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ADD/ADHDera, let's share coping mechanisms
- Thread starter 5taquitos
- Start date
Meh, ADD/ADHD medications don't work on me (make me angry and violent) but I'll continue to work on everything else you listed. Regular exercise I know works in my case, but I'm usually too unmotivated to go.
I HAVE to unwind for long periods of time to get any work done at home since my brain is so scattered, so I just "listen" to ambient music on my bed for hours.
Always great to open up to others with ADHD, maybe someone can give advice for dealing with a lack of patience with people I talk with? It's destroyed so many relationships in my life, romantic or otherwise.
+1 for ADD community
I HAVE to unwind for long periods of time to get any work done at home since my brain is so scattered, so I just "listen" to ambient music on my bed for hours.
Always great to open up to others with ADHD, maybe someone can give advice for dealing with a lack of patience with people I talk with? It's destroyed so many relationships in my life, romantic or otherwise.
+1 for ADD community
Yeah, the whole "my body feels likes strapped to a train" thing doesnt happen.
Asking for a friend I'm becoming concerned about. Dr. Psychologist lpc or what for a first consult, may need meds. Maybe ADHD or depression anxiety etc.
Geez, finding this thread might actually be the first time Era has actually helped me find a solution to my ADHD rather than enable it.
Because I've had quite a bit of success with my anxiety with types of weed I was actually hoping to find a strain that might help me focus.
Has anyone had any luck with weed at all? I've heard cinex is a good one and was actually just now thinking of going to the shop to pick it up.
Because I've had quite a bit of success with my anxiety with types of weed I was actually hoping to find a strain that might help me focus.
Has anyone had any luck with weed at all? I've heard cinex is a good one and was actually just now thinking of going to the shop to pick it up.
Interesting you picked up on this, particularly the latter part of this quote. What you've mentioned is basically Mindfulness.
I was diagnosed with ADD when I was a teenager, and have tried various meds over the years (Addy, Vyvanse, Ritalin) with middling results. Around a year ago, my doc prescribed me Modafinil, which is used off-label for ADD/ADHD. Its effects (for me, at least) with a 100mg dose are a lot more subtle than Addy/Vyvanse and the come-down isn't nearly as pronounced. It affects me much like a nice cup of coffee would, with a nice, uplifting feeling that lends itself to an easier time focusing - with the effects lasting around 8ish hours.
As someone who has severely disliked the side effects of every ADHD medicine he's been on, coffee has been my savior. Being able to take on that head clearing effect on demand is much more satisfying than the medicine that changes my personality.
I tried this once, before I knew I was ADHD and was trying to self medicate with nootropics etc., and it just made me wired as hell like I was on some bad speed. Maybe the dosage was too high, but whatever... dexamphetamine seems to work quite well for me and is cheap enough here in Australia (around $40 for 300 5mg tablets, which does me for about a month and a half) as it's partly subsidised.
I think the worst part about ADD for me is just how little control it feels like I have over anything I do with my life. I go days, sometimes weeks, without being able to get anything done and then suddenly the Adderall will kick in and I will spend so much time working on something without taking a break that I make myself sick. If I'm lucky and go on a roll, I'll look back and ask how I was ever unable to accomplish anything. Then a few days later I'll fall back into a slump and everything will go back to seeming impossible.
It feels like I am constantly waiting for something to happen to make me get up and go, but it almost never comes. It doesn't even seem like a human will problem anymore and hasn't for a really long time.
Tomorrow will be different, except it won't be because it never is.
It feels like I am constantly waiting for something to happen to make me get up and go, but it almost never comes. It doesn't even seem like a human will problem anymore and hasn't for a really long time.
Tomorrow will be different, except it won't be because it never is.
Meds will help activate your executive functions. I also recommend trying...hmm what do you find interesting about math?
Ummm nothing :P
Like it helps when a concept is related to a real world example
I'm going for testing next week after multiple doctors told me I might have ADD. I feel a little hopeful that my constant lateness, bad scheduling and focus isn't because I just "dont care enough".
