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Me and ADHD

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Re: Me and ADHD

#201

Post by ericwood »

O_H_E wrote: post #52

Anybody else here thinks their ADHD influences some hoarding tendencies or fear-of-missing-out? I am basically a tab-opening machine. Whenever I come across any link that I feel might be helpful in some point in the future, I open it in the background knowing full well that I don't have time to look at it soon. Thank god for TheGreatSuspender, and SessionBuddy extentions.

I've had the opposite experience; I do rely heavily on note taking (especially when it's something I can be distracted away from) but I find having more than 10 tabs extremely stressful and tend to close out as much as possible to avoid getting overwhelmed. Maybe that's a coping mechanism for the object permanence issues that come with ADHD.

Re: Me and ADHD

#202

Post by PragmaticPulp »

rossnordby wrote: post #186
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've often wondered- are there solid studies on responses to stimulant medications varying over different groups? It's definitely true that there is wide individual variance (modafinil does nothing but disrupt my sleep and make me more sleepy over time, alas), but it is less clear to me that the differences follow cleanly along boundaries like ADHD/not ADHD. I don't have ADHD, but I am prescribed Ritalin to help with…

Not really. It’s true that ADHD patients will likely react differently to stimulants, but the exact differences have been greatly exaggerated online. There are some studies showing that some people respond better to Ritalin than Adderall and vice versa. Prescribers should try switching medications if the patient doesn’t respond.

Most people will experience increased focus when first taking stimulants, ADHD or not. Many ADHD patients will experience euphoria with their first doses. The idea that ADHD people have polar opposite responses to medication is largely a myth.

Most long-term patients don’t identify with the euphoric or energizing comments because they’ve built a tolerance to those effects. There’s nothing wrong with that, because the therapeutic value doesn’t derive from inducing euphoria.

However, a drug-naive college student taking a double dose of Adderall will certainly be buzzing. For a short while. They will then suffer a rebound on the following day or days. There isn’t really a free lunch here.

The challenge is that non-ADHD people often try Adderall once, like the effects, and assume a positive response means they have ADHD. That’s blatantly wrong, but it has lead to many people pursuing unnecessary stimulant prescriptions in hopes of feeling that way every day. They are always disappointed when they discover that the long-term effects are very different than those first experience effects.

Re: Me and ADHD

#203

Post by TeMPOraL »

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…

> Bonus points if despite "doing nothing" you still intake lots of caffeine.

Does tea count? Drinking coffee does sometimes (not always) make me more awake, and usually also makes my whole body feel weird (in a bad way) - but if I drink coffee, I do that on top of 10+ cups of black tea I drink every day, as I drank ever since I was 7 years old or something.

Re: Me and ADHD

#204

Post by opiate_addict »

renewiltord wrote: post #104
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…

Yeah, my first adderall came from a friend who uses it to party. I can't see how. It makes me much quieter. Partying on it is something I can't even imagine.

Oh it's amazing. Especially if you drink a lot. I wouldn't be surprised to learn there are some amplifying chemical effects when combined similar to cocaine + alcohol -> cocaethylene

Personally I am the other side of what you said lol I can't imagine that people don't feel it or don't enjoy it!

addiction science is cool and evolving. i wonder if people have different inherent dopamine regulation/Glutamate chemistry in their brains causing this difference of 'fun' [1]

and or maybe it's like cocaine or opiates where some people have to do it a couple times to 'notice' the difference. and then that difference drives your life lol

[1] https://www.intechopen.com/books/attention-deficit-hyperacti...

Re: Me and ADHD

#205

Post by rustybelt »

0xb0565e486 wrote: post #118
jeffnv wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're not the only one that feels this way. Just like you're not the only one that probably feels like alcoholics should just learn to handle their liquor, bulimics should accept their body image, people with cardiovascular issues should just exercise more, stutterers should just stop stuttering, asthmatics should just breath better, etc. What you have is a lack of empathy and understanding for people that genuinely…

As far as I can tell, empathy goes both ways, and I think it's a bit unfair of you to call me unempathetic for simply expressing how I'm feeling. I also don't think the examples you give are great analogues to the situation (although highly related) as I've not meet a lot of people using alcoholism, bulimia and asthma as a way to avoid everyday tasks in contrast to ADHD.

