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Sorry to hear of your scary experience! I quit birth control about a week and a half ago and Strattera is now like twice as effective. I'm also much happier than before. A friend also told me that her birth control made Wellbutrin do weird things.
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Mar 29, 2014 00:52
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Qu Appelle posted:So, something else is up.
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Mar 29, 2014 04:16
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Xibanya posted:Sorry to hear of your scary experience! Thanks! My GP says that what I experienced, especially afterwards, is reminiscent of the post seizure confusion some people get after they have one. My blood panels came back completely normal except for low iron. So now, the next step is to see what it'd be needed for my socialistic, America hating Medicaid to pay for a CT scan, as she wants to do that next. I'm also to see the psychiatrist once a month until this is solved. At least, if it is a seizure issue, Lamictal is also an anti seizure medication  . One thing I have noticed is that, on the higher dose of Lamictal, I actually have my act together to do the stuff I need to do - like yesterday. In preparing for a trip, I did laundry, a chore, cleaned a little bit, made lunch for the flight, packed, went to a comedy show, and made myself a fancy run drink that I drank out of a pineapple. And sorted out some health insurance questions. All in one day. It wasn't the most organized of events, but I systematically got them all done. I'm still not up for school however. At least school knows about this, and is ok with it.(And I'm feeling 90% better, which is good, as I have a job interview for a contract gig in early April  )Oh, and my birth control is called 'I ain't getting any' plan. E.g. Nothing hormonal. Qu Appelle fucked around with this message at 07:20 on Mar 29, 2014 |
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Mar 29, 2014 07:15
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Just checking in as another person diagnosed with ADHD as a kid in the mid nineties. Had to change schools multiple times for behavioral problems, impulsivity, trouble concentrating, the usual. Went from Ritalin to Dexedrine to Adderral over the course of 7 years or so with a special helping of Prozac during middle school depression era, also the usual. Swore off taking any behavior modifying meds (including caffeine/alcohol/nicotine) in high school and barely graduated, then went straight to getting D's in community college. Spent a couple years learning and working and growing and went back to college at 25. Now I'm gonna graduate summa cum laude in a field I'm actually motivated to learn about (social work). I guess my point is that, even though it's possible that my symptoms have lessened since adolescence somewhat, the majority of my improvement has come from increasing self-awareness and developing an assload of coping skills. So uhh... It gets better, I guess, depending on your context and physiology. Good luck!
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Mar 29, 2014 07:49
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Qu Appelle posted:Oh, and my birth control is called 'I ain't getting any' plan. E.g. Nothing hormonal. Just so you know, there's always the option of a copperwire IUD. Here in Canada I got it for $400, insertion and doctor care free so it might be a bit too expensive for you where you are but it's amazing. My periods got a bit heavier and I cramp a little bit more sometimes but it's more effective than the pill without having any of the hormonal side effects. I can't take hormonal birth control at all (and I probably can't go on hormone replacements for my gender issues) without massive health problems, so it's a god send. It equals about $3 a month over the long term for me after paying for it upfront. The only issue is some people can't deal with it since it is shoved through your cervix to get it in, and I had to fight a few doctors since I was late teens/early 20's when I got it in. It's easier for older women or women who have had children. It might be worth looking into when you get some extra cash on the side and don't know what to spend it on.
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Mar 29, 2014 17:41
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The Mirena's also worth a shot for anybody interested in IUDs, especially if you can get it cheap/free (mine was 20 bucks  but I've also heard of people in the states lucking out with their insurances and/or planned parenthoods). It does contain some progestin, but a very very small amount, most of which never goes outside the uterus. And there's no estrogen, so people have used it at the same time as taking testosterone. I had a really awful time on birth control pills (had to take them to reign in nasty periods), but the Mirena's effect on my mood wasn't noticeable - I can't say whether it was the same as nothing since I've never been off birth control without getting other problems, and I had depression anyway, but my mood's been alright since going on Wellbutrin. Also no periods at all anymore  But a tiny amount of progestin (levonorgestrel specifically) is still some, so a doctor would have to be consulted w.r.t. if it'd cause drug interactions, and a copper one might be better if there aren't any issues with cramps/bleeding.
