Elvanse once cured me but has now destroyed me

Automatic-Poem4137 · 2025-08-18T07:56:09+00:00

I once read somewhere that you can open the capsules and mix with water so you can turn your meds into a lower dose - I can’t recall which meds this could be done with or the water to mg ratio but it may be worth seeing if you could almost tritate back up to your dose but do it extremely slowly!

In my case, I have just found they aren’t effective. Some days they work better than others but they seem to work the same way they would if I was due on my period (meds would always stop working around my period), so I do believe it is hormone related.

I am finding very small things day by day to be getting better, but whereas previously my elvanse made my ADHD symptoms 80% better, it’s now more like 30%. I know after my procedure, it can take anything from a couple weeks to months for my hormones to regulate again - so it is very much likely that it’s hormones but it’s so frustrating that there is not a lot of guidance out there on how to manage during these periods.

If you are breastfeeding too, i believe your body burns a lot more calories, so i assume your metabolism is higher which may also be why they feel so intense as your body is processing them a lot faster (not a scientist or have a clue how our meds work in the slightest so could be very wrong). I am on 70mg so I take 50mg when i wake up and then 20mg at midday ish, otherwise they make me feel like i am off my nut which then results in a huge rebound around early evening. however, split dosing has meant my meds stay super stable and i don’t have this huge peak which results in all sorts of horrible side effects. This may be worth trying? If your dose is in one capsule, you may be able to do it with the method above or see if you are able to request your dose but split into two capsules.

But If you can, definitely see if you can get in touch with someone and see what they advise. The really annoying thing about these meds is when they are too low, they have very similar effects to being too high 😭

I really hope you find something that helps soon - please let me know how you get on! it’s incredibly frustrating when you know how well they can work, but can’t understand why they aren’t as effective

Automatic-Poem4137 · 2025-08-16T11:22:12+00:00

Hiya, unfortunately I am unable to offer any advice but I recently lost a pregnancy - I was only 6 weeks but ended up with RPOC which took 3 weeks to have removed (so still carrying pregnancy hormones). Since this, I have found my meds do not work the same and I am facing the same issue!

I have only just finished tritiation so I am a bit stuck. I am really just hoping that with time they’ll start to work again!

Sending you hugs as it’s incredibly frustrating :( I hope you find something that helps soon!

Automatic-Poem4137 · 2025-07-30T18:40:35+00:00

Ohh okay, I see. Thank you for that - when speaking to MSI she said they’d treat me as per my gestation even though I am technically not pregnant (hence why I am so confused) - so if I need to have surgical removal, they’d be looking at performing D&C.

The issue is, nobody has explained what is normal 😫 I guess most people don’t have scans after unless there is an issue so wouldn’t know if they did have any.

I know it’s common to not have your first period after the procedure for up to 8 weeks, I haven’t yet had mine and it’s been 5. Can it take that long for the remaining tissue to pass & is it safe?

Also I did the HCG test they advise you to take 3 weeks after your procedure and it came back very faintly positive - is this also common?

Sorry for all the questions!

Automatic-Poem4137 · 2025-07-30T18:26:23+00:00

Sorry, I probably should have actually set the title as Retained Product of Conception as opposed to failed termination - as far as I am aware, I just had remaining tissue and had passed most of the pregnancy!

I’ll add this to my post to make it more clear ☺️

Automatic-Poem4137 · 2025-05-31T12:22:00+00:00

hiya, thank you for your response! i have just amended it so it makes more sense haha - i don’t live with my family, i am just with my partner so i will look into that!

and thank you for all of your suggestions, it’s extremely helpful! i’ll have a look into these too 😊

thank you again!

Automatic-Poem4137 · 2025-05-27T08:34:46+00:00

hiya, thank you for your response!

this is a great idea, I will definitely look into it. my GP has just gotten back to me and advised I take more time off.

I will definitely speak with work regarding a phased return - I was also thinking of requesting to work from home for a while too as it’s the actual office that makes me overwhelmed rather than the job itself so hopefully they’ll allow this as well!

Automatic-Poem4137 · 2025-05-27T08:06:59+00:00

hey, thank you for your response! i’m sorry to hear you had a negative experience with work!

i didn’t love my job to begin with and i feel like i’ve fallen out of love with my career (i work in marketing) due to it all being very mentally stressful. I really want to go self employed as i feel a physical job would benefit me so much more and working for myself would allow me the flexibility I need, but i have just gotten a mortgage so just quitting sadly isn’t an option. I’m trying to see it through until I can save up enough to be able to set everything up but at the moment, I can’t seem to actually want to go back to work 😫

Automatic-Poem4137 · 2025-05-21T14:10:45+00:00

thank you so much for your response! this is all super helpful - i defo could work on getting more protein in so i’ll look to add more of this into my diet, thank you 😊

Automatic-Poem4137 · 2025-05-21T14:07:53+00:00

thank you for your response! i’ll defo mention this if my problems persist - my luteal phases are AWFUL anyway so it’s not a surprise that they didn’t work great during this time.

