I have adhd (inattentive type) and might be considering medication soon. Would you be willing to talk about your experience with medication just so I could get some first hand experiences? It's totally fine if you don't want to discuss this though :)
omg yes I definitely can!
I'm also inattentive type, and additionally have chronic fatigue. before I took meds, I was perpetually stuck in a guilt loop of thinking that I am awful and lazy because I could never bring myself to do things that I wasn't interested in (busy work for school), but also dedicating hours of focus to things I did like (video games, random books, obscure research), and then feeling awful that I had spent so much time being "unproductive." I was diagnosed about three years ago now, and I have definitely benefited massively from taking ADHD meds.
I was first given generic adderall, which worked well in terms of focus but caused me to shake pretty badly and have heart palpitations. I switched to vyvanse, which was actually even more effective, and did not cause me to shake profusely. unfortunately because of the demand for ADHD meds/stimulants in addition to the fact that vyvanse is still only a name brand drug (no one is allowed to make and sell the drug under a different name), the prices have been jacked to high heaven. even with my health insurance, I just can't afford vyvanse, so I have switched back to adderall. adderall, like I said, works fine for me, but does cause me to shake depending on how much sleep I've had and how much exercise I do (ei, running up a flight of stairs an hour after I've taken my pill causes me heart palpitations).
how the meds work for me:
adderall: causes my baseline energy level to go up a bit, and allows me to focus on something deeply for a long time. my brain still jumps between things, but I am overall able to zone in on one task at a time. I am on a low enough dose that I can still force myself to take breaks (pomodoro my love) and maintain a healthy work pattern. one problem I have is that if I am paying attention to something when the adderall kicks in, that is what I am going to be focused on - and sometimes that will happen to be Pintrest, drawing, or writing, rather than schoolwork or my job.
vyvanse: I prefer this one because it allows me to think in straight lines. It allows me to only think about one thing at a time, and when I need to divert my attention to something more specific, its like a branching straight line goes off the main line of focus, but importantly, it can join back up with that original line of focus. does not make me shake. I occasionally can fall into the same trap as will adderall, where I am focusing on the wrong thing when it kicks in, but overall it is easier to direct my concentration.
generally, I always take the "extended release" (ER/XR) version of either medication, because a regular pill causes me intense and obsessive focus for about two hours, followed by an energy crash. XR means I have a good 8 hours of mild focus improvement. I don't take my pills every day, partially because I don't like the idea of being dependent on anything more than I am, and partially because I don't necessarily need them. I normally take a pill early mid-day (10am - 1pm) before my classes/lectures, or before I start classwork, and that works well. taking one any time after like 4pm-5pm means I can't sleep.
damn that was a lot lol. I hope that helps -- overall, taking medications has allowed me to feel like a functional student, and makes me very aware of the fact that my brain works slightly differently than some of my friends lol