Are there any adults that have had success with medication for ADD?!
Question: i was recently diagnosed with ADD, and wondering if it would be worth it to get it treated with meds, because i'm not a big fan of taking medication. btw, i'm in my early 30's if that will help.
Answers: i was recently diagnosed with ADD, and wondering if it would be worth it to get it treated with meds, because i'm not a big fan of taking medication. btw, i'm in my early 30's if that will help.
I'm 22 and I have ADHD, from personal experience, with meds and without meds is like night and day. I take Adderall XR, 40mg/day or Adderall SR 20 mg, depending on whether I'm doing stuff all day or just 4-6 hours. Random thoughts that used to sidetrack and disorganize me before vanish before they would normally appear, the mental clarity and focus is incredible. I play guitar, and I used to noodle around with just a few parts of a song until I get bored of it, now I take the time and learn the entire song. I'm not one to take medicine usually either, and especially when you first start taking it, you know you're on medicine, you can feel it. This goes away after you start taking it for a while though.
Some people say you develop a tolerance for this medicine and eventually it doesn't work, this is individual for everyone, I've been taking it for almost 2 years now at the same dose and this hasn't happened to me. I will say that you should limit your caffeine when you take this, as caffeine and this medicine will make you jittery. Caffeine itself has much worse tolerance than Adderall does. If I don't have caffeine every day I'm a complete zombie, but if I don't take my Adderall, I am just less focused and organized.
If you do start taking this medicine, make sure you watch what you eat/drink around when you take it. Acids like juices, sodas, and even coffee decrease the absorption of Adderall in your body, which makes it last longer but makes the effects less pronounced. Bases do the opposite, so be careful if you take antacids for heartburn, as they will increase the absorption of Adderall in your body, and make it not last as long.
Be careful to maintain a regular sleep schedule, as not enough sleep will perpetuate ADD. A proper diet also helps ADD. This actually seems to get easier on Adderall, as the medicine motivates me to think about what I'm eating and eat healthier instead of being lazy and just going for what tastes good. On the same token though, this medicine lowers your appetite a lot, so it helps to be in a routine where you just eat at mealtimes anyway even if you don't seem hungry.
Sorry if this is too much information, I took my medicine and it makes me need to do everything as thoroughly as possible, I hope this helps!
I'm 32 and have had moderate success with meds. I'm currently taking wellbuterin (or however you spell it). I also self-medicate with caffeine.
I took some (ritalin and depakote)for a while. Didn't see a lot of difference. When I took adipex to lose weight, I saw a huge difference b/c I was focused. That said, I now self-medicate with coke or pepsi. I use it to focus. OT be honest, I am addicted and without it, i am a VERy different person.
Quite honestly, if it's not interfering with your daily life, or life in general, don't worry about it. I'm 22 and have horrible ADD, but I just work with it. I found a job that works great with it (bartending), and though sometimes people get upset that I don't remember the simplest things, like what we were just talking about, they all know and deal.
I'm not a fan of meds either, so I chose to just get along without it. Also, chances are that you've had it all your life, even though you've just been diagnosed, so it won't be a big shock to your system, it'll just explain a few things, like why you can't seem to concentrate on things, or why you always forget something or leave something behind.
That's my opinion anyway.
ive been on abuot every med since i was 8, none ever worked