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ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

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Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#301

Post by falcolas »

gknapp wrote: post #299
falcolas wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Funny. ADHD for me means no meditation. The focus needed to meditate is impossible to gather, even medicated. Attempts at meditation immediately becomes rumination, where I play through all the conversations I could possibly have in the coming day (and exploring the worst case scenarios), which leads to elevated stress, which makes the ADHD tendencies worse.

This might not be applicable to you, but I will say that meditating is like reading speed. Everyone says they can do it better than they can. I've done multiple meditation retreats and have meditated for years. For me, a "focused" meditation when I'm a bit out of practice means I'm actually focused maybe 3% of the time, and I consider myself a relatively focused individual. For example, try this: Sit down in a mildly…

Funny, that sounds a whole lot like a long, polite version of the "you're just lazy" argument folks with ADHD hear all the bloody time. Or the "you've got so much potential, if can do it you can do it."

Polite or not, it really gets old.

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#302

Post by rustybelt »

falcolas wrote: post #245
rustybelt wrote: post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My trick is to cook a roast and just eat roast beef and frozen vegetables for a few days. Very little effort required, and once ketosis kicks in and the brain fog lifts you have the clarity to make more sustainable diet changes. I'll do this when I find myself slipping, too.

> once ketosis kicks in and the brain fog lifts No such effect exists for me. Plus, it would require following through on going shopping so I have roast beef and frozen veggies in the house (or remember to take them with me to work). That's not happening in an unmedicated state. I'm lucky if I can put together a remotely healthy meal while unmedicated.

I usually do it over a weekend because I always forget to pack a lunch, too. As an aside, my tip for that issue is to go to the grocery store on your lunch break and stock up on healthy foods you can keep at work to make lunch there. Anyway, my suggestion was to try cleaning up your diet to see if it works. It sounds like you've already done that without positive results. Diet clearly isn't the solution for you. It was for me. Btw, I'm 37. I was on Adderall as recently as 2014. It took years of struggling to find something that works for me.

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#303

Post by DudeIsJammin »

rubyn00bie wrote: post #188

I was somewhat recently diagnosed with ADD and the diagnosis has truly changed my life. I, for the first time, in roughly 12 years of writing software professionally, am able finish a project enough to open source it-- and I am days away from being able to do so. It feels insanely good. Like something I've only dreamed of as silly as that is, and I don't even care if folks use it (it's not that good), but it's the fa…

I sometimes wonder how much gaming, and stimulating websites like youtube, reddit play a roll in actually creating ADHD.

It's kind of a chicken or the egg situation, do people have ADHD and because they have ADHD they are more susceptible to gaming addiction? or do they become addicted to these sites/games which then creates ADHD type symptoms.

Not saying ADHD isn't an actual thing, but I've noticed a reoccurring theme where people who have ADHD also were addicted to gaming or the internet.

I discovered this guy who has a youtube/twitch channel who is a harvard psychologist who explained how gaming/dopamine releasing web products can have a negative impact on our reward system. How gaming and these addicting products can paralyze you and prevents you from changing behavior.

It's an interesting question, because as I browse comments on sites like reddit and it feels like everyone has ADHD, and these comments about ADHD have massive amounts of upvotes. Which is weird because ADHD isn't supposed to be common, it's supposed to be like ~5% of the population, yet it feels like most people have it on these sites

Here's the links to the guy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWbh2-tW2e0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEsFPaOQKoA&t=2s

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#304

Post by bitexploder »

kitsune_ wrote: post #121
mmanfrin wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The way I've come to describe it with my therapist is that it feels like, internally, I have 12 different brains. All of them are constantly scanning around, interested in different things, making it very hard to focus on one thing, but conversely making me very good at understanding a thing as a whole. The other part of this analogy is that when there is something that grabs my interest, it grabs it with all 12 brai…

I think as awful this sounds, it is also why often adhd people can synthesize a lot of information very quickly because their brains have this rapid association chain which can lead to absolutely lucid insights, downside is that it's hard for them to stay on topic and not go into rambling monologue mode.

I always had that. I can’t go as deep on subjects without force of will, hard. But I have always had a knack for integrating information and learning new things with a relatively high amount of new things but not a lot of density for each thing. This can add up, sneakily, to very dense knowledge on a subject and I have made that a part of how I learn. It’s great learning new frameworks, languages, and subjects. That surface scan and seeing the whole of something comes easily.

