Anyone living with Adult Attention Deficit Disorder?
- Thread starter boatcop1
- Start date
I have been dealing....wait a minute. What was I going to say?
In low doses stimulants do actually have an opposite effect on those with ADD, they simply bring the brain's dopamine levels on par with 'normal' levels. It's pretty strange to think that giving a kid with hyperactive ADD that's off the wall will calm down when given powerful stimulants, but that's just the way it works. When they are taken in high doses for recreational purposes it's pretty much all the same though.
I assume you are talking about street meth and not meth that is prescribed by a Physician(Desoxyn), right?
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First off thank you all very very much for sharing your experiences. It sounds that like some of you are dealing with some very serious and challenging times. I wish you the best of luck.
It amazes me that after all my reading on ADD i can come on here and some of you can actually point out even more circumstances where this can effect you. I know because I can relate to almost all of them especially being compulsive! Holy crap am I compulsive on so many levels. A big reason why i wont go out with friends to bars or clubs is because of my inability to just chill and be content, hence the marriage counceling.
Anyone ever have any short term memory issues that may be associated with AADD?
Thanks again guys.
-Tapped
It amazes me that after all my reading on ADD i can come on here and some of you can actually point out even more circumstances where this can effect you. I know because I can relate to almost all of them especially being compulsive! Holy crap am I compulsive on so many levels. A big reason why i wont go out with friends to bars or clubs is because of my inability to just chill and be content, hence the marriage counceling.
Anyone ever have any short term memory issues that may be associated with AADD?
Thanks again guys.
-Tapped
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This could have been the theme song for a bunch of people I went to law school with:
[youtube_browser]qB7xV1VjXEY[/youtube_browser]
LOL, I never heard that before. It's actually a good little jam! :rockon:
Excellent point. It's called the "paradoxical effect". It's counter-intuitive that a stimulant would help a "hyper" person...but it is the missing ingredient (chemical) in the administrative part of the brain that makes us "stop and think".
I've probably struggled with ADD my whole life...and looking back a lot of the sh-- I've put up with in staying focused when things got "boring" is probably attributed to it. I've worked very hard my whole life for (over 30 years) and it has been always very difficult just keeping up. Despite having done well in my own business for many years...I never could seem to relax after hours because of a fear of not doing well enough.
I was never formally tested and diagnosed, but my sons are suffering big time from ADD and OCD. (Despite measured IQ's of 156 and 144, respectively, they are still struggling). They've gone through Hell. I don't think I caught it from them.
The experience of not being able to stay focused and be successful is extremely painful. It is No Joke for those experiencing it. Try as they might...there is always something...getting in the way. Many people experiencing this fundamental inability to succeed are now experiencing serious behavioral issues as a result...like depression. To wit, I've seen my own good college buddies do really well - of which - I am extremely happy to see...but despite their undying friendship...some how feeling different really hurts.
If you feel this way...I understand completely what you are going through. I see it hurting my sons...every day. Ritalin, or some variant, can really help. But, having additional professional support, like an ADD/life-coach, can also help. This need only be temporary and is helpful in helping you identify some of the traps we fall into and provide some mechanisms to help with organization, planning and staying on-task daily. Having some, positive, objective help is a good thing.
I have ADD, I wish I didn't. I could be working on my car, then instantly switch to something else. I DO NOT recommend taking Adderall, you'll get mood swings, have trouble sleeping, and possible excessive sweating. If you ever try to get off of it, you will go through bad withdrawals (feel like s***, become lazy as heck, thoughts of suicide, and become very moody). Esentially, its a pill form of cocaine. You should try taking try Vyvanse, it's much better.
This is all based on experience
This is all based on experience
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I live with OCD currently and have been since I was 12. Idk how extreme your sons OCD is but I can personally say that I would not wish it on my worst enemy. OCD drove me very close to committing suicide and has hindered my life. I would hate to know how much time in my life I have wasted on things like opening and closing doors and doing things over and over because they didn't feel right. I feel for you and your kids because I know what your kids are going through and I know somewhat of what you're going through because I know it has affected my parents seeing my struggle in life.
Sounds like a unique example, and I don't know what strength you were on or any outside factors. Differing medications could also have an effect on symptoms or your metabolism/body could drastically affect your results.
Based on my experiences and talking to other people, the only symptom I can relate to is difficulty sleeping, and mood swings is a fairly subjective thing that has a deeper cause than just going off of adderall. PM me if you want a clarification on what I mean.
I'm not an expert by any means, but I am a student studying psychology and developmental psychology with my own personal experiences. I can't really say that someone's opinion is wrong either. Experiences vary greatly. :beer:
I'm really sorry to hear about your OCD. Yes, as a parent it really hurts seeing our kids "stuck" and in pain. Thanks for the understanding. Often our trials our are nothing compared to that of our kids. I hope you can keep getting stronger. Parental support is really important. Keep the faith.
Good points. I would say to anyone suffering ADD/ADHD...you must find a good, conservative, yet compassionate psychiatrist who a) knows their sh-- in ADD/ADHD, b) will start with the med with the least side-effect profile and, c) will carefully titrate your meds to find the lowest effective dose. One advantage to meds like Ritalin is you really don't have to titrate the dose up slowly due because it is relatively benign and in and out of the body so quickly. But, you can make adjustments quickly to find out what minimum dose works.
Thanks man! Best wishes to you and your kids.
Mood swings are caused by the down-regulation("come down") of dopamine after hyperstimulation, and I certainly wouldn't say that sweating would be an idiosyncratic reaction to a sympathomimetic.
It does however sound like his dosage might be a bit high for therapeutic purposes.
I more meant to say that it's something which could be controlled. I wouldn't dream of simply going off of adderall unless I wanted to crash for a day, like I do on the night after a track outing or something like that. A little bit of caffeine helps me to feel pretty normal on off days. Just a note though; I'm a big guy, and I am ridiculously good at metabolizing anything. I consider 20mg to be a pretty small daily amount. Usually I'll take 40mg on taxing days.
Not a huge fan of ADD drugs here and I think I have it pretty bad too.
Aderrall is nothing but speed. It's molecular structure is similar to cocaine and amphetamines and acts on the same areas of the brain. Prolonged use carries side effects that include "psychotic breaks"
People have lived with ADD for thousands of years without the need of psychotropic chemicals to deal with it. Get lots of exercise and focus on will power to get things done.
Aderrall is nothing but speed. It's molecular structure is similar to cocaine and amphetamines and acts on the same areas of the brain. Prolonged use carries side effects that include "psychotic breaks"
People have lived with ADD for thousands of years without the need of psychotropic chemicals to deal with it. Get lots of exercise and focus on will power to get things done.
Nah. Pretty sure I need to be checked, though. Maybe not for that, but for other things.
I have it as well. My mother gave me medicine when I was sick one day when I was 5 and my teacher noticed I was a lot more focused and asked mother to do whatever she did again the next day. I was then tested and tested positive for ADD. Ive been on adderall but recently stopped taking it. I am probably going to go back on it though.
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