Hey there
I am in the same situation as you- female, inattentive and was not diagnosed until graduate school. I struggled with school my entire life and always thought I was just plain stupid because it would take me five times as long to get anything done as the rest of my classmates. I know this happens quite frequently in that only the hyperactive boys will get diagnosed because they cause the most disruptions and are more salient. In fact, I didn't even know that girls and for that matter adults could have add until I was told I had it lol. Just goes to show what the stereotype of add has become...
I wanted to ask you as well, if this is your first year at college? I thought that perhaps that sometimes a new situation will make the symptoms worse...for example I guess I was able to kind of deal with my symptoms, or at least mask them until I got to grad school because the environment here was just really bad for me (ie not any structure) and my parents stopped helping me organize stuff. Thats basically when I realized I had a problem and sought help...I was just wondering if perhaps you had a similar experience?
For those of you in college, what subjects do you have trouble with. I have trouble in math, does anybody know what kind of accomidations I could get in math class. Thanks
Hi all,I'm 20/f with ADD. I've always been shy and quiet, but had problems concentrating on anything and procrastinating. I took Cylert, an alternative to Ritalin in middle school and part of high school, but stopped taking it my junior year of high school. Recently I've been having major problems concentrating on getting things done in my life, so I went to a doctor to get back on medication. I did not want to take Cylert due to the liver problems it causes. The doctor prescribed me Effexor, an antidepressent also used to treat ADD, and I practically freaked out. For the few days I could stand it I spent most of the time crying. I talked to my doctor (who told me the symptoms I described were not because of Effexor, even though many people online have reported similar symptoms) and started on Strattera. I've been taking that for 12 days without any signs of improvement and a constant tired feeling. My brother also has ADD and is taking Concerta with great success, but I cannot get my doctor to prescribe either Concerta or Ritalin due to it being a controlled substance and I made the mistake of admitting I had tried some illegal substances. I'm in my junior year of college, but I'm having a really hard time with classes and life in general because I can't seem to get started on picking what classes I want and what I want to major in. I recently decided not to continue computer science, but I feel very uncaring about continuing schooling or practically doing much of anything. I think the Strattera has made me feel like just crawling into a hole and staying there forever. If anyone has any advice, let me know.
Hi SpaceCB615, Katemily and minastar,Hi there. I'm also a college student / teacher who is finishing up a special education certification (big surprise there). I'm 21 and was diagnosed last fall with ADHD. Up until the diagnosis, the doctors thought that I had other things that mimic ADHD such as depression and anxiety. I was prescribed Effexor, but felt worse on that. I then tried Zoloft which did nothing. BuSpar came next which made me tired all the time and finally I was put on Lexapro which made me feel OK but did nothing for my concentration problems. I tried Dexedrine (10mg) but noticed nothing. I then tried Ritilan (10mg) and noticed very little improvement. Next I was given Adderall XR and noticed some patchy improvement (i felt i was doing better at certain times of the day). I was then put on the short acting Adderall (10 mg tablets) and took one as I felt I needed them which was 2-3 times a day. But pretty soon I was feeling like I needed more and the doctor told me to take it 4 times a day. Soon afterwards I started to feel like sh*t. I was getting anxious, aggressive, and was starting to chew at my lip until it was bleeding while getting into screaming matches with my family. I finally just quit taking them all together. Now I'm ADHD all time time, constantly bouncing off the walls, but at least I'm myself: I'm happy, cheerful, funny, people like being around me, and I feel like I can take on the world. On the downside, I can't pay attention to anything and am dreading going to class.
I now feel I have a few options: I can take the Adderall only when I need to go to class and do homework, or I can try something different. But I am tired of swallowing pills that make me feel like @$$ and have a lot of side effects. I have recently heard that using marijuana in small quantities can be beneficial. I have some friends who use take a puff or two of weed before taking on a concentration task (they don't get ripped but just use enough to feel better) and they swear that it helps. But of course there is the whole being illegal and unsafe side to that option. Adderall IS amphetamine though and I have felt the downside of that drug more than once since using it.
Does anyone have anything to relate to this with?
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