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Man, I hate how much I pick at my fingers. They look horrible. I put band aids on my finger tips and that works until I pick at the band aid until it comes off. Bah.
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Nov 25, 2011 11:27
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Wartime Consigliere posted:Man, I hate how much I pick at my fingers. They look horrible. I put band aids on my finger tips and that works until I pick at the band aid until it comes off. Bah. 
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Nov 25, 2011 22:46
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2508084 posted:Oh god. I bite my nails and the skin around my nails until they bleed. My boyfriend is horrified when he looks at my hands I'm not the only one...I swear that in my case, it's a nervous tic. I've done this since I was young.
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Nov 25, 2011 22:50
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I got a red bump of thick skin on the knuckle below a middle finger. It's probably OCD.. whenever I'm stressed I pick at it more. Weird, but whatever, no one cares that much.
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Nov 26, 2011 00:34
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2508084 posted:Oh god. I bite my nails and the skin around my nails until they bleed. My boyfriend is horrified when he looks at my hands Same fer me. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatillomania
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Nov 26, 2011 01:26
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Oh whoops, I mis-phrased my question. I meant while on meds rather then just the swallowing a pill bit. In other news I had a serious case of the  today. I've noticed I can tell when it happens because of the large amounts of eye-rolling it induces in friends!
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Nov 26, 2011 21:14
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strange posted:Does anyone else get a gross taste in their mouth when taking their meds, specifically methylphenidate/Ritalin/Concerta? Or am I just gross? See a dentist about this. Your mouth is probably dry or drier than it should be and this can cause problems. I got gingivitis because I had dry mouth and subsequently drank lots of water and used (non-alcoholic) mouthwash a few times a day as my initial reaction. Well, I had reddish gums for three or four days until replaced the water+mouthwash with gum with Xylitol in it. This was after I had an usually dry mouth during the mornings/afternoon for a couple months due to a change in stimulant medication, but I assumed that normal care + drinking lots of water for hydration would be okay, and now have to see a periodontist. I probably don't have anything serious with respect to infections, but apparently this resulted in a little bit of (always irreversible) gum recession on a tooth that had some already from braces. Any of bad breath or gross or metallic taste in mouth even after brushing your teeth/tongue is a sign that you might be developing gum disease or have an infection of some sort. I didn't have any issues with breath, but whatever it is that's causing it for you, it's probably something you want to get checked out just in case.
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Nov 27, 2011 22:01
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I haven't read through the thread (but the parts that I did freaked me out due to how similar my experience has been) so apologies if this question has been already answered in detail: but what do you think is the point that you needed to get help and/or prescription drugs? I've always had trouble focusing (with the usual stuff about getting into trouble at school, being obnoxious/saying the wrong stuff, etc), but I've managed to get through grad school and get a proper job, even though right now I'm between jobs and searching. I've tried amphetine products before and they've managed to calm me down enough to really focus, but I'm really leery of having to take a prescription drug everyday. So what is the "bottom" that made you get medication/therapy? Thanks.
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Nov 29, 2011 19:53
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Shageletic posted:I haven't read through the thread (but the parts that I did freaked me out due to how similar my experience has been) so apologies if this question has been already answered in detail: but what do you think is the point that you needed to get help and/or prescription drugs? I've always had trouble focusing (with the usual stuff about getting into trouble at school, being obnoxious/saying the wrong stuff, etc), but I've managed to get through grad school and get a proper job, even though right now I'm between jobs and searching. I've tried amphetine products before and they've managed to calm me down enough to really focus, but I'm really leery of having to take a prescription drug everyday. So what is the "bottom" that made you get medication/therapy? I was working for a big company, and my boss (who was a douchebag and shouldn't have been bossing anybody, but that's another story) put me on the "Performance Improvement Plan". Short version: you do everything we tell you to, you do it perfectly and fast, and we can fire you at any time for any reason we like. A friend and co-worker calmed me down (a little bit) and explained that he thought I had the ADD, because he did and he recognized similarities. I owe that guy for saving my career (what there is of it). I went on to outlast that boss quite handily. 
