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Philosopher King
Oct 25, 2006
Is there anyone else still on Dexedrine? I've been on it since I was 7 years old. Doctors have tried to get me to switch to other stuff, but I always thought "if it aint broke don't fix it."

I guess my question is, what was the reason for anyone to switch medications if it works for you, and did you ever see any changes that were really noticible?

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Zhentar
Sep 28, 2003

Brilliant Master Genius
Dexedrine is just Dextroamphetamine; it's fairly similar to Adderall (which is a mix of a few different forms of amphetamine). Lots of people find it's easier to come down on adderall, but if you're not getting grouchy or angry when you're coming down, you might as well stick with the cheap stuff.

Apok
Jul 22, 2005
I have a title now!
I've never been diagnosed, but I've always had a hard time concentrating, didn't listen in classes I didn't find interesting or important, etc.

One big help I have found with studying is music. I put on Sky.fm Mostly Classical or Solo Piano as some white noise. Otherwise nothing will get done. Studying has to be done all at once. I can't take breaks or I will not have effective studying after the break. Also no phone or Facebook.

My grades have gone up in college and I can finally concentrate effectively when I need to. I just had to develop coping mechanisms and willpower to do what I need to. Its still hard, but I force myself to do whats needed.

The bad part is that many people don't understand what I have to do to concentrate. I HATE people that chat during lectures. HATE HATE HATE. Fuckers don't want to concentrate. I don't have a choice. I pay for my class go talk about bullshit in the hallway, not in the class I pay to take so I can get a degree.

Rushputin
Jul 19, 2007
Intense, but quick to finish

Apok posted:

One big help I have found with studying is music. I put on Sky.fm Mostly Classical or Solo Piano as some white noise. Otherwise nothing will get done.

That never really worked for me. It's really the other way around - I can't just sit down and listen to music, I need to do something else to appreciate it (long train journies are perfect for me when I want to consciously listen to music - staring out of the window while moving provides just enough low-level distraction). I do feel that I need some mechanism to fine-tune my cognitive load while working, but no dice so far.

That white noise article above was quite interesting, but artificial white noise irritates me. I actually find whispering and library noises quite soothing, but maybe that's just some kind of weird fetish. :P I definitely need to spend more time at the library, though. Even if I have my laptop with me, I'm way too self-conscious to start seriously surfing the net in libraries while other people are around.

quote:

Studying has to be done all at once. I can't take breaks or I will not have effective studying after the break.

That, on the other hand, is true for me as well. I've had some success with 15-30 minute breaks playing DS or stuff like that, but it needs to be something that's neither boring nor so exciting that I don't want to stop. Dragon Quest games have actually worked quite well. Unfortunately, like most coping strategies I tried, I kind of forgot about it after a while. Maybe I'll try again once uni starts for real again.

Sitting down and browsing the internet can really ruin a potentially productive day for me, even if there's nothing particularily exciting to read or watch. It would be easier if it wasn't so hard for me to get out of bed and start doing something, but I more or less automatically combine breakfast with, I dunno, watching the Daily Show or other distractions, because eating is another thing I can't do with nothing else going on at the same time.

Well, here's to another semester of hoping for things to improve. At least I managed to finish a paper that was required for advancing in my minor yesterday (last possible day, of course), so at least I won't start things off with a crippling depression and lowered self-esteem. Oh joy!

Qu Appelle
Nov 3, 2005

"If a COVID-19 pandemic occurs, public health officials may have additional instructions, such as avoiding close contact with others as much as possible, and staying home if someone in your household is sick." - Official insights from Public Health: Seattle & King County staff

Apok posted:


The bad part is that many people don't understand what I have to do to concentrate. I HATE people that chat during lectures. HATE HATE HATE. Fuckers don't want to concentrate. I don't have a choice. I pay for my class go talk about bullshit in the hallway, not in the class I pay to take so I can get a degree.

I totally hear you.

I'm in the workforce, and I work in a cube farm. Boy howdy people can talk! When there's not a whole lot to do, it seems that everyone else takes that opportunity to turn the time into a massive gossip session, where there's a couple of us that are actually trying to work on individual projects. Annoys the everloving poo poo out of me, and unlike class, it's not exactly like I can move to another seat.

Luckily, there's music I can listen to. But wow. I get paid to break software and devise new lab layouts in Visio, not talk about your goddamned delinquent of a child or what your favorite teas are, Mr. Coworker X.

Qu Appelle fucked around with this message at 17:01 on Oct 17, 2009

Master_Jay
Jan 6, 2007
I'm at this point I don't know if I'm ADD or just stupid.

