#actually parasomnic

[alighted-willow]

Hi, hi, hi, pause for a moment.

If you take Adderall and its effects are completely undependable, try taking it on an empty stomach. Don’t eat for the two hours before nor the hour after; empty stomach.

I take extended release Adderall for parasomnias caused by Long-Covid (which basically translates to “My brain doesn’t sleep when I do, I'm exhausted during the day, and I feel physical pain in my dreams). I'm also an ADHDer and autistic, so when the Long-Covid acts up everything else does too.

I kept asking professionals about how to get my meds to work regularly and with some degree of dependability. None of the people I asked really knew, which meant I had to figure it out via trial and error and my own research. To save any others the hassle, we're running through the list of highlights:

If you have digestive problems, your gut's probably pretty acidic; Adderall cannot absorb in an acidic system so drink a ton of water, don't eat anything processed (breads, cheeses, etcetera), and preferably take the meds on an empty stomach.

Don't eat fruit nor vegetables around when you take your meds. Nearly everything has vitamin C (citric acid) in it.

Don't eat dairy products other than milk around when you take your meds; a kind of acid (normally from the stomach) is added to culture the milk into butter, cheese, and all else.

If you have a menstrual cycle, your hormones will effect absorption. Not much you can do there. It might not adsorb at all during blood week, it absorb ten times more strongly during ovulation, you might want to keep track of that sort of thing.

Caffeine can exacerbate the effects of Adderall, meaning that if it doesn’t absorb on a day when you really meed it to… you can consume something caffeinated to try and bring it up as needed. Not suggested but sometimes helpful.

Others please add on.

[alighted-willow]

I spoke to my moms about this after picking up my medicine and noticing it was twice the amount (never a fun surprise). Both of my moms are nurse practitioners and one of them is on a different kind of Adderall than myself (she has it for ADD, I have it for a not-yet diagnosed parasomnia that we think is type two narcolepsy that had been caused by my Long-Covid).

They both said the same thing so I'm putting it here in case anyone else wants to hear it; they attributed the shortage to be from the influx of people who need Adderall (and other stimulants) per issues from Long-Covid (hiiiiiiii). These issues are namely daytime fatigue and brain fog, but it's good for other things.

An issue I see with this explanation is that the pandemic's been going on for three years now… I don’t know much about the pharmaceutical industry, but they should have adjusted by now.

Edit: I forgot to mention something important. My step-mom said that the shortage is expected to end in May of 2023 (this year). I'm tentative to report something she says because she's a compulsive lier (I'm not trying to denigrate her, it's just something you have to know when getting information from her and I've learned this the really hard way), but my bio Mom didn’t say anything to counter the comment so I'm just going to add it in. She says that a work buddy or… someone in the pharmaceutical field gave her a heads up to the shortage and an expected time frame that is to end this May.

For those who are unaware, there is a national shortage of Adderall in the United States as of currently. The medication is used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy. Many people have been telling stories about how their lives have been fucked over by it, especially since it's starting to impact all ADHD medications.

What caused this shortage was theorized to be a labor shortage (Adderall costs about $175 out of pocket; they can afford to pay their workers a good wage) and the annual quotas set for drug production. In fact, in the face of the FDA-announced shortage starting in October of 2022, and to the concern of many doctors and people taking the drug, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) did not raise the amount of the drug that can be produced in 2023. They even reduced the number of raw materials created for the drug in 2022.

With "DEA determined that the proposed APQs for amphetamine, dexmethylphenidate, methylphenidate, and lisdexamfetamine are sufficient to supply legitimate medical needs, reserve stocks, and export requirements for 2023" being their statement. The administration insisted that it'll make sure shortages don't occur, yet doesn't seem to have made any comment or announcement as of currently (1/30/2023). After the shortage has been getting worse and worse over the months.

So if you cannot get your ADHD medication, it's because of government negligence.

(For those who do not have to deal with this, because the med is a controlled substance, we cannot even ask to refill it until we have two days before we're out. So if in those two days, your pharmacy doesn't have it, you need to contact your doctor's office to transfer because, again, a controlled substance. Pharmacies can and will lie to you if they have it. It's hell. I've gone through withdrawals because my pharmacy was out on the weekend, and there was no way to prevent it.)

[monstermonstre]

i feel like i haven’t had a proper night’s sleep in months and it’s only getting worse

i’ve always had sleep problems but it’s usually leaning more towards sleeping way too much and parasomnic disorders

but now it’s not being able to sleep the night all in one go, waking up too many times and for extended periods, taking hours to fall asleep even when i’m exhausted (and not just mentally exhausted, i do quite a bit of physical activity, more than i’ve ever done in my life actually)

i don’t know, i felt like sharing, getting it out there, it’s probably the exhaustion don’t mind me

[alighted-willow]

Replying to that last bit, my moms are in the medical field with associates in the pharmaceutical area and, allegedly, they've said that the shortages are expected to end around…. I forget what month they said but I think it was in the Summer or early Fall?

And I'm curious about how Adderall absorption might show in folks with both ADHD and the other issues Adderall is used to treat, let's say daytime fatigue and brain fog (we all love Long-Covid /s).

For me, it's a bit back and forth— I used to feel much more awake half an hour after taking my medicine (unless I go hack to bed immediately after taking it, at which point I'm out for at least one if not two hours) but these days there's basically no noticeable change.

Side note: How long does it take to gain a tolerance to Adderall XR? I've been on a dose of 10 since December (skipping two doses a week minimum to try and keep from tolerance).

The pharmacy got some of my ADHD meds in!

After weeks!

I took ONE full dose and 20 minutes later was uncontrollably yawning and had to take a nap.

Stimulant meds are the first line, most effective treatment for ADHD, being remarkably effective in 70-75% of people with ADHD.

People with ADHD do not get high from their stimulant meds.

Becoming relaxed after taking them for the first time or after a long time off them is a sign that they are working and is an indicator that we DO have ADHD, though most doctors don't seem to know that this happens. We relax because we are closer to a normal state than we were, initially our bodies literally respond with relief.

Again. That is not what you would call even remotely a "high". Unless you are one of those awful people who believe naps are a crime.

They make our brain chemistry more normal, not less.

For those they help, we genuinely need them. Yes, both children and adults. It's fine to take them. It should not be a controversy (nor should ADHD itself be as controversial as it sadly is).

Medicating us does not lead to abuse. We are not addicts in waiting. Treating us as such is repugnant. (And treating addicts like shit is repugnant as well. People who abuse ADHD meds deserve compassion. From the ADHD community as well. They are not why we can't get meds. It's the FDA limiting how much can be oroduced and not keeping up with increased demand due to new diagnoses during COVID. It isn't other humans.)

Forcing us off medication with no support does, however, cause serious problems and can lead some people to seek them through illegal avenues, which is dangerous. Also understandable. The medical profession blames us and does not take responsibility for their part in this situation, even though they should.

We have every right to use whatever means works best for us free of censure, disapproval, and overzealous gatekeeping. If that's stimulant meds, so be it.

More respect for us please.

Especially now as we are facing rolling shortages of meds for the next few weeks or months. Your ADHD friends are struggling. Be patient.

[alighted-willow]

This comic hits very differently now that I know the problem was anemia first and parasomnia second.

My doctor and I thought I was narcoleptic. I don’t quite fit the criteria for much else but now that I've been on iron for a while, I no longer am fatigued to the point of accidentally falling asleep on the floor on a near daily basis.

I kind of want to swat the heads of a few very specific medical practitioners who didn’t want to help me.

Spoonies, how are you feeling?