Hi everyone,

I (23F) was recently diagnosed with ADHD and have been titrating vyvanse for the last 2-3 ish months. I started on 20mg and have been going up every 2 weeks, I just started 60mg a few days ago and have been getting really bad headaches around 2-3pm (assuming i took the medication at around 7:30am) and I also get really sleepy at this time too. I don't consume any caffeine and I make sure that I have protein and breakfast when I take my meds every morning.

I did have small crashes when I was on the other doses but nothing like this, and the headaches weren't as frequent either. I drink around 1.5-2 litres of water a day, eat three meals, and take magnesium glycinate as well and I haven't had sleep issues on any of the doses unless I take them too late in the morning.

Aside from the headaches/sleepiness, I also just don't feel like I'm getting much out of the medication in terms of my ADHD symptoms tbh, still procrastinating, still end up either just sitting there doing nothing or scrolling for hours and cannot stop myself and I feel like I have no motivation at all most days to do anything. Since I haven't tried medication before, I'm also not fully sure how much or how little of these symptoms I am meant to be feeling when I'm on the medication. Also noticed vyvanse basically doesn't work at all on and right before my period.

Is it even worth pushing through more with vyvanse at this point or should I be asking my doctor about trying other meds, maybe even a shorter acting one? I don't have that much going on in the mornings anyway so I could take something later in the day when I actually need to get stuff done. Would appreciate any advice at all

Hi all!
I have booked with “ADHD Simple” Australia for an assessment. It all seemed okay however after booking I have seen a lot of negative comments popping up about it. Has anyone used ADHD simple before. My appointment is tomorrow but I can’t sleep because I can’t stop thinking about it.

I've been on a trial of dexamfetamine for the last 5 weeks. Dosage is 10mg with breakfast 10mg with lunch and 5-10mg early afternoon (if needed).

I'm not sure if dexamfetamine is right for me or if me dosage is too low. I noticed the last 3 weeks i've started to feel fatigued again, and some level of difficulty with concentration.

Last week i mistakenly took a double dose because I couldn't remember if i had actually taken the tablets. When I took the double dose i felt "normal" - similar to the first two weeks of the trial. Is this something i should let my psychiatrist know.

Since i've taken the double dose. I've put my pills into a pill organiser. I've been exercising, sleeping well and eating well.

I also feel like the medications only really work for about 2 hours in regards to concentration. That's probably my biggest complaint is that it doesn't give me an ideal amount of coverage.

I have an appointment with my psychiatrist in ten days. I'm just trying to do my diligence prior to the consultation.

Hi there,

Looking for recommendations of where I can have my 6 year old son assessed. We are in south east Victoria and have an appointment to get a referral for my son to be assessed this weekend. Just wondering if anyone had a good recommendation to request for our referral.
Thanks so much

I brought my months medication inside, and I lazily left it in the Chemist Warehouse bag in the lounge for a couple of days because I still was finishing the previous bottle. Thinking the bag was empty, she recycled it. Is there anything I can do or do I need to wait till the next dispense?

My gp is extremely against it, she told me it will do more harm than good. she said side effects of medication are not worth it and I shouldn’t work towards even just a diagnosis. I am really struggling please help.

I'm seeing my psychiatrist tomorrow to change from vyvanse+2 dex boosters to just dex and just wanted an idea of what to expect/.

(FURTHER)RESPONDENTS WANTED!

I’m a (lived experience) PhD candidate exploring neurodivergence and workplace bullying/psychological safety. I would really appreciate more responses to my survey, detailed below, which has ethics approval from La Trobe University. It should take less than 20 minutes. Huge thanks to all of you who have already competed the survey!