Every time I have to do something that requires a certain amount of brain power, like for say, writing this drat post, it feels like my mind is struggling. I mean, I'm not really thinking about anything while I'm doing this. It just feels like my mind is having a hard time starting stuff. I love to write, but at the same time, I can't stand to actually sit down and write. It sucks.

I'm struggling in classes right now. I studied two weeks in advance for a simple biology class and I got a freaken 57% percent on my paper. Half my time is trying to make myself actually start studying, the other half is trying to ignore the violent urge to stop studying. It sucks.

My family asked me why I am always so down on myself. You know, for me, I haven't been able to achieve any hardcore victories in my life ya know? I did only sub-par in school even though deep down I knew I could do better. Half my day feels like I'm in a fantasy. Time moves fast and it's passing me by. I finally got to school, just to find out I suck at science. Hardcore suck. It's so frustrating studying so drat hard for crap and getting low grades. I finally memorize the calvin cycle, glycolysis, whatever, and I forgot about simple diffusion of water and materials. I just want a victory ya know? Something where I actually tried really hard at and succeeded. But over my life, I haven't had it.

Sorry, back on subject, I went to a psychologist to test for ADD and she says I definitely have the signs for it but I don't really trust her. She wasn't sure I had ADD because I wasn't hyper apparently. Plus group health.

I think I'm just afraid that it won't be ADD. I look at other people's stories and they don't even sound close to mine at times.

Either way, I got referred to another Psychologist and she'll see me next month. Until than, I have to cry and struggle through school.

Sorry for the rant guys. Just wanted to know if anyone felt like this before.

Cakebaker
Jul 23, 2007
Wanna buy some cake?
It's never the same for everyone, remember everyone has a different personality and differing personality traits, ADHD or not. In my case nobody including me ever thought that I might have ADHD until a doctor mentioned it in passing (although right after he went "naaah probably not") which made me look it up, did a lot of reading and I realized some of it fit me eerily well. But other parts seemed totally off so I didn't really know what to think.

Went (by my own initiative) to a psychologist and requested to be evaluated, based on what I told her she didn't think I had it but referred me to a specialist anyway since I insisted on it. Finally got to the specialist clinic, did a bunch of talking and tests (I was there the whole day) and when I finally got the results a couple months later it turns out not only do I have ADHD but I actually have it pretty drat hardcore, I've just been able to handle it really well growing up. Mostly thanks to high intelligence (it'll never occur to you or anyone else that you can't concentrate if you already know everything and never have to try) and coping mechanisms like getting a PDA in 7th (!) grade and actually using it properly, writing down everything ever and setting constant reminders... Without my Palm and later iPhone I definitely would've crashed and burned so much earlier than I did. But eventually it happened, the downward spiral started the second I had to step out into adult life.

But yeah, god drat does it explain a lot of things. Looking back everything makes so much sense. Nobody else had to keep a stash of caffeine pills in their wallet just to get through the day...

Reading this thread was interesting, some stuff people mention mirrors me so well it's scary while I can't identify at all with other things. I think so much of it is in the coping mechanisms you develop and depending on those even the same type of ADHD can manifest totally differently, at least externally. For example my personality is in sharp contrast to the classic ADHD stereotype: I'm super economical, plan really well before doing things, and have anti-addictive tendencies if anything. All of it a reaction and (over)compensation to how I'd naturally do things. So having ADHD has actually made me less ADHD than the general population in some aspects. In others, not so much.

Kneel Before Zog
Jan 16, 2009

by Y Kant Ozma Post

Master_Jay posted:

:words: that sound very much like ADd
Try an add drug while studying for a test and see if you do better because of it. Whether you have add or not is irrelevant if it helps you with your inadequacies, continue to use it.

Put it in Your Mouf
Jan 8, 2009

Kneel Before Zog posted:

Try an add drug while studying for a test and see if you do better because of it. Whether you have add or not is irrelevant if it helps you with your inadequacies, continue to use it.

Stimulants make everyone better at tests. Don't do this.
http://cme.medscape.com/viewarticle/560074_8

Qu Appelle
Nov 3, 2005

"If a COVID-19 pandemic occurs, public health officials may have additional instructions, such as avoiding close contact with others as much as possible, and staying home if someone in your household is sick." - Official insights from Public Health: Seattle & King County staff

Put it in Your Mouf posted:

Stimulants make everyone better at tests. Don't do this.
http://cme.medscape.com/viewarticle/560074_8

Yes. Don't do this. Not only does it open you up to a possibility of addiction and liability for getting drugs using less than legal means, it makes it harder for us legitimate ADHDers to get our speed because it feeds into the 'ADHD=drugseeker' stereotype.

