TLDR: I don't wanna scare-monger about meds, just want to make sure people are well-informed about the downsides and that there are other non-pharmaceutical alternatives.

I was on medication for years and stimulants do help, they're really quite incredible... BUT (and this is a big one), once your body can get used to it (over a long period of time), and it stops working as effectively. It's slow at first, but eventually you may need to try other forms of stimulation.

I went through two stimulants over the course of like 14 years, the first one stopped working long before I stopped taking it because the placebo effect is strong (and I'm sure it did something, just not enough anymore).

The other thing is the side effects, don't underestimate them, read the label! I dealt with a lot of them without realizing it and they're often quite common across stimulants. My least favorite side effect was based on the delivery method: I had to remember to take my meds daily, which I often forgot when I was rushed or just didn't remember, a very common occurrence. And taking them late in the day punished my sleep because I was too stimulated to sleep.

Ultimately I settled on being "unmedicated" by the pharmacy and using other stimulants like sativa and caffeine to manage. It can be a lot cheaper if you are without insurance or can't afford copays.

I also manage my ADHD through music, sex, really any stimulation that I have reasonable access to because there's not really a one-size-fits-all solution.

Edit: added/edited context

[–] webghost0101@lemmy.fmhy.ml 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I relate to this so much.

I had a similar experience with stimulates, first they worked really well (to get my grades up) but then they started to work less and less. They gladfully never upped the dose but the reason for this was that a low dose gave me to much side effects already. Complete loss of appetite, even less interests in socializing and eventually suicidal thoughts (yes thats a real side effect of some). Eventually i completely disconnected with who i really was a person and became completely apathetic to life itself. It fucked me up so bad it still effected me years after.

But the comic still massively connects to me. Just not about stimulants (which was more like ride on the dogs back and do nothing while we are training it to fit in) no, this comic absolute represents cannabinoids to me. This is the feeling the right high cbd blend can give me. Aside a reconnection to myself, increased empathy, to find joy in the things. To have a will to live.

We are all different people with different brains and needs. Drugs are relative. Some people truly are helped with stimulants other dont. If only medical science was more focused on what improves peoples lives rather then just trying to removing a disease or symptoms.

[–] I_like_cats@lemmy.one 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I'll give my story here too. Here in Germany we have a ADHD medication called Ritalin. I took until 2 Months ago without any long pauses. When I was on medication I was stressed all the time, felt like I wasn't my real self and had really bad social anxiety.

I took these pills since I was 6 so I believed that that was just normal. That this is just the way I feel. Now I haven't taken them for 2 Months and honestly, I feel a lot better, it's a bit harder to get stuff done but I feel way more relaxed and happy