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Adult ADD is a very real thing and I have it. I was on meds for while but I also have Depression and we just haven't found a good balance between the two. So, until I can mind a combo that works I just remember that I do do things in a weird way but as long as they are done, and done well, in the end I will be okay! Mr. Hedgie has to be patient with me and I just have to keep reminding myself at work of the important task at hand.
**sigh** yeah, it's exausting isn't it? :) My FI is extremely patient, but im the impatient one. We balance each other out nicely when we are together, it's the times when I have to focus by myself when it's the worst. ill probably go to the Dr soon about it.
I hope you continue your search for the balance and all will be right in your world!
@TheJeanses2012: Me too! But remember, you aren't alone and if you ever need anyone to vent to over the frustrations and headaches that adult ADD causes, I am here! I have been through it all so I certainly understand!
You sound very much like me. I always am thinking "what's next?!?" and have diagnosed adult ADHD-combined type. I take Dexedrine, which is amazing... But can make me be a little bit OCD about the tasks I'm doing.
I would get tested. My diagnosis is the only reason I'm in grad school.
Thanks I appreciate it! In my group of friends and family I am the one that people talk to, so it's difficult for me to be the talker or even find people that are willing to listen. Thanks! I'll PM you sometime!
Thanks! I will certainly get tested for it. I almost feel weird about it. Like, for 29 years I may have this disorder and then I get tested and possibly diagnosed, it will feel like 29 years of something that could have been helped? I don't know, I guess I shouldn't ask that question because we can't change what's been done.
Good luck in Grad School! I am hoping to get there too!!
My husband was just recently diagnosed with Adult ADHD and is now on adderall. I definitely think you should go in and get tested. My husband has had a lot of the same things as you. He's incredibly intelligent so his doctor said his mind was able to find a way to work around his ADHD issues, but he's a "classic case" as his doctor has said.
Now that he's on aderall he's says it helps him so much more at work. He can focus and is able to concentrate instead of being all over the place.
Wow!! SO glad to hear another success. This is so encouraging. Thanks so much!!
One of my undergraduate professors told me I have ADHD and that's how the whole thing began for me. I was tested and big surprise, I have adult ADHD. Actually, I had ADHD as a child too but I just didn't know it, nor did my parents. It certainly does explain a lot about why I was always in trouble at school or couldn't stay focused long enough to take exams.
Like you, I do my best work standing which allows me to fidget and move around. I used to be on medication but I chose to stop. It's been hard but at least I don't feel like a zombie anymore.
Since I was diagnosed I have been seeing a therapist. It has helped me realize that I'm not stupid or ignorant, I just learn differently. Sometimes it takes me longer to grasp a concept or finish a project, but by no means does it mean I'm dumb or lazy. And finally I have a medical reason for all this crazy hyperness. My mom used to say "Do you have to go to the bathroom? You're doing the peepee dance." because I would always be jiggling a leg or bouncing up and down. When she called attention to my hyperactivity I would become self-concious because no one else was bouncing around.
It can't hurt to get tested. In fact, it might actually bring you a little peace as it did for me. =)
Haha! I was a pee pee dancer too! I was probably ADD as a kid as well. I have always done really well in school, I've always had straight A's and my GPA in college was 3.85. So I think that shadowed what was going on to my friends and family. I have always been really good at hiding the struggle that's inside.
I am kind of scared about meds. I try not to take hardly anything. Right now I have an anti-axiety (lorazepem) that I take if I am having trouble sleeping. It's very low does and one 30 pill count lasts me 4 months. So the thought of these attention medicines, is a little scary!!
What do you do differently to help with your focus now that you aren't on meds?
@TheJeanses2012: Don't be worried about the drugs, because some people are saying they make them feel weird. They kinda do, but it depends on the drug. For example, the one time I took adderall in high school... I did homework for 11 hours straight and didn't pee or move or talk or get up or anything. Clearly not the right drug for me.
Now with my dexedrine, I started at only 5 mg a day, and am now on around 40 mgs a day. I have to watch it because if I don't take it one day (or even for a week) and then take the 40 mgs, I will be very very focused. I have to build back up to the dose, because it gets out of your system. If i take my full 40mgs a day... I may be a little quiet (and not as "fun" as I am, off of it), but I am focused and can actually complete tasks.
I think the biggest "drug hurdle" for me was that I had to accept that when I take the medication, I'm "normal" - aka I'm not being loud and fun and obnoxious. It took a little while for me to see that the drugs weren't making me a zombie.... its just I am a crazy, loud, hyperactive individual when I'm not on the drugs.
Good luck and if you ever need anything feel free to PM me!
Ahh thanks for calming me down! I got a little anxious just thinking about the meds part. I'm very sensitive to all chemicals, so I'll be sure to let my doc know this. I can't have too much caffeine either, it's crazy how different everyone is to meds!!
@TheJeanses2012: I'm like you. I hardly ever take any medicine, even ibuprofen or something for a headache. I don't even like to take multivitamins lol. So it was a HUGE deal to me to be put on ADHD meds. It took a long time to get the dose correct and my therapist and I went through a bunch of different types of drugs as well. The only one that worked was Adderall. But let's face it, for people like you and I, we know when drugs are in our system so it never feels quite right, even if it does work as it is supposed to.
I actually wrote about what I do now that I'm not on meds on this thread a little while ago. Hope you don't mind if I copy/paste it here for you.
I was on meds for several years. I recently stopped because I just didn't want to be on them anymore. What really helps me is being able to release my hyperactivity. One way I do this is by using a standing desk in my home office. It allows me to fidget and move around but still work at the same time.