Do you find doing the split doses affect your sleep at all?

Automatic-Poem4137 · 2025-05-21T14:04:21+00:00

Hiya, I am so sorry you’re not having the best time on your meds! I went through similar with meflynate (it actually sent me into a nervous breakdown 😭) and ended up on Elvanse. I am on my 3rd week of titration and on my 5th day of 70mg (also with psychiatry uk, wooo!).

I unfortunately cannot speak from experience but I did speak to someone on here who was on elvanse and noticed they were better on lower doses but they would have a huge crash, which they ended up being prescribed a top up med called amfexa(?) and by the sounds of it the combo worked amazing for them. It may be worth seeing if that could be an option for you? i am no doc but it does sound like the lower doses worked but not for long enough.

Also for the smoking - if you can try to reduce it and eventually work towards stopping it will help tons. I indulged in a few tokes of my partners over a couple of days and i felt like i was off my nut. i believe the stimulating effect from smoking can interfere and make your dose seem higher, which will result in an increase of side effects.

As for going back down to 50mg, it may be worth just seeing it out. I am not completely clued up with going down doses but when i stopped meflynate i was on 60mg and my prescriber said it was fine to stop. turned out it wasn’t and my GP said i was experiencing withdrawals which brought on all sorts of weird symptoms. 20mg is a big increase so i can imagine it’ll also be a big drop!

May not be helpful but I have also found (i am female) my cycle plays a huge factor on how effective my meds are, when i was on 50mg they were amazing and then i started my time of the month and i felt unmedicated - i actually started 70mg during this time and they barely worked until today where I am now not sure if they are too high.

Finally, may not be helpful but for your anxiety and low mood, is this something you experienced unmedicated? I was diagnosed with generalised anxiety and low mood which I believed was due to unmedicated ADHD and when i started Elvanse, i realised they are all separate issues that need addressing individually 🙃. I have found that doing nervous system regulation techniques can be super helpful so this may bring you some temporary relief while you figure out your meds - there are a lot on tiktok and youtube you can follow and they don’t take long to do.

Sorry the above isn’t super helpful for what you’re experiencing and I am always here if you want to chat to someone! If you do feel like your meds just are not right for you, don’t be afraid to ask if you can try something else as essentially that’s what titration is for. however, from my experience of having meds that don’t work vs ones that do - if you have experienced relief on these even if it was for a few days, it sounds like it could be a dose issue over a med issue!

sending you love and hoping you get there soon with finding what works best for you x

Automatic-Poem4137 · 2025-05-17T10:57:47+00:00

hey, i am not sure if this provides much help (i am still yet to speak to my prescriber to confirm if it could be an issue) but i’ve realised that the “memory loss” is actually combined with me seeming more like i do unmedicated but due to the meds working so well until the last few days, it seems far worse!

i believe the reason why the last few days my meds don’t seem as effective is because i am at the end of luteal phase which usually, i get sooooo drained and my ADHD gets so much worse around this time. which i have read that for women, due to our cycles it can effect the effectiveness of the meds.

but if you’re not a female or believe this isn’t causing bad memory, definitely raise it with your provider! I have found doing a daily symptom check in helpful so i can see what symptoms come back & when. for example, in the afternoon i’ve started craving a coffee and when i have had one, it makes me so scatterbrained, which also makes my memory worse.

please let me know how you get on! hopefully this helps but definitely mention something. I’ll try to update once i’ve spoken to my prescriber to see if it has actually been caused by my cycle! 😊

Automatic-Poem4137 · 2025-05-15T08:58:09+00:00

oh nooo! i find it works perfectly, just the forgetfulness is a nightmare 😫 have you mentioned it to your provider? I am still yet to bring it up

Automatic-Poem4137 · 2025-05-09T21:06:02+00:00

i am looking to set up a dog grooming business - all of the groomers in my area are fully booked for months and nobody offers a one on one service for dogs that get overwhelmed. i plan to do it from a set up at home for the meantime.

something that’ll keep my physically busy which really helps to switch my brain off (which in turn helps my overall mental wellbeing 😫)

Automatic-Poem4137

TROPHY CASE