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Music Theory posted:How do I avoid sudden age gain TheBigBad posted:Stay on your meds.
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Nov 20, 2016 03:34
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Jiru posted:I guess this is just another post more on the lines of "that's SO TOTALLY me", but, well, a lot of the symptoms people have shared in this thread just ring true with me. From fidgeting with anything I can get (have never seemed to be able to keep my hands from moving) to not being able to pay attention to anything that didn't catch my attention to start with, being distracted by outside conversations or talky music or talking really fast and overlapping/finishing other people's phrases. I am not really looking for a self-diagnostic and well, even if I have ADD, it's not that bad that it affects my daily life to a significant degree. But it's just... interesting to know there could be some things to help me focus when I need it, even if as I said, I am actually not ADD and just a bit scatterbrained. You know, I used to think the same thing; "well I probably have this, but it doesn't really seem to get in the way of my life so who cares." I was completely blind to the fact that it was tearing my life apart. I didn't even realize I was feeling like poo poo from overstimulation and procrastination-based anxiety because I had felt like that my entire life. Even when my college education was crashing and burning and the trash was piling up in my apartment, I figured it was just a temporary setback. I did great first year! I just need to grab those bootstraps! Any day now, don't you worry! To be fair you seem to have much less trouble than I ever did, but the fact remains that it's hard to see just how bad your problems are when you've had them your entire life. And the language of your description is eerily reminiscent of how I felt and talked even at my worst; it was "fine"; I "usually" didn't have any problems; I felt "good enough". Remember, too, that even if you can hold down a job and remember to take out the trash, that doesn't mean you wouldn't be doing better with assistance. If nothing else, an Official Diagnosis is a potentially useful piece of paper to wave in the face of any future boss or teacher who turns out to be less accommodating. Oh, and I wouldn't be too scared of "self-diagnosis". Reading poo poo on the internet that makes you think you have AD(H)D is kind of the archetypal first first on the modern journey to a diagnosis. If nothing else, you are almost definitely not just imagining your symptoms. So even if you're wrong about the ADD, it's probably because you've actually got an ASD or something. Jiru posted:University was another story, though. I am a Chemistry major. At the first and second years I actually struggled with lack of base knowledge (which was nobody's fault, just a crappy school system) and depression/anxiety. Once that cleared out and I found my feet, though, I started doing a bit better. But now that I actually had to study big chunks of text and pay attention to classes, I found out that around 75% of them were boring and I could not follow them at all. It wasn't that I already knew what was being taught (I did not) nor that I didn't understand a thing. It was more like "I paid attention for like 5 minutes and I understood that thing" then proceed to unfocus for almost the rest of the class. As someone in the thread said earlier, taking notes did not help, in that I focused on the notes, but not the class. Needless to say, studying up the subjects was harder that it should. Some I could get into even if the lessons had flown over my head. Some were as bad in paper as in person. In order to study, I got into a dynamic of "pay attention to that for an hour, get up, do something for fifteen minutes, then come back and do some problems for another hour, or tackle up that other subject so there's a bit of variety". That usually worked. I still passed the tests and graduated in time, just not with the best grades. I got resigned to not being a top student, but it was OK, I felt good enough. So idk if you saw my post a bit upthread, but I've been having similar issues. So I was wondering; what exactly was the "something" you would do for 15 minutes? I've had tremendous difficulty finding a break activity that's neither too draining nor too absorbing.
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Nov 20, 2016 18:01
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Terrorforge posted:So idk if you saw my post a bit upthread, but I've been having similar issues. So I was wondering; what exactly was the "something" you would do for 15 minutes? I've had tremendous difficulty finding a break activity that's neither too draining nor too absorbing. Went back and read it. To be honest, I didn't have a fixed thing I'd do, just generally take a break. I'd surf the net, get a snack, talk to someone for a while, go play with the cats, anything that was slightly pleasurable and served as a "treat". Nothing so engaging that I could take it and use as a means to not come back to the books (for example: playing computer games was a no, watching youtube was a no, as was reading a book. IM was allowed, but shouldn't because it usually was hard to control the length and you don't want to study with a buzzing phone near you). I had a problem with length too, sometimes I'd let it slip for longer than I should, but I tried to never get too neurotic with it because, as you said, it'd make me nervous and negate the effect. I usually set it up as "until I finish this can of soda" or "until I finish talking to X about that". If it took 20 instead of 15 it was ok, who cared about 5 extra minutes, but once the thing was over, back to the books it was. I liked to have something that I could kick back and enjoy for a while and not worry because "I took too long!". Hard limit was somewhere around 30 minutes, and I usually did not need to enforce it. Then again, a lot of my student peers seemed to have a big problem with studying breaks  . Sorry I can't be too helpful there, I think in some way I am actually describing normal college student behaviour .Also, drat, the "fog" you describe here: Terrorforge posted:(...) it generally shows up after I've been doing anything that requires a modicum of focus for some time. That I know. I get that when staring at a comp more than I should (more when I am focusing actually, video games do affect me less), or yeah, studying. It also appears when I have been doing nothing for a while. Cooking or anything I do with my hands do not trigger it, though. In my case, usually having a shower would clear it out at least a bit. I always thought it was related to vision fatigue or something like it, since I am near-sighted.
