Why I take breaks from ADHD medication
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- Опубликовано: 27 авг 2024
- Here's the lecture series I was told contains information about taking medication breaks • 30 Essential Ideas you... . I watched the whole thing because it's informative and engaging, but there is no information about breaks.
I have been unable to find studies on medication breaks and on long-term stimulant usage. Questions of tolerance have gone largely unanswered in the scientific literature as far as I can tell. If anyone has concrete information on this topic, please let me know.
I am in my late 40s and while I suspected I had ADHD my entire life, I never got a diagnosis or was treated for it. I finally asked my doctor about treatments and 8 months ago after answering a questionnaire I was prescribed amphetamine salts. What I notice the most is that I don't feel emotionally exhausted and overwhelmed at the end of the day. I don't feel like it cured me, but I feel like it made me noticeably more productive. After 8 months of taking extended release capsules daily, when I take a few days off I don't feel bad, I just go back to being tired and less motivated and overwhelmed by things a normal person wouldn't be. I have a tremendous amount of stress in my life the past couple years after losing my mom and my dad having long COVID, which means I have had to take over our family business, so I wonder if burnout or depression may also be making things worse, but I don't really feel depressed. Just like the weight of the world is on my shoulders.
The weight of the world, at least your world, is on your shoulders. I hope you are prioritizing yourself and taking good care of yourself so you can have the energy to love others well.
I just recently got medicated and have become so aware of that paranoia you’re talking about. I thought I was pretty good at reading social situations before I started taking my meds, but now I feel so much clearer. I appreciate this video! I really appreciate your delivery & it makes me feel great to know I’m not the only one. Thank you
I have a head cold and no work to get done today so didn't take my Vyvanse. My Mum keeps telling me I need to take it every single day as my brother does but I'm 26 so I figure that if my gut says I will rest and recover better without it, I'm going to just not take it. Glad I'm not the only one who believes not taking it every now and again is fine.
had the same thing, my relatives all saying I should take it daily. Which is quite ridiculous since they don't know to much about the condition or elvanse.
I was (officially) diagnosed with ADHD as an adult a few years ago and methylphenidate worked like a brain switch for me! This summer though, I decided I wanted to take a 2 week break to see how it would feel to be drug free and maybe have a couple of beers during my vacation. After consultation with my doctor I started gradually decreasing my intake for a couple of weeks before the two week break until I stopped it completely.
I am now close to the end of the drug-free holiday and one thing I have noticed is that the mechanisms I had developed over the years to cope with adhd have dulled (since I don't need to rely on them while on methylphenidate). Something I gained from the experience, was confidence that the drugs work, which I should know by now, but I let myself doubt my own experience because of the opinions of other people.
All in all, I think that it was a good reality check for me, especially since I timed it to happen during a leave from work.
I am writing this comment because I too didn't find much information about going off medicines in adhd, so I thought I'd share my experience here.
Thank you for taking the time to share!
I understand about the confidence in the drugs and how people can affect that confidence for no apparent reason. We're typically surrounded by people we trust and it's inevitable that they will affect how we feel about something when there's a disagreement. That is okay. The good news is that science is squarely on our side on this one. Anti-ADHD or anti-ADHD medication very often come from fear-mongering fraudsters with very shaky data. People with actual data who are against medication are few and far between and have interesting circumstances. For example, I found someone from a channel that legitimately had multiple ADHD diagnoses, but medication affected them very negatively. They found other methods to improve their ADHD, but I genuinely suspect they only had ADHD-like symptoms as I tried very similar things and still have ADHD.
Anyways, I appreciate you being here. Take care, and let me know if you have any questions!
Does your brain still work clearer or do you again have memory problems
@@SahilSharma-cb8qt I never had problems with clarity per se. It is difficult to describe it, but my issue is focus and presence of mind. Before the medicine, my mind would always drift to something other than the task at hand. With the exception of the sparse occurrences of hyperfocus sessions, I would find it impossible to work on a demanding task for enough time to make meaningful progress.
In terms of memory, again it is difficult to precisely state it, but my memory worked like a spoiled teenager. If something didn't interest me it would fly right off my head but it would be impossible to forget anything of interest, which may sound good but it really isn't.
In both cases I mention above (focus and memory) and which are probably related, the medicine has helped me a lot. I find that my working/short term memory has improved, not in terms of capacity but in terms of recall. For instance I will now not regress when reading a text, which I used to do a lot when reading something that I didn't find engaging.
Have I answered your question, or was it something different you where asking?
Thanks a lot for sharing, great info.
I found out that these days off are also important for me because they make me remember why I even take medication. When I'm on medication things get so much easier in many ways and my brain quickly accepts that as normal. Sometimes I get the imposter syndrome, but whenever I take a break and my ADHD fully kicks in, I remember why I'm taking it in the first place 😂
A non infinite renewable resource, for me it’s whether I’m going to sleep eat exercise better that day with it or with out it. I can still function just albeit not as smooth.
