anyone here on ADHD meds?

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Anyone here on those meds?

Adderall, Strattera, Ritalin, Concerta, etc?

Do they help you with your problems in any way?

I have a prescription for Ritalin and Adderall... but I don't really take them consistently. I probably should, but I don't like how they make me feel most of the time. I only use them when I really need to do something important.

How do they make you feel? Did you mention those side effects to your doctor?

The best way I can say it is that it makes any of my "AS" behaviors much worse, but it helps concentration big time.

So, for example, I will sit in the same spot for hours, I tend to focus on every little detail, I want to be left alone, and I often feel more than a little anxious. If I'm gonna take medication, I need a quiet and safe area in which to do so. I tried taking some meds last summer when there was construction going on (jackhammers, drills, etc) and that really didn't work out well. Haha.

In my experience ADHD drugs do not work for people with AS. My daughter was on Concerta. It did not work. It kept her in her seat at school because it affected her nervous system so badly she was like a zombie. Appart from that she had to take Rysperdal because Concerta affected her sleeping patterns. Without Rysperdal she started getting anxious and was not able to fall sleep. I took her out of the meds after about 6 months because I noticed what the meds were not working (not helping with concentration). When I told the doctor I took her off the meds he got really angry. He asked me to put her back. But I asked my daughter if she wanted back (she was 7 by then) and she told me "please, mommy, dont", so I did not. Later I read ADHD meds do not work on people with AS. My daughter is doing fine now with therapy, no meds, and she is able to concentrate at school. She has great grades and feels happy now.

I have ADD and didn't start taking the meds until I was 22 or so. I have a pretty solid case of Asperger's as well, and as is not uncommon for us, suffer from depression (especially in the winter).

I have a love/hate relationship with the meds (in my case, methylphenidate [ritalin]).

On the one hand, I honestly doubt I could have done what I did in University without the ritalin. I was depressed and very unmotivated and unfocused. I was feeling trapped and anxious and started to really not care about my grades. Once I started taking the ritalin, it was a total turnaround. From that point forward I was a 4.0 GPA student, excelling in everything.

After I got my BS I stopped getting ritalin for the better part of 3 years. I ended up becoming more active and social during those years but I'd say that it came at the cost of my geek-nature. I didn't spend much time learning technical things and reading, but spent more time climbing, hiking, and taking photographs.

I started working for myself from home doing programming and web development and not much later decided that I should try the ritalin again. Instantly my work improved and I started going crazy for my geekier, more cerebral interests. This came at the expense of my physical activities, though. And really, to a greater extent, my ambition to really leave my home dropped off pretty sharply.

That was nearly 2 years ago and I've taken ritalin just about every single day for that entire time. On the days when I don't take it, which are rare, I feel a little more awakened and, in a way, happier. But then I cannot learn very efficiently, which ultimately ends up frustrating me.

I spend a lot of time wondering how I should proceed.

One thing that I feel pretty certain about, though, is that the stuff is not for kids. There is just too much that can be going on with them and to force this on their lives is, to me, a mistake. It's something that should only be taken by adults who can see what it is and how it affects them, and they have the experience to compare their results with a baseline.

Nope, I don't use any kind of meds for anything, because the sensation of swallowing a pill is weird. Only in drastic measures do I take pills.

Nope. I hardly ever even take an Aspirin.

My exact words to my therapist today:

"Ritalin makes me more autistic." I described this - basically, whatever I'm doing when the Ritalin kicks in is what I am doing until it wears off. I also tend to stim more on them and stim even more once they wear off. I think I'm getting overloaded more since I started taking it - I've gone from 2-3 times a week for shutdowns to 1-2 daily.

I know some people with ADHD say that stimulants helps their sensory issues, but they do not help mine.

Edit to add: I actually started another medication at the same time which may itself contribute to the shutdowns. Also, it does work for me, I just have to set a schedule to make sure I'm organized to get from one thing to the next. Otherwise I just get fixated on one thing.

The difference between getting things done and getting very little done for me is about 10 mg of Ritalin/day.

Last edited by Verdandi on 08 Jul 2011, 3:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

Ritalin helps my sensory issues. Instead of being overloaded and breaking down I just become stressed.

I find it helps me get many things done in a day. Sometimes I feel like jumping from one thing to another too quickly, but when I want to stay focus on something for longer I can.
Medication isn't supposed to make you focus on the right task, it will help you focus but you must choose what that is and if you want to change. I recommend making a to-do list at the start of everyday. I do one before I even get dressed.

Ritalin makes me talk more to people. It's also a good time to work on social skills.

The problems I get from it is hypertension, hunger or lack of appetite. They might make me miss details too although sometimes I notice more details.

