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I always feel kind of awkward jumping into an ongoing thread like this, but I took a skin through it and didn't see any previous discussion. So, here are my questions. A: Has anybody, diagnosed with ADHD as a child, had their diagnosis reversed? Meaning, have you been re-evaluated to find that you did not have ADHD, or ADD in the first place? B: Does anybody have any experience with Low Latent Inhibition? Here's a little history on myself and how this pertains to me. I'm in my late 20's doing a second run through college. My business degree from the University of Alabama (actually I dropped out senior year for a job offer) put me on a kind of a lovely career path. Right from the get-go I was having trouble in some of the Gen-Ed classes like english and history, so I decided to get treatment as I had always struggled from ADHD. Since I had to go through the school's health center, they were naturally rigid in their policies about prescribing ADHD medicine. Thing is, it didn't seem like they gave me much of a serious evaluation. It was more like they made me jump through hoops. I had to be evaluated by a grad student in the mental health office. It was a 20 minute interview. "Yes, I have trouble paying attention." "Yes, my mind drifts." You get the picture. I also had to dig up records from K-12, evaluations from child psychologists, etc. I also had to take the computerized TOVA test. Funny thing was I "tested negative" or I guess a better way to word it is that my TOVA results were not consistant with ADD or ADHD. However these results were disregarded. After I took the test, my doctor noticed that I was carrying a motorcycle helmet. She basically said that because I ride a motorcycle and play a lot of video games It's likely I've developed a quicker reaction speed than most people and since I have a well documented history of ADHD as well as a history of success with the related medications, she was going to go ahead and prescribe the medication despite my TOVA result. Things went well. The adderall was a big help. My school's policy on ADD medicine is that I am required to be evaluated each semester. Since my GPA hovers around a 3.5, I am in excellent physical health, and no history of drug abuse, my evaluations were always glossed over. That all changed this semester. I had my last evaluation right before winter break. My old doctor moved on to greener pastures, so this time I was seen by somebody else. He immediately took an interest in the fact that my TOVA was not consistant with ADHD and he was also a friendly guy. We just kind of hit it off. Ended up having a fairly long conversation, reviewed my medical history (I had a fairly privileged upbringing, so I saw a lot of psychologists as a child, I was also in programs for "gifted kids" so I got a lot of attention and had a lot of paperwork to go with it) anyway, our chat ended with him pulling his big, black psychologist book off the shelf. He ended up reading a passage about Low Latent Inhibition, and pretty much seemed to hit the nail right on the head. If you're interested, there is a quick read on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_latent_inhibition#Low_latent_inhibition In the end not much has changed though. My doctor said it was not really a "diagnosis" just something for me to read up on if I was interested. Also, with the school being tight-fisted with ADD meds prescriptions, It would probably be best to stick with the old saying of "if it ain't broke.." My medication was adjusted though: He said his theory on my condition in regard to medication is that even though I likely don't suffer from ADD, my brain has to "work harder" that most people and the reason adderall has helped is because it contains dextroamphetamine which helps boost my focus. Before I had been taking 30mg adderall. 2 10mg pills in the AM, and 1 10mg pill in the afternoon. It has been changed to 20mg generic dexedrine. (which is nice because it's cheaper and easy to find) He also told me I don't necessarily have to take it on a set schedule. My prescription is now broken up into 5mg pills. He told me to more or less use it at my discretion. Take one any time I think I need a brain booster, and more importantly to lay off of it one or two days each week (drug holiday) to keep my body sensitive to it and avoid the need to up my dose. So far it's worked out great. I'm still on winter break and I haben't used it much, but it when I do take it, I feel like it's just as effective as the adderall. I've heard dexedrine is a little rougher on your system, but it hasn't bothered me. It does kind of change my attitude on ADHD medicine. I used to think of it like this: I have a mental condition called ADHD, Adderall is the medicine for that condition. I take my medicine every day as prescribed, which cures my mental condition. Now I think of it more like this: Everybody has a "scientific word" to describe their personality. Mine used to be ADHD, now it's LLI... whatever. Stimulants help boost alertness and mental focus, that's why most people drink coffee. Instead, I just pop one of these any time I need brain power. It's OK, my doctor gave me permission.
