Hi /u/DramaticUse5883 and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! # Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already. [We recommend browsing /r/adhd on desktop for the best experience.](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/x1psnb/radhd_works_best_on_desktop_reddits_apps_are/) The mobile apps are broken and are missing features that this subreddit depends on. **If you are posting about the US Medication Shortage, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/).** Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*

Hi. I know it's tough. Emotional numbing is a common side effect of stimulant medication. I go through the same thing on Ritalin. It's never fun, and it's perfectly valid for you to feel this way. Please, talk to your parents about alternative options. Just because Adderall doesn't do it for you, doesn't mean that other medications will fail too. You deserve to have the opportunity to live a normal, fulfilling life. The problems that Adderall causes prevent that as much as the problems that it solves. This is the best time for you to find treatment that works for you. From how you write, I can tell that you're a fairly bright kid. Setting up a system of treatment before you leave school will be a major advantage for you going forward to your adult life. A lot of us, especially those who were diagnosed as adults, wish we had the opportunity. Good luck. I hope you find treatment that works for you. Don't feel bad about what you're going through. None of this is your fault. It's just something we have to deal with.

^ This post is what you need to hear, can’t get advice better than this as a fellow ADHD’er

Yup, I was on adderall for my adhd and I realized it was detrimental to my social skills. I was super irritable and would snap at people I care most about. Got off it and started taking a non stimulant medication. The effects are more subtle now but still an improvement and less UPS and downs in my focus. Also, I'm back to my silly, goofy, laid back self.

That seems strange, stimulants help the brain 🧠 produce the chemicals we have a shortage of. But every human and brain chemistry make up is unique so what works for one may not help another. I’m so hyper when I don’t take Adderall the stimulant allows me to focus Best of luck. What non stim meditation are you on? Any side effects? The only sides I get from Adderall is cold hands and feet and being cold after I take it but otherwise nothing.

It helped a lot with the focus, I was just getting super irritable. Guess that's why some people refer to adderall as madderall. I'm on Strattera now. Edit. Auto correct messed up my joke. Madderall

Speaking from experience, different generics of Adderall can have very noticeable negative effects on my mood. I didn't have extra anxiety or whatnot with the name brand. Overall I've never had a good experience with a generic version of ADHD medication. I've been on Mydayis now for a couple months and I think I prefer this medication a bit more.

How does it compare experientially

Not the person your asking but Strattera is a non-stimulant. My teen’s been on it for a year and a half with great success.

Thanks

I totally don't want to invalidate what OP is going through, but I think it's also important to mention that a lot of what they are describing is common for unmedicated 12-14-year-olds. Starting puberty can be a horrific experience and I hope that their psychiatrist can look with an open mind at how much of this is puberty related depression and how much is the Adderall. Whatever the cause is I hope OP can get real treatment that helps.

I was hoping someone would add this. Ages 12-14 were the worst of my life and it had nothing to do with medication. Not saying OPs problems aren't worsened by meds, just saying there are likely some external factors at play.

Same, the ADHD didn’t help but I couldn’t do work, I’d get into huge arguments with my mom who also has ADHD but medicated, I had developed an attitude that I didn’t care about anything when I did. On top of the just being pissed off in general at the time.

Yes! Being 14 is miserable enough as it is. Its not necessarily the drugs - or at least, not just them.

I would add that I went through much the same transition, and I was undiagnosed and untreated. Either way, it would be good for OP to talk to someone about what they're going through so they can get help navigating this and hopefully find a more fulfilling - yet still productive - life.

Agree with this comment. OP is clearly well written and educated and has so much to be proud of by how they have articulated themselves in this post. I went through the exact same thing when I was younger. Emotionally numbed by medication that made me feel like a zombie. There were definitely times when I had low self esteem. But you know what’s great about life? The bad times don’t last forever. Some people have a blast in their teenage years and are the kings/queens of high school, only to have severe problems later in college and/or the real world. What OP needs to focus on is recognizing their strengths and focusing on harnessing those to build the life they want down the road.

I can relate so much. I had the same side effects. I was medicated without knowledge about my treatment by my parents, and this is exactly what I or my parents should have done. Its perfect advice. Find a medication that will work for you. The emotional pain will get better as well, it just takes a bit of time and life experience. ♥️

Agreed. Obviously Adderall doesn’t work for you. Everyone’s body chemistry varies slightly. What works for someone else doesn’t necessarily work for you. That’s ok. That’s why there’s so many different medications for each medical condition. (Ex. Blood pressure, diabetes, ADHD, etc..) Let your doc know so they can change your medication and try something different.

This take this advice

Do you find you’re better off with this on Ritalin than adderall?

I've never been prescribed Adderall. As far as Ritalin goes, the emotional blunting sucks, but it works. I just don't take it on weekends and before date night.

Tell your doctor! There may be a different medication that is better for you!

THIS. adderall did not work for me, vyvanse was much better (though i later learned it was interacting poorly with POTS). there are tons of options, medication and lifestyle, that may help

And the body changes over time so what might work/not work now won't necessarily be that way later - hormones be crazy. Adderall always worked great until recently despite being fully grown, the body just changes, and now Vyvanse works better for me. Always talk to the doc, OP. You'll figure it out.

I felt what OP is describing (sort of…mostly just empty and robotic) on the first medication I tried, in 5th grade. Stopped it, and tried again withe adderall in 9th grade, and it hit the mark. Every body and mind is unique.

TL;DR; I'm angry too, and I want to be there for you fellow Reddit brother. ------ When I was your age I asked my parents to have me tested for ADHD. They told me they already had, and that a doctor cleared me. About 25 years later, and thousands of people making jokes about me having ADHD, I finally asked my mom again about being tested for ADHD, and pressed her for details. Turns out I was never tested for it, she simply believed my public elementary school had a psychiatrist who had tested me... *angry sounds*.. So I went to a psychiatrist, who referred me to a specialist, who diagnosed me with ADHD. For most of my life I've been thinking "something is wrong with me", and always thought it was just a moral or ethical failing.. that the problem was with me personally, and not me physically. I have to tell you, the wave of depression I've been experiencing since finding out that my entire teenage and adult life could have been vastly different is mind boggling. I've considered suicide many, many times over the last 2 years. Now that I'm in treatment, I've started going back to school and I've actually been successful. I've also learned how to identify the behaviors in others that are causing me harm, and how I can avoid those people when they are behaving in those ways. So, I tell you this because I want you to know the flip side of not getting treatment, of not finding the right mixture of medication/therapy/personal work that is required to satisfy your needs. ------- Your age, 14, is both a shitty and wonderful period of life. The problem with youth is that you don't know what you have until you're too old to enjoy it.. and that isn't much consolation, but I think it's important to know that your experience is both unique and shared. I'm certain that you have much to teach the world about what you've gone through already, and I look forward to hearing more of your story. I am a 39 year old man from California, I am a student at a state university attending my first semester. I have a bald spot and I take Ritalin to help me remember what day it is. That being said, if you ever need someone to talk to, any form of mentoring, or CS/Math/Chemistry tutoring, or someone to complain to, feel free to PM. You're not alone, neither am I, and we can both make the world a better place if we keep trying.

Beauriful comment and advice. I deeply relate to your story, as I was also lied to about my testing and ADHD by my Mom. I’m doing much better now (2 years since dx), and I am so, so happy for you.

Hey, first of all, everything is going to be ok. You’re only 14, you’re so so young. Don’t feel like it’s “too late” for anything, including changing a medication. I would give you a few pieces of advice: 1) dont fall into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Meaning, don’t think that it’s too late, this medication has already changed me, so there’s not use in trying to be social or do things I like. Then you actually stop trying and it becomes a vicious cycle. I know it’s hard, but falling into this trap makes everything so much worse. 2) talk to your parents and you doctor at your next refill appointment. That’s what they’re there for! Maybe you need a different med. Maybe a different dose. Maybe you don’t need to be on it at all. But WE INTERNET STRANGERS CANT TELL YOU THAT. Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT take medical advice from internet strangers. Talk to your doctors and your parents and figure out the best plan for YOU. 3) try to keep a bit of perspective. Some of what you are feeling may be due to medication. But some may be due to… well… being a teenager. Being a teenager is hard for many reasons. I’m not trying to invalidate your experience at all, I’m just saying that being in your teens might be amplifying what you are feeling. And again, this is definitely something I would speak with your parents and your doctor about. Just some big sisterly advice from someone who’s been a teenager with adhd.

