You've raised a lot of issues and I very much understand where you're coming from. I was diagnosed last year, three months shy of my 30th birthday ironically enough ! Like you, it has really solved a lot of mysteries in my life. Let me just break down some of the concerns you've raised to help share what my experience has been like.

I. Recovery progression time frame.

Tough question to answer since everyone is so different. What my doctor told me was that he'd have me feeling much better within 6 weeks and fully "normal" within six months. Fortunately for me, he was right to the day. Stimulant medication, unlike traditional anti-depressants, don't take such a long time to build-up in the blood stream. BUT on that note, while you didn't say, I suspect that you've been or are on anti-depressants as well. If you're situation is similar to mine, the doc was progressively getting me off the two of the three anti-depressant meds I was on. Let me tell you, THAT was PAINFUL !!! Assuming that is the case, keep mind that it takes your body a good three to four weeks to get some of that stuff out of your system. Just as a point of reference for you, in terms of anti-depressants, I was on lexapro, buspar, and abilify (a bi-polar/anti depressant). He told me to stop taking the abilify immediately (which he called a glorified f-ing tranquilizer), and after four weeks started stepping down my buspar till I was no longer taking it. Well going off the abilify right away caused me some pretty harsh diarrhea and such for the first two weeks. But that particular drug was having the opposite effect on my brain so it was vital to get me off of it ASAP. Could any of this apply to you ?

II. Finding the right medication and the right dosage.

There was a period of three months where my doctor and I went through some trial and error trying to get the meds dialed in. We initially tried generic Adderall which was great but didn't last long enough to get me through the 16 hour shifts I was working. Then we tried the Adderall XR. Now a lot of my ADHD friends think its a wonderful medication but it did very little for me. Eventually we found luck with a med called Vyvanse but even then we had to adjust the dosage twice as well as adjust the dosage of my Lexapro. The psychiatrist I see has been specializing in adult adhd for 15 years and assured me that this is a quite common thing and that it seems like all of his clients have different reactions.

<b>Now keep in mind, that I am NOT a doctor and I am NOT suggesting you change your meds on your own. ONLY DO SO UNDER THE INSTRUCTION OF YOUR DOCTOR</b> I'm just sharing my experiences in with finding an effective medication regime. But hopefully this will give you some direction for research and questions to ask your doctor.

Quote

Chances are you're probably changing more so than you realize. I am constantly amused by the fact that people around me notice the effects that the medications are having on me much sooner than I do. They also notice other aspects that have changed that I might not pick-up on at all. Ask family and friends you interact with on a day to day basis and see what they notice over the course of the next three weeks.

Furthermore, bring your wife with you to your next doctor's appointment. She'll probably be able to provide a lot more detailed feedback than you are. Heck my doctor INSISTS I bring someone with me to my appointments whom I trust and interact with on a daily basis or at the very least 3-4 times a week. Even to the point of using a speaker phone to have them call in if they're unable to be physically present. For me this is my parents and when it comes to the question of "How have things been going since your last visit ?" he pays almost more attention to their feedback than he does mine :)

Bottom line is that when you're in that mental state, often times you are not in a position to notice when you're improving or regressing. I've come to depend on a small group of family and friends whom I trust have my best interests at heart, for feedback on this.

Quote

I feel you on that bud, I REALLY do and unfortunately so do my parents. But Brother let me tell you, what's done is done, you can NOT change a dam thing about the past. I've just learned to quit thinking about the "What might have been's" as I call them. All it does is make me miserable and does nothing to move me forward. And let me tell you, if you don't want a repeat of things in your past, you gotta find you got to tackle this issue, learn to manage it and your life, and move forward.

For me this was surprisingly easy but my parents are having a lot of problems dealing with deep feelings of guilt, regret, and remorse. They've found counseling helpful and have regular visits with a therapist. It might be something to look into for you and your wife.

Two more things and I PROMISE I'm done with this thread for now :) There is a wonderful organization out there called NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illnesses). In addition to family support group meetings, one of the great programs they offer is a Family to Family education class that explains a lot about mental illnesses. My family found it extremely helpful in understanding what I'm going through and why I am who I am. I've taken the liberty of including a link from their website that you can use to find your local chapter: http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=Your_Local_Nami

One last thing thing before I jump off the computer here. Here is a link to an article I wrote for another organization called Bring Change 2 Mind (also a great group whose link I'll include too) that you might enjoy and one that has an inspirational video that I like to watch from time to time to cheer me up. I haven't done many posts lately but am going to be adding a lot more to this blog very soon.

Article for Bring Change 2 Mind: http://theredheadedrambler.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-story-for-bring-change-2-mind.html

Article with inspiring video: http://theredheadedrambler.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-thought-for-week.html

Link to Bring Change 2 Mind: http://www.bringchange2mind.org

Hope you've found some of my mindless drivels helpful.

Sincerely,

The RedHeaded Rambler

Quote

I was on Effexor for awhile before getting on ADHD meds. It helped for a while for the deppression but without help with my ADHD symptoms I would forget a dose every now and then. The withdrawls are awful. I found many ways to make sure I had some readily available for those times I forgot but it would still end up happening. So my Dr. and I started weening me off it. That was an absolute horrible time. The headaches and mood swings were terrible. I lost a couple friends during the process. So in short if you do go off it, do it slowly and makes sure everyone around you knows what to expect.

Quote