ADHD memes

I felt like the euphoria was from being able to focus and retain details about uninterrsting things for more tha a few minutes, and after a few weeks the novelty wore off.

Good to know.

There's also usually a ramp up period with a lot of medication. It takes time before it really starts working so there's a very real chance this is more of a placebo effect

And I feel like some people lean on energy drinks to fill a similar function as well.

Grandma had coke in her soda.

I waited until the last minute to get a refill (work has been hell, and the entire having to call in for renewals is so anti ADHD it's not even funny) and was off them for the weekend and today, not even funny how much more anxious and cranky I am right now, I do not have any energy to deal with peoples stuff today.

How... do you go about getting diagnoses as an adult? I am 38 years old and relatively well adjusted, I think?. Career, home, family, degrees. But I always just thought I was just, idk, wierd, but I have learned to occasionally point my hyperfixation in a constructive direction. It is always fixated somewhere, getting through school, my job, but whatever I am fixated on, it is the only thing that matters in the whole world. I graduated at the top of my class with a 4.0 and all the awards and accolades possible. I am a high level supervisor at my work, etc. Like, I am doing OK, but other times I will get distracted, and for a month my fixation will be a video game, or my fish tank and my work will suffer. Once I lose interest I would rather put my head through a fucking wall than deal with the details of something I no longer care about. Even if other people depend on me to finish something it is pulling teeth for me to finish it. All it gets is a superficial level of attention. None of the passion. My life is a series of rabbit holes and half finished projects. For me I am fine, but the people around me that get neglected when I am on to something else.... if I am focused on my job, it consumes me, every waking second I am either at work, talking about work, working on stuff for work, getting another certification for work, and I am terrified if I try to refocus to try to maintain some sort of work life balance I will lose any reasonable interest in work and everything I have done will be for nothing.

Writing it out I feel far less "adjusted" than I thought... my wife has pointed it out for years how it actually affects me, (and her, and the kids) more than I realize. Sometimes I get in the threads in this sub and I have a "Oh, shit..." moment where I realize so many of my own patters relate to the comments in here and wonder what life would be like if I actually took care of it. I was diagnosed when I was like 7 but it was never followed through with or treated. IDK. 🤷‍♂️

Although… my meds have been on back order for the past two months…

How does going off them affect you? I've always been hesitant to start medications for my issues because I worry what will happen if I lose my insurance or supply issues happen. It's getting to a point where I'm running out of coping strats that actually work though...

I used to stay up half the night during college so I wouldn't get distracted. To this day, I kond of prefer being up late when nobody else is around bcz it means I won't get distracted easily.

What meds, instant/extended release, and what dosage?

I'm on Adderall XR 15mg and after an initial "holy fuck" phase for a couple weeks it's tapered off into a nice rhythm. Shit isn't perfect, but I'm able to get up and get shit done. However, I also have the "I'm not hungry because of Adderall thing. And the thought of eating right now disgusts me.". Which helps with the ADHD snack binges I've struggled with. So I'll take that over the upset/queasy stomach feeling I had with a non-stimulant med I took for a few months a couple years back

If I wind up skipping a day I'm usually fine and don't feel any negative impacts. However, I also drink a shit ton of coffee (typically black) so that could be helping curb any withdraw sysmtpoms.

ADHD meds are lowering your blood pressure?

Yes which is why I was switched over to the Strattera generic which isnt a stimulant. It helps but honestly therapy and exercise did most of the work.

I was 33 when I finally asked about a prescription; and I felt kinda dumb that I had been "just dealing with it" my whole life, when suddenly breathing had become much easier with ant-anxiety meds.

I guess I was worried about becoming addicted or would lose coping skills and become dependent on it in order to function. But nope. I was wasting so much mental energy before, just trying to wake up and feeling like the sun was screaming at me. I can taper down my dose when my anxiety is more controlled, sometimes I forget that I didn't take it. Sometimes I wake up and pretty much immediately take it.

It helped me to begin understanding my anxiety on a much different level than simply, "I'm just having a bad day". It was a game changer

It's worth finding a doctor that treats adult ADHD and see the effect that meds have on you.

I somehow had untreated ADHD, but still managed to get good grades. It was amazing when I started taking meds for ADHD. There have been advances in some of the meds that help lessen the side effects. Also as an adult, you may be able to better perceive the difference between unmedicated and medicated states.

The biggest hassle is finding someone that treats adult ADHD and is on your insurance. Tons of people around me treat child ADHD, but there's only a handful of people around that treat adult ADHD.

I talked myself out of meds in 7th-8th grade. My grades weren't great after that. I'm on atomoxetine now and it's got me pretty well focused. I feel much more productive when I'm on it.

I frequently talk myself in and out of them. I'm currently in an "out" period for the past couple of years. I miss the clarity, but not the side effects.

Yeah, more or less. Stimulants tend to have a contradictory calming and/or focusing effect on the ADHD brain. I don’t remember why exactly but it probably has to do with dopamine regulation, which our brains crave like a zombie does brains.

My diagnosis kind of explained why I can drink inordinate amounts of coffee or energy drinks (don’t do this) and sleep like a log 30min later lol