Add/adhd

[Stardrowned]

i have had ADD since i was a kid and it really interferes with a whole lot of things in my life. i was wondering if anyone here has it and what they do about it. i'm considering going on medication but i don't want to lose my sense of self, become a zombie, lose my creativity, etc.

[O'nus]

i have had ADD since i was a kid and it really interferes with a whole lot of things in my life. i was wondering if anyone here has it and what they do about it. i'm considering going on medication but i don't want to lose my sense of self, become a zombie, lose my creativity, etc. You will be able to focus more and concentrate on tasks at hand. Take it for too long or abuse it and then you have a problem, just like any other substance abuse. Either way, you're likely young and will adapt to it over time. ~

[slash112]

Yea, what O'nus said. When you take too much, you will just become a "zombie", you will not be you. You turn into a totally different person, and people with ADD tend to be the nicest people out. At least the ones I know, and know of.

[Stardrowned]

yeah for sure, i don't want to abuse it. i just wanna take it as prescribed so i can actually concentrate on something for more than 4 seconds and maybe even get things done

[Zhaylin]

Go to a psychiatrist [aka pdoc] about your problem. I have a MAJOR Gripe about general practictioners prescribing meds for mental conditions (including depression and ADD/ADHD etc). If you do go on meds, BE PATIENT!!!!!! It took my pdoc and I three YEARS to find a combo that worked for me. It didn't help that I wasn't very compliant though and kept getting off the meds we tried BUT, I also went to him initially with a prior mis-diagnosis of bi-polar disorder so we had to start from absolute scratch and he treats symptoms instead of "labels" like a lot of docs and pdocs do. I recently went off my meds for 5 days and I remembered just why I love them so much. I have symptoms of ADD and extreme anxiety as well as excessive day time sleepiness and possibly Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome. I take 80 mg Celexa and only 18 mg Strattera daily. If I need help staying awake, I take 200 mg Provigil and if I can't go to sleep I take an Ambien (I very rarely ever take Ambien though which is why I can never remember the dose lol). My pdoc wanted to try me on Abilify last week by I can't afford it. To give you a base line though, my youngest son is 15 years old and he takes 100 mg Strattera every day. Be honest with your doc and voice your concerns and problem. Side effects are to be expected for up to (usually no more than) 1-2 months. Most side effects I've encountered (though it will very from person to person) is headache, dry mouth, funny taste in mouth, groggines... and did I mention HEADACHE? lol Some meds should also be taken on a full stomach. If I don't have a big meal before taking Strattera, I feel like barfing for hours afterwards. But sticking with the treatment plan and finding something that works makes all the difference in the world, IMHO. And, as you're doing now, continue to educate yourself on the options available to you. If you're living on a low fixed income, some companies (or the doctors themselves) can give you either discounts or free samples. My hubby soesn't support my treatment. He's an Ophthalmologist and we have great insurance, but there's still a bit of out of pocket expense (AFTER insurance, for instance, my Provigil runs at almost $100. a month). I kept discontinuing my treatment because hubby grumbled too much when I'd ask for money to buy my meds. My pdoc gives me my Strattera and Provigil when he has samples (and he almost always does). Celexa and Ambien run about $10. each so I have no trouble buying those. One site I fell in love with for researching meds is: http://www.crazymeds.us/ I wish you much success!!

[khh]

I only know one person who had ADHD, and he is on medication. If I didn't already know he had it, I would never have suspected, except perhaps late at night when the effect of the medication wears off. I suggest you give the medication a try, there's a good chance it will work, and if it doesn't you can always get off them later. Also, the dosage prescribed is much, much lower than when the drug is abused.