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Nov 29, 2011 20:01
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Shageletic posted:I haven't read through the thread (but the parts that I did freaked me out due to how similar my experience has been) so apologies if this question has been already answered in detail: but what do you think is the point that you needed to get help and/or prescription drugs? I've always had trouble focusing (with the usual stuff about getting into trouble at school, being obnoxious/saying the wrong stuff, etc), but I've managed to get through grad school and get a proper job, even though right now I'm between jobs and searching. I've tried amphetine products before and they've managed to calm me down enough to really focus, but I'm really leery of having to take a prescription drug everyday. So what is the "bottom" that made you get medication/therapy? Most recently? Having Blue Cross/Blue Shield refuse to dispense name brand Wellbutrin a couple of years ago, and me having a really bad reaction to the generic. This was really the only anti-depressant that worked with me for the past decade or so, and it had the added effect of treating my ADHD. With that gone, we had a choice between treating the depression, or treating the ADHD. I chose to treat the ADHD - and while the depression can also be a problem, my doc and I are keeping a close eye on it, and treating that with copious amounts of Vitamin D. Previously, I'd keep on being disciplined and/or fired from jobs because of my inability to pay attention, screw something up, and not listen to people. Turns out I have ADHD and Auditory Processing Disorder. That would explain that!
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Nov 29, 2011 20:02
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Shageletic posted:I haven't read through the thread (but the parts that I did freaked me out due to how similar my experience has been) so apologies if this question has been already answered in detail: but what do you think is the point that you needed to get help and/or prescription drugs? I've always had trouble focusing (with the usual stuff about getting into trouble at school, being obnoxious/saying the wrong stuff, etc), but I've managed to get through grad school and get a proper job, even though right now I'm between jobs and searching. I've tried amphetine products before and they've managed to calm me down enough to really focus, but I'm really leery of having to take a prescription drug everyday. So what is the "bottom" that made you get medication/therapy?
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Nov 29, 2011 20:26
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signalnoise posted:For me it was wanting to kill myself Jesus. Sorry to hear that.
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Nov 29, 2011 20:45
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signalnoise posted:For me it was wanting to kill myself We are glad that you are here 
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Nov 29, 2011 21:01
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signalnoise posted:For me it was wanting to kill myself I'm seeing my psych today. I'm going to ask him about one of those xr/ir medications since they're more likely to be in stock. The last few weeks have been awful. 
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Nov 29, 2011 21:05
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My depression came back this October - November, so I decided to buy a depression lamp. Hopefully this thing helps me with depression and energy levels! drat thing is bright!
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Nov 29, 2011 21:28
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Goodpancakes posted:My depression came back this October - November, so I decided to buy a depression lamp. Hopefully this thing helps me with depression and energy levels! drat thing is bright! It does help. It helps a lot. I have mine on my desk at work, and I sit under it all day.
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Nov 29, 2011 21:35
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GBS tackles the Adderall Shortage Crisis: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3451766
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Nov 29, 2011 23:55
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Qu Appelle posted:It does help. It helps a lot. I have mine on my desk at work, and I sit under it all day. According to the light instructions I am not supposed to sit under it for more then 60 minutes at "therapy" levels, and not to late into the evening. The instructions claim that this could lead to irritability, sleep difficulties, and other stuff. In fact some of these symptoms seem to parallel ADHD. How do you feel about that?
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Nov 30, 2011 00:16
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Welp doc hadn't even heard about the adderall shortage. After I explained, he wrote for ritalin 10mg, 3x/day. Costco has it in stock and its only $17. Today is a good day.
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Nov 30, 2011 01:13
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Goodpancakes posted:According to the light instructions I am not supposed to sit under it for more then 60 minutes at "therapy" levels, and not to late into the evening. The instructions claim that this could lead to irritability, sleep difficulties, and other stuff. In fact some of these symptoms seem to parallel ADHD. I think you should definitely follow the instructions on the light. Mine is very low powered, and it's at an angle on my desk, so I'm not getting the full brunt of the effects. And congratulations, 2508084!
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Nov 30, 2011 01:21
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Shageletic posted:Jesus. Sorry to hear that. I got better!