If you think you have ADHD, *get screened for ADHD by a competent professional* first. Then, if you *actually have* ADHD, get your hands on the happy speed and see how it works out for you.

Socket Ryanist
Aug 30, 2004

they should just give speed to anyone who wants it and can pass checkups to show they're not going insane/losing too much weight/losing teeth/stealing their relatives' belongings

Edit: and who doesn't have heart problems of course

Kneel Before Zog
Jan 16, 2009

by Y Kant Ozma Post

Socket Ryanist posted:

they should just give speed to anyone who wants it and can pass checkups to show they're not going insane/losing too much weight/losing teeth/stealing their relatives' belongings

Edit: and who doesn't have heart problems of course
No adhd medication makes you lose you teeth/causes heart arrhythmia but if you have any actual proof that shows otherwise...

Socket Ryanist
Aug 30, 2004

Kneel Before Zog posted:

No adhd medication makes you lose you teeth/causes heart arrhythmia but if you have any actual proof that shows otherwise...
Amphetamines cause drymouth. Drymouth makes your teeth more vulnerable to cavities. Cavities, untreated, result in losing teeth.

I don't recall ever saying that any ADHD medicine caused heart problems, only that people who have heart problems should not take stimulants.

Lainlike
May 12, 2005
yay

Cakebaker posted:

It's never the same for everyone, remember everyone has a different personality and differing personality traits, ADHD or not. In my case nobody including me ever thought that I might have ADHD until a doctor mentioned it in passing (although right after he went "naaah probably not") which made me look it up, did a lot of reading and I realized some of it fit me eerily well. But other parts seemed totally off so I didn't really know what to think.

Went (by my own initiative) to a psychologist and requested to be evaluated, based on what I told her she didn't think I had it but referred me to a specialist anyway since I insisted on it. Finally got to the specialist clinic, did a bunch of talking and tests (I was there the whole day) and when I finally got the results a couple months later it turns out not only do I have ADHD but I actually have it pretty drat hardcore, I've just been able to handle it really well growing up. Mostly thanks to high intelligence (it'll never occur to you or anyone else that you can't concentrate if you already know everything and never have to try) and coping mechanisms like getting a PDA in 7th (!) grade and actually using it properly, writing down everything ever and setting constant reminders... Without my Palm and later iPhone I definitely would've crashed and burned so much earlier than I did. But eventually it happened, the downward spiral started the second I had to step out into adult life.

But yeah, god drat does it explain a lot of things. Looking back everything makes so much sense. Nobody else had to keep a stash of caffeine pills in their wallet just to get through the day...

I recently came out to myself as having ADHD. When I was younger I was a real wiseass, who essentially told the psychologists who diagnosed me with ADHD to gently caress off. I then spent most of my teenage years barely coping with school, and then eventually dropping out. Through sheer force of will I managed to go back and finish my highschool credits, while getting accepted to a very good university. But as soon as I hit Uni, I quickly realized that my coping skills just weren't going to hack it. Something would always snap while I was doing readings and I'd be off staring into the clouds just thinking about random bullshit.

My main coping mechanism was listening to DNBRadio.com, slamming a large energy drink, and then staying on task for hours. If I hadn't done it for a while, I could last as long as 6-7 hours doing that. If I kept that rhythm at every three days, I'd be OK. But Uni doesn't give three days, you have to do readings every day or two. So the rhythm got switched to every day very quickly, and that 6 hours turned into 30 minutes, which then descended into caffeine dependency just to not feel like poo poo. I'm surprised by heart rate and blood pressure didn't skyrocket. I drink lots of water and eat relatively well so it wasn't so bad.

But basically everything you're saying matches my experience. I was recently prescribed Dexadrine 5mg to try it out and see if it had any positive effect on me. The results were immediate. I began remembering important things even with tons of distraction, and my concentration and interest to stay on a single task have improved dramatically. It even raised my confidence levels quite a bit. I think part of the problem is that I was so unsure of many things because I knew I was so forgetful around things, which made me double-think anything I did, adding a ton of distraction. Not that I remember things, I seem to be more confident in my actions. It does sort of make sense that I would need to take a stimulant like caffeine to keep concentration before, though. That's probably why I kept trying to find work in coffee shops...


It took a long time to admit I had this and needed medication to manage it. I hope I can still save my term. It's still early in the year. This should become a lot easier.

