Struggling

[u/Hot-Impact-2937]

I’m 32 and honestly scared because I feel like I’m running out of time to get my life together.

I’m currently on fluoxetine 60mg and methylphenidate ER 72mg. I’ve gradually increased the methylphenidate, but I still don’t feel like it’s helping much.

My biggest problems are executive dysfunction, starting tasks, procrastination, retaining/retrieving information, and staying consistent. I’m studying Linux/DevOps for a career change and I WANT to learn, but I still avoid studying, get overwhelmed, fall behind, and then panic.

I know medication isn’t supposed to magically give me motivation, but I expected some noticeable improvement in my ability to start and follow through.

For anyone who didn’t respond well to methylphenidate: what did you and your doctor try next? Did switching medications make a noticeable difference?

I’m working with my prescriber and not looking for medical advice — I just want to hear other people’s experiences because I’m scared of staying stuck like this.

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[u/dione_drew]

oh yeah and re: running out of time

the vibe I'm getting isn't "omg I'm 32 I'm so old i need to figure out what I'm doing with my life~" ... bc the answer to that is simply, no. you are not running out of time.

the vibe I'm getting is "things in my life are out of control, and I am dangerously close to suffering specific negative consequences of my executive function issues, so i need to resolve them ASAP to turn my situation around."

if it is more #2, that's even more reason to be ruthless about finding the right drug and dose. my doctor only gave me 2-week prescriptions at first, so I wasn't locked into something that wasn't working for a whole month. by the time I figured it out, she could write me a new one. so maybe try that if you can? be really communicative with what you're feeling (or not), and what you expect to feel (or not).

[u/dione_drew]

I am later in the 30s. I am a lucky lucky person for whom drugs work well. like, textbook expected response, even down to the # of days and then hours it takes to kick in. if I have a side effect (rare) it's something dumb like excessive yawning for 2 weeks. and when I'm ready to stop, I can just stop. 😆 very easy for me and for my doctor.

anyway, I share that because I DID NOT LIKE METHYLPHENIDATE. it did not work. I titrated up from 18 to 36mg but felt nothing. so we switched to generic adderall, which is working like a dream. spent 2 months at 10mg, 6 months at 15, and 4 months at 20... asking to go up to 25 soon. but i felt the difference right away at 10.

definitely ask to try something else. you should feel it by the time you've titrated up twice... you're at the max dose girlypop.

what i always told myself is - if it doesn't feel right, keep trying. becsuse even if you discover/decide that the grass ISN'T greener, you can always come back!

[u/MiserableWhile36]

I’m on Vyvanse and I’ve noticed differences at each dose so far.
20 mg I was able to start tasks again. I would come home and just exist until bed time. I wasn’t completing tasks but I was starting so it was progress.
30mg I started getting some progress done when I’d start tasks. At 20mg I would do like one thing before checking out. At 30mg I could get a couple things done and even had some super productive days.
40mg my inner voice is quieter. It’s only been a few days but something like that is different. It’s kinda unnerving right now and I often feel like I’m forgetting something but I’m assuming that’ll get better as I adjust fully to the new dose.
So far this weekend I’ve done decent. I’ve done chunks of behind cleaning tasks and a super behind side job task. But I’m also in pms week so I’ve been really tired too.