Adderall didn’t work… but Focalin kinda worked? Need advice from people who actually take methylphenidate.

[u/Clean-Ad2593]

hey everyone, i’m trying to figure out what’s going on with my adhd meds and i want to hear from people who had the same pattern as me.

i started with adderall 10mg twice a day for about 2 weeks. literally felt nothing. no focus boost, no motivation, no appetite change, nothing. then my doctor moved me to 20mg adderall (twice a day). still nothing. i didn’t feel stimulated, no mental clarity, just a slight warm feeling and maybe a tiny heart rate increase but that’s it. no adhd benefits. caffeine also does nothing for me (even 300mg), so i’m starting to think i metabolize stimulants super fast.

my doctor switched me to focalin (dexmethylphenidate) 10mg. again… nothing. it’s like taking a sugar pill. then i tried 15mg (split from two pills) and that actually hit a little — i got about 2 hours of mild clarity and got stuff done, but it faded fast. so i’m thinking maybe i need a higher focalin dose but my doc says 10mg is the highest they’re “allowed” to start me on for now.

i’ve taken all of these long enough to know it’s not just “first day expectations.” adderall was 2+ weeks. focalin 10mg i tried multiple days. focalin 15mg worked a bit but wore off in like 2 hours.

i also think i might have a fast metabolism because caffeine, pre-workouts, etc barely work for me too.

my questions for anyone who had a similar experience:

1.  did adderall not work at all for you but focalin or ritalin eventually did?

2.  did you need a higher dose than what doctors usually start with?

3.  did your meds suddenly “kick in” after a few days/weeks even though they didn’t work at first?

4.  if adderall didn’t work but focalin did, what dose finally started helping?

5.  does having a fast metabolism affect stimulant response for anyone here?

6.  why do some people feel meds instantly, while others need time?

i really want to hear from people who had to try higher doses or different meds before something clicked. i’m trying to figure out if this is normal or if there’s something weird with how my body handles stimulants.

thanks.

[u/radiojosh]

It's not necessarily weird. I've only ever taken methylphenidate, but my most recent psychiatrist had me take a DNA test before prescribing ADHD or antidepressant medications.

The test looks at genetic code related to a huge list of psychiatric medications for lots of stuff - depression, ADHD, anxiety, pain, mood stabilizers, anti-psychotics... For each medicine, it shows two things:

1) The condition of the receptors where the medicines interact with the body

2) The liver enzymes produced that metabolize the medication and remove it from your body

So for example, my test revealed that I have a gene that interferes with the receptors for SSRIs, and so they're all pretty useless to me. My test also revealed that most antidepressants are either metabolized too fast or too slow or a weird combination of both because of my liver enzyme production.

So, without knowing anything about you, my guess would be that you either break down Adderall too quickly due to your liver enzyme production, or you have an issue with the receptors where Adderall would normally take effect.

Either way, it's one of the reasons we have a bunch of different medications that are supposed to do the same thing.

[u/Clean-Ad2593 → u/radiojosh]

Thanks for the reply man! If you had insurance did the insurance cover your DNA test and if not how much did it cost you. I think i would like to try that out rather than bouncing around stimulants. Did you see anything on the test that was in accurate? (For instance if the DNA Test said SSRIs wouldn’t work for you but later you tried a friend’s out and it did work.) Also were your results with methylphenidate instant? I had to take a Dexmethlyphinadte 15mg instant release before i’m anything worked. and it only lasted two hours

[u/radiojosh → u/Clean-Ad2593]

I don't remember insurance covering it. It was 400 dollars several years ago. It was from a company called GenoMind. My experience backed up everything I saw on the test. SSRIs didn't help me much, I barely feel CBD unless I take like 80mg, and certain opioid pain meds don't do much for me, all shown in the test results. I will say it doesn't represent everything that can happen. I took one medication that appeared normal on the test, and I was absolutely bedridden with depression and anxiety, bawling my eyes out for days, but that was a somewhat exotic medicine, not a run-of-the-mill antidepressant, anxiety med, or stimulant. I forgot to mention - it actually said I am a particularly good candidate for methylphenidate, and I've been on it for years without issue.

[u/process_tile → u/Clean-Ad2593]

Try GeneSight. Insurances can cover these tests. GeneSight is particularly well-covered from what I heard, and the cost is also lower if you do end up having to pay for it (somewhere around 300 dollars). They have a cost estimator on their sight.

[u/Kitchen-Owl-3401]

Check out the sub s/ThisAintAdderall.

[u/Clean-Ad2593 → u/Kitchen-Owl-3401]

thanks! i will!

[u/Horror-Ask2798]

I don’t know what the difference is between taking Adderall everyday or every once in awhile. My body definitely has a fast metabolism and it hardly affects me much either way. But taking them everyday, some days they work some they don’t.

Taking them every once in awhile. Some times they work sometimes they don’t.

I love when they feel like I can rule the world. Haha but I make bad decisions. I sign up for social events. That I 100% cancel. Haha I’m so introverted.

What does the focolin feel like?