Adult ADD - any sufferers here?

[Relic]

You just described me to a tee. Except I'm capable of quick spurts of brilliance that sometimes even surprise me.

lol! Nope, I'm right with you there. Like I said, every now and then I'll suddenly have moments where I'm able to think clearly and I'll be like "holy s*t, where did THAT come from??" Then before I can start patting myself on the back, I'll revert right back to being scatter-brained.

 

[MakiSupaStar]

High IQ - Check (tested in the high 140's multiple times)
Learn things quickly - Check
Remember small details and photographic memory - Check

Attention span of a toaster - Check
Can't focus on detailed tasks - Check
Will look past people and think about other things while they are talking - Check

Been like this since I was a kid. Never wanted to be tested for ADD. I feel it hurts me because it is almost impossible to study for certifications without getting distracted by the smallest thing. I am afraid I will lose my memory and quick ability to fix things technology related if I am on pills. They gave me a mood leveler to see if my psoriasis was stress related and I lost about 6 months worth of memories after my kid was born and got banned from Talkbass for erratic behavior I barely remember.

No pills for me.

+1 Same here. I have the same checklist. Plus I have a horrible habit of finishing other people's sentences for them, when I actually AM paying attention to them. I'm also highly disorganized (but I still know where everything is ). Here's a picture of my desk.

I also don't want to be tested. I've come to the conclusion that what good will come out of it. Therapy??? Drugs?? (uh, no thanks, besides bud seems to allow me to concentrate on creative projects). So I just kind of deal with it.

 

[fenderhutz]

lol! Nope, I'm right with you there. Like I said, every now and then I'll suddenly have moments where I'm able to think clearly and I'll be like "holy s*t, where did THAT come from??" Then before I can start patting myself on the back, I'll revert right back to being scatter-brained.

I wonder if pills would make it that way all of the time, or take away the only lucid moments I get

 

[Relic]

I wonder if pills would make it that way all of the time, or take away the only lucid moments I get

I dunno. Scary thing is that I wouldn't mind trying temporarily at least to see if meds help. It would be awesome to be able to think clearly all of the time.

One thing I find personally scary though - a couple of years back I had a wisdom tooth removed and they gave me some vicodins - lord have mercy, I could think clearly, was calm, was in a great mood...hence the fact that I will not go ANYWHERE near vicodins to this day.

 

[fenderhutz]

I dunno. Scary thing is that I wouldn't mind trying temporarily at least to see if meds help. It would be awesome to be able to think clearly all of the time.

One thing I find personally scary though - a couple of years back I had a wisdom tooth removed and they gave me some vicodins - lord have mercy, I could think clearly, was calm, was in a great mood...hence the fact that I will not go ANYWHERE near vicodins to this day.

2-3 beers does it for me I can actually do housework and fix peoples computers I have sitting around as favors without losing focus.

 

[MakiSupaStar]

I hated vicodin. I had it for my broken foot. Couldn't sleep. Was irritable as all hell. I dumped them in favor of the pain they were supposed to mask. I do find coffee calming, but too much of it and I get a little strung out and start muttering. I now limit my caffeine to a coffee in the morning and an occasional diet coke with lunch.

 

[acubass]

I may ro may not have a mild form of ADD, but its never bothered me enough to get on meds, as I fear ****ing around with my brain chemistry might make things worse.
I find something odd in the fact that your wife AND most of her friends all have been diagnosed.

It is odd, birds of a feather. It started with her and her BF, then her little sister in high school. Then fast forward to college where she met other aderall users "friends" who shared/traded/sold their meds to others and between themselves to keep up with their "needs"

Horrible cycle. First one runs out then they must borrow from another. Then the payback cycle starts when the first one gets her new script. Needles to say there was always fighting about who owed how many to whom.

My wife is much better now that we are in a different city where the cycle can't continue and she must take her script without having to loan them out.

 

[Strat-Mangler]

After revealing to my doctor that I've had trouble focusing and remembering things throughout my whole life, he referred me to a shrink who quickly diagnosed me as being afflicted with ADD.

It's a strange mixture of emotions, because a small proud part of myself didn't want to be cursed with a condition (********, I know) while I simultaneously was relieved that I finally knew why I struggled with some of those things while others seemed to deal with them with incredible ease.

It's equally strange considering the fact that when I'm interested, I can zone in and absorb knowledge like a sponge. Reading's a whole other matter. If it's a website or magazine (basically something that's written in a light tone), I'll have no problem remembering whatever was written. However, if it's a textbook or anything else that's dense and rather dry, I can re-read the same sentence a handful of times and be nowhere closer to really grasping what was being said. To me, it's a sea of interchangeable terms that could mean anything. lol!

Anyway, I was prescribed a bunch of meds and I went through them one by one. Finally settled on one that *seems* to be having an effect, but I honestly don't know if it's because it truly makes a difference or if it's the placebo effect. Nevertheless, I find myself being more engaged and able to stay awake during meetings/classes.

