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wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
I got increasingly lovely mental and physical side effects on ritalin, then adderall, then on dexedrine as well. (I'm talkin over 20 years on stims with a few breaks scattered in there). My message to those with ADHD (at least the type I have, whatever that is): Desoxyn is hands down the best, it just works. It doesn't give that shittastic tense feeling in your neck/head, it doesn't make you sweat profusely, it doesn't make me crabby or depressed on the comedown, it doesn't demolish your ability to eat normal meals. Thank the tweakers for its rarity and the fact that doctors won't touch it with a ten foot pole.

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wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005

Rushputin posted:

Little things, yeah. Stuff like small chips on my teeth and other small anomalies on my body can drive me crazy, I can't deal with itches too well, things like that. It's not a major problem or anything I've thought about too much, though.

Oh my god, I'm ADHD and have been treated for it my whole life, but I never put this together until right now! I have a few chips in my teeth (totally un-noticeable to anyone other than me) and I seriously CANT stop running my tongue along them! It's to the point where yeah, it's totally just an unconscious tic, and I can't believe I never put 2 and 2 together.

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005

larchesdanrew posted:

It never has to be anything big, and in fact, larger occurrences don't typically bother me. For example, if I'm getting ready for work and the power goes out and my clothes are still in the dryer, I probably wouldn't get upset. This actually happens a lot.

However, small accidents ruin me. Say I plan to put in my contacts, brush my teeth, and take a shower. But, I drop a contact in the sink, or a squirt toothpaste on the counter, or the water turns cold for a few seconds mid-shower. These things will set me off for the entire day because it has put an extra step in my original plan, and somewhere it could have been avoided. And while I'm cleaning sink water off my contact, or wiping up toothpaste, or huddling in the back of the shower, the cat will start meowing and will not shut up, or the army of dogs in our neighborhood will begin howling at a fart cloud in the next town, or the gf will start calling my name because she obviously has some inane question or comment that could probably just loving wait until my entire world has stopped crumbling to dust.

And when it rains, it pours, because then I'll cut myself shaving, somehow get shampoo in my dick hole, my socks won't go on easily because there's one loving drop of water on the top of my foot and I'll end up stretching them all to hell trying to force them on, have to redo my tie at least 12 times because it's always either too long or too short, spend waaaay too long flipping my key ring around trying to find the right key to unlock the car because it's an old piece of poo poo I have to use an actual key to open because if I use the aftermarket remote the alarm will just go on and off all day for no goddamned reason, spend 14 extra seconds driving around road work, no one will drive the right speed and at least once I might have to hover my foot over the brake because someone's worthless mother didn't swallow and now the result of that miserable night of misspent passion has sub-par driving skills and has to come to an almost complete stop to turn and I almost didn't notice but it's all their fault anyways, and wouldn't you know it, I'm 14 seconds late for work. The day has been ruined because I squirted toothpaste on the counter.

I wish this was some witty little Dennis Leary stand-up routine, but this is a pretty typical morning. One small thing will happen, and I will become so inexplicably agitated by that one event, that every single thing for the rest of the day will somehow manage to piss me completely off. And the hell of it is, the poo poo that pisses me off all day is usually my own fault because I'm agitated in the first place.

Oh god this happens to me and it suuuucks! Just yesterday I was in my calculus lecture and this dude behind me was absentmindedly kicking my seat. I told him to gently caress off but the rest of the class I was unable to get the incident off my mind! Things like that just keep running around in my head, and the harder I try to get poo poo done, the worse it gets :(

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005

Hamburglar posted:

-Here's the weird thing. I have the oddest problem with confrontation. I was in a very bad car accident (no one was hurt) that wasn't my fault. Yet the guy who got out of the other car, probably a foot taller than me, was flipping the gently caress out, ready to hit me. I wasn't scared, nervous or anything (and this was before I ever started meds). I told the guy to eat poo poo and die and I would be suing the poo poo out of him. I had balls. I wasn't even shaking from the horrible accident I had just been in. Yet, if I am given a snark comment by an old lady even, I back down like a wuss. I am a complete pussy with "possible confrontation" but if someone went to an extreme (threatened me or a friend, actually hit me, etc.) I wouldn't be a pussy; I'd fight back. However, if some 80 year old fragile man told me I parked too close to their car and I was an rear end in a top hat I'd probably say "Yes sir I am an rear end in a top hat please accept my apologies". What the gently caress is that about?