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Nov 30, 2011 04:02
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signalnoise posted:I got better! Good to hear, man. And about my earlier question, I was just thinking about the pros and cons of doing something about my ADD like symptoms. The fact is that I kinda like how I am. I like how much I appreciate things, and how many things interest me. How I tend to be a pretty easy guy to get along with, mainly because when I meet someone, I truly am fascinated by learning about who they are. That I might say the wrong thing sometimes, or not act properly, but people tell me that I can be interesting and a fun person to be around. And I like being creative (which correlates with ADHD), indulging my daydreaming tendencies, and delving into different arty things that I find fulfilling (even though I might not stick with it). Is that something worth potentially losing?
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Nov 30, 2011 05:51
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If the pro's outweigh the con's then I'd just work on personal coping skills to deal with the cons rather than take a medicine. Medicine, to me, is for when coping skills do not help enough. Some things you can cope through, some you can't. Its all about how you feel about it.
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Nov 30, 2011 05:52
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I'm about to have a month break from college. I have been on adderall IR for about a year and its going pretty well. Should I talk to my doctor about trying something else such as Ritalin or Dexedrine? I'm wondering because what if there is "something better" then adderall? Im not sure how to bring it up. Does anyone have any experience with this?
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Nov 30, 2011 08:07
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Dick Smegma posted:I'm about to have a month break from college. I have been on adderall IR for about a year and its going pretty well. Should I talk to my doctor about trying something else such as Ritalin or Dexedrine? I'm wondering because what if there is "something better" then adderall? Im not sure how to bring it up. Does anyone have any experience with this? My advice? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. In other words, if you can still get ahold of the medication, and it's working, continue to take it. However, are you considering a drug holiday during your school holiday? Or are you going to take it through break?
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Nov 30, 2011 08:36
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Dick Smegma posted:I'm about to have a month break from college. I have been on adderall IR for about a year and its going pretty well. Should I talk to my doctor about trying something else such as Ritalin or Dexedrine? I'm wondering because what if there is "something better" then adderall? Im not sure how to bring it up. Does anyone have any experience with this? Adderall gives you the most effects for the least amount of amphetamines in your system. However, ritalin has a slightly different mechanism of action (e.g.,it merely blocks reuptake of dopamine, and does not cause vesicles holding on to the dopamine in your neurons to release this dopamine into the body of the neuron). In the case of dexedrine, there are less PNS effects, and you do not get the synergistic effects of levoamphetamine. It is hard to say without any detailed description of the mechanism of action and your specific reactions to the drug. Are you suffering from excess sweatiness, dry mouthm etc? L-amphetamine has more of an effect on you peripheral nervous system (body) than your central nevous system (brain/brainstem) than dexedrine does, so dexedrine might be a good alternative if you have distressing physiological side effects to Adderall like excessive sweatiness. Anyways, if it works, keep with it. There is no objectively best thing in general for everyone no matter who they are, or anything necessarily better than Adderall in all possible contexts or even most of the time.
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Nov 30, 2011 08:51
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Shageletic posted:I haven't read through the thread (but the parts that I did freaked me out due to how similar my experience has been) so apologies if this question has been already answered in detail: but what do you think is the point that you needed to get help and/or prescription drugs? I've always had trouble focusing (with the usual stuff about getting into trouble at school, being obnoxious/saying the wrong stuff, etc), but I've managed to get through grad school and get a proper job, even though right now I'm between jobs and searching. I've tried amphetine products before and they've managed to calm me down enough to really focus, but I'm really leery of having to take a prescription drug everyday. So what is the "bottom" that made you get medication/therapy? I barely made it out of high school although I have a very high IQ. I flunked out of college (Theatre Major). I got my associates degree at a community college (Communications Major). I worked for a Fortune 100 IT Services company for 12 years. Dropped out of college again during that period (Marketing). Went back a fourth time, this time for film. Got a second Associates Degree (Writing/Directing Film) Found myself laid off, running out of unemployment, and flunking out of film school (Bachelor's). A classmate of mine, we were 2 of the original 25 left from our first year mentioned she got diagnosed for ADHD, and I asked my therapist if I could have it. She said if I don't, I have all the symptoms for it- whether I have it or not will depend on if I respond to medication. Got diagnosed. Read a bunch of books and posts on ADHD. Adjusted my life while on meds. Made the Dean's list. Dropped off of meds. Will be graduating in May (B.S. in Marketing). TheBigBad fucked around with this message at 09:13 on Nov 30, 2011 |
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Nov 30, 2011 09:10
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Shageletic posted:Good to hear, man. You don't have to lose any of those things by meds though, you can still appreciate lots of different things, be creative, etc. Except with meds you can actually *do* something about it all, you can get the things you don't like but need to do done, and all in all feel more in control of your life. Stimulant meds don't turn you into some logical robot, it just helps you feel more in control.
