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fagalicious posted:After being on the adderall for a few weeks and not being able to sleep, its now doing the opposite to me. I feel exhausted when I take it. I'm only on 10mg 3 times a day, but I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with daytrana as an adult. Are you taking it with or without food? I make sure to not take it with food because it lessens the effect, but with others they make sure to take it with food so that it lasts longer and is smoother.
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May 25, 2011 17:59
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Wartime Consigliere posted:I havent been able to find anything on that, have you? Ill have more info when I go back next month. I doubt they advertise it
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May 25, 2011 18:38
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Chin Strap posted:Are you taking it with or without food? I make sure to not take it with food because it lessens the effect, but with others they make sure to take it with food so that it lasts longer and is smoother. I've tried both. On an empty stomach it doesn't seem to work long at all, on a full stomach it works but still not long. I read something about grinding it up and mixing it with peanut butter to keep it in the stomach longer somewhere on google, but I don't know if that would work well either.
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May 25, 2011 19:44
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fagalicious posted:I've tried both. On an empty stomach it doesn't seem to work long at all, on a full stomach it works but still not long. I read something about grinding it up and mixing it with peanut butter to keep it in the stomach longer somewhere on google, but I don't know if that would work well either. For insurance purposes, there is often a "Special Authorization" request form you can fill out to have a non-covered piece of medication covered. These are used to get extremely expensive medications covered, or non-standard treatments that aren't normally covered, covered. Call your insurance company (or go to their website) and learn what can be done in this case. Usually this involves filling out a form where you explain why this specific medication (the patch) is necessary, and what other treatments have failed, and list anything exceptional about your case (i.e., the gastric bypass).
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May 25, 2011 20:18
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taylor posted:For insurance purposes, there is often a "Special Authorization" request form you can fill out to have a non-covered piece of medication covered. These are used to get extremely expensive medications covered, or non-standard treatments that aren't normally covered, covered. Call your insurance company (or go to their website) and learn what can be done in this case. Usually this involves filling out a form where you explain why this specific medication (the patch) is necessary, and what other treatments have failed, and list anything exceptional about your case (i.e., the gastric bypass). I've had to do that before, and while insurance may balk a little, I've had it successfully go through once. Your doctor should also be familiar with this, and may be able to help you.
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May 25, 2011 22:33
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I love  . So now the Vyvanse has settled in to my brain, and makes me basically not give a drat about anything. And when it wears off, the cloud of depression descends. I tried taking a half dose this morning, and it didn't do any good at all, really - nearly had a meltdown because SQL wouldn't work. I just got kudos from work, I'm going to a soccer match tonight with friends, and then head off to vacation tomorrow evening that I've been looking forward to for months - and I'm  about it all. It really looks like, despite it's stupid amount of issues with me, that the Dex IR is my best choice. Luckily, I have some left. And I'm putting in a call to the Psych, who is then going to talk to my Movement Disorders doc about what to do next. (OK, called him, and told him that I'm going back on the Dex. Though I might have ideas....and may want to try the short acting stuff at some point.) Qu Appelle fucked around with this message at 00:08 on May 26, 2011 |
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May 25, 2011 22:40
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I've only gone up in Adderall XR by 5mg; 20mg to 25mg. However, I haven't slept in 3 days now for absolutely no reason, and the entirety of the second day was without adderall at all. This is some weird poo poo yo. However, there's a very small possibility that I may be able to return to college and finish my bachelors in art now. Very minuscule, but it's something. Getting married next week for some sweet (not really) gov benefits. Like, a whole 5-7k extra in student loans I won't have to pay back if I get back to school. It could mean actually finishing and doing something worthwhile now. On a side note, I spent almost 2 hours taking the keys off this laptop and cleaning it.
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May 26, 2011 00:05
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My Dr. gave me a 'sample' prescription of Concerta, consisting of 5x18mg, 5x27mg, 5x36 and 5x54mg (I think) I'm nearly done the prescription, and I think the 36mg is the key dose, once a day. I tried a 54mg today for the first time and it made me very nervous and sweaty all day, as well as making me nearly vomit at the gym. Before school starts again, I would like to try some different medication to see what works best. A lot of people here speak well of Adderall, can anyone shed some insight in to the differences between the two? (Concerta & Adderall) Or make a suggestion regarding something else I should try? Vyvanse is one I hear frequently too.
