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How I Run a Company with ADHD

andrewaskins.com

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Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#51

Post by HeWhoLurksLate »

falcolas wrote: post #18
akarma wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who also has it: have you tried medicine like Adderall? I’m so torn on it. On one hand, it makes me so productive, but on the other, it makes me so unemotional and cold and abrasive. It also makes me sweat, increases my heart rate, and has a terrible comedown when taken often. I was diagnosed at 16 and was on it for years, eventually moving up to 4x the dosage as my body grew resistance. I’ve stopped it fo…

Work with a psychiatrist to try other meds. There are non-stimulant meds that work with ADD too. Adderall is not the only option; it didn’t work for me. It took a bit, and I ended up with Dextroamphetemine. The physical side effects dulled down to the occasional restless leg, and the mental effects work well.

Personally, I was on methylphenidate (generic for Concerta) from eighth grade until very recently, when I switched to an Adderal ER. The difference for me was more what happened when I came off of it- on methylphenidate, I got super irritable right around the same time I got home, which was not good.

I haven't noticed anything weird with this one, but for anyone reading this, I would highly recommend "shopping around" for ADHD medicine if you can.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#52

Post by eswat »

lioeters wrote: post #12
blakesterz wrote: post #2

ADHD sucks. I mean, it ain't cancer, but it sucks. I was never officially diagnosed, but when my son was at 7 is when I realized what ADHD really is, and that I'm an ADHD guy. Some how I made it through 40+ years with it and never knew it. I struggled though college, took me 9 years to get my BA. Somehow got a masters. Somehow managed to get a series of better jobs after my degrees. And I've somehow succeeded in life…

> Some how I made it through 40+ years with it and never knew it. I can relate to this, and I think there's a potentially large underbelly of society, that many (most?) of us are walking around with undiagnosed personality "disorders" (let's say, traits) like ADHD, the autistic spectrum, agoraphobia, narcissism, sociopathy, and so on - maybe even ones we haven't discovered or classified yet. The infamous DSMMD (Diagn…

I found out this year, at 32, that I have a mostly-anxious/sometimes-avoidant insecure attachment style.

Some of the bumps I’ve experienced in life probably would have gone smoother if this was made apparent to me years ago and I had the tools I have now to work with it.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#53

Post by rvp-x »

internet_user wrote: post #39
colechristensen wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ADHD doesn't suck. Forty years of 9-5 jobs, mortgages, university degrees, and elementary school sucks when you're the type of person who can get diagnosed as ADHD. The world discriminates against people who don't have the temperament to fit in to its patterns of society. We don't quite know how to pursue ἀρετή, virtue, eudemonia, excellence, whatever you want to call it in life because modern life was built for anot…

Inability to sustain concentration is not a temperament. It's a neurological impairement. Adderall isn't going to do anything unless you are actually functioning suboptimally. It will, however, most certainly decrease your attentional/executive performance if you are at an optimal state. Look up the U-shaped response curve.

ADHD medication is widely abused by people without ADHD.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#54

Post by internet_user »

ScottFree wrote: post #47
internet_user wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ADHD is some degree of impairement in the ability to self-direct your own behavior, also known as executive function.

Isn't that at odds with your previous comment? > Inability to sustain concentration is not a temperament. It's a neurological impairement. The impression the article gave me is that ADHD is more the inability to choose what you focus on, not an inability to sustain concentration?

Inability to sustain attention/concentration is just one of the most common facets of ADHD.

Yes, you could have more/others impairments in your executive function than just attention. Impulsivity is commonly measured as well. ADHD is really an umbrella term for several syndromes.

I disagree with the notion that "inability to choose" is necessarily a definitive part of ADHD . It often is, and is common, but it's not unique to ADHD at all.

It can also be due to anxiety, PTSD, all sorts of other issues, and people with those issues improve on anxiolytics/tranquilizers, instead of stimulants.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#55

Post by DoreenMichele »

ScottFree wrote: post #36

My reaction to this article has been... complex. ----- Bah! Another article about ADHD. ADHD's over diagnosed and not not as big a problem as people make it out to be. But, I'm curious all of a sudden, so I might as well read it. > For the first 19 years of my life I knew I was lazy. Yeah, I'm pretty lazy too. That's just who I am, though. I don't have ADHD... > So what, you can't stop bouncing your leg at the restau…

A lot of Twice Exceptional* people get labeled lazy. It may not be ADHD. It may be some other hidden issue. In the vast majority of cases, people who get identified as an adult seem to be tremendously relieved and empowered by having a better label than lazy.

