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Well, this seems like a relevant thread. Concentration has never been my watchword. One of my earliest memories is being forced to stay behind and finish the work I'd been distracted from all week while everyone else got to go and watch Land Before Time. My family have learned to never give me more than one task at a time without specifically ordering them, and I'm still prone to wander off, get distracted by the first thing I see, and react with sudden guilty realisation when they find me (for example) happily reading the book that was on the stairs instead of taking up the clothes on the step above them. Time perception was alien to me - I could sit down to do work, notice a small rubber made a pleasing sound when I pushed it, and five apparent minutes later find out three quarters of an hour had passed. Every time someone asked me why I hadn't done X, my answer was always along the lines of "I forgot" or "I didn't remember" - I was told that this was either not good enough or impossible due to the small period of time and that I just didn't bother doing it. I managed to bluster my way through school, mostly because of my mother forcing me to do work, and my success with actual exams (I was smart enough not to need to revise much, luckily). My difficulties were blamed on my Aspergers, which I'd been diagnosed with at the age of 5 - annoyingly, I didn't seem to require the help they were able to offer for that. My problems lay not with schoolwork itself, but with organisation and task-commitment. But I got through it, and secured a place at university on a Maths/History course. This proved to be an incredibly poor decision when I had basically never learned to motivate myself or pay attention to work. I had been able to either coast or rely on support to push me forward. A year and a half later, I dropped out of uni and was diagnosed with depression. My doctor prescribed me fluoxetines, which did nothing - I came off them accidentally on holiday and noticed no difference. I saw a PWP for five months or so, but didn't know how to best take use of her, and she judged me solved when I enrolled on a college accountancy course under my own steam. Five months after THAT I had a very bad week which threw me off course, and I fell into a pit of anxiety and stopped attending the class. It was around this time - March 2012 - that a friend of mine mentioned that she had been looking into ADHD after having very positive experiences with recreational Adderall. She linked me to a few websites, and a video about the perception of time in ADHD people, and I started to put the pieces together. I saw the doctor and asked him about the possibility - he replied that it wasn't his specialty, and could I fill out some online questionnaires and get back to him? Of course, everyone knows the best thing to do to someone with ADHD is to put the ball in their court and not give them a deadline. Janurary 2013, and I went back to see the doctor about renewing treatment for my depression, given that life was Not Working. He noted that we'd been discussing ADHD last time - we didn't discuss it then because my depression seemed a lot more urgent, but it resparked my determination. I searched out checklists and diagnostic criteria, which tended to read "if you have ten or more of these, see a professional" just after I'd ticked off nineteen. I was convinced when I checked DSM-IV and ICD-10 and answered positive to every single inattentive symptom. I brought the information to my doctor, who agreed that this certainly seemed to be something worth pursuing. He's recommended me to a mental health coordinator, I see her for the first time on Friday. I am so incredibly fed up of my life being long periods of lethargy interspersed with brief periods of nigh-manic motivation and pep. When I've had a good day, I feel like I can do anything - like I find a tumblr about cleaning your house and home, and end up scrubbing the bathmat at 3:30am. But within half a week it's gone downhill and the disappointment is crushing. What can I expect from the NHS? What can I do? What if it all goes to poo poo and she decides I'm making it sound worse than it is? This post has taken over an hour to write.
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Mar 6, 2013 01:55
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Melliemel posted:Have you thought about being screened for bipolar? A lot of the symptoms overlap. I was initially dx'd with bipolar, OCD and ADHD, but treating the bipolar has fixed the symptoms I had that looked like the other two. I don't feel manic or talkative or twitchy, I feel... slightly more focused and concentrated and super-optimistic and like maybe this time, for the first time, it won't hurry away. And there's always a definite cause, like a good counselling session. But then it peters out. This happens like, once every two months or so, for two or three days at a time. It doesn't SEEM bipolar, and more seems like wishful thinking without the necessary motivation to back it up.
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Mar 6, 2013 04:07
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Socket Ryanist posted:Signs you might have ADHD: The deadline for your 6 page paper is three hours away and (due to unforseen circumstances) you realize you might not be able to make it... drat, sorry to hear about your sciatica. Maybe next time you see a doctor about it you can ask them to extract the thesaurus clearly lodged up your colon. EDIT: Dear instructor, I'm sorry about the short notice on this, but I really need an extension on this project. I have sciatica, and it's particularly bad at the moment and distracting me intensely from my work. I will get it to you by tomorrow morning, I just need a few more hours. Thanks, Socket Ryanist Freudian fucked around with this message at 19:47 on Mar 9, 2013 |
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Mar 9, 2013 12:25
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What are psych assessments like? I just got the date of my first appointment through the post (a month's time) and I'm pretty nervous.
