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Me and ADHD

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Re: Me and ADHD

#31

Post by R0b0t1 »

sneak wrote: post #21
madamelic wrote: post #20

Fellow ADHD person: Get diagnosed and get a low-dose of meds. It helps _a lot_. You will likely hate the feeling they give you for the first week (you will genuinely feel high even on 10mg Adderall XR), along with nightmares and night sweats but after a few weeks, you'll suddenly be productive at a very normal level. I don't feel strung out nor is it some addiction. Ignore the people screaming about Adderall being "l…

Counter-anecdata here: meds aren't always the best option for people. Don't bias toward taking amphetamines as the parent comment instructs you to do. There are serious negative long-term effects from taking amphetamines regularly. Such advice as above is very one-size-fits-all, and in my view is thus really bad advice. > Ignore the people screaming about Adderall being "literal meth" and how it will certainly kill y…

People medicated for ADHD with stimulants tend to live 7-9 years longer on average.

Re: Me and ADHD

#32

Post by sneak »

madamelic wrote: post #28
sneak wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Counter-anecdata here: meds aren't always the best option for people. Don't bias toward taking amphetamines as the parent comment instructs you to do. There are serious negative long-term effects from taking amphetamines regularly. Such advice as above is very one-size-fits-all, and in my view is thus really bad advice. > Ignore the people screaming about Adderall being "literal meth" and how it will certainly kill y…

I do agree that it can cause harm long term. It's the same with all medications, that's why I pay doctors to prescribe medication and monitor my health while taking it. I already have physicals every six months because of another condition. With the Adderall, I get blood pressure taken monthly and an EKG every three months. The goal of almost any medication is to create a stop gap to create or find non-medication sol…

I didn't demonize anything, and if you think I did, you should probably re-read my comment dispassionately and stop trying to do battle on the internet.

Your comment opens with:

> Get diagnosed and get a low-dose of meds.

Immediately suggesting that someone seek a somewhat dangerous medication as a solution, without qualification, is an extreme and dangerous view. "You have ADD so you should try low doses of speed!" is not wisdom. There is a reason that these are prescribed by doctors, and monitored.

Re: Me and ADHD

#33

Post by madamelic »

schoolornot wrote: post #26
madamelic wrote: post #20

Fellow ADHD person: Get diagnosed and get a low-dose of meds. It helps _a lot_. You will likely hate the feeling they give you for the first week (you will genuinely feel high even on 10mg Adderall XR), along with nightmares and night sweats but after a few weeks, you'll suddenly be productive at a very normal level. I don't feel strung out nor is it some addiction. Ignore the people screaming about Adderall being "l…

I'm still not sold on the medication and prefer to follow strict routines + good diet + exercise. To me, it's obvious who is taking ADHD pills. People are almost zombie like or they space out, or even on low-doses they almost can't "keep up" in conversation or meetings. Not being drugged and finding coping mechanisms has allowed me to plow through multiple degrees and find career success, albeit at the cost of "other…

Good for you, I am glad you have found something that works for you.

It is inappropriate and rude to assume what others need. I am the complete opposite of what you assume on Adderall, I am more verbose, my thoughts are more coherent and I can keep up with meetings because I can actually pay attention to them. The first time my spouse heard me conduct an interview after medications, he told me how much more cohesive, steady and assured my speaking was.

It helps no one, not even yourself, to tear down someone else because they are using a different solution than you.

Re: Me and ADHD

#34

Post by q3k »

schoolornot wrote: post #26
madamelic wrote: post #20

Fellow ADHD person: Get diagnosed and get a low-dose of meds. It helps _a lot_. You will likely hate the feeling they give you for the first week (you will genuinely feel high even on 10mg Adderall XR), along with nightmares and night sweats but after a few weeks, you'll suddenly be productive at a very normal level. I don't feel strung out nor is it some addiction. Ignore the people screaming about Adderall being "l…

I'm still not sold on the medication and prefer to follow strict routines + good diet + exercise. To me, it's obvious who is taking ADHD pills. People are almost zombie like or they space out, or even on low-doses they almost can't "keep up" in conversation or meetings. Not being drugged and finding coping mechanisms has allowed me to plow through multiple degrees and find career success, albeit at the cost of "other…

> People are almost zombie like or they space out, or even on low-doses they almost can't "keep up" in conversation or meetings.

What you describe sounds more like symptoms of untreated ADHD rather than treated ADHD.

Re: Me and ADHD

#35

Post by RankingMember »

> Last one -- I have no idea if this is a placebo effect. But caffeine seems to really help.

Yep. As has been mentioned, in this context you're basically using it like Adderall. Unfortunately, the body will build up a tolerance quickly, so I find myself needing to use them sparingly, Adderall especially, otherwise end up feeling the withdrawal symptoms (excessive irritability, more trouble focusing than before medicating).

