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Me and ADHD

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Re: Me and ADHD

#151

Post by hnick »

xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #93

A lot of comments here are warning about the addictive properties of stimulant medications. For folks without ADHD, you should know that stimulants, like Ritalin and Adderall, do not usually cause the same response as in non-ADHD people. I've spoken with many people on stimulants, and none of them enjoy taking the medication, beyond what it has done to improve their lives. Furthermore, most ADHD people develop tolera…

Do doctors suggest some kind of cycling regime? I'd imagine I would probably take it on weekdays, then skip it on weekends and holidays. Not sure if that would be enough though.

Re: Me and ADHD

#152

Post by driverdan »

falcolas wrote: post #44
imesh wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't feel strung out nor is it some addiction. Ignore the people screaming about Adderall being "literal meth" and how it will certainly kill you. Even with an addictive personality, it's very easy to avoid over-doing it (hint: only take it as prescribed). Low dose meth does work pretty similar to Adderall. Everyone who does meth does not become a meth addict. Most don't. But the people who become meth addicts a…

To paraphrase, "I think adderall is kinda like meth, so it's obviously addictive." The fuck? Adderall is one of many medical options for treating ADHD. Not all of which are stimulants. And some of which are chemically designed so they can't be abused (like Vyvance). EDIT: The OP pulled the "in my opinion" phrasing from their post, but I'm going leave mine as-is. There's a lot of anecdote based FUD about ADHD meds goi…

Adderall is 100% addictive and is like meth but with less bio-availability and neurotoxicity.

All stimulants are addictive and you will have physical side effects from discontinuing use.

Re: Me and ADHD

#153

Post by devmunchies »

tudelo wrote: post #138
specialjack wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Curious if you have any sources for this? I have heard this before and struggled to find data that backs it up.

I have heard it can be bad for oral health due to dehydration. Not sure how much of that ends up being a feeling versus physically needing water, and how dehydration affects oral health, or exactly how I would connect all of the dots there (or if I even should attempt it), but it seems reasonable.

> Not sure how much of that ends up being a feeling versus physically needing water

it does dry out your oral/nasal cavity. It can cause your body to produce mucus to compensate. I commonly feel like swallowing is slow as if there is a thin layer of mucus lining my throat. Even had yellow mucus drip out of my nose as if it were a nose bleed (happened 3-4 occasions), which comes from having a sinus infection.

This is one of the reasons I switch to micro-dosing on an empty stomach and supplementing with coffee to limit exposure to amphetamines.

Re: Me and ADHD

#154

Post by hnick »

heroHACK17 wrote: post #80
athorax wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me, it is the "open-ended" part of a project that really ends up screwing me. If I don't have a definitive task/goal to work towards that is when I start to procrastinate

Man, I am the same way. How have you coped with this? I work in a pretty open-ended environment without a lot of processes, so you can imagine it has been a struggle for me. I have tried to create tickets for myself but I seem to also struggle with defining the "done" state.

Maybe the concept of the "wall of awful" will help you understand it more. I struggle with it too though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo08uS904Rg

Re: Me and ADHD

#155

Post by JohnBooty »

heroHACK17 wrote: post #80
athorax wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me, it is the "open-ended" part of a project that really ends up screwing me. If I don't have a definitive task/goal to work towards that is when I start to procrastinate

Man, I am the same way. How have you coped with this? I work in a pretty open-ended environment without a lot of processes, so you can imagine it has been a struggle for me. I have tried to create tickets for myself but I seem to also struggle with defining the "done" state.

Same boat. It's not a magic cure, but my semi-okay-coping mechanism is to make daily to-do lists.

The key though, is not just "making to-do lists".... it's right-sizing the items on them.

Every task should have a finite end state and (this is crucial) shouldn't be longer than 15-20 minutes or so. If they are longer than that, it almost certainly needs to be broken down into constituent tasks.

