ADHD in adults

[Tand-Rand]

Or fingernails, I must add. People believe that nail biting is from stress and anxiety but it is actually connected with concentration.

[zoom-zoom]

Or fingernails, I must add. People believe that nail biting is from stress and anxiety but it is actually connected with concentration.

Huh...I have always been a nail-biter--moreso when I was a kid. Drove my grandma nuts!

And I just read this the other day: 15 signs you may have adult ADHD. I have 10-11 of those signs... I go back and forth on whether or not I should be assessed. I'm about 99% certain that I do have ADHD, given that my brother and son are both diagnosed and my sister and I have a high # of symptoms. But at 38 I'm not sure there is much point. I've coped for this long....

[Geonz]

I've found that many of the coping strategies for ADHD are helpful to me; so I read up on it. A formal Dx -- well, actually, it was entertained but it's incredibly subjective.
Now, I NEED TO GET BACK TO WORK. STrategy: JUST DO IT -- as in, don't do *anything* else until I've sent that email. (Fourth attempt, though...)

[Bethany1]

ADHD runs in my family. My brother had the classic symptoms as a kid and even now struggles with employment and relationships. He self medicates with drugs which is scary. Looking back, my dad says he is also ADHD. He would tell stories of all the problems he caused my grandmother growing up. It affects people differently, but the symptoms and problems are the same.

I've been diagnosed as bipolar instead of ADD or ADHD and if not properly medicated causes huge problems. My brother and I always got along because we were so hyper and could keep up with each other. Since we both have tempers, we could fight it out if needed but have always remained close.

I bounce from one fad to another. I'm hoping that cycling stays, but I'm smart enough to know I could easily lose interest after spending a fortune on bikes. I do think women manage it better, but every day is a battle between the highs/lows/anxiety/depression of everything.

[alexis_the_tiny]

Crankin, I'm a teacher. I'm hired privately now but eventually, I would have to go into civil service if I want better employment prospects. And the OT services I CAN afford are provided by government owned hospitals and there is nothing in my country at all, to protect people with learning disabilities or mental illness from being discriminated against in the hiring process, especially in civil service. If I can live without a diagnosis, I'd rather err on the side of caution and not have one. Just in case.

[Crankin]

Sorry, Alexis; I assumed you were in the US. I understand why you are erring on the side of caution. I might still try the gov. sponsored OT if you can do that without a diagnosis.
I am assuming that getting a teaching license/job is a national thing in your country. It's interesting that you can be "hired privately."
I hope you can at least find a therapist/counselor to work with. You are dealing with a lot.

[WindingRoad]

Well I thought I'd give you all an update on my ADD situation. So I've been to my primary care provider who is working with my therapist to try drug therapy on me. Today is my first day on Adderroll. I feel good so far, aside from some really bad dry mouth issues. I've been wearing my heart rate monitor all day bc I wanted to see if or how much my heart rate increased. I'm a bit concerned about this bc it's a side effect that seems like it could complicate my cycling. I can already tell a huge difference in my ability to focus. I'm excited but I hope bad side effects don't show up later. It kinda feels like someone took my brain out and washed the fuzz and extraneous thoughts out of it. Such a quieter place up there right now. It almost seems to good to be true. Crossing my fingers and praying this drug works out for me in the long run.

[indysteel]

Well I thought I'd give you all an update on my ADD situation. So I've been to my primary care provider who is working with my therapist to try drug therapy on me. Today is my first day on Adderroll. I feel good so far, aside from some really bad dry mouth issues. I've been wearing my heart rate monitor all day bc I wanted to see if or how much my heart rate increased. I'm a bit concerned about this bc it's a side effect that seems like it could complicate my cycling. I can already tell a huge difference in my ability to focus. I'm excited but I hope bad side effects don't show up later. It kinda feels like someone took my brain out and washed the fuzz and extraneous thoughts out of it. Such a quieter place up there right now. It almost seems to good to be true. Crossing my fingers and praying this drug works out for me in the long run.

Good luck, WR. I hope the drug works for you without major side effects and that, if it doesn't, that your doctors are willing to work with you to find something that does.

[zoom-zoom]

Yup, I hope it works well for you, long-term. And if it doesn't, there are other meds you can try. I believe Adderall is one of the meds that's not a formulation of Ritalin. I know a couple of people who didn't do well on Adderall, but are now on Concerta (a long-acting Ritalin med) and having better results.

[Crankin]

Usually the side effects (in my experience from others) like increased HR happen right away. Glad you can feel the difference.
Keep us posted.

