Ask HN: Discuss ADHD and your use of medication

You don't "develop late-onset ADHD" - you either have ADHD or you don't, it's a genetic condition (one of your parents had it). You have to fit the DMS criteria of having childhood symptoms, and they will want to speak to relatives and friends who can confirm this.

Burnout can cause AuDHD traits but you don't catch anything - likely taking time to recover will be better than trying medication - for a start you have to find the drug and dose that works for you and you need to speak to a psychiatrist for that.

FWIW I was diagnosed at 35 (I'm 42 now) and I'm on 60Mg Lisdexamfetamine per day. The medication is not a silver bullet, and there's day I forget to take it.

In full agreement with tanepiper. Also, you don't say what happened nor what it is you are currently identifying as ADD. that makes it hard to give you any feedback other than, you don't have it because if you did you would be born with it.

Also, as someone who has ADHD, and was diagnosed as a child, took medication from childhood to adulthood, I learned to live with it. In my masters program I felt like taking Adderall made everything so easy and that I needed to learn to exist as I am. Of course that had some difficulties but I stopped taking it ten years ago and I think I'm all the better for it. I never need to forget taking medication, I've learned how to actively engage myself when my attention flies all over the place, I've learned how to handle the emotional disregulation. I'm not suggesting to others to do the same, but I find a nice balance in my life.

I find that many things, such as getting distracted frequently wasn't actually an ADHD related issue. I wasn't constantly getting distracted by slack and emails, it's that I was surrendering my time to others in the fear that if I didn't it would harm me in some way. When I realized this through therapy and started to protect my time and engage my interests, suddenly these "distractions" went away.

It's a disability. You don't overcome it you find accommodations and supports that allow you to meet your goals and & obligations.

The experience of having adhd for me is mostly that it is primarily an emotional regulation disorder. The focus and attention problems are downstream of that, and are prioritized because that's how a parent or employer experiences adhd.

What you might perceive as late-onset ADHD could be the cause of not being able to keep your coping mechanisms up due to stress? In my case, social anxiety (which I'm officially diagnosed with, but not ADHD) skyrocketed after a series of family events, which resulted in not being able to focus on anything mildly difficult or anxiety inducing, as my mind quickly started wandering out of nowhere, and becoming aware, shutting it off and getting back on track is really difficult. My anxiety medication is really helping, alongside therapy, and I feel way more in control, but not like before

When I turned 40, I had a few very enlightening discussions with a therapist that explained a LOT. For me, it wasn't that my brain had changed, it was more about understanding how my brain works.

I started taking Adderall. It really helps. I don't take it on the weekend unless I have a project or two I want to focus on.

I'd start with finding a therapist. Depending on who you talk to, they can describe the way your mind works in a technical (or not technical) way that I could relate to and understand.