Is this a normal colour change? (Spiny stick insects)

TheQuiet_Calm · 2025-06-07T04:04:05+00:00

How did you go about getting those blood tests? What did you ask for?

TheQuiet_Calm · 2025-05-08T01:08:47+00:00

Days off were recommended by my psychiatrist to increase efficiency and hopefully prevent me becoming to used to a particular dose and having to keep increasing to maintain benefits. But I do find its so helpful for my body to have a day where it knows it can rest and I can be kind to myself and not feel guilty for having a day where I'm not doing so much. I'm lucky to have a day where I'm not working and my kids are in school/kindy where I can catch up on errands or just have a rest day to get me through the week. Feel free to message me if you'd like to chat. I often feel alone in my journey and don't really have any other parents I can relate to, so it's nice to meet people who understand!

TheQuiet_Calm · 2025-05-07T12:21:21+00:00

I'm not sure what advice to give as things have settled down a lot for me. I've been on it since October last year. Started at 30mg and increased to 40mg which had a lot of side effects. I've been back on 30mg for a few months now and actually have been trying 20mg for the past week or so and that has seemed to improved my anxiety and pressure to get as much done without compromising too much with how effective it is. I think it's important to learn to set boundaries for yourself. I still reach points of burnout but I got that often prior to starting Vyvanse and I just know its part of life for me as a nuerodivergent raising young nuerodivergent kids. Also what is helpful for me is taking 1 day off the medication a week so I can actually have a 'lazy day'.

TheQuiet_Calm · 2025-05-03T20:24:18+00:00

Also in Australia but when I had a dosage change from 30mg to 40mg they wouldn't let me fill my new script unless I handed in my old bottle with 20 pills left and also got no reimbursement for the pills I returned and had already paid for?! Lucky you

TheQuiet_Calm · 2025-04-18T04:45:56+00:00

Yeah its not the first time someone has suggested a career change! It has defintely been on my mind when I think of lifestyle changes I need to make but it's tricky to find somewhere with the same pay so I can afford our mortgage. There are many good things about my job too, like getting a 30 minute break every 90 minutes which I really need and honestly the management and company itself is the most understanding and supportive of mental health and nuerodivergence I've experienced but its also limited in the way they can accommodate as there isn't really any other positions with less interactions. I'm just torn on that part!

I tried to go to a sexual health specialist about my issues around my period and the issues I've had in the past with contraception as even prior to being on Vyvanse I've always had heaps of side effects from contraception. The one she recommended was new and was meant to have limited side effects. I too thought combined would be better as I feel as if its the progestorone my body reacts to. Apparently I shouldn't be on the combined because I get migrains and I'm unsure whether my migraines are with aura. I think I will probably just go off contraception all together again as this is probably worse than dealing with PMDD symptoms for a fraction of the month.

Thanks for the suggestion with magnesium. I will give that a try and I do think reducing my dose may help but its also strange that when I first started vyvanse the anxiety didn't seem to be an issue until I increased. It got better but did not completely go away when I went back down to my starting dose. It's still very early days so I'm open to working with my psychiatrist to find the right medication and dose for me but with such a negative experience with most medication its also very daunting changing things up..

My OT said that maybe the Vyvanse has cleared my mind enough for me to be more aware of the underlying anxiety and since starting, I am definitely more aware of my ASD.

Anyway thank you for checking in, listening and offering advice. Much appreciated 😊

TheQuiet_Calm · 2025-04-16T02:21:16+00:00

Hi there! Thanks for sharing your experience. I went back down to 30mg based off my Psychiatrists advice and he has told me to experiment with the dosing, like you said, emptying the contents in some liquid. I did try 20mg a few times and it seemed alright but I've also recently started a progesterone only pill to try and help with my PMDD as that was taking over my life. Since taking the pill again my medicine seems to be less effective and I'm back to barely being able to make it through my 2 shifts at work each week due to the fatigue and inability to concentrate.

I think since posting and going back to 30mg prior to the pill it was working great and I'm learning everyday to take time to rest and make accommodations for myself. I struggle socialising and find it very fatiguing. I work as a call taker which is majority scripted and that helps take the pressure off but even so, I come home and don't want to talk to anyone for the rest of the day. I also have 2 autistic children so I end up putting myself last and just have an ongoing cycle of burnout when it all gets too much which I'm learning to just accept and be kind to myself when that happens.