I'm quite skeptical about taking drugs in general so very very rarely do so. Therefore, I only take a pill when I know I'll have a meeting to attend or need to learn a lot of material in a short amount of time. My theory behind this is that my body won't get accustomed to the dosage too quickly and will therefore escape the trap of continually needing to increase my dosage as the years go by.

 

[Relic]

I hear you about the reading - same here. How about talking to long-winded people? That's a curse for me. If someone explains something to me in one or two quick sentences, I've got it. If they keep going on and on....forget it. Not only will I zone out and stop listening and start daydreaming, but I will also forget the first half of the conversation totally... Makes it hard when someone's trying to explain something technical...

Good theory on the meds. If I do end up going to a doc and being prescribed something, I'll probably end up doing the exact same thing.

 

[MatticusMania]

How about talking to long-winded people? That's a curse for me.

One of my friends takes the longest time to tell a story, including all kinds of unimportant details. It takes him so long, that by the time he gets to the point Ive already zoned out and lost him. I just start singing songs in my head...

 

[stratovani]

Though I've never actually been officially diagnosed, I pretty much know that I have it or at the very least something quite similar. Damn, it is frustrating at times I have to say. I'm thinking about talking to someone about it soon.
Frequently it's a chore to finish a simple project, I'll do a little, walk away, come back do a little more, walk away. I'll get irritable and cranky because of the sheer brainpower necessary to do a simple thing like build a piece of Ikea furniture etc.... for a long time growing up I actually struggled with self image as I though that I was basically "stupid" because of all of this - like this procrastination and inability to apply my brain to something was what "stupid" is..
Though I don't feel much like that anymore, there are times when I get really frustrated at the fact that I sometimes have a hard time formulating a thought - for example, these race threads, or my past pit bull thread - any thread where conversation and debate is moving along fast, emotions are running high and you have to think quick - forget it. My brain just doesn't work that fast. I short circuit.
Then there are times when altogether inexplicably, I'm able to focus and think clear and sharp..WTH is up with that!?? I don't understand that but I wish I was like that all the time!
Please don't take this as a "woe is me" thing, I have no issues with who I am etc etc I just hate this spaghetti-strainer brain of mine

Anyone else out there struggle with stuff like this?

Yep, that's me to a tee. I'm like this when practicing my bass, I'll play it for a few minutes, then I have to put it down and play a game of solitaire on the computer. The solitaire ends, then I'm off to something else, and when that ends I might pick up my bass and play again for a few minutes more. Lather, rinse, repeat. It's the reason why I'll probably never be in a band for any more than a couple of years, I just get bored too easily.

I remember starting a thread about ADD last year. I'm glad you brought it back, we need to explore it a bit more.

 

[Marial]

I feel for you guys. As someone Who is married to someone diagnosed with ADD as well as most of her friends I can say this. Their wild and severe addiction to aderall is far worse than the ADD itself. Please don't put your kids on this stuff. I know of no one prescribed stimulants who is not addicted to them. Sorry to take the thread in this direction but this has destroyed my friends lives. They always run out of their meds and end up either buying them illegally or staying in bed depressed for days at a time until the script is renewed.

Thank you for posting this. The former fiddle player for one of my bands takes Aderall and your 'wild and severe' description is very accurate. Without getting into details all I can say is there is a very sweet person underneath the drug(s), but with them she is absolutely intolerable and can be violent.

 

[Tegzsa]

I remember starting a thread about ADD last year. I'm glad you brought it back, we need to explore it a bit more.

Sorry about that, must have got distracted somehow...

 

[capnsandwich]

+1 Same here. I have the same checklist. Plus I have a horrible habit of finishing other people's sentences for them, when I actually AM paying attention to them. I'm also highly disorganized (but I still know where everything is ). Here's a picture of my desk.

I also don't want to be tested. I've come to the conclusion that what good will come out of it. Therapy??? Drugs?? (uh, no thanks, besides bud seems to allow me to concentrate on creative projects). So I just kind of deal with it.

My desk looks eerily similar to this. Also, notice how I commented on your post, the one with the picture. I skipped all the long ones because I couldn't concentrate enough to read them but this one had a picture so I read it.

 

[relwof]

I feel for you guys. As someone Who is married to someone diagnosed with ADD as well as most of her friends I can say this. Their wild and severe addiction to aderall is far worse than the ADD itself. Please don't put your kids on this stuff. I know of no one prescribed stimulants who is not addicted to them. Sorry to take the thread in this direction but this has destroyed my friends lives. They always run out of their meds and end up either buying them illegally or staying in bed depressed for days at a time until the script is renewed.

I've got to disagree here, except it's not quite that simple... yes, a lot of the ADHD medications can cause problems, especially if they are abused or not carefully prescribed and monitored by a professional who really understands this stuff. But they can also be very beneficial.

I was diagnosed with ADHD in my early thirties. I have been on Adderall or Adderall XR for most of the last ten years.

I've always been able to "hyperfocus" on things which interest me, and I've had more than a few obsessive hobby phases. Boring tasks (say, doing taxes or filling out expense reports) have been extremely difficult - not for lack of intelligence, but because it was almost impossible to stay focused.