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May 26, 2011 03:26
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Qu Appelle posted:I love Be careful. My three days on Vyvanse sent me on a two week depression spiral. I'm still working it out. My report... Back on Concerta 27mg... It's funny if I give my GP any time to think she starts getting conservative, she wanted me to go back to concerta at a lower dose and made me promise to call her in 30 days. If I get her on a busy day I can basically treat her like Dr. Feel good and say I want X mg of this for 30 days.Anyway I can tell it's working well because last week I was reading my Accounting textbook and it was going in 1 ear and right out the other. I've never experienced that in any subject what so ever. Usually my interest wans and I walk away.. Never just lacked comprehension/retention. Within a day I get it now. I'm able to enter into hyper focus when necessary and I can multiple task. Adderal XR felt like a blunt instrument by comparison. I had slightly more capability to get some things done... But no means of control or direction. In fact it was much more like being in a cage. Hopefully this isnt another honeymoon, and I will be able to determine the difference without slumping back into the ADHD disorder status quo again.
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May 26, 2011 03:56
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Eamonn posted:Before school starts again, I would like to try some different medication to see what works best. A lot of people here speak well of Adderall, can anyone shed some insight in to the differences between the two? (Concerta & Adderall) Or make a suggestion regarding something else I should try? Vyvanse is one I hear frequently too. Unfortunately, it's a guessing game as to which one will work the best for you. If money is an issue, Adderall has a generic form, whereas Vyvanse does not. However, Vyvanse is (theoretically) very close to Dexedrine, which also is a generic.
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May 26, 2011 06:55
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Qu Appelle posted:Unfortunately, it's a guessing game as to which one will work the best for you. If money is an issue, Adderall has a generic form, whereas Vyvanse does not. However, Vyvanse is (theoretically) very close to Dexedrine, which also is a generic. Concerta has a generic as well.
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May 26, 2011 07:02
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Vyvanse has a coupon for half off but it's still ridiculous for a person with no health insurance. And the coupon might only be a 1 month thing.
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May 26, 2011 07:44
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Eamonn posted:My Dr. gave me a 'sample' prescription of Concerta, consisting of 5x18mg, 5x27mg, 5x36 and 5x54mg (I think) I'm nearly done the prescription, and I think the 36mg is the key dose, once a day. I tried a 54mg today for the first time and it made me very nervous and sweaty all day, as well as making me nearly vomit at the gym. Here's the catch with trying Adderall: It has a "honeymoon" period. For the first week or so, it will work extremely well, and you will be very impressed and it will be great, and then it will stop working extremely well. In my opinion, if Concerta is inadequate for you after awhile because of certain side effects you don't like, then try Adderall. And if you do try Adderall, give it 3 weeks before you can assess it.
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May 26, 2011 11:54
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Eamonn posted:Before school starts again, I would like to try some different medication to see what works best. A lot of people here speak well of Adderall, can anyone shed some insight in to the differences between the two? (Concerta & Adderall) Or make a suggestion regarding something else I should try? Vyvanse is one I hear frequently too. If the Concerta is working for you without side effects at 36, then I wouldn't play around with other things. No reason to switch without a good reason. Especially since Concerta already has a generic. In general the difference between Ritalin and Adderall is just how people react. I was being kept up too much on Adderall, so I'm on Ritalin. I can't even do Concerta because the extended release aspect was keeping me up. I love the control I have with the instant release.
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May 26, 2011 12:10
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Crossposted from the mental health megathread in The Goon Doctor. I've posted before in both this thread and that one. But now I'm back, and I'm seeking some practical advice on where to go and what to do with my situation. I've had some kind of mental issues all my life, and from what I can gather, many of the symptoms are very consistent with ADHD, but I think I have reason to suspect it could also be Aspergers and/or OCD. Unfortunately, I have a little problem with having no health insurance to see a doctor who can properly diagnose and treat me. And as I already noted very early on in this thread, I've already tried turning to my city's public mental health services, and that really didn't work out so well. The public mental health agency in my city is utterly useless and ineffective, and the so-called "professionals" on its staff are lazy, stupid, incompetent and self-serving. (BTW, I didn't write the Yelp review in my second link. And I'm not privy to the inner workings of San Francisco's public mental health agency, so I can't vouch for the accuracy of anything that the reviewer, "Paul Q," says. However, let's just say that I did not see anything that would contradict Paul Q's review. Assuming he's right, it explains a LOT about the so-called "treatment" I got.) Now, the good news: One, I'm now starting to become financially stable enough to consider buying my own health insurance, at least at a basic level. And two, my parents recently said they'd be willing to personally pay for me to seek treatment with a specialist. So, that's where I'm asking anyone here for advice. Quite simply, what's the first step I should take? Should I go ahead and get my own health insurance before proceeding any further? Or can I go and seek out a doctor? And what kind of doctor or specialist should I consult? A psychiatrist, a neuropsychologist, what? And how much money should I plan to part with? Any useful tips appreciated. drumwolf fucked around with this message at 14:26 on May 26, 2011 |
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May 26, 2011 14:16
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Buying health insurance out of pocket will be insanely expensive and chances are all your poo poo is now a preexisting condition that won't be covered for at least a year. Back in 05, they wanted 500$/mo to cover absolutely nothing for one year. As for who you should look for a psychiatrist and a psychologist (or one who does both, those are fairly rare iirc). Talk therapy/cbt/whatever + medication is the best combo. Money wise? Depends on what you take and who you see. Lithium is on the 4$ list (but only for starting dosage, you go up and it costs more), but seroquel is like 600$/mo. Depends on where you get meds filled too, 90% of the pharmacies in my town want 90$/mo for one of my meds, through my current pharmacy I pay 27$. Some docs charge 80$/visit, some charge 200$.