Is it seriously possible all of the above is contributed to ADHD? I would love it if it's true because I can stop these seemingly worthless anti-depressants (and it would explain why they don't work).

I can't say definitively if it is ADHD, but I have this exact problem, and it is certainly fixed by my medication. The problem is that when the meds wear off it comes back with a vengeance... but I've learned to identify it and just say "ok, I will deal with this tomorrow."

It's weird though, because if somebody is doing something major or threatening me, I will immediately step up and tell them eloquently and concisely that what they are doing is wrong and I will lay out all the evidence to that effect. Yet, as you say, an old lady making a snide remark will haunt me for days to come. Two examples of this:

I was road tripping from L.A. back to the midwest. In utah, I stopped for gas and a bathroom break. As I was leaving the store, and old man with his wife were checking out the free newspapers near the door, and the man held the door open for his wife. She didn't see his gesture, and so I sidestepped around them and out the door. The wife remarked "how RUDE!" and I couldn't get it off my mind for the next four hours. It just made me feel so HELPLESS which is of course totally retarded!

More recently, I was on a mountain biking trip in upper michigan, and my buddy and I were in the grocery store looking at the liquor aisle trying to find this whiskey named after the canadian town one of our friends lives in (revelstoke). This old, gray-haired lady cruises by and shoots us the evil eye while saying "you boys shouldn't be drinking." Now, I'm 25 and in fact I *DON'T* drink at all, so that comment shouldn't have upset me. Yet for the rest of the day my mind kept coming back to the incident and I couldn't shake that feeling of anger/helplessness.

Weird, aint it? I think it has something to do with it being a huge effort for me to do things the *proper* (as defined by normal western society) way, and when someone offhandedly insinuates that I hosed up, or am going to gently caress up, or maybe just even interrupts my thought process (which could theoretically CAUSE me to gently caress up) it just sets me off.

Hamburglar, I would definitely recommend getting on some ADHD meds as while they wont fix everything they will allow you to more rationally observe your life and make corresponding decisions.

wilfredmerriweathr fucked around with this message at 16:22 on Sep 15, 2010

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
yeah. But I enjoy the shits immensely! You have to savor the little things in life :)

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
adderall was briefly banned by canada a few years ago, then months later they un-banned it. So your dad was kinda right.

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
If only I'd had that study a few years back when my calculus 3 professor had the nerve to give me a 20 min lecture about how my eating habits were causing my ADHD (I had gone to his office hours to get help on homework).

Some people :arghfist:

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
The best advice I've ever gotten for ADHD came from an anonymous dude on the internet; he said he'd started taking his medication AFTER lunch. He just toughed it out in the mornings, then took his pills with/after lunch. Since I've started doing that it's a whole new ballgame!

This is with instant release medication

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
A) Take a multivitamin and make sure you eat healthy and adequately

B) Make sure you exercise daily (doesn't have to be a lot but at least 30 min or so of cardio)

C) Stay away from extended release medications

D) Try dexedrine, or if your doctor is down, desoxyn

E) more =/= better with prescription stims. I've found that I don't need more than 15mg per day.

Explain to your doctor that you are having trouble sleeping and you would like to try instant release dexedrine.

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
Agreeing with all the sentiment here. I'm sure that the issue is you don't really have very many options up there in bc, but this doc's whack-rear end diagnosis is probably just his way of getting you "medicated" without actually treating your adhd. I had a doctor do that once, I was put on depakote, neurontin, prozac and clonidine and all it did was turn me into a zombie. Lithium is bad poo poo, and unless you REALLY need it you want to stay far away.

