Looking for advice LONGsorry | ADHD Information

i agree with what everyone has said here about your probable culprit brainiac.

my whole life i thought i was a fake. my iq is also of mensa quality. when i was diagnosed with adhd when i was 23 and dropping out of school. my friends they all said..you don't have adhd you can pay attention! ha! i had through the years adjusted to trying to live a life kind of normally to get through it. now i take wellbutrin and adderall. it has saved me. i don't think of killing myself anymore. i feel a little less like a fake. my whole life i've felt like my hands are tied behind my back and i could be a magnificent scupltor or pianist..so to speak. everyone kept on saying..but you're so smart..but you're so smart why can't you just do it? if i hear that another time. "its so simple!" "just put the keys in ONE place!" "just get a reciept folder"

i didn't get a manual shift car..b/c i frightened myself practicing on my husband's truck. he and his brother tried to teach me and when they told me to downshift i had forgotten how to do it..and i was spacing out and just drove us into a ditch.

when i was a little girl i wore my dress inside out sometimes.not on purpose.

i'm a combination type. i don't if anyone out there does this...but whenever i'm interested in something and i tend to be IMMENSELY interested in whatever it is..i get kind of hyperfocused. i consume information if there is information or mastering whatever it is. but i can't focus on anything else b/c everything else just seems to be an aside. when i read the rest of the world goes away.

i'm now 29 and it took me years of crying to get me to take medication. i kept on thinking medication was for ppl that had 'severe' problems. but hey when your marriage could dissolve before your eyes b/c you can't even get your pile of clothes by the bed (closet full amounts of clothes that i could never clean up and ended up strewn across my floor have been the bane of my existence. how could my happiness be so stupidly reduced to being able to pick up my clothes????)cleaned up. thats severe.

sumi

sumiah38151.8889814815

I have to say my memory is the worst I can't remember what I say or do from one day to the next. I can be in mid-sentence then suddely forget what im talking about its so annoying. I would go downstairs & think I just forgot something then have to repeat my routine,go back upstairs then it will come back to me what I needed! Its such hassle! I will be 18 next month nothing with ADHD is improving!

brainiac,

I think its only hypochondria if you look up illnesses andd then get the symptoms!

When you have symptoms and look to find out what they mean, that's called intelligent!!!! ! Barb

Thanks for the replies guys - I think I am feeling a little more positive about things now - I am going to seek a diagnosis and see what happens.

My partner thinks I am a hypochondriac now - 'looking up illnesses on the net is a classic sign of hypochondria' apparently..... so after a huge row in the middle of Asda I agreed that it might seem that way and when I talk to a psychologist or psychiatrist I will ask them if it might be a possibility....

I don't think I am - I only looked for information on ADD because a friends child has it and I thought that it sounded like the trouble I had/still have....

My only problem now is getting around to seeing the doctor... I have been in this new location for about a year and haven't even signed up for a doc yet.... I keep thinking I will do it tomorrow....

Somehow I have to find the motivation to go do it... *sigh*...

I hate my life sometimes....

no kidding! when is one entitled to research their symptoms to seek an answer? my coworkers have accused me of being a hypochondriac b/c i have allergy shots every week. (they won't give you those unless you have pretty severe allergies! and tested severe on animal, indoor and outdoor, i have to get shots in both my arms and take zyrtec every day!it is not imaginary)

and they think adhd is not a big deal b/c they see me 'strive' at work. what they don't know is the internal struggle and they don't walk in my shoes. they don't struggle to stay awake on the drive home and feel hopelessly tired when their toddler is obviously needing attention. i'm totally whipped by the end of the day! anyway

i did read on this very website that there is high self diagnosis concerning adhd. and i believe it sited about 1/3 or something of the adults that think they have it do not. so if you're having issues and it sounds like you might have adhd. why not be properly tested?

it would save you a lot of trouble if you found your answers..or at least lead you in a different direction to find out why you're having a hard time coping with things.

sounds perfectly sane to me.

sumi

sumiah, Don't your co-workers have anything better to do at work than to find fault with you, like work maybe, earn their pay checks?

Next time they get on you about taking meds or trying t find an accurate diagnosis, maybe you should tell them that if they got lives of their own they wouldn't have time to try to tell you how to live yours!

I think I may have gotten my top pet peeve for that other post! I absolutely hate it when people who don't have a clue try to shove advice or criticism at me! I can handle a boss at work because thats his or her job, but leave me to live my life my way unless I ask for advice. I most likely never will because I come to the forums for that! LOL

[QUOTE=Cindy]

brainiac, Since my son was diagnosed with ADHD, I have often wondered myself if I have ADD/ADHD. Your post is 100% me. I could have wrote it myself.
God forbid I have a conversation with someone and a piece of paper crumping in the background doesn't make me lose track! I feel like I am in my own little world and everything is just happening around me.

Right now I am focused on my sons ADHD, and don't have the time for myself. I would be very interested in your diagnoses if you get one!!

[/QUOTE]

Don't ever feel this way, Cindy. I felt this way too. When I was a kid they just called me hyper. They didn't know what it was then. If you've never known anything else you don't know others don't struggle like you do. You think you are "normal" because you've lived this long after all. My forgetfulness was chalked up to personality quirks. There is always some way to explain away every symptom. I never had a problem with authority or a need to rebel. Part of that could be generation differences since I am 39. I did well in school despite a child neurologist predicting otherwise... but curriculum was not near the fast paced competitive type that my children face. My IQ tested in high school at 137, and by age 35 I tested at 140. I guess you get bonus points for life experience. Despite college degrees and high test scores, I never worked a thinking job I enjoyed. When I have worked I have been most happy with mindless repetitive work that left my mind free to wander wherever it would. Focus = impossible for me.

