pandasuit wrote:Has anyone else here struggled to get important people in their life to take their diagnosis seriously and learn about what it means?
Yes...I am currently in a fight about this now. I am told I am just using it as a crutch.
The phrase "just a crutch" pisses me off to no end. You know who uses a crutch? My buddy with the leg that refuses to heal right. It's a critical tool that he uses on an ongoing basis that allows him to lead a normal life. There's nothing "just" about a crutch. Or about any other medical intervention that is necessary for a good quality of life.
Hobear wrote:pandasuit wrote:Has anyone else here struggled to get important people in their life to take their diagnosis seriously and learn about what it means?
Yes...I am currently in a fight about this now. I am told I am just using it as a crutch.
The phrase "just a crutch" pisses me off to no end. You know who uses a crutch? My buddy with the leg that refuses to heal right. It's a critical tool that he uses on an ongoing basis that allows him to lead a normal life. There's nothing "just" about a crutch. Or about any other medical intervention that is necessary for a good quality of life.
Would these same people tell someone in a wheel chair to just get up and climb those stairs?
From the outside I mostly look like I’m an effective and successful person but internally I’m actually a mess. I’ve got strategies and I leverage “my personal crazy” pretty well.
Some of the most important people in my life get to see some of the mess and they give me no end of crap about it. Now they say I’m just grasping at a label and imply I’m using it as an excuse when in reality I’m finally learning about why I’m a mess and trying to find real lasting solutions. The main one also goes on about how “drugs” don’t solve anything and I should find natural solutions (read: oils) to all problems.
The main one also goes on about how “drugs” don’t solve anything and I should find natural solutions (read: oils) to all problems.
Chuck a couple pints of olive oil directly in their face. That oughta solve the problem of them talking to you in the future.
pandasuit wrote:The main one also goes on about how “drugs” don’t solve anything and I should find natural solutions (read: oils) to all problems.
Chuck a couple pints of olive oil directly in their face. That oughta solve the problem of them talking to you in the future.
Might lead to divorce
Jonman wrote:pandasuit wrote:The main one also goes on about how “drugs” don’t solve anything and I should find natural solutions (read: oils) to all problems.
Chuck a couple pints of olive oil directly in their face. That oughta solve the problem of them talking to you in the future.
Might lead to divorce
Problem solved?
People who have the luxury to say drugs don't fix anything probably feel that way... because they don't need them! So for them that is probably correct, but a cruel thing to apply to the people that do need them.
Either that, or they're just regurgitating a sound byte that satisfies the moral superiority they've placed on the issue, because bootstraps. Acceptance is generational, too...some moreso than others.
Has anyone else here struggled to get important people in their life to take their diagnosis seriously and learn about what it means?
Constantly. It's why I've hesitated to disclose any other conditions. If that's how they respond to ADHD, it's probably best they don't get look at what is in the rest of the closet.
That's wise advice. You don't want the end point to be a fatuous allusion to "tough love".
Whenever someone starts going off about ADHD meds being bogus or unnecessary I cut them off and start ranting about eyeglasses being fake, using all their same arguments. I don't know if that's actually effective or if they just think I'm deranged, but it does tend to shut people up.
Quite aware this is a bit off topic, but I have nowhere else to chat about my ADHD journey so... 
After medication, I've noticed I'm much more passionate about music again. I used to love metal, but over time stopped listening to it as frequently because it was too chaotic and would affect my mood. While I still felt close to the genre, it'd be in my playlists less and less often through the years. I'd almost always have to listen to mindless lofi beats to drown out noise so I could focus. Now I'm studying and working with my old favourite bands playing and am loving it! I feel so much more myself when I can enjoy my favourite music.
On another note, alcohol affects me differently while medicated. While I've always been a bit of a lightweight, 1 or 2 beers will hit me pretty hard now. People seem to have mixed experiences while on Dex (some have the effect minimized, others have it increased, and some just get a headache). I seem to get the last 2. I barely drink these days but do enjoy some fun craft beers from time to time (it was a dangerous hyperfixation prior to diagnosis...) so I'm a little frustrated that I have to either take no medication on a day I plan to meet friends for some drinks, or feel a bit icky if I have a drink with them!
Quite aware this is a bit off topic, but I have nowhere else to chat about my ADHD journey so... :-)
Tangents in the ADHD thread? The heck you say...
