Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you?

#191

Post by nicoburns » Tue, Jun 15, 2021, 2:32 PM UTC

stevewodil wrote: post #147

jcims wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not the person you're replying to but Vyvanse gave me excruciating neck cramps, brain zaps and really cold fingers. My doctor said that I had a bit of an outlier reaction to it so YMMV but if you decide to go that route at least ask about the cramps lol. Adderall isn't a wonder drug for me but it tips the scale in my favor. I just take the standard release pills 'as needed' in the morning. It does tend to mess with m…

To be fair, caffeine also increases heart rate and blood pressure. I think it's common of stimulants

...and disturbs sleep, and can help treat symtoms of ADHD

Re: Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you?

#192

Post by robohamburger » Tue, Jun 15, 2021, 2:34 PM UTC

KerrickStaley wrote: post #142

FridayoLeary wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

what's the difference between strattera and ritalin?

They are different drugs with different mechanisms of action. One notable difference from my experience is that Ritalin has a stimulant effect, whereas Strattera actually made me tired.

Had a similar experience. Was on this for a bit when I had a GP who seemed hesitant to prescribe stimulants even though I had historically taken ritalin and it was fine (all side effects were manageable).

Re: Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you?

#193

Post by kar5pt » Tue, Jun 15, 2021, 2:35 PM UTC

RHSman2 wrote: post #115

matlin wrote: post #107

Anyone reading this should be extremely skeptical of internet strangers recommending drugs that gave them "superpowers", changed their life, etc. Taking these drugs will make anyone feel more focused, motivated, etc because these drugs are strong stimulants that cause euphoria, focus, and bursts of energy. Anecdotally, I've seen a huge uptick in posts of the format "how an ADHD diagnosis changed my life" on Reddit, T…

Theoretically, if you have ADHD the medicine shouldn’t make you ‘high’. If you don’t it will have that effect. This was told to me by a specialist (I am dubious though)

This is false. I was diagnosed ADHD by a psychologist twice (this is the full ADHD test where they put you through IQ and other cognitive testing). My ADHD was severe enough that I qualified for accommodations on the SATs. I was still able to get high on Vyvanse/Adderall often enough to get addicted to it. Drug companies lie to make these medications seem safer than they are.

Re: Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you?

#194

Post by elliekelly » Tue, Jun 15, 2021, 2:35 PM UTC

Loughla wrote: post #12

So my take maybe isn't the healthiest on this, not sure. If you believe you have ADHD, and your therapist believes you have ADHD, BUT your life isn't negatively impacted by it , why start treatment now? Ask yourself if you have any negative impacts from ADHD. Ask your spouse. Personal relationships, professional work, all aspects. If the answer is no, then why bother? Source: ADHD treatments that left me a zombie whe…

I think sometimes it’s hard to tell whether something is interfering or not. If you’ve been squeaking by your whole life you might think this is “normal” simply because you’ve never experienced actual normal.

I go back and forth with ADHD meds. I’d say every 18 months or so I decide to take a week or two off. Sometimes that break goes on for a while because I think everything is fine and dandy. I think the longest I was off medication since starting (as an adult) was about 18 months. I can sometimes get by okay without meds, and sometimes that’s my preferred course of action, but invariably when I start taking them again I “remember” what it’s like not to have a crippling inability to do exceedingly simple tasks. And honestly, it’s kind of nice. Much less mentally exhausting.

Re: Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you?

#195

Post by rjh29 » Tue, Jun 15, 2021, 2:36 PM UTC

kmarc wrote: post #55

Living in Europe, my perception (AKA: anecdotal / unscientific / non-measured) is that most of the ADHD-diagnosed people I know live in the US, while I only know one European person in my network who received similar diagnosis from a professional psychiatrist. Counterintuitively, I know way more European people than Americans, which makes my perception feel even more skewed. I very well know that my sample(ing method…

The obvious answer is that in America drugs are advertised on TV, and if you see a lot of ads for ADHD medication you might be more aware of the possibility that you have ADHD, and it could be normalised. After all the stereotype of American zombie kids on Ritalin was being bandied about 10-20 years ago? Whereas ADHD is still relatively not well known in most European countries.

