|
Sophistic Radiance
Free sVs!
Registered: 07/11/06
Posts: 43,135
Loc: Center of the Universe
|
ADHD - what do you think?
#9205155 - 11/07/08 11:19 PM (15 years, 4 months ago) |
|
|
So I have ADHD. I haven't been diagnosed or anything, but many of my teachers in grade school noticed that my attention span was a mess. My mom always resisted letting me get tested or diagnosed or medicated, though, and I strongly agreed with her in principle. I've always felt like getting medicated in such a way that allowed me to pay attention to things I didn't find interesting or pleasurable would be tantamount to selling my soul.
Well, I'm 22 now, and I still find it a terrible struggle to pay attention to anything at all. I don't have a job, and my attempt at college was a massive failure, though I am returning next semester simply because I need to do something with myself. I know I'm an intelligent person, but I just have no idea what to really do with my potential.
I have a good friend who is on ADHD medication, and she tells me all about how when she got on it, she felt like a fog had been lifted from her life, and she would be able to actually go out and do the things she knew she wanted to do without all the hesitation. The thing is I totally understand the sort of fog she's talking about. For example, I'd love go to on a walk by myself and draw pictures of plants, but for some reason I just can't bring myself to do all those interesting things. Most of the time it's a struggle to drag myself away from hours-long sessions browsing Wikipedia, researching random shit, watching dumb shit on TV, or jerking off.
The other day my dad sort of subtly suggested I should ask a doctor about it, and I'm starting to really consider it, but I can't shake the feeling that I'd be selling my soul, or compromising my true self by doing it. I don't know that ADHD is really a valid "disorder" at all, and have never really been able to accept the idea. But at the same time I find it immensely difficult to be productive, or even truly active on a regular basis. And now with some research I learn that there is a subtype of ADHD known as the "inattentive" version which seems to describe my lifestyle perfectly. I'm really tempted, but even if there is a drug that can kill my attentional malaise, it sounds even more like selling my soul.
What are you guys' thoughts? Are any of you medicated for ADHD? This is something that's been bouncing around in my head for quite some time.
-------------------- Enlil said: You really are the worst kind of person.
Edited by Tchan909 (11/07/08 11:25 PM)
|
WakeboardrB
Pepe Silvia
Registered: 05/18/03
Posts: 13,678
Last seen: 11 years, 8 months
|
|
I used to medicate for ADHD but it turned into a pretty bad amphetamine addiction. Unfortunately after I got over that my ADHD is exponentially worse.
-------------------- Same thing happened to me when I played Neil Armstrong in Moonshot. They found me in an alley in Burbank trying to re-enter the earth's atmosphere in an old refrigerator box.
|
Sophistic Radiance
Free sVs!
Registered: 07/11/06
Posts: 43,135
Loc: Center of the Universe
|
Re: ADHD - what do you think? [Re: WakeboardrB]
#9205227 - 11/07/08 11:32 PM (15 years, 4 months ago) |
|
|
Aren't there ADHD medications that aren't amphetamines? I don't want prescription speed if it can be avoided, it's really not my bag.
-------------------- Enlil said: You really are the worst kind of person.
|
LiteBrite
Stranger
Registered: 12/04/06
Posts: 16
Loc: east coast
Last seen: 12 years, 9 months
|
|
green drinks, greens plus, maybe 5htp, nutrition, kambucha but dont overdo it, ginseng, SPIRULINA,it sucks but coffee it becomes addictive 4 people with low energy. possibly a raw food diet but only if you know how to do it right. pot helps me focus and is being studied for add and adhd, i can go on and on, keep on me and i will yap often
|
Entropymancer
Registered: 07/16/05
Posts: 10,207
|
|
I've never been diagnosed, but definitely seem to have ADD. I never had it prescribed, but in college when my short attention span had fucked me over and I was behind on work, I'd get some adderal. The difference that adderal made was amazing.
I'd recommend going for it, as long as you don't mind risking an amphetamine addiction.
|
WakeboardrB
Pepe Silvia
Registered: 05/18/03
Posts: 13,678
Last seen: 11 years, 8 months
|
|
Welbutrin and Strattera. If they work for you that's all well and good, but they both gave me some awfully messy side effects.
I don't mean to scare you away from this shit, honestly. I'm just pretty drunk.
-------------------- Same thing happened to me when I played Neil Armstrong in Moonshot. They found me in an alley in Burbank trying to re-enter the earth's atmosphere in an old refrigerator box.
|
blewmeanie
Registered: 10/01/06
Posts: 28,984
Loc:
|
|
If you truely have "ADHD", the amphetamines will not be a stimulant for you. They actually reduce, and control the amount of dopamine being created by your brain.
If you do end up getting diagnosed and prescribed them, make sure you get the extended release.....trust me.
|
WakeboardrB
Pepe Silvia
Registered: 05/18/03
Posts: 13,678
Last seen: 11 years, 8 months
|
Re: ADHD - what do you think? [Re: blewmeanie]
#9205271 - 11/07/08 11:41 PM (15 years, 4 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
blewmeanie said: If you truely have "ADHD", the amphetamines will not be a stimulant for you. They actually reduce, and control the amount of dopamine being created by your brain.
