After stopping meds are you better or worse?

Answer 1

At first he might be worse, but he'll be better off in the long run. ADD pills can cause heart problems, growth problems, psychosis, even hyperactivity, and your child's very life could be in danger. Tourette's and ocd have also been known to develop. However, it is dangerous to take him off all at once. Give him less and less, and let him quit when he's on a pretty small amount.

I went off meds for about a year due to insurance problems, and I'm definitely worse. I am 25 years old, a college graduate, and have not been able to hold down a job because all my ADD symptoms came flooding back. I was impatient, had little impulse control, no organization, and no concentration and was fired from two jobs because of those problems. That contributed to a lot of the depression I feel. Now that I am still out of work, I can't go back on the meds, but I really wish I had never gotten off them. I graduated from an extremely selective college and have an IQ over 160 but no ability to concentrate and no impulse control, and that's screwed me over because doing a good job at anything requires concentration and impulse control.

The long term side effects, if there are any, are COMPLETELY worth it, for your quality of life and self-esteem will be so much higher when you are treated.

Hey there,

Sorry to be answering this question twice, but I just wanted to let you know that I know how it is to have trouble concentrating, and not having any medications work. In my case, at least, absolutely none of my medications worked, and they gave me panic attacks to the point where I had to stop taking them. I also know what it's like to be highly intelligent and not be able to focus or concentrate for a longevital duration. I was tested at age 15 with a verbal IQ of 146 and a mathematical IQ of 137 (substantially lower, as I really don't do well on standardized math tests. The odd thing is that I have trouble with geometric formulae and advanced algebra, but yet I understand calculus simply by looking at it - I recognise patterns in calculus such that I can inductively extrapolate the answer without even having to work the problem. I just do it through visualization -- it's almost a savant skill (although I'm not autistic, I just think I'm a really good pattern-recognizer, and I have excellent logical and inductive reasoning skills. Which is weird.

I really don't have any problems concentrating in general off of my medications, but I just cannot sustain my concentration for a duration of more than about 30 minutes. I was just wondering if there are any meds out there that don't exacerbate one's anxiety levels and still work efficaciously to help one concentrate. Any insights from anyone would be appreciated.

But just know that you are not alone in this - and that you can always employ techniques such as elaborative rehearsal, mindfulness strategies, and certain grouping techniques in order to concentrate. For example, I colour-code everything. Also, I find that active visualization of what I am studying really helps input it into my long-term memory. I also use pneumonic devices a lot, especially with acronymic word association. And mental and physical exercise helps wonders on the brain...So don't give up...there are always strategies you can implement to get your attention going. Good luck, and let me know if you need anything. I'm here for ya ~ Lauren

If the medication is helping your child in school or with his/her hyperactivity then i suggest you do not stop the medication, your child will be worse because all of his/her hyperactivity will come back along with his/her problems in school.

I am 25 and have been diagnosed with ADHD, Bipolar disorder, and was misdiagnosed with high-functioning autism when I was 17 (I had just been going through a rough time). My diagnosis of bipolar is also highly in question, as I tend to have more of a unipolar mania than depression. However, a lot of my symptoms of compulsive spending and drinking have diminished considerably since adolescence. I literally have none of the symptoms of compulsive behaviour now, but I still have manic periods where I cannot sleep and I have creative outbursts of energy where I write and compose music endlessly, almost non-stop. The ideas come into my mind, and I'm going full-throttle. I move at a kind of 'artificial pace', and my mind is way too fast for most people, including myself, to keep up with. The ADD stimulants I was taking, including Focalin and Vyvanse slowed me down considerably, but they made me feel really out of it. I actually thought I was having a nervous breakdown on one of them. I was put on Vyvanse, and that stuff literally 'froze' my nervous system up, to the point where it literally took me three hours to get out of bed. I just walked around like a zombie on those things...plus they gave me horrible anxiety. I realised that my sensitivity to stimulants made it almost impossible to tolerate them, and getting off of these meds has diminished my anxiety considerably. But I still get drifty from time to time....I was wondering if there are any ADD medications out there for people with anxiety, and who are also sensitive to stimulants, other than adderal, vyvanse, and focalin (i hear those all increase people's anxiety levels). I've also tried Strattera, and that did nothing for me. It just made me really sleepy....

I was wondering if Wellbutrin increases one's focus while not producing any anxiety. Please feel free to let me know. Thank you so much for your time and consideration to this matter. Your imput is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Lauren