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Nov 30, 2011 12:08
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This, totally ^^^ - I had some sort of expectation that I'd immediately become rational, disciplined and 'odd' after getting on meds, but all it does is helping me concentrate and remember things, so my creative output has actually gone up.
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Nov 30, 2011 12:18
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I'm not sure why people think these meds would change them in some strange way and make them a robot zombie or something. You will still be you. You don't change when you have to start wearing glasses or taking insulin. The meds help you be who you want to be. The meds won't do your work for you. They make it easier to do things. In fact the meds help me pursue my hobbies and creative side a lot more than I ever did before. I am able to put my creativity to use. I engage myself in more things that interest me instead of wandering around aimlessly.
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Nov 30, 2011 19:38
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Wartime Consigliere posted:I'm not sure why people think these meds would change them in some strange way and make them a robot zombie or something. This is an excellent summation of what being on Adderall is for me. Like other ADD folks, I feel I'm still creative (compared to the 'normals' around me), easy going, and interesting to be around. But now with the help of the medications: *I'm actually practicing guitar instead of playing it for 5 minutes and never touching it again. *Working on my Android apps and not abandoning them half way *Working on 3D art and not abandoning it half way and more. The theme here is "Now I do [thing x] instead of abandoning it at [ X minutes, hours, or days later]." With the meds helping your ability to focus, it easier and faster to get things done. For example, when a program of mine doesn't work, I can actually read the Android developer documentation (it's HUGE, ton of poo poo) and stay focused while I read through it to find my answer. Before Adderall, I'd read for five minutes, take a break, come back, read, etc. Made finding the answer take forever! --- For those of you on Adderall, have you ever had your dose adjusted down? Earlier, I mentioned that sometimes I feel that the medication swings me the other way from unfocused to possibly overly stimulated. It's like my mind is on rapid fire and I can't focus on anything. Well, sometimes that happens. But lately, it's been happening less. Another thing I've been feeling lately is almost like the meds make me socially lethargic. If that makes any sense. I almost feel like earlier in my treatment, I was willing to extend conversations if someone talked with me. I'm just not sure what the signs are that your dose is too high. A lot of the ADD message boards I find via Google kind of seem untrustworthy to me.
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Nov 30, 2011 20:59
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Yep I most definitely find the need to dose it down after being on a med for a while: example, I was on dexedrine years ago and the doc had me on 15mg/day, but the side effects started getting more and more severe until I realized if I took 7.5mg/day it was just perfect. Useage of amphetamines in a therapeutic manner often leads to sensitization, where you can get the same effect from a small dose. It's a good thing. It does take a bit of playing around; I first tried 10mg/day, which was still too much, and then 5mg, which just didn't quite do it.