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Nov 20, 2016 19:06
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Terrorforge posted:So idk if you saw my post a bit upthread, but I've been having similar issues. So I was wondering; what exactly was the "something" you would do for 15 minutes? I've had tremendous difficulty finding a break activity that's neither too draining nor too absorbing. This is an enormous struggle for me, too. For example, right now, I'm finally taking a break from cleaning my apartment for the past four hours --- I've been using Unfuck Your Habitat as inspiration, but their method wants you to take a 15-min break after 45 min of cleaning, and if I did that, I'd never get back to cleaning because I'd get too absorbed in the break activity. I have to do all of the cleaning in one go without stopping, even if it takes hours, because once I stop, that's it for my momentum. But that's because my break activity is usually surfing the internet or reading, both of which suck up my focus. I wonder what else I could do instead...maybe I should take up playing an instrument.... 
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Nov 20, 2016 19:51
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Jiru posted:Sorry I can't be too helpful there It is pretty helpful, actually. It brings to light why the most productive I've been in years was when I spent a few weeks at dad's cabin towards the end of summer. Not only was I dodging the easy distractions of the internet, but I had plenty of room for breaks long and short. Go talk to dad, shoot the air gun, just get up and stretch my legs. Unfortunately I currently live by myself in a tiny, 9th story single-room apartment so there's really nowhere to go and no-one to talk to. Even taking a brief walk can feel like too much of a chore when the fog sets in. Jiru posted:I think in some way I am actually describing normal college student behaviour Here's the thing: virtually every symptom of a mental/neurological/developmental disability is a normal human tendency magnified to pathological proportions. This means that sometimes the coping strategies regular-rear end people use to get through the day work for us, too. I wouldn't assume that sort of thing works for someone with a disorder, but I also wouldn't assume that it doesn't. On a side note, though, you want to be wary of using this expression in this context. I know you're actually doing kind of the opposite of this, but I also know I'm not the only one who's profoundly tired of having my issues compared to normal people problems. Yes, everyone procrastinates. Yes, everyone gets a bit overwhelmed sometimes. Yes, everyone disappears into a new hobby or a good book every now and then. People who say this are usually trying to be comforting, but more often than not it feels like being on fire and getting told "Oh yes, everyone gets burned occasionally. Have you tried running cold water over it?" Jiru posted:That I know. I get that when staring at a comp more than I should (more when I am focusing actually, video games do affect me less), or yeah, studying. It also appears when I have been doing nothing for a while. Cooking or anything I do with my hands do not trigger it, though. In my case, usually having a shower would clear it out at least a bit. I always thought it was related to vision fatigue or something like it, since I am near-sighted. Very much the same, though cooking and crafts get to me as much as anything. Like so many other things in my life, I love doing it but the energy investment just kills me. Rabbit Hill posted:This is an enormous struggle for me, too. For example, right now, I'm finally taking a break from cleaning my apartment for the past four hours --- I've been using Unfuck Your Habitat as inspiration, but their method wants you to take a 15-min break after 45 min of cleaning, and if I did that, I'd never get back to cleaning because I'd get too absorbed in the break activity. I have to do all of the cleaning in one go without stopping, even if it takes hours, because once I stop, that's it for my momentum. I actually have an electric piano right here, and I'm definitely considering trying it as a break activity. The trouble for me so far has been that learning (though not necessarily playing) an instrument requires fairly significant focus, so I have trouble getting started when my brain is mush. I mean, it's not nearly as hard as trying to study and I don't get the fog from doing it nearly as badly, but it's enough to make me just ooze onto the internet instead. Also, I can get kind of stuck on it. Again but in the other direction, not nearly as bad as video games or youtube, but I do frequently end up playing that one section of Für Elise just one more godda- poo poo I hosed it up again I have to start over goddammit where even was I someone help.