How bad were the symptoms for you guys? I mean I feel like I have a lot of the symptoms, but then I just figure that everyone is like this and I'm just exaggerating my symptoms. Like I zone out pretty quickly in conversations with my wife. I'll pretend to listen but I'm not interested a lot of the times. Sometimes I'll interrupt her and completely change the subject just because some other thing popped into my head, I do this when I'm the one talking as well sometimes. But it's not all the time, often enough I guess. This irritates my wife. I'm forgetful, it seems like I'm always forgetting something. I was taking some ADD tests online and a lot of the questions I agreed with but to an extent, not all the time. Like fidgeting, easily irritated, forgetful, get bored of conversations and zone out. Some questions even had to do with self esteem, which mine is shit. I'm not an extrovert either, the opposite really.
Who do you talk to about this stuff? I mean I at least need help with my self esteem and anger.
Who do you talk to about this stuff? I mean I at least need help with my self esteem and anger.
YES. I cannot concentrate long enough to comprehend what the professor is saying. I can concentrate for like 45 seconds of the explanation but then, before I know it, somehow im thinking about something that happened 7 years ago.
Yeah that happens to me all the time. I can't keep my mind from drifting off to wherever it wants to go
I've been on Ritalin for a year and my psychiatrist is letting me switch to another stimulant. It'll be by trial and error so what should I be avoiding and gravitating toward? I hear lots of mixed advice for the various stimulants.
I got diagnosed with Severe ADHD when I was around 7 years old. Been a struggle on and off my whole life. Started on Ritalin when I was a kid and like most kids became a zombie from it which turned me off on medication for the longest time. I now take 2 20mg extended release Adderalls every morning and that has helped a bit. The worst part about ADHD for me is that I have the memory of someone with dementia. My working memory is totally shot, though I am able to remember the most random things from many years ago. I am able to remember events from around age 3 or 4, but I can't tell you what I did this morning outside of my typical routine.
I wish I had a counter for how many times I've walked into a room and completely forgotten whatever the reason for entering the room was.
Also, any tips on helping with my memory issues?
I wish I had a counter for how many times I've walked into a room and completely forgotten whatever the reason for entering the room was.
Also, any tips on helping with my memory issues?
Routine and schedules
Medication didn't work; Adderrall made my thoughts come single file into my head and I didn't like that...everything felt slow
So I ended up focusing on how weird that felt instead of things
Limit sugar and caffeine too
Medication didn't work; Adderrall made my thoughts come single file into my head and I didn't like that...everything felt slow
So I ended up focusing on how weird that felt instead of things
Limit sugar and caffeine too
I was medicated as an adult (briefly) not as a kid; I developed this idiosyncrasy where I narrate aloud everything I'm doing or going to do. Unfortunately, it does extend into regular speech where I repeat my words and sentences to keep myself on track
Holy crap, I do the same thing. It may not be as severe to the point where I do it all the time, but it has gotten to the point where I am self-narrating my thoughts without realizing it. My family and friends have caught me doing it before, but luckily I wasn't thinking about anything that would embarrass me or them haha.
OP, how do you get diagnosed for it? I'm thinking of making an appt with my doctor tomorrow and I'm not sure how to ask about it.
Not OP but I know for a friend of mine that got tested when they were older they talked with their doctor and psychiatrist and scheduled an appointment for the tests. Should be pretty simple, just explain to them if they ask that you believe you may have symptoms that are in line with ADD or ADHD and just want to make sure that's the case.
I don't cope very well. Constant anxiety, constant feeling that my life is completely out of control, constant struggle to make it through a single sentence when engaged in conversation I don't find interesting.
I just mask it and try to reassure myself that it's mostly in my head.
I just mask it and try to reassure myself that it's mostly in my head.
You'd be surprised how much your state of mind can exacerbate or relax it down.. it won't be immediate like a drug, it'll take some time; (if you're already taking medication and getting treated that is), you have to find some self esteem, some will, and a direction
if you keep telling yourself you can't cope well then you probably won't, you have to start telling yourself than you can but you'd also have to take steps to address what causes anxiety in some way in the real world
this is personal experience talking, nothing more; take it for what it is
Thank you for this. As you can tell, I have been a bit defeatist about my mental state lately. I've had a rough year.
The natural depression I'm dealing with because of some losses I've faced have really sent my ADHD into maximum warp. I don't take meds and don't seek pro help but I find talking with friends about it actually helps. There is only so much shit they want to hear about my life right now so I have definitely been bottling some things up.
You're right. I need to actually put forth effort before the accepting the resignation of not coping well.
