r/ADHD • u/Status_Win_6522 • 9h ago
Questions/Advice [ Removed by moderator ]
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u/Specialist-Law-2080 8h ago
Why do you feel like it’s important to have breaks? My doctor said “ your brain deserves support every day”
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u/ogbrien 7h ago edited 6h ago
Tolerance breaks are a meme, it's just a way for stimulant averse docs to cut your dosage (albeit likely for a well intentioned reason like cardiovascular stress).
EDIT: I want to ensure I'm not being intellectually dishonest here. I'm not a doctor, and when I say "tolerance break," I specifically mean this in the context of doctors thinking that taking two days off is a meaningful way to address tolerance.
My doc wanted me to take weekends off, and I told her the 2 days of hell isn't going to demonstrably be long enough of a break to meaningfully reduce tolerance, and many studies show that extreme shifts during these breaks can be nearly just as bad or worse than not taking meds.
Plenty of other studies showing unmedicated ADHD drivers getting into more car accidents as well
I'll be honest that you can find likely find a study that says anything you want to verify your own beliefs like I did but I truly believe after my research that tolerance breaks in general need to be more than a day or two to help regulate baseline dopaminergic levels.
Our brains are way too complex to be fooled by "lol he didn't take adderal for two days now when he takes it on Monday it's gonna be turbo mode"
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u/castrodelavaga79 6h ago
I think both can be true. For some people that break makes so much of a positive difference. I get mental fatigue if I don't take a break every 4-5 days. For others the break is so hard and doesn't provide positive benefits so they're better off staying medicated.
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u/HereIGoAgain_1x10 8h ago
There's always been conflicting approaches to this, and it comes down to what individuals can tolerate.
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u/Maleficent_Wash_934 7h ago
Not the OP but I do take breaks.
I was diagnosed in my mid 40s. I spent decades unmedicated. It wasn't fun for the most part. I'm pretty bitter. Now that I am medicated for about 5 years now. It has changed my life. In pretty much every single arena. I have savings for the first time. Bills are paid on a regular basis. (Don't ask about the parking tickets it's a work in progress) I am learning how to relax and how to handle my emotions before they handle me. It's great.
But it can be really exhausting at times and I spent decades being a potato and somedays i just want to feel my old normal. I always pick a day i don't have anything to do, no where to go. It's a day I just get to be a potato. Do what I want, if I want to. I do this about every two weeks. In particularly stressful months, I might go 2 days in a row.
This also gives me a small cushion of meds so when the pharmacy is out for a few weeks I'm not completely out. In all honesty, if it wasn't for my meds, I wouldn't be able to keep my job.
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u/nochnoydozhor 7h ago
my spouse's provider insists that he takes breaks on the weekend. so I get to spend weekends with my unmedicated spouse. and it's often bad for our relationship.
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u/Status_Win_6522 8h ago edited 8h ago
This is a good point, which I haven’t thought of yet.
But the way I see it and experience it, when I am caffeinated or on my adderall, I’m like a machine. If I set out to be productive and I’m able to get the ball rolling, you cannot pry me away from it. And if I’m not actively doing a chore or task, all I can think about is needing to find something productive to be doing, and it genuinely makes me antsy and upset if I feel like I’ve “wasted” an adderall or caffeine dose, like I’ve “wasted” my ability to function easier.
I’m aware that’s something to work on, to cut myself some slack and change my perspective on “wasting” it, but that’s the way I feel now so for the moment, I feel like breaks are important to let my brain and body rest.
EDIT: Also, when she prescribed me, my psychiatrist suggested taking breaks from Adderall for good reasons, allowing my brain and body to rest, and I trust her advice.
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u/taytay10133 8h ago
this feeling goes away over time, at least it did for me. I took breaks my first couple years on meds, but now absolutely love a day to dork off while medicated. I don't think it lasts forever for most
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u/Feeling-Potato-3292 8h ago
Mine definitely didn’t last that way forever. I can easily be chill on my medication if I want to, it’s just easier for me to do tasks
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u/DopeAsHecc 8h ago
Who cares what someone else does though? And that’s not even the question they’re asking
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u/Jakcris10 8h ago
Because it’s a weirdly definitive thing to say. Especially since much of the advice many people receive seems to be the opposite.
