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rainbow kittens posted:EDIT: My question for the OP (and other ADD sufferers) is this: Does it feel like your head will explode ALL THE TIME? Do you ever overthing everything so much that you pretty much just freeze and can't do anything other than sit in a lump while your mind wanders aimlessly? Do you feel rage boil to the surface when you are interrupted while doing something you are attempting to concentrate on? I know my feelings aren't typical of a "normal" person, but I'm really looking to see if they are normal for a person suffering from ADD/ADHD. I don't know. If the doctor comes back and says I don't have it, then what the hell could it be? My cousin has Tourettes, and Mom always told me that I had it because of certain characteristics that I showed as a child (ticks, loud voice, etc), but I read in a book that Tourettes can also be comorbid with ADD. Mom also thought I was bipolar because I was always moody and I would fly off the hanger if someone interrupted me. Of course, I always told Mom off when she hinted there was something wrong with me anyway but now I see where she is coming from. Yes, I used to get extremely angry and upset because I couldn't stop thinking. But it wasn't organized thought, it was a little bit of everything at once. My main problem was then that I was so stressed from all the confusion, any outside noise would set me off. I would either become angry or have a panic attack. I used to think I had all kinds of strange phobias, because going to the store with fluorescent lights and music playing would give me panic attacks. But I never understood why, because I wasn't scared of those things. After years I found out it was just sensory overload causing my anxiety. Oh, and if anyone touched me or talked to me during one of those times, that would give me an attack. Someone trying to hold my hand or touch my arm would just be too much stimulation, and actually hurt. I'm never hyper though, despite the racing and confused thoughts, I have the opposite problem. I have a huge lack of energy. I want to do things very much, but end up not doing them because I wait too long or can't get started because I'm so confused as to how to do it. I'm fairly certain the racing thoughts wear me out, because on the rare days that my brain shuts up for a couple hours, I am not so tired all the time. Anyway, just go to the doctor. It can't hurt. You hear a lot of stories about doctors blowing off patients, and that scared me. I finally went, explained my symptoms, and my doctor was extremely nice and understanding. I take Adderall now, 20mgs a day split into two doses. So 10 in the morning, 10 later on. I only take it four days a week, three of which are work days and usually one of my days off, but I'll just take 10mgs and that's more than enough. I've been on the meds for about 4 months now, started with Ritalin but the crash was terrible. I felt extremely tired once it wore off, after adjusting for a couple weeks. Seriously, I encourage you to just go out and do it. Not everyone gets ignored or shunned, especially if you go in there with the attitude you have. (I think I need help, but I'm worried because of X, and confused) That's exactly how I was, and people tend to be pretty understanding when you say up front that you're not just trying to get pills, but are really at a breaking point and are finally getting this checked out. Not everyone that takes stimulants gets addicted or has terrible side effects. There's an Adderall thread in the Crackhead Clubhouse forum that has very helpful information. Obviously you don't want to take this recreationally, but there's a lot of helpful stuff in there anyway. Post some updates if you will, that would be great.
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Aug 22, 2009 20:29
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Stofoleez posted:Also, if you're not Google or some really casual tech company, this needs to be stressed: let your employees listen to music or radio or something. Especially if they're unmedicated, background music is one of the only ways to concentrate on a task for long periods of time. Music helps by drowning out the meaningless, mostly random static of an ADHD person's environment and replacing it with something coherent that all the "loose" parts of the person's consciousness can latch onto while the important parts focus on work. I am one of the weird ADHD'ers that absolutely can't tolerate background noise. If I am doing something on my own, that's fine, but if anyone tries to say anything to me while music or a TV is on, or someone else is speaking, even quietly, my brain just short circuits. I can't listen to one person, no matter how hard I try to focus, with anything else going on. Sometimes even the flickering of florescent lights has the same affect on me, it just depends on the day. So while this is great advice for some people, it would be good to have it as personal choice for the employee. As in, the person choosing to listen to their iPod versus having a radio on in one area or through an entire store. That is, if you don't already work somewhere with background music. I would also say to watch out for people like me, if you know the person has ADHD and is okay talking about it, go ahead and ask if they are able to focus on what you're saying with music in the background, or other people talking. I know for me, anything you want me to remember or have an intelligent conversation about, we would need to go somewhere quiet where I can't hear anyone elses voice. If you notice them looking more distracted when you try to talk to them over other noise, go somewhere quiet if you have the time to do so. If not, try making a concise list and keeping the verbal instructions short and only supplementary to the list. Also, some of us might want to make our own lists, but have a hard time doing so. It's hard to write down what you need to do when you get to number three and you're wandering off to do something really important, right now, before you forget it again! Then the list is forgotten until it's too late to finish everything on it...if you could even remember what it was. So making lists for your employees could be a huge help, though of course time constraints mean this isn't always feasible. I hope that made sense, can you tell my Adderall has worn off for the day?
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Aug 27, 2009 00:24
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deptstoremook posted:
Is there any chance you could look into a non-stimulant drug like Straterra? A lot of people have success with this, and I believe it may help with anxiety as well. You very definitely could benefit from treating your ADHD symptoms in some way, but I would urge you to be completely honest with yourself as to whether or not you really need it to function. My worry would be that you enjoy the feeling of Adderall(I do too!), and it makes you feel better than you do without it, so you assume because you feel better that this is a good drug choice for you. I'm not trying to be all "you rear end in a top hat, you're a drug abuser so you obviously have no idea what you're talking about!" I just thought it might be something to think about and talk with a psychiatrist about? I don't think hiding your history drug problems from them to get Adderall is a good idea at ALL. Yes, it might be helping you now, but do you really feel lying to get drugs is helpful for your recovery? If you're honest and open they can work with you to try alternative medications or therapy. Also, if they DO prescribe you a stimulant, wouldn't it be better to have them overseeing it? Rather than to buy it illegally and have no one checking in on you? If you get a prescription you need to go back once a month for a refill, and if you ever possibly start to slip up there is a great chance they will notice. They also won't give you enough medication to easily abuse if they know your history, and would be likely to keep the dose low. Sorry to write such a novel, but I think it's worrying that you're in recovery and wondering how honest you should be with a new doctor when trying to get some Adderall. Make sure you want treatment for the right reasons, and be open and upfront. I'm not trying to preach, just genuinely concerned. Good luck in your recovery and with seeking treatment.
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Aug 30, 2009 04:43
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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
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Oct 29, 2009 22:50
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