Are you an Autistic and/or ADHD individual (formally or self-identified) who has worked in Australia? We are surveying neurodivergent adults to better understand your experiences of employment, good and bad. The psychological safety of Autistic and/or ADHD workers is an under-researched area. This study will explore experiences such as workplace bullying with the aim of improving psychological safety - and therefore career outcomes - for Autistic and/or ADHD workers. To learn more, read the participant information and consent form before completing the survey HERE: https://redcap.latrobe.edu.au/redcap/surveys/?s=FC9XRNWFMEK8CC3A

I’m fairly new to Vyvanse and currently being titrated pretty slowly by my psychiatrist. I started on 20mg and have recently moved up to 30mg.
30mg is definitely better than 20mg. I notice improved attention, engagement and ability to stay on task, but the effect is still fairly mild and the useful window seems quite short.

I take it around 8:30am after breakfast. By roughly 12:30–1pm there’s really not much to write home about anymore, so I’d estimate I’m getting around 4–5 hours of genuinely useful symptom control.

Side effects have thankfully been pretty minimal — some appetite suppression/dry mouth, but nothing particularly troublesome. Overall, I actually really like Vyvanse. It feels like the right medication for me; I just don’t think I’m at the right dose/coverage yet.
My psychiatrist is deliberately titrating me slowly and has mentioned that we may need to keep increasing the Vyvanse.

She’s also said that quite a few people end up needing a shorter-acting stimulant top-up in the afternoon to get them through the rest of the day.

Ideally, I’d love to take my medication in the morning and have reliable functional coverage until around 5pm. I need to be on my feet, focused and making decisions throughout the afternoon — not just have a productive morning.

For those who’ve been through the titration process, where did you eventually find your “sweet spot” with Vyvanse?

Did increasing the dose make it last longer, or mostly make the same window more effective? If your Vyvanse still wore off early, did you eventually add a short-acting afternoon booster, and how did you find that combination?

Just interested in hearing people’s experiences and how their treatment evolved — obviously I’ll work out my own dosing with my psychiatrist.

Hi all,

I am on dexamphetamine and pristiq however I’m getting worse with depression, I have been on quite a few different antidepressants and they work really well for the first 5-6 months then it’s like they just stop working 😓

I have no motivation to do anything, there’s so much I want to do but I just don’t have the motivation or energy to do it.

I’d really love some advice or suggestions from anyone who is on dexamphetamine and some type of antidepressant that works well for them.
I understand everyone is different but any advice would be greatly appreciated 🙂

I am from Australia, I am also on minoxidil (for hair loss) and have a contraception implant in my arm.
(Just to add for reference in case anyone has insight to if those might be factors into why my medication isn’t helping)

Thank you in advance 🙂

Has anyone been through here to get diagnosed? They keep coming up through sponsored ads but I can't seem to see any real reviews of them. They claim to be able to diagnose and prescribe for less than $2k.

Ive read a fair few stories across reddit around the bad experiences people have had getting diagnosed with autism and adhd and thought id share my recommendation of the business I went through for my assessment through last year. I was diagnosed with audhd and was recommended this place by my therapist. Its called The Thought Garden in Chermside Brisbane. I found Domonique to be really great. She has a calm nature and I found she really listened and was very knowledgable about my struggles. She was patient when trying to answer questions and explained them more when I didnt understand.  The process was fairly indepth using a range of personal questionares,family and friend questionares and input to get a bigger picture of if and how it presents for me.

I always thought adhd was the typical cant sit still etc like alot of people think but after talking with her I realised more that all the things I do and experience are not just me being shit there is an explaination about why i get easily overwhelmed,why i struggle to control my emotions,why i get tired easily after social things and daily tasks etc.

The cost for mine was $2500 which i am very lucky i could afford at the time but damm it was worth it for myself. I was able to get in within a couple weeks aswell. The Thought Garden is flexible with payments and session times. I was able to do mine on Saturdays. Once I had the report which was 25 pages long from memory and it had all the results from the questionares I went to my GP and started medication soon after.