The most significant impact Adderall has made for me personally is difficult to describe precisely, but I'll try. Without it, I can consciously choose to work on something, but it's as if my will has nothing to push against. I just can't stick to it unless it's interesting. With Adderall, when I'm choosing something I know I need to do, but don't necessarily want to do, those choices have a lot more traction. Doesn't necessarily make it easy, but it makes it manageable.

I have not noticed any reduction in my creativity, inspiration, or ability in the areas I am interested in (and I work at a pretty high level in some of those) while on Adderall. It has not in any way "taken the edge off" in the area's I've traditionally excelled at.

As for Adderall being addictive - I know it can be, but I don't believe it is automatically addictive. I have only once "run out of meds", and that was while switching to a new psychiatrist after moving. I have never bought it illegally. And I voluntarily and intentionally stopped taking them for days at a time, several times a year, without ending up depressed or stuck in bed.

OTOH, for those that have it, I cannot disagree with "wild and severe addiction to aderall" being "far worse than the ADD itself". I have watched people in my extended family nearly destroy their lives from abusing Adderall. It certainly has a dark side.

I would NEVER recommend trying it without an official diagnosis and a legitimate prescription. And trying to trick someone by misrepresenting the symptoms is a really bad idea. My understanding is that this could be seriously addictive stuff if you don't get the dosage right (and "right" is effectively zero for non-ADHD brains). I see a registered professional at least once every three months. It's not cheap, but for me it's almost indispensable. My job performance (which is extremely technical) can suffer noticeable if I stop taking it (which I occasionally do - intentionally).

I also am not a big proponent of medicating kids except as a last resort. My seven year old daughter is almost frighteningly like me in a lot of ways, and she definitely has ADHD. We have not, and hopefully will not, put her on medication for it. We are focusing on providing a supportive environment (understanding what she is going through is a huge help - my parents had no clue) and helping her learn how to cope with the challenges (and leverage the benefits) of her symptoms. Our goal is for her to be able to function well above average without medication by the time she leaves home.

There are many things other than medication (diet, exercise, education, consistent routines, ...) which can significantly reduce the frustration associated with ADHD. Medication is just one piece of the puzzle, but when used properly it can be a very helpful piece.

So back to where we started : I don't have much experience with other ADHD medications, but your characterization of Adderall is not quite balanced. It can be as bad as - even worse then - you described. But it can also be a very powerful positive factor in dealing with ADHD when used properly.

As far as Adderall goes, I'll leave it at that (this is already too long, but if I don't let it go I could be editing it all afternoon...).

One final thing : if you think you really have ADHD, getting a professional diagnosis from someone who specializes in ADHD (not just any psychiatrists) is a good idea, even if you don't want the drugs. For people with real ADHD, understanding why your brain does some of the crazy stuff you deal with daily, and learning how to organize your life to work in harmony with it, can be like getting a set up from God's own bass tech. You still have to put your fingers in the right spot, and maybe the intonation will never be perfect everywhere, but it's likely to end up far easier - and more enjoyable - then anything you were ever used to playing before..

 

[Strat-Mangler]

I'm also highly disorganized (but I still know where everything is ). Here's a picture of my desk.

In my world, that's actually quite organized. lol!

You should see mine at home. Ouch!

 

[Strat-Mangler]

I hear you about the reading - same here. How about talking to long-winded people?

I have a hard time with it, but not because I can't follow them.

At the risk of sounding conceited, I'm highly intelligent and have a high dose of common sense and logic. Therefore, when somebody's explaining something and they're taking the long way, I'm usually already at the conclusion and waiting for them to get there... which seems like it can take an eternity, at times.

I wish most people were brief, but most aren't good enough at verbalizing things in a concise manner. Drives me nuts, but I doubt it has anything to do with ADD... more like my inherent impatience.

 

[Strat-Mangler]

One of my friends takes the longest time to tell a story, including all kinds of unimportant details. It takes him so long, that by the time he gets to the point Ive already zoned out and lost him. I just start singing songs in my head...

I have a co-worker. like that.

Let's say he wants to say that he went to the market and bought a tomato, the story will be told like this ;

"Uh, yesterday... it was nice out and I looked in the fridge, because I wanted to make myself a salad. I had the lettuce, the dressing, the chicken, but no tomatoes. So I took my car... uh, was it my car or the wife's car? Hmmmm,... Oh, I think it was my car. That's right because the wife's car was parked on the side of the street. We had to do that because..."

I'm thinking "GET TO THE F@$%^&* POINT!!!!"

 

[dmonroe]

Worst part is, as you get older you will most likely develop "anxiety" issues as well because of being ADD.

 

[MakiSupaStar]

I have a hard time with it, but not because I can't follow them.

At the risk of sounding conceited, I'm highly intelligent and have a high dose of common sense and logic. Therefore, when somebody's explaining something and they're taking the long way, I'm usually already at the conclusion and waiting for them to get there... which seems like it can take an eternity, at times.

I wish most people were brief, but most aren't good enough at verbalizing things in a concise manner. Drives me nuts, but I doubt it has anything to do with ADD... more like my inherent impatience.

This is what I mean by finishing other people's sentences for them.