There has to be someone else you can go to in vancouver, right? Maybe on the island?


edit: I find this all very intriguing as my girlfriend lives in bc and wants me to move up there post-marriage. I've been wondering just how easy it will be to get my medication up there (being that I'm on desoxyn i think there's very little possibility I'll be able to continue on it which is pretty lame)

wilfredmerriweathr fucked around with this message at 06:05 on Oct 7, 2010

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005

Effexxor posted:

Man, if you can move to Canada and have access to their cheaper meds (aka less than 50$ a month for Adderall in the US), that's a win win.

yeah their drug prices are pretty sweet. Unfortunately I don't take adderall due to the worthless peripheral nervous system stimulation from the levoamphetamine, and even dextroamphetamine gives me terrible blood pressure issues at 7.5mg (that's after being on it for 10 years, it worked for a while). The cruelest joke ever is that I've finally found a drug that works and it costs me $400/month because my insurance doesn't want to pay for it and society thinks it's a demon drug.

just in case anyone is wondering, people abuse methamphetmine because

a) it's cheaper than regular amphetamine to synthesize and

b) it has way LESS side effects than regular amphetamine, so abusers can take way more before having a heart attack

not because the effects are more "fun" than amphetamine. I get distracting euphoria off adderall at 10mg, but none of desoxyn at 15mg.

wilfredmerriweathr fucked around with this message at 16:40 on Oct 7, 2010

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
To Qu Appelle:

Absolutely you need to cut off your caffeine intake. Caffeine is one of the shittiest stimulants out there, and most people that consume it do so because there really is no alternative legal stimulant for Joe Sixpack to take on a daily basis.

It took me a really long time to figure out because I kept thinking "hell, everyone drinks coffee, so I should be fine drinking some green tea or a pepsi now and then" WRONG!

If you're on dex, and it is working (as it seems to be, I'm really happy for you that you've got a medication regimen that works), then you need to remove caffeine from your life. Even on days that you don't take your dex.

Which leads me to another point that others have been asking about: absolutely you should take medication vacations. Not long ones, but skipping your meds one or two days a week (like on a sat/sun or a friday when you don't have much to get done) will do wonders for both reducing the side effects of your meds as well as increasing your overall quality of life. It's amazing what effect just skipping one day a week can have on your mental health.

I do find that you need to skip the SAME day(s) every week though, to keep your body and mind in a sort of rhythm.

Hope this helps!

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
yeah, if you have someone who is actually a good psychiatrist (in it to help patients and not just make money) and has experience with ADHD you'll find that they will be fine with you taking breaks as it is commonly understood in the literature that doing so is how successful adults with ADHD have made their lives work.

If you have a GP or a lovely psych they probably won't be happy about it, which is why.......

You shouldn't tell them that you take breaks. At least not until you are sure that they have your best interests in mind.

I was told by the guy who prescribed my meds in high school (a PHD and MD who developed the TOVA test) that in my life I would have to deal with doctors that had all sorts of misconceptions about my disorder, and that the best thing I could do was become my own expert on treatment. Find something that worked for me, and then find a doctor that would listen to me.

wilfredmerriweathr fucked around with this message at 18:02 on Nov 19, 2010

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
I was where you were (not OCD though), except dexedrine had also completely stopped working and just kept making me feel shittier (I was diagnosed when I was 8).

Desoxyn was the answer. It didn't force me to WORK WORK WORK like adderall and dexedrine, but what it did do was basically turn me into a normally functioning individual. Honestly I was pretty skeptical but I thought I'd give it a shot and I'm sure glad I did because my life is more in order and I'm more responsible than I've ever been.

The best part? I read for pleasure again. I hadn't done that in like 8 years.

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
Amphetamines don't make you physically dependent. Sure, when I stop taking my meds I'll be a little more "out there" and distracted, but I certainly don't get crabby or go through withdrawals. On the contrary, I feel awesome when I stop taking my pills!

poo poo, I get way worse symptoms when I go through caffeine withdrawal.

