I have used Modafinil before occasionally, and it helped quite a bit, but the strong side effects forced me to save it for emergencies.
6 days ago first Elvanse. Within about 30 minutes of the first dose, many problems were gone completely! No mental effort to do what’s needed, be it laundry or a subtask at work. It feels like my brain is a little butler whom I can just order around without doing it myself. Many things just happen, e. g. I put garbage in the bin, carry dishes back to the kitchen as I go anyway, without thinking about it. Complete instant fix. Also a constant feeling like a hundred bucks, better than many recreational drugs.
Almost feeling bad when gaming at the end of the day, keeping it brief, doing extra work hours right before bed. The effect has somewhat worn off by then, but the no-effort-to-do-things is still there.
I always did feel better when checking things off my todo-list, even untreated, but now I get a lot more done, since there is no pain to just do it.
I can also work out until the body just physically gives in; there is no mental barrier to fight like “ONE MORE REP!!!”. It might have been a mistake to exploit that in the first few days, leading to exhaustion and more difficulty to judge the right dose / side effects. When I saw someone who was very buff, I used to think: He may not look like it, but he has fantastic discipline, focus and willpower. Now I wonder if some of these people are just normal, lol
This is a completely different life, and slightly better than Modafinil! I am a little worried about when the effect wears off and I need a break, but I’ve been there before: A lot can get done with just about 50 “super-days” per year.
What did not improve one bit is my forgetfulness and other cognitive problems. Just as stupid as before, e. g. packing a suitcase, putting things next to it to stash something else and then forgetting them. Leaving my phone in insane places. Barely able to use the self-checkout at a supermarket. It’s always an adventure, looking confused between the card screen and the items screen, often needing an employee, forgetting my card there and not realising before the next day etc. Problems with web UIs & pop-ups. That’s what my GP wanted checked out 1 1/2 years ago, but no appointments.
What is your dose?
I started with 5 mg, which had a significant, great effect for 4 hours, then crash. I worked up from there and think that 12 mg is the right one for now.
I followed this guide in German, and agree from experience that starting with 30 mg or even 20 mg is not a good idea: https://www.adxs.org/de/page/232/eindosierung-von-medikamenten-bei-adhs#content-241-elvanse-lisdexamfetamin
Interesting is their take that the right window +/- 5 mg must be hit, otherwise too low of an effect or very unpleasant side effects.
For Modafinil, I also went with 1/8th of a normal dose for a while, working up over months to 1/2.
I’m glad it’s working for you. I had a similar experience. It’s called Vyvanse in the States. Your post caught my eye as I thought maybe there was a different drug for me to look into.
I started on 10mg for a month and worked up to 40 for work days and 30 for non-work days. I took concerta (Ritalin) for a period about 10 years ago. I get some mood swings and headaches when stimulant meds wear off. I don’t like taking the meds on weekends so I was stuck in a cycle where Monday evening I would be extra grumpy and have headaches for about 2 hours and then it would disappear. I figured that it was due to the med wearing off. After starting Vyanse I was fine for a couple weeks but then started noticing the same pattern. Headaches and a hatefull mood on Monday evening. My Dr and I came up with a plan to not stop the med on the weekend, instead take a smaller dose. This really works well for me. I’m able to get stuff done on weekends too and it solves my headache and mood issues by getting a bit of a break but maintaining a certain level over the weekend.
My complaints are feeling like it mutes some positive personality traits, weight, and sleep. My wife has more difficulty reading my facial expressions sometimes, which leads to some assumptions that may not be correct. She’ll think that I don’t care about something we’re discussing because I don’t appear to react.
I’ve lost about 30 lbs or 15kg. I really noticed the appetite suppression when I started taking Vyvanse but I think that’s leveled off. I really think I eat like normal but my wife tells me that’s not true. Truthfully I’m happy about the weight loss but I need to make sure not to let it get out of control.
I’ve been a night person my entire adult life. It’s led to only getting 5 hours a night even when I’m off meds. Now sleep is even harder. It’s not so much falling asleep that’s the problem, it’s that I’ll wake up after 5 hours (even if my alarm is off) and not be able to go back to sleep. I’ve tried melatonin and it seems to help but I have to get the timing and dose right. If my alarm goes off before the melatonin wears off I’ll be very foggy for 20 min or so in the morning.