DinkBeech
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For anyone who cares about someone with ADD/ADHD, I thought this was a good description for how getting medical help can help people handle it. There's no shame for looking into it if you are struggling to manage the conditions on your own.
P.S. He's sorry for missing a couple words here and there.
FP Edit: Wow, thank you for all the support. We're really glad that this started a conversation. Just as a blanket statement, we want to say that if you are seeking help, the first place to start is your primary care doctor. This is what he did and he was prescribed Adderall to help. Medication is not the solution for everyone, so it is important to do your research, but it can be a very valuable tool and it is worth the time to look into.
Here is a link to a test you can take to help determine if you think you might have ADD/ADHD: https://psychcentral.com/quizzes/adhd-quiz/
Here is a link to a video/YouTube channel that helped a lot when he was diagnosed as an adult after his daughter had just been diagnosed as child. She has a lot of good resources, advice, and educational material: https://youtu.be/jhcn1_qsYmg
Her Ted Talk led him to get diagnosed: https://youtu.be/JiwZQNYlGQI
Best wishes to you all, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions on ADD/ADHD issues, we'd love to keep the conversation going.
TurtleyaMOOsed
I work in a school w/a kid who has ADD & ADHD. The family isn’t supportive, takes the kid on & off of meds (mostly off). It’s rough :/
BigBenThisHeresRubberDuck
A dear friend of mine has severe ADHD, Type I BPD, sensory problems, and severe FND. This makes me think of her...
MasterBaconProclomation
It’s exactly this. I just feel like only one tv is on and I finally found the fucking remote
DetectiveSloth
Damn maybe I should get some adderall...
VasculrShaft
Can attest. Medication really helps. For me it helps me sift through multiple threads of thought and be able to idle the ones not relevant.
VasculrShaft
Still there in the background. Loaded in memory. Just not taking CPU time.
yourfriendlyneighbourhoodtzimisce
Tell him I dig his analogy, and am glad the medication is helping. +1
SuperbBackhand
Honestly, I'm sure the adderall help formulate that thought
experiencemike
So you're saying.... Sentient Adderall?
sleepypersephone
Clarity. I felt that in my bones
jbilly90
Wow really good analogy
hjpsycho
Finally officially diagnosed at age 30. It was like my brain was doing the old TV "auto program" but trying to follow the story of one show.
hjpsycho
Shit, I just remembered I have an appointment to finally get a prescription tomorrow. Thanks for reminding me guys and gals.
FantasticTwinkie
This is 100% true
Ana5ta51a
My friend's son had take it and he said that his brain "was less squiggly"
Corrodias
I might give it a metaphor of a fog. Or maybe a loud restaurant. Sometimes I wonder whether I should get back on (I was using ritalin), but»
Corrodias
at this point I don't *need* it; I'm doing well enough and can concentrate on things if I want to. Reasons not to take them are that I »
Corrodias
don't fully understand the side effects to my personality, and I rather enjoy food now and don't want to lose that pleasure.
skaroreg
I think adderall has different effects than Ritalin. Like if I have nothing going on I don’t take my meds.
kkanne20
adderall made work easier and helped my anxiety. problem was the comedown (yes, even with XR) made me depressed every night. had to stop :(
CourtsCrystal
I take Dexamphetamine and the come down from it is pretty rough. Like landing a plane by just hitting the ground with no wheels or warning
curiouscorruption
Yeah, the comedown sucks for me too. It's... gotten better, recently though. Idk why, but I'm thankful.
kkanne20
interesting. that makes me curious and think maybe i should've stayed the course. but i also grew tolerant of adderall very quickly...
sometimescash
I’ve struggled with some type of attention deficit, it’s become so bad that I’m forcing myself to seek help now.
K8alwaysknows
You won't regret the help. I was diagnosed at 31 and it explains so much. Once you know the game, life is so much easier.
