Elvanse : getting the right dosage

Support
, , , ,
#1

Hello Fellow Brains!

I’ve been following how to adhd since the beginning of this year as my partner suspected I had it as his siblings have it and he can recognise it.

Been officially diagnosed with ADHD and a touch of autism as of the 21st September. Yay official brain!!

I’m so glad I got an official diagnosis. Adhd impacts my life, work, relationships, emotions to the point I feel I can’t function as a human at all a lot of the time.

In terms of medication I’ve started off on Elvanse 20mg which for the first week has been honestly life changing!! Felt like I could actually look after my partner on an equal footing, got sooo much house stuff done like superwoman (probably a little help from hyper focus but meds super helped get over the wall of awful) and my anxiety over my work day and depressive/disproportionate emotions in general were much more manageable!

Having said all of this I have found that now my body has gotten ‘used to’ this dose and I find that it’s not half as effective for emotional regulation and my depression and anxiety seem to be creaping in again nearly full force as if I’m not on meds at all. Productivity is still good but it’s certainly harder like before.

I’d taken my first 20mg dose for 4 days in a row, then had 2 days off and have started it again over the last 3 days.

I’m going up to 30mg elvanse as of tomorrow as I was advised to work my way up from 20mg by my doctor who diagnosed me.

My main question is this:

Despite a certain dose working for you to start with, does your body eventually stop getting affected by it as well as it seems to in the beginning?

I’ve had an emotional ride of the absolute highs of happiness with feeling more like myself and clear headed than I have for years, to “damn, I don’t think this is working anymore and that first positive burst might have been it”

Will I get a consistent feeling of being able to cope in life on the right dose or is just that initial week of getting used to the dose I’m on all I’m gonna get?

I’m worried and pretty scared it’s not gonna work longterm, I know it’ll help and I know I’ll need to keep my mental health care/therapy up as well, but I can’t have this be all it is for the rest of my life and my partners life.

Thanks to anyone for their help/guidance on this, I’d appreciate it so much xx

1 Like
#2

Welcome to the HowToADHD forums @Nulara !

Stepping up medication dosage like this is known as titration. It’s considered safer that starting at the target dose.

For some medications (and other substances), it’s possible for the body to develop a tolerance. Yes, I’ve read about how people can develop a tolerance for stimulants, such as medications used to treat ADHD. I don’t think that everyone will necessarily develop tolerance to the same type of medication.

My understanding is that it usually takes several months, on up to several years, for a person taking medication as prescribed to develop a tolerance. There is no test that I know of for a doctor to be able to tell if a patient is likely to develop a tolerance, or not.

Only time will tell.

I recommend writing down in a notebook any noticeable effects you experience with the medication, and the dosage adjustment. Note the positives, absolutely take note of any negative side effects, and also take note of anything weird you experience.

#3

Congrats on the diagnosis @Nulara!!! Soooo, unto the question:

Well in my opinion, there is no certain differences of behavior and attitude for the first few weeks. But after, you could see a bit of the difference.

I have been taking my dosage for about 2 years already but I can’t be really sure if I am immune to it already. I take mine once everyday after eating breakfast and it works for 8 hours in a day. After those 8 hours though, all the suppressed energy gets out and makes me very hyperactive. On the bright side, I get to focus to the things I need to do within the day in those 8 hours. If I still can’t focus within those 8 hours, I listen to music to motivate myself to work and study. I am also attending a social group for my behavior and attitude.

I think it is better to consult with the specialist who gave you the prescription. They are better in identifying the differences of your attitude with each different dose. I consult mine every 6 months to see if there is anything different.

I hope that this was a helpful insight and have a nice day!!!

1 Like