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Me and ADHD

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Re: Me and ADHD

#301

Post by irjustin »

Pretty late to this party, but I was diagnosed with mild ADHD at 35, but had lots of signs when I was younger. At 9, my parents were recommended by the elementary school I get medicated, but didn't follow through.

To be up front, my ADHD is quite manageable through "tricks" similar to how the post describes but not as strict/many of them.

At 35, I always wondered what it would have been like if I had been medicated. Who could I have been if focus was easier?

I went to the doctor to get formally diagnosed and get my hands on Ritalin. For me, it was a double edge sword.

For 1 week, the focus was incredible.

I describe the feeling as if I'm a ball. Normally, I'm a ball on top of a hill, where I'm unstable and easily pushed off the hill. Text, emails, news all so easily nudge me and roll me down the hill. It takes incredible effort to stay focused and on the correct spot at the top of the hill.

While on Ritalin for the 1 week, it was as if I was at the bottom of a valley. Texts, coworkers, whatever tried to distract me but it was so easy to return to the thing that I needed to work on even when it wasn't desirable. Things like eng docs or management reviews. Basically, non-coding things.

Sadly, I couldn't continue. My high blood pressure (HBP) was simply too high, 140/100, and my heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. The benefits weren't worth the drawbacks for me. We tried non-stimulant alternatives, but they weren't as effective and, to a lesser degree, still had HBP issues.

Re: Me and ADHD

#302

Post by at_a_remove »

I am going to mention something. In my distant past I worked for a psychology firm handling, well, everything to do with computers. That included some testing.

In the United States, there are two tests for ADHD I would vouch for: Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT) and the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA). Both are computerized. Both rely solely on your reactions and your restraint, they are not questionnaires. We had plenty of patients who had been diagnosed via questionnaire who did not show up at ADHD to a significant degree on those tests. Rather, they had some other underlying disorder that can also mess with attention, such as, sadly, early onset schizophrenia.

The other benefit of these computerized tests is that you can use the to titrate your medication to an appropriate dose, as most stimulants have an inverted U-shaped response. Too much and you get to feeling like a zombie. Gain weight? Retake the test. Maybe you hit puberty. Retake the test. Maybe you have side effects and you need a different formulation or a different medication all together. Retake the test. By doing this, you can figure out what your optimal dose is, even figure out at what time you "peak."

The other way to diagnose is through a PET scan but I don't know anyone in their right minds who does that.

CPTs and TOVAs, I don't know how much they cost today but I would say that they are worth it, both for peace of mind (I really have it, my parents didn't just answer the questionnaire hoping to get certain results) and for the ability to tune your medicinal needs.

Re: Me and ADHD

#303

Post by username90 »

irjustin wrote: post #301

Pretty late to this party, but I was diagnosed with mild ADHD at 35, but had lots of signs when I was younger. At 9, my parents were recommended by the elementary school I get medicated, but didn't follow through. To be up front, my ADHD is quite manageable through "tricks" similar to how the post describes but not as strict/many of them. At 35, I always wondered what it would have been like if I had been medicated.…

You can usually manage the blood pressure by exercising and eating better. Ritalin makes that easier, so the overall effect could even be positive.

Re: Me and ADHD

#304

Post by aneemzic »

beaugunderson wrote: post #290
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 see this repeated often and I've never been able to find a source for it. I do not believe stimulant medications affect people with ADHD and without ADHD differently. > Stimulant drugs do improve the ability (even without ADHD) to focus and pay attention. One function, which is reliably improved by stimulant medications, is sustained attention, or vigilance. Stimulants improve sustained, focused attention, but “sel…

>I see this repeated often and I've never been able to find a source for it. I do not believe stimulant medications affect people with ADHD and without ADHD differently.

I'm sorry but you clearly haven't even tried to research the subject, so I'm not surprised you don't believe it. People with ADHD have been scientifically proven to have deficiencies in specific neurotransmitters, namely norepinephrine and dopamine. There's multiple studies on ADHD and reward pathways you could find with a simple google search.

If you understand how amphetamine based stimulants such as adderall work, you'll know these are 2 of the major neurotransmitters that they target along with serotonin.

The entire reason for using these types of medications is to improve availability of neurotransmitters to those with abnormal production that impedes cognitive function. Sure people with normal levels can take stimulants and see effects, since these drugs don't balance levels, they just increase them. In a person with normal dopamine production it's just going to lead to an imbalance, and result in the euphoria feeling they're seeking, whether they want to admit it or not.