Lainlike
May 12, 2005
yay
Well, it's been a week and a half on Dexedrine and I suppose I should talk about my experiences.

I've been on 2x5mg/daily (once when I wake up/have breakfast, once during mid-afternoon) and what I'm experiencing is the fact that while at first concentration and drive were amazing, they quickly degraded when the insomnia kicked in and I started getting a kind hypertension through my entire body, mostly located in my neck and torso. So the medication has sort of ceased to function. I suppose I'll be going cold turkey over the long weekend I've got and hoping I'm not totally earth-shatteringly miserable (I'll probably be fine, might even just take quarter-dose to detox).

Personality wise there have been positive effects. I'm taking care of more "social chores" that I've been putting off (talking to people I've been meaning to for a while), in addition to being able to express my opinions a little more clearly and bluntly which has helped me in a few situations. I'm also more confident, and even did some public speaking with absolutely no fear. It's helped me remember a lot of distant past events I had actually forgotten about, as well.

But, I'm just going to go back to my doctors and ask if I can try Adderall XR instead. Dexedrine has just been a little too extreme, even if the hubris and increased confidence is nice.

Qu Appelle
Nov 3, 2005

"If a COVID-19 pandemic occurs, public health officials may have additional instructions, such as avoiding close contact with others as much as possible, and staying home if someone in your household is sick." - Official insights from Public Health: Seattle & King County staff

Good update. Too bad the Dexedrine doesn't seem to be working well for you, and hopefully the Adderall will work better.

My trip report: On the Adderall again, and this time I'm taking it every single day to help with both ADHD and depression. However, both are mild, so I only need 5 mg a day. The side effects are waning so I'm pretty much functional in the evenings again, and I don't have tons of trouble getting to sleep anymore unless I have caffeine in the evening.

And wow. Attention span. I sat through an avionics lecture that I went to with a friend, called "Airspace Restrictions for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games." Despite the facts that I don't fly, not really interested in planes, wasn't planning on going to the Olympics, and the presenters were all government head talking drones, I was RIVETED. Lines like 'All aircraft intending to operate within the Olympic Rings (CYR185) or OCAs (CYR186, CYR 187, and CYR188) will be required to be on an active IFR or VFR flight plan' were THE MOST FASCINATING TOPICS IN THE WORLD OH BLESSED JESUS I AM ACTUALLY PAYING ATTENTION I HAVE AN ATTENTION SPAN THIS IS SO GLORIOUS :psyduck:. Even though I actually didn't know what it all meant at times (ok, nearly all the time), by God I was listening to it!

However, there was also a map. I :3: maps.

Stofoleez
Jul 27, 2009

by angerbot
I'm thinking about getting a PDA after an earlier poster mentioned how much it helped before they were even medicated.

Also goongrats on your progress guys!

Paramemetic
Sep 29, 2003

Area 51. You heard of it, right?





Fallen Rib
When I remember to put things into it, my BlackBerry is really useful. Unfortunately I often forget to put stuff in.

Zhentar
Sep 28, 2003

Brilliant Master Genius

Master_Jay posted:

Sorry, back on subject, I went to a psychologist to test for ADD and she says I definitely have the signs for it but I don't really trust her. She wasn't sure I had ADD because I wasn't hyper apparently. Plus group health.

If she thinks you have to be hyper to have ADHD she's an idiot and probably shouldn't be practicing medicine. There are two subtypes of ADHD, predominantly inattentive, and predominantly hyperactive/impulsive, and the considerable majority of adults with ADHD are predominantly inattentive.

Lainlike
May 12, 2005
yay

Zhentar posted:

If she thinks you have to be hyper to have ADHD she's an idiot and probably shouldn't be practicing medicine. There are two subtypes of ADHD, predominantly inattentive, and predominantly hyperactive/impulsive, and the considerable majority of adults with ADHD are predominantly inattentive.

It's also a kind of misconception that kept me from believing I had ADHD and that the shrinks I went to were hacks, even though I realize now that I have all the signs of inattentive ADHD. I thought you had to be hyper and bouncing off walls all the time to qualify for it. I just felt uninterested in doing things, even though I loved the material. I chalked it up to depression, but even as that went down steadily, my inattentiveness stayed exactly the same. In fact, it even got worse, because I had the drive and determination to go out and do things but would always forget little details, appointments, etc.