It wasn't until my first child was tested and diagnosed with ADD (I think they call every type ADHD now but my daughters don't have hyperactivity) that I began to read the literature and saw myself as if in a mirror. I also delayed getting treated to focus on my kids... but there's that focus word. Once I started getting treatment my kids benefitted as much as I did. It is like being terribly nearsighted your entire life without ever seeing an eye doctor. You think the rest of the world sees the same way you see. You believe that things are blurry in their natural state. Taking the medication to treat ADHD is like putting on a pair of glasses that give you 20/20 vision for the first time. It is an awe inspiring thing when you see what you have been missing. It's incredible when you realize that life really was never meant to be that much of a struggle. Go take care of YOU... for a change.

petite sage, what a perfect analogy for ADHD. I am in the process of getting tested right now. My son was diagnosed ADHD last fall and like so many parents I saw myself in the literature I was reading about ADHD becuase of my sons diagnosis. I have had a preliminary test which lead they psychiatrist to schedule me for the full blow test. Unfortunately I have to wait until July 12th. It's like after all these years you'd think I could wait another month but knowing that there could be relief and I have to wait is making me crazy. Luckily I'll be on vacation for part of that month so hopefully I'll get my mind off of it a bit.

cindy, like petite sage says take care of yourself and get tested. I know that my ADHD causes me to act in particular ways that are detrimental to my children. I am hoping not only to get relief for myself but an improved mother for my kids with treatment.

I am not a dr but it sounds very classic to me. You should get tested and work on finding the treatment that works best for you. You are still young enough to make something great of you future. Yes you are!

I say "Go for it!" You have everything to gain and nothing to lose! Barb

Hi,

I have wondered for some time whether I might have ADD or ADHD (are they the same thing?) and have finally done a little reading up on it. I am trying hard to be brutally honest with myself and am a little scared of what the implications of this may be.

I was one of those kids who did not get on well in school - "could do better" "if only she would focus" "a dreamer" "has trouble with authority" "disorganised" - I hardly ever managed homework, caused trouble and more. I was every parents and teachers worst nightmare - especially since they knew I was intelligent - I have an IQ that would qualify me for mensa if only I was organised enough to join up!

Things haven't improved even though I am now 35 years old - I start projects with great enthusiasm but rarely finish them (I have no staying power) I get dsitracted easily although there are often times when I am ultra focused, I find it hard to be 'normal' (not that I think I want to be but.... y'know) I miss appointments, can't seem to get on top of the bills finding it hard to prioritise with money and other things. I get confused sometimes whilst other times (usually in a thinking on your feet kinda way) I can find a clarity that my partner would die for.

I love social situations and enjoy being the centre of attention - but to be honest I feel that I don't take enough interest in those around me and don't notice that I do it until afterwards - then I feel guilty.

I like high stimulation hobbies and am happy to put myself into dangerous situations to get a buzz.

My house is like world war three - the only reason I dejunked recently was because I moved house and my partner insisted that if it couldn't fit on the little van it wasn't coming - I thought I was going to die!!! But we got here and I have already started junking up again.

I can't sit still, I need to be really interested in something before I can achieve anything and even then it tends to be a flash in the pan until something else comes along, I have trouble getting to sleep because my brain just won't shut up, I am the mistress of procrastination..... motivation is a real problem......

And this is only the tip of the iceberg...

If you have read this far, I thank you.

Anyway - I have never talked about this before and am wondering if I am just mad or whether I should pursue this... I would welcome any opinions, advice or anything really...

Thanks

brainiac38148.7059259259

Brainiac, It sure sounds like ADHD to me. I have read that they now use on ADHD but there are different kinds. I would suspect you have the combination type of ADHD. The fact that you crave thrills and have problems settling down makes me think you definitely have hyperactivity along with ADD. Like Bard said I am not a doctor though so please seek a diagnosis and treatment. I am in the middle of the diagnosis right now but just knowing that there may be some relief has given me a new outlook. But it is very had to have patience to wait for the official diagnosis and get treatment. Make an appointment with a psychologist (can diagnose but not treat) or psychiatrist (can diagnose and treat) for daignosis as soon as possible.

I wish you all the best on your journey.

Welcome to my world!!! I have alot of the same problems you do...I'm 22 and have been on Strattera for a month now. It's unbelievable how well I'm doing on it. I can now remember to pay bills, what to get at the grocery store, upcoming events and appts. I was so overwhelmed before, that I just couldn't function. I'd get up to wash the dishes and get so overwhelmed that I'd get them 1/2 done and be so totally exhausted that I couldn't do anything the rest of the night. I'm doing much better at work and people have noticed a big difference in what I can get done in a day. Like you, I have a tendency to start projects with so much enthusiasm and then I crash and burn. Whatever it is never gets finished. Now, I can stay on top of things until they are done. Believe me, there is hope. If you can find a medication that works for you, you will love the difference it makes. Good Luck!!!

Yes, I would definitely pursue this if I were you! Like Barb said, sounds pretty much like classic ADHD! Which is what I have been diagnosed with.

Trust me, the sooner you seek help, the sooner you will be better off. Because the whole process can take quite a long time. I was diagnosed by my psychologist, who then said I need to talk to the psychiatrist for medication. Had to wait almost 2 months to see the psych! She put me on Strattera. 5 weeks later I stopped taking it due to terrible side effects (most notably the extreme depression and anger).

Now I'm on Wellbutrin for the last 3 weeks. Seems to be no help. I have another appointment scheduled with the psych on June 21 for the next drug trial. She said she will probably give me Adderall to try.

Point is, I was diagnosed the first of March and here it is 3 months later and still haven't found the right drug for me.

So I would say that the sooner you get going on this, the better!

Right now I am focused on my sons ADHD, and don't have the time for myself. I would be very interested in your diagnoses if you get one!!