EVERYONE AND A FRIEND HAVE ADHD!! | ADHD Information

hey,

calm down. I understand where you're coming from, but have you considered the fact that when a lot of us were young there were no such thing as ADD, ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, and so on?For example, 20 years ago very often the child was blamed for all problems it may have encountered, people didn't even think about taking the child to a psychologist. (This doesn't mean everybody, of course, but the average person wouldn't do so). I don't know how old you are, or how things were in the US 20 or 30 years ago, but a lot of us are older (I'm 30, for example, and sometimes I think if I was less stubborn I'd probably killed myself when I was a teenager, for the simple reason that nobody seemed to care about the bad state my mind was in).People simply said you're lazy when in fact you had very different problems that can not be solved by studying like mad, for example because you just can not study because you cannot concentrate, ergo won't understand or remember a thing anyway, or you go mad when you have to sit doing something you cannot concentrate on but aren't allowed to leave, etc. I don't know how you manage to fight your concentration / motivation/ hyperactivity problems (and all the other stuff that seems to come with it), but I just freak out. Perhaps you are a stronger personality than most of us, or perhaps you only have certain symptoms, but I am sure a lot of people don't really like taking chemicals their body doesn't produce (or release) as it should, but they take them because they finally would like to do "normal" things other people do without all the confusion and effort, because they would like to use their brain to their full capacity. I know by now I'm quite intelligent, but I never had the grades to go with it, for various reasons. I don't know whether or not I have ADD, but I certainly have a lot of the symptoms. As far as I remember, there are quite a few people in this forum who are not sure, but find that medication helps to fight the symptoms. Also, bear in mind it is almost (?) impossible to definitely diagnose somebody to have AD(H)D, and there are most probably different degrees of it, too. But, to come back to the point I mentioned above, one main reason why you see so many people claiming they suffer from AD(H)D these days is already due to the fact that just in recent years it gained some attention from doctors and from the public. Then, consider the fact you cannot say 100% whether or not this is the cause, and finally you are left with not so many people. Also, nowadays more and more people go online, which makes more people "visible" to the world.

I hope you think about this, and finally I would like to ask you why on earth you went to this forum if you seem to cope so perfectly alright with your life? Just to get pissed off?

Anyway, take care, and I hope you will be able to be less angry about things like this, and look at them from all viewpoints before you write.

whats up with the new trend of everyone and their friends thinking that they have ADHD and ADD?? It really pisses me off, people think that just becuase they can't sit still, or are having a hard time finishing something that they have ADD. Its insulting to those who realy do have it, like me! I'm a very nice person, but come one people; when I hear people who are have trouble doing something exclaim," MAN! I really have ADD today" or the popular,"I really can't do my homework, I must have ADD". Its pathedic and it's becoming an excuse for laziness and for people who want an easy way out. Well I have as bad of a case as the next person, but I dont want any cop-out of easy street, infact I dont even take my meds unless I absolutly have to. If it takes someone 1 hour to do something envolving concentration, it's takes us 2 hours. we need to accept that, and realize that you can live with ADD, and manage it. People think that it's ok to brush off laziness and confusion with having ADD. This isn't ok and if no one takes any action, we are going to be a group of people looked at as a study, experiment, and in some cases a mistake. amen Sheen. I am 38 and they did not know what it was. Also, ADHD people OBVIOUSLY have a low tolerance. That is what I was thinking when I read MJ's post. Dont let me make you mad MJ, I dont mean to. You don't know what a relief it is to know the reason we could not keep up with our peers. We had to try twice as hard and still do. There are always going to be those people that blame this or that for their problems but then there are the ones that are truly ADHD and the other people don't bother me. My problem is that I still have not told my parents because I do not think they will understand. My friends act like all I want is drugs even though I am not on a stimulant. That is what makes me angry. I will keep my diagnosis to myself because people judge you if you tell them you have it.

Mr. Perky, try a search on oldman56 to see some of the other comments I have made on the side effects of Straterra. My Psych wanted me to try it so I did. It was a bid 1.5 month mistake. I am just getting over the bowel problems it produced. Dixepeep and I also experienced waking up at about 3 am.

I started on 40mg and within 4 hours I was experiencing restricted urination. Like 3x as long to drain my bladder. I felt like my prostrate was cronically contracted. After 4 days at 40mg I went up to 60mg. I felt like I was wired!! My Psych did not want to hear or believe that I was experiencing all the negative side effects. She was biased against adults getting stimulants, (I had been taking ritalin 20mg SR and 10mg 2x a day for over 5 years.)

My suggestion, do'nt waste your time on Strattera at any dose. If you are having the side effects, say so now. My experience after a month is they do not go away.

I am back on ritalin and welbutrine and doing well.

oldman56

Hiya, oldman! (been wanting to say that to someone for a while now :) I've seen some of your posts and it does look like has been a trial for you. I'm mostly negative on the symptoms (see my recent post on the Strattera Side Effects survey) but the sleeping is definitely down hill overall since I've been on it. Interesting because the Doctor prescribed Strattera as a treatment for ADD and (mild) depression. It is believed that the depression was causing prior sleep issues. So, the fix is at least for now making the problem worse. ADD wise I seem to be fairing better, but it's only been a week now.

However, I will be paying much closer attention to the symptoms now that you mention it. I'm trying to be unusually patient with it, but I don't particularly need to be.