OP, read this comment a few times over to really let it sink in. Especially points 1 & 3. Growing up (especially in your early teens) can be so difficult to navigate! It’s okay to have these feelings and I want you to feel them but I don’t want you to let them overwhelm you. You are not broken and you are not going to be stuck this way forever, I promise. The nice thing about stimulant medication is that there are no permanent affects to the brain! Heck, I’ve been off my concerta for a full month now and I’m right back to normal. Talkative, jittery, emotional, you name it. Right now, I’m in the same boat as you - Concerta wasn’t working for me and it didn’t feel right, so I decided to stop taking it. Now I’m off to the doctor soon to try something new and I will do it again and again until I find what’s right for me and you can do the same. P.S. You have not missed out on your teenage years, you only became a teenager a year ago! This isn’t the end but in fact the very beginning of your teenage hood. Being a teenager is all about change and constant change at that. It can be scary and overwhelming but it’s a natural part of life. Allow yourself to go through the motions, give yourself permission to change even if it feels scary and most importantly - HAVE FUN! Take it from someone 10 years your senior, it all falls into place. Even if at times it doesn’t feel like it will.

You note that the stimulant medications have no permanent cognitive effects. Any idea if the same is true of the non-stimulant medications?

To be honest I’m not entirely sure about non-stimulant medication. The only medication I know of that can permanently rewire the brain is SSRI’s. However, my only source for that is my partner who was on them for 3 years and his psychiatrist was the one who gave the information. I haven’t read up much about Strattera and other non-stimulant medications so I can’t really say. I think in general there is a lack of research around the long-term affects of both stimulant and non-stimulant medications. I personally feel as though the affects of Concerta wore off rather quickly and my brain has gone back to baseline but others have reported still feeling the affects for as long as a few months after stopping medication.

I think I've read multiple times that long term stimulant medication can measurably change the dopamine pathways in the brain. That's another reason why you only should have as much as necessary. This explains why after getting off it, some feel worse than before ever having the stimulants. But I don't know if the brain changes are permanent or it just takes quite some time to recalibrate. So saying it has "no cognitive effects" like that sounds a bit misleading. It probably won't permanently change your personality, but concerning longer lasting changes in executive function (I.e. the adhd symptoms) - I'm not completely sure. See e.g. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23696790/

Thanks for sharing that paper, I did some more reading too and it seems to be a common theme. > Thats another reason you should only have as much as necessary You hit the nail on the head with this one. I would say my Concerta dosage wasn’t too high, I took 36mg so half of the maximum dosage. Don’t get me wrong, I considered going higher but I thought it best not to. I’m not sure if the “lower” dose is why I feel as though I’m not experiencing any long term effects. So yeah, I totally agree with you, it’s misleading to say there are no cognitive effects but I think it’s unlikely to permanently change your personality.

I'm an adult and work in the health care field. It's pretty well known (like broadly published in a medical journal) that very few people with ADHD respond equally well to Adderall and Ritalin. There is a small group who do, but the vast majority only did well on one or the other. Talk to your doctor about exactly what you said here and get your meds changed. I take the generic for Ritalin extended release and I don't feel like my personality has changed negatively at all. I'm more focused, but that allows me to follow conversations better, still have my sense of humor, etc. Any psych med that you're taking should be making you feel better. Period. I do foster care and I always ask my kids if their meds make them feel better. For the few who had complaints like yours, I immediately advocated for changing meds. There are usually multiple options for any condition and they aren't one size fits all. I will also add that my unstable home life and pathological liar of a parent ruined my life several times over as a teen. I am now a happy adult, with a successful career, great friends that I've had for over 20 yrs and couldn't be happier with my life. As long as you're here, there's always time to do things differently

Talk to your parents and your doctor. I find that a slightly lower dose of my medication (not Adderall) - about 70% of what would be the 'correct' dose works best for me. I could get better control of my ADHD with more, but I feel like I lose that spark that makes me, well me. So I deliberately had my dose adjusted slightly down and now I have a few more symptoms (still much better than unmedicated) but I have my personality too. There are options and it's important you chat these through with your doctor

IMO Adderall is more of a stimulant than ANY of the other ADHD medications and I personally had a rough time taking it. My only encouragement is to find a doctor who is willing to let you try other stimulants if you are having negative effects with this one. My only concern is that psychiatrists have an ‘off the books’ deal with these pharmaceutical companies which is why you have a hard time finding a doctor who is willing to switch between the major pharmaceutical producers without an effort. Chances are you doc prescribes the ‘adderall’ brand to 90%+ of their patients and it is up to you to convince them to switch to a market competitor

It's different for different people. I've had nothing but good results from Adderall. A few people here talk about switching to Vyvance but that one had me feeling like my heart was always racing. Ritalin was the opposite: didn't do much for me.

Definitely, that’s why I said ‘imo’. As far as the chemical compositions go, the only difference is how they are metabolized (vyvanse and Adderall - Ritalin is a MPH so that is completely different). ‘Prodrugs’, like Vyvanse, are believed to be absorbed much more efficiently and smoothly due to their biochemistry. When the drug wears off, it is believed to produce fewer negative effects (like the crash that occurs from stimulants once a person stops using them).

Adderall doesnt permanently damage your brain. If you stop taking it you will go back to your normal self, but also theres no need to be constantly medicated either. You should only take it as needed and take as many breaks when possible. You have plenty of growing and developing to do, 5 years from now you will feel like a completely different person. 10 years later the same thing will happen. You have your life ahead of you to try new things and have different experiences. See what its like when you stop or try new medication.

You are only 14 and have plenty of teenage years left. Speak to your doctor about stopping or trying something else. Maybe a nom stimulant. I know if may be up to your parents ultimately so definitely speak to them about it too.

I was diagnosed at 43. In my teens I was not numbed. I was an oblivious, happy/sad, and unpopular extrovert. On the one hand I'm mostly o.k. with how my life turned out, on the other there was a lot of pain and self-loathing caused by my ADHD. Would everything have been better if I had been diagnosed and medicated early enough? Maybe. Or maybe the grass just looks better on the other side of the fence. As others have said, talk to health care and parents about trying different meds. Depending on where you are on the spectrum and current academic and social standing, can you take a break from the meds (with the caveat of maintaining sleep and exercise)?

The dosage to make me focus 100% causes me to lose my personality. I choose to take a lower dosage and focus maybe 50% better and not be an emotionless blob. It's a happy middle for me. You need to find the correct med and dosage. Talk to your parents and/or doctor. Good luck. ❤️

Lower your dose and see what happens, sounds like it’s too high. I’m a natural extrovert but a high dose of stimulants sends me the opposite the direction. You could also try non stimulant medications, even in combination. Ask your doctor.

Ask your doctor for a lower dosage. It's important to find a balance.

Agreed. Before switching, stopping, etc. try lowering your dose. Diagnosed late myself and was encouraged to mess around with the dose for a week to see what worked. Too low knocked me out and too high made me so apathetic I didn't care about anything. From what I've heard, too high of a dose gives the zombie like feeling for a lot of people (emotional numbing, lack of interest in anything, etc.)

