What are actual symptoms of ADHD/ADD? How do you know you have ADHD? I am asking because I read recently ADHD is very difficult to detect.
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Ask HN: Developers with ADHD/ADD, how do you cope?
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Re: Ask HN: Developers with ADHD/ADD, how do you cope?
#22the most helpful thing youll do is getting that diagnosis and finding the medication that suits you which was a game changer for me (initially i tried methylphenidate (ritalin) but it was a little too "up and down" for me, it seemed to tail off before my next dose was due but i then switched to lisdexamphetamine (Elvanse/Vyvanse) which has proven incredibly effective) before this i generally got through by having mul…
"(initially i tried methylphenidate (ritalin) but it was a little too "up and down" for me, it seemed to tail off before my next dose was due but i then switched to lisdexamphetamine (Elvanse/Vyvanse) which has proven incredibly effective)" As an example of how Your Mileage May Vary, methylphenidate works well for me, but Vyvanse made my porn viewing skyrocket.
Agreed Adderall (and to a lesser extent Ritalin) turns me into a raging nympho but also made certain parts not work (pretty crappy biological joke if you ask me), due to the fact that Adderall is a blend of both left and right amphetamines. The left amphetamines stimulate the peripheral nervous system which is why some may experience sexual side effects like impotence as well as more cardiovascular side effects. As well as provoke panic attacks in people with anxiety disorders (which I fall into).
My doc switched me to Desoxyn and it's night and day, it is like I have a laser in my mind and can focus it on anything I decide to focus it on. It has far less of that Adderall punch to the back of the head when it kicks in, and more of the calming but alert effect that one gets from the right handed amphetamines in Adderall. I cannot understand for the life of me why Desoxyn is not the front line medicine for ADD and ADHD
It took a long time for me to get a proper diagnosis as sometime ADD can look like depression because of the lack of emotional control as well as just plain beating yourself up for not getting stuff done and not being able to get started. But for me it has been a life change and for the better.
I started abusing nicotine at and early age and after that any time I would quit I would have a fog in my head that never went away (quit for 5 years once and had it every day). I eventually resigned to the fact that maybe I just permanently damaged my brain and now it would never function correctly in the absence of nicotine. Little did I know I was self medication and just did not realize that the fog was baseline me. With proper diagnosis and medication I can forgo nicotine and I am still completely clear. The meds make me 10x clearer than nicotine ever did.
Re: Ask HN: Developers with ADHD/ADD, how do you cope?
#23Taking notes in meetings can help you stay focused.
You can also record meetings on your phone for reference later.
Lots of other good suggestions here too.
Re: Ask HN: Developers with ADHD/ADD, how do you cope?
#24[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: Developers with ADHD/ADD, how do you cope?
#25[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: Developers with ADHD/ADD, how do you cope?
#26To everyone talking about medication in this thread:
I have always had ADHD but was intelligent enough to get by through my schooling with bad study habits. I "got away" with it so to speak, with cramming at the last minute and being able to retain lots of information while my peers had to put more dedication into it. It seemed up front like a solution but in reality I was only cheating myself.
Once I got out into real software development world, I just couldnt sit down at a screen for all the hours I needed to without wandering away, so I got an official diagnosis of ADHD and a perscription of Vyvanse.
I spent 5 years going off and on the medication. There is nothing else but vyvanse that will let me sit down and churn out code for hours and hours on end, but it makes your mental state absolute hell and you will burn out. It was a short sighted solution and the amphetamine dependency and withdrawls I experienced. When I finally managed to quit I was such a mental mess I had to take 6 weeks away from work with mood swings.
Additionally to note, the amphetamines make it more difficult to learn new thing but make it easier to churn out what you already know, which isn't the most effective thing in our field.
In the end, what do I use now to medicate? Intense physical excersize. Daily. Lots of it. Tire out your body. Seriously. Fight against every one of your urges to lose focus and stay on task for generated short bursts then switch tasks and environments.
There is not feeling in the world better than being able to be productive without amphetamines after feeling you 'need' them because you 'have ADHD'.
Re: Ask HN: Developers with ADHD/ADD, how do you cope?
#27This is something I'm still learning how to cope with. I've been diagnosed with ADHD since 2nd grade and have been taking Adderall since then. As of recently I started meditating and working on being more mindful, basically I was trying to get out of my head and stop the constant self-talk that was doing more harm and good. For the first time in a couple years I just stopped taking the medicine for 3 months because I wanted to see how I would do, and it really put things in perspective for me. I learned that I was able to really control my focus and keep working at something when I didn't want to, but I still had a really hard time getting into my work. It would take me much longer to absorb whatever I'm working on and get after it. Sorry for the rant, but here are somethings that have really helped me.
