I (Finally) Started Medication for My ADHD. Five Weeks In, Here’s How It’s Going.

I genuinely didn’t expect this

Photo by Eric Muhr on Unsplash

I’d known it was happening for a while.

The sheer inability to concentrate, the getting overwhelmed by tiny decisions, the constant feeling of fatigue, the wildly emotional ups and downs. And 15+ years of trying (and failing) to self-soothe my way out of it had only exacerbated the symptoms.

I was almost 31. My career was going nowhere. I was constantly trying out new things and unable to stick to any of them. I was waking up every morning and almost immediately feeling so overwhelmed that I just wanted to go back to bed.

At that point, it was really just limiting beliefs holding me back. My traditional Indian upbringing had taught me to be sceptical of mental health treatment, and while I had reconciled myself to therapy, medication felt like a bridge too far. But then I had yet another earth-shattering meltdown, and in the aftermath, as my body stopped heaving and my breath slowed down to normal, I told myself:

“I need to do this. Now.”

How it began

My therapist recommended a centre where I could get a formal psychiatric evaluation for my ADHD. I was lucky to get an appointment date just three…