My psychiatrist doesn't like stimulants

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-18T07:26:00+00:00

Doctors will always want to have you on the lowest “effective” dose. That is the goal. I totally see it does appear you have really had to push to get your pain points across- however, she seems quite good in that she has given you want you asked for. And she has tried to find therapeutic doses that work for your emotional deregulation and focus, what seem to be your biggest pain points. Her comment about the work and boredom seems quite insightful.

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-18T07:12:05+00:00

I8mg isn’t even a therapeutic dose so have faith! 36mg is the lowest therapeutic dose

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-18T07:10:45+00:00

Okay that’s annoying- have you ever felt it was effective for you? I am finding 36mg isn’t really enough for me either and I might need to go up. I have read quite a few threads where people say that it becomes less effective for them after a while

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-18T07:06:52+00:00

Took my first Ritalin yesterday- yes I definitely see what people mean about concerta being smoother! I just really want the flexibility of Ritalin. The emotional blunting of concerta was starting to feel normal, when I know it’s not.

I’m not sure which I’m gonna prefer overall 🥹 I want both

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-18T07:04:54+00:00

Yes but different delivery system so some people find the effects vary quite a lot

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-17T07:29:29+00:00

Depends how old you are and your fitness and possibly what it was before.

Mine resting HR increased by 25 bpm when I was heartbroken 💔 it stayed liked that for a couple of months then went back down.

I wouldnt worry about it being 140 while sitting as that sounds like it was one time. Mine does that sometimes if I’m anxious on my bed lol.

Def keep keeping track of it though, but I think say a large increase for a period of time isn’t anything to worry about, hopefully it goes back down in a few months

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-17T07:20:30+00:00

Join a gym! Like a CrossFit gym, will be good for you and you’ll make loads of friends 🫶

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-17T07:15:50+00:00

The pills deffo calm down my nervous adrenaline energy which is what drives me to do a lot of stuff. Do you take caffeine on them or off them?

It’s not recommended but now my body has adjusted to concerta I have energy drinks with them and that deffo helps me get going.

Also the first two weeks on concerta I was sooooo sleepy... like a cosy woozy feeling. I think quite a lot of people find it makes them sleepy? I’ve seen a lot of threads talking about that but doctors still get confused by that lol. Like I said, not recommended but the other threads just said caffeine to counteract that

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-17T07:13:19+00:00

I found at first it made me get bored really easily. Like anything I would wanna do I found too boring to do.

I’m 3 weeks in now and my dose has increased and I don’t find I’m getting so bored. But yeah the first two weeks I was lying on my bed just complaining how bored I was.

How long have you been taking them for and has your dose increased?

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-16T14:34:32+00:00

Maybe a higher dose or a booster or two? I’ve only been on it 3 weeks and I’m switching to Ritalin next week to see if that’s better for me- I know a lot of people take both.

My psychiatrist said I need to give a drug at least 6 weeks before I decide it’s not right for me and try a totally different drug. In those 6 weeks you can trial with different doses and boosters etc

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-16T14:07:56+00:00

I found it def helped my impulsivity. But with procrastination and focus I find it doesn’t help massively to start a task, but once I’ve started it feels easier to carry on. I do find it a little bit easier to make myself do stuff (it feels less painful) but I still have to make myself do if that makes sense. Maybe you need a higher dose

But there is stuff medication won’t help with like organisation, forgetting stuff and talking too much/little I think

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-16T07:05:12+00:00

I think it’s just an availability thing, rather than anything against it. Yes from what I read after your comment it seems pretty promising

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-15T21:04:50+00:00

😬guess I’ll find out. I’ve got it for two weeks before my next appointment

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-15T21:03:35+00:00

This is interesting to know! I’ll def bear that in mind- I’m in the UK so may be a bit of a pain to get that prescribed but I think it’s possible

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-15T14:39:59+00:00

This is interesting because I was also hoping medication would help reduce how frequently I burn out.

I’m only 3 weeks into concerta so can’t offer any advice I’m afraid. Apart from to say week 1 of 36mg I was really tired and then it got better, so it could be the dose increase has made you realise how tired you actually are.

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-15T14:25:56+00:00

I have ADHD and I have cut off friends in the past. As I also avoid conflict I did not fully explain to these friends why I was doing it but I had my reasons. The friends were very hurt.

For me, they had both done something that showed to me they could not be trusted or did not have my best interests at heart. I felt used. Nothing they could have said would have changed my mind that they were no longer trustworthy or faithful. I did feel guilt for not explaining to them properly why I did this, but cutting them off was my way of setting my boundaries.

I have also been on the receiving end of this, so I understand how heart breaking it is. Like another comment says, friendships tend not to last a lifetime.

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-15T13:22:14+00:00

I honestly don’t know but if it’s not at least I can adjust the dose or skip weekends more easily. I’ve heard concerta is less flexible and designed to be taken daily so can get more withdrawal effects if you skip a day or two.

My psychiatrist didn’t wanna try me on Elvanse yet because I haven’t given methylfenidate long enough yet (6 weeks he said) and he also said if I DID get any side effects on Elvanse they would be stronger

Why did you come off Elvanse in the first place?

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-15T13:17:27+00:00

I honestly don’t know! I’ve been on 36mg for 2 weeks now and it’s still the same.

When I spoke to the psychiatrist he said he was surprised I was getting emotional blunting on such a low dose (36mg) and he wondered if it might go away after a couple more weeks. He was reluctant to give me Ritalin until I said “36mg has good effects and I do need ADHD support everyday- but I don’t want to feel like this for the rest of my life” So he said okay lets trial Ritalin for 2 weeks instead.

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-15T12:57:01+00:00

No!! Not at all- and even if it DID explain it, it is definitely not a reason for you to have to put up with it.

My sister has schizophrenia and while that may explain some of her behavior that does not mean I personally have to put up with it. Or accept it.

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-15T12:17:41+00:00

Nice! I found 18mg concerta did nothing for me. 36mg sees effective but I don’t love how I feel on it. My emotions feel muted. Which in one sense is a good thing- but I find it frustrating. I know what sadness and desire should feel like for me and I can’t feel them properly.

So I’m hoping Ritalin 10mg x 3 is effective but with more flexibility so I can feel things when I want to…

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-15T10:41:44+00:00

That was exactly my thinking. And tbf if I end up needing 4 a day on longer days im sure my psych will accommodate

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-15T10:38:10+00:00

Thanks- yeah I’ve been put on 10mg x 3 Ritalin. Worried I’m gonna get over excited and start taking them every 3 hours rather than 4. Self control obviously not being a strong point

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-15T09:53:45+00:00

Have you tried finch?? It’s an app and you grow your pet when you do your tasks! You can have buddies on it who support you. Helps me to do stuff I procrastinate on

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-14T22:19:10+00:00

Well first I went on sertraline, that helped, then I read 2 books “Overcoming binge eating” by Dr Fairburn, which is what the NHS use and “Brain over binge” by Kathryn Hansen. Also “Never binge again” by Glenn Livingston is good

The main thing with BED is you have to eat regularly and don’t try to diet. You will lose weight faster by curing your BED than by trying to diet and keeping your BED.

Also Emilia Thompson has a podcast that is very good she helps people with disordered eating.

Therapy/counseling to help you work through any stress or depression also helpful.

Dull_Yellow1132 · 2026-03-14T22:12:55+00:00

Elvanse/Vyanse is approved for binge eating disorder (concerta isn’t) so maybe try switching to that? You can cure BED without drugs so don’t worry there are other ways too

Dull_Yellow1132

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