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Me and ADHD

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Re: Me and ADHD

#221

Post by username90 »

abrowne2 wrote: post #180

I was diagnosed with ADHD around age 12 in early school. For about 10 years, I was on a lot of stimulant medication; Vyvanse, Adderall, Concerta, and tried many others. Only in the last couple years did I stop entirely. You get used to the sleep impairment after a while. It affected my ability to socialize. I was making excuses for my behavior and largely, I could summarize it as "feeling like a zombie, entirely reli…

The effects of stimulants is an upside down parabola. Too much and you actually get worse. However they always make it easier to sit with stuff like homework, so it makes parenting easier even when their kid don't need it and the medication actually hurts the kid. Therefore I think it is wrong to medicate a kid before they are mature enough to make their own decisions about medication.

I do know that medication helped me a lot, I got diagnosed as an adult though. I don't think I would have liked it if I was diagnosed as a kid and got pills with ever increasing dosage forced on me just so I would stay quiet in class.

Re: Me and ADHD

#222

Post by TeaDrunk »

sneak wrote: post #54
madamelic wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One requires getting diagnosed to get medication. I am not advocating buying Adderall from a dealer. I am encouraging people not to be afraid to pursue the medication route because it is so demonized. Medication helps a lot. You could struggle with no medication, trying to build a system to help yourself, possibly fail and never be who you can be or you can seek out professional help (potentially with medication) and…

> Would you say the same if I encouraged a depressed person to do their best to get diagnosed and get on 'anti-depressants'? I am doubtful. Don't be: many studies have shown CBT to be equally as effective for depression (for most people) as medication. If you are equally likely to cure your issues with a book on CBT versus a pill, that is something you should consider, even if you do end up deciding for the pill. I e…

> Don't be: many studies have shown CBT to be equally as effective for depression (for most people) as medication

But this is not the case for ADHD. ADHD has one of if not the strongest case where there is a direct curative effect of medication.

Re: Me and ADHD

#223

Post by PragmaticPulp »

username90 wrote: post #213
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Habituation is definitely part of it. Many prescribers will also start patients on very low doses and titration up to minimize the distraction of the euphoric effects. Unfortunately, many mew ADHD patients mistake the initial euphoric effects for the medication “working” and get frustrated when the effects go away. They start chasing bigger prescriptions, shopping around for prescribers willing to give higher doses,…

> Contrary to what is often repeated online, it’s best to take the medication continuously rather than skipping days. I don't like being on stimulants though. When I'm on stimulants I can't just let my thoughts wander and do whatever feels right at the moment, and I really like that part. If I don't have work to do I greatly prefer not being on them. The only time I feel the need to abuse them is when I am over burde…

As always, the only real answer is to consult with your doctor. Taking breaks from medication isn't a terrible idea, especially if you hate it. The real problem is the people who associate taking the pill with getting work done, to the point that they forget how to accomplish anything without first reaching for the medication. The key is to break that connection before it becomes a craving for medication.

> I don't like being on stimulants though.

It's very possible that you're on too high of a dose, or that you'd do better on an alternative medication. There are at least 4 different classes of ADHD medication, 2 of which aren't traditional stimulants. Guanfacine is remarkably effective, for example, but it's nowhere near as popular because it's much less enjoyable than stimulants during the ramp-up phase.

> The only time I feel the need to abuse them

Yikes. If you ever find yourself feeling the "need to abuse" a medication, I strongly recommend you keep an eye on those tendencies. That's the kind of warning sign than can spiral into addiction if you ever find yourself burdened by some unfortunate life circumstances (the trigger).

Re: Me and ADHD

#224

Post by throwaway289283 »

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 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 can confirm; I have ADHD and this even applies to stronger stimulants like cocaine. Cocaine doesn't do much for me, so I never understood why my friends were always bouncing off the walls while I was just chilling, like "what's the big deal with this drug". I didn't get it until I was diagnosed with ADHD and understood how our brains are wired differently.