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Nov 20, 2016 20:30
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Terrorforge posted:On a side note, though, you want to be wary of using this expression in this context. I know you're actually doing kind of the opposite of this, but I also know I'm not the only one who's profoundly tired of having my issues compared to normal people problems. Yes, everyone procrastinates. Yes, everyone gets a bit overwhelmed sometimes. Yes, everyone disappears into a new hobby or a good book every now and then. People who say this are usually trying to be comforting, but more often than not it feels like being on fire and getting told "Oh yes, everyone gets burned occasionally. Have you tried running cold water over it?" Not my intention at all, sorry if it came out wrong. What I meant to say was that my trouble with getting to study (derived from lack of attention or not, I don't know) are somewhat similar to those I have observed in other people, so I was not clear if my advice could be useful or not in your case. Not wanting to imply an overtone of "yeah you should totally get over it" at all, that's condescending and annoying and has never helped anybody. Hope you can find a working strategy soon, isolation is clearly not helping you in that aspect. Maybe the "soda can" (a glass of juice or milk or something similar works too if you don't want to drink a lot of sugar and caffeine) strategy can help? I did grab a can, sit on the PC and open it, and I was allowed to do whatever I wanted for the duration of the can. Check social media, read forums, maybe a website I found interesting or a chapter of a LP. But as soon I finished my drink, it was time over. I usually took 10-15 minutes to do it at a slow pace, so it worked as a timer without me checking the clock every five seconds, and if it took longer, it took longer and that was it. It only works if you drink at a normal pace and don't let the drink sit there for an eternity, obviously, so maybe not everyone finds it helpful. Probably a hot drink like tea can help in that matter. I don't know, as I say, it worked for me.
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Nov 20, 2016 21:28
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Jiru posted:Not my intention at all, sorry if it came out wrong. What I meant to say was that my trouble with getting to study (derived from lack of attention or not, I don't know) are somewhat similar to those I have observed in other people, so I was not clear if my advice could be useful or not in your case. Not wanting to imply an overtone of "yeah you should totally get over it" at all, that's condescending and annoying and has never helped anybody. I know, I know. No offense taken. It's not even anything you said, really, you just happened to use a phrasing that brings to mind that particular bugbear. I just figured it was worth pointing out because it's one of those lovely little things that gets under your skin after a while, and what briefly annoys me today could be somebody's last straw tomorrow. Jiru posted:Hope you can find a working strategy soon, isolation is clearly not helping you in that aspect. Maybe the "soda can" (a glass of juice or milk or something similar works too if you don't want to drink a lot of sugar and caffeine) strategy can help? I did grab a can, sit on the PC and open it, and I was allowed to do whatever I wanted for the duration of the can. Check social media, read forums, maybe a website I found interesting or a chapter of a LP. But as soon I finished my drink, it was time over. I usually took 10-15 minutes to do it at a slow pace, so it worked as a timer without me checking the clock every five seconds, and if it took longer, it took longer and that was it. It only works if you drink at a normal pace and don't let the drink sit there for an eternity, obviously, so maybe not everyone finds it helpful. Probably a hot drink like tea can help in that matter. I don't know, as I say, it worked for me. I gave up on habitually drinking calorific beverages years ago but I do drink a lot of tea, and the time it takes to boil, steep and drink one cup seems like a perfect length for a break. Idk if I can actually make myself stop when I finish my cup, but I'm definitely giving this a try. Thanks!
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Nov 20, 2016 23:07
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Solkanar512 posted:So I've had a really odd reaction to music. Back in college I was essentially a music minor, and I was in the orchestra (viola) and was a bedroom DJ. When I was performing with the orchestra, I would always get this kind of light headed feeling where I would suddenly have a million ideas of things to do (which of course never actually happened). When I was DJing however, the whole thing would take up my entire focus (beat matching, finding the next track) and I wouldn't be distracted by anything. Perhaps the fact that I only had around 5-7 minutes to get the next track set up meant I was always under the gun and thus my mind didn't have a chance to wander off. I was a dj for many years. Looking back, one of the reasons I started was because I was unable to listen to music and do something else. When there's music on, my brain will focus on it and will make it impossible to concentrate on something else. A family member/neighbor playing music could destroy my day. With dj-ing you were supposed to pay attention to your music anyway, no time to do something else. The problem was the never ending stream of new music and me trying to follow everything. It was so unbelievable exhausting when I think about it now. However, it did get me out of the house, pushing myself to overcome my crippling social anxiety, and a lot of friends I have today, including my girlfriend for 7 years now all came through that clubbing/dj stuff. So I shouldn't complain.