* https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twice_exceptional

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#56

Post by bg4 »

akarma wrote: post #10
blakesterz wrote: post #2

ADHD sucks. I mean, it ain't cancer, but it sucks. I was never officially diagnosed, but when my son was at 7 is when I realized what ADHD really is, and that I'm an ADHD guy. Some how I made it through 40+ years with it and never knew it. I struggled though college, took me 9 years to get my BA. Somehow got a masters. Somehow managed to get a series of better jobs after my degrees. And I've somehow succeeded in life…

As someone who also has it: have you tried medicine like Adderall? I’m so torn on it. On one hand, it makes me so productive, but on the other, it makes me so unemotional and cold and abrasive. It also makes me sweat, increases my heart rate, and has a terrible comedown when taken often. I was diagnosed at 16 and was on it for years, eventually moving up to 4x the dosage as my body grew resistance. I’ve stopped it fo…

I have ADD and sleep apnea, a double whammy of conditions that society likes to mislabel as 'character flaws'. I took ADD for a few years; it helped at first but after a year or so I had to stop because I was becoming very angry when on it. I believe the exhaustion/constant jet lag of the apnea (even with CPAP treatment) and work/kids entirely depleted my patience and self-control and the adderall then exacerbated my temper. I'd much rather be foggy/forgetful than angry.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#57

Post by firecall »

ScottFree wrote: post #36

My reaction to this article has been... complex. ----- Bah! Another article about ADHD. ADHD's over diagnosed and not not as big a problem as people make it out to be. But, I'm curious all of a sudden, so I might as well read it. > For the first 19 years of my life I knew I was lazy. Yeah, I'm pretty lazy too. That's just who I am, though. I don't have ADHD... > So what, you can't stop bouncing your leg at the restau…

I have ADHD. There are other serious neurological issues connected to ADHD. It's a very misunderstood disorder with a broad spectrum of identifiable symptoms that could indicate ADHD.

If you are heavily medicating with caffeine, then that can be a signal. I was using Pseudoephedrine and caffeine to self medicate and stabilise my moods and behaviours. That was before I got prescribed Ritalin.

But as the article says, I find Ritalin dulls my creative thinking and pattern matching that is required for insightful realisations.

Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria is big problem for me. I over think things, the slightest misread comment can ruin my day.

I also have a problem with cyclical depression and euphoric highs that are a bit like bi-polar but not as severe.

So yeah - It's hell. I hate having ADHD. I never looked for a diagnosis, but when I got one it was a light-bulb moment. Life still sucks. It's not a super-power and I'm not blessed.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#58

Post by ScottFree »

internet_user wrote: post #54
ScottFree wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't that at odds with your previous comment? > Inability to sustain concentration is not a temperament. It's a neurological impairement. The impression the article gave me is that ADHD is more the inability to choose what you focus on, not an inability to sustain concentration?

Inability to sustain attention/concentration is just one of the most common facets of ADHD. Yes, you could have more/others impairments in your executive function than just attention. Impulsivity is commonly measured as well. ADHD is really an umbrella term for several syndromes. I disagree with the notion that "inability to choose" is necessarily a definitive part of ADHD . It often is, and is common, but it's not u…

> ADHD is really an umbrella term for several syndromes.

That does seem to muddy the water a bit, doesn't it? Thanks for the detailed response!

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#59

Post by xyzzy_plugh »

ScottFree wrote: post #36

My reaction to this article has been... complex. ----- Bah! Another article about ADHD. ADHD's over diagnosed and not not as big a problem as people make it out to be. But, I'm curious all of a sudden, so I might as well read it. > For the first 19 years of my life I knew I was lazy. Yeah, I'm pretty lazy too. That's just who I am, though. I don't have ADHD... > So what, you can't stop bouncing your leg at the restau…

FWIW, I was the same, until I ran into some issues at work.

Talking to a medical professional was eye opening. It's worth having he conversation, at the very least. I was very skeptical after being diagnosed.

Then I forgot to renew my prescription the other week and it was utter chaos. I can't believe how much focus and discipline I used to lack.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#60

Post by blotter_paper »

ScottFree wrote: post #36

My reaction to this article has been... complex. ----- Bah! Another article about ADHD. ADHD's over diagnosed and not not as big a problem as people make it out to be. But, I'm curious all of a sudden, so I might as well read it. > For the first 19 years of my life I knew I was lazy. Yeah, I'm pretty lazy too. That's just who I am, though. I don't have ADHD... > So what, you can't stop bouncing your leg at the restau…

Yeah. I don't want to be somebody who jumps on the bandwagon and self-diagnoses themselves with ADHD, but I also fall into all of these categories, have developed a bunch of his coping mechanisms on my own (the lists part really hit home, I cannot get shit done without making multiple lists and sub-lists throughout the day so that I have an anchor to fall back on when I'm getting distracted), and consume gratuitous amounts of caffeine to keep focused. I've gone through a gallon and a half of Monster in a single day on many occasions, though my normal daily consumption peaked at about 3/4 of a gallon. I've had other people suggest that I might have ADHD as well, but I have no desire to get a diagnosis even if the doc would agree. I'm doing alright with myself and making improvements over time. I do appreciate articles like this because whether or not I have "ADHD" I do have a bunch of overlapping symptoms/patterns-of-behavior, and reading about how other people cope with similar experiences seems useful.
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