Comments | chaoticidealism: Trying to make decision about ADHD meds

chaoticidealism

Trying to make decision about ADHD meds

Apr 01, 2009 11:13

OK, so basically I grew up in a household that didn't believe in psychologists. My mom knew I had Asperger's type autism, and she knew I was hyperactive and scattered, but she didn't do anything about it because she thought there was no such thing as either one. It only got called "bad behavior ( Read more... )

treatment, medication, adhd

Comments 8

ext_103710 April 1 2009, 16:17:37 UTC

My first thought is that you could give the stimulants a try over the summer. That way, if they turn out to have negative effects, your grades won't be harmed.

And congrats on the good test grade!

abfh (who drank two cups of tea this morning, but is still getting distracted from work and reading blogs)

old_cutter_john April 1 2009, 16:18:53 UTC

The stimulants used to treat ADHD are indeed addictive, at least to most people. But as you know, reactions to drugs are highly idiosyncratic. From your description, those stimulants are just perfect for you, and you should use them until something happens to change your assessment of them.

Personally, I react to coffee much as you do, but I don't try to control my use of it; I've been addicted since I was six years old. And I dislike amphetamines (cocaine too), the anti-drug propagandists' claims of universal instant addiction notwithstanding.

anonymous April 2 2009, 06:46:04 UTC

It's worth at least *talking about* it with the psychiatrist. And it's worth *trying* various things at various doses. You have to find out what's best for *you*, might be good to keep a journal while doing so.

Try a higher dose of Bacopa anonymous April 5 2009, 00:58:54 UTC

Get the Chinese version. It doesn't have the negative side effects of the stimulant meds. Studies have shown that, after 6-8 weeks of taking this herb, adhd children are much better able to focus on individual tasks and retain info, without numbing the unique creativity patterns associated with the adhd mind. See a ND about this herb and good luck!

summer3fever August 27 2010, 15:41:41 UTC

"Thing is, I put a lot more effort into this stuff than most people do. I take four hours on an assignment it takes somebody else half an hour to do. I procrastinate so much that only after the pressure of having to get something done NOW has gotten past the inertia can I be productive, and even then it often ends up as an all-nighter. Plus, a lot of my study strategies are explicitly aimed at either using or working around the problems I have with managing myself--which can be good when I'm taking advantage of the scatter-brained creativity, but not so good when my strategy for a research paper is, "Wait until it absolutely has to be done, then hope for nine hours of hyperfocus ( ... )