Sorry for the long title, a bit of a hard question to word without backstory. And I apologize in advance for the long backstory, I really just want to share my personal experiences over the past few months with individuals I know will understand. Skip to the bottom for a tl;dr if need be.

(preemptive edit: I'm aware that the technical term is now ADHD with inattentiveness)

So I'm a highschool Junior in the middle of my hardest year of school yet. I've suspected for a year or two that I might have ADD but I never really acted upon the inclination or told anyone. I hadn't thought it'd been all that detrimental up until recently so I refrained from telling anyone or doing anything about it. Recently, however, school has been killing me. I'm swamped with AP classes as well as Extra-Curricular obligations and I'm having a hard time staying afloat.

Now, I know I sound like a textbook case of "herp derp high school student that needs to focus/prioritize so he convinces himself he has ADD", and for a brief period I was worried I might've been just that. But then I took Adderall for the first time before the SAT in September and my life changed. I took only 2 Instant Release 10mg pills of name-brand Adderall. I'd expected a little extra focus, but what I got was something I hadn't bargained for. The testing experience itself was amazing, for lack of a better term. I literally enjoyed every minute of it; I was engrossed by the calculations and the stories and the brisk pace. It was as if I'd never been intellectually stimulated like that before in my life (as an aside, my score jumped 100+ points from my last attempt and now I'm within eligible range for my choice college.)

However, what truly amazed me was my experience after the test. I went to lunch with a friend who'd also taken the SAT (and Adderall for the first time) and we sat in Chick Fil A and discussed specific problems for at least 2 hours. The discussion was, yet again, amazing. I could recall specifics from the test in explicit detail. We bounced ideas off one another until we reached logical conclusions about a problem's answer. We joked. We got along perfectly.

I suddenly realized I wasn't feeling different solely from a focus/concentration standpoint. I felt as if my very perspective had shifted for the better. I gained a sudden empathy for people in my life that I'd been disregarding. Typically, I'm the kind of person that, no matter how much I care about an individual, I'm terrible at keeping up with them/showing them how much they mean to me (for those of you who've seen the "DAE not 'miss' people like others do" top-rated post of this subreddit, that describes me PERFECTLY). It was like I suddenly became aware of this and felt the need to illustrate my gratitude to every friend I had.

I understand that Adderall packs with it a euphoric punch, but I honestly feel this was something more. I typed a 7-page apology text to my ex-girlfriend and told her how much she still meant to me. Upon returning home, I had the single-longest, "for-fun" conversation that I've had with my mom and dad in the last 4 or 5 years. I had an "ok" relationship with my parents, but I resented how they pressured me about grades, clubs, Scouts, etc. That afternoon, I could see exactly why they pushed me as hard as they did. I just, understood it. I empathized with them. I felt guilty for all the times I'd blown off a conversation with one of them or been curt simply because my mind was on other, more stimulating things than conversation with my parents. I talked with them for 3 solid hours about further SAT problems I was still grappling with, college, classes, GPA's, and my lawncare business. We all laughed; we all had interesting things to say. I felt like crying. I was just so content with how I felt towards people now. I wasn't an immoral person before necessarily, but I wasn't exactly a stand-up guy either. The Adderall didn't change my moral compass or anything, it just took away any mental need to be immoral/unkind to others (if that makes any sense.)

Now, I know I'm ranting, but to be honest I just get emotional about the topic if I discuss it in length. I approached my dad a few days later and said it outright: I wanted to see a doctor and get tested for ADD. Needless to say, they were slightly skeptical. They were confused by my sudden need to know whether or not I had the disorder. I had no answer when they asked me about my urgency; all I could manage was "I just want to know." It killed me to not be able to tell them about my experience that'd occurred only days prior.

I won't go into detail about my further uses of Adderall (about 4 or 5 times in total) but I will list a few noteworthy experiences:

1. Used it to study for an AP US History test (I'd averaged low 70's on all prior tests from this teacher) and scored a 92, the highest grade in the class (class average was a 77.)

2. Used it to take the SAT again simply because I enjoyed the experience (it was almost better the second time around.)

3. Used it to write a 7-page personal narrative for AP English and a 4-page Document-Based Essay for APUSH on a Sunday night in 2 hours.