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Nov 20, 2016 23:20
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I don't understand how the professionals I was assessed by as a child thought I didn't have ADD when like every difficulty I had can actually be a symptom or sign of it. It's not like at the time they were looking for clichéd ADHD, yet I pretty clearly had severe inattentiveness and it was dismissed as a possibility and thus I ignored it for 20 years only to realise it makes more sense than other explanations provided.
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Nov 21, 2016 05:18
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With regards to breaks, I've found what works best for me is a fairly strict pomodoro type thing where I keep a timer and switch between defined work intervals and rest intervals until a thing gets done. This is entirely down to my tendency to just sort of go with the flow of what I'm doing provided it's relatively low intensity -- if I'm not disciplined about my rest period I'll just gently caress off for an extended period of time and then it's really hard to get started on what I was working on again (starting is the hardest thing for me usually). The trick is getting the interval right. If the rest period is too short it doesn't work as a rest period, but if it's too long I run into the same problem of "starting inertia" I normally have. Similarly, if the work period is too long I find my concentration drifting and I get off task anyway, and if it's too short I can't get into the flow state where I'm doing my best work. For me, this works out to 20 minutes on, 10 minutes off. Sometimes 5 minutes off if what I'm doing is really engaging or I'm feeling particularly focused. I can normally keep going on something for a few hours with that schedule. It's also usually more productive than if I just sort of futz around with what I'm working on with no structure, because I can usually be really "on" for the 20 minute work period and if I stick to the schedule I'm working twice as much as I'm slacking off. Now the trouble is really getting started, because once I'm going I can usually finish stuff in a reasonable amount of time with this technique.
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Nov 22, 2016 00:15
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Also be mindful that reading poo poo on the internet isn't actually very restful. If you spend your break futzing around on social media you've barely taken a break at all, go outside and get some air or get a snack and chat with your roommate(if you have one).
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Nov 22, 2016 04:47
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What constitutes a functioning ADHD adult? To where you don't need meds? I was diagnosed with ADHD during a young age and took rittalin for a few then wellbutrin/aderal until around 17 or 18 and I stopped my meds all together. Got an associates at some lovely tech school did a call center job for a year, then another one for 5 years where I progressed out of the general support line to a more tech role because of my love for computers. Got canned there and then got another call center job for a year and then canned and now working IT help desk at a chill job I could see myself being at for a while. Currently single for most of my life outside of a year in highschool but that's because I play video game way too much. Like easily 30-40 hours a week outside of my 9-5. I live in a house with a roommate who owns the house and manage to pay all my bills on time and everything. But right now I'm just going through the motions and do my 8 hours at work which is mainly browsing SA/Reddit most of the day as the work load is very low. Then off to home playing wow or whatever. Would getting back on some meds make me more ambitious? Also do any of you have muscle ticks after going off your meds? I get random ones that crop up for a bit, sometimes get really bad then go away and appear in another way.
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Nov 29, 2016 20:32
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Does anyone have experience travelling internationally to places where ADHD prescriptions are not normally legal? I take Adderall and am going to Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia. Each of these appear to have their own restrictions on entry. Only Singapore seems to explain how to apply to apply for customs clearance at all. Does anyone have experience with this? Is my best bet a local doctor in Thailand (where I will be spending the most time?).Holyshoot posted:What constitutes a functioning ADHD adult? To where you don't need meds? I was diagnosed with ADHD during a young age and took rittalin for a few then wellbutrin/aderal until around 17 or 18 and I stopped my meds all together. Got an associates at some lovely tech school did a call center job for a year, then another one for 5 years where I progressed out of the general support line to a more tech role because of my love for computers. Got canned there and then got another call center job for a year and then canned and now working IT help desk at a chill job I could see myself being at for a while. It won't make you more ambitious, and what it really treats is focus issues, at least for me. It might make you more able to act on your ambitions, though. If you found it helpful, I would recommend it. I think it's easy to game way too much when gaming is the only thing which can capture your attention due to ADHD.
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Nov 30, 2016 01:56
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Video games stimulate your frontal lobe directly in a way that you can't achieve without meds. It's the most familiar way you get that endorphin rush from success, so of course you spend your time on it. You can get that little bump with or without meds. We know that it's not real, despite how fun it is. Like it was just stated, it allows you focus, which will allow real world success which is far more fulfilling. Knowing this should let you cognitively make a decision to try things while on your meds, and enjoy success in the real world. Once you get a taste for that, video games just lose (all) appeal.
