I'm curious how you are handling it.

I'm better when I exercise and eat a diet without processed foods and sugar.

Anyone taking medication? What types?

I tried regular ritalin for awhile, but I couldn't get the dosage right. It made me so sleepy that I'd have to take it with a big cup of coffee or something with a lot of caffiene to keep me awake.

I recently started taking Aderral XL and don't really care for it either.

What are your experiences with treatments?

Sarah

Me, me, me! I was diagnosed...ummm...10 years ago? I can tell you, as I sat in the counsellor's office and read over that list of symptoms, I just cried and cried. There it was, in black and white, everything that was wrong with me. I thought I was just a mess so to find out that there were other adults with the same issues was such a weight off my mind.

I get so angry with people who poo-poo the existence of ADHD. They just cannot understand what it's like to live with it. I mean, yeah, I do believe there were alot of kids who were misdiagnosed and overmedicated but it is a very real, very insistent disorder and unless you have struggled your whole life with it, it just can not be appreciated.

I was put on Effexor at first. The doc and the counsellor did not want to use...I can;t remember the name of the medication but it ends with -drine, lol. It is also a diet aid and as I am a recovering bulimic, they didn't like me to have it. So they went with the Effexor, which is actually an anti-depressant but has been known to be effective with adult ADD. It was awful. I was physically ill, kept vomiting and had diarreah. The doctor told me it would pass after a week or so but I just couldn't keep it up.

Frankly, just knowing that I had been acknowledged and wasn't crazy (or lazy or a daydreamer or spacy or, my very favoprite expression for ADD-ers, "not living up to my potential") was a tremendous help. There's an awesome book called You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy? for adults with ADD. Have you read it?

I have fibromyalgia, and I read an article connecting fibro to adult ADD, so I read the book, and it describes me to a T, but when I underwent a psych evaluation when I applied for SSDI because of my fibromyalgia, I was told that it was unlikely because I was "too high functioning and had not had difficulties in school." Actually, even though I did well in school, my parents were often told that I performed far below my potential (although when you're getting A's and B's even parents aren't going to take that too seriously) and that rather than pay attention in class, I was always talking to the kids next to me or reading (not class assigned material).

I have the hyperfocus that many of the adult ADD books talk about. When I am reading, the house could literally fall down around me and I wouldn't notice, I tune everything out, and often won't hear people talking to me. My husband even remarks on it, as if I'm reading he often has to shake my shoulder to get my attention.

I drink caffeinated diet sodas and iced T (I don't like coffee), which help. My doctor suggested caffeine for the fibro, but it also helps my distractability. My neurologist prescribed provigil for fatigue (it is a non-stimulant alertness drug). He said that it's much safer than most alertness medications, and that doctors (such as himself) use it a lot for surgery and long driving trips.

The problem is that if you use it daily, you can build up a tolerance, so I use caffeine daily, and a few times a month, when I really have to get things done, I take one provigil in the morning. I try to take it before 10:00 am, or I sometimes am not sleepy until midnight or so.

Yes, I've read that book. It was what made me look into some treatment options. Just knowing that my brain is wired this way has helped me. I make lots of lists, keep all important meetings in outlook with a nice reminder so I can't overlook things. I've developed better coping skills in general.

I tend to do that also with the meds, only take it when I absolutley have to get things done or concentrate because of the fear of tolerance. I want to take the bare minimum needed. I was using the diet pills that contained ephedra until my doctor yelled at me for taking it. I also use a lot of caffiene to get through the day.

I do notice that when I take the meds, food isn't on my mind as much. Yesterday I was doing some computer work and my stomach started to hurt and I couldn't figure it out until I checked the time and found it was 2 hours after lunch time. Usually my entire day is based on food, when the next snack or meal is. It's nice to not be so focused on food.

The problem I'm having with Aderrall (of course I should point out this is based on 1 dose. I started taking it yesterday) is it's long acting and I went to bed last night about midnight woke up about 2:00 and kind of just dosed of and on for the rest of the night, not really sleep. Did you notice sleep disturbances when you started using your meds? Should I just keep taking it until my system gets used to it?

Sarah

it's not adult ADD, but my 12 year ol;d son has ADD and I recognize many of your traits in him......the hyperfocus, not performing up to potential (even though he gets A's and B's). He now takes Concerta, which is time-release Ritilin. It has been the medication that has helped the most. He only takes it during the school year and even then, we skip week-ends and holidays. When we first resume treatment, his appetite disappears, it's harder for him to fall asleep, and his emotion get a little out of hand for the first few days. he usually settles down within a week or 10 days.
We are hoping that as he enters puberty, he will be better able to handle the effects of this condition and we will be able to discontinue any medication.
I hope this is helpful.