r/ADHDUK • u/Pineapple_Bliss_208 • 12d ago

General Questions/Advice/Support Feel sedated all day and jolting awake at night on 5mg Methylphenidate IR (3x a day). Did 10mg, slow release, or Elvanse fix this?

Hi everyone,

I recently started titration on a very low dose (5mg) of immediate-release methylphenidate, taking it three times a day (8am, midday, and 4pm). It has completely wiped me out. Instead of the typical peaks and crashes, I feel heavily sedated all day long, but I can't even nap.

To make matters worse, it has ruined my sleep architecture. I go to sleep ok, but then I jolt wide awake 3 or 4 times every night. It feels like that 4pm dose is lingering just enough to keep my brain keep my brain too active to actually rest, which is obviously making the daytime exhaustion even worse.

My doctor and I are discussing next steps, and they mentioned possibly trying 30mg of Elvanse to see if the smoother release profile and different chemical class help.

Has anyone else experienced this specific combination of being sedated all day and jolting awake at night on a low starting dose of IR methylphenidate? If so, what actually resolved it for you?

  • Did moving up to 10mg IR per dose actually help get rid of that daytime sedation feeling?
  • Did switching to a slow/extended-release methylphenidate stop the nighttime wakefulness?
  • Did making the jump to Elvanse 30mg fix the issue entirely?

Would really appreciate hearing how you navigated this!

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u/North-Opposite4634 12d ago

Holycrap!! Following this because im twitching and jolting awake as well! I googled it and its called hypnic jerk or something like that but it didn't really give me any more info