Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010) • Hacker News Board

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#241

Post by marvion » Sun, Oct 04, 2020, 1:00 AM UTC

sergiomattei wrote: post #62

I recently started atomoxetine for my ADHD and had to completely stop it. Side effects were killing me. After I stopped, I was more hyperactive and less focused... Yet the hyperactivity compensated for the "less focused" part, and I finished a week's work in a day. That's my experience with meds so far. They completely eliminate my anxiety and make me feel in control of my emotions. Yet they make me less productive t…

> But it also felt bland, boring. I didn't feel anything

I don't have experience with atomoxetine, but other meds, and this sounds a like an symptom of over dosage. The typical "ritalin robot" is usually causes by taking to much.

Maybe you can check out other meds. I experienced the "blend robot" situation a few times with Medikinet and learned that Methylphenidate is very sensitive to food intake and PH in the stomach, which can make the effect less predictable. I switched to Lisdexamfetamin - it's less dependent on food and works better for me.

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#242

Post by christopher22 » Sun, Oct 04, 2020, 1:02 AM UTC

titanomachy wrote: post #202

stevefan1999 wrote: post #136

I'm an ADD adult and this especially hits me when I'm participating competitions, be it leetcode coding competition or examination. I just hate to do it and every other bits of attention source will got me seeked on, like a notification from my phone, or someone dropped a pen to the ground. That's how fast I lost focus. But on the other hand sometimes I can be extra-focused, with a prerequisite it's something I enjoy…

I agree with the "blessing and curse" characterization. I owe my career to thousands of hours spent hyperfocused on learning programming languages for fun while I was supposed to be doing homework. On the other hand, I've come close to losing my job because of difficulty carrying out assigned tasks that don't matter to me. Interesting contrast though: for me leetcode, certain exams, and interviews often trigger hyper…

I’m ADD and I don’t think it’s a disorder, but a trait that was selected for. I think it’s an explorers gene.

It’s just difficult for us to fit in to the system. Not only school, but a traditional 9-5 for me is difficult. Especially while not on medication.

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#243

Post by marvion » Sun, Oct 04, 2020, 1:05 AM UTC

s9w wrote: post #4

I'm confused - it's all about dopamine. That's why it's treated with dopaminergic drugs.

> I'm confused

Yeah. Took me a while to see the "2010"...

It's the point of almost all ADHD memes - thought it's common sense now.

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#244

Post by muxamilian » Sun, Oct 04, 2020, 1:07 AM UTC

charliemil4 wrote: post #206

muxamilian wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I drank coffee for several years (around 4 cups a day, not later than 4pm) and suffered from insomnia and didn’t know the origin. Since I stopped caffeine intake, my insomnia is basically gone and I feel a lot more functional because of better sleep. So my impression (yeah I have to admit it’s a study of size 1) is rather that caffeine is more dangerous than I thought.

I wonder what it means if I can drink 4 espressos before bed and sleep like a baby... does anyone have research on caffeine metabolisms and ADHD / other diagnoses?

Yeah I know several people who tell me the same like you... Again not proper science but it seems that caffeine tolerance and metabolism is quite different from person to person.

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#245

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Oct 04, 2020, 1:16 AM UTC

dx87 wrote: post #18

_dibly wrote: post #7

This was an interesting read but, as an adult with ADHD, all I get out of this is that medication is even more of a benefit to those with real difficulties coping with their ADHD. I've always been one to 'just deal with it' but after a few years of working through school and seeing my younger brothers go through the same thing with medication, I realized that I was essentially just handicapping myself. Now I take med…

Yeah, the stigma against the medication, and the people who casually say "omg, I'm like, so ADD" really hurt the people who have actually been diagnosed with it. Depending on where you live, it can be difficult to find a psychiatrist willing to see you for a diagnoses and subsequent prescription because they think that you're a college kid wanting to abuse it or sell it. I had to call 4-5 different offices until I fo…

[deleted]

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#246

Post by jjeaff » Sun, Oct 04, 2020, 1:18 AM UTC

gavinray wrote: post #211

jv22222 wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Has ADD had any kind of effect on your relationships? If so, in what way? I was wondering if ADD might make it seem like one doesn’t care about people because it’s hard to maintain focus on them.

