Medication advice, what does it do from experience?
Im just looking for some reassurance and some advice really if possible, just to see what’s the right thing to do.
I don’t have to preach to the choir here I’m sure, and go over the struggles of ADHD.
Now, I’ve always thought of myself and somebody who’s quite resilient, but really I internalise a lot of problems. I mask a lot of my struggles, and this causes all sorts of anxiety and worries etc. but over the last few years, I’ve really become more aware of my struggles, and I’m really battling hard in life here, and it’s wearing me down.
I have a diagnosis of ADHD combined, inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive. I’m a 29 year old man.
I’m currently awaiting medication, and going through the process of this. But over the years, I’ve really struggled with anxiety, depression, low self esteem, body dysmorphia. I’ve sought help and support from my Drs, therapists, counselling, I’ve tried anti depressants several times to help me. But none of these seem to works.
Now I really am trying to push myself to get better, I’m getting myself back into a routine, exercise, organisation, being outdoors more, doing the things I love doing, but I feel like I can’t do it alone.
In a long way around, I’m asking what does medication do for ADHD? Having spoke to a few people, they say it ‘takes the edge off’, but what does this mean?
I’m not looking at adhd medication as a last role of the dice, putting all my eggs in one basket, but how did it help you? How does it work with the over thinking, the low moods, the lack of dopamine in the brain? How does it make you feel?
20 comments · 75% upvoted · other discussions
You know how usually, when you’re around neurotypical people, it’s like you’re wading through knee high treacle whilst everyone else is strolling along normally? They seem to find stuff really simple, and to you it’s somewhere between reluctantly doable and shamefully, inexplicably impossible? But then every now and again, you just really get in the zone - a hyperfocus descends, you crack on with something important and productive, and you feel absolutely magic afterwards and so proud of yourself for getting things done. “I wish every day could be like this,” you think ruefully. “I’d be so much better at stuff if I could do this on command.”
For me, at least, that’s what medication is: it’s me, on one of those good days. Except it’s every day. And I can do it on command. The command is still necessary - you won’t just find yourself mysteriously cleaning the bathroom without knowing how it happened, lol, but it’s actually possible to make yourself follow that command. I could still easily spend the day lounging around in bed when I’m medicated, but if I know I need to do laundry or whatever it may be, then I just tell myself, “okay, we’re going to go and do jobs now” and I find myself just… doing it. No scream from my internal monologue about how the boredom, it burns us precious - I just do it. I throw on a podcast, I crack on, and next thing I know, the laundry is done. Or I’ve mowed the lawn. Or I’ve done some work I needed to finish. Or I’ve cleaned the kitchen. Or whatever it may be. And I don’t feel like I’m wrung out and sagging with relief because I managed to sustain the hyperfocus long enough to finish something, because it’s not a hyperfocus. It’s just, like, focus 😂 like the normos have!
Logical-Kick-3901 9 points · Aug 2025
I know it's not the same for everybody but I'm really hoping for even half of this experience. Late diagnosis at 45. Heavy duty professional job. And I'll be honest: I'm exhausted.
SuzLouA 4 points · Aug 2025 · ADHD-PI (Predominantly Inattentive)
I was only diagnosed at 39, started medication at 40. It took me a while to come to terms with the wasted time after starting medication - diagnosis felt like a gift, finally a reason to be kind to myself and forgive myself for things that it turned out were out of my control, instead of berating myself constantly. Medication made me angry, though. Like, oh. So that’s why you were all giving me shit - because yeah, this IS easy when you’re not unknowingly dealing with ADHD. I get why you were all so bewildered at my whole deal now. But maybe someone should have noticed this sooner? Maybe instead of just assuming I was lazy, you could have advocated for me, or given me some grace? And anger at just the quirk of genetics that means I have this in the first place - it’s not fair that I’ve basically wasted at least half of my life struggling when the fix, apparently, was fucking piss easy. I know Adderall is illegal here, but I remember being a teenager and hearing about it in American media, so decent ADHD meds have been around for decades now. It’s not fair that the world just isn’t built for brains like ours, and so we are always fighting with one hand tied behind our backs.
I know everyone who is disabled (which feels dramatic to say compared to someone who loses a limb or something, but ADHD is officially a disability) will feel at times that kind of impotent fury at the injustice of it all. And I know “life isn’t fair, suck it up buttercup”. It’s just hard to find out so late in life that things could, should, have been different.
Now I try to focus on the future, though. Hopefully a lot of good years still ahead of me. And I am so very grateful to have found out now, instead of ten years from now, twenty years from now. I can’t change the past, none of us can, but everyone can change their future and that’s the plan.
tomomalono [OP] 3 points · Aug 2025 · ADHD-C (Combined Type)
You’re doing well mate. It is very tiring. Keep going. I’m hoping for some relief soon.
Logical-Kick-3901 1 points · Aug 2025
Thanks. It has been an odd few days since the diagnosis. I work with ADHD and ASD expert reports (and other mental health reports and profiles) day in, day out. But the process revealed areas of impact I hadn't ever really considered but were 100% relevant. Yes, I'm doing what I do for a living, now. But I guess I'm the infamous 'what if?' era. Some of that is interesting. Some of it is depressing. Some of it is hitting the emotional dysregulation button HARD. Anyway, I'm sure I'm voicing something that is trite to everybody here!
tomomalono [OP] 2 points · Aug 2025 · ADHD-C (Combined Type)
I work in SEN, so I read reports and advice and see the struggles too, that’s what really promoted me to look into it more, I read and see a lot of similarities.
I cried for a while after my diagnosis, the relief, the understanding, the confirmation. It was the questioned, answers.
tomomalono [OP] 3 points · Aug 2025 · ADHD-C (Combined Type)
Wow, thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate it. I know I can’t count on this as the solution or the answer, necessarily, but that’s how I feel I want to be, and with the best will in the world, I just can’t do that on my own.
Can I ask how long you’ve been on it? And what medication it is?
SuzLouA 2 points · Aug 2025 · ADHD-PI (Predominantly Inattentive)
It’s not always right for everyone, but for me, it’s been honestly life changing. I’m so grateful to have finally been diagnosed and to live in a time and place where this medication is available. I’m on Elvanse (lisdexamfetamin, but for now it’s under patent so all lisdex is Elvanse, there’s no generic), and have been on a working dose for about six months, with three months of titration before that (started at 20mg, started to feel a bit of something at 40, 50 worked amazingly but wore off by early evening, and 60mg is the same but takes me all the way to bedtime, so that’s my dosage).
tomomalono [OP] 1 points · Aug 2025 · ADHD-C (Combined Type)
Thank you so much for sharing.
It’s felt like such a relief getting diagnosed, it’s a lot of questions been answered. Thank you so much again for your answers