Diagnosed at 19 with ADHD (but clearly had it since an early age, parents were weird about medicating). Was medicated for a few years but haven't been on Concerta for years now. Thought many times of going back on it but it is rather pricey.
Lists have been tremendously helpful as OP points out.
Music is definitely really good at sort of keeping that distracted part of my brain focused (EDM, stuff with as little lyrics as possible).
Since it's been so long since I last was on medication there are a few questions I guess I'd like to have fielded by people more recently medicated.
-Are there any better low-intensity medicines that have developed in the last decade that people would recommend?
-One of my larger fears about Concerta was long-term effects relating to general focus & anxiety. Anybody seen anything about long-term medication use and its effects?
-Is there any medication that you can get without therapy or visits to a psychiatrist? Was one of the more annoying restrictions on previous medication requests.
For my case, hyper-activeness, lack of focus-- fish oil has been completely useless. I think it's probably better for people with memory issues?
Lists have been tremendously helpful as OP points out.
Music is definitely really good at sort of keeping that distracted part of my brain focused (EDM, stuff with as little lyrics as possible).
Since it's been so long since I last was on medication there are a few questions I guess I'd like to have fielded by people more recently medicated.
-Are there any better low-intensity medicines that have developed in the last decade that people would recommend?
-One of my larger fears about Concerta was long-term effects relating to general focus & anxiety. Anybody seen anything about long-term medication use and its effects?
-Is there any medication that you can get without therapy or visits to a psychiatrist? Was one of the more annoying restrictions on previous medication requests.
For my case, hyper-activeness, lack of focus-- fish oil has been completely useless. I think it's probably better for people with memory issues?
Currently staring at a multitude of paperwork. The body is willing but the mind is weak!
I agree on writing lists! It helps a lot and can be good fun!
Exercise also is a great aid. Even just doing something little every day, I get very antsy if I don't get my run in, or even just beat up a heavy bag for a little bit! It's a surprisingly good way to relax yourself.
Furthermore, just finding a hobby of some sort. I started teaching myself piano a few months ago. Now I still am not a good music reader, and usually just learn synthesia. It often manages to trigger my hyper focus (Our super power!) Something you can distract yourself with that is going to have a benefit of some sort.
That said, I fell down that youtube hole last night and am actively continuing to avoid this work!
I agree on writing lists! It helps a lot and can be good fun!
Exercise also is a great aid. Even just doing something little every day, I get very antsy if I don't get my run in, or even just beat up a heavy bag for a little bit! It's a surprisingly good way to relax yourself.
Furthermore, just finding a hobby of some sort. I started teaching myself piano a few months ago. Now I still am not a good music reader, and usually just learn synthesia. It often manages to trigger my hyper focus (Our super power!) Something you can distract yourself with that is going to have a benefit of some sort.
That said, I fell down that youtube hole last night and am actively continuing to avoid this work!
Fish oil is a placebo.
Strattera is not a controlled substance so it can be prescribed with refills.
Thanks for starting this thread OP, and also for sharing your story!
I'm 33, was diagnosed as early as 14 but didn't take it seriously - in fact only used it as a means of "hating my parents" further, and didn't think ADD was real.
As it turns out, my ADD didn't really affect me much as I continued through a theatre education, and further education, and career, without even considering my illness.
But this is because, as it turns out, all my "actor training" [ie - exercise, dance, singing, meditation, yoga, etc] was the closest thing to a natural cure for the illness [not to mention the "work" of acting is highly suited to our brain-types as well].
It's only now, after having been in business / self-employed for nearly 7 years, my life has gone to shambles and I feel like I'm losing my mind.
Well, FELT...
After struggling through so many years of early business building, I started taking more time away to spend with my family and relatives.
They're all doctors, and now that we're all adults we're just great friends, so all of that "parent vs. rogue child" stuff from my youth didn't apply anymore.
They were kind enough to alert me of my ADD again, and suggest exploring that as a means of attacking the issues I was facing [which, spoilers, were ALL related to my ADD].
So yeah, reading through your story and suggestions for routines / therapy are SPOT ON.
It's like I'm reading my own testimonial and suggestions lol, except the list-making, I'm still not doing that enough and it's crazy how much it helps!
Anyway, subbed to this thread, this is something more and more people are struggling through without realizing it!
