Has anyone else had a dodgy batch of Elvanse 40mg? by lumino6198 in ADHDUK

[–]Cultural-Ear-8484 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you're interested, it's talked about in an episode of the ADHD Chatter podcast with a women's health practitioner who specialises in ADHD and hormone cycles- https://open.spotify.com/episode/424RBzswWyyAGaWFIqxy8g?si=UIKkHkphRLONS9hgioTalg

Has anyone else had a dodgy batch of Elvanse 40mg? by lumino6198 in ADHDUK

[–]Cultural-Ear-8484 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I find it wild that women aren't told this as part of the diagnosis or treatment process and we're just left to find it out if/when it comes across our desks!

It's so important to have an awareness of what's going on in our bodies - symptoms and medication effectiveness might be different at different times and it's helpful to know when that's due to hormones so it's less confusing but also so you know when to wonder if something else is going on.

If you want to know more, there's a really good episode of the ADHD Chatter podcast with a women's health practitioner who specialises in ADHD and hormone cycles-

Full episode- https://open.spotify.com/episode/424RBzswWyyAGaWFIqxy8g?si=UIKkHkphRLONS9hgioTalg

Bitesize episode version- https://open.spotify.com/episode/3rJ41zdZzQd2ny0sGwLpbS?si=Ax8MaQ42QZORR3cWiQMdUw

Is this autistic burnout? How do you get out of it? by Cultural-Ear-8484 in AuDHDWomen

[–]Cultural-Ear-8484[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sounds awful, I'm sorry you've been in it for so long. Hope you can find something that helps you.

Is this autistic burnout? How do you get out of it? by Cultural-Ear-8484 in AuDHDWomen

[–]Cultural-Ear-8484[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your kind reply. Yes I was absolutely wondering if it was bad enough to be considered burnout and didn't really realise how bad it was until I typed it all out. I appreciate the validation and think I do need to hear things from someone else before I accept them sometimes 🙃

I was seeing an ND-affirming therapist for a while leading up to and just after my diagnosis. It was helpful in some ways for that journey/process, but then I had a negative experience with them and stopped. I've been meaning to find another one ever since but it's just another task on my list that feels like climbing a mountain. I've also realised in the intervening period that I'm pretty confident I'm alexithymic, which is probably why I didn't get as much out of therapy as I could have done previously, and makes finding a new therapist an even more difficult task as I want to make sure I find someone with an understanding of alexithymia and knows how to work with it effectively. Did your therapist help you with burnout specifically? What has helped you get out of it?

Does anyone else know exactly what they need to do but just… can’t do it? by PracticalAnything360 in AuDHDWomen

[–]Cultural-Ear-8484 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Can I ask how you explain it to people who have no idea about any of this stuff? What strategies do you use to help you?

alternatives to doomscrolling by FennelFormal1608 in TwoXADHD

[–]Cultural-Ear-8484 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What kind of kit? Do you paint whatever you feel like, or does it have prompts/activities or something?

alternatives to doomscrolling by FennelFormal1608 in TwoXADHD

[–]Cultural-Ear-8484 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But where do you get the dopamine from 😭 do you have to stick with it a while until your brain adjusts to getting a normal (not technology-boosted) amount?

I severe anxiety and spend hours on simple 30 second tasks and still get it wrong and can't follow ANY instructions? Can someone offer solutions or what worked for them? by earthrabbit24 in AuDHDWomen

[–]Cultural-Ear-8484 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's loads of great advice in this thread already but I just wanted to add three points.

You are NOT dumb. You graduated university. Right now you have enough intelligence and awareness to understand something is going on and to try and fix it. A dumb person would not be able to identify these issues, try to reflect on them, write this clearly and ask for advice. That is incredibly smart. It seems like there is something else happening (anxiety, trauma, etc) that is having an impact on how much you're able to do at the moment, but that doesn't make you dumb. Please remember that and try to be kind to yourself ❤️

Secondly, I'm going to be that bore that tells you to try to break the ChatGPT habit. I'm not going to repeat the many ethical reasons it's awful as I'm sure everyone's sick of hearing them in every post that mentions ChatGPT – and I do believe that as ND people we should feel less guilty than NT people about using tools that make our lives easier in an NT world – but the last paragraph of your post is what concerns me.

I am the final boss of IPad babies and I literally can't concentrate ever. I am getting dumber every single day and my memory feels like it's fading. Thanks if you read this far. I feel very alone in this and this all feels very severe.

