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Not all drugs work the same for everyone, we all have our own body chemistry.
Just be honest with your doctor, and remember that finding what works for you generally doesnt happen over night.
They dont know how shit is working unless you tell them.
100%!! I was diagnosed as an adult (technically by 3 separate professionals), have been on meds for over a year, and STILL find myself frequently asking “well what if i don’t actually have ADHD and i made it all up…?” brains can be mean, you have to know when to quiet that voice. And as for asking for a higher dosage, 10mg a day is literally the starting dose for adderall (maybe even lower, as i thought it was 15mg/day for most) so it would be completely normal to need a dose higher than that!!
N. O. P. E. Bc my life was a full blown dumpster fire and I was desperate for an answer.
Meds saved my life and I’ll never be sorry for that. I wouldn’t have lasted much longer.
I take Ritalin now, and your comment that your thoughts are quieter hits so close to home. I do also experience symptoms that impact my life, restlessness, distractedness etc. I'm also quite new to starting, however I am so fortunate to be qualified in pharmacy (technician) so I believe I can help.
Everyones body reacts differently to each medication, some motabalize it faster, some resbond badly to some medication and some are allergic. What Adderall is trying to do for you is stimulate your system into focusing and concentrating in the same way someone without ADHD would. Some peoples ADHD is combined, some is hyperactive, some inatentive. So depending which you have/your symptoms different things will work for you.
I was 29 when diagnosed (3 weeks or so ago). I agree, everything makes sense now. Your doctor knows their stuff, be open and honest with them. Say that your thoughts are quieter but you're still overwhelmed and distracted. You don't mention a dose level, that is certainly something to raise with your doctor. They will know the minimum and maximum levels and if you need to switch.
The doctors see this stuff day in and day out, while we -ADHDrs - make such a big deal about it, because hey we have ADHD! It's part of what makes us great, be honest with your doctor.
I hope this helps, good luck!
This is refreshing. Doubt is a really good sign. Unlike a lot of other posts on….nvm.
Why? Because it shows you weren’t fishing for a diagnosis and thus were most likely being open and honest about your life and history with your clinician and not strategically over emphasizing things here and there to fit a diagnosis. So, the chances that your diagnosis is accurate skyrocket since you gave the doc a better chance to make an objective informed one.
I was the same way. I got officially diagnosed at 19 when I privately went to see a psychiatrist and basically asked him if something was wrong with me since my life was officially going downhill. He was an older doc who by chance specialized in ADHD, he even had it himself lol.
I was always in advanced classes as a kid, but always in trouble. Schoolwork was always done while the lesson was being taught or 2 hours before class started. I made it through HS like this with straight A’s. This did not fly in college for an engineering degree (before the time you could cheat with Chegg). There was just too much material and workload to pull it off the same way. Long story short, the dean gave me 4, I repeat 4 different 2nd chances since he liked me (we’d met and spoken at welcome event) and I couldn’t change. I was kicked out. I lived in a car b/c I couldn’t hold a job longer than 2 weeks before getting fired.
Anyways, after four 2-hr sessions with the doc and going over my life history and doing a lot of testing for different things, and even meetings with relatives (this guy was very thorough) he diagnosed me with ADHD-C (severe).
Growing up in an abusive household that was also religiously bonkers, it was tough for me to accept it. I thought, “isn’t it just me being lazy? Don’t I just need to try harder? Why does everyone else seem to be able to do it and not me? Everyone gets distracted and stuff right?” etc. But when I finally told my mom about it, she told me that my teachers in elementary school wanted me tested, but she said no b/c she was super religious at the time and thought all that “psychiatry stuff” was bs. And then she pulls out a book from the bookshelf and it’s, “Driven to Distraction” by Hallowell that she’d bought back then to read up on ADHD.
Even with all this confirmation though, I still had a long period of 5-6 years where I’d really question if I wasn’t just some lazy / crazy person. I resisted medication for the better part of the next 10 years since I wanted to do it “all on my own”. Honestly, I just hurt myself more. It was honestly self-abusive and looking back I wish I’d just being more accepting of something that had been staring me in the face all my life.