So even something like "clean my office" probably needs to be broken down a little more -- when I'm on my game I break it down into "vac office", "dust office", "organize desk drawer", etc.

This pairs nicely with the "Pomodoro method" if you've ever tried it.

Re: Me and ADHD

#156

Post by incomplete »

full blown ADHDer here... diagnosed and on meds from 2-6th grade, and then started again in my early 40s and on them now.

some comments about this article:

1) i fsking HATE when people self-diagnose and then trumpet to the world that they're almost certain they have ADHD. if you think you've got it, go find a clinical psychologist and get tested.

2) he's done a great job of regimenting his life. this is really, really important for me to do and helps a lot (until something distracts me, like a squirrel)

3) removing distractions is SUPER important. i was a musician for large portions of my life, and i can't listen to anything when i'm working.

4) meds can help, a lot. they help me. a lot. i use them daily, but take 'breaks' when i'm sick, on vacation, etc. i'm one of the 'usual' people that doesn't have side effects and i definitely don't get a 'high' feeling.

anyways, i liked the article, and he has some really great points and routines. but i still wish he'd gotten tested before posting. :)

Re: Me and ADHD

#157

Post by ehwhyreally »

xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #93

A lot of comments here are warning about the addictive properties of stimulant medications. For folks without ADHD, you should know that stimulants, like Ritalin and Adderall, do not usually cause the same response as in non-ADHD people. I've spoken with many people on stimulants, and none of them enjoy taking the medication, beyond what it has done to improve their lives. Furthermore, most ADHD people develop tolera…

For me, Ritalin works as it should, just focusing. dextroamphetamine on the other hand gets me all hyped up.

Re: Me and ADHD

#158

Post by madamelic »

justasidenote2 wrote: post #130
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 working on ADHD diagnosis now and my doctor was kind enough to let me begin taking Ritalin and then switch to Vyvanse. Medication is literally, demonstrably changing my life for the better. I used to drink multiple cups of coffee a day and felt like it was almost baseline requirement just to attempt to focus. Actual ADHD medication makes coffee almost obsolete. The first time I took Ritalin it was almost scary to…

>My only regret is I didn't know sooner.

Yep!

Always scored 90th percentile in standardized tests (how? no clue.), curious, the lot... just couldn't care about homework or listening in class.

I struggled through 5.5 years of college then years later snapped out of the mindset of "just having to try harder". My parents knew... they had me diagnosed as a kid, but were scared off of stimulants by their church.

I try not to think about what my life could've been.

Re: Me and ADHD

#159

Post by username90 »

tudelo wrote: post #135
rejectfinite wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fuck you

I'm not gonna lie, OP seemed pretty reasonable here. Why do you feel so angry about his comments? They seemed to come from a place of curiosity and understanding...

I think many with ADHD have been mentally abused by people thinking that they were just lazy. I was diagnosed with depression most of my life due to people like that, then suddenly medication magically fixed almost all of those problems and I haven't been that depressed since I got diagnosed and got the medicine.

I'm not saying that we should attack people like that, I'm just explaining why it would induce anger in some so you'd understand better where he comes from.

Re: Me and ADHD

#160

Post by incomplete »

bootstrapping wrote: post #132
xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #93

A lot of comments here are warning about the addictive properties of stimulant medications. For folks without ADHD, you should know that stimulants, like Ritalin and Adderall, do not usually cause the same response as in non-ADHD people. I've spoken with many people on stimulants, and none of them enjoy taking the medication, beyond what it has done to improve their lives. Furthermore, most ADHD people develop tolera…

I'll echo this; I'm a serial founder who was diagnosed with ADHD in his mid-forties. The stimulant medications do not make me "high", do not provide any kind of buzz. Rather, they have a moderating effect. Explaining this requires correcting the misunderstandings in the public realm of how adult ADHD presents, but in nutshell: * The (largely mental) hyperactivity is controllable, that is, I retain my creative ideas g…

i generally hate short, banal replies, but here we go:

this. all of this. yes. :)

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