ADHD Actually

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I started with a 2 week break from posting.

Then I realised it had been a month. Then 2 months.

On the one year anniversary, I was determined to post again. I clock watched all day but couldn’t bring myself to post.

And after a year? I waited for the perfect time, knowing deep down that it didn’t exist.

So it’s been a while! But maybe a random Monday at 5:51pm (AWST) is as good a time as any to post on here again?

Anyone else still working on being less of a perfectionist? 😅

Just a Q&A about my ADHD Body Doubling Membership based on the questions I get asked most!

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝗻?

62 scheduled sessions run each week, across all timezones. This means no matter what timezone you’re in, there will be available sessions to book. More info here https://adhdactually.com/timetables

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁?

Billing is the first of the month for $14 USD. If you join after the 1st you pay for the days remaining in the month.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘂𝗺? 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽?

The forum runs on a community platform called Circle. It’s really user friendly, and if you’ve used Facebook groups before, it’s not too hard to jump in and post, like posts, comment etc. Unlike FB, there’s no censorship over med names & there’s no risk of the group suddenly being taken down!

𝗜𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲? 𝗜𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝟭𝟴+ 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆? 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗗𝗛𝗗? 𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀?

Yes to all!

✨For more info or to give it a go - the link is here - adhdactually.com/sessions ✨

I started on 30 mg (one tablet) of Vyvanse - a slow release stimulant med shortly after getting diagnosed. It's also known as Tyvense, Elvanse or by it's full name Lisdexamfetamine.

Positive changes were instant & very noticeable for me; my anxiety went from very high & debilitating (general & social) to almost non-existent and I went from feeling restless to feeling more peaceful & focused.

However, it didn’t last "all day" as I was told it would. As I went up a dosage, the issue with it wearing off after 5(ish) hours remained. I tried taking 30mg at 6am and another 30mg at 12pm. It sorted the issue of my meds wearing off, but it messed up my sleep.

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁

I went to 45mg, then 50mg. With the slow increase of my meds, some side effects slowly increased too; no appetite & weight loss, which caused me to get sick/ run down more often. Anger & mood swings when it wore off. Insomnia.

By my next appointment, I was keen to switch meds rather than go up a dosage. Along with the side effects, I was starting to feel more slow & zombie like. Side note - I now know this is one of the ways I can tell my meds dosage is too high for me.

I didn't speak up & instead went up to 70mg of Vyvanse. I then got into 2 car accidents in the space of a few weeks. Thankfully only minor damage was caused, I was driving at a speed people could have run faster than, but I was still devastated.

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁

I finally requested a change and I was put on a short release stimulant Dexampetamine. From there it was a journey of a year or so to find my dosage. For me, that's 45mg. 3 dosages of 15mg p/day. It’s not a high or low dosage, it’s the best dosage for my body.

✨Everyone reacts differently to meds & you need to consult with your own doctor ahead of any dosage change. My experiences are not medical advice, nor are they universal experiences. Feel free to share your own experience with different ADHD meds in the comments if you'd like.✨

The hyperactivity side of my ADHD diagnosis made a lot more sense to me when I saw it as restlessness & impatience instead.

I used to think of hyperactivity as running around being loud and to be honest, I questioned my diagnosis on the day of my assessment.

My hyperactivity looks closer to my anxiety than anything else - racing thoughts especially at night, always on the go, always “busy” and very restless even when I’m relaxing.

✨If you have hyperactivity as part of your ADHD diagnosis, is it more internalised or outwardly obvious?✨

I’ve named it “Car Time”⁣ and I’ve lost so many hours to this post-drive chill out time… 😅⁣
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⁣⁣Is this an ADHD diagnostic trait? No!
Does everyone with ADHD experience this? No!
This is just an experience that I’ve connected to my ADHD due to my occasional struggle with transitioning between tasks!⁣⁣⁣

You may also find that the concentration required for driving and the energy that goes into fighting all impulsive urges, (speeding, checking phone etc) makes it a tiring activity! Car Time is a moment to regenerate some energy 😅
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⁣✨ If you do relate, I’d love to hear your car time stories!

My anxiety, especially my social anxiety, did a good job of hiding most of my ADHD traits until my diagnosis at 31.⁣
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Things I thought were only anxiety, turned out to be a mix of my ADHD and anxiety. Sometimes it was just hyperactivity & restlessness, for example;⁣
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⚡️racing thoughts⁣ ⁣
⚡️talking fast⁣
⚡️being super early for things - never late!⁣
⚡️finding it hard to sleep at night
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The difference for me, was recognising that if there was an underlying feeling of fear - it was often anxiety. If there wasn’t fear? Often ADHD. Sometimes it could be a mix of both.

This is just how I see my ADHD & anxiety - it may look different for you! You’re welcome to share your experiences with both ADHD and anxiety 😌💛
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Holding ‘The Thought’ in your mind, trying not to interrupt the conversation and hoping that the subject doesn’t change …🐸⁣
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I used to be scared I’d lose my thought when it was finally “my turn” to speak, so I’d play the thought over and over in my mind. The only trouble with that was I wasn’t listening to the other person! ⁣
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Active listening doesn’t come naturally to me, and it’s definitely a work in progress! Is this meme accurate for you? How do you find your ADHD affects your conversations with others?