I was misdiagnosed, but the only way to know is by getting the adhd assessment. I guess I shall just have to wait. I've waited decades so I guess a couple years won't hurt 🤯😳
Yeah I've heard BPD can be diagnosed when it's actually ADHD. Mine was NHS and it was 6 months from getting the referral to the first psychiatrist appointment. But I think it does depend where you are in the UK.
Good luck! There's some great books out there that are helpful, I bet you've done a lot of research already though as we tend to develop special interests in these things!
You're right, I've already been doing my research. The most recent book I bought was You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?! by Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo. Really comprehensive.
I'm so glad the medication is working for you. I am on Adderall (IR, 10 mg twice a day) and everything I heard about it - not being able to sleep, being emotionless, not creative, etc - has been the opposite for me. Most of the time I sleep just fine because my brain isn't racing. I am less emotional but I still have emotions. I just don't feel EVERYTHING all at once. Creatively I'm in the best place I've been at in years. Other than sometimes waking up too early and not being able to fall back asleep, I've had very few side effects.
Wow, the care you're getting in your titration is incredible. My experience hasn't been like that.... "Go away, take these, come back in a month or so".... Then the appointments get further apart, and to reorder you have to remember to telephone them between 2 and 3pm only 🤣🤦 if I could keep that sort of thing in my head I probably wouldn't need the damn meds!
Great update, I look forward to seeing more of your journey
Have to admit I'm a little envious of your incredibly sensible and careful titration experience. Mine was handled really badly (recklessly) and I had terrible side effects so gave up.😞
I had a horrible experience with one medication they tried me on and just stopped. The one I'm on doesn't cause horrible side effects, but I'm not sure it does much. They definitely need to offer more than just meds I think
Sounds like you are getting good care through the process. I have been happy with my clinician/prescriber, we started on elvanse 30mg, first couple days was like putting glasses on...then by 2pm I was ready to sleep anywhere! I asked to try methylphenidate, so he got me week by week up to 20mg 3xdaily, I prefer this medication...thankfully as elvanse was then the one that seemed hard to get. So I think I’m as stable as il get regarding the crazy hormonal shifts, I also still feel kinda just like me...just with a quieter clearer mind, that can process one thought at a time 🙌 who knew eh!!
YES - I love that metaphor- like putting glasses on.
I'm on Concerta XL which is timed/slow release. I'm not sure I'd remember to take three tablets a day, but I'm open to anything. The sleepy feeling really surprised me.
Yes the remembering of course is tricky, Iv consciously tied it into eating times(I’m not great at remembering food) so stacking the two together works, also alarms on my phone...
Alarms on my phone for everything 🤣
Hi Susan, I'm currently undiagnosed and on the looooong NHS waiting list for an assessment. God only knows when that will come through 🫣😬. I had a BPD diagnosis last October, apparently the two can co-occur. I'm wondering now if I was misdiagnosed, but the only way to know is by getting the adhd assessment. I guess I shall just have to wait. I've waited decades so I guess a couple years won't hurt 🤯😳
Yeah I've heard BPD can be diagnosed when it's actually ADHD. Mine was NHS and it was 6 months from getting the referral to the first psychiatrist appointment. But I think it does depend where you are in the UK.
Good luck! There's some great books out there that are helpful, I bet you've done a lot of research already though as we tend to develop special interests in these things!
You're right, I've already been doing my research. The most recent book I bought was You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?! by Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo. Really comprehensive.
I liked Better Late Than Never by
Emma Mahony, and Scatter Brain by Shaparak Khorsandi.
I'll check out the one you mentioned 👍🏻
Ooh, I'll check those out, too 😊
I'm so glad the medication is working for you. I am on Adderall (IR, 10 mg twice a day) and everything I heard about it - not being able to sleep, being emotionless, not creative, etc - has been the opposite for me. Most of the time I sleep just fine because my brain isn't racing. I am less emotional but I still have emotions. I just don't feel EVERYTHING all at once. Creatively I'm in the best place I've been at in years. Other than sometimes waking up too early and not being able to fall back asleep, I've had very few side effects.
Wow, the care you're getting in your titration is incredible. My experience hasn't been like that.... "Go away, take these, come back in a month or so".... Then the appointments get further apart, and to reorder you have to remember to telephone them between 2 and 3pm only 🤣🤦 if I could keep that sort of thing in my head I probably wouldn't need the damn meds!
Great update, I look forward to seeing more of your journey
Oh my! I use so many alarms on my phone for that kind of thing.
Thanks so much.
I hope your situation is improving and the meds are helping after all that?
Have to admit I'm a little envious of your incredibly sensible and careful titration experience. Mine was handled really badly (recklessly) and I had terrible side effects so gave up.😞
I remember you saying they didn't work for you, Georgina. I hadn't realised you'd had quite the ordeal 😳
I had a horrible experience with one medication they tried me on and just stopped. The one I'm on doesn't cause horrible side effects, but I'm not sure it does much. They definitely need to offer more than just meds I think
Right? I've think I've been fairly lucky that I've not had any awful side effects, but it's not right yet either, definitely a work in progress.