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005

Jose Rizal posted:

Does anyone else with ADHD have an inconveniently high sex drive/sex drive that is higher than most people of your age and gender? I'm sure I'll appreciate this when I'm 40, but right now it is really annoying.

edit: haha what a goofy way to start the new page

I do when I'm not medicated. When I take my medication daily I actually have a much lower sex drive, much to the detriment of my partner's sex life :(

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
yeah, it's hard as poo poo to work the canadian healthcare system at times, but I'd keep pressing and trying to see a specialist - at least over there on the east coast they HAVE specialists. Over in BC they just don't have any people skilled in dealing with adhd.

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
Oh god the distractions! Last semester in my differential equations class there were these kids that sat either right next to me or behind me (I sit front and center just to get away from all the distractions, I can only concentrate with nobody in front of me) who were in the loving marching band and would play the loving drums with their hands or pencils on the desks.

The first day of class they were sitting behind me and one of them was loving playing a bass drum line with his foot on my chair. I freaked right out at him - the crazy part is our teacher was from china and sometimes when these dudes would be just tapping away on their desks super loudly he'd stop lecturing, clear his throat while looking RIGHT AT THESE DUDES and say "OK NOW" in an attempt to get the little fuckers to shut the hell up but all these kids would do is giggle and keep right on with their annoying rear end beats. THE drat NERVE OF THESE KIDS!!

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
whoa you guys are trying to be vegan and take prescription stims? 1700 calories a day?

I have a fast metabolism, and I rock at least 4000 calories a day. Anything less than like 2500 and I feel like poo poo and can't concentrate on anything.

Seriously you need to eat or you wont be able to think!

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
adhd is a gift if you're surfing, or skiing, or riding a motorcycle at high speeds.

it only sucks when you need to conform to "normal" life.

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
I think we can all agree here that the world would be a better place if we didn't have to buy food or pay rent :)

This is also called being homeless :(

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005

Dolemite posted:

What's funny is that I was thinking about when should I and when shouldn't I take my meds if I'm prescribed any.

I realized my mind works a lot faster than my peers, but at the expense of attention to detail. When I'm hauling rear end in a car or on a bike, I can process lots of sensory stuff since none of it is particular detail intensive. So on weekends where I have a bike race or just want to exercise, I figure I won't take meds those days.

But on work days, totally gonna medicate. Is that how you all use your meds? Use them to help focus on work days and run wild on fun days?


Ffffuck I just realized I forgot when I scheduled my appointment with my GP to get this all rolling. Better call their office...


EDIT: Hahaha - the office just called to remind me of my appointment. Thank God for doctors that do that!

More or less. Sometimes if I really want to push myself I'll take my meds when I'm going mountain biking so that I keep pushing myself past the point where I'd usually get bored, but yeah most of the time I just go med free on the days when I'm doing fun stuff. Even when I'm on my meds and doing fun stuff, my ADHD can shine through and help me process info quickly.

I've noticed that when I'm driving around town I can notice things such as nails on the approaching roadway (even on the freeway). That is pretty loving cool!

edit

I highly suggest to all of you here that you try picking up an "extreme" (though you need not do it in an extreme fashion) sport such as mountain biking or snowboarding/downhill skiing. ADHDers seem to have a natural knack for these and it really helps to be good at something without having to try super hard and be medicated. It's a real confidence booster and it shows you that you're not just a total fuckup.

wilfredmerriweathr fucked around with this message at 16:39 on Jan 28, 2011

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
yeah the best reason for taking weekends off (aside from mental health) is that you'll then have a few week's worth of medication saved up for the inevitable insurance snafu. Like just recently, my insurance decided they would only cover my meds if I ordered them from their mail order partner pharmacy. Which is fine, except it took over two weeks from placing the order to getting my meds.

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005

Kuri posted:

poo poo like that is scary. I have a toddler and, even though I'm looking for early signs so he can avoid the "fun" I had as a kid, I can tell the difference between being two and having ADHD.

My doctor is awesome, though. He's been completely willing to modify treatment as I see fit; it helps that I'm keeping my doseof adderall as low as possible. Hell, I could go for the big guns and get Desoxyn if I really wanted; I'll save that for later. I moved 60 miles away from where I used to live, but still head back to see him just because of how great he is.