Edit: the article you posted doesn't even support your argument. It seems in people without ADHD, the medication resulted in increased impulsivity and distractibility.Most likely as a result of abnormal levels of norepinephrine. This is evidence of the drug having literally the opposite of it's intended effect when taken by people without ADHD.

Re: Me and ADHD

#305

Post by eyelidlessness »

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…

> A lot of comments here are warning about the addictive properties of stimulant medications.

Beyond everything else you've said which is all correct and reflects my experience, I want to point out something that doesn't seem well known in the general fabric of the ADHD topic:

Addiction and substance abuse are a common trait in adult undiagnosed/untreated cases. Alcohol abuse, amphetamine abuse, you name it. I can speak from personal experience here: before I understood I had a real chemical imbalance affecting my whole life, I had used and abused alcohol to the point it significantly damaged my life, and some important relationships. I can't say for sure that wouldn't have happened if I'd been diagnosed and treated earlier, but I can say the knee-jerk reaction about medically prescribed treatment that has very little risk of abuse/addiction is inappropriate given the outcome that's much more likely without treatment.

Re: Me and ADHD

#307

Post by bqmjjx0kac »

core-questions wrote: post #239
madamelic wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>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…

I'm a parent who's scared about my child's potential need for this. We're just entering the diagnosis pipeline now. I'd like to give you an opportunity to convince me that I shouldn't be resisting that sort of thing, which is my (admittedly somewhat unfounded) reaction.

I was diagnosed around age 15 and started taking Concerta. It was life-changing for a while, but it started feeling less helpful over time. I remember feeling like my energy/attention was a zero-sum game, and I had to pay it back at the end of the day.

I was frustrated with these side-effects in college, so I quit the meds as a freshman. I got through college and even a masters degree, but it was a slog. While working at my first "real" job, I felt like I'd hit a brick wall. It was near impossible for me to stay focused during the day. I went back to my doctor and started taking Vyvanse, which I've been on for ~5 years now. This drug has been really amazing, and I don't feel totally sapped at the end of the day. (My layman's understanding is that it's a pro-drug, so your liver has to chop the molecules apart to produce the actual amphetamine. It has a slower ramp-up and ramp-down than the Concerta did.)

One thing to consider is sleep quality. It turns out I had an obstructive sinus blockage for many years. I got it removed surgically and feel amazing. I still take meds to deal with underlying ADHD symptoms, but I could actually be a functioning adult without the meds at this point.

Re: Me and ADHD

#308

Post by eyelidlessness »

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 [...] Sometimes try to do tasks without medication

I can't and won't speak to your experience or your medical advice, but from my experience this is advice I would strongly advise considering your own experience before taking. My experience is that if I miss a dose I'll find myself, hours later, with my brain catastrophically grinding gears and in tears from a panic attack. This isn't from addiction, this is because I've actually adjusted to having a brain chemistry that isn't broken. I was just as much a wreck before I was medicated, I just didn't know and had a lot of really unhealthy self-medication techniques.

I'm well near the highest dose on my medication (Vyvanse) and I still have many of the pros and cons of ADHD. I don't need to play chicken with my brain chemicals to exercise the unique heaven and hell that's in there.

Re: Me and ADHD

#309

Post by adolph »

29athrowaway wrote: post #41

GABA supplements can help alleviate the symptoms of ADHD, if the source of it is anxiety.

There is ongoing investigation and debate about how GABA supplements work in the body, and how their mechanisms of action may differ from the body’s internally-produced GABA. Specifically, scientists have not reached consensus about whether, or how effectively, supplemental GABA crosses what’s known as the blood-brain barrier — meaning, how well it moves from the bloodstream directly into the brain. There remains real need for additional research into the effects of supplemental GABA, including how it may affect the nervous system via the gut.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sleep-newzzz/201901/...

Re: Me and ADHD

#310

Post by gonehome »

still_grokking wrote: post #291
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 would question that there is a substantial difference. Amphetamine does not necessary make you "high", even without having ADHD. Only if you're not used to it there is this "bouncing off the fucking walls" effect. But it goes away if you know this effect already. Than amphetamines can increase focus, and make you chill instead of hyper-active. That's why people take it to study for example actually. After a few day…

This is my position too - I’m pretty skeptical of the “ADHD people have a different response to stimulants”.

Stimulants help everyone focus, it’s why people drink coffee.

Everyone would perform better on a low dose Ritalin. I think people just rationalize a special need for them. Erdos famously took amphetamines.

I’d buy people have variable baselines, but I think everyone would benefit from stimulants if they could take them.

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