4 ms·

FWIW here's my experience: mid 30s, New Zealand, wife read about ADHD due to young kids and recognised the adult symptoms in me. After some prodding I saw a spe

FWIW here's my experience: mid 30s, New Zealand, wife read about ADHD due to young kids and recognised the adult symptoms in me. After some prodding I saw a specialist and was diagnosed. I take daily ritalin - outside of the first few days (which were dramatic) I haven't had a life altering experience on the drugs, and tbh it doesn't change much whether or not I take it. However, having a diagnoses changes the way I approach things in life - it's helpful to know why my brain works the way it does, and how to work around it and with it. I don't think you need a formal diagnoses for this though. It's extremely helpful to take a big dose just before a long meeting, to be fair. Where previously I'd struggle to even make it through, I can now be engaged.

Moissanite 4y ago
My reluctance to engage with the health service has led me to experiment with a few things like exercise, vitamin D and better sleep, which all had positive outcomes even if they didn't fix the problem. Your description of ritalin is similar to what I found when I took my experiments further and tried modafinil for about 18 months. It was just about effective enough to justify the (legal but awkward) way of obtaining it. Speaking to a doctor would of course be the sensible next step if I wasn't so bloody stubborn.
ravenstine 4y ago
I find that stimulants are mostly good for one thing, which is the ability to push through uninteresting tasks. Listening to others also becomes much easier. I don't find they have that dramatic of an effect, but I feel more "normal" if that makes any sense. Stimulants won't fix ADHD and magically make uninteresting work stimulating. They just lift a thin veil a bit.
Zircom 4y ago
You might try switching to strattera or Adderall for a month or two, there can be a dramatic difference between the effectiveness of ADD medications on individuals.

Moissanite 4y ago

My reluctance to engage with the health service has led me to experiment with a few things like exercise, vitamin D and better sleep, which all had positive outcomes even if they didn't fix the problem. Your description of ritalin is similar to what I found when I took my experiments further and tried modafinil for about 18 months. It was just about effective enough to justify the (legal but awkward) way of obtaining it. Speaking to a doctor would of course be the sensible next step if I wasn't so bloody stubborn.

ravenstine 4y ago

I find that stimulants are mostly good for one thing, which is the ability to push through uninteresting tasks. Listening to others also becomes much easier. I don't find they have that dramatic of an effect, but I feel more "normal" if that makes any sense. Stimulants won't fix ADHD and magically make uninteresting work stimulating. They just lift a thin veil a bit.

Zircom 4y ago

You might try switching to strattera or Adderall for a month or two, there can be a dramatic difference between the effectiveness of ADD medications on individuals.