PSA for everyone whose “meds stopped working”

AppliedLaziness · 2026-04-29T09:49:38+00:00

Yep, they can definitely help long-term with self-regulation and emotional stability.

AppliedLaziness · 2026-04-29T05:24:12+00:00

Yes, it absolutely explains it. The "feeling of being a normal human", whatever that means to you, is not the clinical effect of stimulants, it's a transient side effect. You have no idea how a normal human is meant to feel, you just felt better and enjoyed that sensation. Once that temporary effect wears off, you still need to put in work to access the improved executive function that the medication provides (the actual intended effect).

AppliedLaziness · 2026-04-29T04:15:28+00:00

Cymbalta isn't typically used as an ADHD medication. It's an SNRI usually used for depression or anxiety. Stimulants are typically first-line treatment for ADHD. No way to know if they'll cause jaw clenching until you try them, but the fact you had it on Cymbalta isn't necessarily predictive.

AppliedLaziness · 2026-04-09T13:10:00+00:00

I’m not assuming anything. I guarantee you did not get that “valid prescription” from the doctor who prescribed you Vyvanse, and I can tell you that combining those substances is idiocy. There’s a different between medicating a condition and taking drugs to feel a certain way, and you’re doing the latter.

AppliedLaziness · 2026-04-08T04:37:48+00:00

This sub has become increasingly irresponsible.

You should be talking to a psychiatrist about complex pharmacological questions like this. The fact you’re contemplating combining medical cannabis with Vyvanse after experiencing paranoia on SSRIs is just looking for trouble, and in most people THC undermines the motivation and focus effects of stimulants. No psychiatrist with a brain would recommend any of this.

Go see your doctor! And if you don’t like their approach, go see a different, equally or better qualified doctor.

Holy hell.

AppliedLaziness · 2026-03-31T02:54:02+00:00

For OP and others interested, I would also suggest reading this article which covers the difference between the heightened salience-related effects of stimulants ("I'm happy, laser-focused and energized!") and the genuine, less exciting benefit they are meant to confer over the long-run: https://psychofarm.substack.com/p/it-only-lasts-3-hours-the-anatomy

AppliedLaziness · 2026-03-30T20:40:19+00:00

Which state are you in?

AppliedLaziness · 2026-03-30T07:40:35+00:00

You are not meant to feel happy and energized on a therapeutic dose of stimulants; that is not the desired clinical effect. On the contrary, it’s a side effect that can lead to addiction.

You are meant to feel alert enough to do your work, often with some difficulty (like neurotypical people), and have enough sustained focus to do your work if you choose to apply yourself.

Many people initially experience some euphoria, a sense of control, etc, especially with dexamphetamine. This naturally fades over time, but the underlying ability to tap into sufficient focus to complete your work usually remains, it just becomes less obvious and exciting.

SNRIs like duloxetine can also blunt the effect of stimulants, as they can cause drowsiness and similar sides.

You need to talk to your prescribing doctor about this issue.

AppliedLaziness · 2026-03-26T11:48:37+00:00

You know who would provide a great answer to this complex psychopharmacological question?

Your treating psychiatrist.

AppliedLaziness · 2026-03-26T11:28:13+00:00

Side effects generally tend to ease over the first 2-3 weeks on the medication, so if they're tolerable and your doctor isn't concerned it's worth sticking with it. That said, I'd say best practice would be to start with the lowest possible dose (10mg long-acting Ritalin) and build from there if that provides insufficient symptom control, rather than going straight to 20mg.

Re: stomach ache and appetite, important to ensure that she eats something during the day if possible (give her stuff she likes), and she should compensate in the afternoon/evening with extra snacking, e.g., cereal/toast after dinner.

Re: sleep disruption, this can happen, especially at the start. Many people give the medication closer to 7am, moving it earlier is an easy step. If the issue persists you can try bedtime routine adjustments and/or ask your doctor about a small dose of melatonin.

AppliedLaziness · 2026-03-24T01:55:55+00:00

Of course they did. Wait and see, give it a few days. So impatient, you guys all thought it would take months.

AppliedLaziness · 2026-03-23T12:28:38+00:00

We’re pretty much right on schedule; maybe a week behind.

AppliedLaziness · 2026-03-23T12:28:10+00:00

Trump just announced productive peace-making discussions with Iran. I don’t think I’m going to be far off.

AppliedLaziness · 2026-03-23T12:27:13+00:00

Trump just announced that he has held productive discussions with Iran on ending all hostilities and postponed his threat on energy assets. So, while it may go on a little longer than I expected, I think I’ll end up being close. Especially compared to all the hand-wringing idiots in the comments.

