Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you?

That being said, I started with two doses of Ritalin (Methylphenidate) with 30mg in the morning and another 20mg past noon. And then switched to Elvanse(Lisdexamfetamine) with a single 30mg for the entire day.

I'd describe the difference between the the two (personally, again, mechanisms of action and cause of illness differ between people), as my ADHD being like driving a car with flat tires. The Ritalin gave me a more powerful motor, so I could simply power through the flat tire, while the Elvanse is like a spare tire.

Also as a general note, I prefer to be slightly under-medicated than over-medicated. Ideally I'd take barely enough to make me overcome my inner barrier, and then work from there with taking breaks, going by my own timing, doing sports e.t.c. which then act as a compounding and self reinforcing positive feedback loop.

I don't take any medication for it. Never have. It felt a lot like when I started going to therapy. I was able to learn more about myself and point to some things that I do as ADHD related. It helped me understand why I am the way I am.

1. If your ADHD hasn't made your life (at least at moments) a living hell, it's probably not something that needs to be addressed very urgently.

2. If you don't think your ADHD is a problem but a therapist thinks it might be, well... That's an ADHD thing, and it might help to entertain the idea and openly explore it with therapy and loved ones.

ADHD, whatever it really is, has made my life very difficult at times. I won't describe why because I don't think our situations and symptoms would align well enough for it to be relevant. I will say though that I managed to make it to 30 as a reasonably introspective, thoughtful, and open person without really cluing in to the fact that I had some severe problems stemming from ADHD. I know that seems contradictory, but the trouble with ADHD is that it's something of a self defeating condition. Some of your internal senses are finely tuned while others are extremely dull, and they often work against each other to suppress and hide each other. It's dangerously compounding. The people around you may never notice this, too - this only works to exacerbate your blind spots in terms of self awareness. It's often true that only the people closest to us, like a spouse or other immediate family, will ever become attuned to our issues. I can say confidently even now that my closest friends had no idea I had ADHD, and some even insisted my diagnosis was an error. I had a good job, I was disciplined, I was a good parent. I used to believe those things too, haha.

All that is to say that if you do have ADHD and think it's fine, well... It might actually be awful for those around you, and that's worth inspecting. However, if it is benign, just let it be.

Others quickly jumped to saying meds changed their life. They changed my perspective of what my life could be, which was useful. I didn't find them useful beyond that. I disliked the side effects, and I found the soft, fleeting rewiring to feel like a mental flip-flopping that made it difficult to pin down which thoughts and actions where "real" or "generated" by drugs. Just as taking LSD in the pursuit of opening your mind leads to unearned wisdom, I felt as though amphetamines lead to an unearned, poorly understood, unsustainable source of focus and executive function.

At any rate, if you're here asking us, there must be some salience in your mind that's pushing you to explore the possibility. I say yes, explore it. But do it openly with a critical mind. Don't assume this ends in a prescription. Consider it self work which could benefit you and your loved ones. Most importantly, don't assume this is a bad thing. ADHD is another permutation of human genetics and environment. It's not an innate disability or disease. You're the same person with or without the diagnosis, and the ultimate goal is to be the best you can be regardless of which mind or body you inherited.

Hyperfocus can also be a side effect of stimulant medication. It's not uncommon for newly diagnosed ADHD patients to take stimulants and end up hyperfocusing on the wrong thing, such as video games or other vices.

Be careful about interpreting something like increased focus as ADHD. The pop-culture definition of ADHD has become so blurry that nearly everyone could be considered ADHD under certain criteria. When focusing too much and focusing too little are both supposedly symptoms of the same disorder, it's easy to misconstrue normal behavior for disorders. It's best to leave the diagnosis to a professional.