aj
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Post by aj on Jan 31, 2016 0:40:19 GMT
So I finally managed to badger my local MH specialist into seeing me, and after a fairly frank discussion, he prescribed me 27mg concerta. He told me that I should be feeling the effects after a few days, but that the dose might not be high enough for me. I was told that if I see no improvement and no side effects that I needed to come back for a higher dosage. Apparently it's up to me to decide if it's working or not.
The problem is, I have no idea if it's made any difference. I was told that some of the most common side effects are insomnia and a loss of appetite, but I've naturally suffered with the first for half my life, and I habitually miss breakfast/lunch depending on what lectures I have on that day.
Sure, I've been slightly more productive than usual, listening to my teachers as best I can and taking half decent notes, but my studies tend to go up and down anyway. I have a habit of telling myself I'm going to make a real effort this time around, and it lasts for a week or so before I end up staring into space and doodling again.
It's been about a week, and... I don't know. Is it working? Is it the placebo effect? Did I get lucky with no side effects or am I just not noticing any difference? How am I supposed to tell?
Do I just keep going and hope for the best or do I ask for a higher dose and see if I actually notice the difference this time?
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aj
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Post by aj on Jan 31, 2016 1:19:38 GMT
Hi aj, I'm facing the same conundrum at the moment. The feedback regarding what the optimal effectiveness should be is rather vague and not really helpful so far. I haven't been on Concerta, but mthylphenidate and now Elvanse. If it were up to me I'd say make the specialist accountable and keep them in the loop, they are the experts. Depending on how long it takes to get an appointment consider when you'd like to see them again and set up a follow up. They will need to monitor things like heart-rate etc anyway if this is the first time you're on a stimulant. I haven't found the right dosage yet myself so I can't offer you any advice on if what you're experiencing is the optimal effect. great that you're not having any side effects, from a lot of the stories (and my own experiences) it seems that hardly anyone gets to skip those. Best of luck! Hi procrastinating! Thanks for the advice- I really wish I had a better idea of whether I'm actually improving or not, then maybe I would have something to tell my doctor. As it is I'm kind of stuck really. Normally I would ask my friends/ family if they've noticed a difference but my family is in the US of A right now, and since I 'came out' to my friends as having ADD they don't seem to be able to remember what is and isn't normal for me. They just um and ah vaguely about me trying to work past it and how it must be very difficult. And all said in that weird semi-patronising tone that people use when they're trying to sound supportive but don't really know how. Well, at least they're trying. But I think I will talk to him about possibly changing the dose. I'm getting a nasty feeling that no side effects might mean no positives either.
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Post by anopheles on Jan 31, 2016 9:28:42 GMT
I'm on 57mg (3/4 dose) and I don't feel much difference. When I take two of the 5mg methylphenidate 'boosters' in the evening/instead of the concerts i feel very 'still'.
So I'll Go to the planned full dose and if I don't feel much difference, I'll ask if I can take 20mg of the fast acting.
The only side effect I have had was burning cheeks in the evening, but that soon passed.
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Post by anopheles on Jan 31, 2016 11:45:14 GMT
So I finally managed to badger my local MH specialist into seeing me, and after a fairly frank discussion, he prescribed me 27mg concerta. He told me that I should be feeling the effects after a few days, but that the dose might not be high enough for me. I was told that if I see no improvement and no side effects that I needed to come back for a higher dosage. Apparently it's up to me to decide if it's working or not. The problem is, I have no idea if it's made any difference. I was told that some of the most common side effects are insomnia and a loss of appetite, but I've naturally suffered with the first for half my life, and I habitually miss breakfast/lunch depending on what lectures I have on that day. Sure, I've been slightly more productive than usual, listening to my teachers as best I can and taking half decent notes, but my studies tend to go up and down anyway. I have a habit of telling myself I'm going to make a real effort this time around, and it lasts for a week or so before I end up staring into space and doodling again. It's been about a week, and... I don't know. Is it working? Is it the placebo effect? Did I get lucky with no side effects or am I just not noticing any difference? How am I supposed to tell? Do I just keep going and hope for the best or do I ask for a higher dose and see if I actually notice the difference this time? Oh, I just remembered, 27mg is a very low dose, so don't expect much reaction. They build you up a quarter dose at a time. You could ask for evening boosters (the 5mg fast acting, once or twice a day) if any effect in the future wears off in the evening).