Another thing that helps is something FI calls "burst work". I work on something for a set period of time, say 20 minutes, then I take a quick break to walk to the mailbox or make some tea. Anything that will be a change of scenery from the work environment. But I have to make sure I limit the time of these breaks or else I get too distracted and can't get back to work. Then I work for another burst and then another quick break. Even just walking from my office upstairs down to the kitchen or into the backyard and then walking back upstairs to the office can be considered a "break".
When I know I am going to be doing a lot of writing or tied to the computer all day I put on some background music. It has to be music with no words. I end up sort of ignoring it but that makes me focus more on the work. (I know, it doesn't make sense when I read this myself, but that's just how it works for me, lol.)
@TheJeanses2012: I can't do caffeine either. But, I can do dexedrine quite well! Lol. The thing is that people with ADHD respond to stimulant medications differently. Caffeine (a mild stim) does nothing for me except make me sick. Dexedrine (amphetamine.. probably the strongest sim out there)... it makes me calm and focused.
My brain is WEIRD!
Check out ADD Forums - I hung around there a lot when I first was diagnosed and trying out medications!
Thanks for this! A standing desk is a great idea!! I am going to start setting myself little goals to achieve. My FI has suggested this, but I also do this weird stubborn thing that prevents me from seeing the benefit of suggestions right away. I tend to push back a little, and then finally come to realize the suggestion was a good one.
So weird.
@eagle: I think the biggest "drug hurdle" for me was that I had to accept that when I take the medication, I'm "normal" - aka I'm not being loud and fun and obnoxious. It took a little while for me to see that the drugs weren't making me a zombie.... its just I am a crazy, loud, hyperactive individual when I'm not on the drugs.
That's a really good way to put it. You're right, I'm not really a "zombie" and that was a bit of an exaggeration. The meds really mellow me out which is the complete opposite of my "normal". The drugs make me non-ADHD normal. Which basically means quieter, still, a little more reserved, hesitant (or at least not making impulse decisions), etc. But then again those symptoms are all in reference to my normal, which is loud, boisterous, bouncy, hyper, etc. So I suppose I come across as "normal" to someone who doesn't know how I am off meds. But to me it felt like I was being held back or suppressed compared to how I normally am. Although it was really great for focusing and getting things done.
@eagle: Thanks for recommending that forum. I'll have to check it out.
@TheJeanses2012: haha I do the same thing. I always say no, then after awhile I'm like well, on second thought....
I am sure that's a normal way to feel too. That feeling that something is holding you back from "your normal". When I was 20 or so, I was diagnosed bi-polar, and they had me on a certain med. Well it deifnitely surpressed me and it made me feel like total Sh*t! It turns out i'm not bi-polar, and I stopped taking that terrible drug. I never went back to be re-diagnosed, but I am guessing it's the ADD thing that I've always been struggling with.
@TheJeanses2012: Oh wow! That's a serious mis-diagnosis! Thankfully you aren't still trying to treat something you don't even have.
There is a lot of comorbidities that exist with ADHD, but often times someone who has ADHD and hasn't been diagnosed will have been wrongfully diagnosed with something like bi-polar. Even moreso for women, is "borderline personality disorder".
Also, if you are sensitive to stimulant medication, they will often put you on a low dose SSRI. It can help with mild cases, but more often than not... strong cases of ADHD need strong doses of stimulant medication.
Maybe no one would be interested in this - but one of the things I studied (as a term paper) in my Bachelors degree was the evolutionary significance of ADHD. Google that term if you're interested! But basically, the theory is that there are two type of people (genetically speaking) that evolved from the caveman era: hunters, and gatherers.
Hunters are always moving around, able to multi-task and focus on many things at once (for example: spearing that wild animal while remaining hidden in the grass) and are the "risk takers".
Gatherers were just that: they can gather small things, organize socities, do menial tasks to make sure the camp is organized.
Basically the theory is, that since ADHD is in about 5-10% of people, making it a trait that is not-random (ie: it has evolutionary significance and is advantageous)... these people have the "hunter" gene. However, we live in a society that values the gatherers.
@BayStateBride: Check out this: ADHD as a Disorder of Adaptation ... and this blog post, which sums up what I was trying to say a bit better.
I found this thread from another ADD/ADHD thread - so thankful! Nice to 'meet' other people in the same boat as me! 
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So, I have always been a thinker. My mind has always raced a million miles per minute. As a kid I was always the one standing up at my desk to do my work. I had so many hobbies and "talents" as a kid that I never stuck to just one.
Fast forward to now. I have had the same job for 5 years, and the CEO from day one says I have an attention disorder. He brought it up again the other day when we were chatting. (He is a mentor to me, so we chat randomly all the time).
Part of my daily life frustrations comes from this focus issue I have. If you gave me a list with 1, 2 and 3, i will automatically be thinking about 4-10 by the time I get to 3. Today, I set myself up to do a task at work, and once I was set up, I ended up checking my email, went to the kitchen, came back, checked my email again, ate a handful of goldfish, read a news article, and then finished my task. UGH!!
The only time I am at "peace" is when there is nothing to be planned and my environment is soothing. Right now we are closing on a house and getting married March 10, and the townhome is in an upheaval!
So of course sleeping is an issue in times like this, work is an issue. I have a three year old daughter from a previous marriage, so my mind is always thinking of her as well.
The point of this is, do you think I should be tested for adult ADD? Is this a normal thing that we all go through when things are hectic?
Does anyone actually have adult ADD that can sympathize and help me to do things that can help before getting treatment?
Thanks in advance ladies!!