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Apr 14, 2013 02:03
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NHS guy here finally getting an assessment on Wednesday. I could have got one in May, but Mum couldn't make it and my psych refused to do it without her to... corroborate my story? I dunno. Is that normal? I feel kind of nervous, like I've got an exam I haven't been studying for. I'm worried as hell that I'm not going to "pass" the assessment and have to go back to square one of what the hell is wrong with me. I really want this to be true just so there's something to actually treat me for.
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Aug 17, 2014 04:04
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Guess who has two thumbs and symptoms of predominantly inattentive ADHD. d- -bHe told me to come back in two months with descriptions of how it affects my day-to-day life so he can assess whether it's severe enough to require medication... at which point I'll get passed onto an ADHD clinic. I am kind of tired of being passed around like a parcel.
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Aug 20, 2014 20:32
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Mechafunkzilla posted:Two months, what the gently caress? That's really weird and dumb. I'm working at this guy's pace and honestly I'm really bored of it, but I don't know how to get what I need anywhere else.
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Aug 20, 2014 20:39
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Mechafunkzilla posted:Did you not just laugh and say "I had to drop out of college, it's severe enough." Is it too late to phone up and say exactly that or is that more of a spur of the moment thing...
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Aug 20, 2014 20:43
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Xibanya posted:That's bullshit. It reminded me of the time I had a therapist. I told her I suffered from anxiety that I believed was related to ADHD. She asked me to keep a log of what triggered anxiety. poo poo did not happen. But it did make me anxious to have to explain to her that I just never got around to it. Don't you love it when the response to "I think I have ADHD" is to make any progress contingent on homework.
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Aug 21, 2014 00:06
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Two and a half years after I first considered that I might have ADHD, I have a diagnosis of primarily inattentive ADHD. (To be fair, one of those years was because my GP left it to me to check up on it. Not a good move!) My psychiatrist told me to check out NHS treatment options online and get back to him if I thought  were the way and the light, so - is there any reason I shouldn't just phone him up tomorrow and say "hell yea put me on dat methylphenidate"?
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Oct 24, 2014 02:28
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I am waiting for my psych to phone me about medication. His office arranged with me on Wednesday to phone at 11am on Thursday. You may see a problem here. The office reply when I said ??? was basically "lol whoops". I am waiting for the phone call and I would rather wait for a week with a specific time in mind than sit here on edge terrified that I'll miss the call. My stomach is churning and aching. I'm not doing well.
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Oct 31, 2014 14:37
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My doctor was meant to phone back on Thursday at 11am to talk medication with me. It's Monday. My gut instinct is to keep phoning every single day until he finally replies. Is this the right thing to do, or is there a less frustratingly tedious way to get him to RING ME BACK ALREADY
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Nov 3, 2014 17:49
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Horrible Smutbeast posted:Just call once in the morning everyday. Or ask the secretary if they can fax the prescription slip to the pharmacy if you can't come in and pick it up. Don't want to make yourself look too desperate. He's offered to prescribe me something and asked me to phone back if I decided "yes" - so I'm doing that. I'm not desperate for anything other than to actually get to the next bloody step.
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Nov 3, 2014 18:38
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Mechafunkzilla posted:XR sucks in my opinion and exists more because it can't be abused than for any therapeutic advantage over IR. It doesn't do anything that you can't do by spacing out dosages of IR. I personally just take 1 dose of IR in the morning and don't need a 2nd dose unless I know I'll be driving really late that night or something. Unless taking medication at regular intervals throughout the day is something you struggle with because you have ADHD.
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Nov 4, 2014 16:28
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The methyl is methylphenidate - Ritalin, Concerta, etc. It's got a good reputation, and over here in the UK it's the first line of treatment.
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Nov 5, 2014 14:39
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Concerta XL is having literally no effect for me. I'm on 27mg right now and have no standards for comparison, so what should I expect to be happening and when?
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Jan 26, 2015 02:18
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I live in the UK.   
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Jan 31, 2015 17:52
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I started a new dose of Concerta yesterday and I spent half the day feeling like poo poo because every little thing was bugging me and it didn't stop until I took productive steps to improve my living situation. I take it this counts as Working?
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Feb 19, 2015 10:09
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slogsdon posted:Hyperactivity in adults is usually internal, rather than how it is normally exhibited in children. That perplexed me last year when I got my diagnosis as well. Additude has a good article on the subject. I'm not sure what that has to do with hyperactivity - that's about sensitivity to criticism and worries about being judged. It's a good article, though.
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Feb 24, 2015 18:00
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OK so I'm thinking something isn't quite going right with me on Concerta - since I got to 36mg a few weeks ago I have just been worse and worse until yesterday I wanted to just stop existing. And I haven't been feeling any more motivated or productive, and my sleep has gone to poo poo. I'm phoning my psych on Monday to figure out where to go next.
