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How has ADHD/ADD effected your lives, both positively and negatively??

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  • HylianHylian Citizen, Mentor

    @Isabella said:
    I've heard that as well about kids and caffeine. I read an article about teachers who would give very needy unmedicated ADHD kids a can of Mountain Dew or some other caffeinated soft drink once a day to help them along.

    You're lucky that you're able to redirect yourself a bit with practice. I know how hard that is. My mind is constantly going in a stream of consciousness with connection after connection after connection like a sporadic dot-to-dot which never completes the picture. Meds have given me more energy and I feel more alert or awake overall, because I can now distinguish "sleepy" from "awake" (I used to always just feel fuzzy) -- but I can't say that my executive function has improved dramatically because that's about learned habits as well. I'm still on a fairly low dose so maybe it will improve over time and with the help of my OT.

    What age were you diagnosed ADHD?

    I honestly don't have the patience to redirect myself that well yet. I still have to take a lot of breaks from activities that aren't repetitive or catch my interest. The only medication I'm taking right now is Strattera, which doesn't do as much for my focus as Ritalin did when I was a child, but I can't take stimulants anymore. What medication do you take?

    I was diagnosed with ADD at 6/7 and diagnosed with ADHD - combined type at 16.

  • I've heard a lot of good things about Strattera. I'm on 25 mg of Vyvanse which is a popular stimulant med. I started really low in March by taking 5mg which had to be specially made for me, and I increased by 5's up to 25 so far. I have a Zoom appointment this week and will likely go to 30. What issues did you have with stimulants?

    I also take a very low dose atypical SSRI called Trintellix that helps with brain fog, and a medication called Prazosin which helps with PTSD nightmares. Then a bunch of meds for my stroke.

    You're lucky you were diagnosed early. I had no clue until exactly a year ago when I asked my GP for a referral to neuropsychiatry for an ADHD assessment. I really fell through the cracks growing up.

  • HylianHylian Citizen, Mentor

    Stimulants worked quite well, but I can't take them now because of anxiety and heart concerns. I shouldn't even really drink caffeine.

    Adderall I started in the 1st grade, but it for some reason made me really irritable and messed with my sensory issues. Then I got put on Ritalin which I took until the 4th grade or so. I never took Vyvanse, but I've heard some people say they prefer it over Ritalin and Adderall. I currently don't really take anything besides for Strattera. I had to taper up to 50mg of that, and then go to 60mg when the 50mg stopped working as much.

    I don't notice many differences in my symptoms anymore since Strattera builds up in your blood, so being on it has just been my default state for the past three years. When I can't take it for a couple days though I notice my sensory issues and need to stim actually get worse, so it actually helps with that somehow.

    I'm very grateful that I was diagnosed early. I don't think if I got the intervention in elementary school that I did that I'd be doing as well as I am functionally right now.

  • Basically, my autism and ADHD prevented me from being a professional. I’ve never been more than a clerk.

  • https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-emotional-withdrawal-rejection-sensitivity-women/

    I don't like attributing gender to information, but this article about women with ADHD helped me understand what happens in my relationships. I'm sure the information is also true for men and nonbinary people.

    Emotional withdrawal is a recurring phenomenon for me. It happens in all of my relationships when I max out and feel a need to turn inward. I was aware of the pattern but I didn't know that it was part of ADHD.

    I've been struggling with alexithymia, avoidant behaviour, and emotional withdrawal quite a bit lately.

    I hope this article helps others with ADHD, especially as they navigate interpersonal relationships.

  • HylianHylian Citizen, Mentor

    That article was very helpful. Thank you for sharing it, Isabella.

    My friend and I actually had a long conversation the other day that relates to this, as we both struggle with withdrawing when we perceive a problem. That behaviour has caused consistent issues for us.

    Doing just what the article suggests (recognizing and facing the withdrawal + other behaviours, speaking up about it to each other, and making decisions on how we're actively going to combat it) was very helpful for both of us. Though, instead of working on what our "partner" could do to help us, we focused on ourselves and brainstormed together what we can do to develop better coping mechanisms and communicate more efficiently.