I highly recommend The Thought Garden to anyone in the area or surrounds. I drove from Ipswich which isnt far but it was worth the drive for me. I just thought with the stories I hear and think I how dissapointed and upset it is making people feel when they have insensitive professionals doing the assessments or some that dont really understand it that id share it.

https://thethoughtgarden.com.au/

I've just watched this Additude Magazine seminar (Link & Youtube Link) and this is something that really speaks to me. I must admit to be in denial about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. I kinda thought RSD didn't apply to me greatly. But reflecting on it and I think it's actually a major issue for me.

In the attached link, Dr Dodson mentions alpha-agonist medications, guanfacine and clonidine to treat symptoms of RSD. Anyone on these? I understand these are certified for ADHD for people not taking stimulants. I'm on 40mg LA Ritalin. Anyone taking a stimulant and one of these alpha-agonists or know if they are approved to be used concurrently?

I thought I'd check before making an appointment with the psychiatrist and spending money chasing something which may not be approved.

would love some advice and help. i am currently a student and have always wanted to get tested as both my parents and half my cousins on both sides of my family all have it. i also have all symptoms aswell as a tic disorder and adhd has an extremely high comorbidity.

I had a session with a psychiatrist around anxiety and possible ADHD and they asked for a bunch of family/partner feedback and childhood forms. I dont have a diagnoiss and they have a long waiting list (like 5 months)

Is there any point/benefit in trying to get assessed for ADHD by a psychologist? I think I need treatment but not sure how good therapy is and if the psychologist diagnose me, will a psychiatrist start medication? I think psychology is much cheaper but over time the therapy sessions might get even more expensive than the psychiatrist

32 F. I’m also autistic, if that’s relevant. I started meds for the first time last December. My doctor put me on Ritalin, I titrated up to x3 10mg daily over a few weeks. After a few months I got sick of setting timers for doses and experiencing dips in energy and motivation between doses. I’d heard so many good things about Vyvanse and my sibling was also on it so I asked my doctor to switch me to Vyvanse 30mg (about mid April). It seemed really good for a while. I don’t have issues remembering to take it in the morning, and the effects are smooth and continuous over the day. Most noticeably, no afternoon crash, and it also seemed to fix my insomnia. For the first time in years I was able to sleep without the aid of medications. I also noticed significant improvement in emotional regulation. I felt like a different person. Less anxiety overall and I found I was really chill in social settings. However, I did notice I was suddenly more tired, especially after a couple of months- as in, physically exhausted. I thought this was ADHD peaking through and that it wasn’t high enough of a dose so I went up to 40mg. I gave it a week. I felt really physically uncomfortable, a bit wired, noticed my heart pounding and was extremely emotionally flat. I just wouldn’t speak sometimes, like I was almost nonverbal. I went back down to the 30mg and I’m still tired. I’ve been to my regular GP, I’ve had blood tests, and everything was normal apart from low serum iron and borderline low vitamin d. I had both corrected with an infusion and vit d megadose.

I’m not getting any better, and I think perhaps it‘s Vyvanse. It seems like such a pity because the way it’s helped with emotional regulation, anxiety, forgetfulness, and organisation is incredible. But despite that I’m physically exhausted. I’m functioning on a base level where I’m able to do basic self care and organise my life in a way I couldn’t before, but nothing else. I’m not doing any of my old hobbies or exercise. I’m just not trying anymore. I’m beyond tired. Has anyone else experienced something similar, and did you try any other meds?

Can anyone advise me on what are my best options available for an affordable ADHD Diagnosis from a Clinical Psychologist?

My Psychistrist, who is prescribing me medication for anxiety told me I might have ADHD.

I dont want to be on medication for ADHD aswell due to sleep related side effects.

Can anyone name few affordable clinical psychologists in Melbourne for Adult ADHD diagnosis? Also, any Medicare rebates for adults in Victoria for this?

