7 ms·

I am 30. I got diagnosed with ADHD a few months ago and I started treatment (adderall and lifestyle changes). Growing up, ADHD was my biggest enemy in life and

• symlinkk 4y ago
  I mean, anyone benefits from Adderall whether you have ADHD or not. How are you so sure you really have it?
  • maininformer 4y ago
    I feel sleepy cause it so calm after I take it.
  • scollet 4y ago
    Adderall does not work on NT brains. They would be able to perform tasks regardless.
    • lghh 4y ago
      Adderall gets you to baseline. If you're already baseline, it shoots you past it.
    • symlinkk 4y ago
      Where’d you hear that? It works quite well on people without ADHD
      • ravi-delia 4y ago
        It, for many people, works differently. If you look at people talking about their experiences, those with ADD consistently describe different effects than NT people. It's still good, but it has more of an effect on energy than focus, though the two are well correlated. It might be an overshoot/undershoot thing, it might be that different effects are salient, but I can assure you that if Adderall could do as much for a healthy person as it does for me, we'd be living in utopia.
    • kragen 4y ago
      Adderall has been one of the most popular recreational drugs since the 01960s, despite causing multi-organ failure in common recreational doses, which are higher than the therapeutic doses. If it didn't work on neurotypical brains, it wouldn't be popular.
      • luckydata 4y ago
        I think you're purposefully misrepresenting what "works" means in this context. ADHD people can think a lot more clearly with it. The effect of stimulants is completely different on a brain like ours compared to a normal person as it helps regulates brain function in a way that ours can't. For normal people it just gets you euphoric and agitated, we get CALMER cause we live in a state of constant agitation.
        • kragen 4y ago
          It's not completely different or even mostly different. Getting euphoric and agitated happens with doses an order of magnitude higher than therapeutic doses. Low-dose Adderall has been used to help neurotypical people focus for at least a century, though not of course by that name. Your vicious, baseless attack on my integrity has no place here. Withdraw it immediately.
          • luckydata 4y ago
            I'm even more convinced now than before that you're in bad faith.
            • kragen 4y ago
              In https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31243297 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31243297 I caught you outright lying about what the relevant studies said, I suppose in hopes that other people wouldn't read them. Your accusations of bad faith are groundless and have no place here. That kind of conduct does not belong on this site.
        • astrange 4y ago
  • lghh 4y ago
    I understand why you're asking. I have often felt that way myself and it's why I put off getting treatment for so long. I was worried I would just end up being some 30 year old tech dude addicted to adderall who didn't actually need it. I want to address those questions in others since getting a diagnosis was so helpful for me. I want to educate around it. The short answer is that I was diagnosed independently by 2 professionals, I have a family history of ADHD, and I exhibit all of the symptoms of ADHD. Anecdotally, I know what stimulant abuse looks like. I have seen friends abuse adderall and other stimulants. I react totally different to it than they do. Since starting: I'm less angry. I'm less annoyed. I have the ability to listen to my spouse talk to me. I'm not jittery or jumpy any more. I am not always singing, tapping, humming, talking over people, talking at yelling volume in normal conversations. I know when to stop talking. I can actually take naps now and go to sleep before my body almost literally shuts down like I used to not be able to. I'd be happy to give you or anyone else a more in depth walk through how I got here and how I'm sure of what I have, but I understand that's not what you asked for.
    • triggercut 4y ago
      From one data point in the sea to another, this is genuinely good to see.
    • di4na 4y ago
      As someone still struggling to get an appointment just to possibly validate a diagnosis but with all these symptoms. Thank you. I may not have adhd but at least it gives hope.
      • lghh 4y ago
        I know I'm telling you what you likely already know. But please please please please try to make the appointment. The only reason I was able to was because I created some sense of urgency to do it. Maybe have a friend that you make yourself accountable to? Tell them you owe them money if you don't make an appointment before X date and then more money if you don't go to the appointment? If you need someone to talk though it with or if you have questions, my email is in my profile.
  • triggercut 4y ago
    I would assume from the fact they were diagnosed (as they stated) by a professional (hopefully)? As someone who also fights an internal battle with my diagnosis 24/7, comments like this are not helpful and can even be hurtful. Would you ask someone with a hearing aid how they could be sure they were deaf? Or someone wheelchair bound how they could be sure they can't just walk if they try hard enough? The world of work that we have made for ourselves as a society can be as inaccessible as the built environment can be to those who need accommodations to move around it safely.
    • lghh 4y ago
      Yes, I was diagnosed by two professionals independently of each others because I was so unsure of the first diagnosis. Comments like these are hurtful. I ask myself the question the commenter asked me every single day. I just try to approach them with care and the assumption they are coming from a good place. I know that isn't always the case, but it's the best I can do. Also, it's wild that I already have a strategy and thoughts about dealing with comments like these. It's only been a few weeks, but it's already happened a handful of times. Musk and Andreessen's recent comments on the matter angered me. And though I don't think Andreessenn's were necessarily out of the same place of hate's as Elon's were, they were still framed in a damaging way.
      • triggercut 4y ago
        > Comments like these are hurtful. I ask myself the question the commenter asked me every single day. I just try to approach them with care and the assumption they are coming from a good place. I know that isn't always the case, but it's the best I can do. I try to as well, I had to rewrite that comment several times to be bit more generous but had to leave it where it was. It's hard - Ironically it comes from a place of wishing the world would be more generous to you. Beyond regular therapy I don't talk openly about this, both for this reason, and as I had been struggling with, and treated, for depression for over 20 years (which it now turns out is exacerbated or even caused by the untreated ADHD). I've spent an incredible amount of effort and energy actively hiding this fact and any consequences from employers, teachers and loved ones out of fear of what it would mean for my already difficult to maintain status quo. I've seen what the stigma of mental health can do to ones career and future opportunities (unless of course you are an active and visual advocate, campaigner as well as your normal role).
