You might be wondering how you know if your ADHD stimulant medications are working? Do you get a buzz? Will you immediately be able to pay attention or automatically gain the skills you need to advance in your job and life? Unfortunately, meds don’t work like that. You’ll know that your ADHD meds are working when you can sustain focus on things longer than you normally would. For example, say, before you started taking meds, you could read only four pages of a book before your mind started to wander. Then after taking meds, you could read four chapters.
Focus and ADHD Meds
Honestly, prior to taking the ADHD meds, you could probably maintain focus on things that interested you, but you found this ability lagging if the topic was something that you didn’t enjoy. However, the big impact is that the meds are offering you the ability to sustain focus on things for a longer time (even if you are not interested in them).
How to Know if Your ADHD Meds are Working
Your ADHD meds are not going to make you more organized or tell you what to focus on. That’s where coaching comes in. However, with the medication, you should be able to sustain focus for a greater amount of time on things that you don’t find in the least bit interesting. Ultimately, once you notice your extended focus kicking in, then you’ll know that your ADHD meds are working.
Does medication stop working after a certain amount of time?. I have been on adder all for approximately 8 years and I don’t feel anything at all. Some days I can tell it helps a little bit but a lot of times I feel nothing. Any suggestions for this? I also am afraid of switching medication because I have no side affects from it and I might from something else.
I’m not a mental health professional so I’m not qualified to say. I’ll reach out to someone and get back to you on this blog. Thanks for asking.
Here are some videos that address that question: http://corepsych.com/doe for Duration, and http://corepsych.com/tw for Therapeutic Window. The easy answer: if that dose is not working it needs attention that only your doc in his office can give you after you review it with your provider. If the Adderall is XR it should last ~ 8hr, whatever the dose. if it is shorter than 8hr you and your doc need to consider an increase [and if it is more a decrease]. If your Adderal is a tablet – IR [Immediate Release] that Duration should be about 4hr. Many use the XR in the AM and the IR about 4 in the PM to cover evening responsibilities. Be well, press on… cp
Thanks, Dr. Parker, for sharing your expertise.