Those who have been on prescribed stimulants for many years (>5), how do you manage tolerance and crashing?
I have been on ADHD meds for about 7.5 years now. I started with Vyvanse and my dose was at 70mg in the first year. I was having bad crashes at night, so I switched to Adderall 40mg with 10mg Dexidrine and stayed on it for a few years. Recently, I switched to Concerta 90mg because my tolerance was getting too high and it wasn't working anymore, hoping that by switching it will reset my tolerance. It didn't. In fact, my tolerance drops to being feeling depressed/unmotivated in about 3 days now. So that sucks.
Taking breaks is agony for me. I have the worst stimulat headaches, no motivation, and can't sleep. My doctor knows this but does nothing. He won't raise my dose.
I have been on Concerta for around 6 years. As I understand it, Concerta does not have a cross tolerance with Adderall or Vyvanse, but both do with Concerta... so if I need to switch from Concerta it should be an open option.
With that being said, I try and maintain a roughly stable dosage, I try and eat right and sleep right, and I don't take my medication on the weekend or on vacation.