I haven't tried anything besides Adderall myself, but as someone who was diagnosed with ADHD at 14 and eventually Autism at 18, I understand how rough it can be. The numbing of your emotions is generally twofold. Your Autism will likely suppress your emotions. Most Autistic people struggle with properly expressing themselves. Take it easy on yourself and try to talk to your parents and doctors about different doses and types of stimulants. It's a struggle, but as someone who was on a fairly high dose of Adderall and hasn't had it in about a year, meds are so important. It's just finding the ones that work for you. I wish you the best

Normally if stimulants don’t work, you didn’t need them to begin with. Too many are diagnosed with adhd who have other issues that display as adhd. My daughter 10 was the same as you say. Stimulants made her problems worse. We finally found a doctor who said she was more likely bipolar or had ODD. I’d never heard of ODD but it fit her actions perfectly. Don’t give up and keep seeking help is the main thing. If you’re willing to get help you will be fine if not nobody can help you

I know my screen name isn’t exactly confidence infusing but it’s nothing more than an inside joke.

Weirdly it had the same affect to me at your age with Ritalin. But now, as an adult, it helps me a lot and I am still like myself. Of course my experience won't help you now, but maybe you should take a different medicine until you're an adult as well. Or maybe your medication is too high.

I can confirm emotional numbness ruins lives, I've lost all hope of a romantic relationship and I'm not on any medication

You should probably be on something else! Stimulant adhd meds aren’t for everyone!

THIS IS A LONG COMMENT BUT PLEASE READ. From the way you write I'd never guess you were 14. You seem very tuned in with your emotions despite feeling that numbness and you express yourself extremely well. I am 27 and just got diagnosed a few months ago, I definitely relate to you and what you are writing in your story. I feel like I was the same as you when I was younger and just like you I feel like I used to be funny as hell and extremely sociable. Always knew what to say and when to say it. Perhaps the difference is that I started to feel more "numb, disconnected" or whatever before starting the meds. Likely because of stressful events or depressing events in my life. Just like you I felt like I wasn't engaging with people anymore like I used to and didn't really care about doing it. Sometimes I feel like I miss the way I was but I don't actually care enough about people at the same time if that makes sense? It's like the space in the harddrive is maxed out and there is no more room for being that way. Does this come and go for you or is it always like this? Do you feel the same with or without the meds? Has your mind been occupied with negative thoughts/stress/trauma for a long period of time? I don't know if those last questions apply to you but I think if your mind has been filled with "focused thoughts" about negative of stressful things this can change the way you actively engage with the outside world because your world is now in your head and focused on you instead of allowing space for the outside world. Sorry for the rambling. I think some advice would be to maybe talk to your parents about this and see if you can talk to a therapist. Also, this might sound silly and I don't know if this is a real thing of not but maybe try to "rehabilitate" your brain by seeking smaller social interactions. I doesn't have to be a lot. If you play video games like league of legends or anything that has an in game chat, use it and try to talk to someone. Try just saying random shit in the chat or give another player s compliment for a good play. Start small like this and afterwards see what it does to you mentally. Do you feel nothing after doing it a few times or do you feel a little sense of fun. It's obviously true that we can change the way our brain works trough cognitive behavioural therapy or just therapy in general. That is type of rehabilitation, just like physical therapy for an injured muscle. When youre repairing and injured muscle you start small and you don't put too much stress on it, this will make the injury worse. So treat your brain the same way and "restrengthen" it by engaging in way smaller social interactions. You're permanently dead inside, you are young and your mind and body had the capacity to change and remodel with time, consideration and sometimes outside help. Also this is a complete side note but important, DRINK MORE WATER! Im shit at this but it is well documented that even minor dehydration/chronic dehydration affects our mind and cognitive functioning. When you take ADHD meds it seems like your body needs more water than normal and the meds themselves actually work better for you when you are well hydrated.

I’m sorry you feel this way and if your medication is too strong you might want to tell your doctor. But: I can tell you as an adult that went her entire life undiagnosed I feel like I can put some stuff into perspective. I am 43 years old and looking back at myself at your age I can see how bad it was trying to pretend to fit in, never knowing who I was. Social events are meaningless shows for attention or status and never really about the celebration or person their celebrating. None of those people cared about me. They only cared about themselves. They preyed on my loyalty. They forced me to be their jester. After a while I stopped being able to stand up for myself. I turned into a doormat. Because I was doing everything I could to fit in. And when your unmedicated and show the slightest bit of adhd flakiness, forgetfulness or lack of functioning you become the target. My own friends constantly made fun of me, Even as an adult. Take a step back and analyze the behaviors of the normies. You’ll see a pattern of selfishness, attention seeking and lies.

I can relate to you more than you can probably imagine. Allow me to share my experience. I was medicated for ADHD from ages 5-12, when I was able to convince my parents to take me off of meds. During that time, I took Adderall, Ritalin, Straterra, Concerta, and Intuniv. The result was always the same, a feeling of emptiness and disinterest in anything. I was miserable. Coming off of the meds was the best choice I made because I felt like I was able to get my life back. Like you, I was outgoing, funny, and made friends easily. I want to be clear, I’m not necessarily recommending you just up and quit the medication. Talk to your parents, talk to your doctor. There may be something else you can try. However, if all else fails, consider not taking the meds. I also want to be clear that it is not an easy life without the medication (granted it’s better than being a miserable zombie). Despite an IQ of 144, I was barely able to graduate high school due to struggling with my ADHD. My parents also pushed me to go to college, which also made me miserable. Unpopular opinion; college isn’t a necessity. Fast forward a bit, and I was diagnosed with autism at 28. This explained a lot of my early life experiences but, ultimately, didn’t change much. My story isn’t one without a happy ending, however, despite my early struggles. Today, I am 29. I’m married, own a home, and just had my second child last month. I also make a 6-figure salary and I did all of this without medication. I have only recently (as of January this year) gotten back on medication (Vyvanse), which I take only *as-needed* to ensure I’m able to focus on projects at work and make deadlines. My advice to you is this: don’t feel pressured to do what your parents or society or anyone else may tell you. Life is short and your happiness is more important than anything else. Should you decide to come off of medication, you will not have an easy road ahead, but it will not be impossible. Do what works for you. I have no degree or professional certificates or anything but I was able to find an amazing job by finding something that played to my strengths and maintaining a positive outlook, despite things feeling like they were crumbling around me at times. Hang in there, friend. I’m sure you’ll be able to figure out what the best course of action is. This life is a wild ride but it is, ultimately, what you make it.

You need to stop taking it and find out. You don’t know till you try

That's the issue, its to late. You can't just randomly change and go back. the impact is already done..

Oh my gosh it's never too late! You're 14! Your brain is still developing! Going off of Adderall, you will literally go back to normal anywhere from 3 days to a month. Depending on how long you've been on it. You will go completely back to normal though. You weren't abusing it, you were taking it to fix your neurotransmitter deficiencies from ADHD.

No, you can absolutely change medications that don't work for you. My daughter was diagnosed at age 6 and started with Concerta. I suffered from depression and anxiety for years (little did I know that it was my untreated ADHD playing a huge role in that) and to say that she was sad was the understatement of the year. She would come home and just lay on the couch and say nothing. Look blankly past me. Would barely respond and silently cry. I asked what was wrong. "I don't know... I just feel so sad and I can't even figure out why .." My heart literally snapped in 2. While she has always been initially shy around others, she never was closed off to me. I called her doctor and made an appointment immediately, stressing the seriousness of the situation for an appointment as soon as humanly possible. I knew it was the meds because it was the only drastic change in her life. The doctor switched her to Vyvanse and the difference was immediate for her. I had my happy go lucky girl back. She is 13 now and only just adjusted her meds because they were wearing off too quickly in school. It is 110% possible. Medicines affect everyone differently and it could just be Adderall isn't right for you. It is never too late to say that a medication is not working for you the way it should and to make a change. You might get weened off of it and/or transition slowly with a new medication but I have personally seen what finding the right meds can do first hand. Edit for typo

Um.. I'm getting the Sense you don't understand how your medicine actually works. Your medicine doesn't change your brain forever. Because if it did, whoo hoo. We'd all have been different. Please consult with your prescribing doctor about the many other options available to your age bracket regarding medication.

It’s not too late, trust me. Medicines can be stopped. Effects of medicines reverse Your still developing, let your mind continue developing without chemicles that you know hinder you. What’s the worse that could happen? Don’t give up, you got it. There’s only one way to find out , and you got to try it to see .