- Eat a healthy diet
- Work out regularly - Cardio helps start the day and get the blood flowing & weight lifting helps get out any aggression I may have.
- Try using a guided meditation app. This really helps me start the day off on the right foot, it lets you understand how you are feeling and where you mind is at and it gives you the chance to reset. The meditation has also helped me with knowing when I'm thinking and not paying attention to something. Waking up with Sam Harris is the app I use and it has been amazing.
- Set an intention for what you want to do that day. THIS. THIS. Has really helped me stay focused, I know what I want to do and I try to stay on course.
- Talk with a Doctor about the medication and don't settle on the first one. Test them out and see what works best for you. I've been on Adderall all my life and I'm going to talk to my doctor soon about switching to something that won't zombify me so much.
- Don't try to do too much. I constantly come up with new ideas and things I want to start doing, but I'm not always realistic about getting them done, so when I don't do them I feel like I failed. Lately I've been thinking about the idea and whether the idea is actually realistic and something that I will continue to do or is this something that is just a waste of my time and energy.
I enjoy talking about ADHD, most of my comments have been on the topic so if you ever want to talk more reach out! Also don't be hard on yourself for not being able to pay attention, once you start noticing your not paying attention, just begin again.
Re: Ask HN: Developers with ADHD/ADD, how do you cope?
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
"(initially i tried methylphenidate (ritalin) but it was a little too "up and down" for me, it seemed to tail off before my next dose was due but i then switched to lisdexamphetamine (Elvanse/Vyvanse) which has proven incredibly effective)" As an example of how Your Mileage May Vary, methylphenidate works well for me, but Vyvanse made my porn viewing skyrocket.
Agreed Adderall (and to a lesser extent Ritalin) turns me into a raging nympho but also made certain parts not work (pretty crappy biological joke if you ask me), due to the fact that Adderall is a blend of both left and right amphetamines. The left amphetamines stimulate the peripheral nervous system which is why some may experience sexual side effects like impotence as well as more cardiovascular side effects. As w…
Dying jealous of your Desoxyn rx, I've been on Dexedrine my whole life (after trying everything and always crawling back to it) but my shrink would never let me try Desoxyn.
Desoxyn is not front of the line because it's literally methamphetamine lol.
Re: Ask HN: Developers with ADHD/ADD, how do you cope?
#29Hey there. I don't agree that medication is a solution. The reason being that if ADD truly exists, then medicine is only making it on the surface, without fixing the underlying.
Imho, I think you and I should congratulate ourselves for having minds that are highly resistant to bull. The fact that you can't concentrate is not a problem of your mind, but problem of the problem. I hope I make sense.
Other than this, guys, lay off masturbation and see focus levels shoot up. Cut porn completely. Dont runnerneck, too. Add to this daily morn exercise and weekly fish in your food and your good to go!
Even so, try to gravitate towards things you want to do. If there are things you have to do, do them first in the morning so they get outta way.
Such discipline will take time but it will be worth it.
Re: Ask HN: Developers with ADHD/ADD, how do you cope?
#30I can't write as detailed as I'd like to since I'm at work atm, but I'm a firm believer that a lot of diseases diagnosed do worse than better to you, since you automatically believe what is told to you and in some sort of way become "helpless". Of course you can take meds, but usually you have to stay on them forever, and when you quit you will relapse to your old behaviours. Now, I recommend to you these couple of things that have helped me and a lot others:
- Meditate: so underrated, this gives you so much calm and control that you cant even imagine. Do it periodically (for instance, I meditate 5 days a week) and do it on a fixed time each day, this will help you making it a habit. Probably better to start with mindless meditation, I recommend you Headspace app or you can also benefit from any YT video.
- Use pomodoro technique to work on tasks, it doesn't matter what task is given to you, make sure to work on it on the defined timeframe. Usually pomodoro is 25m work/5m rest, you should start with a different schedule, find one that works for you (at the beginning I used to do like 10x10).
- Read the book "Deep Work" by Cal Newport, a lot of valuable insight in there. Digital minimalsim by the same author should probably be on point as well (I haven't read it yet), but in Deep Work he emphasizes a lot about the damge that tech is doing to us, specially in our attention spans (you're constantly bombarded by notifications and reacting to them).
- Watch this video on how to control your mind (short but pretty useful): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYfYmYbp7C4
Good luck, you can do it.