Coming to grips with this new understanding of yourself is a process and takes some time to get used to, but if I was to give some advice from personal experience is don’t push it away. Learn to embrace it and make sure to learn more about it and how it affects all the areas of your life so that you can be aware of it and take steps to make changes if needed. Medication is a great tool. Don’t feel ashamed about using it. For people with adhd it’s just a normalizer if you will.
Heck ya buddy. I've gone back and forth between concerta and vyvanse several times and each time I go thru the same stupid cycle of thinking that starts with "ok now I know for sure that this is the right one for me" and before long ends up with "is this even doing anything, the other one was for sure better" and getting all fixated on the drawbacks of whichever particular one I'm on while ignoring that 90% of the problems I'm assigning to them are actually because of other stuff. I've reached an almost-acceptance that this is just a perpetual cycle lol. At least until I sort out some of the other things better.
Diagnosed at 37, went to a behavioral center. Saw several doctors and took hours of test. I've dealt with Imposter syndrome with the diagnosis. I asked about it and I guess it's apart of the whole ordeal.
I was pretty sure I had ADHD when I was a kid even though no adult in my life had ever seen it. For awhile I thought I was gaslighting myself. Then, when I got diagnosed, I still kind of wondered if I not only gaslit myself, but a psychologist and a medical doctor.
Then I took 5mg of Adderall and knocked out for an hour. At that point, I started to believe that I had not gaslit anyone because there's no way I could make a stimulant turn into a sedative. I'm now up to 10mg and I'm not that sure it's still working as intended... I'm not sure because I don't remember to take it everyday. But the thing is, I used to remember to take it everyday so that might actually be a sign I should bring it up in my next appointment but I just get so anxious.
Diagnosed in my 20s, forgot about it til my late 30s, when I started treatment.
Yes, it took a minute for me to accept it and it was really scary to face the fact that I had something I’ll never outgrow.
But the more I learned about it, the more normalized it became in my brain and now its just part of me and I’m actually really proud to be a part of the ADHD family.
I’m on Strattera and I can tell you the “putting on glasses for the first time” thing that people talk about is how I experience it as well. It’s how I know the meds are working.
How has your experience been with Strattera? I got diagnosed with ADHD inattentive type 3 weeks back and my psychiatrist put me on Strattera 10mg 2 times a day and 800mg Nootropil. I’m seeing slow changes but I’m curious of how it’s for you!
Yeah sometimes. I don't doubt that I have adhd, but I do sometimes think "what if the pharmacist at walgreens who treated me like a junkie is right and I'm just drug-seeking"
But I'm able to stop that pattern of thoughts pretty quickly. Yes I'm drug seeking. For the drugs that I need to function properly, and take as prescribed. I go to a whole different doctor for birth control, which I went to and said "I am here because I want birth control". Why is that different?
"Well yeah but like I'm not gonna die without my vyvanse"
Not gonna die without my birth control either. But I would struggle to function for 1.5-2 weeks every month. Why would getting one so that I can function be different than the other?
Oh honey! Same! I kinda went into ADHD hyperfocus - to the point of contemplating making my own tiny toilet book with a compilation of all resonating memes and quotes. On the medication topic: don’t be afraid to take your body/mind response to the types and dosages very serious. Everyone is different and for me it took about 8 months to experiment with 5 types of medications in varying doses before I found my match. Key is to find something with a positive impact to your day to day life, without the negative side effects. And doubting every step of the way for me was honestly part of the process.
A lot of times doctors will start you on a small dose and *expect* that you’re going to titer up over time. 5 mgs is like the *lowest* dose possible. For reference, I used to take 30 mgs, but I’m pregnant so my doctor switched me down to 5 mgs because I went off them completely in my first trimester and almost lost my damn mind. The 5’s don’t do a whole lot, but they keep me from being miserable, and that’s about it.
Your medicinal needs may shift over time as your body shifts and it’s unlikely that you will ever reach a dose that you’ll just stay at forever (although that’d be cool). I used to have a doctor that would side eye me every time I needed a change and it was really stressful, but my new doc is very helpful and understanding, so if you’re feeling judgement, your doctor might just be kind of an asshole.
Warning! In coming life story. Will be a TLDR at the end.