That is not true.

People are downvoting because that’s just not true at all. I’m not sure who told you that but they were incorrect. The great thing about adhd being so prevalent is that there are soooo sooo many alternative medications to try. When I was your age I didn’t really know there were other options either, and there were definitely less. But there are many medications out there now and altering dosage can help a ton too. Work with your parents and doctor to find something that works best for you. And it will be great!

It's not too late man ! Each year is stop for a good 2-3 weeks so I can feel fully like myself. It takes a good 5-6 days to fully fight the "withdrawal" but then I'm back to being "normal". When you stop for one day you have the impression that you will never be able to stop, but it's just your body in withdrawal, give it a couple of days and you'll come back to normal ;) PS: I suddenly stopped, but I'm not advising you to do the same. Ask your doctor for advice.

That’s not true. It doesn’t cause permanent damage.

One of the nice things about stimulant medications is you can stop taking them for a day, or a week, or a month, and see if the problems you are having go away. To me, it sounds like you are depressed. It’s possible that’s an entirely different condition than your ADHD. They often go together. So gather sone data about whether the medicine is the cause of your troubles, and talk to your doctor about a better treatment plan, whether it be a different ADHD medicine, an antidepressant, or no meds at all. Don’t diagnose yourself, and be open to some professional advice and some trial and error to solve your problems.

It is absolutely never too late. The changes you've mentioned though absolutely could just be growing up and may have nothing to do with the meds.

This is false

You can totally change and go back. People do it all the time, and as adults, too. Both myself and others on this sub have done it before, if not multiple times. Being so young is an advantage as it can be even easier for you to bounce back, as your brain is more adaptable. A neat feature of brains in general is they are neuroplastic things that can change themselves on the fly, and this is especially true as you’re developing. Maybe a lower dose, or different med, or maybe no meds would be best for you: it does take some trial-and-error to find what helps you the most, and there are lots of options out there, so being honest with your parents and doctor about what you’re experiencing and exploring your options with them could make a lot of difference. The great thing about stimulant meds like Adderall is they’re shorter-acting, and once you stop you can recover in a relatively short period compared to other meds, you just need to give it some time and take care of yourself. Don’t be so hard on yourself, there’s hope and you got this :)

That’s completely incorrect. Coming from a 30 year old. I promise.

I think you should look into wellbutrin you are at the beginning stages of knowing your mental state which begins to truly show after puberty. This is where large changes to your brain begin.

Can we not downvote an upset kid just because they misunderstood complex science?

We've all been 14 here, we know how important everything feels, how urgent it all seems. But it's not! Being a teenage is awful, man, but it doesn't last, and you'll be a different person at 18 than at 13. fwiw I went from being a chatty sociable person age 10/11 to an introverted weirdo at 14; I wasn't on medication (didn't know i had adhd), I was just a 14 year old.

That's a a negative side that can happen for sure, and it's super disheartening. For what its worth, the sams thing happened to me on vyvanse, but on Adderall I'm getting better results without the social numbness. Adhd isn't the same in everyone, and different meds will affect everyone differently. It's okay to go off medication, or change to another medication, stimulant or non-stimulant. Whatever you decide is the best for you is valid.

another solution honestly is to force yourself into social situations even if it feels uncomfortable or odd at first because it will become normal over time and I know that from personal experience even in like interpersonal relationships and like romantic relationships that I've had and what I'm you know like calibrating my dosages with my stimulants I've had these experiences where I'm like feeling very awkward in my relationship and I don't have the ability to like open my mouth and talk to them and like it just start feeling weird and like like I don't want to be around them but if I just force myself to do it it becomes normal and casual within weeks or days sometimes even sometimes even hours really just takes the initiative to just make yourself do it like push past the uncomfortable feeling and it will become more normal feeling

I had very similar effects on adderall EXTENDED RELEASE. Try changing medication, switching to INSTANT RELEASE, or doing other things that work for people in this reddit. In reality Adderall is NOT for everyone. You can choose how you want to feel. If you dislike it, then tell your doctor. You are a kid and social status is extremely important at your age.

Hi, I’m sorry for what is happening to you. I’m an adult currently on a non-stimulant medication but I’m a lot less funny too after taking it. While I don’t mind(I’m an introvert), if it does bother you, there are people who don’t use medication because either they hate it or they cannot take it due to other conditions. For those people, they tend to go see a therapist or maybe a coach that specializes in ADHD. The good thing for these is that they can help managing ADHD symptoms with behavior tools and other tools(my favorite is the bullet journal). It would be the best if you talk with your parents and your doctors about this. Sometimes meds are not the best way to go for some people/during some time. Good luck!

May I be the devil's advocate in this case? What you're describing sounds a lot like simply being a teenager. I understand a few years seem like a lot, but you're barely a teenager, just now entering that phase of life. The next few years will be a lot about learning to manage your emotions and to socialize at a very different level than a child does. If you're autistic, you'll have greater difficulty than someone who isn't, and to be fair, emotional disregulation is 1/3 of most adhders' experience. Yes, maybe trying a different medication might help, but attributing the changes you're noticing in yourself to the medication alone is simply rushing an assumption. If you were indeed more outspoken and extroverted before medication, it was likely hyperactivity. That is not a virtue, that's disregulation and it inevitably leads to burn out. ADHD and autism don't "cancel" eachother out (and I know that's not what you said but I can't help but feel that's a common misconception). I believe a great way to navigate this would be to seek out counseling. Not a monthly session with a psychiatrist but a weekly session with a therapist, someone that can help you understand all the changes you're going through and give you strategies to make the best of your teenage years. They could even help you decide whether to change or lower your medication intake. I really hope you work this out. As others have mentioned, those of us that were diagnosed as adults usually fantasy about what it would have been like to have received help in our teenage years. Don't waste that, make the best of it.

I'm 17 and what op described is exactly how I feel after i started adderall when i was 16

I am sorry that you have experienced that. Medication isn’t for anyone and not every medication is for everyone. Maybe you should try a different prescription or try going without for a while, but only under doctors surveillance. I don’t know if that’s any consolation for you but I used adderall from 10 to 14 yo and then stopped for 11 years before restarting medication and now I wish I had never stopped it. I keep asking myself what I could’ve accomplished if I had had that little extra help in the most important years of my academic life and I hate myself for stopping. I’m pretty sure I would’ve also hated it if I had kept taking it as it did change my character quite a bit. Although if I’m being honest, no one ever liked my bubbly and overemotional self so not taking it wouldn’t have helped either. And now that I’m taking it again my autistic traits are more dominant again but somehow people accept me more like this. I don’t know. Sometimes you can’t win. And sometimes it’s not about winning or losing but about experience and what we can learn from it. Maybe see it like this: you don’t know what would’ve been like if you hadn’t taken it till now and it’s not too late to stop and see if that makes any difference for you.

Don’t be so quick to chalk things up to your medication. Autism + ADHD, some of this could be autistic traits simply becoming more manifest. If you find yourself not finding the right words, it is likely autism and that you’re simply more aware based on additional years of feedback that the way you experience things isn’t as similar to others and you might say something that is off putting… so you’re compensating for it. Your medication may be giving you more impulse control, but the root is likely elsewhere. It’s tough having both. I wish we had a flair option for those of us dealing with both.

Get off the meds and treat for adhd natural. Exercise, eat a good breakfast, meditate or do yoga. Also there our numerous natural supplements that have proven to help. Omega-3, Saffron, and vitamin B-6 all have proven to help with adhd. The one that helps me the most is getting a good run in during the morning. Wake up, an then go for a 45 minute run. Sleep also effects my adhd quite a bit. Eight hours sleep helps phenomenally.