Re: Me and ADHD

#225

Post by ryanianian »

username90 wrote: post #192
ADHDthrow2323 wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The (largely mental) hyperactivity is controllable, that is, I retain my creative ideas generation and interest in new things, but I am no longer governed by it, and As a person who is in their 1st week of medication, that is a HUGE relief. Thank you. I have a lot more to comment here but have a quiz (engineering undergrad) to do rn..lol. But I gotta say your description of you experience is the most comprehensive…

I got diagnosed as an adult and it was life changing for me, has been on them for 5 years. Here are some tips: 1. Never take stimulants to have fun, just take them to do tasks to progress your life. ADHD doesn't prevent you from having fun, and having fun with stimulants is what makes them addictive. 2. Take regular breaks from the medication. You wont get much done the first day or two after, so don't plan on doing…

> Take regular breaks from the medication

"Medicine holidays." They're a necessary part of ADHD treatment to deal with tolerance and to ensure you still need the medication at your current dose. After you take a few days off (I do one weekend a month and one week a year) try taking a smaller dose.

Everyone's tolerance and needs can change drastically over time. If you stay at the same dose forever without breaks you'll have no concept of if the medication is still working for you - much like your 3rd point. I took 40mg/day in my 20s, down to 30mg a year ago, and now up to 35mg/day in covid times.

Re: Me and ADHD

#226

Post by username90 »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #216

A word of caution: The pop-culture definition of ADHD has started to drift quite far from the original diagnosis. Whenever you read someone's personal description of ADHD, it helps to remember that many of the traits they describe are common to everyone, ADHD or not. The distinction lies in the severity of the symptoms, and how resistant those symptoms are to more typical (non-medication) interventions. The bigger pr…

I'd argue that if you can hold an office job for a year without getting fired then you don't have ADHD, or at least it is a very mild version. There are so many small things you need to do in an office hob that are super hard to do with ADHD, there is no way you can do a significant fraction of them with serious ADHD. It isn't about performing your job function which can be fun, but doing all the tiny bits you need to do just to function in an office, like answering emails, updating issue trackers, filling out forms, sitting still and look like you "work" etc. Many jobs will not fire you for being slow, but very few jobs will keep you around if you can't even pretend to do the work.

Most likely you will not even get the job though, since you will get stuck trying to apply for jobs, or maybe even earlier you will get stuck trying to do boring assignments in college and therefore wont even graduate.

Re: Me and ADHD

#227

Post by knorrie »

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!

You need the non-ADHD people to fly the the regular boring things from A to B, and you need the ADHD people to be able to take the right decisions about what to do in a split second while being under extreme duress in a war zone.

Re: Me and ADHD

#228

Post by username90 »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #223
username90 wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Contrary to what is often repeated online, it’s best to take the medication continuously rather than skipping days. I don't like being on stimulants though. When I'm on stimulants I can't just let my thoughts wander and do whatever feels right at the moment, and I really like that part. If I don't have work to do I greatly prefer not being on them. The only time I feel the need to abuse them is when I am over burde…

As always, the only real answer is to consult with your doctor. Taking breaks from medication isn't a terrible idea, especially if you hate it. The real problem is the people who associate taking the pill with getting work done, to the point that they forget how to accomplish anything without first reaching for the medication. The key is to break that connection before it becomes a craving for medication. > I don't l…

> Yikes. If you ever find yourself feeling the "need to abuse" a medication, I strongly recommend you keep an eye on those tendencies.

I don't abuse them though. Its just a thought in my head that pops up that I quickly dismiss.

> The real problem is the people who associate taking the pill with getting work done, to the point that they forget how to accomplish anything without first reaching for the medication.

Well, I couldn't accomplish anything before taking the pill. I didn't forget, I just couldn't get anything done ever. I learn stuff ridiculously fast though so I had no problems passing exams, but anything which required effort and focus like doing homework was never possible. Basically I was the best in class at exams and the worst in class at homework, to the point it prevented me from graduating. And as we know a job is more like doing homework than exam, so I never could do the things needed at a job.

Re: Me and ADHD

#229

Post by xyzzy_plugh »

throwaway289283 wrote: post #224
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 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 can confirm; I have ADHD and this even applies to stronger stimulants like cocaine. Cocaine doesn't do much for me, so I never understood why my friends were always bouncing off the walls while I was just chilling, like "what's the big deal with this drug". I didn't get…

Yes, I have a good friend who stopped taking prescription medicine for his severe ADHD long ago. In school he self-medicated with lots of drugs, and the drugs never affected him the same way as others.

Now he just smokes a ton of weed everyday, but you would never know it, he's very normal, stable. Off weed? He's a mess, bouncing off the walls.

Re: Me and ADHD

#230

Post by xyzzy_plugh »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #202
rossnordby wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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. Ma…

I don't disagree with anything you've written, but none of it matches my experience, which is interesting.
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