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My ADHD founder toolbox

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Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#321

Post by corobo »

ChildOfChaos wrote: post #293
corobo wrote: post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tried recently? It was only a couple months wait on NHS when I did it. I know, "only", but seeing as it had been 32 years at that point it wasn't a major wait. 2 months is good for the NHS and mental health haha. Diagnosis itself once I'd got through the wait took about 2 hours in total across 2 weekly meetings.

How does it even work? I barely go to the doctors, do I just ask them for an ADHD assessment?

That's how I did it yeah, went to my GP and said I suspected I may have ADHD and asked where to go with it from there. They referred me to the clinic that handles mental health in my town

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#322

Post by rtikulit »

Eumenes wrote: post #289
rtikulit wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ADHD is real, it deeply damages people's lives and it is usually treatable with stimulants, with an unusual degree of effectiveness. My psychiatrist told me up front that his diagnostic process was not directed towards ADHD and that he might end up with some other diagnosis or none at all. In the end he diagnosed me with ADHD after a process of interviews, tests, evaluation of historical evidence, and submissions by…

Stimulant's are effective at improving mood and productivity. There is no question there. I'm highly skeptical of a "disease" or "disorder". Having worked in investment banks where the majority of people were on adhd meds, college where most students were on adhd meds, and seeing all these mid-life diagnoses - is troubling, esp. when prescribing these drugs to children. Its becoming normalized, and even celebrated. S…

My revelation came when I observed my oldest child in kindergarten (which was nothing like being glued to a seat). My child was the large and obvious behavioural outlier. Then the unbelievable process in grade 3 of coaching their attention to and completion of simple homework, with much emotional distress and sobbing and feelings of inadequacy. Same with participation in sports. There is no such thing as “an ideal environment” where my kids would function in some kind of parity with their peers.

You have no clue because you have no pertinent experience.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#323

Post by FollowingTheDao »

mtsr wrote: post #305
FollowingTheDao wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are making a complicated when it’s effing simple. Just try taking high dose P5P. And probably zinc: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94124-5 If you knew the metabolic pathways thus would be as clear as day. We need enzymes to make neurotransmitter and those enzymes need cofactors to work. These are the cofactors.

If only things were generally so simple. While I'm all for more possible causes that are more easily treated, I’d hardly call this convincing evidence that all we need to treat is zinc deficiencies. But time will tell, as I hope these kinds of research continue.

But did you try it????

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#324

Post by RHSman2 »

jethro_tell wrote: post #282
yc-kraln wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was diagnosed when I was six, and, like you, I dropped all meds at 17. Recently (as in, this year) through a combination of therapy and introspection, I realized that while indeed I was able to have a successful life, career, relationships without the medication, and that, yes, my coping mechanisms were satisfactory, I was punching myself in the face for no reason Last month I saw a psychiatrist and got a prescript…

This is me, too. I grew up in a "Kids just don't want to learn any more, they all just take meds to fix behavior problems" household. I quit my meds when I was about 16/17 failed out of my last year of highschool, went on to become a construction foreman for huge projects managing crews of 30-40. During a layoff in 2009 because there was no construction, I installed linux on a laptop because I borked my OS and didn't…

Fist bump!

So I'm like this just not as 'successful' AND I haven't gone medicated as I'm on the cusp. Although, I've been putting something off for a while....;)

'The thing that's most beneficial is a bit unseen, I'm not carrying a burden of self-loathing, fear, anxiety on my back, all stressors that were a result of my inability to entirely control my focus and do the thing that I wanted to do when I wanted to. That invisible weight that I carried everywhere vanished.'

I am currently in the mindset that I don't get to choose what I do. I either do it, or I don't and that has forced me down a route to where I find myself. Which has really worked out. But only because I caught myself and that those knife edge moments went the right way.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#325

Post by wallawe »

jethro_tell wrote: post #282
yc-kraln wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was diagnosed when I was six, and, like you, I dropped all meds at 17. Recently (as in, this year) through a combination of therapy and introspection, I realized that while indeed I was able to have a successful life, career, relationships without the medication, and that, yes, my coping mechanisms were satisfactory, I was punching myself in the face for no reason Last month I saw a psychiatrist and got a prescript…

This is me, too. I grew up in a "Kids just don't want to learn any more, they all just take meds to fix behavior problems" household. I quit my meds when I was about 16/17 failed out of my last year of highschool, went on to become a construction foreman for huge projects managing crews of 30-40. During a layoff in 2009 because there was no construction, I installed linux on a laptop because I borked my OS and didn't…

This is extremely helpful for me to read. I was diagnosed in high school, stopped taking meds in college because my family had the same mentality and I thought I could do without.