  • jrapdx3 4y ago
    > "I mean, anyone benefits from Adderall whether you have ADHD or not." What benefits of Adderall are you referring to? Drugs like Adderall can have distinct adverse effects, like cardiac arrythmias, increased blood pressure, jitteriness, insomnia, anxiety. And drug misuse/dependence is a major problem with stimulant-class agents. So for sure it's not true that everyone benefits from Adderall. Widely abused on college campuses, among non-ADHD students it has a small positive effect on academic performance and at higher doses is a distinct negative. OTOH for people with ADHD the right treatment (Adderall or alternative) can be greatly beneficial. (That is, ADHD treatment allows recipients to perform closer to their non-ADHD peers.) Finding out if a person has ADHD requires evaluation by a qualified behavioral health clinician. Often it's not an easy diagnosis to make for even the best clinicians. Anyway I'd concur that diagnosis and treatment should not be attempted as a DIY project. Collaborating with a trustworthy practitioner is by far the best option.
    • symlinkk 4y ago
      I think you’re purposely pretending like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Adderall gives you euphoria, focus, and energy whether you have ADHD or not. For people without ADHD it’s kind of like a strong cup of coffee.
      • astrange 4y ago
        A strong cup of coffee (or anything above the low Vyvanse dose I usually take) actually makes me so jittery I concentrate even less. Though at least if you took too much Adderall IR, at least it'd wear off in 3-4 hours instead of 12.
      • jrapdx3 4y ago
        > I think you’re purposely pretending like you don’t know what I’m talking about. No I wasn't. Though I'm aware of the effects you mention in this comment. Adderall or any amphetamine, including methamphetamine acts similarly. But I do think "euphoria" and "focus" are kind of antithetical, so likely not happening at the same time. However people with ADHD don't experience these things, not euphoria or energy anyway. "Focus" is more like decreased distraction or clarity of thought. With medications ADHD people typically are calmer, more "centered" and more appropriately motivated to get done what they need to. Ironically the "stimulant" medications aren't stimulating to those with ADHD. IOW they don't feel anything in particular from the medications, it simply allows them to function more fluently. Of course if the dose is way too much, even ADHD folks will have side effects (usually jittery sensations, anxiety, interference with sleep, and other effects). Naturally I can't recommend using prescription and DEA-controlled drugs without a good medical reason, but of course I'm sure you knew I'd say that. :)
  • adhdgaslight 4y ago
    The scientific consensus of the medical community is very clear [1]. ADHD exists. It is also clear that the individuals who have it do in fact suffer from it. Unfortunately medical science is not at the point yet where it can, in an individual case, objectively verified with e.g. a brain scan or a blood test. You should be aware that comments like yours, while surely not your intention, do real damage to the large category of people (more than half; ibid) who have the disorder and are not receiving treatment because they are being gaslit by a society that already minimizes the disorder at every turn. [1] http://www.russellbarkley.org/factsheets/Consensus2002.pdf http://www.russellbarkley.org/factsheets/Consensus2002.pdf
    • sph 4y ago
      Thanks for this. You can discuss any disorder with people and they'll take you seriously, but mention ADHD and everybody is quick to point out that it can be cured/you need to eat better/you need to do more exercise/you need to try harder/it's a talent you need to embrace/it's just a ploy to get stims. I used to be this kind of person, I ignored the fact that I had many ADHD signs, and it's taken me decades to finally figure out what was wrong with me all along was something I thought was bullshit. Getting diagnosed has completely changed my life.
    • luckydata 4y ago
      the 2021 version is better imho https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33549739/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33549739/
  • luckydata 4y ago
    this is an incredibly ignorant statement. you can just google and find out but I suspect you have an agenda here which I don't appreciate.
  • cbfrench 4y ago
    There is at least some question about whether or not ADHD meds actually have cognitive benefits for non-ADHD users. This study, which is admittedly limited, shows that Adderall doesn’t provide a serious neurocognitive benefit to healthy individuals: https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/6/3/58 https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/6/3/58 At the very least, it’s possible that the benefits to healthy individuals are highly subjective.
• jrapdx3 4y ago
  > "Growing up, ADHD was my biggest enemy in life and I didn't even realize it." That corresponds to what many ADHD adults have experienced. Based on what I've observed among ADHD patients, early response to treatment is a reason for optimism. Chances are ongoing treatment will support continued improvement for months if not years. And not just the patient but also the person's family and beyond. Differences in outcomes are decidedly non-trivial.
  • sph 4y ago
    One interesting idea I've read is that life long treatment might enable long lasting behavioural and even physical changes in the brain that makes functioning easier when unmedicated. Basically, meds set you on a healthy path that might lessen the effects of the disorder.
    • lghh 4y ago
      I can't speak to the neurology of it, but I could see that being the case. Forming habits & routines + making lifestyle changes are almost certainly easier when medicated for ADHD. If you engrain those changes into yourself long enough, I bet they would stick after you're off medication as well.
    • ravi-delia 4y ago
      I definitely found I could decrease my dose after a few years because I had developed habits while on it that I never could have without. It's not magic, but I'm in a much better place now.
• Sakos 4y ago
  Same here, minus the marriage and son. It's sobering to realize how much failure and self-loathing could have been avoided if it had been diagnosed earlier.