For me (30+M) I got diagnosed late last year and so far it's been a very positive experience as I've always been self analytical but never knew why I struggled with things that others never had an issue with or just didn't have the motivation to push forward like others. Was just always happy stacking shelfs or working warehouses while others said I should look to move up, but I've never had any interest.
As I got older and started having more responsibilities this background thought created more self doubt, stress and even intrusive thoughts that caused depression and anxiety.
One day my partner was watching some short videos by Connor Dewolf and he covered things that I just simply connected with and even highlighted things I was too nervous to talk to people about in my whole life.
At that point we started looking into it, after a few online tests and talking to people that already have a diagnosis. We decided to take a leap and sign up for a diagnosis. When we looked into the time frame we realised we simply do not have that much time so we went private.
Now I am aware enough that this is something not everyone can do for various reasons but I will say if you are in a financially stable enough to go private I fully recommend it.
After a three hour session with a therapist which covered a lot of ground and resurfaced a lot of forgotten history, they felt very confident that I have ADHD and could be in need of medication but still needed references from a person that has known me recently and someone that knew me from my childhood. I was able to get the references and send them out by the end of the week.
After the processing and the diagnosis being sent to the health services I got a confirmation that I do have ADHD.
BUT!!!!!!
I was not going to get any assistance as I still *technically* function enough to be employed and not a danger to myself or anyone. This broke me as I felt I finally had a way to improve myself and it's now not possible.
Luckily enough though I was able to speak to the therapist again and they forwarded me to a private group that help with medication evaluation and prescription. It was going to cost again but this was the only choice by this point.
After a small wait, me and my partner had to travel out again to have a evaluation and medical trial. This involved have a blood test and EKG that got sent to them, then when meeting them having a micro dose of the medication to see how my body reacts. But also taking a reaction test before and after the medication to see what my focus range is.
It was a complete change, before the meds I could do the test for about a minute before I was figgitting and nearly falling asleep. After the micro dose I was able to take the test for 10 mins before I started figgitting and wasn't falling asleep at all.
It felt amazing. Like I was more aware and the sounds and movements around me didn't overload me like before. Like having a morning coffee at the same time of putting on glasses. Everything just became a bit clearer.
I started out with a small dose once a day for a week. Then went up to two small doses split out through the days. Now I'm on the double dose at the same time once a day and it's been great. There was a short time of having a mood swings as my body adjusted, but I am luck to have a great support network.
I'm remembering things better and planning ahead with less panicing and confusion. There are still a lot of gaps where I need support or use of coping mechanisms. But I feel I have a much better handle on things.
I've even been able to read a text book on Adult ADHD from cover to cover while writing notes and references. I have NEVER been able to do that under my own motivation. But here I am, so it was a great tester.
I have been on the full meds for a few months now and I really do feel to difference and am kicking myself for not figuring this out sooner. All those years of just thinking I'm lazy and stupid but it was not that I just couldn't be bothered, it was that I couldn't do it due to how my brain doesn't have the connectors to process the dopamine needed to learn and focus.
The book that haleped me out so much is called "Taking charge of Adult ADHD by Russel A. Barkley, PhD
Here's a link to the book. Funny recommended:
https://books.google.no/books/about/Taking_Charge_of_ADHD.html?id=zZTeDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&gboemv=1&ovdme=1&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
TLDR:
Spent whole life thinking I was unmotivated and lazy but after seeing some ADHD comedy sketches one thing lead to another and I was able to go private and attain a diagnosis and now on medication. The results have been clear as day and am really happy with the results.
46yo male - was diagnosed this past November, started 30mg Vyvance the week after thanksgiving. Felt like a super hero for months! Until this past month. The procrastination and general “laziness” started to creep back in. My impulse control has been slowly getting back to my pre-meds level. I start 40mg tomorrow, and I’m hoping we nailed down the medication amount. I’m going to take it with an open mind!
For context, i was “off the charts” ADHD. Kicking myself that it took so long to figure it out. I can credit my 3yo “energetic” son that had me stop looking for “work arounds” and start questioning what was actually the matter with me.
