Yup, I picked them up today. Tomorrow is my first dosage.

In my mid 20s I was told I was too high functioning for meds. That was a long time ago in a very conservative area that doesn't in general believe in mental illness.

I've been quite successful without them. I'm an executive as an example. But this job I'm struggling more than I have in decades, in some ways I feel like I'm in my early 20s again.

With some encouragement from the ADHD community here I gave it a go. The first provider wasn't helpful at all. The second one, bingo!

It was a game-changer for me in the corporate world when, at age 44, my job became too complex for me to manage well. Bravo! Hit me up if you ever want to chat about it.

Congrats, and here's to a new you.

Glad to hear that and I'll make note to reach out if I have questions.

Because you know I won't remember shit lol

Thank you!

My first thought a few hours after the first dose was: "This is how live works for all the other people? All the time? YOU FUCKERS."

I mean, I'm not in a bad place, but I still feel I paid way too high of a prize for it. And I want to slap a few select people for making me internalize I was just too lazy to try hard enough.

Look, you can't just slap your ass hats without inviting the community to also also them.

And then let's slap the ones in my life! Mrs. Gunn from 7th grade math. You're probably dead by now but we got shovels!

Yo good luck! Don't forget to pull back some on the caffeine (if you were using that to self medicate, as so many of us do) when you start. Helps you get a clearer understanding of what dose of your meds works best for you.

For those that use caffeine, good warning.

Outside of the occasional chocolate bar, I've avoided caffeine since my early 20s. I hate the headache when I decide I want to hyper fixate on Sprite instead of Dr Pepper.

I still have hope to get a diagnosis and see if I have something. congrats. Im almost in the same position. can't say executive but have done decently until now and a bit over 50.

Oh, I think everyone with that experience has their own selection of best-of-unempathetic-bastards, no need to share.

It gets better though. There's a lot of things I'd prefer young people to do differently than they do, but I find their generation acknowledges personal struggle and gives it leeway, by and large.

Congratulations! May it work wonderfully for you with no side effects!

Interesting – I kind of assumed I’d have to come off them around that age but won’t pretend to know what the meds I’ve taken over the years have actually done to my heart.

Did that come up in discussions with your doctor or were you steered to a low/less stim option?

Hope they work out for you.

Advocate for your needs. The first person wanted to play the "let's do several years of habit training" first. I gave her direct feedback in the second session and pushed for what I needed. I got the reference to the right person. He saw right away the path I was on and it was pretty straight forward.

The younger generations do most things right IMO. The things we oldies think are wrong we either don't understand or forget that our own generation did the same thing essentially.

That's what I'm hoping for!

my issue is insurance. its a cat and mouse game between providers and insurance. providers will only take referals from within network but then not all providers in the network take the insurance. im on a break as its a busy time but hoping to push some more after thanksgiving.

It came up and he had my full medical record showing my overall good health. Just a bit overweight others no issues.

I shared the concern of folks my age needing to come off of them and we talked through my concerns and what to look for in my reaction to it.

I advocate for the lightest med and dose as a start which my doctor agreed was the best start.

🤞🍀

Oh yeah, I love that game.

And by love I mean what the fuck...

The best of luck when you get back at it!

I was diagnosed at 35 and started meds at 37. None of the non stimulants worked for me, but they do work for others. For stimulants I’ve only been on lisdexamfetamine (vyvanse), but it’s worked great for me. I was at 60mg but am trying out 50 mg right now since my bp was a bit higher than ideal. I did switch to decaffeinated coffee since by I like the taste but don’t really need the caffeine
I had euphoria for a day, maybe a bit on the second day, and then it became so normal I wasn’t sure it was working… until I missed some doses. When off of my dose I get more anxious and more easily overwhelmed, and I wasn’t used to it because I had been on the medication and doing better, but that wasn’t my normal state anymore when medicated!

A friend of ours started on some because they were struggling in Uni. They said when the meds kicked in it was like time slowed down and things were calm.

Woot! I hope it works out well for you!

I was diagnosed at age 30. I still remember my first ritalin - music stuck in my head stopped, I was able to read less-pleasant nonfiction that normally I struggled with, able to overcome executive disfunction and get up and do stuff.

Alas, poverty meant I soon couldn't afford to keep getting meds. And at 45 I got a rediagnosis, but alas I've had seven heart attacks and so cannot have any meds. meh.

