ADHD

I’ve been on Elvanse since around November of last year.

I was supposed to get titrated up to 60mg but when I got to 50 I felt… like the inside of me was just a black hole? I don’t really know how to describe it.

In the end I have settled at 40mg. Been on this for nearly 6 months now and don’t really have any problems. I did want to strike a balance between helping with ADHD and not going too far into light/noise sensitivity issues I found are worse when on meds, so it works for me :)

One thing to note though if you are a person who menstruates… I didn’t have periods for a while (due to my contraceptive), but as it’s nearing its end of life they have started coming back and let me just say that your hormones can really mess with how well the meds work. I’ve got an Amfexa top-up prescription for days I am really struggling, but other than those oddities it has been good so far :)

Definitely at that dose! I started with a 5 mg tolerance test at 80 kg, was at 15 mg for a while and slowly worked up to 50 mg over 9 months.

How it affected me is quite different, but just as stunning! Especially in the first 2 - 3 months, I was in a constant state of euphoria; it felt like a recreational stimulant drug you'd get at a rave. But the main ADHD symptom that was gone immediately was that I couldn't get myself to start on a task.

Other advantages came slowly and more subtle at higher doses. It's still mostly that I finally do what needs to be done. But I do that in a very confused, easily distracted way. I'm basically Joe Biden on speed.

Very much life changing, as the anxiety from missed deadlines and built-up problems is gone.

Glad it helps you. I had a similar experience on the first few days. Same dose and I could focus better and sort auditory inputs better. I think it’s still the same but I realised that sensory overwhelm did happen still, maybe even more so. The process of determining the right dose for me is still ongoing though.

I'm on 60mg Elvanse (I'm 140kg...)

While it does work for me, I have to be really careful to eat properly, get a moderate amount of exercise, and make sure to get on with work tasks. Otherwise I end up hyperfocusing on the wrong shit. Suddenly four hours have passed and while my Linux installation might be running like clockwork, I've not actually done anything productive. Happens far more often that I care to admit.

Most people I know ended up on the max dose, first few weeks of each adjustment you’ll get a boost but eventually it becomes background noise. The background noise part of it is even more helpful over time but it won’t solve all problems and the early boost should be used to learn about your condition and build coping mechanisms systems and mitigation strategies to reduce your reliance on the medication.

Elvanse is my daily driver, initially started at 30mg and went down to 20, stayed on that for a few years, eventually back up to 30mg where I'm at now.

I have been on it something like 8 years total. And I think 66KG starting weight.

Remember everyone's dosage is different.

You want the medication to be barely perceptable for long-term stability, you don't want to chase any rush you have the first time you use it, as that will just end up being higher and higher doses.

It's OK for me. Less downsides than e.g. Strattera or Ritalin but I can only take 30mg per day or else it'll mess with my ability to sleep.

I can relate to the experience, although I just take Adderall XR. It literally unlocked mental superpowers for me. Not only do I get stuff done now, but I’m able to make conceptual connections between things like I always suspected, but was never before able to execute on. And I can do it fast, and often without trying. My guess is this is related to my high score on the ‘Perceptual Reasoning’ portion of the Neuropsych testing I did before I got my meds. But yeah, it’s phenomenal.