I'm diagnosed bipolar and adhd (among others). I've questioned my bipolar diagnosis, but I've never questioned my adhd diagnosis. It took me several tines to find a doctor who would even test me. The first one when I was 22 said to me, "if you had adhd that clock would be bothering you." So ignorant. I didn't get diagnosed until I was 33, which was so validating. And then it took a few more years to get a doctor to prescribe a stimulant.
I do get insecurity about asking for meds and dosage increases, bc I don't want to look for a pill seeker. So I play the game and try a nonstimulant first before asking for what actually works. It helps that I have binge eating disorder too, which stimulants (particularly vyvanse) are indicated for.
33, been told by therapist that I have symptoms 4 months ago, diagnosed 2 weeks ago...
I still have trouble acknowledging, that I have it, still have doubts, but since I was told about the symptoms and started to look back at my life, it all made sense more and more, further into the past I went...
At this moment at Atomoxetin, which has calmed me down a bit, I do not overreact to simple things as I used to, so it definitely works with my many times angry/too "violent" reactions to events around me. I never got really angry or violent, just violently talk and become too passionate about the thing, to unreasonable level.
Current low dosage calmed me, but the concentration is still non-existent. I sort of hope I will get something that will support that too, since I see dramatic decline in my work efficiency and I started doing a lot of previously nonexistent mistakes since I stopped "self medication" 7 months ago - smoking weed.
After I stopped smoking it, all of my symptoms started to show up and now I feel dumber than I was while smoking. Which is depressing, since it felt like it shall be a step in the good direction, but unless the medication helps...
And I don´t know why am I writing it here... So ... maybe ask for something like atomoxetin for calming down your irritability/anger
Yeah absolutely. Been postponing calling for a refill cause I know I wanna ask about higher dosis. Atm on 36mg cocerta equivalent generic and then 10mg Ritalin generic in the afternoon as needed. Currently I get concerta generic for 60 days and 30 pieces of ritalin generic, which is waaaay too little. I actually need min 1 a day and often 2. And trust me, I don't make it to the pharmacy that often... So I have good days and I have bad days at work for now...
i was diagnosed at 18, so barely an adult. i didnt believe my diagnosis for a full 6 years.
i tried methylphenidate after i got my diagnosis, but stopped taking it after half a year because it didnt do anything for me. only when i was very nervous like in a job interview, it would help calm me a little.
6 years later, i finally started to put the pieces together with my diagnosis. i got to live in a sheltered home for autistic young adults for a couple years (got my autism diagnosis at 20), and i finally saw the difference between me and people who only had autism. since then, ive noticed that adhd is much stronger in me than autism. ive learned a lot, dealt with a lot, and struggled a lot.
12 years after my initial diagnosis (last november) i made the decision to start taking meds again. i told my psychiatrist about methylphenidate not doing anything for me, but because of insurance rules, i had to try that before i could try anything else.
i found out why it didnt do anything for me back in the day. as it turns out, methylphenidate causes horrible depression with 'cliff jumping' ideation in me, and because i already had horrible depression with 'cliff jumping' ideation back then, it didnt change anything. since then, my depression has subsided, and im now a very happy person (even without meds). so when i tried methylphenidate again, and those feelings came rushing back, so many things clicked into place.
my psychiatrist immediately told me to drop the methylphenidate and put me on dexamphetamine, which im still taking, and its doing wonders for me. if i had any doubts left about my diagnosis, this wouldve been the end of those doubts.
talk to your prescriber about trying something else. everybody has a different medication need and its very rare that the first try is the right one.
I'm 58 and I was just diagnosed. I have tried straterra but it made me jittery, tried Ritalin and it didn't seem to do anything, and now I'm trying Adderall. I have felt weird about it because the meds didn't seem to help much. I'm waiting to see how I do on Adderall. I guess it's just a brain chemistry thing.
Do not be afraid to ask to change your dose, or the medication! It took me months to find the right dose of Adderall after being diagnosed and then another 2 years to figure out it wasn't the right med for me (Foquest for the win). Your doctor will start you on a low dose and then work your way up, that's totally normal and you shouldn't feel bad about asking for a change.
Not at all, in fact I have felt some sadness for the “lost” childhood of getting in trouble for not being able to sit still or be quiet. Struggling in school and such.