On another note, alcohol affects me differently while medicated. While I've always been a bit of a lightweight, 1 or 2 beers will hit me pretty hard now. People seem to have mixed experiences while on Dex (some have the effect minimized, others have it increased, and some just get a headache). I seem to get the last 2. I barely drink these days but do enjoy some fun craft beers from time to time (it was a dangerous hyperfixation prior to diagnosis...) so I'm a little frustrated that I have to either take no medication on a day I plan to meet friends for some drinks, or feel a bit icky if I have a drink with them!
On the other hand, less alcohol isn't a bad thing, and you can get into mocktails. A silver lining.
Oh definitely! I'm not a big drinker and have no issues cutting back. Just something I have to be mindful of now.
And yes! Had a few mocktails the other week and they were fun (and delicious).
A_Unicycle wrote:Quite aware this is a bit off topic, but I have nowhere else to chat about my ADHD journey so... :-)
Tangents in the ADHD thread? The heck you say...
Speaking of drowning out background stuff during the day and night... It is by far the best source for noise generators, with a huge collection of *collected* sounds (as well as created ones) put together by a dedicated sound engineer (well, PhD in signal processing with an engineer's license). I use the Irish Coast one at night, running on my phone, and it's been a huge help with sleeping well. The sounds in that one were actually collected in Ireland and carefully put together into a soundscape, which can then be adjusted for intensity on each of a dozen separate frequency channels. You can make it just a windy, rainy day with water sloshing over pebbles, or a roaring wave periodically crashing down, or a quiet day on the loch... And that's just one of over 300 generators.
And its free (with donations and Patreon) for personal use.
That site is a lifesaver. Before I got diagnosed, I would have it playing ALL the time. It got me through my thesis.
I particularly enjoy the thunder sounds with some slight modifications
...And now we know why. And I include myself in that. My sleep is amazingly better now...
I’ve used Rainy Mood for quite a while. First the website and later the album on music streaming.
I started ADHD meds for the first time last Friday. I’m still in the “see how it goes and gradually increase dosage” phase. So far I definitely feel like my days start better. I no longer feel like an absolute mess before the coffee kicks in. I’m also finding myself more alert in the afternoons which is helping with gaming since I play esports and alertness really matters. Other than alertness I haven’t noticed any impact.
It’s still pretty early in my journey. I’m trying not to make any conclusions yet.
That's exciting!
I've been on my meds close a year now (dex, 5mg pills), and I'm still trying to find that sweet spot. 3 in the morning lets me work steadily, but sometimes I'll need 4 if I'm extra tired. 2 in the morning, 1 in the afternoon is better if I have a long day, 1 then 2...If I'm less busy in the morning, you get the idea What I'm trying to say is, at least for me, the right dose varies by how tired I am + how my work is looking for the day. Regardless, they've been life-changing for me and I hope they prove helpful for you too!
Over time I've realised that, if I have a little too much, I tend to be less productive because I'll laser-focus on fun things over the work I need to get done and it can be hard to pull myself away. It's a skill you have to learn. The medicine isn't a silver bullet, sadly.
I was self-medicating with a lot of coffee prior to this and found I had to almost stop taking caffeine entirely. Be careful, because the meds are a stimulant and coffee can REALLY make you buzz. It's not a cool feeling.
Good luck, and keep us posted!
My League of Legends rank increased when I started meds so I feel you on the e-sports. That's a valid metric for medication efficacy, right?
Hmm... maybe fixing a cup of coffee before a WoW raid will help me not get yeeted off the boss platform.
I started ADHD meds for the first time last Friday. I’m still in the “see how it goes and gradually increase dosage” phase. So far I definitely feel like my days start better. I no longer feel like an absolute mess before the coffee kicks in. I’m also finding myself more alert in the afternoons which is helping with gaming since I play esports and alertness really matters. Other than alertness I haven’t noticed any impact.
It’s still pretty early in my journey. I’m trying not to make any conclusions yet.
Based on my experiences and what I've gathered from others, docs will often prescribe the same meds for people to start on. However, something really important to note with those is making sure you're taking your meds at the same time every day, and do not miss a dosage; it can have some incredibly negative side effects. If it stops working for you discuss a tapering schedule with your doc and do NOT just stop taking it or make any dosage decisions without including them.