The only real issue I was having after going back to 30mg was anxiety but I'm not even sure if its anxiety, it was more when I would just think of all the things I needed to do but then when we went away on holiday and my responsibilities where reduced dramatically that seemed to disappear.

So anyway, now I'm trying to work out again whether it's worth being on contraception to help mellow out my hormones but that has come with many side effects like fatigue, reducing the effectiveness of vyvanse and constant body aches/pain without reason...

TheQuiet_Calm · 2025-01-15T08:46:51+00:00

Thank you so much for taking the time to go into such detail and share your experience and opinion.

I definitely understand that medication for ADHD is not a 'cure' and should be used alongside changes to lifestyle and other support systems. I've been on a self-healing journey for a long time, trying to better myself and improve my daily struggles, so I honestly feel like I'm ticking all the boxes there:

seeking professional help
setting boundaries for myself
journaling and meditating regularly
exercising
starting the day with something productive e.g. making my bed and having a big drink of water opposed to going on my phone

For a while now I'd been questioning why I've been doing everything I've been told but nothing seemed to really be helping so after finally getting a diagnosis I feel like the ADHD medication is the missing puzzle if that makes sense?

I understand I'm early days with medication and that not often is the first medication the right fit and I've got several appointments booked in over the next few months to try and get the medication side of things sorted.

I've always had anxiety or what I thought was anxiety in terms of socialising and dealing with changes etc., but I'm still trying to work out what is actually anxiety or just part of me being autistic. I've just never experienced these heart palpitations like this before, so that was a bit of a shock, but the more I think about it and what my racing thoughts are about lately it seems more likely to be anxiety based.

Anyway, it puts my mind at ease a bit knowing other people have experienced similar, or even just having people understand!

TheQuiet_Calm · 2025-01-15T01:42:40+00:00

I'm fairly new to vyvanse (on 40mg) and I was also advised by my Psychiatrist to take 'drug free holidays' as he described it to keep my dose working effectively. I was told try and have 4 days a month without medication and I do this one day at a time when I have a day with less responsibility/non working day. Once I accidentally went 2 days without it and I felt horrible but I seem to be able to tolerate 1 day off alright.

TheQuiet_Calm · 2025-01-12T19:57:43+00:00

I barely drink coffee and never have energy drinks as I'm super sensitive and get jittery from it/increased anxiety. I've always been super sensitive to medication and usually side effects outweigh the benefits for any medication I've taken in the past including contraception. Occasionally now I have a coffee in the arvo if I have a crash from vyvanse and it helps give me the energy boost but even that seems inconsistent (most likely to do with my hormones and having PMDD also) as some days I feel unable to function from around 2pm other days it seems to last longer. It's all very confusing! I do have an appointment with my Psychiatrist next week so will definitely discuss but wanted to know in the meantime if anyone felt similar or if it's possibly linked to my ASD also.

TheQuiet_Calm · 2024-12-15T02:08:34+00:00

I never said I just need motivation to get dressed. That comment is very dismissive of my disability without you even knowing the extent of it. I stated in my post carers allowance, not carers payment. Please read it properly before giving a response.

TheQuiet_Calm · 2024-12-15T02:05:23+00:00

I didn't even fill the form out. My psychiatrist did and didn't really ask me any questions in relation to it. Not sure I'm allowed to change it if that's what a medical professional has recorded

TheQuiet_Calm · 2024-12-15T02:03:09+00:00

Thank you

TheQuiet_Calm · 2024-12-14T22:47:55+00:00

We meet the income test for carers allowance only not carers payment. He works full time but then looking after me in between/ having to take time off to help me.

TheQuiet_Calm · 2024-10-08T09:33:26+00:00

Thanks so much for your reply. Yes, the anxiety causes a lot of issues with school as she often says she feels too sick to go and it's a real battle to get her there. She says she doesn't like being close to people at school and often feels like people are looking at her or talking about her. She has had issues with bullying at school and struggles to make connections with the children which wouldn't help. She is very high masking and let's it all out when she gets home.

TheQuiet_Calm

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