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#305

Post by firecall »

fouc wrote: post #199
vslira wrote: post #2

About getting treatment: it's extremely irritating that some people judge using Ritalin is somehow morally wrong. Yes, I get that "lifestyle changes" could help, but I don't want to change my lifestyle. Imagine if there was a pill to reduce risk of cardiac arrest, with some increased risk of something relatively minor. Can you imagine the uproar if cardiologists denied prescribing the pill, instead forcing people to…

Can someone share how Ritalin helps with the issue of attention switching? How does it reduce distractibility?

Short Answer:

Ritalin functions as a DRI (Dopamine reuptake inhibitor).

One of the theories is that ADHD could be a lack of Dopamine.

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#306

Post by RankingMember »

s_y_n_t_a_x wrote: post #142
RankingMember wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've tried it but never got anything but crazy anxiety for my troubles. Maybe I'll try something light on the sativa and heavy on the indica sometime.

If it helps any, sativas don't work on my wife and I, only indicas do. Also that tends to go away once you build your tolerance, it's just kind of overwhelming at first because the weed these days is really strong. I actually smoke to reduce my anxiety as well.

Interesting, thanks for elaborating

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#307

Post by mckirk »

caleb-allen wrote: post #267
matheusmoreira wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Unless it happens to magically coincide with their hyper-focus topic of the moment! It's funny. People with ADHD suffer from attention deficit but at the same time they display hyperattention when they encounter a subject they like. I've experienced it as well: once I start programming I have no problem doing it for 12 hours straight. I've found this trait in many ADHD patients. There's usually something that reall…

My favorite explanation is that of a hunter. Those with ADHD spend 90% of their time imagining, thinking, doing everything and nothing. And to any observer they look stupid, or undisciplined, or lazy. Like the hunt, when somebody with ADHD encounters an situation with very high (perceived) consequences, they will lock into intense hyperfocus, completely singular in their goal. So the modes of operation are 1) philoso…

You might be quite interested in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9LRSgxbQqM

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#308

Post by mtnGoat »

insertnickname wrote: post #146
viklove wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's not a competition. Are you kidding? Life in a capitalistic economy is _absolutely_ a competition.

In a capitalist economy, others doing well generally benefits you. It's not zero-sum.

not sure i agree on that, a good capitalist will try to own everything he can... how does that help anyone but himself?

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#309

Post by munk-a »

klipklop wrote: post #290
munk-a wrote: post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of these are still schedule 1s though, so if an insurance change forces you to a new GP you can get the prescription yanked - there's no guarantee of access to methylphenidate in the US, there aren't any over the counter methylphenidates and any other acquisition route would probably break the law (like buying it in Mexico or from a friend). That said, at some point it's going to be worth it to just pay out-of-p…

For some folks wellbutrin/bupropion can be used to treat ADHD. It is schedule IV so access is easy and generics (I think generics kinda suck for me with this med) are very cheap. Does it work as good as stimulants? Nope, but its certainly easier to get and can help some people. I feel going to a GP to get a very restricted stimulant is a uphill battle. Go to a ADHD specialist psych. Despite having diagnosed ADHD sinc…

My personal experience here is a bit limited - I grew up in the states but after college I emigrated up to Canada so... yea I generally get scripts from my gp up here for a full year's supply at a time and end up paying something like 1/30th of a cent (CAD) per pill for it. While I was in the states I had to fight to keep my script when I transitioned from my parent's insurance to my employer's in college, and ended up paying 9$/pill for a few months but I accessibility was always maintainable without ever seeing a psych except for initial diagnosis in middle school.

So... I guess I got pretty lucky on the whole.

Re: ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)

#310

Post by SmirkingRevenge »

matheusmoreira wrote: post #67
vonseel wrote: post #47

I’m 31 and have ADHD (diagnosed in my teens) and I’m pretty sure NOBODY with ADHD is going to have the wherewithal to read this entire article! Unless it happens to magically coincide with their hyper-focus topic of the moment! In all seriousness, I skimmed parts of the article and kept scrolling and it just kept going and going and going... like the Energizer bunny. I guess the author found a doctor to prescribe sti…

> Unless it happens to magically coincide with their hyper-focus topic of the moment! It's funny. People with ADHD suffer from attention deficit but at the same time they display hyperattention when they encounter a subject they like. I've experienced it as well: once I start programming I have no problem doing it for 12 hours straight. I've found this trait in many ADHD patients. There's usually something that reall…

If anyone has ever tried pushing two strong magnets together at the spots where the same poles are facing one another, where the magnets repel instead of attract, they can understand a bit about what its like to try and focus on something that isn't very stimulating on ADHD.

Each time you try, just as you get close, they slide off one another and all around, until they stick at a different spot. Those sticky spots, are all the very stimulating tasks.

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