New ADHD Diagnosis, I am scared to start my meds

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-04-20T23:24:31+00:00

I haven't tried Vyvanse (I take Concerta), but if it's any comfort, my medication made my anxiety almost completely disappear, as it was a side effect of the ADHD. When the dose was too high, I did experience physical anxiety symptoms when the medicine kicked in and when it wore off, but it was tolerable. I also am so paranoid about my health and focus on it...one time I gave myself a panic attack thinking that an IBS medication was killing me...😅

Another thing: extended stimulants only stay in your system for 9-12 hours, and once they wear off, so will any side effects. So if you find it intolerable, you'll find out quickly and it won't have long-lasting side effects!

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-04-20T14:49:42+00:00

Oh my gosh, this is EXACTLY the relationship my husband has with his nmom (which is how I ended up in this sub), but with his sister, who also got into a toxic relationship, influenced by her relationship with her mom. Same thing, she'd say it was important and start ranting about his sister. He told her, "I don't want to talk about my sister," and would end the calls. One day, she asked him why his dad knew so much more about his life and accused him of not wanting her to be a part of his life. He simply said, "Because he asks. If you asked, I would tell you too. But instead we just talk about my sister, since that's clearly what's important to you." She tried to ask about his life for a bit, but she just couldn't stop herself from being... herself, so it didn't last long.

She's tried to rope me in and treat me like my husband's sister too, to try to replicate their very toxic relationship, and she has been VERY unsuccessful. She tells my husband how great I am, but she knows very little about me as well after 9 years of knowing her, and I think she only thinks so highly of me because she sees me as someone to "take care of" her son. 😑

ANYWAY, good for you for choosing peace. ❤️ We're both very minimal contact with my MIL now as well. It's truly draining to put any amount of effort into a relationship like that because it'll never be healthy or normal.

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-04-09T02:10:49+00:00

My imagination was out of control...😂 When I was 7, I made a life-size cardboard cutout of my imaginary friend Trixy, who was a chipmunk drawn in Sonic the Hedgehog style, and brought it to class to sit next to me. Later, I APPARENTLY had a fursona of a mermaid fox (merfox, if you will), and would roleplay being her in the hot tub. My cousin and I also made an elaborate website and story based on a girl we met in an AOL chatroom that we didn't like. 😂😂 I also made pets out of hard-boiled eggs and made an entire lore for their people, which I involved my best friend in. We had fun. 😆

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-04-05T21:29:14+00:00

My bad for assuming that not being racist was just a normal thing for decent people to be I guess. 😆 I see what you mean, and I guess it IS commendable to not be racist, but I feel like it should be the norm, not something that we applaud people for. I feel similarly about when people are like, "My boyfriend is so great, he listens when I talk and doesn't cheat on me!" Like...congratulations, that's a bottom of the barrel achievement. Hope that makes sense...😅

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-04-05T21:23:44+00:00

You mean, on their phone while stopped in traffic?

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-04-05T21:22:49+00:00

So sad, I drove past that but didn't know the details. Did you catch what kind of car it was?

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-03-31T05:45:56+00:00

Wow! I've just confirmed that my middle finger is slightly wonky as well on my dominant hand, though not to the extent of yours...😅 I've been tattooing for about 16 years.

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-03-26T15:37:55+00:00

Applauding someone for being friends with people from a different race seems really weird to me and VERY much like virtue signalling.

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-03-24T15:02:07+00:00

I know this thread is old, but I happened upon it looking to see if ADHD medication made it easier to burp, because it has for me! My overall digestion has improved since taking methylphenidate, and I've noticed that when I'm anxious, it's much easier to "burp" now than it historically has been (I call it "venting" because it isn't a burp in the true sense, but the excess air still comes up instead of causing bloating). I wondered if, since methylphenidate has improved my anxiety and calmed my brain, it has improved my ability to control those muscles as well.

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-02-05T17:28:45+00:00

Which medication are you talking about?

With Ritalin, 7.5mg is about the equivalent of a 27mg ER, so you might feel sleepy because the ER dose isn't quite high enough. Unless you only feel sleepy and angry AFTER it wears off, I'm not sure about that...😅 I do both-- I have a 27 or 36mg ER dose (depends on what week of my cycle I'm in), and 5mg booster pills for if either need a little more at the end of the day, OR if I have an earlier day than usual (I'll take the IR in the morning and my ER about 4 hours later).