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May 26, 2011 14:24
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The first (and most basic) thing I would do is see if you can hook up with a GP, and get a full physical workup. Make sure there's nothing going on there. They can also point you to Psychiatrists and Psychologists. I don't know about costs, sorry.
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May 26, 2011 16:40
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drumwolf posted:Quite simply, what's the first step I should take? Should I go ahead and get my own health insurance before proceeding any further? Or can I go and seek out a doctor? And what kind of doctor or specialist should I consult? A psychiatrist, a neuropsychologist, what? And how much money should I plan to part with? If you don't have insurance at all I would start there - if only to get coverage incase something happens to you. Like 2508084 said above, they are probably not going to cover much, but that is also heavily dependent on what you've been diagnosed as and treated for in the past. I had to go on private out of pocket insurance for a while. They refused to cover anything related to mental health, and also charged me an extra $50 a month because I was a "suicide risk". I've never been suicidal in my entire life but... those insurance companies just know best, right? I only paid about $150 a month total, but it had a high deductible and only 2 doctors visits a year were covered. Good enough for emergencies, but not for mental health issues. As for doctors, Nurse Practitioner at a Psychiatrist office might be slightly cheaper than the doctors, while still giving you access to the doctors should the nurse not be able to help you. I currently see an APN and have been happy with the help she has provided me thus far. On another note, I'm about two weeks in on the Dexedrine and very pleased so far. I've noticed that it is highly dependent on getting your mind set on the right task in order to get the full benefits from it, otherwise I can almost find myself getting even further off track than I would before I started taking it. It doesn't really help me get to work, but it does help me finish the work that I start. For example, the other night I told myself "I'm going to clean up the backyard when I go home." Got home, went in the backyard, and cleaned for 3 hours without even thinking about it. It was amazing. On the other hand, I got to work yesterday and thought "I'm going to browse reddit for just a few minutes before I get down to business." I found a post from some guy moving to my city and looking for advice on places to live. Soon I realize I've spent the last 45 minutes doing research for someone I don't know, and have been writing a novel sized response to him (much like this drat post) instead of getting to work like I had planned. I've gotten caught up in stupid things like that a couple times, but in general I seem to be able to look at the situation and say "wait - this is of absolutely no value to my life - stop doing this!"
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May 26, 2011 19:05
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I finally went and got myself checked for ADHD, with a psychiatrist that I was miraculously able to book an appointment with directly, without having to go through the whole doctor-referral process. He positively identified me as having moderate to severe ADHD and low-grade depression. I was skeptical because this doctor is an ADHD specialist so he may have some incentive to misdiagnose me, who knows? But ultimately I am willing to give it a try. I've been told by almost everyone around me that I don't have ADHD, that I'm just confused, or that it will pass. But I know there is definitely something wrong going on in my head. Some questions: What does medication do to people who are naturally very Type A and on-the-go? Is it going to eradicate some of my interests? Will it dampen my enthusiasm for certain hobbies? I have been trying for SO many years to get my poo poo together to no avail. Will this solve my problems with indecision? How complete of a paradigm shift is it after taking these drugs? I am really imagining something like the movie "Limitless" that was mentioned earlier. Also, is it a kind of cheating if you succeed academically while taking medication? I mean, if the drugs take a ADHD brain to the level of a normal person's brain, then would these drugs turbo-charge a normal brain? Overall I'm excited but afraid to get too hopeful for fear of being let down. The doctor did mention that there are a small percentage of people for whom these drugs have no effect. It makes me kind of sad that the effect of these drugs only last as long as they are in your system. Once you stop taking them you are back to your old foggy self.