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Dec 1, 2011 15:51
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wilfredmerriweathr posted:Yep I most definitely find the need to dose it down after being on a med for a while: example, I was on dexedrine years ago and the doc had me on 15mg/day, but the side effects started getting more and more severe until I realized if I took 7.5mg/day it was just perfect. Useage of amphetamines in a therapeutic manner often leads to sensitization, where you can get the same effect from a small dose. It's a good thing. Yeah, I actually have an old bottle of 20mg pills sitting around. One day, I accidentally took the 20mg pill (split into two 10mg doses) and I didn't even realize it. It wasn't until I looked at the pill before my second dose that I realized it. I took that second 10mg dose to keep the day consistent. Interestingly, I didn't notice any difference from my usual 30mg, 15mg / 15mg dosing. I guess that's in line with what you're mentioning with the sensitization. I'll bring this up with the doc and maybe try experimenting with lowering the dosages. Hell, with the Adderall shortage going on, being able to stretch out the pills wouldn't be so bad! Unrelated to dosing, I did notice one other thing has been happening. I normally don't have time to make breakfast, so I usually have a big bowl of cereal (at least, my wife claims it is) and a quad-shot decaf latte. Well, one day, I actually ran low on cereal so my bowl was smaller than normal. I noticed that day that I was on fire! The meds were really helping me stay focused. I also noticed that the feeling was almost 'clean'. Like no medicine head feeling, just the ability to focus. It felt like the medicine lasted at least a good hour or two longer than usual, too. Every since then, I've tried eating much less cereal in the morning and I really do think it's making a difference. I think I found a little bit when Googling that said sugary cereals can negatively affect ADD. My cereal of choice is multi-grain Cheerios. The multi-grain variety is a sugared cereal. I'd like to know more about this stuff, but all I can find when Googling ADD diets is sites trying to sell me their diet plans! Dolemite fucked around with this message at 06:49 on Dec 2, 2011 |
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Dec 2, 2011 06:46
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Dolemite posted:I'd like to know more about this stuff, but all I can find when Googling ADD diets is sites trying to sell me their diet plans! Well the main reason for that is that there's no good evidence that diet has any effect on ADHD symptoms. Well-conducted studies have failed to show an association between ADHD symptoms and sugar, food dyes, or other components of food.
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Dec 2, 2011 06:52
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Isn't it more likely that the slight acidity of the milk in your cereal makes your adderall absorb less and when you have a smaller bowl of cereal you're also having less milk? edit: or it could be the vitamin c in the cheerios. fagalicious fucked around with this message at 08:44 on Dec 2, 2011 |
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Dec 2, 2011 08:40
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I suspect that is has more to do with you taking it on a relatively emptier stomach, same as if you took any other pill. If your regular breakfast is pretty huge, taking your pill on a lot less food would have an impact.
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Dec 2, 2011 15:11
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Has anyone in hear found lasting help from behavior modification, CBT, following self-help ADHD books, etc? Stimulants help, but I know I'd be so much better off if I could learn to think straightly, and just learn habits to stay organized and on-task Specifically ADHD-PI. I'm not sure what book to pick up, they all look the same.. but I don't want to get one and have half of it just related to controlling hyperactivity, which I don't really have
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Dec 4, 2011 00:16
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CBT and mindfulness have definitely helped be "get off the ground" and started acting towards learning structure and seeking help (in the case of CBT), and helped me control the anxiety and wild mood swings that had me abusing drugs/alcohol and setting my entire treatment process back (in the case of mindfulness). You should definitely look into it, but perhaps with a guide or councilor who knows more about the subject - I definitely couldn't help myself in your situation :-/ Best of luck!
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Dec 4, 2011 21:09
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Yes it is really too bad that (here in the states) it seems doctors forget all about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and mindfulness in exchange for a "YEAH THESE PILL WILL FIX YA RIGHT UP" approach. Sure, it's often impossible without the medication, but on the flip side of the same coin it's also basically impossible to manage ADHD in the long run without at least keeping these things in mind through your daily life.
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Dec 4, 2011 23:31
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Interesting, I didn't know about there being no solid links to ADHD and diets. I could also see the smaller meals meaning more of the Adderall is taken up by my body. I remember being told by my last psych to make sure to eat well when taking the pill. The way the psych explained it, the medication won't last as long in your body if you don't eat much. --- I was reading the Adderall shortage thread in GBS and I'm getting REALLY freaked out about being to fill my prescription! When I last talked to my doctor, he said he'll write a prescription for Concerta if I cannot fill the Adderall one. For those of you on Concerta, does it work immediately like Adderall? I remember hearing of certain medications for ADHD that require you taking it for a good month before it starts to work! I really don't want to go a month practically un-medicated while I wait for a drug to kick in. I am hearing that pharmacies can usually get Adderall XR, it's just the IR that's hard to find. I assume that's because the IR is easier for dicks to snort up and get high off of? What will be the difference if I go with the XR version of Adderall (instead of trying Concerta)? Will it work as well as IR? For some reason, my last psych suggested the IR and just kinda mumbled something about how it works better than XR.
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Dec 5, 2011 07:48
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