Thanks for the thoughtful video. How do manage the fatigue on off days? I’m a total zombie.
Thank you for taking the time to comment! I either drink a lot of coffee/tea or take a medication break when I can afford to nap
@@ADHDMathematician thanks man
You don't... you pay the piper. No such thing as a free lunch ya know.
I went an entire year without breaks. I thought my medication stopped working so I took my first break this weekend. Can't stay awake.
It's very difficult not being productive at all. Damn.
If I'm not getting things done on my days off, I don't take my Adderall. But once I need to switch my brain on, I start my med again.
I noticed a significant difference in my energy, mood, and motivation on days that I don't take it.
Ur not getting things done on your off days because your not taking your meds lol
@@ROBERT-ml7ml I believe she meant that if she has something to do she will take adderall but if she doesnt have anything she needs to do on her off day she doesn't take it.
I was recently diagnosed and started taking meds about 5 months ago. the prescribing doctor instructed me to take breaks on my off days from work. When I informed my family doctor that I had started taking ADHD meds and that the prescribing doctor had indeed told me to take breaks, he stated that in his experience taking breaks can lead to substance abuse and he advised against it. Not sure who to listen to, I searched online extensively only to come to the same conclusion as you. its nice to know that I'm not alone.
I'm a bit surprised a doctor advised against taking breaks and now I'm really curious what source(s) they are getting their information from. I'll try to keep an eye out for relevant papers.
This so great. Thank you! The part on learning from your different frames of mind is so important.
Gotta say this is very insightful and well thought out. I've found myself plateauing on Adderall dosage whereas otherwise would feel inspired or motivated. Your points were spot on though. Didn't even think to "plan ahead" or "think less" sounds silly saying a loud but so accurate!
It's frustrating how uninterested the industry is about this.
Yo, thanks man! It's really helpful to hear such an honest, measured account. The exact thing I needed today, fantastic.
I've also been doing research on this topic. Russell Barkley is fantastic if you can find information from him.
My Psychiatrist instructed me taking breaks were necessary, for a day or so, as it is a stimulant, and you can build tolerance and dependence if no breaks are taken. Similar to consistent caffiene drinking for example.
I personally study and work in a lab, so I need to think on "days off". The days off that I do have for medication are tough.
Youre doing well to be prepared, keep up the good work
Its really good to take breaks and even gradually reduce usage because you can learn to cope with it without being exhausted all the time.
ADHD made me paranoid for socail interactions(still a bit) and made me very insecure because i just couldnt hold any information.
I used a ton of intensive meditation and found a way to deal with all the information by using though experiments to put a lot of information regarding a subject together. Also created a mental wise character in my head to guide me. This character is made up from all the wise people i spoke with. I think i did this by meditating.
Also i am now confident because i told the people around me how to deal with me and what they can expect.
I hope my experience can help you because it helped me extremely with my ADHD.
It really helps to hear your thoughts on it, it allows me to better understand my own thought. :)
Im diagnosed with ADHD. Made it really hard to do anything but i refused to use pills. In my opinion it would wake me weak if i couldnt solve my problem. I went from very low functioning to quite high functioning. I sincerely believe that dealing with my ADHD boosted my IQ with 20 points.
So i have found my coping with researching ADHD, using immensely self reflection and intensely meditated.
With ADHD you sort of have a higher brain speed and your brain is not structured to handle that speed. (Which is why i think this is evolutionairy). Higher brain speed + structure = mentally gifted. Higher brainspeed + unstructured = ADD/ADHD.
Next i did a few things that adressed both parts. I accepted my inabillity to hold information. Near impossible to do with the information highway in my brain. I put it in what i call a memmory lake. And say to people that i know nothing and that they have to pul the fishnet a bit up. Then i start to chat away. (To reduce dependency on others, i created another person in my mind to talk/spar with)
This fishnet is made up of visuals like thought experiments. (Thx einstein for that last bit). Why visuals/thought experiments? Well, like the saying goes, an image can hold more that a thousand words.
In short, i push all the information into a movie and throw it in my memory lake
I really resonated with the way you delivered this information, keep up the great work! I subscribed to your channel so I can get scoop up all the information and hopefully provide value for you one day. Thank you for the knowledge.
Thank you very much for sharing. This video definitely gave me a lot of insight. 😊
Great video! I think I am quite similar in my ADHD expression in many ways as u, so it’s quite nice to hear from this perspective
And I hope you continue with the vids! Saw you kinda stopped posting the last weeks, just wanted to say I really appreciate your content! :)
I agree with this. Been on it for most of my life.
Great video thanks for the thoughts.
Just started taking vyvanse and also have some confusion (and disagreements) about taking daily. I haven’t found anything out there.
I’ve been 2 weeks off mu ADHD meds and its been a struggle to regulate my moods + focus with work. However it’s nice to have normal appetite again and I think my sleep is better. I’m a little nervous to start taking them again though because they give me the urge to smoke and I haven’t smoked at all the past 2 weeks and would like it to stay that way
I’m so glad I’ve read this comment! Ive always been confused why I crave smoking while on my adhd medication but never bothered when Im off them.