I probably would have crashed and burned unless I put absolutely everything into my iCal planner on my MacBook, and had it make my iPhone beep every time something important (or non-routine) come up. I could remember to go to class specific days and I wouldn't forget the different times of classes. But, say, my Friday class is going on a field trip. Instead of meeting at 10AM in the tutorial hall, we're meeting that evening at 5PM. I would show up to class at 10AM wondering where everyone was, and then remember after I got there that there was a field trip that evening. Or maybe that after class I was going to meet a friend for coffee... I'd go home and completely forget about it even though I was looking forward to it all week. This would happen about 60% of the time on average - the 40% was when my iPhone would scream at me that I have an appointment. I knew I'd be hosed if I lost that thing.

But yeah, I realize now that ADHD isn't something I should be ashamed of and that psychoactive medications aren't the devil. Amphetamines don't destroy your personality, they just make you focus on the little things and chores that need to get done. If your personality is based on being a procrastinator, then you might have a problem, but otherwise it just helps you be successful in life, from social things such as friends and hobbies, to school and work.

Paramemetic
Sep 29, 2003

Area 51. You heard of it, right?





Fallen Rib

Zhentar posted:

If she thinks you have to be hyper to have ADHD she's an idiot and probably shouldn't be practicing medicine. There are two subtypes of ADHD, predominantly inattentive, and predominantly hyperactive/impulsive, and the considerable majority of adults with ADHD are predominantly inattentive.

3 subtypes. The vast majority of children have the Combined Type of ADHD. Only 2% have predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type.

Lainlike
May 12, 2005
yay
Yesterday (the 12th), I saw my doctor and got Adderall XR prescribed, discontinuing Dexedrine. It cost a fair chunk of change (mostly covered by my student health plan), but today I took 10mg once in the morning. My energy was sustained through most of the day, and I didn't feel the extreme emotional/mental crash. Right now I'm just kind of tired like I want to go to sleep, with a little bit of mind fog and difficulty explaining advanced concepts. As opposed to getting really moody and feeling like I want to cry.

Yesterday I took only 2.5mg (half a pill) of Dexedrine, being kind of tired and useless most of the day. I noticed something when I was sleeping that night: I had the most vivid dreams ever, with three big long ones one right after the other. When I woke up, I realized that I hadn't had any dreams in almost two weeks. Dexedrine was preventing me from getting any REM sleep, which is why my mind was getting so fragged. Tanking the dosage allowed my body to finally force itself to have one giant night of REM sleep. I woke up feeling better than usual, and managed to get a lot of things done today.

I'm not sure any of you have any of these symptoms on Dexedrine, but if you are, I'd recommend cutting your dose to basically nothing for a few days, or switching to Adderall if possible. The last two weeks have been completely insane for me trying to make this medication work, but I think I've figured it out now. I've also read stuff that suggests that taking 50mg of 5-HTP (serotonin precursor) before you go to sleep will help with insomnia or moodiness with prolonged use (by replenishing the serotonin used by the amphetamines), but YMMV.

I apologize if I've been posting too much, I just want to help anyone avoid the crap I went through in the last couple of weeks.

Sekhmet
Nov 16, 2001


Paramemetic posted:

3 subtypes. The vast majority of children have the Combined Type of ADHD. Only 2% have predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type.

I have combined type. I am pretty sure that I need to change my meds around again because I was supposed to make an appointment with my psychiatrist last month to refill my rx but then I noticed a little piece of paper on my retardedly cluttered desk in our grad student office that said I had an appointment on Nov 6 so I wrote it on my calendar and on that day I trekked all the way to Student Health Services and the receptionist wasn't there and my doctor came out and was like "uh hey, what's up" and I was like "I have an appointment now right?" and he was like "uh, no..."

I went back to my office and the appointment paper said Nov 6, 2008. :(

I didn't make another appointment yet. Gonna run out soon. Oops.

Organic Lube User
Apr 15, 2005

If I don't have health insurance, could maybe a walk-in clinic give me a script for adderall or something if I chatted with the doc for a little while? Because ADHD testing around here runs a minimum of $500, and that's if you completely debase yourself and beg them to cut all available corners for you. This is through a neuropsychologist's office.

Lainlike
May 12, 2005
yay

TheTarrasque posted:

If I don't have health insurance, could maybe a walk-in clinic give me a script for adderall or something if I chatted with the doc for a little while? Because ADHD testing around here runs a minimum of $500, and that's if you completely debase yourself and beg them to cut all available corners for you. This is through a neuropsychologist's office.

