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My ADHD founder toolbox

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Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#191

Post by mtsr »

flakeoil wrote: post #185
mtsr wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The graveyards filled with former hobbies that many with ADHD can attest to tell a different story. One where perseverance through frustration is not only relevant to one’s career, but possibly also one’s happiness. Sure, acceptance of the limited arc of concentration and limited frustration tolerance is essential. But that doesn’t preclude people being happier when they become able to actually stick to things for a…

The issue with your reasoning is that what you describe is not ADHD. It's not a decease. It's nothing wrong. It's normal. It's human. It's pathetic to read about how people take drugs or want to take drugs because they have difficulties to focus on reading a book or focusing on a hobby or a boring job. Sure there are people who really have issues and really have ADHD, but in those cases it's pretty obvious. People wa…

Excuse me. Who are you to judge whether somebody else who’s seeing a therapist and getting prescriptions meds does or doesn’t have ADHD? Sure the tests used aren’t black and white, but the measuring stick of specific symptoms combined with “significant problems in at least three areas of life” does a reasonable job of selecting for actual patients. And we don’t prescribe meds to the self-diagnosed.

One thing you are right about is that, like many psychological conditions, ADHD is a matter of degrees. Everyone can potentially be anxious at times, or sad, or distracted. But if it gets to a point where it impairs functioning in so many things, it might actually be a somatic issue.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#192

Post by BatteryMountain »

resonious wrote: post #61
ReaLNero wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why did you stop taking meds? Curious what would be your reasons against it.

I'm not GP but I also stopped taking meds (actually recently for me, and I'm 27). I'm sure GP's reason is different. My reason was that I had realized that a lot of my old ADHD symptoms were actually still happening. I was still procrastinating, still getting stressed when forced to focus on stuff I don't care about, still forgetting stuff. As an experiment, I decided to keep lowering my dose to see what happens. I k…

As a next experiment, give Atomoxetine a shot. Works nicely for me and is not a stim. I feel it makes me more emotionally involved/interested in whatever I'm focusing on, so very easy to get into flow states, provided there are no distractions around. It doesn't warp time or change your mood/personality like the typical stim based meds. It does affect appetite, so if you are trying to lose weight, it becomes very easy.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#193

Post by tobias3 »

falcolas wrote: post #6
vbad wrote: post #5

> After meeting the founders last summer during their YC batch, I’ve been pretty consistently using the app InFlow, which I described to a friend as “super chill easy cognitive behavioural skill-building around ADHD.” I feel like I’ve made real progress using it. This blog post reads like an advertisement for InFlow (YC S21), which was roundly criticized for being exploitative of people with ADHD, when it was posted…

They mention it once... and cover a lot of other things. So while I agree with the linked threads, this doesn't really read as an ad for InFlow any more than it reads as an ad for CBT or Intuniv. My impression.

Well, that is how the best content marketing works. You make a good write-up of an area, then casually mention the product somewhere -- also needs to look natural. If author got paid it needs to be marked as sponsored in some jurisdictions.

I'd also guess that many with the condition have tried all the common treatment options and will zero in on the one thing new that the person saying they have the condition under control offers as new treatment option.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#194

Post by BatteryMountain »

rtpg wrote: post #52

Regarding meds, are people willing to share what kind of doses they are on? I take 27mg of Concerta, and I remember talking to someone taking like... 5x that? And being quite shocked, but there's always that curiosity about what dosages makes sense.

40mg Atomoxetine, down from 80mg as I lost weight. It's a non-stimulant med, and it's secondary effect is being an anti-depressant. Affects appetite & sexual drive.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#195

Post by yywwbbn »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #100
brian_cunnie wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> psychiatric meds you can get on and off safely at any time Maybe you can get off them safely, but not always easily. My alcohol/drug recovery group is filled with people who couldn't easily get off them, like my friend N., who rather than swallowing his medication (Ritalin?), he crushed it & snorted it like cocaine.

> Maybe you can get off them safely, but not always easily. You're implying addiction, but in the more common case, people with ADHD can be apprehensive about getting off the meds for the same reason people with chronic pain can't easily get off painkillers, or people in general can't easily get off oxygen. > like my friend N., who rather than swallowing his medication (Ritalin?), he crushed it & snorted it like coca…

> can't easily get off oxygen.