If you have side effects from your adderall, I highly recommend Desoxyn. It works so well at such small doses (10mg for me). It is literally superior in every way to adderall/dex, providing the same therapeutic effects at a lower dose with less side effects.


Also, regarding 'meth mouth,' the cause is partially due to the dry-mouth you get from amphetamines, but it is also in large part due to being so tweaked that you go days without drinking water or brushing your teeth while at the same time guzzling soft drinks/candy (pretty much all someone like that can stomach).

So basically meth mouth can be prevented by not being a tweaker with no personal hygiene.

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
^^^^

Congrats! I wish more people would realise this; when you're taking the most powerful stimulants that science has come up with, you really don't need coffee. It'll just make you feel lovely :)

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005

Qu Appelle posted:

Yes. This. OMG yes. Even decaf. Really not a good idea sometimes.

Yep, I find that even decaf black tea (mmm chai) still has enough caffeine in it to make me anxious. I've just accepted that I can't drink it (except on special occasions).

Bathing Poodle posted:

I saw a psychiatrist and got 30 pills of Adderall 10mg IR to try out. I can definitely feel it, but I'm not so sure it's working. I get distracted very easily by the Internet at work (i'm currently at work writing this post) and I find that the meds just make me procrastinate harder. Like, I am super focused on my web browsing and time-wasting. Has anyone else experienced this? Did switching to another med help?

your meds aren't gonna force you to do your work, they are just going to enable you to focus on whatever you're doing. I have to make a conscious decision to not let my brain go anywhere near thinking about browsing the web, because if I decide to "just check my email real quick" I know where it will lead. You need to literally do your work far away from all computers, smart phones, etc. If you need to use the internet: get up, go over to computer, look something up, and then go back to where you were before and get back to work.

Eventually you will be able to work on a computer without impulsively checking the weather or the forums or whatever, but it takes time. You have to practice these habits; drugs won't magically make them appear.

wilfredmerriweathr fucked around with this message at 22:13 on Feb 9, 2011

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005

2508084 posted:

You left out the part where she took a phone call during the session and told you to find God.

e. my point is your doctor is a god drat loony and everyone should know that instead of thinking she's a normal doctor, not that youre lying or anything. I never know how I come across.


Oh man, somebody else had this experience too? I swear my jaw hit the floor when my new [this was a few years ago] doc asked me about how my personal relationship with jesus was. Then, when I mentioned that I meditate but don't talk to jesus, she told me that "that would fail me someday soon."

I'm Jewish. You better believe I got a new fuckin' doc.

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
YO whats up ADHD people?

First off, you can definitely use tea to wean yourself off of caffeine, but really I'd say the best way to do it is just stop cold turkey. You'll get a pretty killer headache the first day, but that's about it! Just take some ibuprofen (not excedrin though, as it contains caffeine!)

Also I saw someone mention sleeping pills (temazepam) up there. Beware of using sleeping pills to counteract the effects of your ADHD meds - you shouldn't need a pill to put you to sleep (especially a benzo). If it's just a "now and then" thing where you take it a few times a month because you are too excited and can't sleep, that's one thing. But if you take it every night, you should really try to cut it out. I say this because if you get into the cycle of uppers in the morning, downers in the evening, you will become very psychologically addicted and it can lead to a situation that I call "being cracked out" wherein your dopamine levels are unable to regulate themselves and your mind starts to go a little haywire.

If you really can't sleep (i often couldn't on adderall due to that nasty levoamphetamine isomer), consider switching meds to something like dexedrine or desoxyn. Additionally, though you may have very little room in an already full schedule, you need to EXERCISE!! I know it sounds like something your high school health teacher would have told you, but seriously. Just think of it as your body's own sleeping pill - it'll calm your mind down and put your body at ease. I recommend RIDING BIKES YAY!!! (seriously its awesome)

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005

2508084 posted:

I don't forget, but I never want to eat. I have food issues, so food is always on my mind, plus I love to cook. I'm just like :effort: when it comes to eating. I HAVE to eat a certain amount because I can't lift a pencil, let alone a weight, if i don't jam food in my mouth. Full fat foods help with hitting necessary amounts of calories. 1C whole milk is 150, 1 scoop protein powder is 120. 270 calorie breakfast. Almonds as snacks, etc.




