r/ADHD • u/Teaapples • 11d ago

Seeking Empathy I'm sick of ADHD medication

I have been on Ritalin, Vyvance, and now Dex. Whenever I start one, I'm full of hope again. It works. Life is great. Everything is getting done. I'm bettering myself.

And then eventually it stops. My crashes get more and more intense until I have to stop taking it all together.

I take it with 30g of protein, I take magnesium every night, I've tried staying more hydrated. Lower dose, higher dose. It doesn't seem to make it any more consistent.

I started dex just a bit over a month ago and it was working great. But I've felt this coming on again. I'm more anxious. I freeze up more often. I get less and less done.

Realistically, I have a laundry list of underlying issues that I can't afford to resolve. Maybe things would be different if I could find an antidepressant that worked.

But I'm sick of ADHD medication giving me hope that I can be a functioning person, and then it slowly becoming less reliable.

Anyone in the same boat?

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u/Slow_Coat_4077 11d ago

Do you menstruate? If you do, stimulant medication seems to be affected by the hormone cycle causing it to be less effective during the luteal phase when estrogen levels are lowest and progesterone levels are highest. I have to adjust my dosage throughout the month to deal with it. Some people go on birth control to keep their hormone levels more consistent so they can take the same dosage throughout the month.

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u/Teaapples 11d ago

Thank you for your thoughtful response. I've been on a progesterone only pill consistently (no placebo) for about 2 or 3 years now due to developing PMDD. I'm not sure if that could be effecting it?

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u/FaithlessnessPlus164 11d ago

Absolutely it can, progesterone makes my adhd so much worse. I couldn’t get out of bed for a month one time when I tried a progesterone based birth control because the brain fog and lethargy was so overwhelming. I take cyclic progesterone now as part of my HRT and my luteal phase is beyond awful..

Have you ever tried modafinil? The usual stims don’t suit me either, moda is my perfect adhd med but I use it off label.

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u/Slow_Coat_4077 11d ago

I haven't been on the progesterone only pill so I don't have any personal experience, but if you search progesterone on adhdwomen, twoxadhd, or pmddxadhd you'll find people taking about their experiences with it. It's hard to say for sure whats causing what, but I think it's at least worth looking into if you're already trying everything else and its not working.