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Mar 30, 2014 01:10
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From 1st grade to 9th, I have been on Vyvanse, Adderall, Concerta, Focalin, and Ritalin for ADHD. Out of all of those, the only one that made me want to kill myself was Vyvanse. For some reason whenever I came down, I started feeling extremely depressed and unstable. Needless to say that was the last time I took any type of ADHD medication. I've done my best to cope with this disorder without medication and it's working well. Though I still can't stay focused when reading books.
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Mar 30, 2014 17:25
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Are there any careers that people with ADHD flourish in?
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Mar 31, 2014 02:58
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I work in a call center and I'd like to think that a part of the reason that I do well is because of my ADHD. I'm able to jump from call to call to call without an issue and everything's different in every call so it's not too boring.
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Mar 31, 2014 03:59
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Elderbean posted:Are there any careers that people with ADHD flourish in? Marketing and advertising.
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Mar 31, 2014 04:55
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Effexxor posted:I work in a call center and I'd like to think that a part of the reason that I do well is because of my ADHD. I'm able to jump from call to call to call without an issue and everything's different in every call so it's not too boring. I work in a call center and I absolutely hate it. On the other hand, no way to procrastinate because the calls come in on their own schedule not yours.
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Mar 31, 2014 05:07
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TheBigBad posted:Marketing and advertising. This, this and this! With our ADHD brains working at light speed, we can come up with ideas very quickly. And with the collaborative nature of the field, there's always folks in your group that can take your half-baked idea and actually flesh it out. I worked at an ad agency and while the hours were long, the deadlines brutal and the pressure high, I enjoyed collaborating with creative people in a group where everyone's weaknesses are covered by someone else in the group. If you're a single person, go for it. It's a fun field, the work is always different each day and the pay is really good. If you have a family or don't want to put in 60 hour work weeks, stay the hell out of advertising! Trust me.
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Mar 31, 2014 15:54
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I'm thinking about coming clean to my doctor about my suspected ADD. Should mention I self medicate with caffeine pills? I got really hyper on them today, paced around my room talking to myself for half an hour like a lunatic then cleaned my room (finally). I crashed pretty hard though. I've also noticed a similar effect with alcohol in the past, but I know better. Would mentioning that's how most of my work gets done count against me? What should I do if she tells me I'm just a lazy university student?
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Mar 31, 2014 22:33
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Just tell them what you're like when you're not on caffeine if you're super worried about it. It's probably better to be honest in the long run, and caffeine isn't illegal. My doctor was mostly in the mind that if the symptoms are affecting your social/work life, then they should be handled. Almost everyone with ADHD has been told they're lazy at some point or another. Don't sweat it too much. Worst case they say "nah" and then you can just look into seeing an actual psychiatrist. General physicians seem to be hit-or-miss.
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Mar 31, 2014 22:42
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Your Dead Gay Son posted:Just tell them what you're like when you're not on caffeine if you're super worried about it. It's probably better to be honest in the long run, and caffeine isn't illegal. Ask- "How do we diagnose or determine if I have adult ADHD?" If he says "you don't, you're just lazy." You ask for a referral. What they will likely do as a GP is pull out a questionnaire. Answer these honestly. They may refer you anyway.
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Apr 1, 2014 01:18
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TheBigBad posted:Ask- "How do we diagnose or determine if I have adult ADHD?" Yeah do this.