The UK was the same for autism about 10-15 years ago, it was barely talked about, now every class has 10-20% children diagnosed with autism and we have autism-friendly hours in cinemas/shops etc, nobody blinks an eye if you go out wearing big headphones etc. The same may happen for adult ADHD too.

Re: Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you?

#196

Post by mckeed » Tue, Jun 15, 2021, 2:37 PM UTC

My wife and I both started Adderall in adulthood. She has the hyperactive, can't watch a whole movie type ADHD and I have the absent-minded, a couple hours can go by before I realize I'm not working type.

She got her life together after starting treatment and can now handle a lot of responsibilities and a demanding job. It only helps me a little, and I still have trouble with motivation and self-discipline. She divorced me.

Re: Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you?

#197

Post by scyzoryk_xyz » Tue, Jun 15, 2021, 2:37 PM UTC

matlin wrote: post #107

Anyone reading this should be extremely skeptical of internet strangers recommending drugs that gave them "superpowers", changed their life, etc. Taking these drugs will make anyone feel more focused, motivated, etc because these drugs are strong stimulants that cause euphoria, focus, and bursts of energy. Anecdotally, I've seen a huge uptick in posts of the format "how an ADHD diagnosis changed my life" on Reddit, T…

This is also exactly the line of thinking that happened to keep me away from an ADHD diagnosis for such a long time. The point of the “superpower” language, when used by someone who is actually ADHD is that you feel impaired and are lead to believe by everyone and everything that this just the way you are - that you’re lazy, that you’re incompetent, dumb etc. And those successful focused people, they’re just more hard working, they put in more effort. ADHD drugs are life changing because suddenly you’re perfectly fine sitting still, being focused, not interrupting people.

Posts like those are what gave me the confidence to seek an ADHD diagnosis.

Re: Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you?

#198

Post by sdbrown » Tue, Jun 15, 2021, 2:37 PM UTC

Romulus968 wrote: post #163

jiofih wrote: post #145

And let’s not forget to thank the sponsor of today’s comment, BigPharmaCo!

Go fuck yourself dude. This isn't fucking "BigPharmaCo". This is someone who suffered and the meds helped. Believe it or not, mental illnesses are a real thing, and some of us need the help of medicines to deal with the issues. Take your conspiracy theory bullshit on somewhere you fucking clown

I appreciate your comment; medication saved me from tanking what has been a relatively successful career.

However, they bring up a reasonable question, which is that of conflicts-of-interest. I do not now, nor have a I ever, received any compensation from a current or historical manufacturer of medications targeting ADHD. I do not anticipate receiving any such compensation in the future. However, I am married to a physician. (Side note: she also has ADHD. One of the smartest people I've ever met, but nearly failed her first USMLE because she couldn't execute on review/studying prior to the test. Went on meds and passed the rest of her exams with scores right in the middle of the distribution. The meds don't make us super-human, they just let us be normal.)

Re: Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you?

#199

Post by rjh29 » Tue, Jun 15, 2021, 2:38 PM UTC

matlin wrote: post #107

Anyone reading this should be extremely skeptical of internet strangers recommending drugs that gave them "superpowers", changed their life, etc. Taking these drugs will make anyone feel more focused, motivated, etc because these drugs are strong stimulants that cause euphoria, focus, and bursts of energy. Anecdotally, I've seen a huge uptick in posts of the format "how an ADHD diagnosis changed my life" on Reddit, T…

Absolutely. There are some who need this medication to function, but there are many who weren't sure if they needed meds, got prescribed anyway and - surprise - feel a burst of focus and motivation now they're regularly taking stimulants.

Re: Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you?

#200

Post by hammock » Tue, Jun 15, 2021, 2:40 PM UTC

j-pb wrote: post #171

It saved my life. I went from always being clouds in the sky, never finish any project, always in my head, wasting days away on social media, both kind and loud and inconsiderate, and seriously depressed, to somebody I can face in the mirror. It's not a cure all and it took a lot of counselling and some time to find the right medication but it turned my life 180 degrees. I no longer feel like all my dreams are runnin…

What meds worked for you?