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May 27, 2011 01:15
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blueblaze posted:I was skeptical because this doctor is an ADHD specialist so he may have some incentive to misdiagnose me quote:I mean, if the drugs take a ADHD brain to the level of a normal person's brain, then would these drugs turbo-charge a normal brain? quote:Once you stop taking them you are back to your old foggy self. Yeah thats the problem with having a disorder.
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May 27, 2011 01:43
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blueblaze posted:Some questions: I'm pretty Type-A, and I have ADHD. I also take drugs for it. What I found is that it didn't dampen my enthusiasm at all for what I love. In fact, it strengthened it, because I was able to function enough for the first time to actually work on getting my act together, set up a plan for doing so, and then acting on it. For instance, I'm in Software Development, doing QA work. I like the field a lot, but for a long time, just felt completely stuck because I wasn't advancing like I thought I would, and like my friends were. Yet, no matter what I tried to do, it felt like I was spinning my wheels. Finally, with the ADHD actually treated and some counseling, I was able to work on a systematic plan to improve the skills that I wanted to work on, and were in demand in the field. Having that plan, that framework in place, allowed me to take a couple of SQL/Programming classes that I was interested in. And despite them being difficult for me, I was able to see them through - and I was able to get a better job that uses those skills as a result. Now I'm boning up on my math to hopefully take actual Computer Science classes in the future. Hope this helps somewhat.
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May 27, 2011 02:55
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blueblaze posted:I finally went and got myself checked for ADHD, with a psychiatrist that I was miraculously able to book an appointment with directly, without having to go through the whole doctor-referral process. He positively identified me as having moderate to severe ADHD and low-grade depression. I was skeptical because this doctor is an ADHD specialist so he may have some incentive to misdiagnose me, who knows? But ultimately I am willing to give it a try. I've been told by almost everyone around me that I don't have ADHD, that I'm just confused, or that it will pass. But I know there is definitely something wrong going on in my head. I always went through life feeling like something was wrong and/or off. I felt like maybe I was mildly retarded and somehow made it this far. People said I was smart, and I did well on tests but I could never get the grades everyone said I should be getting. I wondered how I had managed to trick everyone into thinking I was smarter than I was. I could not put together why I was so bad at school no matter how much I liked the subject. Also, why was everything so difficult and hard to do in my life, why was it so easy for everyone else? Adderall helps. It helps the most at first, but if you build good habits during that time then it's easier to maintain them as time goes on. I do return to my foggy self once it wears off and goddamn do I hate being so spacey, it's like my brain runs at half speed. But I am so grateful to know what it is and that there are things I can do to make everything so much better and easier for myself and everyone around me. It helps my mood better than any anti-depressant ever could and that's a great thing because even when I am happy I have my moods and a short fuse at times. Oh, and the indecision thing: Holy gently caress does it help that. You can make better choices and quicker. I would recommend going through all your stuff and finding all the poo poo you kept for a reason you don't even know. I threw away so much trash and got everything put away to where it belonged. Cleaned out the garage and got everything put away from moving over a year ago. Found a box of food that got put out there for some reason from the move over a year ago. Went through my whole house and put stuff where it actually belongs while also purging was great because it helps un-clutter everything...including your brain.
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May 27, 2011 05:02
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blueblaze posted:I finally went and got myself checked for ADHD, with a psychiatrist that I was miraculously able to book an appointment with directly, without having to go through the whole doctor-referral process. He positively identified me as having moderate to severe ADHD and low-grade depression. I have some questions for you. First, how did you find this guy - through a personal reference, did you look him up online or did you find him through your insurance provider? Also, are you paying completely out of your own pocket or are you getting any kind of insurance coverage for it?