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Apr 1, 2014 01:35
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Elderbean posted:Are there any careers that people with ADHD flourish in? I work as a designer at a small startup. It's fast-paced and highly collaborative, and I get to do lots of stuff, everything from the regular design stuff to front-end dev to writing marketing copy. The important part is the fact that I'm always working directly with other people, so there's that inherent sense of accountability and also structure. My previous job had no structure or accountability, and I worked alone in a vacuum. There were good times, but it was mostly miserable. My psychiatrist told me to quit and find a work environment that wasn't toxic for ADHD. All in all, the best work (I find) is something varied and collaborative, which is why marketing and advertising fits the bill so well. Startups have similar qualities. Also, I hear a lot that freelancing is good for AdHD folks because you're not constrained by an office setting or whatever, but I'm the worst loving freelancer ever. I'm forgetful and therefore flakey, and I'm terrible at managing my own time. Speaking of freelancing, I have a project to finish up oh god. Once I finish some stuff up, I don't think I'll be freelancing anymore.  Can't hack it.
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Apr 1, 2014 14:16
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I'm about to start a new job where half of the time I work with other people but the other half of the time I am completely alone (overnight!) while monitoring network health. On the one hand, it seems like a terrible job for someone with ADHD, but on the other hand I am really good at wasting hours dicking around on the internet which is basically what this job will be 85% of the time. But hey, it's a job, and it comes with health insurance.
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Apr 1, 2014 15:44
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Now that I'm a leech on society I'm going to go into my psych and finally ask about trying something besides Ritalin. It's feeling worse and worse. Weird foggy inconsistent days. Zombie-anti socialism, etc. (lol) Gonna ask about Dexedrine maybe.
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Apr 2, 2014 03:00
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Your Dead Gay Son posted:Zombie-anti socialism, etc. (lol) ... Ritalin makes you a capitalist?
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Apr 2, 2014 03:02
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NeilPerry posted:... Ritalin makes you a capitalist? Yeah that was my lol. Just general anti-social feelings. Some wretchedly bad come downs too, sometimes it rackets up my anxiety and other times it turns my depression switch on. Good times. Worked great for 8 months though. Which is weird... but increasing the dose isn't an option because the physical side effects get even worse. Mostly jittery, clammy hands, jaw clench, eye floaters.
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Apr 2, 2014 03:07
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Well, poo poo, because everything I want to do for a living requires attention to detail. I'm very passionate about public health and ideally I'd like to shoot for epidemiology. I could go the math-intense route with a major in statistics + grad school, but I also considered going to med school. I'm not sure I'm even capable of that, is there territory someone with ADHD should just avoid outright?
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Apr 2, 2014 04:37
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The trouble with ADHD is not that you can't pay attention to detail on a regular basis, it's that the switch between strategic and tactical thinking occurs with or without your will. This can be controlled with experience and training and medication. Depending on your flavor- entertainment work, sales, diagnostic disciplines like doctors and mechanics, military are often recommended fields. I tend to believe that sure we live in an existence of distraction, but it also means you can handle multiple inputs better and correlate things faster if you can build the discipline into your life through the creation of habits.
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Apr 2, 2014 05:12
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Elderbean posted:Well, poo poo, because everything I want to do for a living requires attention to detail. I'm very passionate about public health and ideally I'd like to shoot for epidemiology. I could go the math-intense route with a major in statistics + grad school, but I also considered going to med school. I have pretty much the worst ADHD imaginable and I dropped out of college for a while before getting my coping strategies together and whatnot. Then I got a degree in physics and am currently part of more than one active research group, even though I'm not going to grad school for a few years (due to family reasons). You are capable of anything you put your mind to; you just need to continually work on mindfulness, CBT, and coping strategies. Personally I find statistics incredibly boring, but calculus and related math is super fun for me.
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Apr 2, 2014 13:14
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wilfredmerriweathr posted:You are capable of anything you put your mind to; you just need to continually work on mindfulness, CBT, and coping strategies. Personally I find statistics incredibly boring, but calculus and related math is super fun for me. The "Driven to Distraction"/"Delivered from Distraction" guy is a medical doctor with ADD. You can absolutely do things that seem unsuited for your ADD brain; you just have to work things out so you can play to your strengths. It'll definitely be hard, but it's not impossible.