Like you, I have also had some negative feedback from Doctors about prescribing stimulants as a medication. There is just som much abuse of stiumlants. However, I think a lot of Doctors just don't understand that the stiumlants don't stiumlate us! They calm us down and help us focus instead. That is counter-intuitive and hard for them to get a grip on.

-- Mr. Perky

Hi Oldman!

When I read your post regarding Strattera side effects, I could relate. I have been on 80 mg Strattera for like 5 months. I have experienced difficulty urinating, semen leakage, and other problems. Unfortunately, I have, to a large degree, felt too tired to try to convince my psych. I needed a stimulant, and also afraid to push the issue and thereby "treat myself". My psych prescribed Strattera because there has been some chemical dependancy in my family. I've since read, however, that proper stimulant treatment lessens the rate of substance abuse in those with ADHD.

After having been told by a therapist for a while that I lose things, leave my lights on, etc. to "punish myself", I have finally started seeing a therapist who has ADHD. She called my Psych. and told her very directly that I needed to try a stimulant. Though my appointment is a week and a half away, my therapist insisted my psych. start me on it now so that my recovery can get underway. My psych. didn't like this so much, and said I'd have to wait until the scheduled appointment before she would "prescribe such an addictive medicine". I feel like I've been searching so long (8 years) for the right treatment, and I hope she is willing to let me try it. How did your doctor come to be convinced that you should try a stimulant med?

Thanks, in advance, for your feedback.

Right there with you Sheen, I an 31 and finally realized a lot of the things that you mentioned, I barely made it through highschool after summers and nights catching up, and forget about paying attention in a meeting at work, its just not going to happen, I thought for the longest time and I was constantly told by teachers all through school that I was lazy, lacked initiative, all those things, finally thanks to the internet I am finally able to try a different approach to my problems.

It sounds like you are angry about more than the issues others have. I would suspect that you are in the angry stage. (Kubla Ross's stages of loss). Once I accepted that I had an ADD problem, I was embarrased to admit it to anyone. After I started taking ritalin, I was amazed at how easy my life seemed. I can recall that I thought, "So this is how ordinary people feel." I was calm, and I could easily maintain a coherant line of thought. I wouldn't forget what I was just thinking, talking about. I could recall people's names. ( I used to ask for someones name again 10 seconds after they told me.) Etc.

Once you accept that you have a "disability" or disorder, problem, whatever you choose to call it, you can begin to talk about it, (Thanks to whomever started this forum) and begin to feel greatful that it is not a personality disorder, or flaw in your character, or other people's character. It is so liberating to be able to discuss these issues with other people who really understand how it feels to have the group of problems we call ADD or ADHD.

I really appreciate you all for being out there and I like reading your comments. The honesty is sooooo refreshing.

wmp

After attending a support group for my son's ADD, it was suggested to me to see a local doctor who specialized in ADD diagnosis for children in order to be evaluated myself. (Are long sentences atypical of ADD?) (Don't you love writing/speaking parenthetically?

). Well, this doctor was fairly combative with me as to why I was seeking a diagnosis. I think this was feedback from so many adults seeking help for ADD because they have been "turned on" to it by current advertising. (AdultADD.com anyone?) So I blew him off then spoke with my son's counseling agency. Turns out they work with Adult ADD as well. They diagnosed me (at 38 y/o) and another doctor at my family practice was a bit more understanding and clued in. He's prescribed Strattera and it's been a tough 4 days so far. I've had major sleeping problems in that while I fall asleep easily enough, I'm waking up more than 20 times per night. And tonight it has woken me up at 3:45 and I'm unable to sleep :( Maybe I'll try to return to sleep now. Good night.

Mr. Perky

I read a post somewhere from someone who stated they bought an excellent book for ADD. They would also buy this book for other people with thw expectation that if the book helped them, then they could reimburse this person for the. book. Sound familiar to anybody? I'm sorry but I don't have the attention span to sit and reread evey post? LOL

Does anybody else find themself reading backwards? I can't read a long passage or book (without having to reread it becasue my mind wandered) so I tend to skip large sections to th end of the page only to find out that what I just read makes no sense and have to backup one paragraph, only to find out that what I just read makes no sense and have to backup one paragragh, only to find out........see a pattern forming here?

I have an appointment on wednesday for a referral to a psych for diagnosis. I hope I'm doing the right thing. I always thought I was normal.

ADD seems like a trend to me too, which is discouraging because I think I actually have it, yet I don't want to make any assertions until I am assessed by a professional. Nobody has diagnosed me (but I was diagnosed with Autism), I'm a 17 year old girl, and if I do indeed have it, it's definitely of the inattentive variety which is obviously the hardest to spot seeing as you don't tend to misbehave or disrupt the class or anything.
It IS very silly to assume you have a mental disorder simply because you forgot to hand in a piece of homework. That's not ADD, that's just forgetting your homework. EVERYBODY forgets things, and daydreams, and fidgets, and panics, and loses things, but people with ADD obviously do this to such a degree that it begins to make their lives very difficult. I just don't know where that line is drawn...

[QUOTE=sheen]

hey,

I hope you think about this, and finally I would like to ask you why on earth you went to this forum if you seem to cope so perfectly alright with your life? Just to get pissed off?

Anyway, take care, and I hope you will be able to be less angry about things like this, and look at them from all viewpoints before you write.

[/QUOTE]

This is a long post for an ADHD board.