Honestly, amphetamines are up there with opiates and some of the more abused drugs out there. Stuff like Adderall has been described as an "epidemic" in college campuses across North America. You're going to have a hard time selling an Adderall (or other stimulant) prescription to a walk-in clinic doctor. Hell, I've seen people walk out of a walk-in with opiate prescriptions, but this was after they went to a chiropractor, another doctor, and gotten a prescription for powerful anti-inflamatories that ended up not working. I managed to get mine from my regular GP fairly easily, but this was after presenting my case of extreme caffeine dependency, bringing in the summary page from the DSM and describing how I had every symptom of "inattentive" listed, and having a prior diagnosis for ADHD back when I was a kid.

Your best bet is to save up and get tested. Otherwise you'll look like a drug seeker.

Hobo Tickler
Apr 9, 2009
TL, DR : ADHD case here, loved the meds till side effects caught up with me, went on to complete degree without any medication.

First of all : Hasn't anyone here had bad experiences using Adderall / whatever? I was on dex-amphetamines for most of teen years (13-19) and by 20 I was pretty loopy. I had an amazing concentration span while taking them for whatever schoolwork that was thrown at me, but in retrospect I was probably just mildly high whenever I was "working". And yes, like many here, I sung the praises of the drugs when I realised I could really enjoy doing the math / calculus / physics / chemistry, and went on to top 4 out of 5 of my subjects. But it all seems unnatural now. Maths isn't supposed to be so loving fun.

I'm 29 now, (stopped taking dex at 19) and I've just completed an engineering degree which really didn't interest me but I ground through it anyway. I have been on anti-depressants for most of the degree, but I'm not sure I'd need them if I hadn't screwed my head up so much with dex (by loopy at 19, I mean I was loving weird, and very confused). Most of the degree was boring as hell but I ground through it.

And before someone says I was misdiagnosed, I was professionally diagnosed by a few different specialists as a kid before going on meds, and had all the other hallmarks of ADHD kids - violent temper (kicked holes in many walls, broke my parents vases), class clown / most disruptive child in whatever school I went to, incredibly difficult to control.

Paramemetic
Sep 29, 2003

Area 51. You heard of it, right?





Fallen Rib

Hobo Tickler posted:

First of all : Hasn't anyone here had bad experiences using Adderall / whatever?

When I was on an absurd dose it caused me to demonstrate OCD symptoms and also exacerbated bipolar mania.

When I'm properly medicated for the bipolar disorder and on a more reasonable dose, it works fine, however.

Stofoleez
Jul 27, 2009

by angerbot

Hobo Tickler posted:

First of all : Hasn't anyone here had bad experiences using Adderall / whatever?

I was put on too high a dose of concerta and I stayed awake for a week.

Karo
May 23, 2008

Alle Ruder stehen still, wenn dein starker Arm es will.

Hobo Tickler posted:

First of all : Hasn't anyone here had bad experiences using Adderall / whatever?

My stomach is acting up at night, making me burb constantly when I spent the day under higher doses than usual. I am slightly manic under the influence and in retrospect I often question the things I do whether they were good or bad. They shouldn't be this interesting for my normal self and even success stories feel unnatural when looking back.

My character is less likeable as I'm more impatient. At night I see some distortions like a 30 second flickering when I close my eyes and rarely some bright points for a millisecond. I was told this was not uncommon. Rarely I hear a high pitched, tinitus-like sound for a moment which is caused by higher blood pressure. I also feel a bit bloated.

All in all it's bearable but not too fun and I stay away from it if possible.

Qu Appelle
Nov 3, 2005

"If a COVID-19 pandemic occurs, public health officials may have additional instructions, such as avoiding close contact with others as much as possible, and staying home if someone in your household is sick." - Official insights from Public Health: Seattle & King County staff

Hobo Tickler posted:

TL, DR : ADHD case here, loved the meds till side effects caught up with me, went on to complete degree without any medication.

First of all : Hasn't anyone here had bad experiences using Adderall / whatever?

I have some side effects that get to me, but the good outweighs the bad.

However, here are the things that I just can't stand on Adderall:

1. I miss my appetite, and I'm eating so little that by the end of the day, I'm just wiped out. And while the weight loss is OK (yet not needed, 125 lbs on a late 30+ year old woman who is 5'0 isn't that bad and there's no way I could be considered 'fat'), the lack of energy? Bad. It also fucks up my other issues. Though, I have taken to eating a large-ish dinner on weeknights, and just made a huge pot of split-pea soup to eat this week.

The other thing I miss? Having a simple cup of coffee. Even the miniscule amount in decaf is enough to make my heart race after a couple of cups. It doesn't help that Seattle literally has a coffee shop on every corner, and that the coffee here is divine. For me, when I go to the local bakery, there's nothing more delicious than a stack of frosted sugar cookies and a nice mug of steaming coffee. Add some magazines to the mix, and it's a relaxing weekend morning for me.