Bullshit.
That's just something that doctors tell parents of children that they are about to pump full of amphetamines. In lower doses people suffering from debillitating ADHD will find comfort and calmness because they can have the ability to focus their thoughts and efforts towards something they want to focus on, but make no mistake about it. Amphetamines are amphetamines and they will get pretty much ANYONE high given the proper dose.
I really wish that myth would go away.
-------------------- Same thing happened to me when I played Neil Armstrong in Moonshot. They found me in an alley in Burbank trying to re-enter the earth's atmosphere in an old refrigerator box.
|
Entropymancer
Registered: 07/16/05
Posts: 10,207
|
Re: ADHD - what do you think? [Re: WakeboardrB]
#9205287 - 11/07/08 11:46 PM (15 years, 4 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
WakeboardrB said:
Quote:
blewmeanie said: If you truely have "ADHD", the amphetamines will not be a stimulant for you. They actually reduce, and control the amount of dopamine being created by your brain.
Bullshit.
That's just something that doctors tell parents of children that they are about to pump full of amphetamines. In lower doses people suffering from debillitating ADHD will find comfort and calmness because they can have the ability to focus their thoughts and efforts towards something they want to focus on, but make no mistake about it. Amphetamines are amphetamines and they will get pretty much ANYONE high given the proper dose.
I really wish that myth would go away.
^Truth.
Hit the nail right on the fuckin' head.
|
magikgrl
~Inevitable~
Registered: 02/04/06
Posts: 4,566
Loc: Michigan
|
|
Yeah, my best suggestion is try it. If you don't like it, just don't do them and find other ways to cope. I have ADHD pretty bad and it sucks.
-------------------- "In the 60s people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal...go figure." Becoming human was not part of the plan... I wish I could be as high as my tolerance-danlennon Reality is a crutch for those that can't cope with drugs.
|
jenns_hot
Hungry
Registered: 12/30/06
Posts: 3,459
Loc: East Coast
Last seen: 2 years, 2 months
|
Re: ADHD - what do you think? [Re: WakeboardrB]
#9205310 - 11/07/08 11:50 PM (15 years, 4 months ago) |
|
|
i was diagnosed with "ADHD" in high school, took adderall for a while, lost a bunch of weight (20 pounds) and was half neurotic.
Now, I don't take any meds, I quit smoking weed (which has pretty much cured my easily distractedness, or adhd, and I can concentrate really well.
I think the main reason for the change is that I've become more determined and motivated. Before, I just lacked the motivation, so I didn't care about concentrating in school.
I don't recommend taking drugs to cure an attention problem.
-------------------- "Fear makes the wolf look bigger"
|
moe.phan
listening for the secret
Registered: 10/15/08
Posts: 2,592
Loc: searching for the sound
Last seen: 6 years, 10 months
|
|
honstly, i never used to believe that ADHD was truly a disorder. i just thought of it as an excuse. now i know its for real annd worth your attention if you think it is hindering a productive life.i'll tell you why.......and try to be brief.
i have this little sister now. she's actually my step-sisters daughter, but was adopted by my mom. my step-sister has always been a piece of shit...........and had a years long crack habit. she even smoked crack while pregnant, and was completely geeked up during delivery(like i said, piece of shit). anyway, my "little sister" was diagnosed with the highest level of ADHD, and has gone through many adjustments in medication over the years (she's 6 now) and just now is able to keep her shit together to make it through a day of school. (i've actually had to move back in with my mom to help with her because she's still quite wild and unfocused-even with the meds)
now for the downside: the medication she takes has her completely wiped out by 2 o'clock, so by the time i get her home from school, she's passed out. and of course after a long nap (and her meds have worn off-1 dose a day) she's wide open till bed.
this is probably more info than you wanted, but you asked about meds. i'm sure you wouldn't have to be medicated to this extent, but this is the experience that i have with it.
|
blewmeanie
Registered: 10/01/06
Posts: 28,984
Loc:
|
|
You dont know what the fuck you are talking about.
I have adhd, I dont feel a stimulant effect from it. It can be tested for with amperometry, and they have even found the genetic variance that leads to what we call ADHD.
It is way over diagnosed though, proper testing and diagnosis cost around 5000.00, but many nurses are ready to diagnosis any unmotivated, or energetically creative kid.
|
Adden
Registered: 06/04/03
Posts: 39,201
Loc:
|
|
Yes, it's a valid disorder.
Yes, you should seek either behavioral therapy or medication if properly diagnosed.
Good job on going back to school.
The fact your father hinted at it means you have his 'approval' to seek treatment after years of being repressed.
I sold my soul to benzos for my social anxiety disorder (which someone will, again, argue it's not a real disorder). Not because I wanted to, but because I had to.
We're all built different. This hippie bullshit "center yourself", "screw the pharmaceutical companies", "change your diet and find your chakra" is disgusting. Go see someone who can legitimately practice contemporary medicine and get the help you need.
|
Sophistic Radiance
Free sVs!
