I have pretty much given up on being social at all any more because of how much I seem to resist it, even though I WANT to go out and do things and make more friends and be consistent. But it’s just so exhausting, I dissociate when I’m out and about unless I’m drunk, I get super anxious about what to talk about, etc etc. I’ve been going to punk and metal shows for like 20+ years but now I pretty much have resigned myself to the fact that I just am not gonna go anymore because I just disappoint myself again and again after I tell myself I wanna go, but then when it comes down to it I figure out a way to just avoid it. And that makes me sad.
I’m AuDHD, and currently exploring meds. Has anyone noticed an impoved ability to socialize/go out in public when medicated?
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Yeah Vyvanse helped a lot. I have adhd so bad that even speaking was a struggle because I did it so fast that I couldn’t always complete my thoughts. I’m AuDHD as well and find that the meds can only do so much depending on your level of autism.
Yeah I figure the autism aspect can only moderate things so much lol. But when I was younger and up until like 6-7 years ago I was much, much more motivated to be social, and even more so as a teen and in my early/mid twenties. I know part of my experience is just getting older but I have trouble even wanting to go outside; I think my executive function machine is just completely busted from a variety of factors lol. Do you feel like the vyvanse has mostly helped with slowing down/mindfulness, maybe?
It has, but like any medication it’ll take some time for it to settle in and then find the right dosage. Too much gives you the stereotypical result of hyper focusing to finish that overdue assignment but seems to make Autism symptoms worse with social interactions. The perfect dose will allow you to do both in a way that feels natural
Ritalin made socializing even harder.
Wellbutrin was quite positive for socializing.
Just my limited experience.
Do you mind sharing how they affected your sociability?
Sure.
With Ritalin, I was more withdrawn and sometimes depressive or paranoid.
With Wellbutrin, I was more upbeat and happy, which made people react more positively to me.
That’s at least my experience. Yours may be different.
I’m diagnosed ADHD, and I suspect maybe I have the Au as well but I’m not diagnosed. I’m an extrovert in general but also kind of struggle with social interactions sometimes and I think Vyvanse gave me more energy to use for many tasks, including socializing. It felt easier to talk to people and like I was a bit more coherent and friendly and outgoing than my non medicated baseline
That’s encouraging. I think fatigue/exhaustion are a HUGE part of my experience. I also get overstimulated so it’s like a vicious cycle and feels herculean to get through social events (without drinking). It would be nice to be more friendly lol, I find myself really aloof and terse because I’m so anxious when I go out
Yes, they have helped immensely. I have to spend much less energy holding myself back from interrupting others, I am much less likely to get sensory overload, I am much better at listening, I am much better at keeping a conversation that NT people can follow along with, I am less tired after social interactions because I have to do less work and I second-guess myself much less after
These are all things that I think are issues I struggle with in social interactions for sure. It’s wild to even begin to think about how much energy is put in to moderating oneself…I started to realize just how much I’d finish other people’s sentences or interrupt, so in the past year at work I’ve taken up the habit of covering my mouth with my hands when I start interrupting lol. The sensory overload is really intense, too. trying to block out other background conversations and really pay attention can be so difficult. I think part of this is why I like going to shows so much. I have spurts of 15 minute social interaction, then a reason to just leave mid conversation to go watch a band where I don’t need to talk to anyone for like 20-45 minutes
It would be cool to have a little battery indicator to see just exactly how much energy is consumed by engaging in masking each day
Yeah I guess a way you could think of the medicine is as a sort of auto-masker. It does a lot of the work for you