The medication isn't a magic pill. If I just popped a pill and went about my day I would not accomplish very much. You need to plan what you're going to do, monitor whether the medication is working, if it isn't then make sure you eat healthily or do a mental exercise to get things started. Last night I took my final pill while watching a concert because I was becoming tired and it didn't seem to work, so I did some mental arithmetic (because maths is my worst subject) and soon that's all I could focus on. I was standing there counting higher and higher while the band was watching me strangely.

It doesn't always work, and when that happens you've got to make it.

And I am very much autistic and ADHD medication works for me. In fact, I only require a small dose for it to work. It might not work for some people, cause, you know, maybe they don't actually have ADHD.

Most important, it stops me from impulsively buying things.

I will never exercise while on it though, lest I die.

Oh yeah, it also decreases depressive moods. It might raise anxiety but I can handle that.

i'm on prescription for ritalin; but i do not take it unless it's really needed.
it does indeed help with focus, but it also sets my senses wide open; doubling or even tripling the information i take in; sending me straight into an overload the minute it kicks in.

if i do need the concentration boost; i make sure i'm in a deserted area; i go to a library storeroom, where there's no ventilation, no window, no people walking past and only an emergency halllight; only then can i safely take ritalin...

I'm on concerta and although I'm quite happy with it does make some asd symptoms worse. I sometimes become even more sensitive to sound and light and have to go somewhere quiet for a while, but u find this mainly happens as it's wearing off.

It also seems to make my impulsively saying things a bit worse. Although my friend has a theory that when I'm not on them I hold myself back because I'm scared of people thinking I'm strange but when I'm on them the real me comes out for everyone to see. I haven't decided yet if this is a good or a bad thing. Probably good for me but bad for those around me haha

I take MPH/methylphenidate. (Ritalin and such.) I'm quite happy with it.

I don't have all too negative side effects except for having to watch out for hypoglycemia. If I don't, I'll get headaches, get cranky and will at worst feel like passing out. Additionally, rebounds can be nasty, but I don't let it get to that anyway. Knowing when MPH wears off for me, I just take the next dose before that or end the day with a minimal amount.

Good effects:
- I can concentrate some
- I have more energy to deal with the world (from having to try less to hold off that adhd)

It means I have less language and speech issues for example. Autism-wise, I am even a little bit better with change.

Negative effect:
- I seem more autistic

If the hyperactivity and impulsivity from adhd are taken away, the withdrawn side of autism is visible more often. I can't stand that, because it leads to that I have next to nothing to say to people and forget to care about some social trivia.

Neutral:
- slight increase of what I perceive
- faster ability to process what I perceive

I'm already sensitive and cannot tune a lot of things out and it seems to make little difference to notice a couple of more things. I do have more energy and better concentration to make sense of things, so it's actually a little more comfortable and less overwhelming than without MPH.

I'm currently taking Concerta, and sometimes a little Adderall (on an "as needed" basis). Yes, these drugs help me focus and concentrate on a task more easily than I could normally.

Hmm, interesting. I am like Sora where I do have a bit of hypoglycemia if I don't eat enough while on Ritalin.

I must be the only one here that is actually more social when on medication than off. I am a cranky bugger and have hardly any patience for people. Although sometimes I can talk a bit more, after taking the medication long term.

Sensory issues are worse unmedicated or after it wears off. After it wears off the symptoms are worse than how I'd be when the medication is out of my system for a few hours. The hyperactivity and impulsiveness and lack of concentration returns to me.
I wonder if my sensory issues are caused by an area of the brain different than most people with autism? They are acquired sensory issues after a long term shutdown and do have something to do with epilepsy. My synaesthesia is stronger too.

Coping with change is so much easier on medication. I'm more impulsive, though my impulsive behaviour unmedicated is about spending too much money on things I don't need and saying the wrong thing without thinking of how one would react to it, rather than getting into all sorts of trouble. I still have those thoughts. But Ritalin gives me more motivation to get into activities like that. I don't mind because I have lived enough years as a cautious person.

Today I am having a break so I don't have to up the dosage. And I have been sitting on my computer since 9am. It's now 11am. Usually , on medication, I will find what I'm doing boring and unproductive, say that I've spent enough time on this and that I should move on.
I've been semi-productive today than I was on my last break. I've been reading and able to understand it. Yesterday, because I was naturally tired and the meds didn't last long so I think I'm over the exhausted phase I usually have when I take a break off meds.

Sometimes it's good to take a break and see why I indeed take Ritalin in the first place. And today it's obvious. I've still got to do the dishes. It's usually done as soon as I take my medication. My only motivation today is that my hands are cold.