[WindingRoad]

So it's been about a week, I quickly learned NOT to take meds after 1 pm unless I plan to stay up all night, lol. My doc said I could cut the dose if I wanted so I have been doing 10 mg 2x a day. It works pretty well but sort of bottoming out around 8 pm. It may just have to be that way but I'm gonna play with some other combos too to see what works best. Today I'm gonna try 20 in the am and 10 at 12:30 and see if that keeps me a couple hours longer in the evening which would be good. I rode the morning shop ride Friday on a full dose to watch my heart rate and I couldn't really tell anything above normal. We averaged 18.5 so that was a pretty hefty ride for me. I figured I'd try it around people I know pretty well, I can trust those guys too. All in all it was a good ride and I didn't feel bad from the meds so that it awesome. Yesterday morning I'm not sure but I had a bit of a crying fit in the am cuz BF said something that hit me pretty wrong. I hope these aren't indicative of things to come. Right now I realize my body and mind is going throuh a lot. It's ok to have a crying fit once in a while regardless :-) The stomach is still kinda upset a lot but seems to be easing up well unless I eat fried chicken. Yeah I was bad at work and had some they brought in for us and nearly died. Won't do that again. I see why weight loss is a side effect now. Greasy foods are deadly hard on my stomach. Thank God for Greek yogurt is all I have to say! I hope me posting all this is useful to atleast one woman out there who ends up with a late diagnosis like mine. After a LOT of researching I am really happy I finally figured this out, most women in my situation live very unhappy lives and never know why. This drug therapy has a lot of side affects for sure but I think I will take them all over feeling the lever of 'crazy' I have dealt with in the my life this far. I hear a lot of smack talk on the Internet about people abusing the meds for this disorder and is really makes me angry bc then there are people like me out there that have drammatic positive changes due to it. We aren't just abusing it for shits and giggles we also don't get 'high' off of it. If you genuinely have ADD it doesn't make you high at all, it calms you down on your mind so you don't have a constant bottle neck of thoughts racing every hour of every day. You can focus in other words. I know this probably seems like a book but like I said before if it helps one other woman it's worth it. I specify a woman simply bc it's REALLY hard to diagnose for us. I have been to various psychologists for anxiety, panic and depression for the last 10 years and nothing has been as helpful as this. It took 2 psychologists and a trip to my regular doc to convince ME I had his disorder if that puts it in perspective for you.

[Crankin]

WindingRoad, I have seen *many* adults in your situation. People generally don't think ADHD is so debilitating and they don't realize the ways it wrecks adults' lives. What you said, about the difference in how you are able to function now, well, I have had parents say things to me like, "We were able to go to church and sit as a family for the first time." Many parents would tell me stories like yours, with tears in their eyes. ADHD is debilitating and many clinicians don't have a lot of experience with it, especially if they only work with adults. I don't push medication on anyone, but I have seen the difference it makes for some, just like you describe.

[zoom-zoom]

WR, the attitudes you are seeing are frustrating, indeed. We had several of DH's older relatives blame our son's behavior on our "bad parenting." Funny, since the same people have commented on how angelic he is in recent years (on meds).

And it's true...if a person doesn't have ADD/ADHD they will generally experience a high. Those who truly have the brain abnormality will experience the focus and calm.

The emotional/weepy stuff you've experienced...in our experience with our son this is pretty normal. When he first started his meds he'd definitely get some of this in the period when the drugs would wear off. This didn't last long...maybe a month or two? When he's changed doses we've noticed it, as well.

I'm really glad to hear this is helping you. I'm almost certainly ADD, but have never been treated. Most days I'm OK, but there are days when I think "wow, I can't get anything done...perhaps I'd stop procrastinating and get organized if I were treated."

[WindingRoad]

O-M-G girls I just discovered someone at work actually stole my ADD meds while I was working last night! What do people typically do in this situation??? I have a pretty good idea of who did it but I can't just start making accusations. I had some money stolen a few weeks ago too. I really can't believe of the people I work with it has come to this. I get the impression the person I suspect has gone down a very dark path in her life. I have noticed many signs of drug abuse in her. I feared something like this would happen and I don't have a locking place to store things at work. Since I take small doses of my medication 4x a day I have to keep them with me. This is just so shocking and honestly I'm disappointed in her and this makes me quite sad. I called and left a message with my doctor about what happened. I emailed my boss, I didn't mention any names though I'm sure it won't take them long to look her direction. We have ALL noticed how her behavior and appearance has dramatically changed over the last few years. What upsets me most is that this girl is a young, beautiful and charismatic person when she is not strung out on God only knows what. I know she used to be very active in the cycling community too and in some way it would be great if she read this and she would use this as a sign that she needs to get herself into rehab before she gets caught doing something else and ends up in jail. She needs to know this isn't something to take lightly and it can and will destroy her life. Don't be a fool get help. You can't handle it on your own. I hope she still reads this forum.

[indysteel]

Wow, WR. That's pretty crazy. I really hope your boss takes what happens pretty seriously as I assume your ADHD med is a controlled substance. I would suggest that from here on out you carry your meds and money on your person when you're at work.