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Ask HN: Should I medicate my ADHD?
51–60 of 114 posts
Re: Ask HN: Should I medicate my ADHD?
#52I think I have a somewhat similar case. Whenever there's an important or interesting task at work, it's literally impossible for me to distract and stop before it's done. I can skip my dinner and sleep because my mind is fully focused on the task. Because of that, I can also do a lot. On the other hand, I cannot watch movies or read books because my mind wanders every second and it's really hard to concentrate. I als…
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Re: Ask HN: Should I medicate my ADHD?
#53I would at least try the meds for a couple of months. I started taking conserta, and it was kind of magical. My mood would improve a lot and I felt more sympathetic with people and problems I needed to solve. As if I had the energy of thinking all trought, with more points of views. Some time later I would get used to effect and it kind of wore out. Today I feel my antidepressants are more effective than the adhd med…
> I would at least try the meds for a couple of months.
Whether or not you have ADHD, amphetamines will improve your life if you measure quality by how much you get done.
So I think the real question is: Are you prevented from functioning according to your expectations without daily amphetamine use, or not? And do you even see that as a problem?
I've used various (legal) amphetamines and modafinil variants for years, and they always made me very productive and happy, because I like getting things done. They also make me very high-energy.
Disclaimers:
- Amphetamines are physically addictive
- Being productive is psychologically addictive
- Take time off, or the productivity effect will even out, just like too much coffee.Re: Ask HN: Should I medicate my ADHD?
#54[flagged]
"Real human glow" is so nonspecific, as if you were inviting a flame war on purpose
I'm a pretty middling writer, I wasn't sure how best to describe this concept. Again, this is from secondary anecdotes, I'm rephrasing something I was told by a friend.
If I were to reach for examples, I might say this human glow is fostered when holding your brother's baby for the first time, or watching the sunrise after a morning hike, or making a speech at a cousin's wedding. It's rewarding and fulfilling in a way entirely compartmentalized from the feeling stimulants provide.
My understanding is that stims tend to make us prioritize activities which are more artificially rewarding. Writing code, playing Dota, arguing online - all of these things feel great while on stims, but are spiritually empty in a way that I find difficult to explain to people who are already using.
That's the reason that despite an ADHD diagnosis in my youth I never picked up the stuff. Life is so short and almost none of its best parts are experienced behind the computer.
Re: Ask HN: Should I medicate my ADHD?
#55[flagged]
I had a similar experience and almost everyone likes the new me better, including me. The old me said hurtful, asinine things. The new me is the one I always wanted to be.
That's great - I hope that continues to be the case. There's no doubt these drugs work well for plenty of people.
Re: Ask HN: Should I medicate my ADHD?
#56Ive never been diagnosed for something like that, but I am inclined to say you should avoid that type of medication unless your condition is dibilitating. It could be the case that you are working harder than you need to, im going to make an assumption about how you approach problems, hopefully its pertinent. I would recommend thinking critically about any given task before getting into the work. When assigned a task…
> I would recommend thinking critically about any given task before getting into the work. > think of this as reading the instructions and questions on a timed test before foolishly trying to solve the first equation you see I realise that you’re trying to be helpful here but these comments show a significant misunderstanding of ADHD. For many people with ADHD plunging in without reading the instructions is the only…
The point of these excercises is to interrupt that process before you get in into it, you may or may not be right that they wouldnt work on someone that has ADHD, but having manic behavior isnt always an indication of ADHD, and all else you have to go on is a childhood diagnoses.
So, in my mind you have already skipped that part where you slow down to analyze the problem, and have moved straight into prescribing a solution.
Debilitating I believe has a technical definition, but I would say that if your psychology is demonstrably causing you grief because you cant stay out of your own way, AND less invasive measures have proven ineffective, then medication may be reasonable.
Re: Ask HN: Should I medicate my ADHD?
#57Try the meds. They'll give you a new perspective on yourself. And it's not like the hyperfocus goes away, if anything it gets worse (personal anecdote there, not data).
The first three weeks are amazing. Rationality-as-a-superpower. Imagine being able to choose what to spend hyperfocus on! Be warned, that feeling doesn't last. But enjoy it while it does.
Re: Ask HN: Should I medicate my ADHD?
#58> I’ve always thought of my ADHD as a superpower, as I have the ability to intensely hyperfocus and get incredible amounts of work done. This is the literal opposite of what AD(H)D is. You either don’t have ADHD or you have (arguably) ADHD primarily with hyperactivity. ADHD drugs are stimulants— they don’t treat hyperactivity, they treat the attention issue… and as a side effect they are likely to worsen hyperactivit…
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Re: Ask HN: Should I medicate my ADHD?
#59Ive never been diagnosed for something like that, but I am inclined to say you should avoid that type of medication unless your condition is dibilitating. It could be the case that you are working harder than you need to, im going to make an assumption about how you approach problems, hopefully its pertinent. I would recommend thinking critically about any given task before getting into the work. When assigned a task…
> I would recommend thinking critically about any given task before getting into the work. > think of this as reading the instructions and questions on a timed test before foolishly trying to solve the first equation you see I realise that you’re trying to be helpful here but these comments show a significant misunderstanding of ADHD. For many people with ADHD plunging in without reading the instructions is the only…
“What does debilitating really mean? I could always get the work done, and get it done well, but at significant cost to my mental energy.”
That sums it up perfectly for me as well. I get shit done but at a high cost mentally, physically and emotionally.
Re: Ask HN: Should I medicate my ADHD?
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