MasterBertrandTheSecond
As a fellow Imgurian with ADHD, I fare this man good luck in his journey to cope with and control his symptoms.
tonksl
It calms down my mind and takes away my anxiety. It's so helpful
drcurlyfat
Thank you! Never in a million years did I expect it to help with anxiety. It's amazing how much less anxious you are when you finish stuff
knizill
Totally took away my social anxiety. I dont feel like I NEED to drink in social situations anymore.
drcurlyfat
Yep. That was a positive effect I did not expect at all.
SkyrimBelongsToTheNerds
I have ADHD. For me it’s like my brain has to many tabs open, and you can’t find the one that’s playing music!
mcminnow
Yes! Perfect analogy
Phatplat
Still have a million things in my mind but now I can assign priority.
curiouscorruption
Yep. Medication helps so much. Regardless of all this new "outside understanding," I always feel like people don't think it's real...
abrakadumbass
TRIANGLE SOLO!
Vintage903
I’m ADD and back when I didn’t have health insurance, I tried an adderall that a friend gave me. It was like my brain was finally turned on.
sassybeckalicious
All those things I understood but couldn’t quite achieve- now i can finish projects
Vintage903
I was 27 when I realized that dull feeling that I get where I can’t think quickly & I feel ‘foggy’ is a symptom of being ADD.
ladyatlas777
I wish my husband would get help. He is already diagnosed, he refuses to do anything other than "try harder". It's ruining our marriage.
mcminnow
You can’t try harder to correct a neurotransmitter imbalance. That’s like trying harder to not be diabetic
ladyatlas777
Yeah tell me about. He's being pretty unrealistic.
mcminnow
That kind of understanding of yourself is not automatic and can sometimes require an experience that challenges your way of thinking
ladyatlas777
He's known he has ADHD since he was 7rs old. He was medicated as a child. At age 14 he wanted off of them. He has refused to see a doctor
ladyatlas777
Of any kind. I've told him he doesn't need to take meds if he doesn't want to just go to the therapy/counseling side.
wisco97
For me it’s like being at the eye doctor, everything is blurry & a lot is going on. All of a sudden it’s clear but more focused, like 1/2
wisco97
All of a sudden I looked through a telescope. It’s like the bumpers in bowling, but for your mind 2/2
exlurker42
Sounds about right.
Myothercarisadelorean
My son has ADHD thank you for giving me an idea about how his medication and mind works. God bless.
JerkStoreCalling
How did you get him diagnosed? I need to test my son but his pediatrician isn’t helpful.
welcometostarshollow
It can help some people but is not a cure all. There are many options out there now. Find a specialist and work with them
sassybeckalicious
Yes! What it did was allow behavior therapy to actually work! It takes a good effort to overcome
sassybeckalicious
It helps me sleep. I thank all the gods for this intervention. My life is no longer chaos
LeSighduck
This is fascinating. I don't think I have any attention disorder, but I've frequently wished for something to quiet my mind for sleep.
peeeopeepeee
As someone who suffered severe insomnia from it, I don't know how you achieved that
sassybeckalicious
I wish I knew. it is just a more peaceful existence maybe? less anxiety..more organization?
Babaloga
Adderall helps you sleep? Like, when you take it? Just curious because that would be a super weird reaction to a stimulant.
sassybeckalicious
I use the immediate release and time it to "wear off" toward bed - but I go to sleep with a quiet mind - used to wake up 8x's a night
popejubal
If I hwve half a can of Coke (diet or regular), I get really sleepy because the constant chatter in my head quiets down.
Taxicat
Insomnia is a common issue with ADHD because your brain just doesn't want to slow down long enough to fall asleep.
skaroreg
It can help you sleep. It helps balance out your brain chemistry. You actually sleep better when you are taking it and will find that
skaroreg
Less hours are needed. Most ADHD people can drink a coffee at bed time and go right to sleep so it’s kind of the same effect.
skaroreg
I try not to take mine later than 2pm other wise it’s not helping me work anyway.
causality
That's the difference between a recreational user and a patient. That it's a stimulant doesn't matter when your head is finally silent.
