Hey /sci/, I need some advice. Serious advice. Maybe a few of you can lend your stories.
I am 23 years old and take Concerta for ADD (methylphenidate), 18mg of it per day. I've taken it since I was 5 years old. It started out as 36mg daily, then my mom bumped me up to 54mg when I was 12 because "I was a teenager and it was losing its effect on me". Only 2 years ago did I really start to question whether or not I really needed 54mg.
I talked to my doctor and she said the smallest amount I could get was 18mg, so I said do that and we'll see what happens. Turns out 18mg is just fine, and I've been doing that for 2 years now.
However, I don't think I ever HAD ADD. Ever.
Over the years, I've done experiments on myself to see what effect the medicine does. Here's what I found:
>1. If I take my normal amount of medication for any period of time, I feel "fine".
I act normal, I think normally, I behave normally.
>2. If I miss 1 day of the medication, I can tell.
I can tell within a few hours of the morning. I feel...heady. Like my head has cotton in it and pulls upward a bit. This feeling distracts me. Then after that comes the hunger. I will eat myself sick but never be satiated. In the evening I will be nauseous, whether or not I indulged in eating that day.
>3. If I resume taking my medicine, I will immediately feel better.
If I skip a day or more, but then continue on my medication, all withdraw symptoms go away. That day.
>4. If I skip multiple days, the effects become strange.
If I miss 3 days, the hunger pangs subside. But I don't become hyperactive or anxious or jumpy. I become lethargic. I have no drive to do anything. I don't want to get out of bed.
Now, this isn't depression. I know what depression looks like and I can tell you this isn't it. I can't focus on anything, but because I'm way too tired to focus. Not because I'm too hyperactive.
I am 23 years old and take Concerta for ADD (methylphenidate), 18mg of it per day. I've taken it since I was 5 years old. It started out as 36mg daily, then my mom bumped me up to 54mg when I was 12 because "I was a teenager and it was losing its effect on me". Only 2 years ago did I really start to question whether or not I really needed 54mg.
I talked to my doctor and she said the smallest amount I could get was 18mg, so I said do that and we'll see what happens. Turns out 18mg is just fine, and I've been doing that for 2 years now.
However, I don't think I ever HAD ADD. Ever.
Over the years, I've done experiments on myself to see what effect the medicine does. Here's what I found:
>1. If I take my normal amount of medication for any period of time, I feel "fine".
I act normal, I think normally, I behave normally.
>2. If I miss 1 day of the medication, I can tell.
I can tell within a few hours of the morning. I feel...heady. Like my head has cotton in it and pulls upward a bit. This feeling distracts me. Then after that comes the hunger. I will eat myself sick but never be satiated. In the evening I will be nauseous, whether or not I indulged in eating that day.
>3. If I resume taking my medicine, I will immediately feel better.
If I skip a day or more, but then continue on my medication, all withdraw symptoms go away. That day.
>4. If I skip multiple days, the effects become strange.
If I miss 3 days, the hunger pangs subside. But I don't become hyperactive or anxious or jumpy. I become lethargic. I have no drive to do anything. I don't want to get out of bed.
Now, this isn't depression. I know what depression looks like and I can tell you this isn't it. I can't focus on anything, but because I'm way too tired to focus. Not because I'm too hyperactive.