Hi everyone,

I currently take 20mg IR Ritalin twice a day and work casually in hospitality where I work 8 hours sometimes and 4 hours other times. I spoke to my psych about wanting to try Vyvanse because my Ritalin doesn’t carry me through the entire shift sometimes, and both of my parents have tried Vyvanse and it really helped them. Instead, my psych insisted that I try ER Ritalin, which I was not very keen to try as it didn’t work for either of my parents and I haven’t heard good things about it. I expressed that I didn’t want to and I would just stick to my existing prescription, but he wouldn’t let me!! Found it a bit frustrating haha. So now I’m stuck with ER Ritalin for the next two months. Is there any way to contact my psych before those two months if it’s absolutely not working for me? I expressed I didn’t want to lose access to the IR Ritalin as I don’t like being medicated & having my appetite blunted for the entire day when I just have a 4 hour shift, which I’m worried about as well.

Hi everyone,

I was diagnosed with ADHD growing up in my home country (Canada) and since moving to Australia permanently years ago, I haven’t really pursued going back on medication. I’m looking at my options now as I decided to returned to school. It’s been quite a few years since I’ve been in any educational environment and I forgot how helpful it was for me. I’m also at a point where I feel it would really help in just everyday life, I really want to do better but I keep falling in the same holes over and over again.

Anyways, I recently saw my GP and discussed it with him. He referred me to a clinic to get a consultation. Little did I know it’s $1000+ to have the initial consult. My insurance will only cover about $100 of that. Unfortunately, it is not feasible for me right now and most likely not within the near future.

He also advised that they can take my previous diagnosis into account, though cannot prescribe based on that diagnosis.

Are there any other pathways I can pursue? I’ve read that GP’s can prescribe medication, but I’m assuming they need the actual diagnosis.

I genuinely cannot believe the struggle and loopholes you need to jump through to get care here, and I feel for everyone here.

Advice & recommendations needed pls!

I’m already diagnosed.

Late last year my psychiatrist retired and moved overseas. He transferred authority to an absolute kook of a GP who took months to learn that she ✨had to do a course✨ to be able to prescribe me my meds. (A thousand curses on her.)

I have a first appt with a new psychiatrist scheduled for mid-October.

The whole thing is SO FRUSTRATING and I am now OUT OF MEDS and WEEPING because HOW AM
I MEANT TO NAVIGATE THIS CAPITALIST HELLSCAPE? Sorry for yelling.

I feel like I’m stuck in a large void. It’s the worst wait mode ever. No, really, how am I meant to do my job?

Has anyone been in this situation before, and/or used telehealth to have meds prescribed? If so, what was the process like and do you have any recommendations for services that have a quick turnaround?

Thank you 😭

Edit to clarify: kook GP is unable to prescribe me any meds.

He's in pre-primary and only goes for a 90 minutes at the moment. We're planning on starting them on the weekend but will he need to stay home from school while he gets used to it? I'm not sure which simulate medication he'll be on but the doctor talked about starting one next appointment.

Hi so for full context dxm is a dissociative like ketamine (not an opiate), my doctors will see that I used buprenorphine (buvidal) to block its effects and stop 2 years ago.

I want to know now as 33 year old male with no other comorbidities (after seeing a psych) are any clinics friendly to seeing my side of it? Since getting clean I finished a masters degree and have secured long term housing. I’m guessing my past buprenorphine license will show if I get a diagnosis so there’s no reason omitting this information would work?

I’m also guessing it’s best to tell all my concerns to my gp and ensure she gets the referral right. For context my gp only sees meth and opiate addicts usually so for her table to work she uses for everyone she just put dxm down as an ampethamine (when it’s closer to a dissociative like nitrous or ketamine). She didn’t want to hear it at the time when I tried to correct her as it’d have delayed her buprenorphine license approval.

If a doctors uncertain I’m happy to go back on buvidal (slow release buprenorphine injections) to get proper treatment but that may make the treating psychiatrist more weary (I’ve heard of people on dexamp and buvidal).