But, you know, I'll take that. I like this entire wacky 'attention span' concept, and these are things I can work around and live with. So, the pluses outweigh the minuses for me.

opie
Nov 28, 2000
Check out my TFLC Excuse Log!

Hobo Tickler posted:

First of all : Hasn't anyone here had bad experiences using Adderall / whatever?
I hate Adderall because I like to sleep. It wasn't a problem with any other medication.

AxeBreaker
Jan 1, 2005
Who fucking cares?

Adderall would make my heart race, so I stopped taking it. It also gave me insomnia and killed my appetite, but I got used to those effects. Ritalin just made me nervous. I take Strattera now, but if I have to go back to a stimulant it'd be Dexedrine. Trying out ADD drugs is a little bit like trying on shoes, you never know what will fit you until you try them.

Philosopher King
Oct 25, 2006
Does anyone else feel like there might be a glass ceiling that exists for people with ADD, or is it just my imagination?

It's not like its something you can keep from employers because you will always pop positive on drug tests.

Qu Appelle
Nov 3, 2005

"If a COVID-19 pandemic occurs, public health officials may have additional instructions, such as avoiding close contact with others as much as possible, and staying home if someone in your household is sick." - Official insights from Public Health: Seattle & King County staff

Philosopher King posted:

Does anyone else feel like there might be a glass ceiling that exists for people with ADD, or is it just my imagination?

It's not like its something you can keep from employers because you will always pop positive on drug tests.

Yes - but that's why drug testers (at least the good ones) ask what medications you're taking beforehand, so that when you do pop positive for speed, you can prove it's Ritalin, and not meth. They may need a doctor's note, but if the meds have been prescribed to you and you're using them in accordance with their orders, you should be fine. You'd have to ask for more details, but they have contingencies to plan for that sort of thing.

There are also many industries where drug testing is the exception, not the norm. I've been in Software Engineering for over a decade now, and I've only known of two companies to ever give their software folk drug tests - the military, and Boeing.

dZPnJOm8QwUAseApNj
Apr 15, 2002

arf bark woof

Philosopher King posted:

Does anyone else feel like there might be a glass ceiling that exists for people with ADD, or is it just my imagination?

It's not like its something you can keep from employers because you will always pop positive on drug tests.

I'm currently picking up a paralegal certification and am nervous about the idea that once I lose my medical coverage from my parents, I'll suddenly be very bad at the very things that that field of work stresses - being very organized, paying attention and taking notes, researching a single topic at length, remembering dates and deadlines, etc. While I'd be able to move to a different coverage provider, or really pay out of pocket if the only option and really needed, I'd still be faced with a lovely situation that not every employer may be sympathetic to.

Worse, I think having a dependence on stimulants to work at my usual performance would make me seem less reliable than a co-worker, and they'd be right to think it. I'm not sure how much I can complain about this considering there are plenty of people working with worse handicaps, but it still sucks.

Johnny Got His Gunt
Aug 19, 2008

I can't stop thinking about Dr. House's huge, throbbing...diagnostic skills.
I have diagnosed Adult ADHD.

I've been on Ritalin and Adderall. If I had to choose between the two, I'd rather go with Ritalin. I found Adderall didn't work nearly as well as Ritalin did.

I found a really bad side effect of taking either Ritalin/Adderall was it made me angry. All the time. I'd just fly into a rage and there was nothing to be upset about. Of course I was coming down from the drug so that might be a factor.

I'm nervous though. Both Ritalin and Adderall gave me secondary tachycardia due to amphetamine use, so does the non-narcotic meds work as well as the narcotic meds?

Also: I've ran out of Adderall, and my prescribing doc is holding off on giving me any sort of ADD meds due to severe depression. I'm going crazy. I notice now, my attention is everywhere.

TONY DANZAS HO
Aug 27, 2003

retired
and
loving it

Mein Eyes! posted:

I'm currently picking up a paralegal certification and am nervous about the idea that once I lose my medical coverage from my parents, I'll suddenly be very bad at the very things that that field of work stresses - being very organized, paying attention and taking notes, researching a single topic at length, remembering dates and deadlines, etc. While I'd be able to move to a different coverage provider, or really pay out of pocket if the only option and really needed, I'd still be faced with a lovely situation that not every employer may be sympathetic to.

Worse, I think having a dependence on stimulants to work at my usual performance would make me seem less reliable than a co-worker, and they'd be right to think it. I'm not sure how much I can complain about this considering there are plenty of people working with worse handicaps, but it still sucks.

