ADHD in adults

[Owlie]

Ha, my very favorite principal was the guy I had in HS. At one point he flagged-down my folks at a school event, shaking his head. He had seen my standardized test scores and couldn't for the life of him figure out why I was not among the top of the class (aside from Math--I have never done well with that). It used to drive my folks batty...how could such a bright kid do so poorly in school? My sister was even worse. She would frequently do work and forget to turn it in or lose it in her locker.

In my case, my grades weren't spectacularly bad, except in math--mostly B/C, but I got D's in math in junior high and one quarter my first year of high school. My grades in biology and history (subjects I liked!) were A's. They noticed a mismatch between who I was and how I was doing, but it wasn't bad enough, except in math. The other thing was from middle school on, they streamed students, and while I was in "gifted" classes, I was in the "smart, but not quite smart enough" group, which is why I think they let it slide.

Oh, and I did the "lose homework in the locker" thing in middle school. More times than I care to admit.

[zoom-zoom]

while I was in "gifted" classes, I was in the "smart, but not quite smart enough" group, which is why I think they let it slide.

Are we related?! I was also in gifted classes...but the rest of the kids in the classes were all straight A students...I pulled a lot of Cs (Ds in Math and Chem). I always felt very uncomfortable in those classes, since I knew that I didn't *belong* there with my grades...and so did the other kids in the classes. Plus a lot of the things we would work on were very Math-focused. It was not a lot of fun...

[Crankin]

OK, so when DS #1 was in 10th grade, a lovely girl set the auditorium on fire. During the spring vacation, which was about 2 days later, they had all of the kids come to clean out their lockers, so they could de-fumigate the building. My son came out with a giant sized green Hefty garbage bag, full of all of the papers he never turned in, notes and permission slips I sent to school, books, etc. It was mortifying. He came out carrying a sack and the other kids had a few papers in their hands!

[Dogmama]

In some people, ADHD meds are used when typical SSRI's and SNRI's (Prozac & Effexor, for example) don't work. Seems that the little lift that it gives can lift people out of depression.

Sometimes my focus is non-existent. I'll have a million things started all over & "Oh look - a bright shiny thing - what is THAT?" Other times, I'm on task. I think it's a menopausal thing.

[WindingRoad]

Still taking the Ritalin SR. It seems I realistically get about 5-6 'good' hours out of it. I kind of wish it would last a bit longer though. I'm taking two 20 mg tablets in the morning now, I wonder what would happen if I were to take another 20 mg tablet around noon or 1pm? My therapist said dosage was trial and error because everyone reacts differently. I think I'll try this tomorrow to see if it gives me any significant benefit? I have another doctor appointment soon so I'd like to try it before I go just to see if I should mention changing my dosage again? I know some of you have had to try and figure out what works for you and your kids. If you have any advice feel free to share

[Crankin]

One of my clients takes one 20 mg SR tab in the AM and then a regular (non-SR) at around 1-2 PM. He had to switch the second dose from 12 to later, to get him through the late afternoon.
Your therapist is right; dosages vary widely for individuals. Weight, age, etc. seems to make little difference in what you need. Talk to your doctor and don't play around with this without some medical advice.

[zoom-zoom]

My son used to take SR during the school day, but it always started to wear off after lunch...by the time he'd come home he had to take a standard short-acting Ritalin. We are MUCH happier with Concerta. It's 12-13 hours and seems to release more evenly, so he's not having zombie-fied periods.