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May 27, 2011 06:31
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Qu Appelle posted:I'm pretty Type-A, and I have ADHD. I also take drugs for it. Thanks for the replies everyone. That sounds amazing. I've been trying to better myself for a long time and hardly ever being able to make any headway. I have a lot of interests. I even made a thread a while ago talking about how frustrated I was about trouble prioritizing goals and activities. drumwolf posted:Congrats on getting a psychiatrist who actually was able/willing to diagnose you with ADHD and treat it. You're far luckier than I've been up to now (although, hopefully, for the reasons I've already mentioned a few posts above yours, that could change soon). Thanks. I'm still a little skeptical. I have gone to another "psychiatrist" in the past but his credentials and his diagnosis of me were highly suspect. I paid $300+ for this assessment, and his "diagnosis" of me was based on asking me a few questions, playing a few memory games, and having to put on this ridiculous contraption on my head while mentally willing a few numbers on this machine to go up or down. He then tried to sell me these "neuro-cognitive" training programs that cost $700 per module, and there were 4 of them to buy. I asked for my money back. I found my psych through a local message board, actually. I just point-blank asked where/how I could get treated for ADHD and one lady in particular gave me the name of this doctor and said he was taking new patients and she'd been happy with his services. I called him up and we set a date to meet and that was it. I live in Canada so part of it is covered through the provincial health plan but the rest I have to pay for. This doctor in particular is asking for $1000 up front to cover the initial assessment (roughly $300) as well as all the outside expenses such as filing prescriptions, phone consultations, etc. I thought this was hefty at first but apparently there aren't many psychiatrists who don't charge over what's covered by insurance. He's willing to start me off on medication that aren't as costly which is quite considerate, I guess. Wartime Consigliere posted:I always went through life feeling like something was wrong and/or off. I felt like maybe I was mildly retarded and somehow made it this far. People said I was smart, and I did well on tests but I could never get the grades everyone said I should be getting. I wondered how I had managed to trick everyone into thinking I was smarter than I was. I could not put together why I was so bad at school no matter how much I liked the subject. Also, why was everything so difficult and hard to do in my life, why was it so easy for everyone else? What are the certain things you do to help yourself? I know how powerful habits are and I'm always trying to get my rear end on some 30-day program but never make it past the first week if at all. You mentioned anti-depressants. My psych specifically said anti-depressants won't help my dysthymia, only therapy would. But the bulk of my depression may lift once I can start setting and achieving goals. Boy oh boy I'm excited! All my life I've marveled at how other people could start and finish projects without any apparent struggle. Whereas I'd wait till the absolute last minute until the pressure was so intense that I had to do something or I'd consider something like my course grade as unsalvageable and abandon it completely. I never knew this was part of some disorder. The most infuriating thing of all wasn't the random thoughts that would pop into my head as I was studying, it was my motivation and desire suddenly disappearing midway leaving me wondering why I was even bothering with working on the task at hand. By the way, I just noticed my psychiatrist doesn't actually have a Psych. D next to his name, just an M.D. should I be worried? blueblaze fucked around with this message at 14:06 on May 27, 2011 |
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May 27, 2011 13:37
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blueblaze posted:
I would say read Delivered From Distraction and 10 Simple Solutions to Adult ADD. Look at websites and find out everything you can. Read up on all those tips and use what works for you. Lists help me a lot. A list with a reward system does too, but a reward chart might work best if you have a significant other who can make sure you don't reward yourself for 3/4ths of a job well done. The habits thing, clean every day. Dishes, laundry, whatever, take care of things while they are small tasks. Areas that are cluttered need to be organized and reduce your clutter habits. Mail is something that adds up, throw away the junk before you even set the mail down anywhere. Get organized, which you will most likely find to be much easier on meds, and then you just have to maintain it each day by making habits of restoring everything at the end of the day to how it looked at the start of it. This is a challenge for me as a stay at home dad of a toddler who I refer to as a Hurricane because of her constantly moving and destructive nature. The main thing is to get everything in order during the "HOLY gently caress THIS poo poo IS AWESOME I CAN DO ANY GODDAMN THING I FEEL LIKE" period and then keep it up. I use this example a lot but I threw out about 12 yards by 1 yard of trash after getting on meds. Decision making is so much easier. I don't just keep everything because I can't decide what's important and what isn't. I still have problems with things like prioritizing between tasks that are important and ones that aren't so much. But now at least I get most things done, important or not. I was sedentary before and now I walk somewhere between 1-6 miles depending on how my arthritis feels every night with my wife and child. It's pretty awesome. We get along so much better now, we still have so many miscommunications, but we've started doing meetings once or twice a week where we talk about anything that's coming up, things we want to get done or go to or work schedule, menus, and that helps so much. During the meetings there are no distractions, just some music in the background and me and my wife talking to each other about things about our life. I love these meetings. The walks are sacred time too. No phone usage, just us having conversations. One thing about Adderall is it can dampen your appetite. For some people that might be a good thing if you eat because you're bored. I always forgot to eat before. I am not sure how much weight I lost but my jeans are ridiculously oversized. I have added some muscle but I am probably still close to being at 150 pounds and a size 32 again. It helps me to think of what sounds good way in advance or before I take my pill and then just eat it. "I'm gonna grill some BBQ Chicken today." or "I'm gonna eat Cheerios for breakfast." It sounds silly but it works for me. That could be my motto.