Oh man this is totally me to a T. I'm a large (6 foot 3, 190 pounds) man and I have a fast metabolism, so I need to eat a lot even when I'm not on my meds. When I'm on them, I need to eat EVEN MORE but I get so into my work that I'm all :effort: when it comes time for me to actually eat a meal.

Then I literally have to shovel food into my face like a construction worker, just to be able to think. My friends all make fun of me; "you have to eat AGAIN?! Dude you don't have to eat whenever you get hungry." They don't understand that my body and mind will literally just shut down if I don't keep my stomach full.

PS it was 50 degrees yesterday BIEEKS!

wilfredmerriweathr fucked around with this message at 16:29 on Feb 18, 2011

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
I personally have completely turned my life around since I started smoking weed. I quit drinking, began living an active lifestyle and eating right. Also I went back to college. So, YMMV.

One thing you gotta keep in mind is that 2508084 is absolutely right, if your doctor finds out you're smoking weed (or doing other drugs which I do NOT recommend) you will probably be labelled an addict and you don't want that on your medical records. Also, I don't recommend smoking weed WHILE on adderall, but if you're gonna smoke some in the evening like you would drink a glass of wine or something it's really not a big deal. Way less harmful than booze. I find it actually helps my ADHD, as where booze would just dull everything, weed makes me think about what I need to do and how to better my life. I prefer sativa strains, as indica will definitely just make you veg out all lazy.

Also, you probably already know this, but if you live in California or Colorado you can get weed legally (with a doctor's recommendation) from a dispensary for your ADHD. You can probably do it in the other mmj states too but I have no experience with those.

wilfredmerriweathr fucked around with this message at 17:56 on Feb 25, 2011

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005

TheGopher posted:

Weed is probably the worst way you can cope with ADHD. I hadn't smoked for like 4 months, which was my longest stretch in years and I smoked a few times, "just casually," and it got completely out of control.

It's not that it's addictive, it's habit forming. Even though it helps me with anxiety, it really doesn't because I just get lazy as poo poo more often than not. Like sure I feel great now, but I'm going to be even more stressed out tomorrow because I didn't do poo poo to deal with what's causing the stress.

Anyway, haven't smoked in like 2 weeks and I'm trying to keep it that way. Roommate is still smoking and it's getting really annoying smelling it, but I told him what's up and I think he gets that I'm trying to avoid it.

People always talk about how harmless weed is, but it's really not.

But see, I don't get this way at all. Maybe it's because I use it in moderation and not "yo guys lets get BAKED". But whenever I smoke I get poo poo done. It's been that way for the 8 years that I've smoked it, and I see no reason to stop. I am a better person for having started. But I only smoke a few times a week, and an eighth lasts me over a month.

On the other side of the coin, I have a few friends that are such hopeless potheads, and I really wish they would just quit. They are always amazed that I still have most of the bag that I bought <x> weeks ago. Today's weed is strong enough that realistically you only need to smoke about the size of a pencil eraser's worth to get effects. I tell them "just don't smoke so much" but it falls on deaf ears. The trick is to not look at smoking weed AS the activity, but instead pursue worthwhile activities that you would pursue even if you weren't a bit high. i.e. working out, cleaning the house, doing laundry, working on your car, playing golf, reading a book, doing some calculus, writing a paper, or making love!

Moral of the story: you can get mentally addicted to anything. That doesn't mean that it WILL happen. Things only become a habit when you let them. Everything in moderation. This

TheGopher posted:

I just get lazy as poo poo more often than not.

doesn't happen to all of us.

wilfredmerriweathr fucked around with this message at 23:32 on Feb 25, 2011

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
I guess it just comes down to a personality difference. I have too much love for my life to spend it inside on the couch. I also quit smoking cigs after 11 years of being a daily smoker (the last 7 being over a pack a day) with really not too much effort.