Haha this is funny to me only because I too am an ADD-having-adult who likes to make art and I work in a law firm as well, good luck to you! It is not all that bad, besides, if you get a paralegal job you'll probably have very good coverage, I do. You don't have to tell anyone in a workplace that you're medicated, anyway...

Qu Appelle
Nov 3, 2005

"If a COVID-19 pandemic occurs, public health officials may have additional instructions, such as avoiding close contact with others as much as possible, and staying home if someone in your household is sick." - Official insights from Public Health: Seattle & King County staff

TONY DANZAS HO posted:

Haha this is funny to me only because I too am an ADD-having-adult who likes to make art and I work in a law firm as well, good luck to you! It is not all that bad, besides, if you get a paralegal job you'll probably have very good coverage, I do. You don't have to tell anyone in a workplace that you're medicated, anyway...

Jesus, we should form a club.

I also do art (though not nearly as talented as you two) (I do watercolors and ink, and I'm working on a comic thingy), and I considered going into Law School until I realized that the logic portions of the LSAT turn my brain into spaghetti and that there are truly no jobs and I will die alone. So I'm still ensconced in software, and temporarily made peace with it.

Taking up the art has been a boon, it's one of the things that will calm my brain down and I can truly focus on. And I find it incredibly relaxing to boot. Something about sketching and painting just makes my brain feel like it's getting a wonderful massage.

dZPnJOm8QwUAseApNj
Apr 15, 2002

arf bark woof
Aww hey guyz. :3:

It probably bugs the hell out of my professors, but even with the braindrugs, if my visual system isn't busy I can't listen to anything gainfully. I'll usually have to be working on some little geometric pattern, taking notes, and listening to lecture or discussion, and be able to move between them all seamlessly. I power through audiobooks and lectures on tape while painting, and have probably heard more hours of lectures in my studio than in class. Its the only time when I feel my brain is firing on all cylinders, with my eyes, my hands, my ears, and both sides of the brain all humming along.

I haven't increased my Concerta perscription in six or seven years. I've noticed a reduced effect of course, but I'm loathe to deal with a period of readjustment. Staying on the drug forever seems unreasonable, but whenever I've gone off completely I'm just reminded why I got on to begin with. Instead, I just rely more on calendars and have learned to chunk tasks, cycling through many projects in a day. I get a surprising lot of poo poo done, but never all at once.

Monotasking is still very hard. I normally don't drink coffee or caffeine, but I can usually monofocus if I get myself high on the stuff. I imagine caffeine has a greater effect due to the methylphenidate already in my system, and I really don't like the interaction. I'll end up trembly and uncomfortable until things normalize. Still, whenever I have to get one thing completely done start to finish in one sitting, I'll have to get a coffee and point Pandora at some sort of awful club music and just power through.

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Qu Appelle
Nov 3, 2005

"If a COVID-19 pandemic occurs, public health officials may have additional instructions, such as avoiding close contact with others as much as possible, and staying home if someone in your household is sick." - Official insights from Public Health: Seattle & King County staff

Mein Eyes! posted:

Monotasking is still very hard. I normally don't drink coffee or caffeine, but I can usually monofocus if I get myself high on the stuff. I imagine caffeine has a greater effect due to the methylphenidate already in my system, and I really don't like the interaction. I'll end up trembly and uncomfortable until things normalize. Still, whenever I have to get one thing completely done start to finish in one sitting, I'll have to get a coffee and point Pandora at some sort of awful club music and just power through.

I can monotask better on the Adderall, but yeah - sometimes I need some music to power me through a task. Luckily, I temporarily have an office at work in a hall with no other people, so no one complains when I play Týr and other metal on infinite repeat. And - own office means that no one can interrupt me, so I get a lot more done.

So, question - anyone have their emotional lability (sp?) go off the charts on Adderall? I'm normally really stoic, but for the past week or so, I've felt like I've been on the edge of tears, and weird little things trigger crying. Watching a documentary on Obama on TV? Tears. Playing with the cat? Tears. Getting flamed for something monumentally stupid on the Internets? Tears. Messing up something minor at work? Tears. No other emotion feels inflated or dampened.

It feels like my depression is under control, and I've had no stressful events happen. In fact, right now my life and health has been the best it's been in almost a decade. The only thing I can think of is that the drug is triggering it. But, it's stupid and annoying. I think that if I can tell myself that it's just my brain being wonky, that might short-circuit it. (I find that I can do that with depressive spells, particularly ones before my period.) But yeah. :wtc:

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