Why would someone switch from a long-acting stimulant to a short-acting one instead of the other way around?

Usually for more precise control over timing, not because long-acting formulations are worse. A short-acting medication lets someone target specific windows, like a demanding afternoon meeting, without medication being active into the evening, or lets a prescriber fine-tune dosing more flexibly across the day. Some people also find a long-acting formulation's fixed release curve doesn't match their own daily pattern well, running out too early or providing more coverage than needed later in the day, and short-acting dosing lets them better match medication to their actual schedule. If the change is persistent, distressing, or affecting daily functioning, contact your provider through the FasTreat portal rather than changing medication on your own. Related reading: https://www.fastreat.com/en/blogs/adhd-medication References: https://www.caddra.ca/wp-content/uploads/Canadian-ADHD-Practice-Guidelines-4.1-January-6-2021.pdf

My psychiatrist actually prefers short-acting for me specifically because my schedule is wildly inconsistent week to week. Long-acting was either too much or not enough depending on the day. Ended up settling on a hybrid approach eventually, mostly long-acting with an occasional short-acting dose for specific demanding days. Took some trial and error to land on that specific combination, but it's held steady for a while now without needing further tweaks.