Sorry for derailing the thread with WEED TALK. Back to riding bikes, everyone!

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
re: side projects

I used to do this all the time when I was growing up. I wasn't challenged at school, so I'd just invent these ridiculous projects for myself using the ancient hardware I could get for free. BSD server connected to a token ring network of linux workstations strung throughout my house (to my parent's dismay)? Why not? Oh hey, solaris x86 leaked install files? Bring it on! NEXTstep x86? OH HELL YES too bad I can't actually DO anything with it.

These have of course fallen by the wayside now that I have real obligations, and I spend the free time I have pursuing outdoor activities. But I totally feel you guys, and nothing beats actually completing your side project. That feeling of real achievement is something that (especially as a teenager) really made me feel more comfortable just being myself.

And it sure does become useful in a professional IT career!

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
Calculus is so rad. Literally the best math.

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
Yeah seconding the advice to stop drinking and opiate use. I definitely had my day with that poo poo too, and they really did help me at first! Everything seemed much more interesting and thus I could focus on boring activities. But believe me, if I even go out and have just a few drinks now, my ADHD gets so much worse the next day. Not a hangover, but my mind just races. Don't even get me started on pills, take a few of those and I'll be feeling "not quite right" for like a week.

Exercise releases endorphins, which are your body's natural opiates (ENDOgenous moRPHINS). You can get that same opiate feeling by exercising! And since it's an endogenous opiod protein chain instead of some short-acting external opiate, you'll be feeling better and more able to concentrate all day long!

also yes insurance totally f-in sucks, and they will do everything in their power to deny all your claims. But as you are paying for it, and they are legally obligated to fulfill their insurance-y duties, you just need to get up in their face. Sometimes you may need to write a letter or wait on the phone for what seems like forever, but that's why we have ADHD medication! To make boring poo poo like that bearable, and to be able to eloquently ream the insurance company a new rear end in a top hat when they try to deny a claim for a testicular ultrasound for the possibly cancerous lump on my balls on the grounds that my policy doesn't cover "sexual inadequacy." (too much info?)

wilfredmerriweathr fucked around with this message at 04:32 on Mar 3, 2011

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
Yeah, my primary care physician is now intimately acquainted with writing letters to my insurance company stating that "I am a doctor, and when I [ordered this test/prescribed this medication] I did it because THAT IS MY JOB and my patient needed it. It is my professional opinion that you suckas better pay up."

I swear it's gotten worse since the "landmark" :rolleyes: healthcare legislation passed. The insurance companies are scrambling to try to pay out as little as they can now before the full rules go into effect in 2014 and they can no longer deny someone coverage for chemo because their cancer is a "preexisting condition."

:patriot:

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005

2508084 posted:

Forgot my second dose of adderall today. Ended up eating food and biking a total of 8 miles over the course of the day.

BIKES BIKES BIKES

tis the season! just got back from a late-night 10 mile ride, spring is on its way.

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
as a motorcyclist/bicyclist, that poo poo happens to me every day. I like to slow way down when I see it happening, stand up on my pedals/pegs, and point right at the offending driver while slowly shaking my head.

wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005

TheBigBad posted:

Jesus Christ why can't I get this through my head- NO CAFFEINE.

its because to most people it's just not a big deal, they don't even really think about drinking caffeine, they just do it. Which leads us ADDers to be like "hey, I need a boost cuz my meds aren't quite doing it, gimme a cup of joe WHOOOAAAAAAAA JITTER JITTER JITTER NERVOUS PICK AT FACE AHHHHHHHH"

I spent years convincing myself that yes, I really do get bad effects from caffiene, and no, it really isn't worth it.

wilfredmerriweathr fucked around with this message at 16:35 on Mar 21, 2011

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wilfredmerriweathr
Jul 11, 2005
I have definitely gone on more than a few 1am bike rides in my day. When you gotta ride, nothing else will suffice :)

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