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Mar 7, 2015 14:30
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banana allergy posted:Ugh has anyone gotten really depressed on Concerta? I've been on it for like six weeks-ish, first just 18mg a day and then up to 36mg and I'm feeling in a really dark place right now. I have a pretty long history of depression at varying levels of intensity, and I've learned to live with it for the most part, but this is just awful. There's a chance what I'm feeling is PMS or something but that's not really typical for me. This is exactly what happened with me - right up to "man I'd really like to just not exist any more". My psych pulled me down from that asap, and yeah trying something else is probably a good thing.
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Apr 17, 2015 22:34
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I have an appointment with the god drat specialist clinic finally. The NHS is free but my god does it make you wait for loving ever.
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Sep 3, 2015 15:32
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Methylphenidate, 10mg x2 daily, I'm getting more things done but I'm also forgetting how to have emotions. I worked hard to have emotions again and I'd really like to keep them.
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Nov 17, 2017 14:37
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If they can remember the definition of ADHD from one sentence to the next then that's doing better than my old psych.
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Jul 5, 2018 23:17
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This is exactly why I don't play cookie clickers.
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Jul 13, 2018 12:50
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The thing that's frustrating me right now is that I spent years working to get a diagnosis, and then to access medication, and after multiple attempts with different types the doc and I are concluding that I just don't feel effects from anything. At all. Good or bad. I think I'd feel better about this if I felt just the adverse side-effects. Part of me keeps feeling like I'm doing it wrong somehow.
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Aug 16, 2018 21:24
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The Scientist posted:Does anyone feel like they have a finite amount of attention throughout the day? Is that a thing? This is pretty much exactly how the original Spoon thing got started. There's all sorts of drama as to whether the ~rights to Spoon Theory~ only apply to people with chronic physical illnesses or whether this is gatekeeping or whatever just came up on your tumblr dash but the broad concept - an everyday life as something you have to spend finite resources on - match up pretty well.
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Sep 7, 2018 22:46
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You know when you figure out you've been mildly disassociating just about everything since July? My memories don't seem to be forming emotional connections, it's like being shown someone else's holiday snaps. I haven't had any changes in medication. It might just be stress from a course that I didn't handle in a mentally healthy manner. I've booked an appointment with my doctor, and I'm seeing my support worker tomorrow and having dinner with friends tonight.
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Nov 29, 2018 14:25
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Arcsech posted:Similar question: any foods/drinks I should be avoiding with Strattera/atomoxetine? I haven’t found anything yet but figured I’d ask. Grapefruit - messes with a lot of medications, since it blocks the enzyme that breaks them down.
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Oct 29, 2020 13:44
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mobby_6kl posted:Well yeah, definitely, but this is kind of why I'm asking, I'm not trying to fish for a diagnosis to excuse my laziness or anything. But to see how people went from thinking their problems were normal to realizing it's an actual issue. The way that NHS guide is set out isn't the most useful, since it clumps everything together. There are two mostly distinct sets of criteria for diagnosing ADHD, grouped here. Each refers to a different presentation of ADHD - primarily inattentive, the absent-minded stereotype; primarily hyperactive, the bouncy kid who can't keep still for five minutes stereotype; and combined, where you display symptoms from both sets. If you tend towards the hyperactivity side, you're more likely to find it manifesting as a need for physical stimulus of some sort; if you're more on the inattentive side, you find mental stimulus more engaging, so you might see a bug on the other side of the room and find yourself wondering what kind of bug it is, and how many different bugs you've seen recently, and whether there's an increase in the number of blowflies in the area, and- "-so that was the fire evacuation plan, it's very important you remember that, do you have any further questions?" "no, I think I got it" (guess which one of these I fall under) EDIT: hah, that'll teach me to read, all of that is listed perfectly on the page for "in children". It's still a useful model for adults, IMO, and you definitely seem to gravitate towards the inattentive side of things. Freudian fucked around with this message at 17:01 on Jun 23, 2021 |
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Jun 23, 2021 16:58
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https://twitter.com/MaximumADHD/status/1407550100679897092?s=20
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Jun 24, 2021 12:08
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Talked to my doctor about getting back into active treatment. Expect an update in 4-6 months when they can actually see me!!
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Nov 19, 2022 10:54
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Going to see the uni doctor about getting back on tomorrow! 
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Feb 7, 2023 23:26
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| # ¿ May 5, 2024 13:43 |
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Fun tip for all involved: don't accidentally take twice your dose for two days running, it's not ideal. (I started out on 18mg Delmosart (methylphenidate) and then moved up to 36mg which hit the sweet spot, I still had a bunch of 18mg tablets left so I just took two. when I ran out of those, I forgot to stop taking two, putting me at a total of 72mg, which is over the maximum you can be prescribed in the UK!)
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Mar 1, 2023 10:15
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