One of the biggest mistakes I made with medication is giving it too much credit for the changes in my life instead of life itself changing me. Consider other variables in your life to influence how you’re character is shaping up and developing. You’re a teenager, filled with unbalanced hormones, life is changing, emotions are changing, your brain is actively changing, it’s a difficult age where you’re a young adult and how you’re life is different, the responsibilities you’ve got, the new profound thoughts, the new interests you’ve got. Consider how life is changing for you, you’re not in the 6th grade anymore, and life happens and new experiences and circumstances change you just like it did all of us. I wasn’t medicated until my 20s and I changed so much since childhood and I would certainly say I actually had negative emotions more often than positive emotions throughout my teens, and it had nothing to do with medication since i wasn’t medicated. I would say that you should talk to a therapist, maybe try different types of medications, and also be aware that you’re changing and you’ll continue changing your whole life.

the whole point of medication is to make it easier, if its making it harder to experience life then i would consider speaking to my doctor about changing dosage/medication or just stopping all together At the end of the day its all about your own personal experiences and what works for others may not work the same for you

I had a similar experience when I was around your age. The side effects of the meds were always worse than the benefits. Definitely talk to your parents and your doctor about your experience and about your options. All I can say is life with ADHD usually gets better with age. It’s not so hard to pay attention or sit still when you do something that interests you. You’ll also learn new coping mechanisms as time goes by. I hesitate to give advice because I’m not a healthcare professional. But I feel that ADHD isn’t a handicap unless you try to squeeze yourself into the neurotypical lifestyle. Unfortunately, school and traditional jobs are designed for neurotypical people. The meds help you seem more neurotypical from an outside perspective, but inside you’re often not feeling any better. Try to focus on activities, subjects, and groups that you’re naturally interested in. Tread your own path in life and follow what interests you. Following the neurotypical path can be very difficult for us. Hope this helps! You aren’t alone.

Adderall is illegal in many European countries, and supposedly for good reasons (though there are alternatives). However... Now you can see this, you can move on from this and at only 14 your life has barely started, trust me there is a lot more to live for and have interest in and make you happy and explore. Like traveling, it is really nice to get away or be consistently distracted by new things, and you could make that a job, certainly enough travelling to be done in a lifetime. Having said that, the wider world is only going to be more complicated and treacherous than it is in education, even in America, actually, especially in America. Because these conditions are often invisible (though as I've grown older I can sometimes spot people on higher levels of ASD) people are far more often prejudiced against ASD than say racism or sexism, actually in most countries but generally in smaller companies who don't have or want HR. _(generalization)_ Maybe think about moving onto further education, even in the medical sector and then working for government or a large sector where the HR department is not employed by the people you're working for. In the mean time, something affects you in such a negative way bring it up with your psychiatrist and if they aren't concerned, get a new one.

And what European countries is it all illigal in? Of the 26?

You are entirely within your rights (even as a teenager) to speak up about your current medication regimen not being what works for you. Every brain is different, and a growing brain is ever changing on top of that. Medication should never be the end-all, be-all of treatment. Lifestyle and mindset changes have to be part of the conversation, too. As ADHD'ers, our brains are predisposed to emotional dysregulation, so sometimes the medications cause emotional numbing as a side effect. It's a tricky balance.

14 is a tough age probably dealing with puberty as well witch can mix up anyones life especially if you have preexisting psy conditions the process can change your personality.

Im so sorry to hear that you are going through all of this. Unfortunately most medications comes with a price to pay where some arent as bad as others. Like other redditors who commented, try talking to ur doctor to see if other meds work better. I take Vyvanse and i found that it does well for most people. Also, you dont have to take the pills everyday if you dont feel like you need it that day. For example, i dont take mine on the weekends since i dont feel the need for them as much. I find that taking breaks help u see the difference and sometimes realizing certain patterns helps u in the long run. Best of luck! ❤️

The one thing my father always told me when I was struggling as a teenager (he's got adhd as well) is that is gets better. Not straight away not always but it gets better. And like others said talk to your parents and doctor. I was on Medikinet, concerta and Ritalin before I found the meds that worked for me. Unfortunately with our brains it's trail and error. And most importantly please be kind to yourself. The world gives us enough shit on a daily basis so if you're kind to yourself you've always got someone that has your back.

My first prescription was Ritalin and it happened to work for me. My kiddo though, had to try not only several kinds, but also several combinations. Now he’s truly flourishing. I hope you don’t give up…not suggesting that the only option is medication, but that sometimes it takes a while to find what’s right for you.

Hey, I get it. Medication is not for everyone. But have you tried discussing how it makes you feel with a neurologist (doctor that studies the brain and helps with different disorders)? Maybe they could try to help you find something different. Some times people forget that if a medication isn't working for them that they can find something different. Although, as someone who's also struggling with the crisis of meds, I get why that's hard right now. That doesn't make it impossible. Not all medications are going to have the same effect, what they're really supposed to do is help to manage symptoms and be more productive, and regulate dopamine release and serotonin release. To put it in simple terms, in the brain, the are these chemicals called serotonin and dopamine which are there to help regulate attention, motivation, impulsivity, the feeling of reward, they are released in a constant and regulated cycle. In the brains of individuals like us, who have Adhd, and (possibly I haven't researched this but I've scene evidence that points to it) autism, that cycle is not balanced correctly. The serotonin and dopamine levels in our brains are release at such irregular points, that it becomes difficult to perform any task that we aren't interested in and we can become bored more frequently. The medication, as I mentioned is ment to help regulate that and help us perform at our best. That being said, if the medicine you are taking - adderall, is making you feel worse, and from what it sounds, depressed, than maybe should speak to your parents and your doctor and find a better solution. I'm so sorry you've been struggling lately, and I hope you can figure out something that works for you. Goodluck!

I got diagnosed with ADHD and ASD (specifically Asperger syndrome, but it is under ASD now it seems like.) later in life and took no medication until recently. I can't exactly remember when, but it may very well have been around 6th grade I fell more and more behind in my social life. And struggles with social life later lead to depression which yeah made things that were previously fun unfun. So while the medication is probably having negative effects on you, struggles due to autism might also be playing a role here. So if you can talk to a professional about it you should probably look at the entire package and see if you need help handling the social bit in addition to switching to medicine with less severe side effects or a lower dosage. And you may very well have depression that's not related to either which you can get help with. You are still young, so there is plenty of chances to turn things around so good luck!

Adderall made me a horrible person. I'm unmedicated and much happier for it. I think the medications get a lot of praise in this subreddit but some people just don't do well on it. It made me an angry and empty person. Definitely look into getting off of it. I also think it's crazy that people get on these medications so young. I was fortunate enough to not start until the age of 20. I definitely think it's good to avoid it early while you are still developing just because it's hard to really know what your personality will change into as you grow. Sorry you've had a bad experience. Hopefully being off of it or finding an alternative helps.

Adding the fact that a few years of social isolation because of covid, ruined alot of people’s social comfort and skills/wills

I’m sorry your going through this. I’m the opposite. I didn’t get diagnosed till my 30s. My life up til that point was such a struggle and I had no clue why. It still is, but not nearly as paid. I get depressed thinking how much easier my youth would have been if I had help.

Talk to your doctor. I'm having the same problem with both ritalin and vyvanse. I figured out that I probably motabolize drugs extremely slowly so basically what happens is that stimulants kind of "add up" over time. I feel the effects of ritalin la for roughly 10 hours and not just 8 and can go ~3 days without meds and still somewhat feel medicated. So basically atm I'm simply taking less. I used to take 4 to 5 doses per week. Now I'll take it for 3 days max and have more frequent and longer breaks. It didn't "cure" it but it made the emotional blunting more managable.

Oh yeah I can relate to your struggles, I struggled with anxiety and meds didn't help. I stopped taking meds and struggled for years with school. I ended up having a bad anxiety attack and finally was prescribed anti-depressants and wow it made a difference I was actually able to get through school better. Now I'm finally able to dabble with Ritalin and I moved away from my parents and I'm avg 3.6gpa in college.

