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Ask HN: How do ADHD people cope on here?

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Re: Ask HN: How do ADHD people cope on here?

#263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no real long-term dependence. Going off the meds just returns me to my natural, dysfunctional self. I don't usually do that because it's disruptive without benefit. The first type I tried happened to be right for me, so I didn't experience any negative effects. I did experiment with dose, though. Getting it right just feels like being more awake, which is how I describe the ability to choose where I hold my f…

> There's no real long-term dependence. I think this varies highly from person to person. As someone who takes one to two days off a week, when possible, I must say I get some pretty brutal withdrawal side-effects. None of the side-effects are really dangerous or life-threatening by any means, but they are still somewhat disabling. I've been taking my medication for about 8 years now, and I am starting to feel like t…

I think that rollercoaster is why you're not supposed to take days off. Maybe try a non-stimulant if you can wait a month for it to start working?

Re: Ask HN: How do ADHD people cope on here?

#266
post #256
post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Once again, you're being presumptive. I have a rather severe case of ADHD co-morbid with PTSD, and nothing that I've stated as a solution is easy. If anything, it requires more discipline than simply cutting out temptations. You will need to learn to recognize when "it's time" and step away to re-calibrate. This requires knowing oneself and being transparent about your problems with others. The routes described prior…

You guys can stop fighting. ADHD is an broad label for what is becoming increasingly obvious are separate conditions, and I think they are up to at least 2 different types and then a third with mixed symptoms of both. What works for someone else may not work for you and vice versa, that's okay, it doesn't have to turn into you two being condescending assholes to each other or accusing the other of faking ADHD. The qu…

You lecturing anybody on being a condescending asshole is like the pot calling the kettle black. Any air of condescension in my tone never amounted to being retaliatory at most, as with this comment, so goodbye and consider your time wasted.

Re: Ask HN: How do ADHD people cope on here?

#267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wasting the one non-renewable resource that we possess (time) is a problem, no matter which comforting delusion we use to justify it.

Only waste if it's defined as such. People get to decide how "bad" spending time doing things is for themselves.

Too much of our lives are in a reactive state -- responding to events rather than being proactive. Thats a good survival mechanism -- but it causes anxiety by overanalyzing, rather than living in the moment. I think limits and boundaries are important -- but its too easy to let emotions carry us away. Rationality is only one facet of human behavior.

Re: Ask HN: How do ADHD people cope on here?

#268
post #266
post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You guys can stop fighting. ADHD is an broad label for what is becoming increasingly obvious are separate conditions, and I think they are up to at least 2 different types and then a third with mixed symptoms of both. What works for someone else may not work for you and vice versa, that's okay, it doesn't have to turn into you two being condescending assholes to each other or accusing the other of faking ADHD. The qu…

You lecturing anybody on being a condescending asshole is like the pot calling the kettle black. Any air of condescension in my tone never amounted to being retaliatory at most, as with this comment, so goodbye and consider your time wasted.

Time wasted would be an accurate assessment so I won't bother continuing this discussion, you have yourself a nice night and/or day.

Re: Ask HN: How do ADHD people cope on here?

#269
I tried meds and they were helpful in a way but had major tradeoffs.

Modafinil would make me hyper-focused but would blunt my emotions, cause terrible anxiety. Impossible to relax. I did it everyday for two years (unwise -- should take breaks or stop taking them on weekends. It doesn't necessarily improve cognition but improves focus mainly.

Now I take a Ritalin-like chemical -- its much more manageable than Modafinil but makes me less social-- a little more anxious but its tolerable. The dose-range you have to get right -- and take breaks for your body to recover. Stimulants can cause harmful side-effects mask fatigue/sleep deprivation suppress your appetite, cause weight-loss and have psychiatric effects.

In a 9-5 it helps you grind through tasks but its not sustainable to do it too frequently. I think 4 times max a week would be doable -- you have to be mindful to take care of your body and mind when using it. Productivity is only one part of life -- other parts of your health are important as well.

Re: Ask HN: How do ADHD people cope on here?

#270

Didn't know I had ADHD until I read this. Were you officially diagnosed?

You probably don't have ADHD! Or more precisely, whether you would get a diagnosis of ADHD if you consulted the appropriate specialist is probably irrelevant to your life. You are one of the many people who have repeatedly derived pleasure from visiting HN. It is natural for humans to get pleasure from learning new things and getting fresh perspectives from other humans. And HN is easy and comfortable and very safe.…

> But people with a mental disorder have the same mental architecture for motivation as the rest of us

You may want to read up on that actually.

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