Titration and ADHD medication
On the 21st of December, I started taking ADHD medication, over 2 years after I last took medication. The last time, I was only on Elvanse (lisdexamfetamine) for 11 days, but the side effects were pretty extreme, and whilst they were slowly improving, I was still having a variety of issues before I was taken off.
This time, it was agreed that I would start on a minimum dose of Xaggitin XL (methylphenidate XL), which is a different form of stimulant medication which can work similarly to lisdexamfetamine, but research indicates that lisdexamfetamine works with a higher proportion of people.
Titration is the time that it takes to introduce a drug safely and successfully to the body, and it is different for each individual. I have known people with ADHD taking medication, and it has worked immediately, almost as if it were lifting the veil of ADHD off of them. I also know several who have taken a variety of different medications, some of which have not worked, or if they have, also come with dangerous side effects that force the person to come off of the medication. So finding medication can take time.
I am writing this blog post 16 days after I first took methylphenidate XL, and so far, there has been no noticeable success with the medication. Throughout the first 10 days, there were noticeable side effects. At first, the side effects were minor, but over the next 4 days, slowly built up. Very similar to the lisdexamfetamine, I felt very antsy, but I didn’t have palpitations, and for the most part, I was able to sleep normally. In fact, for the first couple of hours after taking the medication, I felt rather tired and had a doze, and slowly, the antsiness would come into my body, affecting my legs, then my stomach and finally my arms. I also found that I had a slight headache, involuntary movement of my arms and slight gurning, as the medication affected me.
To combat this, I decided to do what I did with the last medication I was on and go for a long walk, similar to the last time I was on medication. I soon noticed a big difference. Lisdexamfetamine works differently from methylphenidate XL due to the way that the medications are introduced. With the Lisdexamfetamine, I found that if I went for one long walk first thing in the morning, I would be much better during the day, but because methylphenidate XL is slowly introduced during the days as the tablet dissolves. Whilst, the side effects would go during the walk and for a period of time, I would find that they came back a few hours later.
The worst night was Christmas Eve. I made the mistake of not eating properly in the evening and spent the night feeling antsy and unable to sleep. So, on Christmas day, I ended up taking a 6.5-mile walk first thing in the morning and again in the afternoon, a 5-mile walk after Christmas dinner, just to make sure the side effects didn’t hit me too hard in the evening.
During the first week, I found it very hard to concentrate on anything and doing my maths and English GCSE work became impossible as I couldn’t concentrate, but I hoped things would improve as the side effects wore off, which started happening after Christmas, and by 10th day, the side effects had completely cleared.
Whilst, I am happy the side effects have cleared. Sadly, the methylphenidate XL so far has not had any noticeable effect on me, which whilst frustrating, was something I knew could happen, particularly due to the low dose of medication.
Last Friday, I had my consultation with the doctor, and I will be starting a higher dose of medication, moving up to 27mg, with the aim of going up to 36mg in March. Whether this works, I have no clue, but I am keeping my fingers crossed.