191–200 of 220 posts
I'm becoming more of an adult-onset ADHD skeptic. I mean, there is even a crisis now because of an Adderall shortage [1]. People who legitimately need them (they cannot hold a job without it) are not able to get them. I think there is certainly a spectrum of ADHD. Those with severe ADHD literally cannot function in society, they can't hold jobs, they can't get university degrees, without medication. Then you have the…
I got on meds for ADHD and they objectively didn’t help that much. I also felt like my pulse and emotions were greatly elevated in confrontational situations to an uncomfortable extent (though caffiene was involved). The other aspect was that it was almost $300/month for a prescription. In social situations they did help a bit. Any impact on productivity was minor. I’d also say right after the meds kicked in I would…
Barkley considers meds necessary but not sufficient. The second part is "to design prosthetic environments around the individual to compensate for their EF [Executive Function] deficits." [0] For those not following the ADHD conversation, Executive Function refers to a set of: Nonverbal working memory, Internalization of Speech (verbal working memory), Self-regulation of affect/motivation/arousal, Reconstitution (pla…
I got on meds for ADHD and they objectively didn’t help that much. I also felt like my pulse and emotions were greatly elevated in confrontational situations to an uncomfortable extent (though caffiene was involved). The other aspect was that it was almost $300/month for a prescription. In social situations they did help a bit. Any impact on productivity was minor. I’d also say right after the meds kicked in I would…
One thing that isn't talked enough is the importance of regular exercise for managing adhd. Humans are not to designed to sit on our butts all day.
1: Though it's by no means easy to get ADHD people to exercise; most cardio is boring and there's also: "I'm behind on all of my work and personal projects, and you want me to set aside time for recreation?"
I did the same two years ago and it's been transformative. There are people who will tell you that medication isn't a complete solution, or that it's not the best one. They're not wrong, but telling someone who is drowning that they just need to learn how to swim isn't doing them any favors. I was 40 when I was diagnosed, and understanding the implications of that diagnosis has made my life much better. My first coup…
It's really helpful to hear from someone a few years out from a diagnosis. There are so many accounts from people who just started meds and are thrilled with how it's going and the initial excitement of "life didn't have to be this hard". I'm in the "I should really see someone" stage, and part of the reason I'm skeptical of these accounts is that I imagine stimulants would make anyone more focused and productive. To…
Along with ADHD I had a pretty strong depression (mainly secondary, as in created by ADHD, but with some elements that might seem primary). Stimulants, on the lower dose manifactured, lifted that from basically the first days. I still have bad days but they are not as crippling as before.
After a month or so I started to realize that I was much more relaxed in general, and that I was "finally" starting to lose track of appointments (like a normal person does, instead of remembering them all like my life depends on that). I think I had a good deal of anxiety that was completely making up for ADHD's forgetfulness. I think it freed a lot of "computational power" that before was used to make me a human agenda.
I also became much less strict with times and habits - it used to be very difficult for me to create and to break habits, while now it feels much more fluid. I used to not be able to go to bed before my last bedtime, which is incredibly frustrating (if my normal bedtime is midnight and I went to bed once at two, the next day I would habe to go to bed at 2).
I'd also advise against taking meds only "as needed", or skipping the weekends, at least for the first months. Even stimulants, which feel like hava an immediate effect, take 2/3 days to be active and from recent studies seem to be fully active only after some weeks. For me skipping a day is terribly limiting and I still feel the effects after a few days.
I brought up here on HN in a similar ADHD thread just a couple of months ago that I was going through an investigation with my therapist for ADHD. Yesterday we finalised it and I got the diagnosis, I have ADHD. When reading through resources like this: https://invisibleup.com/articles/27/ I could relate to an extreme extent to a lot written there. Both in the blog post as in some of the further resources linked in th…
I don't think negatively of our condition though, it's part of life. I chose to look to change it because of how it impacted my relationship and because I wanted to regain some agency of how I use my time.
But I believe I did fine with it for a number of years before.
I'm glad I sought for help when I did and the short term impacts have been extremely positive for me.
I hope you continue on your path, and I'll be rooting for you.
I got on meds for ADHD and they objectively didn’t help that much. I also felt like my pulse and emotions were greatly elevated in confrontational situations to an uncomfortable extent (though caffiene was involved). The other aspect was that it was almost $300/month for a prescription. In social situations they did help a bit. Any impact on productivity was minor. I’d also say right after the meds kicked in I would…
Taking caffeine with Adderall gives me horrendous anxiety and heart palpitations so I don't drink coffee anymore. When I take adderall + magnesium I'm almost as calm as I am unmedicated. For anyone else taking them both that may not have made the connection yet.
Adderall and I were just not meant to ever go together. The first dosage had no effect other than a slightly elevated resting heartrate, and when the dose was increased, I was awake for 40 hours straight with mild psychosis.
OTOH, some people respond great to Addreall, and I've heard great things about Vyvanse (a prodrug for Adderall) for an all-day treatment for ADHD in those who do.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I had already been self medicating with coffee Very much this. The nice thing about stimulant medication is it provides more of the ADHD brain regulation with a lower impact on your body (jitters, increased heartrate, etc).
You do need to lay off the coffee for a bit though. At first I stopped altogether, then went back to some decaf, now I'm back to drinking some regular, but always careful about how much. Also, decongestant medication, though Adder-all is a mild decongestant so I don't use separate decongestants very often.
Or figure out a system that works for you. Medication is not the only way.
Exactly, it's good to talk to a professional and see your options. I believe each person can have their own healing mechanism, could be a therapist, exercise or even spiritually related.
I understand everyone is different, made differently with unique physiology, mind and needs.
Sometimes medication can help or harm, for me it's been a positive but not the focus.
I did the same two years ago and it's been transformative. There are people who will tell you that medication isn't a complete solution, or that it's not the best one. They're not wrong, but telling someone who is drowning that they just need to learn how to swim isn't doing them any favors. I was 40 when I was diagnosed, and understanding the implications of that diagnosis has made my life much better. My first coup…
Do you take it every day? I have always been nervous about "on medication" being my default state. I like taking it before a focused work day, but then I feel like I am missing out on the other benefits, like just listening to whoever I am having dinner with, being present, etc.. From a programming standpoint, sometimes the drug makes me more confident and enthusiastic, which results in me spewing out a few hundred l…
If you don't mind me asking, what medicine were you prescribed? What kind of topics do you go over in therapy?
First of, I suggest you talking to your doctor about the medicine. For me, I use Vyvanse 30mg, but the same medicine can have a much different impact on you.
I do recommend therapy and really opening up to your therapist. I started out with current struggles, how I felt and handled, and then I talked about past events, formative stuff from my childhood and teenage years.
I also covered topics about inadequacy and frustrations with how I manage my time, my attention and my energy.
Before each sessions I make a list of certain topics I want to cover and I use it as starter, then I let the therapist guide me through some stuff.