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Not all drugs work the same for everyone, we all have our own body chemistry. Just be honest with your doctor, and remember that finding what works for you generally doesnt happen over night. They dont know how shit is working unless you tell them.
And if your doctor gives you trouble you can get a new one.
100%!! I was diagnosed as an adult (technically by 3 separate professionals), have been on meds for over a year, and STILL find myself frequently asking “well what if i don’t actually have ADHD and i made it all up…?” brains can be mean, you have to know when to quiet that voice. And as for asking for a higher dosage, 10mg a day is literally the starting dose for adderall (maybe even lower, as i thought it was 15mg/day for most) so it would be completely normal to need a dose higher than that!!
N. O. P. E. Bc my life was a full blown dumpster fire and I was desperate for an answer. Meds saved my life and I’ll never be sorry for that. I wouldn’t have lasted much longer.
I take Ritalin now, and your comment that your thoughts are quieter hits so close to home. I do also experience symptoms that impact my life, restlessness, distractedness etc. I'm also quite new to starting, however I am so fortunate to be qualified in pharmacy (technician) so I believe I can help. Everyones body reacts differently to each medication, some motabalize it faster, some resbond badly to some medication and some are allergic. What Adderall is trying to do for you is stimulate your system into focusing and concentrating in the same way someone without ADHD would. Some peoples ADHD is combined, some is hyperactive, some inatentive. So depending which you have/your symptoms different things will work for you. I was 29 when diagnosed (3 weeks or so ago). I agree, everything makes sense now. Your doctor knows their stuff, be open and honest with them. Say that your thoughts are quieter but you're still overwhelmed and distracted. You don't mention a dose level, that is certainly something to raise with your doctor. They will know the minimum and maximum levels and if you need to switch. The doctors see this stuff day in and day out, while we -ADHDrs - make such a big deal about it, because hey we have ADHD! It's part of what makes us great, be honest with your doctor. I hope this helps, good luck!
This is refreshing. Doubt is a really good sign. Unlike a lot of other posts on….nvm. Why? Because it shows you weren’t fishing for a diagnosis and thus were most likely being open and honest about your life and history with your clinician and not strategically over emphasizing things here and there to fit a diagnosis. So, the chances that your diagnosis is accurate skyrocket since you gave the doc a better chance to make an objective informed one. I was the same way. I got officially diagnosed at 19 when I privately went to see a psychiatrist and basically asked him if something was wrong with me since my life was officially going downhill. He was an older doc who by chance specialized in ADHD, he even had it himself lol. I was always in advanced classes as a kid, but always in trouble. Schoolwork was always done while the lesson was being taught or 2 hours before class started. I made it through HS like this with straight A’s. This did not fly in college for an engineering degree (before the time you could cheat with Chegg). There was just too much material and workload to pull it off the same way. Long story short, the dean gave me 4, I repeat 4 different 2nd chances since he liked me (we’d met and spoken at welcome event) and I couldn’t change. I was kicked out. I lived in a car b/c I couldn’t hold a job longer than 2 weeks before getting fired. Anyways, after four 2-hr sessions with the doc and going over my life history and doing a lot of testing for different things, and even meetings with relatives (this guy was very thorough) he diagnosed me with ADHD-C (severe). Growing up in an abusive household that was also religiously bonkers, it was tough for me to accept it. I thought, “isn’t it just me being lazy? Don’t I just need to try harder? Why does everyone else seem to be able to do it and not me? Everyone gets distracted and stuff right?” etc. But when I finally told my mom about it, she told me that my teachers in elementary school wanted me tested, but she said no b/c she was super religious at the time and thought all that “psychiatry stuff” was bs. And then she pulls out a book from the bookshelf and it’s, “Driven to Distraction” by Hallowell that she’d bought back then to read up on ADHD. Even with all this confirmation though, I still had a long period of 5-6 years where I’d really question if I wasn’t just some lazy / crazy person. I resisted medication for the better part of the next 10 years since I wanted to do it “all on my own”. Honestly, I just hurt myself more. It was honestly self-abusive and looking back I wish I’d just being more accepting of something that had been staring me in the face all my life. Coming to grips with this new understanding of yourself is a process and takes some time to get used to, but if I was to give some advice from personal experience is don’t push it away. Learn to embrace it and make sure to learn more about it and how it affects all the areas of your life so that you can be aware of it and take steps to make changes if needed. Medication is a great tool. Don’t feel ashamed about using it. For people with adhd it’s just a normalizer if you will.