I can't help but be reminded of the classic Mitch Hedberg bit: "Alcoholism is the only disease you can get yelled at for having"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P28ErxjBY4o

Re: Me and ADHD

#206

Post by xenihn »

thejellypen wrote: post #167

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

stimulants are prevalent in all high-paying technical/knowledge fields in the US. tech, finance, and medicine being the big 3. i have nothing but anecdotal evidence to support this, but i'd bet that more than 3/4s of students who have gone through a medical school program in the US have taken adderall at least once during it

i'm tempted to argue that ease of access to amphetamines plays a huge part in the US continuing to maintain a thriving tech industry. along with being able to siphon the best and brightest from every other country that can't match US comps, of course

Re: Me and ADHD

#207

Post by PragmaticPulp »

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…

The pop-science definition of ADHD has started to stray very far from the science.

There’s a growing tendency for newly diagnosed ADHD patients to try to explain all of their mental habits and preferences through the lens of ADHD. Some times they have helpful feedback for other people with similar habits, but other times they just paint ADHD with an overly broad brush. They often have unrealistically lofty ideals of what a non-ADHD person looks like, or describe basic human nature as ADHD (for example: it's perfectly normal if you'd prefer to play video games than do your homework. We've all been there, ADHD or not)

One thing I would recommend: Don’t let an ADHD diagnosis define your personality. A diagnosis is simply a guide map for treatment. It shouldn’t become a stereotype that defines you as a person. Use the diagnosis to learn techniques to overcome difficulties, but don’t let the diagnosis become a convenient excuse to let yourself off the hook or explain away concerns that would be better served by some personal growth.

Re: Me and ADHD

#208

Post by username90 »

rustybelt wrote: post #188
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…

Are you sure this isn't just due to habituation? I was diagnosed ADHD in gradeschool and definitely experienced some euphoric side effects when starting on both Ritalin and Adderall. They quickly subsided after a few days/weeks on the medications but my ADHD brain still reacted that way at first. I tried taking Adderall again as an adult for a few months (after a decade being off the drug) and had a similar experienc…

I regularly stay off medication for a few weeks so I know what it feels like to start again with them. I don't feel any euphoria, the first day of medication is often the worst, and I hate taking them. But without medication I can't work, with medication I am a top performer. I got diagnosed as an adult since I couldn't even do easy tasks reliably and therefore couldn't hold a job.

Re: Me and ADHD

#209

Post by JoblessWonder »

O_H_E wrote: post #52

Anybody else here thinks their ADHD influences some hoarding tendencies or fear-of-missing-out? I am basically a tab-opening machine. Whenever I come across any link that I feel might be helpful in some point in the future, I open it in the background knowing full well that I don't have time to look at it soon. Thank god for TheGreatSuspender, and SessionBuddy extentions.

Yes... medication and therapy has helped though. Therapy helped FOMO (activities OR information) by letting me accept not knowing/experiencing things. It allows me to finally be ok with closing tabs I haven't looked at in months without worrying I'm missing some important piece of information. Medication helps me avoid opening up tabs without closing them out when I'm done.

(Also, I use the Pocket extension to stash things away that I will "read later" even though I never do until I'm on a flight and need something to read.)

Re: Me and ADHD

#210

Post by null000 »

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…

Counter-anecdote: I was diagnosed sixish months ago, prescribed medication about 3 months ago. The meds don't have the same high of alcohol or weed, but there's definitely an occasional deep sense of calm and wellness - one that's hard not to want, being my chronically depressed self. Definitely enough to set off my "never abuse this, it will end badly" mental alarm

Otherwise though, it checks all the usual boxes - way easier to sit still and be quiet, way easier to do the thing I intended to do when I sat down to do it, way easier to get in and out of focus. Also improved my sleep schedule a surprising amount - between it and melatonin, I've moved from 6am-3pm to ~12am-8:30am, which is wildly outside any of the expectations I've seen set for pharmaceutical remedies, and puts me firmly in 'able to hold a normal adult job without killing yourself through sleep deprevation' territory.

Honestly almost annoying it has such a positive effect since the practical difference between that and addiction are pretty minimal on a short-term basis. I'm deeply uncomfortable with the idea of having to go without it or something filling the same brain-holes for a long period of time precisely because I'm basically worthless without it, in a way I didn't really come to appreciate until after starting medication.

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