Opinions on ADHD? Would like to hear from you.

[chase]

I'm a 27 year old university student trying to finish my undergrad in finance. I've had issues my entire life getting through school and would be embarrassed to post my university grades anonymously let alone show them to an employer. My school was threatening to kick me out and I explained my situation to them. A counsellor suggested I speak to a psychologist and I was recently diagnosed with ADHD. I?ve been prescribed 40mg of vyvance one day and 50mg the next. I must admit that it has had a remarkable effect on my grades recently.

Finance has taught me, for good or ill, that any and all information requires validation. I poured through the internet and my school library on books, posts, and medical journals about adhd. I'm no med student (never even took biology in high school) so much of it was another language to me, but there seemed to be as much information in favour of the existence of adhd, its treatment and medication, as there was against it. I was very surprised to that adhd medication is an amphetamine; isn?t that like methamphetamines, a highly addictive and destructive drug? (though I?m sure 40mg is much less than "street" value). I?m really hoping to get some insight from others about their opinions, findings, and observations.


Adult patients:

How do you feel about your diagnosis? About adhd in general? Do you believe it?s a "disease" or is the medication just a short term fix for some future alternative? Does it seem like adhd is an adequate diagnosis or a misdiagnosis of something else? Is there such thing as adhd at all or just failure in education/ parenting/ something else? What medication are you on? Has it helped? How do you feel about it staying on it indefinitely, or have you already quit/ considered stopping medication in the future? How do you feel about any information about adhd you've been given/read?



Medical students or practitioners (of any level):

How do you feel about the diagnosis of adhd in a patient? How do you feel about the prescription of amphetamines for a psychological illness? Is it really a "disease"? How do you feel about long term use of adhd medication? Are any long-term side effects outweighed by productivity gains? Are there non-prescription alternatives (such as behavioural modification and cognitive behavioural therapy) that you think could replace medication? Do you think there needs to be any treatment at all or is it some failure in the patient?s development/ environment?



As always, any and all input is greatly appreciated. As for patients, I?m mostly interested in hearing from adults though input from parents on child diagnoses are appreciated as well.

 

[suewatters1]

I have ADHD I was diagnose in 2004 at the age of 41. I wish I would have been diagnosed at a younger age. The DR I had at the time didn't believe in Ritalin and stuff like that but her way wasn't working for me.
I found another DR who started me on Ritalin then Concerta. He had me on 54 mg of Concerta and he wouldn't go higher.
I manage to convince my then family DR to try me on 72 mg. I stayed on that dose till I met my new Psychiatrist. WIth time he got me to try Adderal XL where I am now on 30 mg.
I know I have ADHD.
Medication helps me but not 100% that is for sure but it does help to better multitask at work on a production line. I wish the medication would help me more. I realize medication just isn't enough for me talk therapy is good because the DR or counsellor might have ideas to make my life easier.
Maybe one day I will find a drug that will work better then the one I am on now but I figure any improvements I get from this drug I will take.
Also knowing that I have severe ADHD and still manage to stay at one job(28 YRS) I was told is very good especially if you have the major depression I am dealing with I was told. But better understanding of the fact I have ADHD makes me more accepting of myself while other people who know me may not believe that ADHD actually exist. I know and that is what matters to me.

Welcome

Sue

 

[David Baxter PhD]

First, ADHD is a legitimate disorder, whatever you may have read on the internet, and it's not difficult at all to diagnose, although the key that some practitioners miss is that other sources of the symptoms (e.g., anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, etc.) should be ruled out.

For individuals with ADHD, stimulant medications are usually the treatment of choice. That often does surprise people unfamiliar with ADHD but they work because for individuals with ADHD they have a paradoxical effect: Rather than "speeding" you up, if you have ADHD stimulants like Ritalin or dexadrine have a calming effect which aids concentration. If you are prescribed stimulant medication for ADHD and it makes you feel high or "speeded up", it's the wrong medication for you and there's a good chance the diagnosis is debatable.

For the same reason, individuals correctly diagnosed with ADHD who are prescribed stimulant medications do NOT become addicted to them.

 

[Ronbell]

The reality is ADHD is a much more layered disorder than even I recognized. I was originally diagnosed 8 years ago, but I too held the same viewpoints/subjected to the negative stigma as you...until I recognized the legitimacy of the disorder from websites like this one (and Dr. Baxter) and others on the web. In person, doctors have had me guessing and questioning my diagnosis for a long time prior to 2008. Mis-information and lack of education/understanding of ADHD is the real danger to society, not the medications.

