For pretty much my entire life (I’m 35) I’ve had to deal with labels such as “lazy,” “distracted,” “disorganized,” “forgetful,” etc… I’ve long thought I had ADHD as it runs in my family but I finally saw a phsyciatrist about it today and got an actual diagnosis along with a prescription for Adderall.
For most of my life I just assumed that this was how all people were. It wasn’t until more recently, the last year or so, that I realized that no… Not everyone procrastinates like I do, not everyone has such difficulty starting tasks (including starting a book, or long dramatic movie), not everyone forgets something five minutes after it’s said to them.
Here’s hoping that the meds will help. I wish I would have had this figured out 15-20 years ago, but better late than never!
I know there are a lot of Dopers that have ADHD and are taking various medications for it, and we’ve had threads about it recently. What should I expect when I start taking these tomorrow. Is the change pretty noticable?
Congratulations and welcome to your whole life changing.
To answer your question - there’s no way to know what your experience will be. Everyone’s is different. But don’t get TOO excited, the meds help, they don’t make you into a completely different human being. You’ve been this way your whole life, medication doesn’t turn you into somebody else. You will almost certainly need more than meds, you will need coaching, because even if the meds help you focus, you still don’t have a clue about how to do what you need to do.
I was diagnosed when I was 25, in an all-day session with a neuropsychiatrist. Part of the exercise was to take Ritalin at lunch, then go through the many different tests again. The change was almost staggering.
My GPA went from sub 2.0 to a 4.0 that I was able to maintain for 2 years. I could devour textbooks, take excellent notes, pay attention in class, etc. etc. Adderall was a miracle drug. Mostly.
About 2 years into it, I started having a lot of difficulty sleeping. Up all night, then would drift off at around 6:30am. I had to be careful not to take too much, and to make sure I didn’t take any after 1:00pm if I wanted to sleep. I started taking it regularly again about 4 years ago, when I went back to grad school. Same problems, only worse. Make sure you’re careful, and I would advise you not to start off on a very high dosage. I was at 15mg when I was the most productive. I can’t fathom the quantities I’ve seen other people take.
I used to know someone who couldn’t sleep without it. Her thoughts were so scattered that she couldn’t concentrate on sleep. Before ritalin she have a cup or two of coffee before bedtime.
Yeah, the doc told me that it should help a lot but wouldn’t make me “Super Human.” He compared it to going through life with one arm tied behind my back and then suddenly being able to use both arms. I’m excited to see the effects (hopefully nothing too adverse as far as side effects.)
How many appointments did it take? What sort of questions were you asked? How long did it take before he came to this conclusion?
Will your Doc monitor you on this new drug? Do you have a follow up appointment? How much does this drug cost? Are you worried about taking this drug? Were alternatives offered? Discussed?
It only took one appointment. I had a physical w/ a regular doctor a few weeks ago and brought up my concerns with him. He gave me a list of psychiatrists he recommended and I picked one and set up an appointment. The psych doc told me when I made the appt that usually he could diagnose ADHD with a single appointment based on my history of symptoms. He told me that rarely, if there were other issues complicating things (bi-polar, depression, etc) that more involved testing would be needed.
I met with him today for about 45 minutes and he asked me questions and I answered them honestly. With his prompting, I told him about various times in my life that I suspected were ADD related (procrastination, distractibility, difficulty starting tasks, impulsiveness, etc). Some things that I brought up on my own, he would ask further questions about to get more information. At the end of the discussion he went through a recap of what we’d talked about listing all of the symptoms of ADD that I had exhibited in my life, in the past as well as currently. He then told me that I had moderate ADD. “Moderate” due to the fact that for the most part I’ve been pretty functional with it.
He told me that he prefers starting patients on Adderall. If it doesn’t work he’d move on to Ritalin, and other stimulant treatments before moving on to non-stimulant treatments. He’s starting me on a low dose of 10mg 2x a day, and then he wants me to see how I do and begin increasing the dosage on my own until I find the right amount for me. His words were “Play with the dosage until you find what works.” If the Adderall isn’t going well, he told me to stop using it and let him know so we can change things up.
I have a follow up appointment in a couple of weeks to see how I’m doing with treatment.
I just picked up the prescription at CVS and with my insurance plan, it was only $20 out of pocket. I don’t know what it costs on its own. I’m not very nervous about taking it, mostly anxious and excited to see how it works for me. I’ll admit that I’ll be disappointed if I don’t see results fairly quickly.
Sidenote: I’ve always struggled with weight issues and he told me that a big side effect of this medication is loss of appetite and that I’ll likely lose weight quickly, especially during the first four to five weeks, and then it will taper off. One of the reasons I’m heavy, I suspect, is due to my ADD - the desire to eat to feel good (to release dopamine, which is deficient in your brain when you have ADD). I’m hoping that while treating my ADD I’ll also be able to stop thinking about food so much. Just something I’m curious about… it’ll be interesting to see if that will happen.
My doc also recommended that book if I felt like doing any reading on the subject. He also recommended one called “You Mean I’m Not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy?”
While noting that everyone is different, and the symptoms present differently in different people, let me share a couple of things as far as this goes.
The weight loss can be significant. My strong recommendation is that you exploit the opportunity to develop better habits while you can, because it will taper off. So do the most with what you have in the early days. Do NOT starve yourself! Just take advantage of the change in appetite to make better choices and become adapted to them.
A much neglected yet ENORMOUS symptom of ADD is the lack ofimpulse control. That lies at the heart of what looks like “dsitractability” . It’s also at the root, I believe, of your issues with food. Because I know it is with mine, even though I’m a thousand times better than I once was, that’s what I still fight - the simple inability to stop myself when I have an impulse to do anything, whether it’s eat ice cream, post on the dope, or play internet poker. And that is also the one area I have found stimulants to be marginally effective, if they are effective at all. Be aware.
