Does anyone have ADD/ADHD?

[izzy31]

I was just wondering if I'm the only one who sat down here on the computer around 7 this morning and was completely oblivious to the time, looking up and realizing 5 hours had passed in what felt like 5 minutes, while my eyes being within 3 inches away from the moniter the whole time.

I'd say I have a severe case of it.

[matti_2003]

There are a few members with ADHD I think. Is swiy prescribed anything for it.

[Riconoen {UGC}]

sounds to me like you dozed off for a few hours and just didnt realize it. it's happened to me a few times when I've gotten up that early. But if it's really troubling you see a shrink and get evaluated. peace, rico.

[izzy31]

I take adderall XR for it and it does help when I take it proper. Otherwise, it sort of just makes EVERYTHING entertaing and you pay attention to anything and everything but don't really have any control over what you pay total attention to.

[Riconoen {UGC}]

Oh, nvm then.

[jardo]

I'm ADHD and have been prescribed to a moderately-high dose of Ritalin by most 'standards' for about 3 years now.

The thought of having ADD/ADHD never really occured to me at all until my first week of university. Up until then, I had always figured my restlessness and unwillingness to pay attention to the teacher was because I just had no interest in what he/she was saying, and thus was acting out of boredom.

But after struggling to sit through a lecture of something I really was interested in, I thought maybe it was possible. After talking to a good friend of mine (who is ADD) and listening to his experiences and comparing them with mine, I decided to schedule a visit with my doctor. The rest is history.


But I really do think there's a very very thin line between ADD/ADHD and just plain self-control. I still question whether or not I *really* am ADHD, even though I know full well the difference in behaviour.

I take my medication because it works, but Ritalin will work for just about anyone. There is no blood-test or neurological assessment that will clearly determine whether or not you have attention-deficit, so it's really up to you.

But keep in mind, just because you can't sit down in the same spot or concentrate on something with laser precision, doesn't mean you have a learning disorder.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Very good info

[izzy31]

I'm pretty sure I have it, but I am aware that I can't just blame everything I mess up on ADD. I've come to realize that even with my meds I still get distracted fairly easily but still not as severe as I would be had I not taken anything.

[Psych0naut]

SWIM has ADD and had one sympton short for ADHD, SWIM has methylfenidate(Ritalin) prescribed for it, there are no other ADD/ADHD medicines in the Netherlands like amphetamines, a pitty for SWIM.
SWIMs doc is a nice guy and he knows of SWIMs knowledge of pharmaceuticals, and because SWIM had some problems with the dosage lately, he said SWIM could choose his one dosage as SWIM would know it best.

[izzy31]

Good, easy going docs are hard to find in my experience of finding one that lets the patient say what works for them - it's almost like finding the perfect girl

[N0ly]

I not SWIM have ADHD. I am prescribed concerta for it. it works to an extent i find i cant payattention to more than one thing at a time while on my medication this can be a good and very bad thing. without medication in school i can mess around on the computer and kinda pay attention to the prof. with medication i find myself on the computer and completly blanking out on the teacher. not good. as far as what izzy31 said about everyting being entertaining i dont find that to be true when im unmedicated. I find that i get bored VERY EASILY also im extremely annoying. basically i cant tell when ppl are angry at me or when to stop bugging them. cant stay in one place for more then 5-6 mins.

[bcStoner420]

I have ADD and have been on meds since i was about 5 years old. I am prescribed extended release dexedrine (15mg) and take it in the morning. Although in the past years I can still function and concentrate quite well without it, I often still use it because it just helps that much more.

[Silence_Inc]

you have adhd if you believe you have it ...

i had it from the diagnosis when i was 8 years till my first mushroom trip when i was 15.

it's all on how you handle you own mind and energy ...

i'm cured - cause i believe so.

i'm back in charge of myself.

Reputation Comments on this post:

great post

[hh339]

Yup, have it...bigtime!

