How I Am Able To Be Dynamic With ADHD

As rare as this may sound, I wasn’t diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or, ADHD until I was an adult. In college, I began to notice something was different. I would either doze off in class or become incredibly hyper-focused on certain things, and being easily distracted made it difficult for me to concentrate in school.

I was in pre-med classes and getting Cs and Ds, which was shocking because I always had good grades before. I told myself that I just needed to work harder and focus more on my studies. But at the end of the day, sitting in a massive lecture hall with over a hundred students trying to pay attention to complex subjects was just not working for me.

Other aspects of my life were also becoming more difficult to keep up with, like maintaining friendships and keeping track of social events. I struggled to make new friends, and the stress of “adulting” left me feeling emotionally overloaded at times. Living independently made how disorganized I was more obvious.

It wasn’t until I started talking to my mom about the symptoms I was experiencing that I realized I could have ADHD. She wasn’t too surprised at my theory. She reminded me of how much time I spent as a kid bouncing on a mini-trampoline to burn off all my extra energy. I was a very impulsive child and often interrupted conversations. While these characteristics may seem like very typical ADHD behavior now, I never noticed anything different about myself when I was younger.

By the time I finally made it to my doctor, with a lot of support from my mom, I felt frustrated, overwhelmed and weak. Did I really need to be here? I didn’t want to be branded as a student who “needed” medication to get good grades. Treatment for ADHD often involves medication, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel the weight of the stigma against ADHD medications when I filled my first script. With my doctors help, I finally found DYANAVEL^®XR (amphetamine).

My doctor told me that DYANAVEL XR is used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in people 6 years and older. He also told me that DYANAVEL XR may help increase attention and decrease impulsiveness and hyperactivity in people with ADHD. We then discussed the risks of taking an amphetamine, including abuse and dependence.

DYANAVEL XR is a federally controlled substance (CII) because it can be abused or lead to dependence. Keep DYANAVEL XR in a safe place to prevent misuse and abuse. Selling or giving away DYANAVEL XR may harm others, and is against the law. Tell your physician if you, your child, or any family members have ever abused or been dependent on alcohol, prescription medicines, or street drugs.

On some medications, I felt like I was too hyper-focused and I couldn’t choose what I needed to focus on. I could spend hours watching cat videos on YouTube and not realize half the day was gone. But within the first few days of taking DYANAVEL XR, I began to see a difference in my ADHD symptoms. Life is full of interruptions and as a business owner & health coach at Be Victorious Coaching, I need to be able to complete one task and quickly move to the next. On DYANAVEL XR, I feel like I can now change my focus more easily between tasks. DYANAVEL XR has really helped me stay focused and organized in my mind. I am able to strengthen the relationships I’m developing with my clients.

When people first hear about DYANAVEL XR, they may think it’s strange because it’s a liquid medication. But because it’s a liquid, I think it can help change perceptions associated with taking different types of medications for ADHD. I feel good knowing that I am working with my doctor to help manage my ADHD with a medication that can be adjusted to best fit my needs.

DYANAVEL XR should not be taken if you are allergic to amphetamine or any of its ingredients. You should also not take it if you are taking, or if you took, an anti-depression medicine called monoamine oxidase inhibitor or MAOI within the last two weeks. DYANAVEL XR can have other serious side effects on your heart and blood pressure, on mental health causing new or worsening problems, on circulation problems in fingers and toes, and in children, it can slow the rate of growth (height and weight). Women who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, or who become pregnant while taking DYANAVEL XR, should talk to their doctor. Women should not breastfeed while taking DYANAVEL XR as it passes into breast milk. See more safety information here.

Now, I am able to plan my daily activities much better. With my improved focus, I have implemented a lot of strategies to help me manage my day like “time batching,” which involves blocking similar tasks together. For example, if I have to do anything numbers-oriented or that involves calculations, I will block out time to be in that mindset and do those tasks one after another. That way I don’t have to constantly switch tasks or mindsets. Similarly, if I’m doing things that are more creative, I try to batch those all together. I’ve developed a system that works for me which I love, because I can now share this system with my clients that I coach. I now utilize time batching with a lot of my clients too.

Finding the right treatment plan for me has made such a difference in my ability to focus on the things that are important to me, like my business and my relationships. While deciding to pursue treatment with a doctor is different for everyone, my experience with DYANAVEL XR has changed my outlook on taking medications for my ADHD.

I’ve realized that ADHD is not a disease of laziness. Having ADHD doesn’t mean you don’t work hard. Now I understand that my brain is just wired differently, and that’s OK.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT APPROVED USE

It is not known if DYANAVEL XR, a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant prescription medication, is safe and effective in children under 6 years of age.

ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

DYANAVEL XR should not be taken if you or your child are allergic to amphetamine or any of the ingredients in DYANAVEL XR, or are taking or have taken within the past 14 days an anti-depression medicine called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor or MAOI.

DYANAVEL XR can cause serious side effects. Tell the doctor:

if you or your child have heart problems, heart defects, high blood pressure, or a family history of these problems. This is important because sudden death has occurred in children 6 to 17 years old with heart problems or defects, and sudden death, stroke, and heart attack have happened in adults. Your doctor should check you or your child carefully for heart problems before starting DYANAVEL XR. Since increases in blood pressure and heart rate may occur, the doctor should regularly check these during treatment. Call the doctor right away if you or your child have any signs of heart problems such as chest pain, shortness of breath, or fainting while taking DYANAVEL XR.
if you or your child have mental problems, or a family history of suicide, bipolar illness, or depression. This is important because new or worsening behavior and thought problems or bipolar illness may occur. New symptoms such as seeing or hearing things that are not real, believing things that are not true, being suspicious, or having new manic symptoms may occur. Call the doctor right away if there are any new or worsening mental symptoms during treatment.
if you or your child have circulation problems in fingers and toes (called peripheral vasculopathy, including Raynaud’s phenomenon). Fingers or toes may feel numb, cool, painful, sensitive to temperature, and/or change color from pale, to blue, to red. Call the doctor right away if any signs of unexplained wounds appear on fingers or toes while taking DYANAVEL XR.
if your child is having slowing of growth (height and weight); Your child should have his or her height and weight checked often while taking DYANAVEL XR.
if you or your child have symptoms of serotonin syndrome – agitation, hallucinations, coma, or other changes in mental status; fast heartbeat; sweating or fever; nausea, vomiting, diarrhea; high or low blood pressure; problems controlling movements or muscle twitching; muscle stiffness or tightness. Serotonin syndrome may occur when DYANAVEL XR is taken with certain other medicines and may be life-threatening. Stop DYANAVEL XR and call your doctor or go to the nearest hospital emergency room.
if you or your child are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if DYANAVEL XR will harm your unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you or your child become pregnant during treatment with DYANAVEL XR.
if you or your child is breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. DYANAVEL XR passes into breast milk. You or your child should not breastfeed while you are taking DYANAVEL XR.
Common side effects of amphetamine products include:
dry mouth

decreased appetite

weight loss
stomach pain

nausea

trouble sleeping
restlessness

extreme mood changes

dizziness
increased heart rate

Talk to your doctor if you or your child have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.

Avoid drinking alcohol while taking DYANAVEL XR.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see Full Prescribing Information for DYANAVEL XR, including Boxed Warning about Abuse and Dependence, and Medication Guide.

For more information about DYANAVEL XR, please visit www.dyanavalxr.com.

DYANAVEL is a registered trademark of Tris Pharma, Inc.

All other trademarks are the property of their owners.