What Happens When Your ADHD Meds Stop Working
What Happens When Your ADHD Meds Stop Working | Outfit Details
Dress // Belt // Hat // Booties // Bag // Earrings // Necklace // Necklace // Bracelet // Bracelet
What Happens When Your ADHD Meds Stop Working | My Meds
I had been on 20 MG of Adderall since 2008, so over 10 years. For people with ADHD, that isn't common, to be on the same dosage of medication for that long. Usually your body gets used to the meds and you need to either change the dosage or change the medication. But for me, once we found that dosage of meds, it did the job. I liked how I felt on it and I was able to come out of the fog I experience. Until about 6 months ago.
Your body chemistry changes throughout your life. It can change after you have kids or just whenever it needs to. This can cause any medication you are taking to work differently. Apparently this is what happened with me. My meds were still working enough that I wasn't in a fog 100% of the time and I could get some things done but it wasn't the same. I would forget to do important things. I would be driving and end up somewhere and not remember the drive there. I was also somewhat irritable.
What Happens When Your ADHD Meds Stop Working | What To Do
In my case, I was diagnosed by a physiatrist when I was 16. I saw that doctor until I was 20 and then got my meds from my GP. I will talk in a later blog post why I like to see specialists over GPs but I didn't feel like my GP was up to the task of changing my meds. Instead, I went to see a neurologist. They have a lot more flexibility when it comes to prescribing these kinds of medications and since this is a brain issue, I wanted to see a brain doctor (makes sense I know).
My new doctor is amazing. If you are in the DC area and are looking for a neurologist, let me know and I will send you his info. He prescribed a new medication called Jornay PM. You take it at night, about 12 hours before you want it to start working. It sits in your digestive system and starts working so you wake up 12 hours later. My doctor started me off on 20 mg of that since that was the same dosage as my Adderall. It worked great for the first few days but I didn't feel like it was doing enough. Luckily the doctor gave me 15 days of 20 mg and 15 days of 40 mg. The 40 mg has been working great.
What Happens When Your ADHD Meds Stop Working | What Is Next
Even though I am on a medication that is working, I still may need to switch meds. There could be side affects (which there haven't been yet) or it could stop working as well. I have a follow up with my doctor in October to make sure everything is working right. That will be 2 months after my original appointment. If the meds I am taking now aren't working, we will move on to something else. I am hoping that I won't have to do that!