Me and ADHD • Hacker News Board

Re: Me and ADHD

#161

Post by madamelic » Mon, Feb 01, 2021, 10:41 PM UTC

ryandrake wrote: post #82

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…

This is a super-edge-case but if you happen to want to be a pilot (either small planes all the way up to airlines), the FAA considers ADHD and other attention-deficit conditions to be disqualifying. If you're taking medication for ADHD or similar conditions and want to be a pilot, you're dead in the water until you get off them and can show that you don't have some kind of attention difficulty. FYI!

Almost any medical condition disqualifies you. Almost any medication taken regularly does too.

I am interested in getting my private pilot's license and I _should_ be able to get a Class 3 Medical from what I've seen, but that will be a bit away so I have time.

What I've seen and heard from others is to just lie. Seems like many have gotten to the point of realizing trying to do it right is only going to put you in months of bureaucracy and spend thousands proving your viability.

The FAA needs to figure out how to either commission studies to reduce their list of disqualifications or streamline the process of appealing your medical certification.

Re: Me and ADHD

#162

Post by ADHDthrow2323 » Mon, Feb 01, 2021, 10:45 PM UTC

incomplete wrote: post #160

bootstrapping wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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. :)

I second that.

Re: Me and ADHD

#163

Post by kokey » Mon, Feb 01, 2021, 10:49 PM UTC

commandlinefan wrote: post #75

> hard time focusing on things that I don’t like or want to do Not trying to be insensitive, but doesn't that describe everybody? At what point does difficulty motivating yourself to do something unpleasant become an actual pathology? I identify with a lot of the symptoms he lists, but I've never thought that meant there was anything "wrong" with me, I thought everybody felt that way. Are there really people out ther…

It's actually a good question. I think the best insight I got on the topic was reading an article once about how to tell the difference between a child being gifted or having ADHD or being both. This is difficult since they often have similar traits, especially having a hard time completing certain menial tasks. The difference is that a gifted child without ADHD can complete these tasks if he likes the teacher giving him the task, while the one with ADHD will still struggle to complete it despite really wanting to do so.

Re: Me and ADHD

#164

Post by username90 » Mon, Feb 01, 2021, 10:50 PM UTC

cryptnotic wrote: post #99

sudosysgen wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are, of course, levels. For me the difference is between spending 15 hours non-stop programming, or spending two months unable to open a ticket because it's menial, being unable to start important schoolwork that is too menial until 1h before the due date, and so on. I've been like this since I remember, and I really can't do anything to fix it. It has a large negative effect on my life. But of course, it's not…

If you're in university, then you're probably in a place that has resources that can help. Take advantage of them. For example, you may have access to an occupational therapist who can help you improve how you organize and schedule your work, create effective workplace, avoid distractions, etc. Medication may also help, but it works best in conjunction with active behavioral changes.

There is no substitute for medication. For me a life without medication is a life of hating myself for not being able to do trivial things.

I tried all of those things you mentioned for over a decade and was often driven to tears trying to do simple things. I never did assignments for courses etc, causing some of my grades to stay bad even though I did great on the tests since tests kicks up your adrenaline making it easier to focus. Not because I didn't care about the grades but because I simply couldn't do the assignments. Then I got medication and suddenly everything in college and later work just became trivial. I stay on the lowest dosage and that is still enough for me to stay at normal levels of focus where I can program for a few hours a day when I need to do it to keep my job and earn money.

So, since medication has been so life changing for me I really hate when people say that you can manage ADHD symptoms just with lifestyle changes. Maybe in some cases, but many people absolutely need medication and discouraging such people from receiving it will ruin lives.

Re: Me and ADHD

#165

Post by 99_00 » Mon, Feb 01, 2021, 10:52 PM UTC

I'm in my 40s and have suffered with undiagnosed ADHD my entire life.

Two days after I suspected I had it I saw my doctor. One month later I was on medication. A few more months and I am in weekly counselling. For me personally, the positive changes from medication and counseling have been dramatic and immediate.

After only 4 months, my coworkers impression of me is starting to shift for the better.

ADHD is a serious mental illness. I'm so thankful that the help I'm getting is working.

"Taking Charge of Adult ADHD" by Barkley, helped me understand ADHD and how I should deal with it.

Re: Me and ADHD

#166

Post by TurkishPoptart » Mon, Feb 01, 2021, 10:52 PM UTC

>My 5 AM morning workout is probably the most important part of the routine since it helps with focus and letting out some energy.

Damn, if you have the mental fortitude to get out of bed at that time, you're probably fine. Every time I wake up before my alarm, especially now when it's super cold, I instantly think of this Calvin and Hobbes single-panel classic: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/316729786269578409/

Re: Me and ADHD

#167

Post by thejellypen » Mon, Feb 01, 2021, 10:53 PM UTC

Feels like its easy to have a false positive diagnoses for amphetamines, particularly in high stress & productivity roles such as tech.

Re: Me and ADHD

#168

Post by I_AM_A_SMURF » Mon, Feb 01, 2021, 10:56 PM UTC

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…

My completely ignorant theory is that it's still about "can only do the things I really like to do" part of ADHD. I also like to clean up my place because of the sense of accomplishment that it gives me (especially when at work I don't feel like I'm making progress because I spent all day coaching/meetings/etc) but not everyone might feel like that, I can definitely think of someone with ADHD that doesn't like to clean up the same way I don't like plan my meals (please don't make me do it).

Re: Me and ADHD

#169

Post by I_AM_A_SMURF » Mon, Feb 01, 2021, 10:57 PM UTC

chewxy wrote: post #119

Getting chemically treated for ADHD is one of the life-changing moments for me. I spent most of my teen years learning "good habits" thru counseling and all that jazz. It wasn't until I started Vyvanse that all those "good habits" that was taught to me actually made sense. All the meditation practice actually got put to good use when it comes to controlling anger. I do wish I hadn't waited 15+ years between diagnosis…

Yep same here. Medication finally made me understand the anger issues that I have due to ADHD.

Re: Me and ADHD

#170

Post by TurkishPoptart » Mon, Feb 01, 2021, 10:58 PM UTC

madamelic wrote: post #24

schneidmaster wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Coffee consumption was actually one of the questions that I was asked when my therapist first suspected that I had ADHD. I used to drink 5+ cups per day (especially workdays) while feeling fairly little effect from it. I'm now on medication which works an order of magnitude better for managing my symptoms, and I rarely drink more than 1 cup of coffee per day. It's also worth noting that ADHD often comes with other me…

> I would often fall into a spiral of inability to focus -> feeling bad about myself for not completing work that I was generally more than capable of doing -> even less ability to focus. I still have depression, but starting on ADHD medication all-but-removed my most frequent trigger. I had the same issue! I told my prescribing doctor this same thing and she trusted me enough to try out Adderall before SSRIs again.…

is it normal to get an EKG in relation to ADHD medication? I'm in your boat too. I've tried antidepressants with no results so I'm going to see a doctor about ADHD this time.