I have terrible trouble with math, and I didn't manage. I squeaked by in high school and then avoided it in college until I eventually dropped out.
edit: was proud of myself because I finally meal prepped lunches for work ahead of time last night, then forgot my lunch on the table on the way out the door today.
I thought this too, and I suspect every other late-diagnosed ADDer is exactly the same. It's not that everyone is like this, but that they're not like this *all the time*. Everyone has moments of being absent-minded or forgetful or bad at keeping track of time etc., but not everyone lives with it constantly.
I just wish I'd known that earlier, but better to get diagnosed late than not at all!
So I had to sit through an 8 hour job certification class yesterday and did a really good job. There was even someone next to me who wouldn't stop talking in my ear and I was mostly able to tune it out.
The material was dry, boring and only loosely related to my day to day responsibilities. It could have gone so much worse. I ended up doing really well on the exam and came away really positive about the experience as it relates the my natural tendency to mentally wander.
Small victories!
The material was dry, boring and only loosely related to my day to day responsibilities. It could have gone so much worse. I ended up doing really well on the exam and came away really positive about the experience as it relates the my natural tendency to mentally wander.
Small victories!
Sometimes they can make all the difference.
Here's hoping they continue to add* up.
It wasn't intentional but it made me smile once I saw it typed out so I'm leaving it.
I do not envy the doctors who have to diagnose this stuff. I can check off a lot of boxes from all three categories from this section.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sluggish_cognitive_tempo#Signs_and_symptoms
It seems like such a wide spectrum. For example, I'm constantly daydreaming and absent minded, have terrible working memory, am very noncombative and super laid back in general, but definitely the opposite of lethargic. If I let myself I'll pace like crazy and I'm an aggressive driver.
Yeah, I think an important part of the diagnosis is that you have had the symptoms for as long as you can remember, and they are severe enough that they impact your daily life.
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Has anyone here ever tried Brain.fm? I just decided to sign up for the free trial.
I've always found music to be a good way to get me to focus and concentrate, and that seems to be what Brain.fm is going for.
Of course, it can't be just any music that helps me focus, and I end up getting tired of music if I'm listening for too long, but the music that's played on Brain.FM seems to be really clicking with me. I had no desire to do any work today, but I actually got some done while listening to the music on the site. I'm seriously considering signing up for the monthly option to see if it's effective over a longer period of time.
I've always found music to be a good way to get me to focus and concentrate, and that seems to be what Brain.fm is going for.
Of course, it can't be just any music that helps me focus, and I end up getting tired of music if I'm listening for too long, but the music that's played on Brain.FM seems to be really clicking with me. I had no desire to do any work today, but I actually got some done while listening to the music on the site. I'm seriously considering signing up for the monthly option to see if it's effective over a longer period of time.
Have you tried Focalin? I'm curious how Dexedrine compares to it given that it has the same relation to Adderall that Focalin has to Ritalin.
Marijuana has really helped my ADHD out a lot. Im sure it will have different effects on different people, but for me, it's much easier for me to sit through something dumb and irrelevant when im "stoned" then it is when im sober. I was a c-b student without and became a practically A student with it.
It's definately not for everyone, but it's helped me and another friend of mine quite a lot.
Also, another coping mechanism that i've found works well is taking a nice long shower to collect your thoughts for the day. I always feel like I need a constant stimulat of some type, and who here can honestly say that they dont enjoy a nice hot shower. This is kind of a pseudo meditation I guess, but ont be afraid to take some midday showers when you're at college.
It's definately not for everyone, but it's helped me and another friend of mine quite a lot.
Also, another coping mechanism that i've found works well is taking a nice long shower to collect your thoughts for the day. I always feel like I need a constant stimulat of some type, and who here can honestly say that they dont enjoy a nice hot shower. This is kind of a pseudo meditation I guess, but ont be afraid to take some midday showers when you're at college.
Just want to make a psa on this.
If you were diagnosed with adhd perhaps particularly if it wae a considerable while ago and it seems like nothing is working well, you may have a form of spd (sensory processing disorder) and were misdiagnosed.
https://www.understood.org/en/learn...ce-between-sensory-processing-issues-and-adhd
If you were diagnosed with adhd perhaps particularly if it wae a considerable while ago and it seems like nothing is working well, you may have a form of spd (sensory processing disorder) and were misdiagnosed.
https://www.understood.org/en/learn...ce-between-sensory-processing-issues-and-adhd