Hello
 

Hi Chimera.

I have ADD also and now that I know it (wasn't diagnosed until a couple years ago), a lot of things in my life make sense! Oi vey.

I only take 5 mg of ritalin on work days to help with my concentration. It works well for me, that small dose.

I haven't heard of Dexedrine Spansules, though I know what dexedrine is.

Nice to meet you. :)

Howdy Doody!

(sorry coudnt resist!:D )

Hi Chimera :)

My son and my husband both have mild ADD

Hello I'm Liz :)

My husband has mild ADD (unmedicated) and I have mild ADD (medicated with Provigil which was originally supposed to help my fatigue, and it not only helped the fatigue it also helped the ADD :) )

Nice to meet you all :)

Liz

HI, all. I have 2 grandsons with ADHD, both unmedicated. We seem to have a lot of learning disabilities in the family, 2 of my 3 children have LD's, and 5 of my 7 grandkids are affected. The other 2 grandkids are too young to be tested.
Although I myself post on the MG forum, I'll pop into this one if I have any questions, and to keep an eye open for any good advice I can pass on to my kids to help the grandkids.

Hi everybody!

Adult ADHD (sometimes I wonder about the "inattentive/non-hyperactive" label :rolleyes: ), diagnosed three or four years ago after a lifetime of limping. Dexedrine 7.5 mg. twice a day on work days, and the difference is so great it cannot be measured.

I'm happy to meet you. :)

Hello all!
 

It's nice to meet other adults who were recently diagnosed. It was only after working with ADD/ADHD children, and then getting a training on it that I suspected it. I've always been known to be forgetful, and very chatty (teachers were never able to find a location in the classroom where I wouldn't strike up a conversation with someone.) :D

I actually functioned pretty well in school, and because I was an eternally happy and intelligent, teachers gave me a break. It didn't work that way once I got in the work world. There were those subtle social cues that I would miss, and I would end up saying something that would offend someone. I would have no clue what I did wrong, which was intrepreted as refusing to change my behavior.

What events led up to everyone else's diagnosis in adulthood?

purple pal in Wisconsin

Hi purplepal and Welcome :)

I was diagnosed with ADD when I went to see a new psychaitrist for my anxiety. Part of the new patient paperwork was a 2 page 'symptoms survey'...

Over the next several appointments with the new psychaitrist he asked a lot of questions about my life, my school years, etc... I thought it was all about the anxiety, but on the 5th visit he asked me if I had ever been diagnosed with ADD, and I said no because no one had ever mentioned it to me before.

The doc then asked a ton more questions, and had me fill out more paperwork with more in depth questions about symptoms and everyday life, and long story short, he diagnosed me with adultADD.

Then as I read more about adultADD I started recognizing things in myself, and also in my husband. My husband then saw a different psychaitrist and he was also diagnosed with adultADD.

Then we both went together to a 3rd psychaitrist so that we could each get a second opinion, and that psychaitrist confirmed that we both had ADD... and we have both had ADD since childhood, it was just never recognized way back then.

ADD twilight zone moments
 

Ok, this must be the ADD twilight zone.

My husband also has ADD!!! I've always read that that is a recipe for disaster, but I think not. Maybe that is part of the reason we were attracted to each other. Both my husband and I also have anxiety as well, but in different ways.

The great thing is, I figured out the root cause of my anxiety. Plus, after my very first dose of Adderall, it was like I discovered color television. :D I'd heard about it and read a few articles, but it's nothing as compared to the real thing.

purple pal

purple pal,

I can completely relate to what you said about medications being like discovering color TV!

I felt that way the first time I was given anxiety meds for my panic attacks. I have had anxiety and panic since age 4, but it wasn't until I was in my early 20's when the anxiety was finally diagnosed and treated - and it was completely life changing to have a way to stop an impending panic attack.

I felt the same way when my ADD was treated too - which was essentially an accident. My psychaitrist was very reluctant to let me try any ADD meds because he was worried that they would cause an increase in my anxiety.

Then because of my physical medical stuff, I was having horrible fatigue and so my primary care doctor prescribed Provigil for me, and it helped the fatigue a lot and it also helped the ADD quite a bit -- again a life changing moment all due to finally getting a medication that worked very well.


I have also heard the horror stories about couples who both have ADD, but for my husband and I, I really think it's a benefit and not a risk/problem. We understand each other, we help each other, we are better able to work together, and when one of us is having a major ADD moment the other doesn't get frustrated/angry/upset because we each understand what it's like to be in the other persons shoes.

So I personally think that it helps us to be closer and more in synch with each other.

:)

Liz

new drug for ADD/ADHD
 

Have you heard about the new drug that's been approved by the FDA? NRP104 or lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate. (Now that's a mouthful!) It's not available yet, but the reports say that the only major hurdle left is classification.