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u/gummymedusa 8h ago
I take my dex every day. Tried to cut coffee initially but I sleep terribly and it was ruining my days so asked my psychiatrist about it. He said coffee is absolutely fine to take alongside my ADHD medication because they do different things. He said just don’t go overboard, like only one coffee a day (which I was already doing really). The only difference is that if I’ve only just taken my pill I’ll have a weaker coffee. If it’s been an hour or so I just have my usual order. No reason other than it makes me feel better lol
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u/insertusernamehere40 9h ago
Everyone experiences caffeine differently, if you search this sub you can find many real human experiences
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u/Schweather3 8h ago
My dumb ass just drinks coffee with adderal even though it makes me feel wired for a few hours. I know I shouldn’t do this. I know it. I cannot stop.
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u/ogbrien 7h ago
Caffeine doesn't really mess with Adderall unless by caffeine you mean a highly acidic energy drink with vitamin c(nearly all of them). Both of those mess with Adderall because vitamin c basically tries it's best to dump the adderal out of your body, which is why it's a common routine to take vitamin c at night for Adderall users to fall asleep faster/sleep quality.
Depends on your caffeine tolerance though. I can drink 3 red bulls and fall asleep 20 minutes after.
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u/pr0b0ner 8h ago
When I first started Vyvanse took breaks on the weekends until my doctor told me not to. I spent 6+ months taking it every day until recently I decided I was going too deep into my head. I now take breaks on weekends again and think it's the right move.
I used to only drink caffeine on my weekend days off but have starting drinking a cup around 1pm-2pm on weekdays. The Vyvanse starts fading around that time and the caffeine picks things back up with a slightly different feel.
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u/PODmama24 7h ago
My husband is specifically on a 50 mg Monday - Friday, and 40 mg on weekends, so there isn't a break from it, there's just a lower dose on the days when it's less needed.
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u/oneITguy 8h ago
I don't take Adderall, but I take Vyvanse and I drink a cup of coffee every morning. I think the thing here is, experiment. Find what works for you and do that. I generally don't take breaks from my meds as on days i don't take my meds my brain turns into my enemy and makes it really hard for me. My coffee morning ritual is how i treat myself in the morning.
Remember be kind to yourself and when in doubt, discuss it with your doctor. Take everything here with a grain of sand as you can literally find any opinion you want on reddit.
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u/Status_Win_6522 8h ago
Ohhh yes, everything I see on Reddit I indeed take with a grain of salt. But I definitely prefer reading through real human experiences over reading nearly copied and pasted medical articles on Google based solely on the dsm-5, which rarely even answer my questions because everyone has different experiences 😂
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u/oneITguy 8h ago
Totally understand, I think it will just take time, I've been on my meds now for about 9 months and I've learned a lot about myself in that time, with a sprinkling of reddit advice here and there. Good luck, I'm sure you will figure it out.
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u/Annual_Swordfish8562 7h ago
I dont take my elvanse everyday either just when I'm in work or have something I need to do but if I'm just chilling at home I have a day off who needs to focus and be productive when I'm sat playing Xbox.
I still drink energy drinks and coffee I think it chills me out a little if anything. I haven't noticed any complications with caffeine and my medication but I'd imagine everyone is different
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u/PODmama24 7h ago
As far as I know, since I'm on Vyvanse, not Adderall, it's recommended to continuously take the medication in order to settle your body into the effects, and get the most out of it. Have you checked with your doctor about your decision to "take breaks"? I will admit, there are blue moon days that are out of routine where I forget to take my Vyvanse, and I tell you, later on on those rare days, I become so lost and overwhelmed and unproductive, my ability to listen attentively to people is affected too. I really don't think you should be taking breaks. I would talk to your doctor, if you're finding taking it everyday to be too much, maybe your dosage needs to be adjusted, or something. Again, I can't speak to the use of Adderall, but I never think it's a good idea to deviate from the doctor's instructions, without talking to them first.
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