I've been medicated for it consistently for the past 2 years now, and despite the help the medications bring, being on medication for as long as I have has made me realize: I've got a lot of bad habits learned from this disorder, and they're not going to go away with meds alone.

There is a point where even people with ADHD can get more benefit from the meds that go beyond treating the disorder. That's a discouraging fact, because there is a misnomer out there (particularly for people with ADHD who have also experienced illegal substances) that you actually need to "feel" the medications working in order for them to have an effect. That's entirely false. After being regulated on the medications, it should only treat your symptoms, and to do that you do not need to feel them working.

It is normal for an average person to feel fatigued and not put their best efforts forward when they're doing something that requires hours of sustained focus. The problem with ADHD is where do you draw that line? Also to say people with ADHD were basically born with ADHD, so they don't necessarily recognize some of their symptoms as being an issue or a contributing factor to their impairment. For example, if you've felt restless, constantly bored, and even have issues with maintaining and regulating emotion, how are you supposed to know it is not normal? -it's all you have known in life, where do you make the baseline for comparison? The only thing most people recognize with ADHD is the attention issues and the fact that they're incapable of studying for 10 hours a day, 5 days a week.

When you notice that the medications have treated those restless feelings (It was incredibly liberating for me) and the bordem lifts, and you're able to not speak out like a jackass (even though medicated I recently lost my job from voicing my opinions), then the attention issues become a bit more in 'focus.
Focus can be attributed to many different things as well, not just ADHD. I recognize this, because my medications treat my other symptoms, but not necessarily my focus levels. Increased dosages may have an effect, but it would in turn produce an unnecessary "high" and it would also push me in a much more lethargic state. Mentally I'd be firing, but I'd be "zombie'd". I'm sure most people understand what I mean by that.

What I'm getting at is there could be other contributing factors that can increase these focus levels when that is your only really notable impairment: Diet and exercise is a big one (more diet than exercise) ; if you have depression, or any another mental disorder.

I take 40mg of vyvanse now, but I used to take 54mg of concerta daily. They both work pretty similar. The main difference between the two is that I found concerta helped with my restless feelings more, but at a cost of decreased mindfulness. The vyvanse also 'lasts' longer.

Also note, that I use my behaviours as a benchmark for determining effect, moreso than sensations. For example, I used to have a hard time brushing my teeth, to the point where they decayed badly. It is normal for me to skip brushing my teeth occasionally now, but if I notice I'm not doing things that I normally should do, I re-evaluate the cause for the diminished effect.

To be honest though, being treated for this disorder has dramatically improved the quality of my life.

In short, here are some progressions I've made in the past few years:

-I was almost homeless 6 years ago, kind of was for a few weeks. Was so poor there was a period where I didnt eat for 5 weeks.
-I had 13 severe cavities; my teeth were literally rotting away, I had big holes in the eneamil. (All have been filled, and my smile is much more desirible)
-I have lost 25 pounds. That is because of workplace demand and being capable of making healthy eating choices. NOT from appetite suppression. (although I still cant get myself to cook)
-I was incapable of working more than a week without taking time off. One job I had 50 sick days in a year before the let me go. I worked for almost the past two years without a single sick day.
-I have went from making 18k-22k a year, to over 90k last year. Yep. Not exaggerating.
-My videogame addiction has completely subsided. Having the mental freedom the medications have enabled has removed those 'hooks' associated with ADHD, and my previous addictions (to cola and videogames) are gone
-I own my very first car, and nice things
-My blood pressure is now classified as optimal, and i'm physically in the best shape of my life


Socially I'm not much better off. I attribute that to introversion and being incapable of living in the present. (Something medications alone cannot help) I still have many bad habits, and regulating time is still an issue. I think a lot of my problems that the medications haven't been able to solve are deep seeded problems created by living with this disorder undiagnosed. It will take a lot of mental effort, mindfulness and even counseling to resolve those issues.
My addiction to my medication isn’t the addiction to the drugs themselves, it’s to the positive life changes ive been capable of achieving. There are many days where Ive accidently taken two pills because I didn’t realize I’ve already taken some. There really is no physical withdrawl symptoms.

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