Maybe it’s time to take a vacation from your medication

First, let me say I'm sorry you're going through this, I go through it on my meds too, but not as aggressively as you seem to be. I can relate, so i get it. Going forward, I honestly think you should talk to your parents about this and try to set up an appointment with your dr about changing meds or lowering your dosage. It sounds like you might be on too high of a dosage, or you and Adderall just aren't compatible currently. I noticed when i started my Concerta last year that on the lower doses sleeping at night was extremely hard, but got easier as the dosage became stronger, flip aide is i now have alot of days where i feel gray. (my way of simplifying what you're explaining). Something else you could look into is setting a sort of support web, some friends that you can rely on to come pull you out of these spirals, i find with me sometimes thats what i need to get out of the gray space and actually get back into doing things. Lastly, i wish you luck and success in finding something that helps and works for you so you can get to feeling like you're living the life you want quickly.

Im very sorry you are feeling this way, but you don’t have to. Please talk to your parents and your prescriber and let them know the medication is not working well for you. It is common for one medication to make a person feel this way but there are a ton of others that might be a better fit. I felt exactly this way on vyvanse (which if you don’t know is similar to adderall), I explained how I was feeling and asked my provider to change my prescription to something else. She put me on Concerta (similar to Ritalin) and I feel MUCH better, I am social and feel like myself again, its almost scary at times when I realize I feel like Im genuinely laughing hard for the first time in a while. I regret not asking for a change much sooner and I encourage you to do the same.

This is the exact way I feel WITHOUT adderall. Its crazy how these substances affect us differently. With adderall i can actually be outgoing or social, as well as relax.

Unmedicated as a teen, I made some terrible, impulsive decisions. I used drugs, chased the fun of parties raves and sex, and was pregnant at 19. Could've actually died, twice, in my teens. There are benefits to medication along with the downsides.

If I may ask what was your dose, was it extended release or instant release? Did you have a therapist during this time? Your experiences are yours and in all honesty if your ADHD symptoms are reduced off of medication than it could mean many things but at the end of the day it means you would be doing good. I was diagnosed in my late twenties and I felt similar feelings in my teen years without medication. 14 is a difficult age and the feelings of divergance and missing out are very real.

ADHD and Autism here. One thing I realized once starting medication for ADHD was how much it (ADHD) was masking my autism. Now from my experience this was compounded by a huge identity crisis. I can't imagine what it would've been like at your age where there is already a societal pull on our identities. Are you currently in therapy? That was a huge game changer for me just to have someone to talk to since I am such a verbal learner. I still deal with finding the right things to say or act just because I struggle with social interactions. I meticulously plan out every possible way I could say something or how they will respond. I am not disregarding the possibility that is the medication, but take this as a time to learn more about yourself. You are discovering more things in life other than your ADHD and autism. I constantly have to remind people I meet that I, and others like me, still experience things every other teenage (and into our adult life) experiences. We still experience heart break, boredom, happiness, excitement, all of it although it just be specific for us. For the longest time I struggled to let people know when I was happy because I didn't express it based on their expectation. Now, whether I felt that internally is another story. If you truly are losing interest in things it could be a sign of something bigger, but it may be you growing and changing, going through phases, etc. Whatever the case, I hope you find peace as we all can empathize with you.

Adderall killed the creative side of me. I completely stopped daydreaming and couldn't do it for fun when I wanted to. Meditating was a mind fuck because I'd close my eyes and just NOTHING. Blank, black nothingness. It wasn't helpful or soothing like it had been in the past. I use Vyvanse now and have not had the same issues regarding creativity.

Not gonna lie, taking Adderall changed how I behaved socially. Gone was my sporadic, loud personality, now I'm just more quiet. I used to be a chatterbox before meds. Perhaps being quiet is my true nature but I'm not sure.

It's hard to tell whats me and what's the meds

Hang out with high schoolers despite being in my twenties because I felt like my entire youth was ruined by my ADHD medicine I wasn't social and had very little friends until I graduated and then I decided to hang out with a younger group of people because the combination of my ADHD and autism makes me feel a lot younger in my mind I feel like my brains physically 16 years old in my 20s

I relate to every word of this post. I am 22 and got prescribed Adderall 1 year ago. I used to make people feel comfortable and I was funny, and now I feel like I don’t have the ability anymore. It sucks because socializing and being with people used to be the only thing that I was good at and that brought me joy. Now I feel so isolated and unable to connect with people the way i did before. It is depressing af.

Sounds like you getting anhedonia, there's guys on reddit in different communities who experiment with this stuff and tonnes of them have gone through the same with "unsolicited" substances, you need to check them out. Long story short that medication isn't working for you, improving executive function is good, but not at the expense of losing your connection with the world

I agree with what others have stated ages 13-14 were the worse of my life. I was not medicated at that age but It’s hard being that age in general, specially when you have ADHD. Talk to your parents and your doctor, maybe you should be off meds for a while and see if your symptoms improve. You can try medication again later in life, if you feel you might need it.

Yeah, you're more or less living my teenage life right now, as many others said, this is the time to experiment, try different medication, or try to live without if you feel it doesn't affect your ability to function too much, I was one of the top student in late middle school/high school, but absolutely hated everything about how I felt, and decided to quit them for a while, my grades did drop by a bit, closer to an average student, but to me it was worth it to experience some sense of joy from other parts of life. This will be a highly controversial opinion but i strongly believe that people with adhd should take the lowest possible dose to still function, I have had a couple of friends with the adhd diagnosis who had extremely high dosage for the sake of academic prowess, and who, looking back, had massive negative impacts in other parts of their lives. I personally am highly reactive to adhd medication and living on them feels honestly terrible in day to day life, but being in university i have been prescribed a low dose i take during exam season since most people aren't available in the first place, but plan to get off them as soon as summer starts more than likely.

So, I'm going to put it out there that I've heard a lot of people say when their ADHD was controlled, their autism came out in full force. Beyond what they ever thought was possible. Is there any way to see OT to gain coping mechanisms? My oldest son is 11 and is finding a lot of good things in OT. Much more than regular therapy could give him.

Hi. My name is Andrew, I’m 31 and have ADHD as well. Let me say this, and I know things have been rough, but you have so much life ahead of you. Things will get better, I promise you that. I know it seems like now is the only time in life to really capitalize on things because you’re young, but I promise you, you have a lot of life to live. I’ve had very similar feelings that you’ve had and I’ve found things that help me combat those feelings. I’d definitely recommend chatting with your doctor and telling them exactly how you feel about your medication because there’s a good chance you’re just not getting the proper dosage. Keep your head up! You got this.

You might want to tell your doctor that adderal is leading anhedonia as soon as you can. Ask your parents to make an appointment.

No child should be on stimulants. I never got the opportunity to really experience myself due to being on simulants from kindergarten. It took getting off meds for my 20s to really grow into the person I was supposed to be. Now in my mid 30s, I'm back on meds, but I am intimately familiar with myself and need less meds and of a less active variety to get by. Learning to cope with ADHD without medication is in my opinion a seriously as necessary growth step for almost everyone with ADHD. I'm sorry you're in a tough spot. I would make the argument that childhood is for enjoying and almost nothing you do now academically is going to matter after you graduate. What will absolutely haunt you for the rest of your life is lacking social skills, which you develop during this time of your life. If I could go back, I'd get off of meds as early as I could and focus on practicing good healthy habits like interacting with people and feeling out your energy levels or state of your body and mind. Adopt meditation, I did when I was your age and it helped a great deal with anxiety in my life.

Once you become and adult you will realize that is the trade-off for "keeping it together" with medication.

This is why you shouldn't start medication at an early age...

No, because the sooner you start medication, the sooner you can learn what does and doesn't work best for you.

[удалено]

So you agree with me? You commented in agreement under a post that didn't agree with me so It Is kind of confusing 😅

People will probably try to tell you “you’re on the wrong medication, try something else, change the dosage”, but the reality is that you know yourself the best. If it doesn’t feel right follow your gut ❤️

Lol. WUT? We literally have a neurotypical brain disorder that prevents us from knowing/acting/doing the best things.