Registered: 07/11/06
Posts: 43,135
Loc: Center of the Universe
|
Re: ADHD - what do you think? [Re: moe.phan]
#9205366 - 11/08/08 12:02 AM (15 years, 4 months ago) |
|
|
Well, my mom never had a crack habit AFAIK. However, I do know that I've had a TV and video game habit as long as I can consciously remember, and I believe the constant obsession with fantasy worlds and interesting animated distractions has led me to become an adult with serious problems paying attention to the real world.
Psychedelic drugs have absolutely killed my video game obsession, but they can't seem to kill my obsession with flaky worthless knowledge (as gleaned from endlessly branching-off Wikipedia articles), with the unique dynamics of porn and jerking off, and the general sense that it's better to stick to the pleasures that I know than it is to leave my little shell and see more interesting things. I've been taking lots of nature hikes with my friends lately but I can't seem to find any consistently rewarding method of escape from my shell that goes further than that.
-------------------- Enlil said: You really are the worst kind of person.
|
blewmeanie
Registered: 10/01/06
Posts: 28,984
Loc:
|
|
Quote:
S_2 said: Yes, it's a valid disorder.
Yes, you should seek either behavioral therapy or medication if properly diagnosed.
Good job on going back to school.
The fact your father hinted at it means you have his 'approval' to seek treatment after years of being repressed.
I sold my soul to benzos for my social anxiety disorder (which someone will, again, argue it's not a real disorder). Not because I wanted to, but because I had to.
We're all built different. This hippie bullshit "center yourself", "screw the pharmaceutical companies", "change your diet and find your chakra" is disgusting. Go see someone who can legitimately practice contemporary medicine and get the help you need.
Or (the better option IMO) create a life for yourself in which your particular way of thinking is a benefit. Become a musician, writer, artist...I would be willing to bet that you love to be outside, and feel very calm, and confident when you are in a "wild" environment.
EDIT: lol, you posted about hiking before I could even get this posted.
|
Sophistic Radiance
Free sVs!
Registered: 07/11/06
Posts: 43,135
Loc: Center of the Universe
|
Re: ADHD - what do you think? [Re: blewmeanie]
#9205393 - 11/08/08 12:11 AM (15 years, 4 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
blewmeanie said: lol, you posted about hiking before I could even get this posted.
Hahaha. Yeah, nature hikes with my friends have proven to be the greatest escape from my malaise that I've ever found. And yet when it's over we just go back to our own homes and go to sleep, and I wake up the next day just as dead inside as I was before.
-------------------- Enlil said: You really are the worst kind of person.
|
Terillius
Renaissance Man
Registered: 07/21/06
Posts: 1,301
Loc:
Last seen: 3 years, 2 months
|
|
Quote:
Tchan909 said: I've always felt like getting medicated in such a way that allowed me to pay attention to things I didn't find interesting or pleasurable would be tantamount to selling my soul.
...she felt like a fog had been lifted from her life...
...but for some reason I just can't bring myself to do all those interesting things. Most of the time it's a struggle to drag myself away from hours-long sessions browsing Wikipedia, researching random shit, watching dumb shit on TV, or jerking off.
...but I can't shake the feeling that I'd be selling my soul...
What the fuck are we going to do, man? Those fucking smug college grads with all the money and trophy wives and shit...
Maybe we are more hardcore for just making it past yesterday and God will set us up with mad props...
We are EXTREME. Good and bad, we have the MAX man can attain and it is tough. Drink a beer, be thankful you don't live in a cave, and call a paycheck ENOUGH.
|
WakeboardrB
Pepe Silvia
Registered: 05/18/03
Posts: 13,678
Last seen: 11 years, 8 months
|
Re: ADHD - what do you think? [Re: blewmeanie]
#9205402 - 11/08/08 12:13 AM (15 years, 4 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
blewmeanie said: You dont know what the fuck you are talking about.
I have adhd, I dont feel a stimulant effect from it. It can be tested for with amperometry, and they have even found the genetic variance that leads to what we call ADHD.
It is way over diagnosed though, proper testing and diagnosis cost around 5000.00, but many nurses are ready to diagnosis any unmotivated, or energetically creative kid.
$5000 you say? I did extensive computer testing and two MRI's for around 1/3 of that with no insurance.
-------------------- Same thing happened to me when I played Neil Armstrong in Moonshot. They found me in an alley in Burbank trying to re-enter the earth's atmosphere in an old refrigerator box.
|
Sophistic Radiance
Free sVs!
Registered: 07/11/06
Posts: 43,135
Loc: Center of the Universe
|
Re: ADHD - what do you think? [Re: blewmeanie]
#9205442 - 11/08/08 12:25 AM (15 years, 4 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
blewmeanie said: Or (the better option IMO) create a life for yourself in which your particular way of thinking is a benefit. Become a musician, writer, artist...
This is how I look at it. That's why I feel like getting medicated would be selling my soul.
And yet, I seem to be trapped in this prison of inattentiveness and blind hedonism. I've been struggling to get out, through art, through music, through activism, through writing, poetry, journalism, and yet I find myself unable to take a proper grasp on any of it what so ever.
-------------------- Enlil said: You really are the worst kind of person.
Edited by Tchan909 (11/08/08 12:26 AM)
|
|