Re: Me and ADHD

#36

Post by ardy42 »

throwaway713 wrote: post #2

> Minimizing menial tasks. Menial tasks really suck. I know everyone must hate doing these, but to put it into perspective, I would rather do 20 hours of really really hard work on a tough project than do 5 hours of menial tasks Interesting. I have ADHD (inattentive subtype) and am quite the opposite. My apartment is never cleaner than when I have an extremely important, open-ended project with multiple stakeholders…

I'm like the OP. The distinction I make is:

1) A tough project can be engrossing. Getting started is always tough, but after that it's relatively easy to keep up momentum.

2) Menial tasks are not engrossing and are usually quick, so they require a level of attention control to stay focused on them that I'm just not capable of. It's like "getting started" over and over.

Re: Me and ADHD

#37

Post by sneak »

falcolas wrote: post #29
sneak wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Counter-anecdata here: meds aren't always the best option for people. Don't bias toward taking amphetamines as the parent comment instructs you to do. There are serious negative long-term effects from taking amphetamines regularly. Such advice as above is very one-size-fits-all, and in my view is thus really bad advice. > Ignore the people screaming about Adderall being "literal meth" and how it will certainly kill y…

> Don't bias toward taking amphetamines as the parent comment instructs you to do. What's the alternative? CBT is not sufficient when your brain doesn't want to work. Executive function disorder is a huge part of being ADHD. > There are serious negative long-term effects from taking amphetamines regularly Citation needed for therapeutic dosages. > They cause harm, even at low doses. Citation definitely needed for the…

What's harmful is telling people without qualification that they should seek dangerous and addictive medication without a careful cost/benefit analysis.

My comment isn't saying that you shouldn't, it's saying that there are downsides that are not apparent that must be weighed against the upsides—same as any medication. Even ibuprofen can fuck up your stomach, each remedy must be evaluated on its risks and merits.

I speak from extreme personal experience. Same team!

Re: Me and ADHD

#38

Post by borski »

schoolornot wrote: post #26
madamelic wrote: post #20

Fellow ADHD person: Get diagnosed and get a low-dose of meds. It helps _a lot_. You will likely hate the feeling they give you for the first week (you will genuinely feel high even on 10mg Adderall XR), along with nightmares and night sweats but after a few weeks, you'll suddenly be productive at a very normal level. I don't feel strung out nor is it some addiction. Ignore the people screaming about Adderall being "l…

I'm still not sold on the medication and prefer to follow strict routines + good diet + exercise. To me, it's obvious who is taking ADHD pills. People are almost zombie like or they space out, or even on low-doses they almost can't "keep up" in conversation or meetings. Not being drugged and finding coping mechanisms has allowed me to plow through multiple degrees and find career success, albeit at the cost of "other…

ADHD medication has different effects on people, and you’ll know very quickly what it’s effect is on you. Furthermore, it does not make me spaced out or zombie like, nor does it make me strung out. It simply calms my brain down so I can actually focus on the problem at hand, rather than the opposite of that, with my brain flitting back and forth with other thoughts.

I don’t take it on a day when I’m being creative or brainstorming, because the lateral thinking required does that is actually something ADD helps, but I take it when I have to get something done.

Take it from a guy who has had ample coping mechanisms, got a CS degree from MIT, founded and sold a security startup, etc.; all of those coping mechanisms worked, but got much easier once I accepted the ADD and found the right meds. It only made me more productive and a better contributing member of the team.

YMMV, but I suspect your assumptions about how it affects people are very wrong.

Re: Me and ADHD

#39

Post by borski »

q3k wrote: post #34
schoolornot wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm still not sold on the medication and prefer to follow strict routines + good diet + exercise. To me, it's obvious who is taking ADHD pills. People are almost zombie like or they space out, or even on low-doses they almost can't "keep up" in conversation or meetings. Not being drugged and finding coping mechanisms has allowed me to plow through multiple degrees and find career success, albeit at the cost of "other…

> People are almost zombie like or they space out, or even on low-doses they almost can't "keep up" in conversation or meetings. What you describe sounds more like symptoms of untreated ADHD rather than treated ADHD.

This is exactly what I was thinking.

Re: Me and ADHD

#40

Post by tstrimple »

Spivak wrote: post #6

Getting tested & treated for my ADHD was genuinely life-changing for me. It's one of those insidious disorders that doesn't let you know how bad you actually have it until you experience what it's like without it for the first time. The inattentive type is nothing like the stereotypes. One of my favorite signs you might have ADHD. Caffeine doesn't do anything for you and/or makes you sleepy. You've never know what ot…

I drink lots and lots of caffeine during the week. I mostly like hot drinks when I have to sit down and work throughout the day. I definitely cannot relate to that caffeine buzz. I consume almost no caffeine on the weekends and I cannot really tell a difference from an alertness standpoint. There are nights I cannot sleep at all and toss and turn until the wee hours of the morning, and there are nights I fall asleep within 5 minutes and sleep throughout the night. Neither seems to have anything to do with the amount of caffeine I'm consuming.
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