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Nov 30, 2016 09:56
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Update on my adventures in Germany: I was re-diagnosed. Had to fill out tons of interview questions with my wife before going in, and then they gave me an hour long interview there. They also had me take a few computer tests where I had to push a button when I saw a visual cue or heard audio. Did pretty well on those, but I imagine that has to do with playing lots of video games. The interview results made it evident that I was indeed an ADHD boy, and I have an appointment in January to discuss treatment. I'm relieved. :0)
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Nov 30, 2016 10:46
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Holyshoot posted:What constitutes a functioning ADHD adult? To where you don't need meds? I was diagnosed with ADHD during a young age and took rittalin for a few then wellbutrin/aderal until around 17 or 18 and I stopped my meds all together. Got an associates at some lovely tech school did a call center job for a year, then another one for 5 years where I progressed out of the general support line to a more tech role because of my love for computers. Got canned there and then got another call center job for a year and then canned and now working IT help desk at a chill job I could see myself being at for a while. I was 25 when the diagnosis came to me, but I had known my entire life that something was up with my brain. I had been to therapy, I had taken anti-depressants, and I had tried to treat the outcomes of what ADHD had done to me without recognizing what the underlying cause was. Once I had that ADHD diagnosis, I knew that meds were the right choice. The moment that first pill kicked in, I was certain of it, and I've been certain of it ever since. The meds help. They didn't magically fix me and they didn't make me a super-productive genius boy, but they took down the barriers that I knew I'd been dealing with and with that many of the other symptoms became addressable. Inexplicable emotional turbulence, depression, unsourced anxiety. All of these things stemmed from underdeveloped executive functioning. The meds give some muscle to my neurology and make a lot of other things possible. Games are an easy escape because they're designed to ping our reward centers. The thing concerta does is act as an SDRI - selective dopamine reuptake inhibitor. It helps my brain maintain more dopamine in my system, because my executive center is not producing as much naturally. Games generate a constant stream of dopamine, which is what our brain is lacking, and it's what makes video games such a potent addiction to people with ADHD. To answer your question about whether the meds will make you more ambitious, I think there's a tendency when we're treading water or getting by to keep our attention as close to the chest as possible. One of the issues with ADHD is we're very time-blind (though I'd phrase it that it goes beyond that to become a sort of scope-blindness), and I think that as we address the condition at its root we begin to gain some of that sight we're missing. We begin to recognize problems we didn't realize were problems, we start to see ways we could improve, and we move beyond being merely functioning to thriving, whatever that means for us personally. Hoodwinker fucked around with this message at 23:35 on Dec 1, 2016 |
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Nov 30, 2016 15:53
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Harrow posted:I will miss coffee--god do I love the taste--but giving it up is worth it if I can keep this going (well, a mild version as my body acclimates). I regularly drink a fair amount of coffee on Adderall and don't experience the pounding heart/teeth grinding/anxiety others report and my heart rate doesn't increase perceptibly. Is there some other long term peril I'm not privy to? Am I going to bore a hole through one of my ventricles? My mother's side of the family all suffers from extreme hypotension and anemia so that might just be the thing. I'm a very heavy sleeper/chronic napper. Slept like a log the night after I took it the first time. Anyways, hello everyone. I was diagnosed at the age of 8, rediagnosed when I was 24. Was initially prescribed 15mg XR, had no effect so I was bumped up to 30 XR. That made me feel faint and anxious and I experienced the dreaded "crash" despite only taking the thing every other day or so (my chronic depression probably played a role). I've been on 20mg for 2 years now and everything seems to be in order. Oh, I also have another question. Does anyone know exactly how magnesium is thought to function in the body as it relates to Adderall tolerance/neurological stuff etc.?
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Nov 30, 2016 16:56
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I didn't realize magnesium had anything to do with tolerance. I take a supplement to reduce the teeth grinding I do in my sleep(a problem I had before I was even diagnose with ADHD).