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May 27, 2011 19:02
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One of the things delivered from distraction recommends is joining a 12 step program, which I don't necessarily completely advocate but there is some wisdom to just taking 1 day at a time. It builds habits which ultimately last longer. So I suggest taking 30 day plans and tossing them, and simply focu on what you are gonna do today. Make sure it's things that will accumulate like the cleaning, the walking, the family time. One of the things that needs to be broken is the voice that says you were a failure at something before, so you are still one now. Once you can demonstrate to yourself that you can do things, then you can get to the big long term plans.
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May 28, 2011 00:11
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I have to say, Que Appelle I'm really proud and happy that you're doing so well. After all the time I've been following this thread, it seems like you've gone through so much poo poo that I'm really happy that you're settling and being finally happy with your life. I've always felt a kinship when I see you post in other threads, and I'm incredibly thrilled that you're doing well. I don't even know you, but you deserve it.
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May 28, 2011 00:20
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Effexxor posted:I have to say, Que Appelle I'm really proud and happy that you're doing so well. After all the time I've been following this thread, it seems like you've gone through so much poo poo that I'm really happy that you're settling and being finally happy with your life. I've always felt a kinship when I see you post in other threads, and I'm incredibly thrilled that you're doing well. I don't even know you, but you deserve it. Yay, thanks. I try not to turn this thread into my own personal e/n forum, but I also think that documenting it would help other people. Seriously - thanks a lot 
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May 28, 2011 00:32
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Qu Appelle posted:Yay, thanks. Us Adhd'ers have to stick together, yo. I kinda feel like I know the people in this thread more than other goons.
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May 28, 2011 03:06
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TheBigBad posted:One of the things delivered from distraction recommends is joining a 12 step program, which I don't necessarily completely advocate but there is some wisdom to just taking 1 day at a time. It builds habits which ultimately last longer. So I suggest taking 30 day plans and tossing them, and simply focu on what you are gonna do today. Make sure it's things that will accumulate like the cleaning, the walking, the family time. One of the things that needs to be broken is the voice that says you were a failure at something before, so you are still one now. Once you can demonstrate to yourself that you can do things, then you can get to the big long term plans. I would just like to emphasize this a bit. I'm 6 months into treatment and by far the single biggest boost is knowing you can get things done and be successful. For anyone wondering or on the edge of trying to get diagnosed/treated don't dismiss or minimize it. You may be shocked by just how much better you can do. Life is a much happier place when you feel like you can function and achieve goals you want to just like almost anyone else. As long as you make a list and stay away from shiny things! I get more done in an average day now than I've gotten done in a week previously and it's no big deal.
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May 28, 2011 14:37
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evil imp posted:I would just like to emphasize this a bit. I'm 6 months into treatment and by far the single biggest boost is knowing you can get things done and be successful. For anyone wondering or on the edge of trying to get diagnosed/treated don't dismiss or minimize it. You may be shocked by just how much better you can do. Life is a much happier place when you feel like you can function and achieve goals you want to just like almost anyone else. As long as you make a list and stay away from shiny things! I get more done in an average day now than I've gotten done in a week previously and it's no big deal. What sort of treatment are you currently involved in? Is it purely medication based? I'm going to pick up some of the books suggested later on too though.
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May 28, 2011 19:10
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I went in to see my psychiatrist today and it was my second visit and already he's been able to prescribe me with medication. He's starting me off with 30mg of Vyvanse taken every morning for one week, followed by 50mg the next week, and eventually 80mg the third week. I am really nervous/excited about the possibilities. For some reason my doctor has access to all these free samples of Vyvanse so I was able to get my drugs at no cost. I hope it's not the generic kind (which I was told does not exist). It's the one made by Shire. (I think I know why, Vyvanse is still new in Canada) I read through the entire thread looking for other people's experience with Vyvanse and I've seen reports about having bad headaches and very fast pulse rates. Can I assume that I'll experience the same issues when I take them?