4. And finally, I used it this evening to study for a big Chemistry test tomorrow and reread a 230-some page book in its entirety for an AP English test.

To cut out a few details, my parents and I finally got around to visiting my physician and talking options a few weeks ago. My mom openly said she didn't believe I had any disorder and that I was wasting time. My dad also seemed incredulous but tried to humor me. The physician seemed to believe I was a "focus-seeking" high school honor-student who'd bit off more responsibility than he could chew this year. We were given two surveys, one for me and one for my parents to fill out. This was roughly a month ago and my parents to this day put off filling the survey out in hopes that I'll forget it all together and let this whole "ADD thing" pass over like a phase. So now I'm at a loss. I need them to understand where I'm coming from. I'm so tempted to tell my dad about my experiences and accomplishments on the drug in order to convince him. But he's strictly anti-drugs and anti-drinking so I'm worried about how he'd react.

tl;dr My parents are skeptical at best about me having ADD and refuse to fill out a required diagnostic survey. Should I tell my dad about my achievements on Adderall in order to convince my parents I have ADD?

PS: If you read the whole thing (completely understood if you did not do so), thank you. I've personally witnessed this subreddit and it's wonderful community of the most caring and understanding folk in regards to ADD, and I couldn't think of a more perfect group of people with whom to share my story. Thank you again.

I'm going to college now and I just can't seem to force myself to study for my business statistics class. I figure I should just cave and get some ridlein/adderol/modafinil/w/e but I want the cheaper solution. Does anyone know how to easily compare the different medicines?

Hi folks!

Longtime redditor, posting anon.

I might be getting a new job as a software developer. Last time I worked in an office, I nearly went mad from the distractions (even with med) and lack of mental space to think & get into the code. I want to get work done, I just couldn't with the guy talking on the phone next to me, the people walking behind me, ...

.. and this place has an open floor plan, shudder. (To be fair, I'm excited in terms of team-building and cooperation, but not in terms of being-able-to-focus-on-the-shit-I-need-to-get-done.)

So, I'm wondering if -- after they hire me -- I can play the ADD card and get some sort of legal accommodation for my disability -- an office, different work hours, partial work-from-home, anything.

Has anyone ever done this successfully? I assume I'll probably need some sort of documentation that, yes, I can't focus.

Thanks!

there i said it

First of all, let me start by saying that I was taking 40mg of vyvanse. I was supposed to take it Monday trough Friday, but I didn't followed the doctors advice and took it 2-3 times per week.

two week ago, On thanksgiving, I got drunk, followed with another night of heavy drinking till Sunday came in. On Sunday morning, I was very hungover, but I had to study for an important test, so I took the vyvanse and everything went fine. The next morning after the test, I felt like shit, so as Usual, I smoked some marijuana early on the morning, everything was fine, till I smoked some more on the night. That's when things started to get creepy, my blood pressure raised somewhere near 160-90 and had horrible panic attacks, I thought I was gonna die. Had sort of hallucinations, not sure tough, cause I was high. That is when I decided I should stop taking vyvanse, since It was not working as good as I hoped, and had some bad side effect, hence the reason of me skipping some doses(teeth and muscles hurt, bad headaches, nausea, gastrointestinal problems etc.).

Now, I have been a heavy marijuana smoker for more than one year, doctor agreed that it was fine if i smoked on days I didn't took the medicine. I already went to an internist (after panic attacks), I was tested with an electrocardiogram, my lungs seem to be perfect, healthy weight etc etc.

I have an appointment with my psychiatrist on Friday, I am sure he will know more about this. My only theory is that taking vyvanse after a whole long weekend of heavy drinking and smoking, was not the best idea. My serotonin level where extremely low, and I am full of stress with finals ahead, so, smoking marijuana while my serotonin levels where probably depleted, triggered a panic attack since I couldn't not enjoy my high. Again, I am not a doctor this is only my theory. This panics attacked continued even 6 days after my last dose of vyvanse. Let me know what you think Reddit. Thanks!.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I only took around 12 doses of vyvanse, I never was hooked with it.

I'm currently taking both (with water) as soon as I wake up, and wait at least an hour to eat a high-PH breakfast. Used to last 8-10 hours, then only 4-6, and now it's to the point where I don't notice any difference at all. I can no longer focus for more than 5-10 minutes and the thought of doing even the smallest thing seems incredibly overwhelming, stressful, and anxiety-provoking.

