If stimulants do NOT calm you down....... | ADHD Information

does that mean you don't really have ADD?

My diagnosis has always been a bit fuzzy.  Extended testing resulted in a report that I still did not truly understand.  It seemed a bit inconclusive.  However, I am in the process of having the report dug up (just a few years old, life did go on, other things came to the forefront but now I'm back to questioning whether or not I have ADD) and re-read by my other doctor. 

Side note:  I go see this man and every time he says "make another appointment so we can really read this report Dr so and so did and discuss it"............only I swear this guy has ADD as much as I do because every "next" appointment he's not prepared yet again. LOL

Anywho, the main question is this:  I have a history of cocaine abuse.  I am not sure if I'd say it calmed me down at all.  I would say that it's just a highly addictive/abusable drug and the euphoria is what makes it better than regular "stimulants."  I could focus alright...........if you call obsess and be ridiculously REDUNDANT "focusing."   I would not say that was preferable to a lack of focus at ALL. lol

Because of this past issue, we obviously were leery of me trying any kind of stimulant ADD meds.  However, there was always that mystery of "wonder if they would have a calming effect or a focusing effect on me" that loomed out there. 
Eventually I was given Ritalin to try and I couldn't even get past one of the two doses I was prescribed per day.  I hated it.  Reminded me of the crappy coke fueled anxious feeling only WITHOUT the euphoria that coke also provides (albiet brief).

The question my primary care physician has (however she is not a pych or an expert and knows this) is this:  If stimulants make you feel edgy, nervous and jittery is that not a sign that perhaps you are NOT ADD???


I feel like I'm right back to where I started.  I'm just lazy and immature.  I can accept it, I suppose, but I just want answers.  No excuses but just a clear yes or no..........is my life my fault or are there circumstances beyond my power and I'm not a complete dolt?
Lee7440018.3179513889

The function of stimulant meds are not designed to calm you down. They are not tranquilizers and those with ADHD do not need to be calmed, they need to be focused.. The right med and dose  allow you to focus so that your thoughts are not all over the map which therefore elimnates a high level of distraction. Your then able to meet your full potential in all areas of life if you chose to do so. If one is feelinge edgy it may mean the dose is too high or its the wrong medication. This is not a measure of whether the meds are effective or not or whether you have ADHD or not. Medication should never be given to make a diagnosis. A clinical diangnosis should be made first and then medication recommedations. Medication management should be under the supervision of a certified psychiatrist, not a general practioner and more so in your case because you have already had a substance abuse problem. There are many other med choices besides ritalin and only a specialist can monitor you properly. Good luck

Oh, I have seen all the experts.  They are all part of the same hospital where I am covered by my insurance so they are all connected to each other in some way or another.  My General Practitioner is just the one I see most frequently because of other health related issues and meds.  We were discussing things and this came up and the whole "what did that report actually mean again?" thing came up. 

It was at this time where I mentioned trying a stimulant (Ritalin) ***which WAS prescribed by my psych**** and hating it instantly as it made me anxious and instantly reminded me of my long gone "wired to the gills/cocaine" days.  My psych told me to just stop taking them immediately and I did.  I think the only other "ADD med" I tried was Concerta and that made me feel like I was having a heart attack after minimal physical exertion. 

Anywho, she just had the same reaction that others sometimes do in that she questioned if you could truly be "ADD" if a stimulant caused that reaction.  In other words, NON ADDers tend to get all "wired" on stims.  The thought process is that for people who are truly diagnosed with ADD and are PRESCRIBED a stimulant by their psychiatrist, would notice a calming effect where they could slow down enough to focus and pay attention.  Or.........put another way, it simply would not have the same "speed" like effect non ADDers would feel.

Hope that clears things up.  I understand what you're saying and totally agree and it's been a very responsible trip down this road on my part as far as getting qualified individuals involved to help me and to properly diagnose me.  However, it seems that even among experts there's a question as to just HOW certain any ADD diagnosis can really be.  I'm actually not sure about this myself.  Is it something that is not so easily diagnosed for SURE or what?

It is not that I need or want a "label" or an excuse for myself.  But there is a comfort in understanding just what cards fate/heredity/mother nature has handed you and knowing that you can then move forward in learning to live with these things or get around them.  That's quite a huge difference from ............I'm not ADD and I can't explain why my life seems to be spinning around going nowhere.   Is it me or is it ADD? That's what I need to know.  I always got the feeling the basic summary of the report done of me after months of testing was a bit ambiguous.  With both my parents long gone, there isn't anyone to interview about my childhood and what I was like from a somewhat objective observer.  Yes, your parents aren't the most objective but you know what I mean.........it's more objective then you trying to remember how you acted as a child.

That plus some test scores, I THINK, added to a question of whether I was ADD or just..............lazy, immature, lost, etc. 

