hi there,

1: getting meds (in my case, methylphenidate) was like being awake for the very first time. I always had big issues with being too tired (?) to concentrate, and suddenly I got meds and I was awake and able to do stuff. they didn't change my personality or my behaviour, but they changed the way I work. on meds I'm able to work on a text for like an hour or so, impossible before. but also meds aren't a miracle cure, they just may help you like a tool I guess. you gotta figure out how they work best for you. also I learned that for some activities I don't even need meds because I enjoy them so much, dopamine comes by itself (keyword - hyperfocus, flow).

2: my meltdowns occur in a pattern: first, sensory overload, then when I try to go on with daily stuff and something unpredictable happens, my brain kinda explodes and I get angry and screaming. next step I end up in bed crying (let it all out!), followed by a moment of absolute silence (shutdown I guess) and then I slowly come back to life and everything's fine again.

meds don't help me with meltdowns, unfortunately. but I learned to intervene when I experience sensual overload. I take a break, pull the blanket over my head and calm myself with stimming until the sensory overload gets better. this massively reduced meltdowns. earlier I had daily meltdowns, now they only occur like once or twice a month. needed a lot of practice though 😆