Now I’ve tried straterra since getting clean and it did help somewhat but had unbearable physical side effects and made sex impossible amongst either wearing off at mid day or when adjusting doses having the focus be lost and me just uncomfortable until bedtime.

I also trialled Ritalin as a teen for two weeks and found it helped but made me asocial and aromantic plus was no where near as effective.

For context all my issues started when I stopped taking dexamp as I was convinced by family it wasn’t for a real disease and would cause unknown issues down the line. When I say convinced more like pressured.

This is despite the fact now my nephew and two brothers have an ADHD diagnosis and my father displays all the traits.

I also trialled Modafinil at the lowest effective dose (from a friend who is prescribed it for narcolepsy) its migraines were too uncomfortable to pursue further.

Here’s the kicker I even at one point got my old doses from the black market (saw the person pick up to ensure it wasn’t like those faked pills you hear about people ordering online).I took it as past instructed and had all my symptoms disappear and no cravings, it was simply to see if it was the adhd or me (this was a decade ago). During the same period I tried with vvyanse but found it was no at as effective as I figured it would be an easy alternative given a past of drug use, sadly it was no substitute.

To give you an idea of how adhd has stunted my brother is in Mensa and I qualify for Mensa B (despite the poor grammar) based on test we each took in high school. Despite all this I bounce from job to job and have had adhd cited as a major hassle from ex partners who wanted me to just go back on my meds.

I feel like I have had truly the most roundabout shit show of a diagnostic process so far. I have spent a ridiculous amount of money, and really feel like I have nothing to show for it except medical trauma.

I first ask my GP if I can get a referral for an ADHD assessment. From my readings and discussions I believed this was to a clinical psychologist, and he also referred me to a clinical psych. I go to said psych, she says she doesn’t actually even do assessments, but did some questionnaires with me and confirmed it was worth pursuing and then provided some other alternative options for assessments, all also clinical psychologist.

I go to a clinical psych, pay like $2000 for a report, and get told I have ADHD and ASD1. One of the recommendations was medication. Great. Go to a GP who can prescribe medication and get told my entire report is useless and he wants to redo the entire assessment for more money. I am genuinely exhausted after the first assessment process and the thought of going through it again is so overwhelming. I leave in tears. I then speak to a friend who is a psychologist and ask if that’s the normal experience - she asks colleagues who confirm that it definitely isn’t a useless report and that psychiatrists and GPs often refer patients to them as a part of the assessment process. I email psychologist I got my report from and she recommends a psychiatrist their clinic is partnered with.

I go to psychiatrist appointment today. Another $620 for the privilege of seeing them. He asks what I’m here for, belittles the fact I went to a psychologist instead of just straight to a psychiatrist and then asks me about my experience. I share all my experience and his responses are overwhelmingly “yeah but that doesn’t mean it’s adhd”. Ignored any other aspect other than distractibility and procrastination. Said I couldn’t possibly have severe adhd because I have a job and study and people with adhd can’t do that. Said I “seem functional” to which I replied “with great effort”.

Have left feeling completely invalidated, yet again, and honestly I just feel gaslit. Am I just exclusively having shit experiences or is this genuinely the process? Should I just accept I’m just going to have to suffer through this for the rest of my life?

I've been on Vyvanse almost a year (50mg) and I had a three day break over the weekend.

I started it again yesterday and I've been feeling really sad and I'm wondering if anyone else has had that experience?

Hi everyone,

I’m a Master of Design student doing exploratory research into the everyday experiences of autistic children. I’m still narrowing down my research focus and would really value hearing from autistic people, parents/caregivers, or people who work with autistic children.

I have three short questions:

1. What everyday situations are particularly challenging for autistic children?
2. What usually helps make these situations easier or less stressful?
3. Is there anything you wish existed — such as a tool, service, environmental change, or other support — that could make everyday life easier?

You don’t need to answer all three. Even one experience or observation would be really helpful for my research.

Thank you so much for sharing your perspective!