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Jan 15, 2012 12:03
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Suggestion: Don't take Vyvanse at 2pm if you forget to take your pills. 4am and still awake...
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Jan 16, 2012 12:53
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Wartime Consigliere posted:
This hit home, for whatever reason. I'm less depressed about my recovery prospects now, thanks 
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Jan 16, 2012 14:39
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of awesome
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Okay, here's a question. The OP here isn't great, so I'll throw it down. I'm in a bit of a frustrating situation. Working full-time, but no insurance, and my wages don't leave much in the way of disposable cash. I was diagnosed with ADD and medicated for it back in middle/high school, then like an idiot decided I 'didn't want to be dependent on a drug' and quit taking them. Unfortunately, as seems to be common, I replaced them with a massive soda intake instead. A few months ago, I decided to quit drinking soda, and my old scatterbrained, unable to concentrate symptoms came back bad enough to start interfering with work and school in major ways. So the question's this. How the hell do you seek treatment for this kind of thing when you're uninsured and don't have a regular doctor? I don't want to lose my job thanks to stupid simple errors caused by being constantly distracted, but I don't know how to find treatment I can afford. Any advice? This is getting really frustrating, and as I cook for a living, losing track of stuff is terrible. I'm compensating by taking a lot of notes and using timers like crazy.
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Jan 16, 2012 17:13
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Best I can think of would be to bite the bullet and pay to see a GP, describe your symptoms and that you were prescribed Adderall previously, and they'll probably just write you a new prescription. I don't know what GP visits w/o insurance cost but I expect they're probably in the $150 range. You might be able to find a low-cost clinic local to you as well. Generic Adderall is relatively cheap if you can get ahold of it.
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Jan 16, 2012 17:37
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There are also generic versions of Dexedrine and Ritalin. No idea about costs, but they are out there.
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Jan 16, 2012 20:00
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My ritalin is 18$/mo for 90 10mg pills
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Jan 16, 2012 23:50
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Yeah, that's what I figure. The GP bit is going to be frustrating, have to see if I can come up with something there, or get my tax return soonish. The state of healthcare in this country revolts me sometimes.
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Jan 17, 2012 00:43
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Liquid Communism posted:Yeah, that's what I figure. The GP bit is going to be frustrating, have to see if I can come up with something there, or get my tax return soonish. Sometimes?
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Jan 17, 2012 01:09
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Healthcare in the U.S. is lovely. But it REALLY amazes me just how godawful mental healthcare in this country is. I consider myself lucky to even have insurance that will cover my psych visits. And even then, I need to ration them. I only get 12 visits a year. I'm worried about having to do a bunch of follow up appointments with the doc while I try new medicines (thanks adderall shortage!). I've already burned one appointment thus far. 11 appointments left and we're still only in January. The psych suggests I get counseling for ADHD and the really stressful poo poo I'm going through (Divorce, work stuff). I had to explain to him that I don't have that option or I'll run out of visits to use to see him. Like others have mentioned, try to swing the out of pocket costs for the GP. Then if you can get a hold of any, generic Adderall is cheap. Failing that, buy a bike, drink lots of coffee and take fish oil and a multivitamin. The last option isn't much, but it will help you get by. Good luck, I genuinely hope you can get treatment. ADHD is a lovely thing. EDIT: I've heard of Walmart and Walgreen's pharmacies offering cheap pricing options. I think I've even heard of Walmart offering some kind of payment plan as well. Something to explore. Dolemite fucked around with this message at 02:28 on Jan 17, 2012 |
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Jan 17, 2012 02:22
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signalnoise posted:Sometimes? The rest of the time I'm too busy working or drinking myself to sleep.  Dolemite posted:
Yeah, that's what I'm working with right now. Good multi, exercise, and a couple pots of coffee a night. At least working in a bakery means we get -good- coffee.