I've had a few scares in the last year, and have learned the hard way to not f*ck around with remembering to take adhd meds.
pandasuit wrote:I started ADHD meds for the first time last Friday. I’m still in the “see how it goes and gradually increase dosage” phase. So far I definitely feel like my days start better. I no longer feel like an absolute mess before the coffee kicks in. I’m also finding myself more alert in the afternoons which is helping with gaming since I play esports and alertness really matters. Other than alertness I haven’t noticed any impact.
It’s still pretty early in my journey. I’m trying not to make any conclusions yet.
Based on my experiences and what I've gathered from others, docs will often prescribe the same meds for people to start on. However, something really important to note with those is making sure you're taking your meds at the same time every day, and do not miss a dosage; it can have some incredibly negative side effects. If it stops working for you discuss a tapering schedule with your doc and do NOT just stop taking it or make any dosage decisions without including them.
I've had a few scares in the last year, and have learned the hard way to not f*ck around with remembering to take adhd meds.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
I’m not (so far) having an issue taking them daily but I absolutely have an issue taking them at the same time every day. I’ve been varying by as much as 1.5 hours so far. Mornings have been a mess for me as long as I can remember. I’ve nearly always had a job with a bit of flexibility in work hours so I’ve been able to get away with it. My doctor was pretty adamant about taking them early in the morning so I’ve been trying but I haven’t got consistent yet.
Very interesting to hear that, it sounds like I've been given totally different advice. By the sounds of it, different medication as well. Apologies if my comments potentially led anyone astray.
Very interesting to hear that, it sounds like I've been given totally different advice. By the sounds of it, different medication as well. Apologies if my comments potentially led anyone astray.
The meds I’m trialing right now you just take once in the morning for the whole day. At least that’s the instructions I’ve been given so far. Not sure if/how that changes if I end up needing a bigger dose or this one ends up not working for me.
If it's once per day, you're probably taking something with a timed-release effect, so when you take it has a bigger impact sometimes. Your mileage may obviously vary, but I would catch on or start noticing things within 3-4 hours of missing a dose because of the sudden drop in the good brain chemicals that my body got used to. Since I have depression, the combination that creates is pretty rough.
For once-a-day meds, if it's a stimulant it's probably time-released. If it's Stratera (or its generic) then that's something that needs to build up in your system over time.
The one constant I've had across the various medications I've been on has been the need to be a lot more proactive with my eating habits and schedule.
The stimulants shut my appetite down hard, so I had to learn how to recognize other signs that my body needed food.
My current meds jack my stomach acid levels up super high unless I eat breakfast ~10 minutes before I take it. But I don't naturally get hungry until about 10am, and if I eat earlier I'm still hungry at 10. If I wait that late to take the medicine my GI acid levels are still high enough to mess with my sleep. So now I force myself to have a light breakfast first thing so I can take my meds, then I have second breakfast later when my appetite want one. Cue clickbait "ADHD turned me into a Hobbit!" headline.
Wow okay same! I found my perfect balance in the morning was a small roll split into avocado toast with some cabbage and salad greens on top an hour or so before I take my meds. something about the carbs/fats/fiber seems to make it a bit of a magic breakfast for me, sets the pace for hunger, and is enough to power me through to mid-afternoon at least if I get distracted and miss a meal. Also not completely sugary like most breakfasts (can't do eggs, oatmeal texture is a no).
I hadn't connected the later-in-the-day acidity to the breakfast time, and that's the biggest change to my routine so far that could have been what made that settle down. thanks!
This is from the Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom thread. The more I think about it, the more I think it might be worth discussing here too.
This game must be how people with ADD feel all the time. I never get anything done that I set out to do.
Kind of. The big difference is I'm not missing a deadline or letting anyone down if I don't make it to the shrine I set out for. It's actually a big relief; I can just let my brain run like it wants with no guilt and constant little rewards.
No Man's Sky feels like that sometimes. The amount of "just one more thing I need to check on before I get back to the main quest" seems to be growing exponentially as more expansions come out.
On a different note, I had my annual checkup today and my doctor suggested doubling the dose of my meds. She suggested this a few months ago, but I declined on account of the side effects. Now I feel like they're under control enough to give it a shot. Fingers crossed...
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