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May 31, 2011 19:10
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blueblaze posted:I read through the entire thread looking for other people's experience with Vyvanse and I've seen reports about having bad headaches and very fast pulse rates. Can I assume that I'll experience the same issues when I take them? Vyvanse doesn't have a generic form. However, it is chemically close to Dexedrine, which does come in generics. But they're not identical. And there's no telling what side effects you may get. Some are more common then others, but every person is different. YMMV and all that. But, if you have any concerns about side effects that you get after starting to take it, definitely give your doctor a call.
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May 31, 2011 19:35
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Another ADHD goon checking in here. I was diagnosed when I was very young, which I suppose was pure luck because around here most people with my symptoms were just declared troublemakers. I was put on Ritalin right away, I can't remember what dosage though. Most of my school years I was that kid that would scream, throw stuff, fly into a rage at any provocation and drive teachers to alcoholism. Given a specific, somewhat interesting task though, I could write for hours. But if the subject was something I didn't have any interest in, or if we had to just sit and listen to lectures for any extended period of time, I'd drift off into my own barrage of thoughts. Maybe the teacher said something about trees and all of a sudden I was exploring a huge, dark forest in my mind and before I knew it I was being asked a question and oh god what I don't know. People eventually found out I had a disorder and I was mercilessly bullied throughout school, because they knew I'd hulk out and start breaking stuff. A lot of my experiences are going to be influenced by this, because I've got a lot of deep seated personal issues as a result. I'm not here to talk about that though, so I'll do my best to stick to the topic. Around 16 my parents noticed I'd calmed down a lot, and we made an awful mistake. We decided to just stop medicating me entirely. This was mostly my own fault, because I'd been begging to stop taking them so I could be "normal" again. After that I started having trouble concentrating, remembering tasks, events and meetings, trouble sleeping, etc. Around 20 I also started feeling more and more stressed out, to the point where I had to take antacids every single day. I just figured that I turned out to be lazy and careless. Lately, the sleep has become a giant problem for me at work, but one of my two bosses was actually thoughtful enough to figure this might be something I had no control over. We decided to talk to a doctor, and surprise, I should go back on my meds. I also had a quick chat with a specialist on ADHD and it turns out a lot of physical discomfort I've been having can be attributed to ADHD. The one that stands out the most is that as long as I'm conscious, my muscles will tense up and never let go. Stress and the resulting stomach acid? ADHD. Trouble sleeping? It's because I lie in bed all tensed up and don't fall asleep until I literally pass out from exhaustion, at which point I will sleep through every single alarm I set and only wake up once I've gathered the energy to go through all day flexing involountarily until I pass out again. As she explained the various, lesser known symptoms of ADHD everything fell into place. I thought everyone had a million thoughs racing through their head every day, they were just better organised than me. She actually described it as trying to listen to a room full of radios all tuned to a different station, which fit the bill perfectly. So I'm put back on Ritalin again as of about a month ago. 20 mg 3 times a day. After a few days, everything cleared up. My muscles are more relaxed, I can actually fall asleep properly and wake up more easily. Concentrating on a given task is easier, and my memory has improved. I'm not working at full capacity yet, but my quality of life and my work performance has spiked considerably. I'm still working on getting more organised, but I've made some very good progress IMO. I still need specific, preferrably written tasks in order to get things done though. One thing that works wonders is getting a paper note with everything I'm supposed to do that day, so I can keep track of everything and cross off tasks as I finish them. I'm still in that room filled with radios, but the Ritalin helps me tune out the chatter and focus on the important parts. My next goal is to get a proper daily rythm going, with clear and specific tasks for each day as well as a balanced sleep schedule. Now that all the background is in place, I'll try to keep up with this thread and chip in with whatever answers I can. I've done very little actual studying on ADHD, so most of this will be from personal experience. The most important thing about dealing ADHD though, is to look at it as an actual, serious condition that really interferes with normal life more than you'd think. My other boss seems to be of the opinion that I'm just a lazy, unorganised slob by choice. Nothing hurts me more than hearing her tell me it doesn't look like I'm trying very hard to do be organised. I don't like showing people how I feel, so even though I usually look chipper on the outside, anything out of the ordinary can set off a torrent of emotions brewing inside me. If my brain decides to focus on these, I can walk around in a daze, working monotonously for hours while thoughts are racing through my head at a million miles per hour. So yeah, the most important thing is for people around me to be understanding and know that while I try my best to keep track of everything, something as simple as an insignificant little gadget on a shelf can draw my full attention until I've analyzed it completely. e: Marijuana was mentioned earlier in the thread. One of my biggest issues was how much trouble I was having getting proper sleep. I've never been able to take naps or anything like that. Before I started back on my Ritalin, weed was the one thing that would let me relax enough to actually fall asleep at will. Nothing in the world is more relaxing than smoking a bowl before lying down on the couch and just sleep for a couple of hours, and the fact I actually have to do something illegal just for such a simple, basic pleasure is easily the worst thing about this condition. Nastyman fucked around with this message at 02:14 on Jun 1, 2011 |
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Jun 1, 2011 02:00
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Nastyman posted:
No loving kidding. I got a DUI and have had to stay clean and holy crap but do I ever have insomnia, plus a sad jitteriness.
