does adhd systoms have cycles | ADHD Information

Lynnann, cycle indicates a timed schedule so I'm not sure. I do know about things falling apart even though I'm tap dancing as fast as I can. I can't tell you the number of times in my ADHD life I've thought of this line from the poem, The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats:

Things fall apart; the center cannot hold


I should ad I am too scattered to let this get me down for very long; one of the perks of ADHD, , or a natural Pollyanna-like survival skill? A correct diagnosis and meds helped.

does it cycle, like depressions. 

do you all have times when things are good, but then it all falls apart.  or is it just me.

No cycles here. . Just always trying to keep my head above water. 

Adderall helps get me going and follow through.  Lexapro helps me not worry worry so much about my short comings.

[QUOTE=The Resistance!]
I also suspect Rit as a depression cause and making it worse.
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Resistance, I hope you discuss this with your prescibing physician.
After giving this some thought, I still don't know.

There are days when Ritalin seems unable to help, and others when it is very powerful. I've tried to reason this out from diet, med vacations, sleep etc., but no cause I can give with certainty.

These seem to come in cycles, but of only a few days.

Ritalin doesn't work well during depression either. That happen to everyone else?

I also suspect Rit as a depression cause and making it worse.
Many people take both an anti-depressant and Ritalin. 'tis under discussion already.

Plus outweighs the minus so far.
The winter months tend to be more depressing for me as well, and there are definitely times that I am more of a mess than usual, don't know if its a cycle though, I'll have to try to keep trackI seriously think it had something got to do with the full moon  :)

lynn - I've mentioned it before that I do notice a cycle with myself and others with ADHD (at least when not medicated).  I look back and see that it was about a 3 month cycle of being able to keep things together, be focused and with effort be able to seem pretty much normal.  But after that it falls off steeply and the ADHD will take over.  That's the way it seems with inattentive ADHD in severe type anyway.

I guess if you don't have a good grip on things then the cycle doesn't happen.  Then you'd just be at the mercy of ADHD and there wouldn't be a visible change.

As for me, I think my functioning cycles. Unmedicated it's aweful, with medication it's bareable. Maybe it's not ADD related, although I think it is. Truly, I believe ADD includes much more than the DSM/shrinks/psych people realize. We are treated separately for all of these other things like anxiety and depression etc...-How is it that if almost all of us have the same symptomology it is not considered a part of ADD?

I'm not sure if it's a cycle -- but there are definate times when ADD is in full swing and others where a person seems almost "normal"

I've seen it with myself when everything just seemed to click and go right, and then on other days, wonder why in the world I couldnt keep it together like I did 2 days ago doing the same things?

I've seen it in my students who seem to work and finish all their work and stay in their seat on a specific day,  and then the rest of the time be climbing the walls!

I think that it's part of the frustration of ADHD -- the inconsisitency. Why in the world can we do what we need to on some days and then blow it all the next?  Why can we remember apointments the day of then forget about them 2 hours before time to leave?

I don't think we have a predictable cycle because of that inherent inconsistency. Maybe it does cycle in some ways, but in no way could we predict our good days based on any pattern.

Sherry

I don't really know, but I am curious - it sort of sounds true. I plan to think this over in the coming weeks. I believe a cycle existed for me & I believe the cycle was ADD related.
It was a cycle of self-fulfilling prophecy.
I had low self-esteem, procrastination, disorganized …all that stuff and untreated ADD.
I had years of proof that I would fail, and everyone seemed to point out some area that I needed improvement. I had become conditioned to the fact that failure was the only possible outcome.

Not any more…at 40 years old… I’m doing what works for me.
I will not take the counsel of my nay sayers.

My favorite line is EDUCATE & MEDICATE.

Makes me think of Joe Dirt.
“Life’s a garden Dig it.”

If it does, I cycle several times a day.  Really, it's hard to say.  I know my depression is worse Nov through Jan.   The ADHD seems to depend on my obsession at the time.  Does that make sense?  I wish I would obsess on Fly Lady again.
That will likely be me next up. I don't think the ADHD cycles I think we see differences based on what else is happening around us.

Like if your going through a period of depression or stress the symptoms will seem worse because you've added more symptoms onto what you are already dealing with. And if everything is going great your ADHD symptoms will seem a lot better.

I don't know the answers obviously this is just what I've noticed in myself. I see how things change with me from day to day but I also don't just have ADHD. Maybe it's easier to see if it actually cycles or not if that is the only disorder someone has. I have an anger problem and a depression problem so it's hard for me at times to see where something is coming from. I just know the more things I'm dealing with the worse everything gets.
[QUOTE=psychgirl]

-How is it that if almost all of us have the same symptomology it is not considered a part of ADD?

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A question I would love to see a definitive answer for.
[QUOTE=psychgirl]

We are treated separately for all of these other things like anxiety and depression etc...-How is it that if almost all of us have the same symptomology it is not considered a part of ADD?

[/QUOTE]

Almost all of us have anxiety and depression? Psychgirl, this sounds like a great idea for a poll. It's probably already been done, but it's hard to find anything on this site.