I’m sorry but this is just beyond silly.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#196

Post by badpun »

thevagrant wrote: post #176
baby wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a noob, can you guys give me an idea of what it is to live with ADHD? My understanding is that focus is a spectrum and different people are on different spots on that spectrum. I always imagine that something becomes a condition and gets a name (like ADHD) once it becomes an issue in your life and prevents you from functioning in society. When I hear that you're a staff engineer it sorts of tells me that it's not…

It's like hearing a lot of noises up close and loud but then noticing they are far away. They distract you. The clock ticking. The tap dripping. The person on the other side of the office eating crisps. Ok, turn back to your desk and focus. Got to finish this task. "Hey John, did you fix that problem with the DB log crash?" You look up, realize John and the boss are on the other side of the room and you are not part…

Isn't it just how normal people perceive life? That's why so many people are happy not to work in the offices after all, or, when in office, wear headphones for hours.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#197

Post by otikik »

elcritch wrote: post #112
throwawaaarrgh wrote: post #51

I diagnosed when I was like... 8 years old. From then to 17 I was on various meds, finally gave them all up. So for about 22 years I've coped with ADHD without meds. I am a Staff Engineer and make a good living, respected in my field. Regardless of anything else, I think the key thing to remember about ADHD is that you do not need to be a high-performing human being, at all, in life. You will forget things and get di…

> Regardless of anything else, I think the key thing to remember about ADHD is that you do not need to be a high-performing human being, at all, in life. You will forget things and get distracted and not get as much done. So what. You are still intelligent and caring and dedicated and responsible and a hard worker. Exactly! I was diagnosed later in life by which time I had experienced a significant amount of trauma e…

Hi, could you give an example of the “press enter” part? I feel it would work for me but I don’t fully understand what you mean.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#198

Post by sirsinsalot »

I was diagnosed last year at 35. I've tried and failed to launch my own projects since I was 13.

I was a classic adhd child, at a time when diagnosis and treatment was rare.

Children whose dopamine regulation issues are treated early can leave medication as their brain adjusts while still plastic.

In adulthood you're stuck. I've battled addiction, terrible damage to relationships and failure to achieve my full happiness potential.

Founding a company is extra hard.

I'm glad I'm medicated now. The result has been life changing and profound.

The more we talk, treat and exercise compassion about this horrible neurological disorder the better.

It isn't like a broken leg or depression, the symptoms are varied and express in complex ways.

Thank you to anyone talking about this with kindness and compassion

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#199

Post by cranium »

rastamutta wrote: post #174

The fact that everyone is diagnosed with adhd and then given amphetamines is going to be the medical scandal of this century. I have several friends who have become unbearable due to being constantly high, one of them quit their job and is now unemployed and alone, unable to function in crowds. Of course they all report that they feel great on the speed!

Fast acting stimulants are prone to abuse, and people with ADHD are more likely to have addictions (because, you know, deficit of dopamine). A competent psychiatrist follows their patient throughout the treatment to evaluate if the cure is worse than the disease. If that's the case, adapt the treatment: switch to extended release medication, change medication, up/lower the dose, impose weekly sessions to keep the medication to control abuse,... The tool box is clearly not empty.

Did you ask your friends how they are doing or did you find them annoying once and decided the problem was their medication?

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#200

Post by sirsinsalot »

sedivy94 wrote: post #154
mtsr wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you wear glasses? Would you say you have a dependency on them? I know my wife does. So what? Again with the stigma. There’s little medical reason to expect stimulant effectiveness to change after the first couple of weeks, the “honeymoon period”, during which the mood lifting effects are most pronounced. It’s also that same effect that is the main attraction for abusers because it can give euphoria in high enough…

Are you not aware that dopamine receptor density increases over time with amphetamine use? Amphetamine may be a net positive for some folks despite this, but for others it actually exacerbates the condition over time.

You're misunderstanding the action of the medication and the defect in the brain of adhd. Adhd is an abnormal density of dopamine transporter.

Receptor density might increase, but that's negligible in the system compared to the starting density of transporters at therapeutic doses.

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