If I don’t take meds I feel I should be doing things and then feel bad when I don’t.
Or if I do take meds I get a lot of things done and feel productive but zaped of energy.
Hobbies are either invested in and dropped or I just feel ‘bored’ and don’t want to get any of the stuff out to do them. If they stick around a bit longer they then feel like a chore or become a larger project and just another thing in the to-do pile and not relaxing.
Where is the off button and how do I relax?
You could try a different dose, or a different type of medication.
I found Vyvanse only minimally helpful, while Ritalin (long acting) was much better. Other people have reported the opposite.
I’ve also found that the minimum dose is enough to help, and going higher negatively affects my sleep more than the higher dose helps.
Unfortunately I don’t have a solution to the hobbies. I’m still cycling through them, on or off meds.
Ritalin short acting made me not eat at all, and even when I did I’d be quite emotional when it wore down.
I’m on the lowest Vyvanse and I atleast get hungry and eat and not emotional. Might try Ritalin again I guess.
Always stay pretty hydrated with 2x laege bottles of water a day.
Have also tried SRIs for general anxiety but I’m not sure they really work and just have rubbish side effects.
Many people I know with ADHD/Autism were incorrectly diagnosed with anxiety and depression.
Autistic burnout is still fairly unknown by medical professionals. It has the same symptoms as anxiety and depression, but a completely different treatment/management.
I also found Ritalin to be too much of a rollercoaster. It worked perfectly for a few hours, then left me worse than useless for the next few hours.
The long acting is the same, just slower and less extreme. I still get the near-usless few hours in the evening, but I can plan ahead for them.