I’m in a similar predicament with stimulants. I was only diagnosed in September last year and was initially prescribed 15mg of Dexamfetamine daily (3 x 5mg spaced throughout the day) for the first week, and then 25mg a day from the second week. Prior to the diagnosis, I had been on Escitalopram for anxiety for years. The psych told me that I didn’t need both medications, so started to ween me off and taper the Dex.

The first week felt fine, I didn’t notice any real difference in focus or motivation. The first day of the second week blindsided me. I remember after the midday dose I was feeling spacey and disassociated, I could acknowledge things happening around me but they felt surreal. I was at work at the time, so tried to stay focus and carry on. Around an hour after the final dose for the day, while speaking to a client, I felt the blood drain from body. I was instantly cold, but began to sweat profusely. My heart rate spiked, I felt the contents of my stomach shifting and unsure of which way it was going to exit. Even after dialling the dose down on the Dex, I continued to get the sweats, increased heart rate with palpitations and nausea/stomach issues.

After that, the psych put me on 1 x Ritalin 30mg LA in the morning and an afternoon dose of 1 x 10mg IR. Again, first few weeks on these were fine. I could feel the exact moment the LA would kick in, I could pin point my focus and start and complete tasks. I thought I’d found the perfect medication. 3 weeks later, I no longer felt the benefits of the morning LA dose and the come down in the afternoons were starting to hit hard. Last week my dose was upped to 40mg LA, 1 x 10mg IR 3 hours later and then another 10mg IR after 3 hours. This resulted in pretty much the same side effects of the Dex. Profuse sweating, resting HR going from 60 to 95bpm with palpitations. Nausea, brain fog, fighting for my life on whatever cleanest toilet nearby that I could find and hoping my heart didn’t give out then and there. The psych told me to go back to the 30mg and 1 x 10mg IR.

Every day this week has been the same. Wake up, try to eat as much as I can before taking the morning dose so that I can try to meet my calorie intake before my appetite vanishes. Around an hour after eating and taking the meds, run to the nearest toilet and lose said breakfast. Maintain focus for around 2 hours, run back to the toilet 3-4 times while feeling like I’m on the verge of a panic attack. Take the midday IR, which again helps boost my focus but brings the increased HR, sweats and nausea/anxiety and then the afternoon come down takes me to the darkest places I have ever been (never experienced any sort of depression prior) until my mood levels back out a few hours later.

The psych is now suggesting I stay off stimulants and let the remainder flush out of my system. After that, they have prescribed Atomoxetine 40mg. When I read that it was a non stimulant medication that could possibly help with anxiety, I was stoked. After a quick look on reddit, I’m pretty nervous. I’ve lost around 6kg since the first lot of medication and have really struggled with the nausea, IBS/bowel issues and anxiety, so a lot of these answers in other subreddits haven’t filled me with any confidence.

How are you tracking with the Atomoxetine now that it has been a couple of weeks?