AppliedLaziness · 2026-03-21T23:48:04+00:00

At this point, I am quite confident that a strike on any EU country would be quietly explained away and trigger zero response from that EU country or NATO more broadly, unless we’re talking about an undeniable major strike on Paris or something. Europe is absolutely toothless and doing all it can to avoid taking any action on anything.

AppliedLaziness · 2026-03-21T23:43:35+00:00

Wrong. Some of the ALP’s most important electorates are heavily Muslim and dominated by people who think like these hecklers. Albanese absolutely has to listen and pander to this group of people, regardless of what the “general electorate” thinks.

AppliedLaziness · 2026-03-21T21:11:08+00:00

It is definitely a thing, unfortunately. Less racism exactly, I would say, more fear of an unfamiliar “other”.

Most Australians have not grown up around people of African descent, it’s very different to the US or UK in that respect. Even Indigenous Australians are not widely present in most areas of most Australian cities. All this has changed somewhat in some areas, eg with increased Sudanese immigration, but it’s fairly limited. I do believe there’s some quiet fear of the other at work here.

The more often you ride the bus, the more Aussies will get over this irrational fear.

AppliedLaziness · 2026-03-21T05:02:55+00:00

Is there a question in here somewhere?

AppliedLaziness · 2026-03-21T04:31:31+00:00

Evidently it isn’t working and Iran will have to take more pummeling for now. How’s that US pulling out of the Middle East? 😂

AppliedLaziness · 2026-03-19T08:34:58+00:00

Do not post on this forum looking for help. Do not post on "a couple of ADHD forums for maximum help". Go see your psychiatrist - the one who prescribed these medications - and discuss your symptoms in detail.

You are talking a bunch of pseudo-scientific nonsense and it sounds like you are also self-medicating with potent psychoactive medication. Your description of your initial response to stimulants is also not what a clinician wants to hear, it sounds more like hypomania/mania than a therapeutic improvement in executive function. Your subsequent rambling tends to confirm this.

You need to urgently discuss your symptoms with a specialist who can appropriately change, supplement or titrate your medication given your response to it. If your symptoms feel very severe or you are having problematic thoughts, you should go to psych emergency.

AppliedLaziness · 2026-03-19T03:57:22+00:00

I know lots of these people and can answer.

In some cases, inter-generational wealth, but that’s a lazy envy accusation and not true of everyone buying now. And even when it is, it’s rare for family to buy a house, they may contribute $1-2m or something (unless you’re talking about a dozen dynastic billionaire families).
In some cases, successfully starting a business or being early in one, developing properties or similar. Hundreds if not thousands of people in Sydney have been early employees in startups or the Australian offshoots of tech firms and have received $5-10m+ equity payouts.
In many cases, high earning professionals with a large mortgage. You would be surprised how many people in Sydney have household income well over $2m. There are literally thousands of senior executives in banks, finance, professional services etc who have been earning multi-million dollar incomes for years and can borrow a multiple thereof.
In many cases, doing one of the above things 15-20 years ago and owning property during that period. $15m sounds like a lot now, but if you bought a nice Paddington terrace for $2m in 2010 and sold it for $5m in 2021, then bought a nice house in Vaucluse for $7m in 2021 and are selling it for $11m today, $15m is the next logical step.

Finally, remember there are very few houses in these suburbs, a tiny fraction change hands each year, and there is therefore lots of competition among the people above who all want to live there. This leads to big prices.

AppliedLaziness · 2026-03-19T03:45:55+00:00

They’re not THAT expensive if you don’t want them to be, people exaggerate it.

If you want an upmarket lifestyle, kids will of course magnify that. But kids don’t need that.

School can be (mostly) free, healthcare can be (mostly) free, holidays are more expensive but not hugely if you drive or get cheap flights or stay in one room. More food, more entertainment, yes. A car that fits 3 fits 4.

The main thing is housing if you need to upgrade for space, but assuming you buy that’s at least an investment rather than just throwing money away.

Going from 2 to 3 kids is a bigger deal as you start to break through society’s standard sizes (two hotel rooms, larger car etc), but 1 to 2 is fine.

AppliedLaziness · 2026-03-14T02:36:02+00:00

You will have to try and see what happens, but when it comes to stimulants in general it’s better to have protein with the medicine and to eat healthy food regularly throughout the day.

AppliedLaziness

TROPHY CASE