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Jan 17, 2012 03:47
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Qu Appelle posted:There are also generic versions of Dexedrine and Ritalin. No idea about costs, but they are out there.
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Jan 17, 2012 10:43
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How easy is it for someone with ADD to cope with the social aspects of life? Friends, family, relationships; all that jazz.
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Jan 17, 2012 11:28
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Atlas Moth posted:How easy is it for someone with ADD to cope with the social aspects of life? Friends, family, relationships; all that jazz. It all depends on severity and situational factors (e.g. what you ate that day, the vibe you're feeling, etc) imho. Some days I'm decently social without taking a stimulant (Adderall). Other days I can't focus to save my life and just clam up because I can't keep my brain together enough to have a coherent conversation.
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Jan 17, 2012 14:29
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Atlas Moth posted:How easy is it for someone with ADD to cope with the social aspects of life? Friends, family, relationships; all that jazz. I avoid arguments, because I always give them either not enough attention or way too much attention.
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Jan 17, 2012 14:58
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Atlas Moth posted:How easy is it for someone with ADD to cope with the social aspects of life? Friends, family, relationships; all that jazz. I get pretty impairing social anxiety when not on meds. I tend to not spend much time with family on a regular basis because they very easily slip into not understanding mode which I wont tolerate at all.
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Jan 17, 2012 15:08
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Atlas Moth posted:How easy is it for someone with ADD to cope with the social aspects of life? Friends, family, relationships; all that jazz. I'm terrible about it. Can't remember to keep in touch with people to save my life, even when I -want- to.
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Jan 17, 2012 15:25
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Atlas Moth posted:How easy is it for someone with ADD to cope with the social aspects of life? Friends, family, relationships; all that jazz. Like Jared592, it really depends. There's the occasional day where I'm a social butterfly. Usually, I can hold a decent conversation if we aren't in too noisy of a place (not too many distractions). Talking in places like bars is frustrating because I can never hear what my friends are saying. Things are much harder with my family. Over the years, I've said hurtful things because I've always just blurted poo poo out. Same thing with relationships. I'm in the middle of a divorce because my soon to be ex just couldn't cope with my traits. ADD is not impossible, but is really hard to deal with in terms of the social aspects. What's interesting is reading other Goons in this thread posting about social anxiety due to ADD. I don't quite know what makes up anxiety, but I do get VERY nervous out in public. Of course, I've always chalked that up to simply being an introvert and I figured that surely every nerdy introvert is like me. My story: whenever I'm meeting friends at a bar or something, I'll get them to agree to a time to meet. Then I'll purposely show up 10-15 minutes late. That way, I'm guaranteed to see them as soon as I walk in the door and I don't have to sit alone waiting for them. The worst part for me is that moment when you open the door and everyone looks at you. What I hate the most is that I know this is a totally stupid thing to worry about. 
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Jan 17, 2012 15:25
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Atlas Moth posted:How easy is it for someone with ADD to cope with the social aspects of life? Friends, family, relationships; all that jazz. Different people can have wildly different degrees of trouble. I have no friends I spend time with (unless you count "work"), I see my parents about two or three times a year (when they demand I visit or announce that they're coming by), and no relationships to speak of. I suspect my problems aren't solely ADD-related, though.
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Jan 17, 2012 17:15
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Thanks for the insight. My little bro was diagnosed as a kid and although he's always had a pretty solid social circle, it seems that the older he gets; the more he seems to shut people out. He gets extremely defensive when I bring this poo poo up so he shuts me out, but I can clearly see that he's struggling.
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Jan 18, 2012 12:13
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As I got older, I learned that a lot of the people I had hung out with in high school were total loving idiots or had pretty irredeemable personalities. I was kinda "friends with everyone" until I hit my 20s, and then I slowly realized I didn't really gain anything from hanging out with people like that. I still have a bunch of friends, but I probably spend less time hanging out with them than I used to because I don't necessarily enjoy sitting at the bar and wasting my night away, or watching re-runs of some lovely tv show while drinking beer or getting stoned all night long. I still hang out with them, and I always invite my friends to go out and do fun poo poo outside or go on trips or whatever. But I go to bed early, get up early, and generally do not enjoy just sitting around drunk so that has led to me leading a much more independent life. It sucks when your friends tell you they can't come on a bike ride or go skiing or go to a movie because they don't have any money, but you know they go clubbing or to the bars every night. These are the people that I don't really want to spend time with. Have fun being an "adult," doing the poo poo I got bored of in high school.