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Apr 2, 2014 13:39
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I'm completely self employed and my life & finances are a total mess, so... yeah.  The last three or four days have been lovely. I feel like I'm having a major ADHD "flare-up". It seems to happen once every couple months. It's like my normal ADHD x100. I cannot focus on ANYTHING. I feel heavy, slow, and my head is very foggy. I'm daydreaming literally all day long. All I want to do is sit around. But I can't even focus on reading books or forums (reading is usually never a problem for me; if anything, I hyperfocus on it). I'll read a couple paragraphs and get distracted. When I try to practice piano, I keep flipping back and forth between pieces. I'll play a few notes, get bored, and switch to something else. Then I'll be like "gently caress it I'm gonna start a new piece" *plays three notes, gives up* I will try to do something, like make a recipe, and I keep stopping every 20 seconds because my mind goes blank and I completely forget what I'm doing or what step I'm at. I'll think "okay time to chop the cilantro", open the fridge and stare at it blankly forgetting why I opened it. I'm behind on work and bills but I just can't seem to get it together. Come on, brain! Oh, and Ritalin isn't helping either. Usually it gives me a very noticeable boost in mood & focus, but lately I can barely feel it. Ana Lucia Cortez fucked around with this message at 19:56 on Apr 2, 2014 |
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Apr 2, 2014 19:48
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It's spring. So ride a bicycle for 30 mins a day or more. If the weather isnt cooperating do the gym. See if that doesn't improve things.
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Apr 2, 2014 19:51
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Thanks. It's getting nice here and I know I should at least go out for a walk or something (no bike). But that requires doing something, and well,  I did manage to do a very short work out yesterday. I know going for a run every morning would definitely energize me, so I'll try to aim for that tomorrow morning. Or at least walk my son to school, lately that's been a permanent item on my "too lazy so I make my husband do it" list.  But it always makes me feel good and refreshed when I do.I'm grateful I have good genetics because otherwise I'd be 300 pounds. Ana Lucia Cortez fucked around with this message at 20:08 on Apr 2, 2014 |
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Apr 2, 2014 20:06
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I'm a freelance artist and it took until getting into my mid 20's to actually start making a considerable amount of money. I live like a student still so my rent is less than $400 a month to shar e a room with my spouse, but I just officially hit over $2500 a month in income. It's doable, but extremely hard and takes a long time.
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Apr 2, 2014 21:04
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I've done several case studies with students, adults and children based on this article. 5 out of 5 have vastly improved their performance and concentration by riding bikes. http://www.bicycling.com/news/featured-stories/riding-my-ritalin Riding a bicycle is a panacea for people with ADHD. So, too lazy? Don't care, go ride a bike whether you feel like it or not.
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Apr 2, 2014 21:32
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Exercise in general is great for ADHD. I do Muay Thai (Thai style kick boxing) and after I've expended my pent up energy, I definitely feel more focused when it's time to work. Especially when I have time to pop in to the morning classes! The effect is most noticeable when I get sick or injured and have to miss classes for a few days. Even in that short amount of time, I can feel my motivation and concentration go to poo poo.
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Apr 2, 2014 21:50
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I have a phone consult with a psychiatrist tomorrow, finally, after what feels like years of dicking around trying to find someone in my area familiar with it who was also taking new patients. Oddly, I'm not very nervous about it, which is weird because I usually have trouble talking with people on the phone. What are some questions I should ask? Is there anything I should have ready to prepare for it? I'm not super concerned about getting a diagnosis because I was diagnosed as a child and was in treatment for years before discontinuing it in my early teens, but I want this to go as smoothly as possible.