As long as we’re on the subject… I’ve been medicated for 5 years. Im 52, I’m overweight but my blood pressure is ok. My shrink wants to take me off stimulants because I’ve been on so long.
Now, on the one hand, I get that spending your life on speed may not be a great idea.
On the other… what the hell? "Here’s your diagnosis and the meds that help. Enjoy it while you can because you’ll have to give them up eventually and go back to what you were doing before. "
He’s mentioned Strettera, but that’s got some nasty liver side effects.
Has anyone here been on meds longer than 5 years? What do your docs say about the long term plan?
Not an adult with ADD, but the parent of a 15 year-old boy with ADHD and Aspergers. If Adderall/Ritalin doesn’t work out, try Concerta. It is the same thing as Ritalin (methylphenidate), but it is time-released so that you don’t have to have a second dose that could interfere with sleep or cause a crash later in the day. I have heard from another parent that potassium helps when coming off of the daily dose of Adderall. Be careful with Strattera; it works well with some, but can make things worse for others. We’ve always thought of ADHD medication as a way of getting our son’s attention and hold it long enough to make it through the day successfully and allow him to accomplish what he wants to accomplish.
Most psychiatrists I know don’t even give out Ritalin anymore, and rarely give out Adderall. They only give out Concerta. It’s mostly because of the extremely high abuse potential. Especially with kids–people with real ADD usually don’t want to go without their meds, but parents will often take their kids meds and sell them. My mom has encountered this working with special needs children.
Oh, and when I was on Adderall (back when they still thought I had ADHD), I dropped to the lowest weight I’d ever had in my life. It sure lasted longer than a few weeks.
Yay! I understand your happiness- I feel the same way. I always knew I was fairly bright, and I did well enough in school that no one seemed to think I was wasting my potential. However, I always felt like a slacker with bad habits and no willpower. I thought, “If I can do reasonably well even with all my procrastination and stuff, then maybe I could do REALLY well if I would just concentrate.” I couldn’t, though.
I find the medicine to be a big help. I take Adderall also, but only 5 mg at a time. I don’t necessarily feel different when I’m on it. If I wasn’t trying to do something that required concentration I might not even notice. But when I do try to read a book or study, I find that I actually can do it, instead of spacing out and going on to something else.
As has been said above, it doesn’t miraculously change you. You probably will still have bad habits that need to be corrected, and you will probably need help learning how to organize yourself properly. I’m sure you’ve tried to do this before, but hopefully now you’ll be able to. Also, take pride in your small accomplishments. I find that it’s the little things that keep me going.
Good luck with everything!
This is now my fourth day on the Adderall. I take two doses per day, one with breakfast and one with lunch. The first day (Thursday) I used 10mg per dose. On Friday, I went to 15mg and today I’m trying 20mg. Over the weekend I dropped down to the base dose again since I had no need for concentratiion, but my doc didn’t want me to stop the meds while I was still getting used to them.
I have to say, WOW! I mean, holy crap… I can’t believe how much it has helped already. I really noticed a difference the very first day I took it. I was able to focus incredibly well, like I’ve never been able to before. I could sit and have a conversation with my coworkers without having my mind wander. I go SO much done it was insane. I was able to sit down to a task, start it w/o feeling overwhelmed, and finish the task without getting pulled away by something else.
The second day, I felt pretty jittery for awhile mid-day but I read that that’s normal and should go away once I get used to the medicine. Focus still great. Again got a lot done.
Today, on 20mg, I feel really good. Work is going well and I’m not as jittery.
Side Effects so far (that I’ve noticed)…
Dry mouth was the most obvious one. I’m constantly thirsty. I’m only drinking water to try and satisfy the thirst, not pop.
My first night I had a REALLY hard time falling asleep at night, and usually I’m out like a lamp. I lay awake until at least 2am… extremely tired and sleepy but my brain wouldn’t shut down. Night two was better as were the other two nights. I don’t think sleep will end up being a problem. We’ll see though.
Irritability - Doc said that I might get irritable while the meds wear off at the end of the day. I haven’t noticed feeling this way but my wife has said she’s noticed a bit more crabbiness than usual around that time of day.
Appetite… Yep, it’s gone. Well, actually… I still get hungry but I’m ACTUALLY hungry, not just bored and looking for a quick fix with food. It’s hard to explain but I used to tend to really eat compulsively, especially when bored. So far while on the meds that hasn’t been a problem at all. I’ll get hungry, and I’m able to make a good (healthy) choice about what to eat. Normally I’ll start to feel hungry (normally looking to fill that boredom hole, and get a big dopamine fix) and start to fantasize about fattening yummy food. I just couldn’t wait for that next fix. Now, I get hungry because I actually need to eat and I’m able to decide what to eat without “fetishizing” food, if that makes sense. I really don’t think about food at all and even when I start to feel hungry it’s more “I should eat” and not “OMG I MUST GET SOME FOOD AND I THINK A BURGER WOULD REALLY HIT THE SPOT!!!” I’ve dropped a few pounds already but I think it’s mostly water weight because I’ve been eating lighter and drinking less soda. I have a feeling I’m going to continue to lose weight though as long as my compulsions are able to stay under control.
So overall, I have to say that I’m REALLY happy with the Adderall. I really believe that this can be life changing. Yes, I still have bad habits that need to be changed - but it feels like I am having an easier time noticing the habits before I do them and making better choices to change them.