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Nov 30, 2016 17:06
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From what I can understand at this far remove from college biology: Magnesium makes your body more alkaline and you urinate less often. Adderrall is eliminated through urine, so there's that. I've read you're not supposed to take magnesium on the same day as your meds for this reason - causes insomnia and might increase side effects because the adderall just isn't leaving your system as quickly. From what I've seen, everyone is pretty confident that is *is a thing*. But there's also more complicated stuff about how magnesium functions in the creation and maintenance of dopamine receptors and how it works generally on your nervous system which might be the reason depression and anxiety have such high morbidity with ADHD. People with depression and people with ADHD have magnesium deficiencies at a much higher rate than the rest of the population. But as far as I can tell the mechanics of magnesium in the brain are at best a promising hypothesis at this point and require further research. Like so much in nutritional science I suppose. The best way to actually deliver magnesium to where it needs to go is also mysterious. Does any of that magnesium oxide supplement make it up into your brain? Or does soaking in Epsom salts work better? Or does magnesium merely make depressives/ADHD sufferers better able to interact with a B6 injection? Folks, the world may never know 
MisterGoGo fucked around with this message at 17:25 on Nov 30, 2016 |
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Nov 30, 2016 17:21
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Speaking of Adderall tolerance: what are the signs that I might need a higher dosage or a different drug? Right now, I don't know if I notice my 20mg XR Adderall at all. I skipped it on Sunday--I woke up really late and didn't want the stimulant to keep me up too late--and felt pretty much the same. And I feel like I'm back to a lot of my old habits--leg-bouncing all the time without realizing it, attention slipping off of things I'm in the middle of, leaving a task to take care of something small and not realizing I left something unfinished for like two hours.
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Nov 30, 2016 19:24
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Missing a dose and not noticing a significant change is a pretty big indication that it's not doing much for you, so I'd look into a dose increase or a different medication.
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Nov 30, 2016 20:12
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MisterGoGo posted:I regularly drink a fair amount of coffee on Adderall and don't experience the pounding heart/teeth grinding/anxiety others report and my heart rate doesn't increase perceptibly. Is there some other long term peril I'm not privy to? Am I going to bore a hole through one of my ventricles? So I asked my doc about this (note - speak to your doc if you have questions, they know you best!) and she told me that all her patients use caffeine. Excessive use can be an indicator that meds need to be adjusted but other than that if you aren't having other serious issues it's fine. She did tell me that I shouldn't be consuming any after 3pm or so but other than that no worries.
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Nov 30, 2016 21:43
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skull mask mcgee posted:Missing a dose and not noticing a significant change is a pretty big indication that it's not doing much for you, so I'd look into a dose increase or a different medication. Luckily I already have a follow-up appointment on Friday to check in about my dosage so it's good to know I'm not wrong to suspect I might need an increase or a different medication.
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Nov 30, 2016 22:09
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So I find out that the psychiatrist is willing to take me as a patient, but likes to have their assistant/secretary call and ask the preliminary questions as to allow the doctor more time to focus on me rather than wasting time on question. As it turns out, they got a new person before Thanksgiving.... I'm still waiting for that call. Starting to wonder if I shouldn't call them myself. On the subject of caffeine Needless to say, if I could've cut that poo poo out years ago, I'm pretty sure while I would still be a large guy, I'd not be AS large. At this point I'm not sure if I'm addicted to it, or I need it to function "normally" I could really use some prescription stimulants right now 
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Nov 30, 2016 22:26
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Robzilla posted:So I find out that the psychiatrist is willing to take me as a patient, but likes to have their assistant/secretary call and ask the preliminary questions as to allow the doctor more time to focus on me rather than wasting time on question. As it turns out, they got a new person before Thanksgiving.... I'm still waiting for that call. Starting to wonder if I shouldn't call them myself. Of course you should call them. Why not?
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Nov 30, 2016 22:42
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Mechafunkzilla posted:Of course you should call them. Why not? 
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Nov 30, 2016 23:24
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Robzilla posted:On the subject of caffeine I drink like 3-4 pints a day sometimes, love it.
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Nov 30, 2016 23:42
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Robzilla posted:So I find out that the psychiatrist is willing to take me as a patient, but likes to have their assistant/secretary call and ask the preliminary questions as to allow the doctor more time to focus on me rather than wasting time on question. As it turns out, they got a new person before Thanksgiving.... I'm still waiting for that call. Starting to wonder if I shouldn't call them myself. Unless this sites wrong it actually doesn't. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20049372 soda is on the next page and has 25-35mg of caffine compared to a 12 cup of coffees 95mg. You can safely drink 4 cups of coffee(12oz each) or 10 cans of soda according to the same site. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20045678 I drink anywhere between 50-100oz of diet coke over the course of a day. Which is just under the daily mg recommendation if you go with the high end at 35mg per 12oz. I have never experienced any of the stuff they say for over caffeine usage but I also make sure to drink about 70z of water a day as well. I would say if you need to drink that soda definitely go to diet, because that much sugar is awful for you. I'm a type 1 diabetic so I'm forced to go to diet soda but I'd have done it anyways.
