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Thanks a lot. I will get the books and see what they say. The biggest hurdle I have is there is no easy way of diagnosing other symptoms you mention. I find t

Thanks a lot. I will get the books and see what they say. The biggest hurdle I have is there is no easy way of diagnosing other symptoms you mention. I find that I know more than my doctor about this condition and the internet is a far better resource of information than him. On a side note, I think one of my sons inherited my genes and has the same problem. He is young enough that bad organization, not finishing things etc is not causing him problems yet. But I expect that to change once he goes to the elementary school. What are your thoughts on giving ADD drugs to children? Would it have helped you if were on a drug regimen when you were young? I am scared of giving him drugs because of the side effects you mention(I get most of what you get plus the extreme insomnia). But if it is going to help his quality of life and learning, it might be a worthwhile thing.

cgshaw 16y ago
ADHD is highly hereditary. My mom's hyperactive and my dad's passive, it manifests in entirely different ways. I had some major insomnia as well, but that's been an ongoing battle. I knew WAY more about ADHD than the two different docs I saw. Primarily because I had a breakdown and read dozens of books on it before I realized I really needed help. I was working for a big law firm over the summer and just lost it. I had trouble working a lot in a mundane job I didn't like and I struggled big time. The most important thing is to find ways to do what you like. I can remember times where I'd slept 10 hours and woke up to read for class and fell right back asleep. You subconscious is a pain in the ass and when you have ADHD it can be nearly impossible to force yourself to do things you don't want to do. The only reason I was able to titrate my meds and play around with the dosage a lot was because I was very articulate with my doctors. I would explain what I read, how I felt, why I wanted to try different things and they were supportive. Far and away the best treatment for insomnia was to workout--hard. That's what Ratey's book is about. Not the vanity like I'm going to try to get jacked workout, but stressing out your body to the point where it focuses on rebuilding your body so your brain is forced to relax. I've often thought about how I'd raise my own kids (married, but no kids yet). I think I would let me kids fucking explore and play with them a ton. It's hard being a square peg and fitting in the round hole of compulsory education, but there has to be a better way than just letting him/her flounder like my parents were forced to with me. (Not by choice, they just didn't know better the information available on the brain and psychology is about 1,000 times better than 10 years ago).

cgshaw 16y ago

ADHD is highly hereditary. My mom's hyperactive and my dad's passive, it manifests in entirely different ways. I had some major insomnia as well, but that's been an ongoing battle. I knew WAY more about ADHD than the two different docs I saw. Primarily because I had a breakdown and read dozens of books on it before I realized I really needed help. I was working for a big law firm over the summer and just lost it. I had trouble working a lot in a mundane job I didn't like and I struggled big time. The most important thing is to find ways to do what you like. I can remember times where I'd slept 10 hours and woke up to read for class and fell right back asleep. You subconscious is a pain in the ass and when you have ADHD it can be nearly impossible to force yourself to do things you don't want to do. The only reason I was able to titrate my meds and play around with the dosage a lot was because I was very articulate with my doctors. I would explain what I read, how I felt, why I wanted to try different things and they were supportive. Far and away the best treatment for insomnia was to workout--hard. That's what Ratey's book is about. Not the vanity like I'm going to try to get jacked workout, but stressing out your body to the point where it focuses on rebuilding your body so your brain is forced to relax. I've often thought about how I'd raise my own kids (married, but no kids yet). I think I would let me kids fucking explore and play with them a ton. It's hard being a square peg and fitting in the round hole of compulsory education, but there has to be a better way than just letting him/her flounder like my parents were forced to with me. (Not by choice, they just didn't know better the information available on the brain and psychology is about 1,000 times better than 10 years ago).