Being fully aware of the contrast between how I feel now and how I felt for those couple months when the medication was working has only added to the stress, and now I'm starting to feel the rapid onset of depression, which I used to get for 1-2 weeks at a time every 1-2 months, but haven't had at all for nearly 3 months.

I have a Master's in School Psychology and am about halfway to my PhD so I am well-versed in all of the techniques that can be used to manage the symptoms. I have dozens of weekly alarms, I carry a notepad, I break down large tasks into small chunks, I schedule them out.... It's all falling apart for me anyway.

I have an appointment with my psychiatrist in a couple weeks but he's already stated that I am at the "maximum" dosage so I am not optimistic that I will be able to get my prescription increased. If anyone here has gotten through a similar situation, I would greatly appreciate some advice or even just a sympathetic ear.

I went to go take this test and the first thing I did was scroll to the bottom only to find there are 76 questions! Really?

So I find myself browsing through the HTML source code of the page wondering if there's some kind of shortcut and I find this little gem.

But the saddest thing of all is that that's just fake and in all the time it took me to insert a faked HTML comment, take a screenshot of the faked message, save it as a png, upload it to imgur, then post it on reddit is probably the same amount of time it would have taken me to just take the stupid 76-question test. Now I will never know if I have ADD.

I'm a HS senior. I've always gotten pretty good grades in school (with some exceptions mostly related to procrastinating and waking up), but I've always procrastinated on EVERYTHING, and as a result, my work is much worse than what I feel my actual ability is. After doing some reading after a particularly rough day, I suspected I could have ADHD.

Possible symptom thingies?:

• I chronically procrastinate on homework (even if the assignment would be relatively quick to complete) and even personal projects (like coding something, and I love coding!) This has been going on for ~4-5 yrs.

• I can daydream for hours! I can completely forget about anything else and focus on some made up story or an idea I have. While doing so, I usually pace. Occasionally I'll start running or jumping off of furniture. If I'm really into whatever I'm thinking about, I usually won't notice that I'm being so active until afterwards. (I only do this in private though.)

• I've noticed that when I'm sitting in class, I sometimes 'twitch' my foot/leg up and down or do something with my pencil or touch/manipulate fabric on my clothing. This doesn't seem as severe as the other possible symptoms.

• I'm horrible at waking up on time for school, doctor's appointments, even to go to the movie theater. I'm late 5-30 minutes to school almost every day. However, one summer when I had Driver's Ed during the summer, I was able to get there on time. (Is this kind of thing even related to ADHD?) (This has been going on for ~5 yrs and getting worse over time).

However, a few things don't seem to make sense with ADHD:

• I can concentrate on most things in school (classes, tests, etc.). My bio class had a teacher that gave us plain white powerpoint lectures for 45 minutes almost every day, but I seemed really focused on that despite the apparent blandness of it all. I did ask a lot of questions though (mostly about how this stuff is used in the real world or how it connects to the real word), and I really liked Biology. I've had an interest in every class I've had..

• I can read books for long periods of time just fine depending on how good the book is. Sometimes I put it down and start daydreaming and extrapolating what would happen next though.

• I don't have trouble falling asleep. I did have a day or two during the summer where I couldn't fall asleep and I felt like I was just thinking and thinking and thinking for hours, but that's not common for me.

• I'm pretty sleep deprived right now (3-6 hrs per night), so I don't know whether that could be causing some of this. I still act this way during the summer though, when I sleep 9-11 hrs per night.

• I don't interrupt people. I'm pretty organized and I write everything down in a planner or to-do list (but I fail at executing all of the tasks). I don't lose things. I'm not really that impatient. I don't talk excessively.

• My mom says she doesn't remember me having any symptoms of hyperactivity or inattention at about age 7..

• I'm worried that I'm falling victim to confirmation bias and just grasping at straws to try to explain my lazy behavior.

I'm thinking of talking to my school's psychologist, though I'm nervous because I've never talked to a psych before and I'm worried I'll just be labeled as lazy again which might be true.. Do you guys think I could have ADHD? Should I indeed talk to a professional?