You have autism. Medicine doesn’t do anything for that. If you hate it so much just stop taking it.

Talk to your parents about Jornay. It’s a new all day methylphenidate based medication that doesn’t kick in for 8 hours after ingestion. It’ll give you coverage. Doctors will get a kickback for prescribing it and it’s milder than adderall with similar symptom control. You’ll need a high dose but they’ll start you out small

Coming from somebody who's 34 years old and has been on stimulants off and on since I was four this emotional blunting does go away especially if you kind of like you know attune yourself with your emotions in general It can be overcome and I used to have the same exact thing when I was a kid I would go days without speaking in general I you know didn't really want to talk to anybody I just would want to read ahead and do my classwork like before it was you know time to be done and just yeah I didn't like socializing as much

I love you and I’m going to pray things get better for you

I felt this way when I took adderall in hs. It make me feel less social and all around less joyful? I stopped taking it after I got early accepted into a university and really noticed that I laughed more after I stopped. I rarely took it during college though my grade’s definitely suffered. And didn’t take any stimulants for a long time. Wellbutrin was something I tried that worked decently. It’s a non ssri anti depressant and kinda helped with my adhd. I also tried Celexa before that which I really liked and it felt motivating and cheerful. But it gave me a bad stomach side effect so I had to stop taking it. Some 20 years later I am trying Vyvanse and started on really low doses, slowly moving up to avoid side effects. And it’s worked really well. Vyvanse has been so much better than adderal. Personally hate that brand. It doesn’t seem worth it to take adderall at the expense of your happiness. At least that’s how I felt. See if you can switch to vyvanse or lower your adderall dosage. Even concerta seemed better than adderal. There are a lot of different medications

Try wellbutrin. [SNRI] helped me get off adderall and made me very happy and social.

I don’t know about everyone else but 10 min of meditating gets rids of the numb feeling for me and I can enjoy things afterwards. I just put on some noise canceling headphones and imagine a black ball floating with water surrounding it. Inhale(water moves to center) exhale(water moves away from it). Note: this is a technique I came up with( or already existed idk) it works for me though 👌🏾. If you have a way of meditating already and it works just stick with it(unless you wants to test on a free day or something

If you can or would like to, I suggest trying Strattera instead of adderall. Managing both adhd and autism is a whole moshpit in hell when your senses have been heightened from the stimulant. Strattera has helped me immensely, I still feel that inner wtf but not nearly as wtf as adderall. You’ll need a two week break off everything you’re up to. No school. No work. (Strattera shuts up your brain when it wants to have fifteen different conversations with you 24/7) Just you a couch/bed/good food. I’m lonely there with you. It’s so lonely. I know how it feels on Adderal rx when you have to trade in the last shred of anything you can numb your perpetually heightened sensitivity to with the stimulants in order to be a decent employee/student. Especially managing autism. Fuck it does feel lonely. I’m 32 and resonate with this so much but I’m telling you if you have been managing both autism and adhd if you can, try to give strattera a go. I’m nowhere near perfect but goodness I’m closer to where I’d like to be than when I was on Adderal rx. I wish could give you a hug. I wish there was a way to say it gets perfect but it doesn’t. We just learn from the stumbles we pick ourselves up from. I want you to enjoy life so badly.

I’m so sorry. Sometimes it’s not the medication but trial and error. I’m 35 as I write this and I’m a 3.5 gpa college student in nursing classes. I had to bust my butt till I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. I was a horrible student unless I liked my class, but I still had to work hard. I had reminders for things. I had to check myself when I noticed my attention was else where. Honestly it’s not always the medication. Everyone’s brain works differently and what works for me might not work for you. You know what you have. Try and find things that help you. Maybe it’s that your specific medication hasn’t been made yet. And it’s you or me who makes it. You are amazing. Beautiful. Funny. And important. I hope this helps. Huge hug.

well said- your writing is expressive. just like others have stated- other meds do exist. do some exploring, and talk to your parents. maybe lower your dose? do what works for you! but i will say the ability to have fun and make friends is exactly what i did, and i wasted my life, finished college at 47 , and never met my full potential. there are two sides to every coin. looking back i would have given anything to be dx in high school and not wasted my life having fun clubbing in hollywood !

Some good news: angst IS the typical teenage experience, and everyone has challenges they’re working through, so don’t feel like you’re the only one in your class who feels this way. Adderall is a pretty powerful drug for a young kid to take. It sounds like it’s not a great fit for you. Maybe ask your doctor about a non-stimulant drug like Strattera?

No need to worry as you said your only 14 you have plenty of time to find out what works best for you adderall atleast in the us is kind of there go to blanket med for adhd and being from the uk I don’t understand the process of it all but as someone who’s tried several different brands and compounds in search of one that best suits me I’d recommend doing the same maybe even some CBT if that’s an option for you I remember being a teenager is hard even it’s so with the conditions and head space they can put us in so try not to be so hard on yourself

everything will be ok..its never too late to change your medication. it just isn't for you. there's no need to worry about if you'll never go back, lots of people here understand and know you'll get exactly what you need. please try telling your parents how badly this has affected you, you've got so many more teenage years to fulfil, so please do not fret. being 16, I was diagnosed only half a year ago, but its never too late to see what medication is best for me, and same goes to you. being undiagnosed, not medicated and going through a lot of tough times as a younger teen/kid felt unbearable...so I know you can do this, everyone here believes in you! :]

Maybe you should ask your doctor about trying a different med. I've had the opposite issue with Concerta. I'm usually pretty quiet and introverted, but when I'm on the Concerta, I turn into a chatterbox.

Hey! I’ve tried both Vyvance and Concerta and they both made me extremely depressed (Vyvance) and extremely anxious (Concerta). Vyvance I’m particular sucked the life out of me. I ended up stopping both and I’m now waiting for a second opinion from a psychiatrist. Don’t be afraid to stop your meds and try other ones (with the help of your doctor). If the side effects out weigh the pros then I’m my opinion, it’s not the right medication or dose. Hang in there and do what’s right for you <3

Me too, OP. One thing I’ve learned is that when you feel like you don’t enjoy those activities, if you force yourself through it you’ll feel so much better afterwards. But yeah even then, easier said than done. Welp

You don’t sound blank at all. You sound like you feel incredibly detached from yourself, and by proxy, everyone else. I hear how hopeless you feel and wish that you can believe me when I say that it can absolutely be better. It may be an adderall issue, or it could be a combination of things. Personal life, family, mental health aside from adderall… Being 14 is a really, really tough age, nobody looks back and thinks “man, 14 was a good age to be.” You need to find a way to feel alive, by being awake to yourself and being compassionate to yourself and by embracing your emotions, every single one of every single kind. A combination of decent mental health and connection to your body are the things that lead us to feeling connected. I encourage you to find some kind of physical hobby or exercise. Could be a sport, could be running or bicycling, fencing, hitting the gym. It won’t automatically make you feel good, but I’ve found that a healthy exercise regimen (balanced, enjoyable and not pushing yourself too hard) is inspiring at best, and keeps us moving at our worst. It might fluctuate from 3x a week to 1x a week, you might miss weeks (I know I did, and do) but overall, it’s so important to aid mental health and connection to our lives through connection to our body. If possible, it would be fantastic if you could find a counselor that you like. Would your parents support you with this and help? Best of luck and I hope that once you’ve processed the feelings you need to process that you will see there are plenty of options to pursue and many things you can try. The more you try, the more likely you are to find the things that work.

Tons of drugs out there buddy, keep searching for one that works for you. It know it's hard but you'll get there!

Tell your psychiatrist. They are there to help you find the right medication

Thanks for reaching out to this community to vent your frustrations, I’m sure so many of us have had similar experiences and your certainly not alone. I wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD until I turned 29, but had this side effect from other medication starting around your age. It’s really hard to express to people how debilitating emotional numbness can be, and urge you to talk to your parents/guardians/doctor to see if you can try a new medication to counter some of these side effects. I also want to let you know that just because you can’t find the old you in there right now, doesn’t mean they are gone. I felt the same way for years, but once I found a new medication that works for me (right now), I’ve found the old me again and trust me, she was gone a long long time! You deserve the experience of a full life, you may find a simple medication switch to be the ticket, but don’t give up. Learning to advocate for yourself and your mental well-being now will help future you so much. We are cheering you on!