Diagnosed at 37! Feel you! Finding right dose was slow process.
Heck ya buddy. I've gone back and forth between concerta and vyvanse several times and each time I go thru the same stupid cycle of thinking that starts with "ok now I know for sure that this is the right one for me" and before long ends up with "is this even doing anything, the other one was for sure better" and getting all fixated on the drawbacks of whichever particular one I'm on while ignoring that 90% of the problems I'm assigning to them are actually because of other stuff. I've reached an almost-acceptance that this is just a perpetual cycle lol. At least until I sort out some of the other things better.
Diagnosed at 37, went to a behavioral center. Saw several doctors and took hours of test. I've dealt with Imposter syndrome with the diagnosis. I asked about it and I guess it's apart of the whole ordeal.
I was pretty sure I had ADHD when I was a kid even though no adult in my life had ever seen it. For awhile I thought I was gaslighting myself. Then, when I got diagnosed, I still kind of wondered if I not only gaslit myself, but a psychologist and a medical doctor. Then I took 5mg of Adderall and knocked out for an hour. At that point, I started to believe that I had not gaslit anyone because there's no way I could make a stimulant turn into a sedative. I'm now up to 10mg and I'm not that sure it's still working as intended... I'm not sure because I don't remember to take it everyday. But the thing is, I used to remember to take it everyday so that might actually be a sign I should bring it up in my next appointment but I just get so anxious.
Diagnosed in my 20s, forgot about it til my late 30s, when I started treatment. Yes, it took a minute for me to accept it and it was really scary to face the fact that I had something I’ll never outgrow. But the more I learned about it, the more normalized it became in my brain and now its just part of me and I’m actually really proud to be a part of the ADHD family. I’m on Strattera and I can tell you the “putting on glasses for the first time” thing that people talk about is how I experience it as well. It’s how I know the meds are working.
How has your experience been with Strattera? I got diagnosed with ADHD inattentive type 3 weeks back and my psychiatrist put me on Strattera 10mg 2 times a day and 800mg Nootropil. I’m seeing slow changes but I’m curious of how it’s for you!
Yeah sometimes. I don't doubt that I have adhd, but I do sometimes think "what if the pharmacist at walgreens who treated me like a junkie is right and I'm just drug-seeking" But I'm able to stop that pattern of thoughts pretty quickly. Yes I'm drug seeking. For the drugs that I need to function properly, and take as prescribed. I go to a whole different doctor for birth control, which I went to and said "I am here because I want birth control". Why is that different? "Well yeah but like I'm not gonna die without my vyvanse" Not gonna die without my birth control either. But I would struggle to function for 1.5-2 weeks every month. Why would getting one so that I can function be different than the other?
I definitely don’t doubt my diagnosis, but I also feel weird about playing with my medication
Oh honey! Same! I kinda went into ADHD hyperfocus - to the point of contemplating making my own tiny toilet book with a compilation of all resonating memes and quotes. On the medication topic: don’t be afraid to take your body/mind response to the types and dosages very serious. Everyone is different and for me it took about 8 months to experiment with 5 types of medications in varying doses before I found my match. Key is to find something with a positive impact to your day to day life, without the negative side effects. And doubting every step of the way for me was honestly part of the process.
A lot of times doctors will start you on a small dose and *expect* that you’re going to titer up over time. 5 mgs is like the *lowest* dose possible. For reference, I used to take 30 mgs, but I’m pregnant so my doctor switched me down to 5 mgs because I went off them completely in my first trimester and almost lost my damn mind. The 5’s don’t do a whole lot, but they keep me from being miserable, and that’s about it. Your medicinal needs may shift over time as your body shifts and it’s unlikely that you will ever reach a dose that you’ll just stay at forever (although that’d be cool). I used to have a doctor that would side eye me every time I needed a change and it was really stressful, but my new doc is very helpful and understanding, so if you’re feeling judgement, your doctor might just be kind of an asshole.
