i’m on methylphenidate extended release. when the afternoon hits i feel … hollow. odd. in my jaw, neck, chest. but i still gotta drive home. :/

For me, over time the hunger issue subsided a bit. But I was already used to that just from drinking coffee prior to taking Adderall. Since we can’t rely on our bodies to tell us when we need something, and with stimulants those urges are suppressed even further, keeping a routine is a good idea. I still get cravings for bad stuff like sweets when I’m stressed or near meltdown, but otherwise i just make a routine of eating when I get up, and when I finish work. Unfortunately, my job often doesn’t allow time for eating, but when I did, I would always stop even if I wasnt hungry. On the plus side it makes eating healthy much easier if I’m already not eating to satisfy a craving then it’s already an unpleasant experience. May as well be healthy. 😁

Similar story, 30mgs vyvanse. For me it was like a sudden collapse of thousands of different thoughts into one sharp point. Then I watched a 2 hour Russell Barkley video because I could, and absorbed all of it.

Nowadays it’s a pretty good medium. It can make anxiety worse, but only because I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the thing going wrong. I don’t eat as much, but I think it’s gotten to a good level. See how the next few days treat you, it should become something your body adjusts to pretty quickly.

Don’t think I had trouble sleeping? Not more than the usual insomnia anyway.

Thank you for sharing this. For eating, you can just set a time slot for lunch break and dinner time. Must be already in place in most workplaces.

I was also diagnosed as an adult and prescribed Vyvanse and I’ve been taking it for a few years now. The first couple of months, while I was still getting the dose right, were the hardest. The worst bit was mood swings when the dose was a bit too high, for a day or two at a time everything seemed to be bleak, then I’d wake up the next morning and everything was fine again. The appetite loss didn’t last (unfortunately), my body seems to have compensated.

I have set reminders in my phone to take my meds at the same time every day because consistency seems to be important, reducing side-effects and letting me plan my day around when I will be most productive.

I’m now two thirds of the way through getting a degree, which would never have been possible pre-medication. I did try when I was younger and ended up dropping out of university twice and college a couple of times too. Now, even though I still need to push myself to open the books sometimes, when I do I can actually focus and find getting into that flow state so much easier.

Not only eating, but make sure you’re drinking water. I went to the ER for dehydration when on Vyvanse. You get 60% of your fluid intake from food, so when you eat less, you consume less water. Get yourself a big fuck off canteen and keep it with you. Lol.

Also was diagnosed is my 30s and I have had a similar experience to yours after taking Adderall. Not much to add, just wanted to make note that someone else is on the same journey as you. Glad it seems to be working out. Edit: grammar

My experience with Vyvanse isn’t exactly a lack of hunger, but rather struggling to know if I’m hungry or not. I could either overeat, or eat nothing, and it wouldn’t make a difference until later, when I’m either feeling bloated because I ate too much, or feeling dizzy because I skipped lunch. What I found to work well is eating mostly the same thing every dinner; something light, like a sandwich or something. Also, having a big breakfast and a big dinner kinda balances out not eating much at lunch. But aside from hunger-related side effects, I’ve found Vyvanse to be a life-changer for me, after being diagnosed at 37. I’m turning 45 this year, and I’ve been taking 50mg for almost 8 years. It improved my focus, my mood, and my motivation; almost makes me wonder how I made it so far without it!

My experience may be different to yours, but I found that I could actually sleep better with Ritalin on board than without. I can actually have a nap if I decide to and will actually fall asleep while having an active dose, whereas if I don’t I am too agitated and can’t relax enough for a nap.

As for eating, OMAD (One Meal A Day) is good for me, I can not worry about it and just eat in the evening and cover my full day intake in one go. It makes organisation much easier simplifies my schedule. It is also better for blood sugar regulation and insulin resistance, so if you are prediabetic it can help reverse that damage.

That said, if you take it every day you will probably find your hunger signal changes to be more obvious while on the meds. I have found that I can get my three meals a day while on Ritalin after a couple of years of taking it, but skipping is also fine and doesn’t upset me like it does without meds. This is also true of pain, I can tolerate pain much better with my meds than without. The pain isn’t gone, it just doesn’t intrude and disrupt as much so I can keep doing other things.

I will also say that the sense of holding two tasks and switching between them, not forgetting the other, is something that I find works better off the meds than it did before the meds. I assume it is because I can actually train the skill with the meds on board and get better at it, then when I am off the meds the pathways are stronger and easier to use. I can’t say that for sure, but it certainly seems more possible to ignore distractions off the meds than it was before the meds, so I think skill is a part of it, though the other side is probably some degree of burnout and a lack of resources before the meds compared to after having them for a while.

Anyway, good luck, I hope it goes well for you.