ADD - ADHD Drug of Choice with comments

[NewHampster]

Inspired by another thread I thought I'd see what people use and why. Seems there are lots of us here, duh, computer, avoid work, post on DU all day.

Yours truly has lived on Ritalin since 20/20 did their eye opener in the early 90's. I slept through it and when I awoke my wife said and I quote. "They just had a story about you".

I did not make separate choices for extended dose.

[mwdem]

1. My 22 year old son just started Ritalin.

He's been on it for about a month, and is finally interested in finishing college. It may take some time, but he's pretty dedicated. My husband started Concerta, and he's a totally different person. No more "looping", if you know what I mean!

[NewHampster]

2. I know what you mean

but I never heard it called looping. lately I guess they call it zoning out.

I tried Concerta and went back to Rit. Just didn't seem right.

I bet your son can find an ADD support group at the school he chooses.

[mwdem]

3. His Dr. is very helpful, monitoring the doses,

I think he's found the right formula. "Looping" is my word for my husband trying to finish one task, but taking all day because of distractions.

[smirkymonkey]

4. Is that why I seem to crave caffiene??

I really don't want to go on medication, but I believe that I am seriously ADD to the point where I can't seem to get anywhere in my life. My mind goes off on dozens of tangents at once and I can't focus or seem to sit still, unless I am completely zoning out.

I would be very interested in hearing how medication has changed people's lives if anyone wants to share details about why they prefer one of the above mentioned medications.

[NewHampster]

5. meds are great but best with counciling

Ritalin helps with the focusing and even better with the thing only we understand. Hyper focusing. Do you get so into things you don't even hear outside noices?

ADD is something that can be tested for which costs big bucks, but some insurers require the official stamp of approval.

I take Ritalin, drink coffee Mountain Dew and Diet coke all day then go home and fall asleep.

[smirkymonkey]

11. Yes, to your first question...

if something really, really absorbs me I can get lost in it for hours and have no concept of time or what is going on around me. Kind of obsessive actaully.

[NewHampster]

13. My ADD Explanation from personal experience only

I Hyper Focus like how I'm on DU instead of walking the dog.

Threaded, forum like thinking. Many tangents at once that sometimes even post at the same time. This is the real ADD that the normals can't comprehend.

A one hour drive equals at least 3 world changing ideas that if patented would make you richer than Bill.

You buy a mini recorder to tape the brilliance as it happens and actually remember to use it. Then two years later as you are cleaning out the car at trade-in time, you find the recorder under the passenger seat.

Ritalin can help some with all of the above but only when we remember to take it.

:donut:

[smirkymonkey]

15. Yes! I will be on DU, hopping all over the

place, and even on other websites at the same time while talking on the phone and thinking about 10 other things! I love your bit about the tape recorder - that's exactly what it's like!!

[NewHampster]

17. What tape Recorder?

Oh yeah I said that.

:P

[Snail Darter]

22. Hyperfocusing

NewHampster, I'd appreciate any advice or information you can offer on the topic of hyperfocusing. Adderall has helped with restlessness and daydreaming, but less with distraction, on the one hand, and hyperfocus, on the other. The worst is getting distracted and then hyperfocusing on the distraction. x(

[NewHampster]

24. I wish I had an answer

I'm doing it right now. I tend to live from Hyperfocus to Hyperfocus.

Yes, It was worse before the meds because I'd be Hyperfocusing on the wrong things. Now at least I focus my Hyperfocusing if that makes sense.

Hyperfocusing is probably something that group or personal counciling can help with. I've always been told to get a coach or join a group hug but the loner in me refuses.

I'd love to hear what other people think about this.

[starroute]

6. You sound a lot like my son

All through elementary and high school, I kept asking his teachers if he might have ADD, and they kept saying no, bright kids were just naturally restless. And he avoided talking about his problems because he was afraid medications would dull his creativity. But after spending four years at college without getting close to a degree, he finally admitting how much his inability to concentrate was crapping up his life and went to see a therapist, who sent him to a psychiatrist.

The psychiatrist said it was mania, or racing thoughts, and prescribed a low dose of Risperdal. That helped a lot with the constant static in his head, but he still has trouble concentrating. He says he has to make an effort to focus on anything, and that after a few hours of that he's totally burned out and can't concentrate at all. His psychiatrist said that sounded like ADD, but that he didn't want to put him on a second medication without him being tested first. So right now, he's working on getting together the money for the testing.

[mwdem]

7. That's my son to a tee...

now, at 22, he got the testing, and is finally focused on school & work. He's actually excited about his grades, instead of skipping classes & goofing off.

[NewHampster]

9. Thats great

I bet he's a genius in disguise.

[NewHampster]

8. It sucks that the test costs like $800

Even after taking the tests it still has to be evaluated by the shrink.

I'm not a doctor so I can't speak to others issues very well but my history seems very common.

I was before Hyper Activity was even written about. I spent a good part of every week in grade school sitting in the hall or corner. Yes, your basic dunce. Then we had the IQs in 4th ro 5th grade and my folks freeked out when told I tested as a genius.