Yes, this is why I stopped filling my prescription two years ago. I excelled at work but it was damaging my relationship due to being so "zoned in" and at times robotic.

It affect people differently. It makes me much more attentive and able to listen to what my wife has to say. She has been very happy with the effects.

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#247

Post by seattledev » Sun, Oct 04, 2020, 1:33 AM UTC

cgb223 wrote: post #144

_dibly wrote: post #7

This was an interesting read but, as an adult with ADHD, all I get out of this is that medication is even more of a benefit to those with real difficulties coping with their ADHD. I've always been one to 'just deal with it' but after a few years of working through school and seeing my younger brothers go through the same thing with medication, I realized that I was essentially just handicapping myself. Now I take med…

As someone with ADHD I was once prescribed the lowest dose of adderall (5 mg?) and I found it was so much like being high it genuinely scared me I was working from home and the second it kicked in I started getting literal chills down my spine. I ended up messaging a bunch of people on Facebook I haven’t talked to in years but felt a sudden affinity and empathy for. I got distracted by a part of my apartment that I h…

This is very normal for first time usage. It's described as euphoria. I believe it goes away with sustained use for most people. It did for me, and I was sort of sad that it did - it was the happiest months of my life. Even now after not having used adderall for years I still don't get that initial euphoria feeling when I randomly take one again.

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#248

Post by seattledev » Sun, Oct 04, 2020, 1:35 AM UTC

dx87 wrote: post #26

JackMcMack wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Extended work from home finally pushed me to get diagnosed (ASS + ADHD). I'm now on 2x 10mg methylphenidate (ritalin). It has definitely helped, but after a few weeks I now feel habituated (is that the right word?). Unless something is on fire or past deadline I'm back to getting no work done. I do notice positive effects when combined with (too much) caffeine, but ideally I want to quit soft drinks (and I don't like…

I'm on 6x10 mg of ritalin, and one thing that helped me with it losing its effectiveness is taking a reduced or no dose on weekends, and making a concerted effort to get plenty of sleep. I noticed that I'd be sleeping less when I took it, and eventually the ritalin was just counteracting how tired I was, but not providing any benefit beyond that.

Unfortunately this didn't work for me because it meant I would just sleep 20 hours a day of weekends and essentially didn't have a weekend

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#249

Post by quercusa » Sun, Oct 04, 2020, 1:57 AM UTC

TheLegace wrote: post #45

cbluth wrote: post #3

i have severe ADD, and i dont have the patience with myself to read enough of this article to benefit my understanding of it.

Take a look at this new treatment(neurofeedback)[1]. It changed my life. Instead of changing brain chemically you can change the structure of your brain. It's not ADHD that's the problem, its the focus networks in the brain not being trained properly. ADHD becomes a gift when you can focus and the brain just naturally learns, and memorizes very well. I went from being incapable of anything to being really great at an…

I don't know anything about those folks but my son (inattentive type) got a lot of value from neurofeedback about 10 years ago under a psychologist using the full EEG skull cap. He went once a week for 18 months then less often for another year or two. Wish I'd done it...

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#250

Post by gavinray » Sun, Oct 04, 2020, 3:21 AM UTC

jjeaff wrote: post #246

gavinray wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, this is why I stopped filling my prescription two years ago. I excelled at work but it was damaging my relationship due to being so "zoned in" and at times robotic.

It affect people differently. It makes me much more attentive and able to listen to what my wife has to say. She has been very happy with the effects.

Yeah absolutely. It seems most people get only positive effects.

Must be personal neurochemistry/predisposition. The breaking point hit when my partner showed me a video she took where she called my name 8 times standing right next to me trying to get my attention, and I had no clue. I was so zoned into the screen.

After seeing that I was like damn.