Lol, well I just woke up and it's too early for me to get deep!
But I can tell you that both my doctor and my therapist have told me that they generally find that, as far as stimulants go, that for most people either Adderal works or Ritilan. For some it's one and for some it's the other.. And some can't tolerate any kind of stimulant... For some it's a combo of stims and other meds like wellbutrin. If you decide to medicate, it may take a long time to find the right dosage or cocktail for you.
As far as the difference between the stims; Adderall is a mix of four different amphetamines, whereas Ritilan is Methylphenidate. Two completely different stimulants that one may react completely differently to.
I'm sorry to hear that you had a negative experience on your very first med. I'd advise trying to find a doc that treats many ADD patients as he/she will have lots of knowledge on different treatment options.
I understand how you feel struggle. I was diagnosed a year ago and ever since then, I've been frustrated and trying to come to terms with the fact that my chance at happiness and living a normal life is at the mercy of a pill. Even finding the right pill is a battle. I am still trying to cope and help myself adjust, but my mind just doesn't work with me and it gets tiresome.
I also feel angry that I didn't see this before, almost like I blame myself that I wasn't educated about adhd when I was younger. Now i've got a long history of poor academic performance, and a lot of catching up to do in college.
Sorry, sometimes ya gotta vent...
ADHD_Is_Boring38512.4151273148Thanks everyone, this is exactly what I wanted to talk about. I used the work "Therapy" not so much to mean going to a psychiatrist/psychologist or coach (though I did mean that!) but also intensively working with ones self to change ones approach to doing day to day things.Invisiblemonki noticed an ability to drop things that are just impractical or unimportant. Thanks for mentioning that! I’ve been able to do that too, just didn’t realize it!. Not only when I’m dilly-dallying, but even when I feel like someone has slighted me, I am able to move on. I still do not ‘get over it’ but I am able to postpone the discussion.
Struggle said, “I care about myself more than I used to.” Ditto! I feel more hopeful now than I can ever recall. I still don’t know if it’s the meds or all the other stuff, but the little successes (I’m really trying to notice them) are very encouraging.
One thing I totally attribute to the medication is a huge decrease in unconscious leg bouncing/gum chomping/(unnecessary)pen and mouse clicking and general noise making and fidgety-ness.
PS—so far I’ve kept up with my Quicken bill paying schedule and new financial ‘plan,’ The Palm Pilot is still current. Little successes right? (50+ days and no late fees or service disconnects--whoo hoo!)
[QUOTE=Struggle]After many years of resisting taking medications for ADD, I started taking Adderall a week ago, 10 mg twice a day. It has not improved my concentration or alleviated much of the ADD symptoms.[/QUOTE]
Keep in mind that 10mg is a pretty low dose. And though you may notice it doing 'something' it may not be enough.. I would guess that many on adderall are on more than 10 mg. 20mg is good for me. More than that and the side effects become too strong. (I have side effects with 20, but they are managable; dry mouth, slight lack of appetite.) More thatn 20mg aand I am clenching my jaw all day and that sucks! Talk to your doc and maybe try a higher dose. Or maybe try ritalin, as it's a completely different type of stimulant.
Evvy38510.8045601852what ever happened about teaching what you don't have happen naturally. All ins. Polocies don't cover spd therapies. Our did before and don't now. To keep that policie the comp. would of had to pay more. This is nice to hear. I haven't looked around yet, to see if a post with coping techniques exist, however, if we don't we should maybe get one!After many years of resisting taking medications for ADD, I started taking Adderall a week ago, 10 mg twice a day. It has not improved my concentration or alleviated much of the ADD symptoms. The reason I started taking it is that I couldn’t handle my ADD on my own anymore. I am 34 now, highly educated and have a steady excellent employment. But all of that came at a very high cost of effort, patience, frustration and sacrifice. Eventually, all that translated into mild depression and heavy drinking. Also, I noticed through out my life that there is a limit to my achievements that I couldn’t go beyond because I am too overwhelmed, impulsive, and indecisive for the many things that are going on at the same time in my mind.