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Apr 2, 2014 22:54
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I am genuinely getting a bike in a couple of weeks or so. I want a beater, light 10 speed. Also,I'm going to talk to the doc about upping my Lamictal to a therapeutic level first, before trying to add ADHD drugs back into the mix. Since starting on a decent dose of Lamictal, I have been so calm and collected, I can actually plan out and do stuff. It's still kind of haphazard, but at least I'm not paralyzed by anxiety anymore. I'm currently on 100 mg, he wants me to be raised to 200 mg eventually. And, I can drink coffee/caffeinated tea on it no problem  . AND ITS GENERIC  Also, I need to talk to WA State Medicaid to see about a CT Scan; my GP doctor wants to rule out things like a tumor or stroke or epilepsy (yes, a CT Scan may not pick this up), and other baddies possibly causing the crying jags. Chemically, I am ok, just low on iron. Qu Appelle fucked around with this message at 03:26 on Apr 3, 2014 |
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Apr 3, 2014 03:24
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Definitely see to it that your Lamictal dosage is dialed in. I know that when my psych finally dialed in the right amount for me, it evened out my mood. I used to have emotional outbursts, irritability and even the occasional "WHAT THE gently caress ARE YOU LOOKING AT I'LL CUT YOU BITCH!" episode. Now, I'm definitely more calm and even keeled. I can let things go, I take a lot longer to anger and I can stay calm and composed if I need to argue a point or face conflict. Although in full disclosure, some of that is probably helped by the Xanax as well.
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Apr 3, 2014 15:18
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Lamicatal owns. Don't miss 2 or 3 days of your dose though. I'm calling my doctor tomorrow and might call a pharmacy to give me some peace of mind. Someone jacked about half my script at a college I was staying at. Thankfully I didn't have all of them at the time but I'm still hosed. Vyvanse, schedule II I believe. I have no doubt my doctor won't believe me and know he has faith in what I say but I also know with insurance and the government it might not matter. If it matters I currently live in Ohio. Is there like, anything at all I can do or am I going to be forced to wait it out? Literally one of the worst things to happen to me in the year 2014 thus far.
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Apr 3, 2014 22:26
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Rap Music and Dope posted:Lamicatal owns. Don't miss 2 or 3 days of your dose though. What my doctor told me to do was; 1- Never carry more than that day's medication with me, or more than a week if I can help it. Ever. No matter how much I trust my friends you never know if a friend of a friend will show up and take it just because they can. 2- For refills, if someone stole it then I would need to go put in a police report. If my "cat ate my pills!" I need proof I took them to the emergency vet before he'd even think about giving me a second refill. This wasn't because he didn't trust me but he could get in huge poo poo for over prescribing this sort of stuff. The reason he wanted me to do a police report if someone stole it is because if they get caught with your pill bottle and information you are *hosed*. There's no way you can claim that they stole it at that point and even worse they can say you sold them off to them. Insurance will probably poo poo a brick too. What you should probably do (or what I would do) is just call your doctor, tell him you had some of your prescription stolen and are looking into it. For the rest of the month just break your pills in half if you can and tough it out.
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Apr 3, 2014 22:37
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Alright, thank you. Yeah the pill bottle was left there empty so I'm not worried about that. What's the point of even telling my doctor then if he can't help me? I've been doing what you say and splitting them but it won't last as long as I need it to. Really not looking forward to my last 10 days or so. Thanks. Edit: Right, gotcha. Thanks Smutbeast. Rap Music and Dope fucked around with this message at 22:56 on Apr 3, 2014 |
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Apr 3, 2014 22:48
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Rap Music and Dope posted:Alright, thank you. Yeah the pill bottle was left there empty so I'm not worried about that. What's the point of even telling my doctor then if he can't help me? I've been doing what you say and splitting them but it won't last as long as I need it to. Really not looking forward to my last 10 days or so. Thanks. Your doctor should always know what's going on with your medication. It's also just a good habit to get into to let them know in advance about any problems you're having (ie having it stolen). Try getting one of those mint tins or pill bottles that isn't so obvious you have that kind of medication with you. As long as you have the prescription slip tucked away in your wallet it should be fine.
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Apr 3, 2014 22:51
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Is there anything you should add or remove from your diet while on a stimulant? Any supplements worth looking into?
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Apr 4, 2014 04:18
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Elderbean posted:Is there anything you should add or remove from your diet while on a stimulant? Any supplements worth looking into? I just started on Concerta last week. Neither the doctor or the pharmacy mentioned any food/drugs that I needed to avoid, but I've found caffeine to be a very bad idea.
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Apr 4, 2014 14:20
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