Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)
321–330 of 337 posts
Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)
#322Earlier quoted context omitted.
I am nearly 40 and I have wondered for a long time whether I have adult ADD but have been afraid to go down the diagnostic path, because I'm scared I will lose one of the few true talents I have, which is hyperfocus (or the complete opposite, depending) - that said I think this quality is ruining relationships, so while I can hyperfocus on work or projects, my personal life is a mess. But, I don't know if this is ADD…
Hey! I'm 21 and was diagnosed at 11 or 12. I've learned a LOT about myself just in the past couple years by reading up on additional ADHD symptoms that aren't just school-related (since the diagnoses really just focuses on how my disability impacts others, like teachers and parents). I have a 10mg Ritalin prescription that I was supposed to take twice a day in grade school, one in the morning and another at lunch. I'…
Do you have any experience with the extended-release versions? My doctor has suggested I give them a try as well, (started with the dose/type you mentioned) to see which form works best. Of course, treatment management for this is all pretty new to me, regardless of my age, so I'm interested in hearing other's experiences.
Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)
#323Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hey! I'm 21 and was diagnosed at 11 or 12. I've learned a LOT about myself just in the past couple years by reading up on additional ADHD symptoms that aren't just school-related (since the diagnoses really just focuses on how my disability impacts others, like teachers and parents). I have a 10mg Ritalin prescription that I was supposed to take twice a day in grade school, one in the morning and another at lunch. I'…
Do you have any experience with the extended-release versions? My doctor has suggested I give them a try as well, (started with the dose/type you mentioned) to see which form works best. Of course, treatment management for this is all pretty new to me, regardless of my age, so I'm interested in hearing other's experiences.
I don't have any experience with extended release, and honestly since I'm in college my doctor grills me more and more every time I go in to renew the prescription. I keep thinking I'm gonna go off of it and then I still need it and objectively that might look sketchy, since I some students sell their meds. I'm scared that if I bring up any other type that might look worse? Anyway, this thread has taught me more about extended release and I'll likely look into that when I start working after graduation.
Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)
#324Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you have any experience with the extended-release versions? My doctor has suggested I give them a try as well, (started with the dose/type you mentioned) to see which form works best. Of course, treatment management for this is all pretty new to me, regardless of my age, so I'm interested in hearing other's experiences.
I don't have any experience with extended release, and honestly since I'm in college my doctor grills me more and more every time I go in to renew the prescription. I keep thinking I'm gonna go off of it and then I still need it and objectively that might look sketchy, since I some students sell their meds. I'm scared that if I bring up any other type that might look worse? Anyway, this thread has taught me more abou…
Thanks for the response, and good luck with your studies.
Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)
#325I'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 worry that for me the regularity of the 9 to 5 is the problem, rather than what it is I'm doing from 9 to 5. I'm not sure if that is definitely the case, but I feel like I'd be so much better off if I could be in a situation where I worked 3 or 4 days a week, and not necessarily all in a row
Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)
#326Earlier quoted context omitted.
You know what's totally nuts? Taking Amphetamine daily for years in reasonable doses essentially has no long term negative effects. In that way, similar to coffee. When I think about that, it's kind of mind blowing. For that matter, it is also crazy that we don't start giving children coffee at younger ages to help focus — since there are no known negative effects. It's just a cultural trope that it stunts growth, et…
> we don't start giving children coffee at younger ages to help focus > we are inhibiting our full potential because of misplaced fears? I'll argue with the assumption that there is zero long term psychobiological consequences to exogenous psychostimulants (I personally don't buy this, but let's assume it was true). Increasing focus and task salience is only one of the many factors constitutive of human potential. Th…
>> "I think it is just enhancing the potential for a particular job description that requires you to sit on your bum all day and plumb boring stuff someone else tells you to."
Agreed! Not that this is going to make me stop taking it as needed because this is the society we live in (and I'm currently in college), but yeah. I was just talking to a parent of a 5th grader the other day and they were telling me all about how often their kid got in trouble at school (like I did in elementary school), and how she read up on the neuroscience and decided medicating was appropriate. They had me thus far, until they went on about how they didn't tell anyone at the school (it's beneficial t share this with teachers...) until the staff sent emails regarding the kid's improved behavior. One person even reached out and said "your kid hasn't been himself all week." SO I THOUGHT THE PARent was going to say that's what made them change the dose, BUT THEY DIDN'T!!! They took "your child hasn't been himself" as a COMPLIMENT. Something is very wrong here and it's not the parent's fault, it's our priorities in America regarding an outdated school system and long work week. Obedience is valued more than creativity. How are we supposed to improve with that mindset?
Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)
#327Earlier quoted context omitted.
What goes up must come down in the equilibrium. The more amphetamine salts you take the harsher the crash and withdrawal.
If someone actually has ADHD, the person doesn't feel 'up'. Instead, after taking meds, they should feel more self control, less frigidity, and more calm. Withdraw should become the opposite. (I'm speaking generally, based on more research than my fingers and toes, not for individual cases).
Yeah totally, I meant dopamine released by synapses going up on x-y axis then it reaches a peak and comes down. More amphetamines will keep your dopamine levels above baseline but there is a point of diminishing returns (therapeutic dosage), then once your last dose runs its course your dopamine levels fall precipitously and crashes down below your baseline dopamine levels also known as 'withdrawal' period until you get back to your normal baseline. The more amps you take, the harder you crash down below baseline and your adhd symptoms return and feel much worse as you have less freely available dopamine.
That's all I meant by what goes up must come down :)
Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)
#328Earlier quoted context omitted.
> but for others its a nightmare. I can only assume one of two reasons: 1. They were on XR. 2. Abuse. If it's another reason, maybe the formulation isn't the best for them because it's highly unlikely to have a 'nightmare' problem with getting off.
I'm on a very low dose of lisdexamfetamine and i freaking haaaaate missing a dose. As I understand it, it is a precursor of dextroamphetamine and your body converts it into it slowly through a metabolic-like process-- so pretty similar to XR but less of a saw-tooth curve throughout the day and more of a single sine curve. I wouldn't call it a nightmare, but it sometimes feels like one. It is really a miracle drug for…
> i freaking haaaaate missing a dose
I'm not trying to minimize your experience. I'm just trying to provide a more accurate framework on what's more statistically likely to occur within a population. That's all. Since others tend to be ignorant of the scientific facts on how this issue distributes among a population.
Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)
#329I 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…
I hope you get better in time. Side effects is really bad