My blood pressure has finally settled and stayed at a stable level, which is a huge relief. The doctor’s happy with the average readings I’ve been submitting over time, so today I contacted Care ADHD team. I sent them a copy of my doctor’s message and included my most up-to-date blood pressure reading.
I’m really pleased to say they got back to me pretty quickly and confirmed they’re happy with my results. They’ve now passed all my details on to the pharmacist at Medicate. I was properly chuffed with that response! In fact, it was all so quick — just a few hours later I got a call asking when I’d be free for an appointment. That meeting was arranged for Wednesday 11th December.
The titration appointment itself was pretty straightforward. They asked a few questions about what I hoped to gain from taking the medication and what I could realistically expect from it. For me, the main goals were to help quiet my mind a bit so I could sleep better, and to get more of a grip on some of my impulsive behaviours — probably two of the biggest challenges I face day to day.
We also went through the possible side effects of the medication, including the importance of taking it early in the day so it doesn't interfere with sleep later on. Some of the potential side effects mentioned were an upset stomach and a loss of appetite, which we’ll keep an eye on as the weeks go by.
Now all that’s left is for the pharmacy to send me an email asking for payment, and then they’ll post the meds out to me. I’ve been feeling a bit anxious about starting them, but I’m also really keen to see what kind of impact they might have — it feels like a big step forward. I’m not exactly the most patient person in the world, but to be honest, this whole process has moved along much quicker than I expected, even with the hiccup around my blood pressure.
So, I finally received the medication! I felt a mix of excitement and nervous anticipation about what the coming days would bring. I’ve started off on 30mg of lisdexamfetamine to see how I get on, and whether any side effects pop up — and if they do, whether they’re worth the benefits.
I kept a diary of those first few days. On day one, I felt a bit spaced out or wired a couple of hours after taking it — that feeling lasted for about three or four hours before it started to ease off. The first two nights were a bit restless too. It was a bit like trying to nap during the day when you’re not actually tired — that sort of strange, unsettled feeling. But honestly, it wasn’t a million miles away from my usual sleep struggles.
I’ve now been taking Elvanse for three weeks and have one more week until the my follow-up appointment with the prescriber. I’ve continued to monitor my blood pressure throughout, and it’s stayed at a steady level, which I’m really pleased about. I’d expected it might go up a bit due to the medication, so that’s been a nice surprise.
To be completely honest, I can't say I’ve noticed a huge difference since starting the medication. My loss of appetite hasn’t been significant, though it’s been tricky to really judge that — it’s been the Christmas period, so we’ve been surrounded by family and friends, and meals have been more structured just because of the company. There were moments when I didn’t feel particularly hungry, but still ate because everyone else was eating — you know how it is !
I’ve now had my follow-up appointment with the prescriber. Since I haven’t experienced any significant side effects but also haven’t seen a major change in the challenges I was hoping the meds might help with, we agreed to increase the dose to 50mg once a day.
I’m feeling a mix of anticipation and a bit of apprehension about upping the dose. My main worry is sleep — I don’t want to swap better focus or fewer impulsive behaviours for worse sleep. That said, after taking the 50mg dose for the first time, it felt very similar to when I started on 30mg. I had that wired, slightly over-alert feeling for a few hours on the first day, but it passed fairly quickly and, thankfully, it didn’t seem to mess with my sleep.
One thing I do think it’s helped with — even if only a bit — is the late-night overthinking. I’ve noticed I’m not lying awake quite as much, going over the day or replaying conversations or stressful stuff that’s going on. It’s subtle, but I think it’s there.
I’m starting to realise that any changes might come in small, gradual steps rather than any big dramatic shift. I think I was half-expecting to feel completely different straight away, but maybe this will be more of a slow build over the next few weeks before my next appointment.