u/Melodic_Outside_4718

Hey all,

I started Xaggatin XL 18mg (long release med) a few days ago and I genuinely can’t tell what’s medication vs anxiety/stress anymore.

For context, I’m under pretty intense academic pressure right now because of upcoming exams, and I already struggle badly with overthinking and stress (by leaving things really late until they accumulate). Despite this, it doesn’t physically manifest to the extent I’ve been experiencing lately (or hasn’t in a while).

What’s confusing me is that during the day I actually think I notice some benefits. I do feel more locked into studying, less desperate to constantly check my phone, and it feels easier to stay sitting and continue working. My mind also feels calmer and less constantly buzzing.

At the same time though, physically I’ve felt really strange throughout the day. I’ve had extreme dry mouth (which is to be expected so I anticipated this), felt freezing cold for hours despite wearing layers, had jittery/shaky hands and body, and this weird heavy sensation physically. These were quite consistent side effects, even shortly after taking it.

The main thing worrying me though is that for the last 3 nights specifically, I’ve been ending up in really intense panic spirals later at night. It starts with physical sensations (heartbeat, shaking, coldness, tension etc) and then my brain just goes down rabbit holes about many different things and I end up fully panicking, crying uncontrollably, shaking badly, overthinking everything, feeling physically overstimulated and unable to calm down properly. Tonight for instance, I felt my heartbeat in my ears and like a kettle, as if I was going to explode.

The weirdest part is that this has started way later at night, when the medication should technically be mostly worn off already, which is why I’m struggling to understand whether this is from the medication itself or
my existing anxiety/stress being amplified from it?
Or just my nervous system being overwhelmed in general? Or if Im placing too much thought on all of this itself and then inducing a panic attack?

I know it’s still really early and I’m only on day 3, and when I experienced this yesterday, I really wanted to doubt that it was a result of the medication (as it’s a lower dose, and also happened later at night). But now it’s happened twice, and the nights have been really unbearable.

I’m mainly wondering whether anyone else experienced something similar when first starting methylphenidate/Xaggatin, and whether these kinds of side effects settled down with time or ended up meaning the medication just wasn’t right for you? I don’t know if this is supposed to be ‘normal’ so just any general insight would also be useful!! :)

Hey all,

Started 18mg Xaggatin XL today (methylphenidate extended release, similar to Concerta) and I’m honestly confused 😭

Is it actually that bad to have small amounts of caffeine while on stimulants? I normally rely on caffeine and especially in the morning (as my BP is also on the lower side of normal and it helps me do work more efficiently) , but because today was my first dose I completely cut it out as you’re not supposed to consume it.

I ended up feeling really drowsy afterwards, and had
had to take a nap, which I usually don’t.

Now I can’t tell whether the medication itself made me feel weirdly calm/tired or I’m just not used to suddenly having zero caffeine.

Did anyone else feel calm/tired/drowsy on their first day of methylphenidate? And do any of u still drink small amounts of caffeine while on it? Either way, it’s only been one day so I’m gonna have to give it another go, and I wonder how a higher dose would feel later on during titration.

Hey all,

I had my ADHD assessment today with Harrow Health, and was wondering how long it roughly takes to receive your report after the assessment? Or if you can share your experiences with that please?

Hi everyone, I’d appreciate some advice.

I’ve recently had my initial ADHD assessment and I’ve got my appointment in a couple of weeks. Since filling in the self-report forms (especially the childhood section), I’ve been worried that I may have under-reported my symptoms.

I found the childhood questions quite hard to answer, especially the Wender Utah scale. I wasn’t really sure what age range to focus on. When I looked it up, it seemed like it was more focused on younger childhood, which confused me. A lot of the questions felt very different depending on whether I thought about myself in primary school vs secondary school.

Because of that, I think I ended up picturing myself younger (primary school age), where things were more structured, and I probably downplayed certain things like concentration or distraction. For example, I answered ‘not at all’ for struggling with concentration, but looking back now, I think that was because I was thinking about school specifically, where my environment was very structured. After speaking to my mum, I realise that outside of that, especially at home or when I had more independence, I did struggle more with staying on track and following things through. Nevertheless, I don’t think I conveyed this either ( I guess it’s also harder for me to remember generally too).

There was a clear shift around age 11-12 when I started secondary school and lost that structure, and that’s when issues with organisation, time management, and staying on top of things became more obvious. Before that, a lot of things were managed for me, so I didn’t notice those difficulties as much. So I just wish I had accounted for more of that part of my childhood instead of focusing so narrowly on one stage, because I don’t think my answers fully reflected the overall pattern.

So I guess my main question is, if I didn’t fully reflect my childhood in the questionnaire, could that affect the diagnosis, or can I properly explain it in the appointment?