3 Ways a Psychiatrist Can Help you Discover Which Meds are Best

As prescribed by my Psychiatrist, I have been on Adderall for about a year now. This stimulant is for the treatment of ADHD, narcolepsy as well as a cognitive enhancer. Normally, Adderall is easily tolerated by patients.

STEP 1:

Day One

At my first appointment, my Psychiatrist discussed the side effects of Adderall. I almost always read the pamphlets the local pharmacy hands out with prescriptions. The symptoms of the new med mirrored some of the other medications I was taking. These are a few of the side effects, you may experience while on Adderall:

anxiety,
a headache,
weakness,
dizziness,
a terrible taste in your mouth,
diarrhea,
constipation,
nausea, and
hair falling out.
These are not all the side effects known about this medication.

Psychiatrist

STEP 2:

The Pros

I told my Psychiatrist this stimulant has revolutionized my life! Once I got the Adderall in my system, the sleeping and the attention issues faded away. The energy I am experiencing is amazing, too! However, I did learn that I could not rely solely on this pill that I swallowed every day four times a day.

The Cons

But, everything was not perfect. I had moments when I felt like a zombie. The old habits came back! I started again to fall asleep at inappropriate or dangerous times. I knew I needed the Adderall. But something had to change.

This all culminated in a moment of sheer brilliance. Once the Psychiatrist showed me, I realize my poor sleep habits were affecting the drug! I was not getting enough sleep at night.

I had to rethink when I took my evening meds.
Also, I needed to rethink when I should take my new medicine during the day.
And thirdly, I needed to go to bed much earlier.

Psychiatrist

Affecting My Writing

Likewise, I would get a few minor glitches with the Adderall working on the ADHD. As a person diagnosed with ADD, it is normally strange to have an attention span greater than a gnat.

Weird things began occurring with the new medicine my Psychiatrist prescribed. For instance, an entire blog of 1,000 words or less took me the entire day and into the evening to write. Before when I was at my best, I could write something much quicker. Such as, only taking the morning to write a blog.

Psychiatrist

So, I wanted to scream “this is taking me incredibly too long to write anything!” “I’m wasting time! I’m wasting money!”

Since I could not stay focused on my work. I wound up wasting valuable resources by editing my drafts one thousand times too many. The first draft of a blog is now cut so much that it looks like I’m chopping up a word salad. I am trashing half of the first draft due to so many words that make no sense.

STEP 3:

My Psychiatrist is Willing to Figure this Out

It sounds as if the Psychiatrist will take each medicine at a time in order to figure out the real problems. None of the other four previous psychiatrists ever stopped to do that. I’m thankful for my psychiatrist!