From then on it was a case of my being "lazy" or afraid of success. I flunked my way into an Architecture School that loved my creativiyt but never finished. The life of ADD. Why can't I be like the great ones who find ways to succeed within their crazy world?

Thanks DU for letting me get it out. I did think there would be more interest in the poll but maybe folks are afraid to come out of the closet!!!

[mwdem]

10. We had my son tested by a psychologist..

Our insurance co. has a network, and it only cost around $250. He went twice, did some tests on a computer, brought home a questionaire for each member of the family (& girlfriend), questioned by the Dr., and was diagnosed with ADD.

[smirkymonkey]

14. Same here!

I did well in school, but only because my parents were on me all the time. In college, my grades were average - couldn't focus at all and never really studied. I was also tested at a genius level IQ - 10 points higher than my brother who is a Nuclear Physicist! In grad school I did pretty well, but just kind of through luck - still couldn't concentrate and wrote all my papers the night before they were due. Being under the gun was the only way I could perform well. Just could not do it over a prolonged period of time.

I have definitely been through the "lazy, unmotivated, fear of success" crap, but I really don't think that's it because when I am really interested, I'm not lazy or unmotivated at all - in fact I am very efficient - more so than most people.

I really feel like this is ruining my life in that I just keep searching and going from industry to industry, job to job, and can't seem to maintain any momentum. I want to do so much more with my life and I just can't seem to get it together.

[Snail Darter]

26. Have You Been Peaking at My Diary?

Jesus, SmirkyMonkey, get your own life story and quit stealing mine. :-)

I'm the real Snail Darter! Me! SmirkyMonkey is just an imposter!

We obviously share a common ancestor, Mr. Monkey. Get some Adderall and try to remember to take it. :-) Best wishes.

[NewHampster]

27. I hope smirky returns to read this thread

[Snail Darter]

30. Me Too

Yeah, otherwise, all that comedic posturing will be wasted. :-)

[smirkymonkey]

40. I'm back - just had to take a little

nap to give the monkey mind a rest!

[smirkymonkey]

39. Yes! A lot of Buddhists call it

Monkey Mind! Our minds are like monkeys swinging from tree to tree, branch to branch. Of course, I wasn't thinking of that when I chose my screen name, but now it seems so appropos!

Thanks for the advice, Snail Darter! :hi:

[CrownPrinceBandar]

32. That sounds REAL familiar....

especially the waiting until the last minute to do papers. I seemed to do my best work under pressure, but the emotional toll was pretty harrowing.

The job thang's familiar too.

"I want to do so much more with my life and I just can't seem to get it together." Scary. Its like you took the words right out of my mouth. If I had a dollar for everytime I said that, or something in a similar vein, I wouldn't need career direction - I'd be rich.

Like you, I would seriously like to avoid the meds. There's something that makes the notion of taking a pill for focus very alien to me. I feel like, if I can't afford the meds, will my life fall apart again?

[silverlib]

36. Stratara..(sp?)

My granddaughter was on Ritalin. The doctor switched her to Stratara because of fewer side effects. She could miss a dose of Ritalin and, unless she missed several days, we didn't notice a difference. Ritalin retains in the system for a short time. The Stratara works just as well, but if she misses a dose, she and everyone around her notices the difference. She is twelve.

[Snail Darter]

25. The Question of Testing

My psychiatrist took the stance in my case that my history, as I related it, was itself sufficiently indicative of ADD to warrant a trial on the medication. Then my response to the medication was so good that he took the stance that formal testing would just be a wasted expense.

[smirkymonkey]

12. Yes, that's exactly what it's like w/ me...

especially the burnout and just completely short circuiting after having to concentrate on something that doesn't really interest me.

How much does it cost to get tested? Do you need to be tested to go on medication or can you just find a sympathetic doctor or psychaiatrist? I actually have to take a nap now, because my head is full. Thanks!

[NewHampster]

16. Go here for everything

http://www.chadd.org/

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)

[Snail Darter]

21. I Look in the Mirror and See SmirkyMonkey

SmirkyMonkey, get help. You sound just like me. I finally pieced together my ADD (primarily inattentive) after 40 years of--not being able to focus on it long enough to figure it out. Ritalin was a big help and Adderall has been, as well. Medication is not a big deal at all. If you really are ADD, the medication won't make you feel either wired or sedated, just calmer and more focused. There's also no problem of addiction as long as you stick with the prescribed dose. As proof, I offer the fact that, after many months, the real problem for me is still forgetting to take the medication, NOT craving it.

I'm much more productive at work now and have enough focus to be able to begin working out personal issues others don't have because they had the attentiveness to notice them and work them out long ago.

I want to come back and read this whole thread later.

[NewHampster]

23. Welcome to DU Snail Darter

I agree that people don't realize that our reaction to the meds is completely different than normal folks. I've been on varying doses of Ritalin for about 10 years and I still forget to take.

I'll also skip a day on a weekend when I don't care if I focus. I've never felt badly doing that.

Don't let the prescription run out and miss 5 days while on vacation out of town. I did that and yes, the world begins to spin and your safety becomes a serious issue. It is not pretty.