I'm watching its progress, but before I would switch, I want to make sure that it doesn't tax the liver.

Wendy :)

I hate new drugs.

With my anxiety, I have a hard time taking any medication for the first time due to fear of side effects and possible interactions, etc... but when the medication is something that is brand new to the market I just refuse to take it.

Thankfully, my doctor accepts and understands this little bit of strange anxiety and pill phobia, and she knows that I won't take any medication unless it has been on the market for at least a year or two.

My psychaitrist on the other hand still needs to be taught - he loves new stuff and he always wants his patients to try to latest and greatest.... and he has a hard time believing and accepting that I am happy with my old as dirt Trazodone for an antidepressant... but he will learn eventually ;)

the only thing new
 

about this drug is the delivery of it. It is still amphetamine in the brain.

The lysine attached molecule is to supposedly prevent amphetamine abuse.
But I don't think that will end up the case. All amphetamines and stimulants, are figured out, and abused in the end.

It is just a nifty way for Shire to make some money now, that Adderall is generic.

You can read about it on www.cafepharma.com
Click on "boards" and go to Shire. There is alot of inside conversation about it.

how drugs affect me
 

Wittesea and Mrs. D:

I'm with you on the possible effects of new drugs. In fact, supersensitivity to many drugs is at the center of triggering the blood disorder I have. I've always taken half of the recommended dose of anything new I take. And I carefully consider all the positives and negatives, before I take anything new. And that includes any non-prescription chemicals/herbs. As a result, I would be the last person to abuse any drug, because most regular doses make me sick. :(

The odd thing is, I'm taking a take a medium range dose of Adderall. Besides helping me with the usual symptoms of lack of concentration and staying on task (not getting easily bored), the lowest dose pretty much eliminated the low to moderate level of anxiety I've always had. I never really considered myself as anxious, but others would mention it from time to time.

A few doctors seemed to think that antidepressants would help. They only made things worse. They would slow me down and make me groggy, even at the very lowest dose. They just fogged up my brain. Plus, even after telling the doc who gave me a sample of Paxil (she said it was to help with my sleep, even though I saw "r/o anxiety disorder" on my chart). Well, the sample was a full dose, and caused me to be in a drugged state. I slurred my speech, had a hard time completing my thoughts and getting them out properly, numb legs, and not to mention nearly blacking out.

As I stated before, if an addict can't get a high from one drug, they will find another. So there is something to be said for trying to make it more difficult to get high from a medication. When I was growing up, it was alcohol and marijuana. Now it's Adderall. Every generation has its drug of choice.

The testing that is required by the FDA is generally fine, but it won't and can't account for how every person will react. I have read some people's posts on how they figured out how to beat the new ADHD drug. The scary thing is, I read some posts from medical students, and what drugs they've taken to study for their medical exam. :eek: It explains a lot of things, doesn't it?

Anyways, I apologize for the length of this, :o but I just wanted to my situation in more detail. Every person's situation is different.

Purple Pal

I had the same reaction to antidepressants.

The doctors wanted me to try the SSRI and other newer types of AD's to help the anxiety, and instead they made the anxiety worse and did nothing for the mild depression, and the side effects were so horrible.

Over the years they had me try almost every single SSRI/SRNI antidepressant - and all of them failed, and all of them made me worse instead of better.


I also noticed a decrease in my general anxiety once my ADD was treated - and the doctors kept telling me the ADD meds would make the anxiety worse - but instead it became better. Gotta love those doctors :rolleyes:

It's nice to be able to talk to someone who has had experiences that are similar to my own... :)

anxiety from ADD
 

When I was thinking I might be ADD, I did a lot of research, so when I went to my doctor about this, I'd have some "ammo". Plus, I am an info junkie, and I wanted to make sure that I kept the conversation on point, and not let my anxiety take over.

One thing I found very interesting was the subtypes of ADD and ADHD. I also read how anxiety is presented in ADD/ADHD. The subtypes I read about are described simply to the following link: http://add.about.com/cs/othertreatment/a/dramen_2.htm. If you read type 3 and type 6, I'm a combination of those two.

Another thing I learned was how the anxiety experienced has more to do with the inconsistent flow of neurochemicals. And that was certainly the case with me. So I didn't need a suppression of certain chemicals, I just needed a consistent flow. And that's what the stimulants do. :cool:

I'm really sorry you had to go through so many antidepressants before you were able to figure out what that they would never work. One fortunate thing about one of my ADD traits is that I'm stubborn, and I vowed never to take another antidepressant. One visit to a therapist about a possible ADD diagnosis resulted in an antidepressant prescription. He thought I was just anxious. I threw it out and never went back to him. :D

purple pal