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Dec 1, 2016 00:21
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The last time I posted here I was chatting about my kid's ADHD. I'm fond of lurking here. It's a nice group of folks. Anyway, I was diagnosed this summer. So far I have tried Adderall (was great for a week minus the cottonmouth then a higher dose turned me into a rage monster) and Ritalin (less beneficial plus anger). After caffeine chat here I quit my half a pot coffee habit and noticed a reduction in the elevated pulse/anger response but still a minimal benefit. The doctor switched me to Focalin. I'm noticing barely any response other than a short period of raised heart rate a few hours into the day. I had asked about trying adderall again minus caffeine. I also asked about trying Vyvanse, which my son takes to control his symptoms along with clonidine to chill his heart rate. The doctor seems more inclined to try adding a mood stabilizer to the mix and is far more concerned than I am about the copay. The insurance appears to be driving some of his decision. I'm just a little confused and not too thrilled to be playing musical meds with 150 teenagers pushing my buttons all day at work. Was there a question in that? I guess I'm just curious about the doctor logic and feeling overwhelmed by the process.
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Dec 1, 2016 02:10
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Robzilla posted:So I find out that the psychiatrist is willing to take me as a patient, but likes to have their assistant/secretary call and ask the preliminary questions as to allow the doctor more time to focus on me rather than wasting time on question. As it turns out, they got a new person before Thanksgiving.... I'm still waiting for that call. Starting to wonder if I shouldn't call them myself. So according to this site Coke has 35 mg per 12 oz serving. A cup of brewed coffee is around 163 mg per 8oz serving. A single energy drink can range from 80mg/can (8oz Redbull) to 240mg/can (16oz Rockstar Pure Zero) or more. Even at six cans/per day you're only looking at 210 mg caffeine. As someone else mentioned I'd be much more concerned about the calories (840!) so consider switching to Coke Zero which is really close in taste or if you like energy drinks one of those zero calories ones which because of the strong taste you should notice the artificial sweetener even less.
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Dec 1, 2016 02:36
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BarbarousBertha posted:The last time I posted here I was chatting about my kid's ADHD. I'm fond of lurking here. It's a nice group of folks. The mood stabilizer is probably to smooth out the irritability that can come from being constantly overstimulated and having to switch tasks and others things an ADHD brain hates----that was actually one of the key things that drove me to look into getting help. Anecdata I know, but fluoxetine {Prozac) and Vyvanse seem to be working wonders.
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Dec 1, 2016 03:45
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BarbarousBertha posted:The last time I posted here I was chatting about my kid's ADHD. I'm fond of lurking here. It's a nice group of folks. The emotional impulsivity and anger are symptoms that a stimulant med won't help with, but things like CBT and mindfulness can do wonders. Are you in therapy? Anyway, I would encourage you to talk to your doctor about what his thought process is and how the medications he wants to prescribe you will affect your specific symptoms. Educating yourself and taking an active role in your treatment is never a bad thing. And yeah, stop stacking stimulants people jesus christ. Doing that also makes finding the correct therapeutic dose really goddamn difficult.
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Dec 1, 2016 04:23
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Astrofig posted:The mood stabilizer is probably to smooth out the irritability that can come from being constantly overstimulated and having to switch tasks and others things an ADHD brain hates----that was actually one of the key things that drove me to look into getting help. Anecdata I know, but fluoxetine {Prozac) and Vyvanse seem to be working wonders. Just out of curiosity, since you've been on that meds combo, have you found yourself speaking more impulsively and saying things you wouldn't normally say out loud? (Because I did, and so have a couple people I know.)
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Dec 2, 2016 14:53
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MisterGoGo posted:I regularly drink a fair amount of coffee on Adderall and don't experience the pounding heart/teeth grinding/anxiety others report and my heart rate doesn't increase perceptibly. Is there some other long term peril I'm not privy to? Am I going to bore a hole through one of my ventricles? December mornings in Wisconsin are pushing me back into the arms of warm beverages. I'm trying out tea this week and so far it's fine, but I also suspect my Adderall dosage is too low, so I might lay off the tea for a bit if my doctor prescribes me a higher dosage today. Sadly my workplace doesn't have rooibos, which is about the only non-caffeinated (pseudo-)tea that I like, or I'd just drink that, content that I'm not going to have a caffeine + amphetamine jolt. And decaf coffee can just gently caress right off.