[Snail Darter]

28. Skipping a Day

Thanks for the welcome, NewHampster.

Do you skip a day on the weekend in order to avoid building up a tolerance? I've been wondering about a strategy like that, too, because both Ritalin and Adderall in turn have seemed to become less effective after a few weeks. I only really build up a head of steam after my second daily does of Adderall, so I'm still wasting my mornings.

[NewHampster]

31. I just had my dose boosted

for the first time in years. maybe ritalin is faster acting, I don't know but it seems nice and steady through the day.

I did try an extended release Rit and also Concerta and I felt just like you on the Adderall. Maybe you should look into options.

I also think you should ask the shrink about the test because its my understanding that I want the official diagnosis paper in my files(ADD Misnomer, File). It is a recognized disability of some sort and who knows if someday you run over a crowd of old ladies while drifting. "Your honor, I have ADD and I was adrift in solving world hunger".

[smirkymonkey]

42. Thanks, I have been thinking about doing something

about this for a while. It's really debilitating. I realized that I was definitely ADD one night, I had an epiphany as it suddenly dawned on me that I was in bed, talking on the phone, doing a crossword puzzle, watching a movie, surrounded by the 10+ books I was reading simultaneously, one of which happended to be on Adult ADD.

What are the side effects of Ritalin and Adderall? I am also kind of prone to anxiety, so I don't want to feel "speedy".

[NewHampster]

46. No Speediness

If you are truly ADD. Really none unless you overdose.

It affects us differently.

[Susang]

49. It can depend on what type you have as well

There are two recognized types of ADHD (there is no ADD any longer, FYI, it is all lumped under ADHD now in the DSM-V), the hyperactive type and the inattentive type.

The hyperactive type is more common in men and bears little resemblence to the inattentive type that is more common in women. The treatments that work for men have often not been tested on women at all. Out of all the studies of ADHD in adults, only one study has even bothered to included women at all.

Since I do not know what gender either of you are, remember, one size does not fit all. If anyone is interested in gender issues in ADHD treatment/research, here's some info:
http://www.apa.org/monitor/feb03/adhd.html
http://www.addvance.com/ADDvance/NCGI.htm

[NewHampster]

50. Thanks for posting those links

[absyntheNsugar]

18. Welbutrin baby!

Lemme just say it does what ginseng can only hint about in the bedroom....

Oh yeah and it helps me focus too...

[NewHampster]

19. Hmmmm

I wasn't wild about it but then, maybe I should have given it to my wife... x(

[Bat Boy]

20. Right there witcha!

I'm a freakin' basket case without it.

[Snail Darter]

29. Downside of Wellbutrin

Wellbutrin made me very sweaty and jumpy at first. I'd walk into work red and drenched and if someone walked up behind me and said something, I'd jump a foot. It was quite embarrassing and, thankfully, the extreme reactions wore off in time. I'm not sure about Wellbutrin's powers against ADD, because I was focusing on its antidepressive effects at the time.

[NewHampster]

33. Damn. Talk about looking in the mirror

I ended up flushing the Wellbutrin. It was no good for me.

[Andy_Stephenson]

43. Wellbutrin

made me to where I could not sleep...the sweating and dry mouth. Even had the jumpiness.

[smirkymonkey]

44. I am on Wellbutrin now, because my

doctor thought it would help my ADD, however I don't really think it works too well on that disorder, for me anyway. I think I might see if he will exchange an ADD drug for the Wellbutrin.

[K_Jellyfish]

37. Oh yeah

That stuff is great for all kinds of things. It also helps with the depression that sometimes goes along with ADD and ADHD.

[NewHampster]

34. kickin

:kick:

[Fight_n_back]

35. How many ADD people does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Wanna go to the movies?

[NewHampster]

38. uhh

who cares

[smirkymonkey]

45. LOL! That's hysterical...

mostly because it's so true!! :)

[Andy_Stephenson]

41. An old Indian herbal

remedy.

Coffee puts me to sleep. People ask me all the time how I could ever sleep after a double short latte. But I do...it is a sleeping aid to me.

[NewHampster]

47. Mescalin doesn't work for ADD - does it?

Only old indian Herbal I know.

[holeinboatoutatsea]

48. I've read some about serrata being used

Huperzia serrata

Club Moss (Chinese), gian ceng ta

Chinese Club Moss contains the alkaloid Huperzine A (HupA), an alkaloid that inhibits the breakdown of acetylcholine. It improved cognitive function. Huperzine A is present in Club Moss in very small mounts and other compounds in the moss could be toxic. Therapeutic amounts of Huperzine A can not be obtained by consuming whole club moss or its crude extract.

Huperzine A is an extract from a Chinese moss (Huperzia serrata). In laboratory and clinical settings, Huperzine A has been found to slow the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. It is believed that in some memory disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and senile dementia, acetylcholine is broken down too quickly, and the transmitting nerve signal is weakened and cannot be received. Some studies have suggested that Huperzine A may also improve memory, cognitive and behavioral functions in healthy individuals.

[NewHampster]

51. Late day kick for the hell of it

there must be another ADDer who wants to chime in