The first psychiatrist gave me Adderall IR 20 mg. But she didn’t see “high functioning ADHD” cases before - she never even saw any adult ADHD (by that I mean finding out you have it during adulthood) cases, just children. I learned my lesson. It was embarrassing - I was super anxious and my personality changed - my heart beat much crazier than my previous self-medication of ephedrine and caffeine, and I skipped important meetings for a week. I had to basically fight for my grade to get changed by explaining the issue. They didn’t believe me and thought I was lying to get my grade up until I got my neuropsych eval, doctor’s letter and ADA documentation.
I get psilocybin (I take 25 mg equivalent every 2 months) at a Canadian trusted brick and mortar for GAD. It’s still illegal but it’s not prosecuted there and it’s literally sold in the open with advertising. The reason I do this is I do not want to risk any tiny tiny chance of a felony. In addition, it’s hard to fake cap and stem if one knows how to identify fungi species with a microscope and assuming one is buying from the darknet and a heavily vouched seller. It’s unlikely the DEA or local police will camp out of my mailbox for 5g of shrooms but I just don’t want to even risk a tiny chance. This is not medical advice or any sort of recommendation or guide to do illicit activities. Just for informational purposes on my thought process and describing my personal experience.
Shrooms doesn’t do directly anything for my ADHD - it just helps indirectly, because it helps my GAD which affects my ADHD. I don’t touch LSD because of NBOMes. There is no solid evidence for microdosing.
For ADHD, Focalin XR (branded) 20 mg but slow titration up from 5 mg. One of the best psychiatrists in the world that money can buy and actually saw a lot of adult ADHD and “high functioning ADHD”. He would have added Guanfacine and atomoxetine if Focalin XR didn’t do the trick enough - it’s commonly used by him specifically in an off-label amount. EPA/DHA is clinically significant (and so are lifestyle modifications).
The rest of the supplement-based adjuvants including most nootropics are mostly BS or lack evidence or clinical significance for ADHD specifically. And I can tell you I’ve tried most of them anecdotally recommended for ADHD before I met him while using a crossover trial of 1, but if it works for you - that’s great just keep at what works. The only supplements I didn’t try is if there was a significant safety or drug-drug interaction.
Every “high-functioning ADHD” folk in my support group that I know who took Adderall then Focalin XR felt it was much calmer, but as you may know, it can be highly variable.
Talk to your psychiatrist and ask about it - this is not medical advice - just my own experience in my individual situation.
A lot of people here keep assuming generic is equivalent to branded or Indian is equivalent to US generic. It’s not. I’ve seen it way too many times. I understand it sucks to spend money and if you are financially challenged to an extent, it may make sense to go generic when there’s no better option like a manufacturer’s rebate or patient assistance program. And even then stick to the US-made generics. But especially in psychiatry - about 10%-20% of patients literally do much better when switching to branded from generic. Same dose, same supposed “80% bioequivalence” that “doesn’t matter”.
And I’m not just talking about the effects. There are other problems. There is an unpredictable amount of active ingredients. Potentially different “inactive ingredients” (i.e. different dyes could cause sensitivity/allergy). Pharmacies tend to purchase from a wide variety of generic manufacturers - whoever is the cheapest usually is Indian which can be rampant with fraud (especially the smaller generic manufacturers) or carcinogenic compounds. FDA can’t cross jurisdictions easily and they always announce inspections well before they come to inspect. That’s complete BS.
This can change month to month. They won’t notify you. You can get screwed over. Insurance companies don’t care. Here’s a prime example so you can see for yourself:
https://www.goodrx.com/concerta/certain-generics-are-no-longer-equivalent-to-brand-name-concerta