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Jan 18, 2012 15:15
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So I've started treatment. Starting on generic adderall. At the testing place they gave me some Ritalin, and I remember feeling like my heart was going nuts but they measured my pulse and heartrate and it was normal (actually a bit lower than what they measured before I took it). But my point is I feel like I've just pounded down four shots of espresso but I am not shaking or anything like that. Is this normal? I was diagnosed with ADHD-I so I'm not used to having energy, I guess?
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Jan 18, 2012 17:21
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Yeah, it's a stimulant so it can feel like that to varying degrees depending on the dose. My experience is that when I'm ADHD-ing all over the place it's like my reservoir of focus energy is completely empty, whereas a bit after taking some Adderall it's like someone filled it back up with a firehose and I can focus on anything without distractions impeding me.
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Jan 18, 2012 18:29
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GenericOverusedName posted:So I've started treatment. Starting on generic adderall. At the testing place they gave me some Ritalin, and I remember feeling like my heart was going nuts but they measured my pulse and heartrate and it was normal (actually a bit lower than what they measured before I took it). But my point is I feel like I've just pounded down four shots of espresso but I am not shaking or anything like that. Welp, YMMV and all that. But, I've never experienced anything like my heart racing or beating fast. I've been on two drugs now: Generic Adderall and Concerta (a form of Ritalin). However, I did notice that the meds give off a feeling of having downed espresso. It's like your brain (but not your body) getting a RUSH of energy. Kind of the same thing that coffee does. Except for me, the meds didn't give me any of the trembling or shakiness that drinking a shitload of coffee gives me. So while the heart racing bit is a little odd, everything else sounds normal in my experience. Sounds like you're in the beginning of the Honeymoon phase where anything you take for ADHD is going to feel like the smoothest, longest lasting, and just awesomest coffee buzz. Welcome to the world of productivity and being able to enjoy the finer, slower paced things in life. --- Might as well edit this because I have a Concerta question: Why does this poo poo not feel too effective (compared to Adderall)? I've literally only had one day where I was hyper-focusing like mad. But other than that, I don't feel that this medication is as effective at helping me focus. So far, I've been on this medication for about a week. Surely I should be noticing effects more consistently? I'm on the 36mg dosage, so I wonder how screwed I am. The only step up is to 54mg. To be fair, even with the very occasional drug holiday, I have been getting weaker results with Adderall. Is there anything particular to taking Concerta that I should know about? I was told that it shouldn't matter if I take it with food or not. I usually take the pill immediately after eating breakfast. The day I was hyper-focusing like mad, I took it on a mostly empty stomach. But I definitely can't not eat very much. I tried waiting 30 minutes after eating today before taking the pill and I don't think that helped much either. I wonder if maybe Concerta isn't going to be the best solution for me. Dolemite fucked around with this message at 19:11 on Jan 18, 2012 |
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Jan 18, 2012 19:04
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I notice I get a bigger effect if I take it before or well after eating/drinking anything. I'd imagine that's because anything in your stomach dilutes it a bit.
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Jan 18, 2012 20:47
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Jared592 posted:I notice I get a bigger effect if I take it before or well after eating/drinking anything. I'd imagine that's because anything in your stomach dilutes it a bit. How long do you usually wait? An hour or so? Longer?
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Jan 19, 2012 00:20
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Dolemite posted:Might as well edit this because I have a Concerta question: Why does this poo poo not feel too effective (compared to Adderall)? I would also like to know why Concerta sucks so much. I was referred to a different doctor at my college who wrote me a prescription for it, and it did nothing for me. Maybe the dosage was just too low, but it just drained all my energy and motivation out of me, and I'd sit in front of my computer like a zombie for 5 hours straight. Also, I'm not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but avoid anything like lemonade or orange juice when you take your medication. The acidity makes it harder for your stomach to absorb your pills.