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Jun 1, 2011 05:06
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Nastyman posted:My other boss seems to be of the opinion that I'm just a lazy, unorganised slob by choice. Nothing hurts me more than hearing her tell me it doesn't look like I'm trying very hard to do be organised. I don't like showing people how I feel, so even though I usually look chipper on the outside, anything out of the ordinary can set off a torrent of emotions brewing inside me. If my brain decides to focus on these, I can walk around in a daze, working monotonously for hours while thoughts are racing through my head at a million miles per hour. So yeah, the most important thing is for people around me to be understanding and know that while I try my best to keep track of everything, something as simple as an insignificant little gadget on a shelf can draw my full attention until I've analyzed it completely. I'm making the great assumption here that you're in the US. Your boss may think that you're just 'lazy', but she can go jump off a cliff. Not only do you have a neurological condition that causes that disorganization, you're in the process of getting it treated. And that condition? Protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. If the disorganization is hampering your work, work should be working with you to make some reasonable accommodations so that it's less of an issue. At my last job, I merely asked people in a meeting to please email me info instead of telling me stuff, because the talking distracted me, and I wouldn't retain it nearly as well. That helped me quite a bit. If where you work has an HR department, I'd go talk with them about it.
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Jun 1, 2011 06:19
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Nastyman posted:e: Marijuana was mentioned earlier in the thread. One of my biggest issues was how much trouble I was having getting proper sleep. I've never been able to take naps or anything like that. Before I started back on my Ritalin, weed was the one thing that would let me relax enough to actually fall asleep at will. Nothing in the world is more relaxing than smoking a bowl before lying down on the couch and just sleep for a couple of hours, and the fact I actually have to do something illegal just for such a simple, basic pleasure is easily the worst thing about this condition. I've found, while I'm still too silly to function normally, a couple tokes after work is MAGIC for my inability to relax. Unfortunately, I am terrible at Drugs and can't find anyone to sell me something decent. So after a taste of being chill, I've gone back to being high strung after my last dose wears off. It was really nice 
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Jun 1, 2011 15:19
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I just took my first ever 30mg of Vyvanse half an hour ago. How long does it take for it to kick in? I keep expect to experience some very pronounced shift. Does Vyvanse work better with food? Edit - Holy crap, it's been an hour and a half since I took the pill and I am feeling a definite change. I was so immersed in doing my crossword puzzle on the train I missed my stop TWICE. I felt quite euphoric, I hope that's not the stimulant part loving with my head. I am definitely feeling a strange calmness too, as everyone has described. Usually when I'm on the subway I feel anxious when people even so much as look at me. But today I was able to look people in the eye and see them as they are. I couldn't believe how QUIET the train actually was. This is unbelievable. I don't ever want this to end! It's like I can suddenly figure out what stuff is unimportant and which I can safely ignore. I don't have to be bothered by them anymore! I tried reading with my headphones on and my eyes still glazed over at certain points and I had to re-read, but overall it's an improvement. I think it could be better, though. I'm not feeling the great urge to start cleaning my entire home like others have said, but I find myself spontaneously organizing things wherever I'm sitting. blueblaze fucked around with this message at 17:30 on Jun 1, 2011 |
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Jun 1, 2011 15:26
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Chumbawumba4ever97 fucked around with this message at 12:32 on Sep 18, 2012 |
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Jun 1, 2011 18:02
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Qu Appelle posted:And that condition? Protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Can anyone elaborate on this a bit? My job is pretty awesome, but I would like some "protection" if things change in the future. I'm not looking to be a troublemaker, but it would be nice to have an extra leg to stand on if I ever get jammed up. How do I file for this ADA? I am also in college, is this something I should notify them of? How does this all work? Any downsides?
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Jun 1, 2011 18:11
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