GoldenGreek10
I can personally attest to what @casuality is claiming
Luckyanomaly
Truth
Babaloga
Huh, I've been a patient for years and it's always kept me up if I take it too late. That's interesting.
dm80x86
At 5mg adderall does let me sleep, at 20mg it affected me more like you expect to.
sassybeckalicious
Yes, I asked my doctor to help me get to "zero" instead of being able to "see time and space"
Mikehugehunt
Patient here. In low dose extended release helps with sleep. Higher prescribed dosages prevent sleep for up to 18 hrs on me.
sassybeckalicious
the "how do you spot the tweaker at the store" joke is what I think of when I had those few days before we lowered the rx
sassybeckalicious
(he's the one with the cart upside down, fixing the wheel)
copingcabana
My wife had a similar analogy except her mind was a class of school kids and adderall is the teacher.
drcurlyfat
For me it was more like watching tv while your dad mindlessly changes channels. You have no control over it, so you watch whatever's on.
copingcabana
And hyperfocus is a WW2 marathon on History Channel.
ixamxber
Reading these comments, you can really tell who actually has ADD/ADHD and who doesn't. Good on your friend for getting help
TheHaloFollower
Yea. I got diagnosed through brain balance, but all the medication made me feel like a mental cap slid in over my brain and just stopped me-
TheHaloFollower
From actually saying whatever came into my head. Yes I gained a honed focus, but at a huge cost. I never was hungry, I didn’t talk much-
TheHaloFollower
And basically flipped from an extreme extrovert to a seriously depressed introvert. I never believed the medical term describing thoughts-
TheHaloFollower
Of suicide until I started on 60 mg (if I recall) of Adderall. My parents wanted me to keep going, but I REALLY wanted to kill myself.-
123angelsandairwaves123
60 mg is fucking insane. I was taking 20mg for years. Currently taking 5mg 3x daily. 60mg will make u anxious as hell. Also as I was growing
TheHaloFollower
I got so scared that I just scrapped the rest and told my parents I’d never do it again. Glad to say I’m doing okay now without it.
feeltheice
What the fuck. 60mg is way way to much. 5mg is a good dose, as high as 10. Your doctor is so fucking wrong.
curiouscorruption
Explain? :0
TheWhiteJonJones
Sentence structure and excitement. My brother has severe adhd but doesn't like to take adderall. I take it and holy fuck
curiouscorruption
Hm, yeah, I feel that. Why doesn't he like it? Just curious. I dislike how irritable and emotionless it makes me. Sucks the joy out of life.
Arkayb33
The ones saying it's super addictive, meth, dangerous, etc either watched that sillyNetflix doc about it or took it recreationally/abused it
Arkayb33
The ones saying that it's calming, helps them focus, turns down the noise, etc probably follow their Dr prescribed dosage and were diagnosed
Arkayb33
PROBABLY. I've seen both types in both camps but typically the ones that bitch about it have abused it in some way
NeyaQueenofBacon
Oh yeah I understand that. It messed me up though. Barfed every morning, super jittery, cold, light headed, and became under weight. Had to
captainikag
Anyone that tells you "Adderall is a type of meth" has no clue what they're talking about, for example.
feeltheice
Well I mean I've been taking it for about 20 years now. It is a 'type' of meth.
captainikag
That's incredibly poor categorization. "Is meth" is in a completely different circle from amphetamine. Methamphetamine =/= amphetamine 1/2
feeltheice
Poor categorization? When it comes to US drug law?! Never!
captainikag
Meth being an amphetamine does not make every amphetamine a type of meth. That's just blatantly wrong categorization. 2/2
Unverified
All Adderall did fir me was make me interested in EVERY. FUCKING. THING.