    I'd definitely suggest trying this for anyone who has similar problems.

  • IsabellaIsabella Citizen
    edited November 2020

    I withdraw even when I don't perceive a problem. I get exhausted and overwhelmed by interpreting , processing, and expressing my own emotions -- then trying to read, understand, and relate to theirs in real time. Positive and loving emotions can be even more confusing than emotions involving upset, because I'm more familiar with identifying upset or mistrust. When I love someone I often withdraw more than when I'm hurt. I'm aware of the pattern but it's very hard to break through that glass wall. Mutism, alexithymia, and dysthymia certainly don't help. Nor does Covid. πŸ˜”

    I have strong, loving, loyal emotions but it's very hard for me to express them, and I don't like to be vulnerable. It's still a learning curve even though I've experienced this as far back as I can remember -- even with friends when I was as young as five or six.

    I think it's great that you and your friend are both so self-aware, especially at your age. It's very constructive to be able to tell the person you need to withdraw emotionally, for a period of time. I hope you continue the friendship because it sounds very dear.

    Hugs to you, and thanks for always being there.

  • @Hylian said:
    I have ADHD - combined type, and focusing on something for more than a minute seems like something I physically cannot do most of the time. I have to constantly redirect myself because my mind involuntarily wanders after a bit, which I've only gotten the hang of recently.

    Same here.
    I have the attention span of a flea on meth. 🐜
    That was the closest emoji to a flea I could find.
    Who doesn't have "flea" emojis? πŸ™ƒ

    I never did that well in school since I couldn't pay attention long enough in a class environment to retain what I was being taught. I do learn fine by myself though, and when I'm interested in something I can sometimes focus intently on it.

    Same. I daydreamed a lot.

    When I was a kid the doctor actually suggested to my parents that they give me small amounts of caffeine because it helps some kids with ADHD focus and be less hyperactive.

    I've heard that.
    Caffeine doesn't calm me down, however.
    I actually go nutzo on it.

  • HylianHylian Citizen, Mentor

    @Sheldon said:

    @Hylian said:
    When I was a kid the doctor actually suggested to my parents that they give me small amounts of caffeine because it helps some kids with ADHD focus and be less hyperactive.

    I've heard that.
    Caffeine doesn't calm me down, however.
    I actually go nutzo on it.

    Caffeine used to calm me when I was a kid, but now if I even drink black tea it makes my heart rate skyrocket and makes me feel like I just snorted a line. πŸ˜‚

  • A comedy line? πŸ€”
    I get a buzz out of good quality humour, also. 😎

  • HylianHylian Citizen, Mentor

    @Isabella said:
    I withdraw even when I don't perceive a problem. I get exhausted and overwhelmed by interpreting , processing, and expressing my own emotions -- then trying to read, understand, and relate to theirs in real time. Positive and loving emotions can be even more confusing than emotions involving upset, because I'm more familiar with identifying upset or mistrust. When I love someone I often withdraw more than when I'm hurt. I'm aware of the pattern but it's very hard to break through that glass wall. Mutism, alexithymia, and dysthymia certainly don't help. Nor does Covid. πŸ˜”

    I have strong, loving, loyal emotions but it's very hard for me to express them, and I don't like to be vulnerable. It's still a learning curve even though I've experienced this as far back as I can remember -- even with friends when I was as young as five or six.

    I think it's great that you and your friend are both so self-aware, especially at your age. It's very constructive to be able to tell the person you need to withdraw emotionally, for a period of time. I hope you continue the friendship because it sounds very dear.

    Hugs to you, and thanks for always being there.

    I also have some issues just withdrawing in general. A lot of my current friendships are online, but even over text it can be hard to not get exhausted by the emotional and mental energy any relationship requires, especially when you don't have the proper coping mechanisms in place.

    I can also relate with it being easier to identify when someone's upset with me and when I'm upset with others. It's almost like even when I recognize positive feelings people have towards me and that I have towards someone else, that I doubt them.

    Thank you for that, and thank you for always listening and talking with me. πŸ™‚

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