Oy.  Second verse, same as the first.  I'm at square one again.  Ta da!
Lee7440018.5639467593So, the question remains.......

If stims make you jumpy, jittery, anxious, nervous, etc does this mean that you are NOT ADD?

Or, do some people who genuinely have ADD also react to stims like non ADDers........i.e.  hyper and edgy?

Most of what I can find online makes it very cut and dried.  Stims hype up "normal" people but don't have that same reaction with ADDers.  True or false? 

Anyone know?
I've read that stimulants work for approx. 80% of people w/ ADHD.  What I've never read is what the reaction of the other 20% is, so I can't really tell you if your reaction means anything, but

Have you tried any non- stimulants?  Strattera never worked for me, but I've found Wellbutrin to be extremely helpful.  It's an anti- depressant, but it works on the dopamine (same thing the stims work on) and is often prescribed for ADHD. 

I guess my decision about medication has been, forget it.  They told me it might take 2 years and about ,000 to find the right one, so I gave up, but one can live with this disability without meds.  Medical science is far from exact about these kinds of problems, and meds. don't solve everything.  In the end we have to live with ourselves.  Just a humble opinion.

I'm no expert but I think I can really understand your frustration.  I have all the symptoms of Inattentive ADD, but I never got a single reaction from a stimulant.  I wasn't edgy; I wasn't anything.  So I had the same questions you do, but I have done lots of reading on the internet where I've found my exact symptoms.  I've also found my late father's symptoms, and my grown daughter's.  I know that's called self-diagnosis, but my psychiatrist admits she knows nothing about ADD, so I feel I have to take care of myself.  I want you to know you are not just lazy and immature, as I've found I'm not just "lost in space" and slow.  Admitting and accepting I have this disability has changed my life, in that I can forgive myself for never having been what I was supposed to be.  And if you find a medication that works, good for you.  But if you don't you are just like everyone else; you're not just your disability, but you have a spark of the divine in there.  Uh-oh, I'd better stop before I start preaching to you!  I sincerely wish you the best, because I feel I can understand some of your struggles.  Mig58

 

The stimulants make some folks with inattentive ADHD feel very jittery and anxious.  My inattentive son did not tolerate them at all.  He most definately has Primarily Inattentive ADHD. 

Tess

The Inattentive subtype of ADHD is more likely to have
internalizing symptoms such as anxiety. This should be
taken into account when treating this subtype.

[QUOTE=Tessmesser]

The stimulants make some folks with inattentive ADHD feel very jittery and anxious.  My inattentive son did not tolerate them at all.  He most definately has Primarily Inattentive ADHD. 

If meds make the pateint feel jittery or anxious its because its the wrong med, wrong dose, wrong dignosis or some people just don't respond well to ADHD. There is no correlation between inatttentive ADHD and such unacceptable side effects.

Looks like Lee is gone, but do try working on a brain-healthy, sugar-free, caffeine-free diet.  There's lots of info around the net. 

Things like dark sugar-free chocolate.  Have found these in covered nuts.  Or cacao nibs (low caffeine).  Wild salmon is excellent.  Walnuts and berries are great brain foods.  Healthy oils and skip the bad fats.

Sugar wreaks havoc on the brain.  Caffeine can do the same. 

Might want to skip white refined products, like flour, sugar, rice, etc., and go for the unrefined version. 

 

 

No, I'm still here.  I appreciate all the input.

At this point, I think I've come to the conclusion that I don't NEED to be 100% sure that I am really ADD which, I think, is why I asked the question originally. 

The fact that I second guess everything, looking for absolute certainty, and totally live in my head and think things to death probably speaks volumes anyway. lol

I've also come to the conclusion that it's something that I'm probably going to have to work with and around vs medication for the ADD itself.  I do take an antidepressant and honestly I think that helps with the feelings of frustration that ADD causes me in my life.  Stimulants are probably not going to be the answer. 

I have recently tried (with doctor's rx and monitoring) a very small dose of a stimulant.  It didn't make me jittery but it was a very small dose.  Since I recently had weight loss surgery this med was discontinued until we feel it's safe to resume.  His thought process was that even though the dosage was very small, if it didn't have adverse affects we COULD proceed to up the dose and see if I experienced any helpful effects. 

Nevertheless, I'm not counting on it and have decided that due to prior abuse of cocaine, I'm not willing to push my luck on this front.  I'd perhaps try it but with extreme caution.  Otherwise I really think having been where I was in the past..........ADD isn't the WORST thing I could have to deal with.  Though it IS extremely frustrating to be the way I am in some ways (the living in my head, the drive to DO something with my life but never knowing how to actually DO anything to push me foreward............also the impulsivity, etc) I can still say that I prefer to view this as simply a very big challenge in my life and be grateful that I just figured it all out and can go on from there.

Still, I'm not immune to any good advice so, again, thanks to all of you for your input.