Hi, there is a brilliant Australian adhd specialist does a deep dive on taking breaks, sry cant remember name, also serotonin and ssri's suppress dopamine, taking a break from stims allows homeostasis , your mind needs to relax for other functions to balance , like creativity etc most adhd meds will build up a physiological anxiety in the body , Tolvon is very effective at helping with anxiety and mood, from my own personal experience, though i took 2 years to figure out how and when to take, 1 -3 days a week max or makes me depressed, 3 - 4 days for stims or i get over anxious and hyper focus on too much stuff, but i have whats called the ring of fire ADHD?! on your break days plan to just do stuff where you wont feel anxious ,like new social gatherings etc...getting out for walks is super important too
Thanks for sharing!
I take Vyvanse on the weekdays, breaks on the weekends, mostly for my appetite. I can’t escape the fatigue though :( appreciate this video, thank u for the in depth analysis!
2 days a week.
Thanks for addressing this issue. Could you elaborate on your coping strategies, please?
Great channel!
I've been dealing with intense anxiety and fatigue didn't take it today because I've been stressing so much that I can't switch off and I felt like the medication pushed me too hard to work on me when I needed to rest
Yeah definitely listen to your body and try not to push too hard. Please let your doctor know about how it hasn't been helping! I hope you are doing okay.
I would love to hear if it helped.
@@johandejager8096 it's a process, I'm a 90s kid so navigating type 1 ADHD as a woman, in her 30s, while all this info about Neurodiversity now, it's...very challenging 😅. But, I decided the lower dosage my doctor already prescribed for my rest period
@SelinaCat perhaps the dosage is too high?
nobody thinks medication breaks are harmful or anything, you just go back to baseline adhd. there is just no clear reason to do it. it may help with side effects on days where you dont need to do anything. but remember that if for example you take lisdexamphetamine (vy/elvanse) it will take at least 2 days until everything is out of your system.
Hey, I was wondering if you have felt your ADHD medication effect diminish over time. I am new to the medication and I'm scared of using it too many days in a row.
Ive been on 54mg for a year and thinking of taking a break. My life pressures have decreased drastically since going on it so I think it is a good time to try! When you get back on, do you jump right back to full dose? Or build up from a low dose
I'm really not qualified to say in this case (or in general -- please take everything I say with a grain of salt!). My dosage is much lower at 15mg adderall XR. When I go on breaks I'll occasionally taper down to 10mg then 5mg then 0mg over a couple days, but I usually don't do that and just stop whenever. Please be careful.
@@ADHDMathematician thanks for your reply!
Have you experienced any side effects such as GI symptoms, headaches, and irritability excitability and/or mood changes? Is it possible to take the medication once a month and still be productive?
I don’t think you actually addressed why you take breaks
Im taking 54mg concerta or 15 20 15 mg 3 times ritalin a day i need to make it drop to 10 10 10 how can i make it work it started not to effect at low doses im using methylphenidate for 10 years
Have you tried Modafinil as an alternative?
I have not -- in fact, I didn't know about modafinil until your comment! The only non-amphetamines I've tried are strattera and guanfacine. They happened to make me too tired to function, but strattera worked otherwise. Do you have experience with modafinil?
7:51 not for myself
Point to remember is, adderall and meth are essentially the same drug, and taking any drug daily will inevitably lead to tolerance build ups, and withdrawl symptoms when youre off it. The longer you take the drug daily the worse the withdrawl will be. I am not saying this because I have an antimedication sentiment, just because the doctors are behind with this information. It is common logic, but people ignore it because it sounds scary. If you just take 2-3day breaks, once every week or two that is a much sustainable way to boost your productivity in the long term.
They're not essentially the same, unless we're using very different definitions of what it means for two things to be the same. Meth is especially powerful and addictive to the point that it's never used medically except in extremely rare instances. Adderall certainly carries risks of addiction, but addiction rates are incomparably low.
I'm not sure if people ignore it because it sounds scary, though. 1. Doctors often tell patients to be on medication every day. Mine happened to tell me it's okay to take breaks whenever. With this kind of conflicting information I can see why people would choose the majority advice and take it every day. 2. Some people desperately need medication and not because of dependence. Some cannot function even beyond the withdrawal phase. It seems like you and I are lucky enough that our withdrawals aren't that bad and we can function after stopping medication, but some people can't afford to do that.
Diagnosed at 30 and I'm terrified of the notion that one day my meds will no longer be available or somehow I won't be prescribed them any longer.. I've been also curious about breaks and eventually trying to taper off them and see if I can get my body to try and respond to non-stimulants (Tried and failed the first time). It sucks that even in 2023 there's still such a stigma around medication because of all the abuse we've seen throughout history of them..
You should take a long break. You are not the feeling you experience when quitting. You are the feeling after a couple of weeks without. Withdrawl symptons are not you without meds. Take 2 months off and you'll see that there''s not a big difference. good luck!