I've been experiencing the exact same emotions/habits you mention for the past 5 years especially, now that I have a wife and child and it's been extremely stressful and I've been less than fun to be around unless I'd found a way to be super productive that day or perhaps after a couple drinks.

I took adderall for the first time in years yesterday coincidentally, and felt like a new person. I could work through the stuff that I'd been putting off for weeks. My house wasn't a disaster zone with baby toys everywhere.

So all of this just to say, thanks for your write up. I'm going to look into CBT as well and maybe get back on the meds permanently. My only concern is the come down where I was left feeling terrible, but I hear they have better stimulants than adderall these days so perhaps I'll give another one a shot.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#326

Post by Eumenes »

dymk wrote: post #313
Eumenes wrote: post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stimulant's are effective at improving mood and productivity. There is no question there. I'm highly skeptical of a "disease" or "disorder". Having worked in investment banks where the majority of people were on adhd meds, college where most students were on adhd meds, and seeing all these mid-life diagnoses - is troubling, esp. when prescribing these drugs to children. Its becoming normalized, and even celebrated. S…

> I'm highly skeptical of a "disease" or "disorder". Well, it’s you versus the entire medical community. Who do you think is more likely yo be right? Your bad experience is unfortunate but does not reflect that of most people with ADHD. It’s the only disorder which responds incredibly well to treatment by stimulants, and you’ll find that fact proven out by medical science.

Psychology/psychiatry has a dark past and seems to change its mind on things very often (often because of political correctness). Borderline a pseudoscience.

Until there's a blood test or concrete psychological proof, its just simply not a disease. These articles were great reads on this phenomenon of self diagnosis:

https://unherd.com/2022/11/who-decides-if-youre-mentally-ill...

https://mentalhellth.xyz/p/the-buzzfeed-ification-of-mental

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#327

Post by Eumenes »

rtikulit wrote: post #322
Eumenes wrote: post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stimulant's are effective at improving mood and productivity. There is no question there. I'm highly skeptical of a "disease" or "disorder". Having worked in investment banks where the majority of people were on adhd meds, college where most students were on adhd meds, and seeing all these mid-life diagnoses - is troubling, esp. when prescribing these drugs to children. Its becoming normalized, and even celebrated. S…

My revelation came when I observed my oldest child in kindergarten (which was nothing like being glued to a seat). My child was the large and obvious behavioural outlier. Then the unbelievable process in grade 3 of coaching their attention to and completion of simple homework, with much emotional distress and sobbing and feelings of inadequacy. Same with participation in sports. There is no such thing as “an ideal en…

You have to look out for your own kid and do what's best, not my place to speak, but I think we can agree on different approaches to these problems. Not all have to be involved with diagnosis or medicine.

I shared these articles in another comment, but this is what I fear is taking over the 'mental health' diagnosis situation atm:

https://unherd.com/2022/11/who-decides-if-youre-mentally-ill...

https://mentalhellth.xyz/p/the-buzzfeed-ification-of-mental

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#328

Post by sph »

ryanianian wrote: post #309
sph wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No idea, but habituation is a much bigger deal than people give it credit for. I did the titration regimen after my diagnosis with a licensed psychiatrist and ADHD specialist, so you start very low and test a dosage for a month at a time. You increase it slightly until side effects are noticeable, then you scale back. This was my timeline: Euphoria lasts perhaps two days, and you're on the lowest dose so it's pretty…

> Take a couple days off, and it's obvious it was working all along. This is key to appreciating the value of the medication and also benefits as a way to fight tolerance. "Medicine holidays" it's often called. Every month take a weekend off, and every 6 months take a week off. Those off days will leave you terribly lethargic. But going back on will make you really appreciate it. Or not in which case take a longer br…

AFAIK there is no real proof these holidays work, and many therapists do not even prescribe them to their patients.

I wonder if the dopamine system might need more than a few days to reset. In my experience with addiction, it takes months.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#329

Post by johnday »

romwell wrote: post #142

I've been diagnosed last year, at 34, and my life has started making so much more sense . Wish I got diagnosed earlier — getting a mathematics PhD with untreated ADHD was double plus ungood. I didn't know anything about ADHD, and was sure I don't have it because it's described as "deficit of attention" (spoiler: it's not). I realized I need to look into it after relating to one too many ADHD memes. In the aftermath,…

Having just finished (sort of) a PhD in computer science, very similar experience. I actually had to take a three month break, and nearly a second one, in the process because it was so easy to get distracted, overwhelmed and undersupported.

Re: My ADHD founder toolbox

#330

Post by darksaints »

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…

I had dropped out of college three times, spent a short stint homeless, and had nothing but tumultuous relationships before I was diagnosed with ADHD and started medication. Now I can live life like a normal human.

Please don't discourage others from taking medication to treat a very real illness.

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