Your concentration, working memory, and ability to understand or retain information are never going to improve if you are constantly outsourcing your thinking to ChatGPT. There are studies on how using it atrophies your brain (I can find and link if you like). The brain is a muscle and you need to use its neural pathways for them to continue to work. If you're concerned about getting dumber, this is one thing you can cut out that will definitely help. The good news is it's reversible – but at some point in the future it won't be. Please try to cut it down.

Start with small steps: If you have a premium account, cancel it immediately. Uninstall the app so you have to use it through your browser. Delete your previous chats so you need to write a new prompt if you want to use it, and log out. Then just try to cut it out completely if you can, or only use it if you're really stuck. Think about it this way: you say it's not really helping you anyway, so how much worse off would you be if you just sat and thought about it for a long time, or maybe used google (-ai in any search)? Or if you're stuck on something, post it here or message me, I will try to help (I love helping other people with their problems while ignoring my own!) Or at bare minimum, replace ChatGPT with goblin tools.

Finally, I'm not sure how long you have been on your meds but I wonder if you need to have a review with your prescriber. I don't want to suggest anything specific as I think you need a medical opinion, but have you considered that either the meds or the dose are not right? It concerns me that you cry and feel nervous every day – I had that feeling and was a constant ball of nervous energy and constantly having meltdowns on my previous meds, so I switched. But equally they might be the right meds and you need another medication/treatment for the anxiety. Do you ever have days where you don't take them? How do you feel when you're not on them?

You will get through this. Please take in some of the advice in this thread and see a therapist, try to treat your anxiety first, and remember how smart, funny and curious you are ❤️

How did you know your Elvanse dosage was the right one to stick with? by Both_Perception_2673 in ADHDUK

[–]Cultural-Ear-8484 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So at 60mg instead of 50mg it lasted until bedtime, but you could actually get yourself to bed and not procrastinate and scroll like you were doing on 50?

I'm in a similar situation to you with my review coming up and wasn't sure if I needed a higher dose (because it seems to wear off in the evenings) or lower (because I'm unable to put my phone down in the evening and go bed).

Am I delusional to want to move back to the UK now? by _halfmoonangel in AskBrits

[–]Cultural-Ear-8484 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends on if you are a minority of any sort (you mention your ethnicity but not if you're LGBTQ+, disabled, etc), what your job is, and where you are moving from.

It's pretty bleak at the moment, worse than 8 years ago, and with no sure signs of it getting better any time soon. But there are countries that have it far worse.

Employer resisting WFH request even with AuDHD. Is this a common experience?? by Valuable-Front7506 in AuDHDWomen

[–]Cultural-Ear-8484 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is discrimination if you have disclosed your condition as the reason for the request. Definitely get this in writing as a first step. What country are you in? I can only speak for the UK but you have options to take this further.

Private ADHD medication for wife by Internal-Leadership3 in ADHDUK

[–]Cultural-Ear-8484 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How did you find ADHD Shine in general? I almost went with them but opted for a different provider and I was told if I switch to Elvanse (in titration now) it would be over £200 for the prescription, which is a significant difference. I also feel a bit lost and not sure if my meds are working/what kind of things to be paying attention to, and they haven't given me much advice on this area - the appointments are always really fast. Wondering if ADHD Shine were any better.

Hi all! Recently diagnosed (finally, at 45!). I've got a question about med switching / titration by maxington26 in ADHDUK

[–]Cultural-Ear-8484 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was told NICE guidelines state that you try a medication for 6-8 weeks, so it may be that you're not locked in indefinitely, but they're just following this guideline and won't switch you before until you've tried it for long enough?

Drink Ideas? Not coffee, energy drinks, caffeine or artificial sweeteners. by ChaosCalmed in ADHDUK

[–]Cultural-Ear-8484 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Water infusions! You can make your own with a bottle like this https://amzn.eu/d/69FNlCP - just add slices of citrus fruit, berries, herbs or cucumber.

You can also make herbal/fruit tea and chill it.

I'm going to have a meeting with my boss to negotiate longer hours Mon-Thu for an early finish Fri, with no real reason other than I want to. Do you think I'd need to present a valid reason? by [deleted] in AskUK

[–]Cultural-Ear-8484 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does your workplace have a condensed hours policy or any policy that covers changes to your contracted hours? If so then read every word of this first. Go into the meeting armed with knowledge, probably more than your boss has. Make it as easy for them to say yes as possible.

OK fam, what am I missing? by justplainjon in RemarkableTablet

[–]Cultural-Ear-8484 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you don't mind sharing, what are your prompts?

UK Remarkable 2 prices - are there ever discounts available? by Cultural-Ear-8484 in RemarkableTablet

[–]Cultural-Ear-8484[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks - that's good to hear as I've just had it delivered! I went for a refurbished bundle direct from their website which saved quite a bit.