Congrats! Assuming you mean some kind of stimulant based medication like methylphenidate or dexamphetamine. Been off and on them for 28 years at this point, so here's some stuff I wish people told me:

The first few weeks are going to be the most productive of your life, but this will fade, because you will build up a resistance to the meds. Your best bet is to use the first weeks to put systems in to place that will help you on the days that it's not so effective. Also take tolerance breaks. Look into how stoners do it, they have the T break down to an art.

Be aware of what you're doing when your meds kick in. They can sometimes cause you to hyperfocus on the wrong thing. Best to be staring blankly at what you actually want to be doing rather than "I'll just check Fedi while I wait" unless you want to be arguing on the internet for the rest of the day.

If you're struggling to sleep, you can take vitamin C at the end of the day, as well as some L-Theanine, which I found helpful.

Anxiety! Methylphenidate caused some really unpleasant side effects as an adult for me, and is more likely to cause side effects in adults generally. If that happens talk to your doctor about trying dex. I've found it better. It also just feels less "speedy" overall.

Also be aware of alcohol! I swear it's different on days I take my meds, but that's pretty anecdotal. Possibly just a me thing, but if I end up having a long night, it's almost always after taking meds.

The meds aren't a magic bullet but, my god, life is better with them! If I think of anything else I'll add it

Be aware of what you're doing when your meds kick in. They can sometimes cause you to hyperfocus on the wrong thing.

This part is really important. I had depression & ADHD. Was off both meds for awhile then started seeing a doc again. They only treated the ADHD. So sometimes I’d be thinking about how crappy things are and then the meds would kick in and that’s what I’d be hyperfocused on: how much I hated the world and myself and I would spiral and spiral. That was the closest I’ve come to ending it all.

my wife (at 48) have just started on meds, what you have written rings so true over the last ~3 months

@BallShapedMan@lemmy.world good luck with this

Started at 45. My Kiddo crying, food burning on the stove and Mrs Rachel on tv caused me to be immediately angry. Add rage is a thing apparently.

Since Anger is out of character for me, I went and got on meds.
Life is much better now.

Congratulations op!

Congratulations! This is a very timely post for me and good to hear. I’m 52 and have had a history of problems concentrating. But because I had good grades when I wanted, it never was an issue.
I’m close to executive level as an enterprise / system architect and it’s getting increasingly difficult for me to manage.

Last year I was diagnosed with depression and the therapist brought up ADHD. My son’s been diagnosed with it. It also explains a lot of how my father was.

So after waiting for over half a year, I finally had my first interview for my diagnosis just yesterday. Anxiously waiting for the follow-up where they’ll speak their judgment and hopefully discuss treatment.

To you and your wife too!

This is delightful to read, thank you for the awareness! ♥️♥️♥️🎉🎉🎉

And yes, stims. 10mg of Vyvanse. Or the generic version anyway.

Kudos to you!! Advocating for ourselves particularly with something that has brought us so much shame (in my case anyway) is incredibly difficult.

In my few experiences getting to meds isn't a straight path and can take effort and consistency. Something were not good at at all. Use whatever resources or loved ones you can to get what you feel you need!

Thank you! And the doctor warned me about that.

In my youth I was prone to anger, likely part of my abusive childhood. So I'll be on guard, as will my wife! 🍳

Oh damn. I wish you all the best! That's brutal.

This is helpful, and thank you for sharing!

I've heard a lot about caffeine and being careful with the mix. Fortunately I don't drink it.

So, how is it going?

Alcohol does get a stronger effect on people who use ADHD meds. My psych told me that and I've experienced it as well. Its a thing. Def gotta be careful about that. And this is all solid advice.

To OP, congrats man! Hope the meds help 😁

My brain is quiter. I can tackle word walls easier than before. It's a mild improvement overall.

My heart rate is steady to previous days, as an older person it's something I'm watching.

I'll give it through Tuesday and then consider doubling the dose if the results remain as mild as they are.

From my experience: Check your blood pressure regularly with a proper monitor that goes around the upper arm. I've gotten the BPM connect from withings as it is really fire and forget as long as I'm within reach of my home wifi. Do not double, but take maybe 25% increases. Keep a state log because it is easy to over- or underestimate the effect, the brain is bad at remembering properly. Proper sleep, physical excercise and selfcare are still important and can, when ignored hard enough, almost negate the positive effects of my meds.

Good advice, thank you!

🫡

Good on you, just be careful.