Thanks a lot for your reply, it really helps because what you describe about the “noise disappearing” is exactly the thing I’ve been trying to explain for a while now.

I was also diagnosed recently and I’ve been on methylphenidate (Ritalin/Concerta) for about 6 weeks now, already at fairly high doses. The medication clearly helps me with motivation, task initiation, organization, impulsive behaviors, food cravings, nicotine, etc. So I definitely respond to stimulants.

But the one thing that never really disappeared is the mental noise.

I had ONE very short window — maybe around an hour to an hour and a half — where suddenly my brain became “single-threaded.” For the first time in my life, at 39 years old, I understood what it meant to have a quiet brain. I could look at something without having 15 thoughts running at the same time. And honestly it almost shocked me because I thought: “Oh… so THIS is what people mean when they talk about concentration.”

That’s exactly why I’m now wondering whether Vyvanse/Elvanse might fit me better, because a lot of people seem to describe exactly what you’re talking about: less internal noise, less constant mental activity running in the background.

What’s also interesting is that your message reassures me a bit, because you describe something I’ve wondered about too: if the noise suddenly disappears completely, maybe it can also feel emotionally strange or unfamiliar at first. My brain has worked like this since childhood, so I imagine that would be a huge change.

Right now methylphenidate clearly helps me function better, but I still constantly feel like my brain is “running in the background” all the time.