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Post by smogz101 on Jan 31, 2016 12:55:25 GMT
I take 40mg methylphenidate at the moment which is being titrated up to 60mg. The most noticeable thing for me is that I feel much calmer, and able to process things much better. I haven't had much improvement with concentration yet, but the nurse said that the 30mg (which I've been on since December) is quite a low dose!
So it might mean you need to go a bit higher to start seeing some improvements. Im the same as you with lectures, I find it so difficult to concentrate! Do you print off the lecture notes beforehand?
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Post by annie on Jan 31, 2016 13:06:10 GMT
For those of you are students on here, have you applied for a Disability Students Allowance(DSA) ADHD is classed as a disability, so it's relevant for you if you have a dx - look up DSA. I do know someone who is receiving support and among other things, they have been given a (pen) which allows you to record the lecture and transfer that on to your tablet/laptop. Sounds really useful!
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Post by smogz101 on Jan 31, 2016 15:23:09 GMT
Yeah I get the DSA too for both dyslexia and adhd! It is worth it, the form is a bit of a nightmare and it takes a while to get it sorted but they gave me a laptop with software (inspiration mind mapping), £100 consumables allowance per year which is handy as I do a lot of printing out. The most useful is funding for one to one study skills/mentoring sessions! The lady I see each week is great, proofreads my work for mistakes and she's helped me organise myself a bit better! Definitely persevere with the forms because it is worth it!
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Post by anopheles on Jan 31, 2016 16:38:32 GMT
Cor, wish I had been diagnosed before my master's course! My professor wondered if I was dyslexic because of my habit of handing stuff in with the pages in the wrong order. Never finished it because I procrastinated over the thesis too long.
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aj
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Post by aj on Jan 31, 2016 16:38:47 GMT
I take 40mg methylphenidate at the moment which is being titrated up to 60mg. The most noticeable thing for me is that I feel much calmer, and able to process things much better. I haven't had much improvement with concentration yet, but the nurse said that the 30mg (which I've been on since December) is quite a low dose! So it might mean you need to go a bit higher to start seeing some improvements. Im the same as you with lectures, I find it so difficult to concentrate! Do you print off the lecture notes beforehand? I think you might be right about the dose, and the doctor I'm with did say that it might need to be upped. Printing off lecture notes beforehand sounds like a great idea actually, but knowing me I'd do it for a few weeks and then eventually forget unless someone kept reminding me. As it is I have so much work in for tomorrow that I really should be doing but have somehow managed to avoid until now. It's so frustrating because I know it needs to be done, I sit down to start, and an hour later I'm halfway through an episode of house of cards and wondering what happened.
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aj
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Post by aj on Jan 31, 2016 16:59:13 GMT
I always find myself needing to finish a chapter / paper / article for the next day with 0% input so far, and then miraculously I end up binge watching a whole new TV show till 4 am after which the adrenaline of near inevitable failure might start to kick in and then I finally start doing something. Having had success with deadline written stuff in the past only confirms my procrastinational approach (user name is very appropriate!!!) This is exactly me. The more I get away with just about scraping past deadlines, the less I can justify the need to start working now. I just say to myself that it's ok and that I can always wake up an hour early to rush through whatever project I was supposed to have been doing over the whole week. I'm pretty sure it started in junior school when I could genuinely do my maths homework ten minutes before the lesson and still get ten out of ten. Since then it's only really gotten worse :/
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