3 ms·

I unknowingly self-medicated with ludicrous amounts of coffee before my diagnosis, but my tolerance got way too high. After that, realizing that my preferred d

by Igelau 6y ago

I unknowingly self-medicated with ludicrous amounts of coffee before my diagnosis, but my tolerance got way too high. After that, realizing that my preferred decongestant was not only helping my cold symptoms, but also allowing me to pay attention when people were talking and complete plans in a "this seems like that thing other people are really good at, but I'm not" kind of way... that was a major tell.

taneq 6y ago
What decongestant was that? Amphetamines originally entered the market as decongestants, and it was the observation that these drugs allowed unruly kids to focus that lead to modern ADHD medication.
scottlamb 6y ago
> After that, realizing that my preferred decongestant was not only helping my cold symptoms, but also allowing me to pay attention when people were talking and complete plans in a "this seems like that thing other people are really good at, but I'm not" kind of way... that was a major tell. Interesting. Was it pseudoephedrine? I took Allegra-D every day in high school and college to manage allergies as wells as colds and sinus infections. (I hear that's not advisable, but I didn't know any better then, and somehow my allergist didn't either.) I wonder if it was helping me concentrate also. I've never been diagnosed with ADHD, but many of the things people are describing here are familiar. Overall I've been pretty successful in life despite this, but I've had my ups and downs. The pandemic has been a down; I'm really struggling with concentration, so much so that I left my job and am taking a sabbatical before finding another. There are certainly valid reasons it's been hard (e.g., I have two young kids, went entirely without daycare for a while, and am helping my son with online kindergarten now) but they seem to affect me much more than my wife, whether that's due to undiagnosed ADHD, anxiety, the different natures of our work, burn-out, or some other factor.

by Igelau 6y ago

taneq 6y ago

What decongestant was that? Amphetamines originally entered the market as decongestants, and it was the observation that these drugs allowed unruly kids to focus that lead to modern ADHD medication.

scottlamb 6y ago

> After that, realizing that my preferred decongestant was not only helping my cold symptoms, but also allowing me to pay attention when people were talking and complete plans in a "this seems like that thing other people are really good at, but I'm not" kind of way... that was a major tell. Interesting. Was it pseudoephedrine? I took Allegra-D every day in high school and college to manage allergies as wells as colds and sinus infections. (I hear that's not advisable, but I didn't know any better then, and somehow my allergist didn't either.) I wonder if it was helping me concentrate also. I've never been diagnosed with ADHD, but many of the things people are describing here are familiar. Overall I've been pretty successful in life despite this, but I've had my ups and downs. The pandemic has been a down; I'm really struggling with concentration, so much so that I left my job and am taking a sabbatical before finding another. There are certainly valid reasons it's been hard (e.g., I have two young kids, went entirely without daycare for a while, and am helping my son with online kindergarten now) but they seem to affect me much more than my wife, whether that's due to undiagnosed ADHD, anxiety, the different natures of our work, burn-out, or some other factor.