Impact of ADHD treatment on ASD

[SomeRandomName]

Hi there !
I hope everyone is fine and safe from the virus outbreak.
This is going to be a long one because it's impacting a lot of different things a different way.

I'm 35, I'm still waiting for my ASD assessment. But In january I've been diagnosed with ADHD. So I'v been on Methylphenidate for a month and a half.
The concentration, attention, starting tasks and has been awsome. I've never worked so hard in my life and it makes me really good about it.
But.
All routines, Sleep, bedtime, wake up time, household, lunch, time management, routines, hygiene, showers, tooth brushing, laundry, etc... All of these are getting really hard. way harder than before treatment.
So I've been trying to adjust, set alarms on my phone, plan a household day and stick to it.
Because I had trouble to sleep, my treatment is below the dose I should take for my weight. and I'm fine with it for now.

The social gap I felt before feels wider now. I used to be able to have good interaction with my neurotypical friends, now I feel worlds away of thier human experience. I've also been told I was more self centered now but it could be just temporary.

My alexythimia is way more pronounced than before. The sensations in my body are there sure, but the mental part of the emotion has become even smaller, harder to see and figure out. I used to feel some kind of connection between my foggy cloud of emotions and my body but I don't feel it anymore. Covid-19 sure doesn't help with anxiety and I've been having chills, acid reflux, vertigo all through the day for two weeks now I can't figure out how to adress it because of this. Breathing helps for a few seconds.

Stimming. I'm not sure about stimming. I live alone so stimming is not really a problem. But I had to go to the pharmacy this morning and instantly started rocking left to right when walked in which usually takes a minute or two waiting in line to start but it could also be because of my covid-19 related anxiety.

Sensory inputs are also changed of course. Every thing feels a bit sharper and more intense. Bright lights is harder to bear and more dangerous when driving.
Focusing on sounds is easier. Now I can hear the person in front of me in a restaurant but it's still awful. I am a composer I used to work for hours with relatively loud music but now it feels so loud and harsh. After 1 or 2 hours bassy sounds put my head under pressure. It was never a problem before unless I worked the whole day at high volume.

My pshychiatrist told me it was considered that my true self was me with adhd treatment. That without it, I was me but without my true behaviors and personnality. I'm not really sure I agree with this statement but it's just a way for administrations to think about it so I don't care.
Could it be that autistic traits are highlighted by methylphenidate ? that it makes my autistic experience more intense ? I'm not even sure I'm autistic yet...
I read that children with asd taking adhd treatment tend to become more social with it so it doesn't fit what I seem to experience.
Still I don't think I want to go back and stop taking my medication because now I'm finally doing the things instead of wondering how and why I should do it.

If you have been diagnosed with ADHD after finding out about autism, how was it for you when you started to take some medication?

Sorry for all typo and syntax issues and all... I'm french and I have dyslexia. As if french wasn't enough. Thank you for reading.
I wish you all the best

 

[Mia]

It's known as ritalin in my country, like other central nervous system stimulants, and it can be habit-forming. It does induce a feeling of euphoria at certain dosages. Although it's side effects are many, it is a stimulant, chemically similar to cocaine or amphetamines like speed but, surprisingly, works by actually calming sufferers down. It is a class B drug and its chemical name is methylphenidate hydrochloride.

My pshychiatrist told me it was considered that my true self was me with adhd treatment. That without it, I was me but without my true behaviors and personnality.

Don't know if I agree with your psychatrist's take on ritalin, I've known several young adults who were dosed for years with ritalin and although it has a calming effect, it tends to be addictive and difficult to 'wean' yourself off over time. Perhaps others here who have taken it can weigh in. Apparently some of the intense side effects that you've experienced will go away after you have taken it for awhile. Hopefully, when things have calmed down in your country and in my own, and there is less fear and anxiety we will all feel better.

 

[sport]

I having autism with some other problems my anxiety has been stronger with the virus.

 

[leaf]

hey there~
i am autistic and have adhd and have been prescribed methylphenidate hydrochloride too. I have noticed my ability to initiate, make decisions, move my body have all improved. Also being able to attend to admin tasks, especially emails feels so effortless, when unmedicated I am stuck in a paralysis of the thousands of ways I could respond.
I do notice that I get hyperfixated n things a lot easier and sometimes it is on stressful stuff, like feeling disconnected and isolated from others, or something in the news.
I can get sensory overload too especially as the meds are wearing off in the evening, I find I need to do some heavy exercise/be in nature, reduce stimulus, move my body to help with it.

I naturally a pattern seeker but I think that the ability to let go of something, black and white thinking is heightened by the medication. It is hard to manage cause i feel like i am involved in life a lot more and also i can burnout a lot quicker.
Having breaks helps but then u need to go slow w ur tolerance again.

I need to stim a lot more too!
Glad to hear someone else echo my experience.

 

[tree]

@leaf

Do you find that using it aggravates negative feelings?
Do you feel angry over things more often than you would if you
weren't using this prescription?
https://www.rxlist.com/ritalin-drug.htm