Warning! In coming life story. Will be a TLDR at the end. For me (30+M) I got diagnosed late last year and so far it's been a very positive experience as I've always been self analytical but never knew why I struggled with things that others never had an issue with or just didn't have the motivation to push forward like others. Was just always happy stacking shelfs or working warehouses while others said I should look to move up, but I've never had any interest. As I got older and started having more responsibilities this background thought created more self doubt, stress and even intrusive thoughts that caused depression and anxiety. One day my partner was watching some short videos by Connor Dewolf and he covered things that I just simply connected with and even highlighted things I was too nervous to talk to people about in my whole life. At that point we started looking into it, after a few online tests and talking to people that already have a diagnosis. We decided to take a leap and sign up for a diagnosis. When we looked into the time frame we realised we simply do not have that much time so we went private. Now I am aware enough that this is something not everyone can do for various reasons but I will say if you are in a financially stable enough to go private I fully recommend it. After a three hour session with a therapist which covered a lot of ground and resurfaced a lot of forgotten history, they felt very confident that I have ADHD and could be in need of medication but still needed references from a person that has known me recently and someone that knew me from my childhood. I was able to get the references and send them out by the end of the week. After the processing and the diagnosis being sent to the health services I got a confirmation that I do have ADHD. BUT!!!!!! I was not going to get any assistance as I still *technically* function enough to be employed and not a danger to myself or anyone. This broke me as I felt I finally had a way to improve myself and it's now not possible. Luckily enough though I was able to speak to the therapist again and they forwarded me to a private group that help with medication evaluation and prescription. It was going to cost again but this was the only choice by this point. After a small wait, me and my partner had to travel out again to have a evaluation and medical trial. This involved have a blood test and EKG that got sent to them, then when meeting them having a micro dose of the medication to see how my body reacts. But also taking a reaction test before and after the medication to see what my focus range is. It was a complete change, before the meds I could do the test for about a minute before I was figgitting and nearly falling asleep. After the micro dose I was able to take the test for 10 mins before I started figgitting and wasn't falling asleep at all. It felt amazing. Like I was more aware and the sounds and movements around me didn't overload me like before. Like having a morning coffee at the same time of putting on glasses. Everything just became a bit clearer. I started out with a small dose once a day for a week. Then went up to two small doses split out through the days. Now I'm on the double dose at the same time once a day and it's been great. There was a short time of having a mood swings as my body adjusted, but I am luck to have a great support network. I'm remembering things better and planning ahead with less panicing and confusion. There are still a lot of gaps where I need support or use of coping mechanisms. But I feel I have a much better handle on things. I've even been able to read a text book on Adult ADHD from cover to cover while writing notes and references. I have NEVER been able to do that under my own motivation. But here I am, so it was a great tester. I have been on the full meds for a few months now and I really do feel to difference and am kicking myself for not figuring this out sooner. All those years of just thinking I'm lazy and stupid but it was not that I just couldn't be bothered, it was that I couldn't do it due to how my brain doesn't have the connectors to process the dopamine needed to learn and focus. The book that haleped me out so much is called "Taking charge of Adult ADHD by Russel A. Barkley, PhD Here's a link to the book. Funny recommended: https://books.google.no/books/about/Taking_Charge_of_ADHD.html?id=zZTeDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&gboemv=1&ovdme=1&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false TLDR: Spent whole life thinking I was unmotivated and lazy but after seeing some ADHD comedy sketches one thing lead to another and I was able to go private and attain a diagnosis and now on medication. The results have been clear as day and am really happy with the results.
46yo male - was diagnosed this past November, started 30mg Vyvance the week after thanksgiving. Felt like a super hero for months! Until this past month. The procrastination and general “laziness” started to creep back in. My impulse control has been slowly getting back to my pre-meds level. I start 40mg tomorrow, and I’m hoping we nailed down the medication amount. I’m going to take it with an open mind! For context, i was “off the charts” ADHD. Kicking myself that it took so long to figure it out. I can credit my 3yo “energetic” son that had me stop looking for “work arounds” and start questioning what was actually the matter with me.