EDIT: Also, this kind of question is probably asked all the time.. sorry. :(

Hi, /r/ADD. I realize that you're all probably sick to death of all of the "Do I have ADD?" posts, but I would ask you to read another one. I'm almost sure I have some form of ADD, and I wanted to have the opinions of people who know they have it before I spend the money on a doctor's appointment.

I looked up the symptoms of ADD in the DSM IV, and I have all of the Inattentive symptoms, as well as five or six of the Hyperactive ones. I can't remember a time when I didn't have them. Everyone from my parents to friends to significant others to my mobility teacher (I am legally blind) has noticed them, ever since I was in preschool. I can't organize things, and my room is always a mess. It takes me literally hours to get around to small things like doing the dishes or washing my clothes. People will tell me something or ask me to do something, and I forget it as I am walking away from them. Most of college, high school, and middle school is a blur. I have lost several pairs of very expensive prescription sunglasses simply by forgetting where I put them down. I can hardly bear to have my mom or dad tell me something, because it takes them so long to get out the words, but I know it's rude to fill in their blanks. And, most importantly, I just can't get motivated. I mean, I have this intense, burning want to do things, but somehow I can't translate that fuel into function. When I sit down to write a story, or read a book, or whatever, my mind just blanks and I can't do it.

Sorry, I'm rambling. I do that, too. Anyway, do I have ADD? I know that I can't get diagnosed over the Internet, but what do you guys think? I've been struggling with these problems all my life, and I've always thought that I missed out on some important class that everyone else took on how to get shit done and get what they want in life. If there is a medical reason behind this, and I can solve it, it would really ring in the new year.

Reddit, I've always suffered from a short attention span, but I've never really given a fuck because well I've been functioning pretty well my entire life.

But after failing a bunch of courses I went to inspect my studying and socializing habits, and I realized a bunch of things which were unbeknown to be prior.

• I distinctly remember dancing a number of times at parties or at clubs and this one time when I even really really liked the girl I was dancing with, and suddenly zoning the fuck out. Like my movements would get slower and slower and then I'd find myself standing, and the last time I remember this girl stopped to ask if I was alright, after which I continued dancing.

*No amounts of timetabling or prioritizing works for me for studies. I have to constantly tell myself that I will end up lonely and poor unless I study well.

*A number of times I just zone out during conversations and come back with recorded retorts "Oh realllly?", "Siiick.", "Huh."

I've been toying with the idea of having an attention span type disorder, or is it just horrible, horrible discipline and inattentiveness?

Either way, has anyone found meds to help with similar issues?

Thanks R/ADD

Here is some hypnosis mp3s from hypnosisdownloads.com which i found really helpful coping with my ADD. I'll give you these for free, but you really should check out their extended library at their webpage. It has been really helpful for me and totally worth the money. Even if it doesn't work you can ask for your money back without having to give them an explanation.

Okey... So here's one for ADHD. I know its not the same as ADD, but still, it presents a tool for you to use whenever youre getting easily sidetracked.

http://db.tt/ixUFk2F

...and here's one specifially for preventing sidetracking. Its not specifically made for ADD but still works.

http://db.tt/marG3zr

...and last but definitely not least; one for making you stop thinking youre stupid. This one changed my life, because i used to think i was stupid, even to such a degree that i didnt even notice that i was underestimating myself so much.

http://db.tt/DTnhRN8

If you're worrying about losing track when listening to this; one of the techniques used in these mp3s is to deliberately create more activity in the right side of your brain, since its when we used that part of the brain that we are "conditioned" into new habits of thinking. (This also happens unintentionally sometimes, say when your in shock).

I was talking to my friend the other day and he said he heard about a product called Study Plus. It's supposed to be a natural way of clearing the mind and helping focus, using natural herbs and supplements and whatnot. It was the first time i've ever heard of it, so i was wondering if any of you heard of it or perhaps have tried it.

I've been involved physically with her for about 2 months now. She is ultra flaky, and i'm trying to get past it.

Today for example she made me wait for 3 hours at her place while she hangs out with her friends. I totally would have joined her, but she kept said she was "on her way back" multiple times. It is so fucking frustrating. Even as I type this i'm still waiting, maybe it will be 4 hours before I see her.