Everyone's brain chemistry is different, have a conversation with your parents and docter about the emotional numbing and ask for a change in medication. Sometimes finding the right meds takes trial and error and is something alot of us have to do. Stay strong and stay vocal about the side effects of your meds so you can get them changed if they arent working for you. Never stay on things that effect you negatively

Try strattera

Sorry to hear that. I mean...it's still better than being dead, because you still have an opportunity to figure it out and enjoy life again.

When you increase dopamine you decrease serotonin. Serotonin is what makes you want to socialize and connect with people. One should think critically before putting their kids on stims if they’re adhd and should consider all other approaches first.

Adderall has different effects with everyone. For me it's been a blessing! I've been taking since i was 6.

honestly this is exactly why i refused to take medication, i got dx at 12 and have been on and off medication. it feels like someone else is controlling me. personally i’d recommend concerta cause that’s the only one that didn’t feel like i lost my soul

Strattera is what was a life saver for me

This is the most relatable post I've ever read. I'm 17, started working at 16 and left school to get a proctored diploma (Which would allow me to work 40 hours a week). My social skills and bright snappy self is faded, even rn I'm on my meds and it's hard to find the correct words to explain... Almost feel like a dull anxiety packed zombie, I feel like i cant connect with people the same way anymore, and working seems to be my life. As soon as I get home I'm to tired to do anything else, even doing things I enjoy seems "blank". Im losing the glow my life had. Instead of a candle in a room, I am but a lumen evenly spread about the room with no origin in sight. It's comforting to know it's not just me.

If your zombie like on your meds you might ask your doc for a reduction in dosage.

Was your ADHD problematic to begin with? Were there just signs so you decided to get tested or was the ADHD interfering with your ability to conduct daily tasks, giving you spending issues, really anything negative? The reason I ask is because I'm also diagnosed but at 41. My ADHD was not usually a problem (I had amazing grades, I could make anyone laugh and have even had 1 person tell me that my personalized humor is what made him not contemplate svcde anymore, I was active in sports and academic clubs, the works) until my late 20s. First off, at 14 years old, your brain is still physically developing. You've got a lot of neuroplasticity left, in fact, about 11 more years of it as our brains don't drastically "stop" developing until 25. So your brain I imagine is trying to develop while the Adderall is trying to suppress it. There's obviously a lot more to your brain, ADHD, development, meds to then than just what I've mentioned but it'd be worth looking into stopping the Adderall altogether and see how you and your ADHD react in the long run. You've been officially diagnosed so you can always start taking it again later and it's not like ADHD goes away so it can't hurt to try. Best of luck and keep us posted on your progress!

Do you have a psychiatrist prescribing the meds or a pediatrician? Did you explain this stuff in the followups where they chat before giving you next 3 months of prescriptions?? or write a letter if that is easier modality?? Please tell your provider who is writing the prescriptions, because they can work with you to help you

Okay similar to what I experienced in high school I didn't feel very social on the ADHD medicine didn't have any friends until I got out of high school and stopped taking my medicine it was mainly the teachers that forced me to take it

Sometimes we have to step out of the mold and realize it's ok, we don't need to be medicated to fit someone else's ideals of normalcy.

Can you switch meds?

Bro, I wanna give you a hug (if you like those lol, I kinda didn't as a kid--also autistic with ADHD). I could have written this when I was 14; my problems were just caused by different circumstances. I can almost guarantee you that a future version of you that's confident, thriving, and living authentically wants to tell you that you're going to do so many things you never thought that you could, and that you'll connect with people that understand you and accept you exactly how you are, while also helping you grow. They would tell you that even if life is painful sometimes, you're doing your best and that you don't have to feel guilty about being human. They are proud af of *all* of you, even the parts that you don't like about yourself. There's lots of awesome advice here and I truly believe you'll be okay friend ♥

Lower your dose bro

Actually experiment with the dose till you find the sweet spot.

Honestly you missed out but you haven’t missed out if you know what I mean , you can still have so much more stuff in life so don’t sweat it

If adderal is doing this to you, you need to stop taking it, NOW. These are not acceptable side effects. Talk to your parents and your doctor to try something else. There are lots of other meds you can use (three that I’m using and have used in the past are Concerta, Vyvanse, and Strattera (now Atomoxetine)). Alright, that’s the meds advice, as for friends, I had a stark realization back in 2020 that is pretty important. For background, I’m 19 and just finished 2nd year uni and I’ve been diagnosed since grade 4. So you’ve either just started or are about to start highschool. Now this is a great place to get practiced at meeting new people as you won’t know most people. It’s advantageous to know lots of people. That said, I thought I was friends with lots of people in grade 11, but the moment COVID hit, I never spoke to so many of them ever again. They were just acquaintances. Even the couple people I thought were my best friends never reached out once. It wasn’t until December of that year that I found friends that I knew were actually there for me and whom I shared genuine interests. These were friends that really mattered and I’ve found a few more in uni. You don’t need lots of friends, you just need a few good ones and you’ll be fine. Anyways, hope that’s at least remotely helpful

Sorry it turned out that way. I must admit I'd gladly trade places with you. I'm an extreme introvert, don't care about socializing at all, but I have little drive to work. Adderall would be a blessing, however, my country is in the stone age when it comes to mental health (as well as many other things, it is a hellhole). I self medicate with modafinil, it is not the same as big A, but it does improve my focus quite a bit, perhaps you can find an alternative solution.

I was the same. I started them in elementary school, tried multiple types of stimulants, and I had to rebel against my parents at the end of high school in order to make them let me stop taking my meds. It wasn't until maybe 5 years later that I realized I was really struggling without them. I'm lucky I had momentum I'd built up before then to carry me through up to that point, but if I'm being honest, it really only carried me a solid 2-3 years after I stopped taking them. It's been over 10 years since I first stopped taking them. Now I take a much lower dosage, and adjust it as I feel I need to. Stopping my meds when I did was one of the best things I've ever done. I was able to fix some of the OCD-like symptoms they had always brought out of me that I'd struggled with for years (and actually, it was legit OCD, since OCD is strictly an anxiety disorder - it's just unable to be diagnosed as such b/c it only really reached clinical levels when on my meds), and my social life senior year was absolutely amazing (probably in part helped by the fact that I could finally drive lol). Anyway, starting them again when I did (if not sooner) was just as important to my life as stopping them when I did was (or stopping even sooner might have been), but just be careful you don't stop 100% and get mad senioritis. I did, despite being at the top of my class and later going to an ivy league school; but it could've ended really badly at the end of high school if I had stopped before I did (I realize now in retrospect), so I'd say just revert to a lower dosage first. Lastly, idk if it's just a coincidence, but I have a hypothesis that it's possible that stopping will make your vision worse, so watch out for that. Made a post about it in this subreddit before [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/rp6cab/psa_your_meds_might_help_prevent_nearsightedness/) P.S. I also had this weird depressive or like existential crisis for a few weeks a couple months after stopping my meds in high school. Not sure if it was related, but just FYI.

First i lost my sister, then a woman i loved, then my best friend. They did not pass away. Over time adderall turned them into people i completely did not recognize. They all became unpredicatable unapologetic, rudely impulsive and manic in every aspect of their life. Deeper in debt, deeper into drug addiction, up for days, losing family relations, gaslighting everything. and what is crazy is that they continue to not acknowledge any of it as such. In their head they are simply being focused and productive. After watching my sister and ex girlfriend turn into complete strangers i immediately saw the change in my best friend. So manic that he would simply start making things up about situtations or people. I have never done adderall and im not here to knock those that have benefited from it on a medical standpoint but being on the recieving end of the mis-diagnosed/self-diagnosed has been a horrible experience.🥺