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Dec 2, 2016 15:05
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Rabbit Hill posted:Just out of curiosity, since you've been on that meds combo, have you found yourself speaking more impulsively and saying things you wouldn't normally say out loud? You know, come to think of it, I have. Not to the point it's gotten me in trouble (yet), but....yeah.
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Dec 2, 2016 17:03
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Have a couple meds concerns/questions. Going to ask my doctor next time I'm in, but I wanted to compare experiences to see if I could glean some insight for when I go in. At this point I think I've tried one of every type of stimulant formulation. Right now I am trying amphetamine/adderall. While I think they've been by a good margin the most effective (along with Vyvanse), this is also the first time I can recall that I've felt a definite euphoric sensation while taking stimulants, so I'm mildly concerned about addiction this time around. The seemingly weird part that makes this not so straightforward is, I don't feel euphoric except a decent bit into the comedown like 4-5 hours after my most recent dose. Like, as I can definitely feel it wearing off and me going back to the state where I have trouble doing routine things. I still have no irrational craving of any sort to take it, and even taking that first pill of the day always tends to slip my mind unless I try to focus on it. From what I've gathered, the people chasing euphoria from amphetamine in an addictive manner are after the peak part, but I have less than no desire to be in that state. Like, I'd feel waaaaay better just playing a good computer game or watching a good TV show. Do my assertions here seem about right? Does it sound to anyone with addiction experience like I need to be worried? Second up, sleep. Since getting medicated again, I've reconfirmed that sleeping on stimulants feels awesome and restful via many daynaps. Also a couple nights where I was intending to do something later in the evening I took some adderall also later in the evening for, but then decided to just go to sleep early instead. Does anyone here with sleep issues have any experience with taking stimulants to potentially sleep better? For reference in case anyone has any insight, I did a sleep study once, and they said something like I was asleep for a couple hours during the night and woke up literally about a hundred times, but I was pretty sure I was unconscious for a minimum of 6 hours and only woke up 6ish times at most. The discrepancy was a really bizarre thing to be informed of.
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Dec 3, 2016 03:22
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Also, the only thing that really seems to hold back sleepiness itself is modafinil/Provigil/armodafinil/Nuvigil. Amphetamine and methylphenidate more just make the sleepy easier to power through if I wanna, but I'm still sleepy. A liter or two of coke's worth of caffeine tends to put me down or out for a half hour to an hour, and seems like it reduces the quality of any sleep I might get in the duration.
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Dec 3, 2016 06:46
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Like it feels like dream-thought is constantly nipping at the edge of my waking thought to one degree or another, and the only cure is more catnaps during the day or modafinil. Even being what is at least nominally asleep for ~12 hours more often than not gets me half a regular waking day of feeling pretty awake without a nap before the sleepy sets back in. The sleep study I did presumably ruled out narcolepsy (though I'm a bit iffy on that or if the equipment was reading right considering they said I was awake basically all night long). They found some evidence that might have pointed to apnea, but was probably just reflux or allergy related swallowing. Non-stimulant apnea treatments were ineffective or reduced sleep quality. Sleeping on my left side and putting more time between eating and sleep helped some, but ultimately wasn't nearly enough. I have also noticed that on the nights that my dreams are more disorganized or fractured than usual I end up extra tired and/or sleepy the next day. Or in the case that I end up making a dream redo a part of itself a good number of times for an acceptable outcome before I end up waking up from it. Especially if I fail and wake up early anyway. But I'm not sure exactly what relation these cases might have to anything. Basically, what I'm kind of hoping for is that stimulants might be able to make my sleep go "straighter". I could probably just take modafinil to ward off sleepiness along with adderall or whatever for typical waking adhd issues, but I feel like trying to get better sleep would probably be a better first line. Kylra fucked around with this message at 08:57 on Dec 3, 2016 |
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Dec 3, 2016 08:08
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Forgot to take my Adderall this morning and... yeah, okay, I notice it. I notice it a lot. Like, I'm probably gonna drive home and take it because it feels like the whole front of my head is in a fog.
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Dec 6, 2016 15:11
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That's the worst. You never realize just how significantly the medication is improving your ability to function until you miss a day. Then suddenly nothing makes any drat sense anymore, you don't know where or who you are, perspective and spatial perception are lies invented to torment you, time is trying to outrun you, and someone in the distant vicinity keeps playing the same ten-second clip from a 90s pop song.
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Dec 6, 2016 15:33
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