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Jan 19, 2012 01:00
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Dolemite posted:How long do you usually wait? An hour or so? Longer? This is a good point as well (I've noticed this myself): Major Boobage posted:Also, I'm not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but avoid anything like lemonade or orange juice when you take your medication. The acidity makes it harder for your stomach to absorb your pills. Jared592 fucked around with this message at 14:58 on Jan 19, 2012 |
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Jan 19, 2012 14:56
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What about multivitamins? I know they can interact in weird ways with other medications when it comes to absorption...
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Jan 19, 2012 17:04
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Trying to guess interactions with all of the stuff in multi-vitamins is a crapshoot as far as I can tell. I take a Centrum daily and haven't had any noticeable issues. Some light Googling indicates taking Vitamin C-containing supplements may reduce the effect of Adderall.
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Jan 19, 2012 17:46
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Does anybody else have any experience with their meds causing acne? Specifically, I have been on Vyvanse 40mg since last September. The drug works great for my ADHD, but I've found that if I take it with any real regularity I quickly begin to develop acne on my face, and to a lesser extent my chest and back. The acne that I get while on it is unlike anything that I had ever gotten before taking it, and is the kind that individual sores will stick around for weeks on my face and generally won't heal. When I take a break from the Vyvanse the acne will usually start to heal the first day that I'm off, but when I go back on it I begin to break out again the same day. When I have talked to my psych in the past about the effect it has on my acne, he told me that there was no information about the drug having that effect, and couldn't offer a solution to the problem. The medication helps me greatly in my day to day life, but I find myself having to limit myself to only taking it twice a week to try to curb the acne that I get while on it.
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Jan 24, 2012 06:33
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Oh God yes. My Metadate made me look like a 14 year old all over again. I found that Clinique soap helps, as well as just having the body adjust to the medication.
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Jan 24, 2012 08:05
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Vyvanse is making me exhausted at the end of the day, I feel really great most of the day but right after work I keep nearly passing out. I fell asleep on the way home at a traffic stop yesterday. Oh well, doctor said to try Adderall next, so far haven't found any at any pharmacy.
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Jan 24, 2012 08:08
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Oh, I found a therapist!  And he understood immediately when I described the stimulant/anxiety connection, and how going off the stimulant medication wasn't an option for me. I have my first appointment tomorrow morning.
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Jan 24, 2012 08:53
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Interesting, I didn't know that some of these meds can make acne flare up. At nearly 30 years old, I'm just now winning the battle against acne. As a divorced, newly single guy I'd rather not develop acne again while trying to mingle. My ex worked at Clinique and yes, their products are amazing. I tried every over the counter acne cream out there and never had any success. The only thing that ever worked was Clinique's combo of a face soap, cleaning solution, and moisturizer. Guys, don't worry. The girls at the counter are totally used to men coming up and buying this stuff. They even have a men's line to meet the demand. But don't buy the men's line - it's a ripoff. It's the same products as the women's line, but less of it comes in a container and you pay more for it. -- I found out recently that there's a Kava bar near my house. I went there last night for some tea and to work on stuff. The bartender lady offered me a free shot of the Kava stuff which I definitely accepted. If you've never heard of it, Kava is nature's equivalent of 'anti-coffee'. It makes you calm, relaxed, but still mentally alert. No joke, it did that! For a good 30 minutes anyways. Supposedly if you drink a few shots, the effects can last for hours. I did some reading and didn't find anything regarding interactions with Kava and ADHD medications. For those in here that have or do drink Kava, do you know anything about drug interactions? Extended trip report: Concerta still sucks. I can't wait until the Adderall shortage is resolved!
