Meds don’t seem to be working--what now? | ADHD Information

I have either inattentive ADHD or executive dysfunction as part of my Asperger Syndrome (high-functioning autism).

I've tried Strattera and Ritalin. Neither of them worked even a little--beyond what a placebo would do. I get better results from caffeine... in fact, if I want to get anything done, I usually have to drink coffee.

I'm extremely good at organizing things, but I'm horrible at remembering things, managing my time, going from one thing to another, and blocking out things that distract me. I have a hard time making decisions quickly--to the point that I can't drive because I don't make decisions quickly enough to avoid ramming into someone my senses registered, but my brain didn't. (I can learn to drive, but I need a driving instructor and it will take longer than most people. Currently I can't afford one.)

Observations:
--Executive dysfunction in autism can mimic ADHD; but autism+ADHD is a very common combination, which I could easily have.
--Both a stimulant and a non-stimulant ADHD med have been tried; neither worked. Strattera made me very sleepy; Ritalin made me feel strangely "narrowed"--as though my thoughts were slow and I could only think about one thing at a time. Couldn't do schoolwork while I was on it.
--But caffeine, a stimulant, seems to help me a good bit; so chemical assistance isn't altogether out of the picture yet.

I need to try learning some skills to overcome this problem.

I've started already on one thing: A planner. Now, an actual planner would be put down somewhere and forgotten, of course; so I've made myself a belt pouch and belt, in which I carry a small pen and memo book. If I can remember to put on the belt in the morning, I can remember to keep the memo book with me.

(Creative solution, neh? Any other ADHD people out there who had to resort to WEARING their planners?)

What else can I do? How do I learn mental discipline? Especially important is overcoming my tendency to hyperfocus (or perseverate--that's a tendency in autism too) on one thing. For example, let's say I'm writing an essay on my computer; and it's time to go to work. I may look at the clock and see it's time to work; but nothing but the essay seems important, so I keep writing. Transitions like that are hard everywhere. Once I stayed a half hour over my quitting time at work, because I was so involved in organizing the womens' shorts (it's a thrift store).

And then, the opposite: Something that doesn't catch my brain, somehow--especially math, for some reason.  I do half a problem; I think about something else; I start fidgeting even more than I usually do (I'm in constant motion--another ADHD/autism trait; autism involves repetitive movement, and ADHD, fidgeting). That happens in doing things that are pleasant, too: While playing a computer game, I may forget what I was about to do, and wander aimlessly in-game for a half hour, not only unaware of what I intended to do, but unaware that I intended to do something!

I need to overcome this, and I'm beginning to think that maybe meds won't be the answer, or even make it easier--either because I'm one of the ADHD cases that don't respond to meds, or because my ADHD symptoms are actually features of my autism.

So what else can I do? I have all this potential... I know I can do a lot more than I am doing. I have a mind like a perfectly tuned-up race car: Fast, strong, and specialized... but I can't find the keys to the ignition!
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