[Tokyo-expat]

I do not believe ADD or ADHD are actual diseases or real mental health problems. I think they are made up diseases that allow the drug companies to make tons of money treating behavior that have been predominant in pre-adolecent and adolecent children since the evolution of our species as an intelligent being (well some of them are intelligent).
Its amazing when you look at the ammount of money the drug industry makes off of these products, which in the end dont allow children to develop certain traits on their own (like self control and concentration). Instead they make it a pill you take which "gives" you those things. Summer camps now have on-site phamacy services to give the kids their daily doses. Simply mindboggling.
It reminds me of Soma from Huxleys "A Brave New World".

[stoneinfocus]

I aggreee with Tokyo-expat, there´s some strong tribe in children and adolescent to move and explore their enviroment and themselves and their own reactions to it all, and even learning is much more efficiant when combined with phyical activity.

It has been found that learning while doing light exercise improves the tested IQ up to 20 points of the IQsystem, even chewing a gum improves learning.

So now we sedate all, depleting all the "action"-hormones that should be secreted during doing explorations and the remainder part of those stress-hormones cause major phsycholigal probs in the long run, if they aren´t depleted by doing sports at least, using them for the "fight&flight" reaction, what they´re thought for.

After sedating all, we´re having obese children and zombies that will do everything you´re telling them, cause exploring, making decisions in their self-created universe, doing their own steps into their chosen direction was never allowed to them and thus, they´re full of fear when something irregular will occur in their lives, and empathy to the other, wild lifestyle will be lost also, fear to the remainder of their own wild side they were never alowed to recognize and deal with.

If you could explore and sedate later you´ll have all the goodies... imho

[izzy31]

If it was all a big fake, wouldn't they have made a non-stimulant medication (besides strattera) and avoid all the controversy they got in the mid 90s from everyone not feeling good about giving the kids speed?

[stoneinfocus]

Who gives a fuck if it´s perscribed and sells and did I disaggree that it doesn´t sedate the children?
I´m criticising the system because it doesn´t fit to most of humans nature and it´s impossible to adapt without trading liveliness and strenght and working according to ones very own nature, for overweight and sedate children plus a major brainwash and
all sorts of BS that comes and goes with it.

Reputation Comments on this post:

great post!

[izzy31]

The thought of kids being zombies usually means they are misdiagnosed, over-medicated, or undermedicated. If the kid is already calm and quiet without the medication, they would probably act noticably more mellow and yes - like a zombie.

I see what you're saying, and I agree with your main point. Humans will actually betray their own nature and act against their natural given behavior to fit in with the crowd. We are said to be social creatures. Perhaps too social?

[Riconoen {UGC}]

Problem is is that too many parents overmedicate thier children, I knew someone who was prescribed large amounts of valium and who knows what else for bipolar disorder, it made her stoned 24 hours a day, she could barely formulate a coherant sentance. Luckily the doctor took her off and got her on the right meds and everything worked out fine but too many cases don't. We're so overmedicated it's ridiculous, psychiatrists will simply ask you a few quetions, and say "here take this pill and lets see if it works" and yet we have the drug warriors on thier holy crusade putting people in prison for ten years for growing pot. Is there something wrong with this picture?

[Psych0naut]

SWIM has to agree that many parents overmedicate their children, as a easy way out of raising them and getting them over theyr problems, just cover it up with pills.
But that's the case with adults as well, you're in pain, here are opiates, you can't sleep, here are benzo's, you're depressed, here's some prozac.
Many illnesses which are medicated with pills, both mental and physical can be treated very effectively with excersise, and a steady relaxed life.
SWIM has ADD, but found out to late, he could have done pre-college education but had to do the lowest form of education because he couldn't concentrate and focus.
It has only been a little while since ADD has been diagnosed, the psychologist told SWIM he has an IQ of 134, which is very high, but he couldn't use his intelligence because everything just destracted him.
Now SWIM is using ritalin as prescribed, and he is certainly doing some better, though still not perfect it has been an improvement.
SWIM wants to say that in many cases ADD/ADHD medication certainly works and improves life by helping with learning, motivation, attention and hyperactivity.

[M3th]

I have ADD and ADHD. I think.