RutilusMonachus
That's how it was for me, as someone who grew up dealing with ADHD, I stopped taking Adderall in high school and have never looked back.
CourtsCrystal
You probs didnt have adhd then cuz thats not how theyre supposed to work on adhd brains (im a psychologist)
TheEmeraldProphylactic
That’s how I am without medication, except I also lose interest incredibly quickly and flick from thing to thing
TheEmeraldProphylactic
Never diagnosed with ADD
skaroreg
OH MY GOD YES! I’m 40 just started adderall a few months ago and this is the perfect description!
BurntMomWarfare
I siad it was like a bunch of cars speeding in every direction and it gives them lanes and a speed limit.
squach81
I have been on it for 3 years. It helps to focus your thoughts, but I found it's just one part. I use a smart watch & a lot of reminders.
skaroreg
Yes. I am still learning to focus on the right things at the right times but that was never even a possibility before
squach81
I went back to school at 34, graduated with my LPN, and I'm now working on my RN. Adderall helped focus me, but I need lists and reminders
discardedusername
Be careful of long term use, adderall has recently been found to lead to depression in some, again long term, just an fyi
skaroreg
Depression tends to be a co-condition with ADHD anyway. So there is a good chance that people diagnosed later in life are already depressed
DreadPierateRoberts
I like to say things are less shiny and distracting
dudewheresmyname
NotAdderall but Ritalin did this for me. I could actually work from home w/out cking the fridge every 2min to see what there was to eat.
potatnia
Omg I've been working from home and eating everything and getting caught in hours of useless browsing. Do I have adhd or am I just an idiot?
skaroreg
People with ADHD do tend to think they are idiots so it could@go either way
potatnia
Well shit.
DreadPierateRoberts
Adderall like to try to make my heart skip beats. So Ritalin it is
InternetExplorer2001
Can you snort it?
mcminnow
No
BurntMomWarfare
Yes
InternetExplorer2001
Neat
rowdybme
be careful...its easy to abuse the shit. It is literally the same thing as Meth
McGiggins
Incorrect. It's the same as speed.
SqueezitTheClown
It doesn’t affect people with ADHD like that. It’s actually calming and focusing.
captainikag
There is a very large gap between the amphetamine Adderall... and actual meth. Being in the same category means less than you think.
drcurlyfat
As someone who started on it in my late thirties, I tried abusing it a couple times. It was just uncomfortable and was not pleasant at all.
drcurlyfat
Perhaps if it's not something that helps you function "normal" in small doses, the "high" from an extra dose might be fun, I don't know.
mcminnow
No. Overdosing on adderall just feels like shit. There is no fun from higher doses.
Unklejrad
Not sure you know what the word literally means...
discardedusername
Well, while I took adderall I came back positive for meth. I wouldn't even know what that stuff looks like. So perhaps that's their meaning
frogsnot
That's because both contain amphetamines. One is cut with sugar in a pill form, and the other with God only knows what.
onlyhalfghost
Adderall is methamphetamine and racemic amphetamine, street meth is basically the whole phenethylamine family mixed with dog shit.
wuttwuttinthebuttbutt
I recommend looking it up. I’m not being shitty, really, go look it up. You’ll literally be surprised.
Unklejrad
No i did, its similar, but literally the same it is not
wuttwuttinthebuttbutt
I’ll help. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literally
muramaza
They're the same drug class, but you're wrong if you say they're literally the same.
rowdybme
well I have literally taken both, so I would literally know. ya fucking boner fart
FartBoner69
Sup
rickeyspanish
lol he said Boner fart...he wins
Unklejrad
So what you meant was...it has similar affects on you....not that they are literally cooking meth in a lab and shoving it in a capsule
rowdybme
Desoxyn is prescribed to people with ADHD and is literally METH. Adderall isn't exactly the same chemically, but it affects you the same
Unklejrad
Labeling it adderall and giving it to kids...cause what you said at first is the 2nd thing...ya boner fart