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Jan 24, 2012 15:28
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I've had Kava. I think I noticed an effect, but was put off by the reports of it playing around with your liver. Everything I read seemed to indicate that occasional use is fine. I've been drinking Yerba Mate for a few years now and like it a lot. It's sort of like longer-lasting coffee without the shakes/shits. I stick mostly to the Guayaki brand. They have one called "Greener Green Tea" (a blend of green tea and yerba mate) that's become a staple work-week beverage for me. Edit: Ha, looks like Yerba Mate is linked to Esophageal and some other cancer, though some of that is apparently a likely effect of people drinking the stuff at very hot temperatures. Looks like drinking anything hot can be bad: http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20090326/hot-tea-may-raise-esophageal-cancer-risk Jared592 fucked around with this message at 17:14 on Jan 24, 2012 |
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Jan 24, 2012 16:56
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I may give mate a try. We have an Argentinian store in Seattle that has entire rows of loose leaf mate. Do you use the mate bags, or do you have the entire gourd, bombilla, thermos setup? Also, if I do this, this will be my new uniform at work: 
Qu Appelle fucked around with this message at 17:50 on Jan 24, 2012 |
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Jan 24, 2012 17:43
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I have a bag of the Guayaki loose, but I've used it maybe once. At work, it's a lot easier to just use the bags, so that's what I use, in a regular ol' coffee cup. Apparently you can re-steep the same bag and get an appreciable effect the second time. I haven't done that, but just found while searching so will try it tomorrow. The loose bag is a better value, but I just don't like straight mate as much as I like the green tea blend. If you drink straight mate report back and let me know if you get a slight cotton-mouthy feeling after drinking it (I did). I looked into getting a bombilla and all when I first started drinking the stuff but decided against it because you can't clean it like a normal cup and there's a bit of work you have to do before you can drink out of it. That, and I didn't foresee sitting in a circle with a large group of people in dark room passing one around anytime soon. Jared592 fucked around with this message at 18:21 on Jan 24, 2012 |
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Jan 24, 2012 18:18
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My therapist says that I have a problem being a perfectionist, and that due to my ADD, my performance is down there, and to compensate I try to aim UP THERE and fail, when I should be trying to aim in the middle. I told him that I'm frustrated that I haven't achieved a single thing. So he gives me an example of one thing that I could count as one of my achievements -- that is, the fact that I haven't got a criminal record (while most of his patients do have one) My self-esteem is (irritatingly) low, but I still can't get myself to understand this. His point is to get myself to validate myself for small things (instead of constantly giving myself a hard time), but I don't understand how not having a criminal record is something to count as an 'achievement', when my record was blank by default. I don't go out of my way not to have a criminal record. Even if I wanted to do something criminal, I'd be too pussy to do it. It's frustrating because I wish I could get out of this mindset of 'having to achieve stuff.' It's just that I feel like I'm being ravaged by thousands of idea bunnies every day and there seems so much potential to DO STUFF! It's just that it's hard actually getting the stuff done even though I DO want to do them. I don't *want* to settle for praising myself for having successfully washed a dirty cup or having successfully thrown away milk before its use by date. Glass ceiling or something CheckedNoMate fucked around with this message at 21:15 on Jan 24, 2012 |
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Jan 24, 2012 21:10
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Yeah, I'm a bit of a perfectionist too, but generally only inwardly, which means I kick my own rear end up and down the street sometimes but somehow don't agonize over the imperfections of others. Like I re-did a room in my house and didn't do a picture perfect drywall mud job and just gave myself a huge bag of poo poo about it and was all mopey and depressed for awhile about it. It also took me for-freaking-ever to finish that project because I hemmed and hawed over every little niggling detail rather than just doing the drat thing. There's a tiny spot literally about 3 inches by 1 inch that needs the paint touched up and every time I see it I focus on it but I haven't made the time to just take the 10 minutes to get out the paint and drag the brush across it twice (all it needs). There's a great story in here about agonizing over details (the "two bad bricks" story) that helps put things into perspective: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N_jjY7W_fs I listen to Ajahn Brahm podcasts now and then at work to ground my rear end when I get all wound up.
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Jan 24, 2012 21:39
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