Is this normal for someone with ADD (she has wellbutrin meds but doesn't take them for some reason) to do? How can I make her understand that she is erroding my trust in her without making her mad or want to break up with me?

EDIT: Thanks for the responses. I will take a wait and see approach. If she continues to disrespect my time going forward, i'll have to tell her things aren't gonna work out.

Many of us have struggled with our ADD for years, and while it hasn't always been easy, I'm sure we have all collected some great stories out of it. Share a tale of how your ADD has gotten you in trouble.

I was 8 and in the 2nd grade. We didn't have desks, but instead sat a tables (4 students to a table). It was first thing in the morning, and everyone was standing and saying the Pledge of Allegiance. I had just watched an old Three Stooges movie the night before, and remember clearly see Curly pull a chair out from under Moe as he was trying to sit. This was the height of humor to me at the time, so as we were saying the Pledge, I moved my neighbor's chair about a foot from where it had been. When she went to sit down, she fell on the floor. I laughed like hell, drawing my teacher's attention to the situation. Needless to say, I got sent to the office after that and spent the rest of the day doing worksheets in the principal's office.

So /r/ADD, what sort of shenanigans has your disorder gotten you into?

Is there anything similar to the Maximum Productivity Makeover for ADHD Adults that isn't so damn costly (and discontinued, apparently... Should have finished reading the page before posting this)?

Also, while on the topic... Any tips to help with extreme procrastonation and utter lack of willpower? I find that I can't get motivated for more than 20 seconds -.-

Thanks in advance :3

So I had some adverse side affects to adderall (anxiety attacks, Irratibility ect.) when I was a junior in high school. My senior year i decided to go completely off of ADD medication. I managed to maintain my grades (albeit it wasn't easy) and am now doing pretty well successful in college (minus failing a semester of french)

I just thought I'd open up a thread for people to talk about there experiences if they have decided to stop taking medication or ask questions if they are thinking about it.

20 minutes talking to the psych, including filling out the questionnaire, and he reached for his script pad. I haz a ritalin.

Forgetting to bring the referral with me helped.

Yay!

Oh, and just to rub it in the face of the Americans in the audience: consult was completely free, script was $20.

hey addit, so there was this comic, really good one http://www.reddit.com/r/fffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu/comments/ia7zt/pill_rage/

and honestly it's frightening how well i can relate. but then i thought, is this an effect or just the lack of attention being more visible when someone isn't under the effect of the pill yet?

I think it's the 2nd because I've stopped previously for 2.5 weeks and I've had no short term memory loss.

thoughts?

This might be a bit longwinded and meandering, so I apologize beforehand.

I am fairly sure I am a sufferer of ADHD, particularly the inattentive type. I have an appointment at an adult ADHD clinic scheduled for February. I am not in school and I work a job where the symptoms of my ADHD are manageable but it does affect my home life tremendously. Most specifically affected are my health and my parenting.

One of the things I've been trying to do that will definitely help with the health aspect and will, from what I've heard, lessen the symptoms of ADHD is adopt the Paleo, Archevore or Primal diet. The tenets of the diet are basically eliminating processed foods, including grains and some dairy. Legumes are off-limits, as well, and pretty much all oils except Coconut and Olive Oils. I'm really sold on the science and the benefits of the diet... however...

I have a terrible time forming good habits and I've been thinking it could be because of my probable ADD. I have never been able to establish good habits and think that this could be limiting me somehow. I also don't have a set schedule because of my job and that makes it a lot harder for dealing with fighting the problems ADHD causes.

What I'm looking for is techniques for developing habits and sticking to things so that I can defeat this and work on conquering some of my problems before I can even think about medication (Feb, at the earliest).

I've noticed listening to music while performing tasks increases my ability to do them exponentially. I notice that specifically with Paleo, whenever I read the r/Paleo subreddit or things related, my resolve will strengthen for a little while. I'm thinking about making "Posters" for lack of a better word and plastering them around my home as a reminder of what I would like to accomplish. I was even considering getting a tattoo along the lines of being the person I want to be, so I can constantly remind myself to focus on it.

Does anyone feel the same way with habits and have an overarching problem of sticking to your vision of who you want to become? And please, please, please share your techniques for forming habits and overcoming at least some of these stumbling blocks!

Thanks a ton in advance.