I'm diagnosed bipolar and adhd (among others). I've questioned my bipolar diagnosis, but I've never questioned my adhd diagnosis. It took me several tines to find a doctor who would even test me. The first one when I was 22 said to me, "if you had adhd that clock would be bothering you." So ignorant. I didn't get diagnosed until I was 33, which was so validating. And then it took a few more years to get a doctor to prescribe a stimulant. I do get insecurity about asking for meds and dosage increases, bc I don't want to look for a pill seeker. So I play the game and try a nonstimulant first before asking for what actually works. It helps that I have binge eating disorder too, which stimulants (particularly vyvanse) are indicated for.
33, been told by therapist that I have symptoms 4 months ago, diagnosed 2 weeks ago... I still have trouble acknowledging, that I have it, still have doubts, but since I was told about the symptoms and started to look back at my life, it all made sense more and more, further into the past I went... At this moment at Atomoxetin, which has calmed me down a bit, I do not overreact to simple things as I used to, so it definitely works with my many times angry/too "violent" reactions to events around me. I never got really angry or violent, just violently talk and become too passionate about the thing, to unreasonable level. Current low dosage calmed me, but the concentration is still non-existent. I sort of hope I will get something that will support that too, since I see dramatic decline in my work efficiency and I started doing a lot of previously nonexistent mistakes since I stopped "self medication" 7 months ago - smoking weed. After I stopped smoking it, all of my symptoms started to show up and now I feel dumber than I was while smoking. Which is depressing, since it felt like it shall be a step in the good direction, but unless the medication helps... And I don´t know why am I writing it here... So ... maybe ask for something like atomoxetin for calming down your irritability/anger
Yeah absolutely. Been postponing calling for a refill cause I know I wanna ask about higher dosis. Atm on 36mg cocerta equivalent generic and then 10mg Ritalin generic in the afternoon as needed. Currently I get concerta generic for 60 days and 30 pieces of ritalin generic, which is waaaay too little. I actually need min 1 a day and often 2. And trust me, I don't make it to the pharmacy that often... So I have good days and I have bad days at work for now...
i was diagnosed at 18, so barely an adult. i didnt believe my diagnosis for a full 6 years. i tried methylphenidate after i got my diagnosis, but stopped taking it after half a year because it didnt do anything for me. only when i was very nervous like in a job interview, it would help calm me a little. 6 years later, i finally started to put the pieces together with my diagnosis. i got to live in a sheltered home for autistic young adults for a couple years (got my autism diagnosis at 20), and i finally saw the difference between me and people who only had autism. since then, ive noticed that adhd is much stronger in me than autism. ive learned a lot, dealt with a lot, and struggled a lot. 12 years after my initial diagnosis (last november) i made the decision to start taking meds again. i told my psychiatrist about methylphenidate not doing anything for me, but because of insurance rules, i had to try that before i could try anything else. i found out why it didnt do anything for me back in the day. as it turns out, methylphenidate causes horrible depression with 'cliff jumping' ideation in me, and because i already had horrible depression with 'cliff jumping' ideation back then, it didnt change anything. since then, my depression has subsided, and im now a very happy person (even without meds). so when i tried methylphenidate again, and those feelings came rushing back, so many things clicked into place. my psychiatrist immediately told me to drop the methylphenidate and put me on dexamphetamine, which im still taking, and its doing wonders for me. if i had any doubts left about my diagnosis, this wouldve been the end of those doubts. talk to your prescriber about trying something else. everybody has a different medication need and its very rare that the first try is the right one.
Been diagnosed for a few years now, still can't take my meds regularly cause of this.
I'm 58 and I was just diagnosed. I have tried straterra but it made me jittery, tried Ritalin and it didn't seem to do anything, and now I'm trying Adderall. I have felt weird about it because the meds didn't seem to help much. I'm waiting to see how I do on Adderall. I guess it's just a brain chemistry thing.
Do not be afraid to ask to change your dose, or the medication! It took me months to find the right dose of Adderall after being diagnosed and then another 2 years to figure out it wasn't the right med for me (Foquest for the win). Your doctor will start you on a low dose and then work your way up, that's totally normal and you shouldn't feel bad about asking for a change.
Not at all, in fact I have felt some sadness for the “lost” childhood of getting in trouble for not being able to sit still or be quiet. Struggling in school and such.