I am prescribed Adderall XR 20 mg every morning.

[stoneinfocus]

Originally Posted by psych0naut

SWIM has to agree that many parents overmedicate their children, as a easy way out of raising them and getting them over theyr problems, just cover it up with pills.
But that's the case with adults as well, you're in pain, here are opiates, you can't sleep, here are benzo's, you're depressed, here's some prozac.
Many illnesses which are medicated with pills, both mental and physical can be treated very effectively with excersise, and a steady relaxed life.
SWIM has ADD, but found out to late, he could have done pre-college education but had to do the lowest form of education because he couldn't concentrate and focus.
It has only been a little while since ADD has been diagnosed, the psychologist told SWIM he has an IQ of 134, which is very high, but he could use his intelligence because everything just destracted him.
Now SWIM is using ritalin as prescribed, and he is certainly doing some better, though still not perfect it has been an improvement.
SWIM wants to say that in many cases ADD/ADHD medication certainly works and improves life by helping with learning, motivation, attention and hyperactivity.

Very good psychOnaute, that´s exactly my opinion, better put than I could have done it .

I really don´t mind using those things as an more or less acute mean to treat conditions that naturally occur when living as a human in certain enviroments -that´s what they´re for and that´s what our brain is made for, to built those drugs and learn how and when to use it.

But we should learn to use our brain more to built up an enviroment and a society that has absolutely no problem in immediately treating those conditions when they occur and to having a society that is so dedicated to every individual efficiency, to get the max out (efficiency is ther key in this articel). We shouldn´t need anyone to get a degree in different science and arts and sports, if he´s really absolutely untalented in certain tasks but has the ability to work like hell if he´s given his freedome and the instructions how to learn best.

Some people are just being forced int jobs here, because your life don´t mean shit without working or sitting in school, no, not even working obeying! .... I think much more harm is done with this, ´cause most people here should stay at home and do nothing instead of ruining other mens life with their attitude of doing a use-and funless job or ruining the enviroment by doing their "jobs", not thinking of the consequences, in the end causing taxes to raise and risking the health of people, causing pollution, opposed to if they were at home learning poems or just the normal case, sitting at home, drinking, smoking and gettin fat.(good example the coal miner in germany .. need even more energy to get the coal, than the coal would produce, leaving huge terrain destroyed by earth-work and draining water off of ridicoulusly huge areas.)

in the end it´s all a sickening general mistrust, put up by the conservative military-like thinking here, it´s so disgusting and a step into the absolutely wrong direction.

but the elder genreration wanted to get their old age pension twice,first through
their own insurance and secondly due to us kids because of a charta, that we the young should pay for the elder generation, too, that was so ridicoulusly wrong and the children are those that are spent(being too little in count to get their own pensions right, having to care about too many fat rich bastards, that never gave shit for health and enviromental concerns and being sick and old as fuck sitting on their money and owning a Hymer and a home in spain).

Few will be raised to the favour of the powers to reign and step into their footsteps, most are made Leeway by laws and being tought to not think it through, while future intelligent, dedicated, freeminded , talented "rebels" are sorted out by strict laws that applie (or not) when you do things everyone would do in certain situations you´ll be forced into, .....same old, same old, rich gettin´ richer poor are being fucked up and don´t even know anymore what to demonstrate for, bacause of the brain fuck.

Did I mention that I hate germany/germans?

Why is it that there´re 11000 suicides a year? damn I had two companions that killed themselves, one 17 years old another one drinking himself to death, being a genius comic-painter and cartoonist, that was one in a million at least, the other one being gay and not wanting to be it anymore, for some soccer idiots.

It´s awkward how the a big deal of a generation has grown to be more conservative than any other before, being spoiled, ignorant and the slaves of the old, that rasied them.... then those bumper stickers, everyone has to let the world know that they´re raising children .. how cool s that shit?" I can fuck and a child is the result!", dude, I´m so dedicated... this is christianity, I wonder if the whole terror thing is just only a mirror of ourselves.

The triggers, the damn universal christianity, and all those crimes being covered up by this christian "unity".