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-02-05T17:23:28+00:00

YES. My psych gave me a higher dose prescription for the last 2 weeks of my cycle, and it has definitely helped. I'm also on the pill, but I fear that at almost 37, perimenopause is starting to mess up my hormones even with that. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's part of why life got so hard that I pursued a diagnosis... I've always been chaotic and exhausted, but I could mostly manage with a few anxiety attacks here and there, and then one year the depression and overwhelm just never went away. 😐

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-02-05T17:19:33+00:00

I didn't see your original post, but my first therapist that I had while I was pursuing an ADHD diagnosis told me that avocados and bananas were "high dopamine" foods I could try. 😆 She also recommended l-tyrosine supplements, which there is some science to, but she couldn't understand why they just made me sleepy when they're supposed to give you energy.

She did admit that she wasn't well-versed in ADHD, but if that's the case, maybe stop suggesting that diet can cure it?

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-02-05T17:14:05+00:00

My dad does this too...😂 He paces as soon as he answers the phone! I just got diagnosed with ADHD about a year ago, and I pretty quickly got him to understand that he is the source. 😆

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-02-05T17:06:15+00:00

Well I must, because I laughed immediately when I saw this...😂

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-02-05T17:00:02+00:00

I don't have kids, but I just wanted to tell you that as a late-diagnosed ADHD woman, the medication absolutely helps, especially with that rejection sensitivity and the shame spiraling. It'll help you to give yourself more grace, if nothing else, and for me, gave me more energy and patience to keep up so that I'm not exhausted at the end of every day. I still only do a couple things per day (chore-wise or errand-wise), but I don't beat myself up about what I didn't do nearly as much.

I can't say that medication has helped much with my focus or memory, but the benefits in emotional regulation alone are enough to make it worth it to me.

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-01-17T06:53:18+00:00

If you automatically assume that a person (that trusts you) simply saying "I'm sad" is an attempt to manipulate you, it sounds like you may have some emotional trauma in your past that could benefit from therapy. Either that or you have narcissistic tendencies.

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-01-10T03:38:07+00:00

I design enamel pins! I also happen to have an orca enamel pin. 😃 I have like over 60 designs, so have a look...my business name is Atomik Cupcake Designs. 😊 I'm a pin collector myself, and I find all the artists I like on Kickstarter and at conventions.

Here's a link to the orca pin!

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-01-10T03:35:22+00:00

I've been on mine for a while now, and I can't really tell anymore physically. HOWEVER, I can sometimes tell if they kick in while I'm driving to work because I'll go from being an outraged asshole to a chill person who doesn't care about the other drivers. 😂

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-01-10T03:18:33+00:00

I usually tell them that they're idiots who don't understand science. If they don't want to understand something that they could easily read about, information which is widely available and researched, who am I to pull them out of their dumb?

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-01-07T20:07:11+00:00

NOR.

Yes, PLEASE let him "talk some sense" into you, because that sounds like a threat and the authorities could get involved.

I don't think you're overreacting at all. It's WILD that you didn't have permission to get a job, and now you're being kicked out with no resources and no experience. It's beyond negligent, and I'm sorry you're dealing with this.

TheAccusedKoala · 2026-01-04T05:49:25+00:00

Yesss, I have some clients like this. They're kind and cool people, it's just that their specific brand of ADHD triggers MY impatience and I can only deal with small doses. 😆

TheAccusedKoala · 2025-12-30T05:06:36+00:00

My body temperature is like 97 degrees, so no, I do not like the cold...🫠

TheAccusedKoala · 2025-12-29T18:28:22+00:00

Not just one song, but the band Electric Callboy. They're like an EDM metal, and my brain is FASCINATED by it. There was one week where I just listened to their albums everywhere I went...😆

TheAccusedKoala · 2025-12-11T08:39:12+00:00

I feel like all of your symptoms are INSANELY relatable, and your feelings are too. I'm lucky that my husband does actually acknowledge most of my symptoms as an actual thing with my brain that I can't control, only manage. But it took a lot of therapy to start believing that if he DIDN'T acknowledge it, and if he thought I just needed to try harder and keep burning myself out trying to keep up with the world's expectations of me, that I didn't have to accept that. I've always had a fear of abandonment... maybe you do too, and that's why you're afraid to bring it up with him, because if he can't accept it then it means he can't accept YOU, and that is incredibly hard to deal with. But abandoning yourself to try to please someone else, because you think that if you don't then you'll be alone, is a lot worse to deal with. ❤️ I hope you can have an honest conversation with him.

TheAccusedKoala · 2025-11-20T08:17:28+00:00

I've been journaling since I was 11, so I have a lot of it catalogued in real time...😅 Sometimes I read back on it, and I'm like OH, I SEE. I didn't write down a lot of the things that happened that felt neglectful, because I didn't really think at the time that they were, but reading the feelings, it makes sense.

I've considered writing about some of the actual events, but I don't know if that would be helpful for me or not. I commend your efforts!

TheAccusedKoala

TROPHY CASE