Poll: Medicine and Adults with ADD/ADHD
Monday November 10, 2008
Are you an adult with ADD/ADHD? Do you take medication to help control symptoms? What are your feelings about the medication? Please share in the poll below. Feel free to post additional thoughts in the comments section following the poll or in our Forum.
Post comments below.
Comments
The poll it very narrow. I was taking Adderall (generic), but because it’s a controlled substance I have to get a new prescription every month. My Doctor wants me to make an appointment each time the cost for this medication more than doubles!
This med works a little bit for me, but it’s not worth all the hassle to get it! I’ve given up on it!!!
I’m 62 with AADD, it was diagnosed about 5 years ago. Apparently I’ve had it my whole life (that explains a LOT) and it’s made a big difference. Even tho’ I’ve got the large IQ that sometimes goes with it, I’ve never been able to accomplish much in my life and have suffered an awful lot of depression as a result.
Your percentages are way off … over 2/3 of the total respondents are taking Medication …
Of those 2/3s, almost all feel meds are helping …
Percentages should not be calculated using respondents to ALL questions as the Denominator …
As an Adult Diagnosed ADDer … I can say that stimulants may not be best answer, or the first option … Wellbutrin has been better for me …
You’ve developed coping skills for alot of the negative ADD traits … learn to accept the others, and appreciate the ADD Positives …
But, you may need to deal with the emotional scars that ADD has left on your life … I believe as a FIRST step …
Depression, Anxiety, Self Esteem, Failure after Failure … until THEY are a Mountain in your Rearview Mirror, you’re just spinning your wheels …
Joe,
You are exactly right! I am sorry about those percentages. They do not accurately reflect responses. I should have been more careful when I set up the poll. Thank you for noticing this and letting me know. I’ll keep this and Gary’s point about expanding the responses in mind the next time.
Thank you all three, Gary, Joe and Jvtjr. I love it when readers post because it really makes a difference to read about everyone’s perspective.
Best,
Keath
Good idea for a poll, Keath.
I am very glad to see that most people are finding benefit from the medication.
We are lucky to have many knowledgeable clinicians in this field, but some prescribing physicians aren’t as careful as they should be. As a result, some adults with ADHD experience negative side effects and quickly decide the treatment is worse than the symptoms!
It’s so helpful to become your own advocate and be a smart consumer.
As for another poster’s comment about Wellbutrin, be aware that neurochemistry is a very individual thing. We know that the stimulants are the first-line medications. In other words, they are the first that should be tried (in most cases) in order to achieve the best results.
Gina Pera
although i agree that this poll is somewhat narrow, (i did find symptoms relieved, but not for long…plateaued — and worried about addiction. psych. and phys.) but my main complaint is that it appears that ritalin was making my arthritis pain much worse. what good is all this “focusability” if my hands hurt so much I cannot use them? i have not found much data on this subject. anyone else notice this side effect? my expoeerience has been that once ritalin was discontinued, arthritis pain decreased to my former “normal” level. one side effect listed for ritalin is Arthralgia; seems like this might tie in to the arthritis pain? also seems like arthrits might be a fairly common ailment in us adult adders….any input out there
I seriously do not know how I would survive going back to school (seminary) as a middle-aged woman with ADHD if I didn’t have Concerta for day classes, then a small Ritalin booster for evening study and meetings. I did it as an undergrad by staying up all night for every paper I ever wrote (among other things), but I am way too old for that, and now I can’t sleep in whenever I want.
Now if they could just make a prescription available for keeping me on task and helping me stay organized AND that didn’t raise my blood pressure! But I am grateful for what I have. It’s helping me get where I want to go.
Just read Dr Amen’s book Healing ADD. He has categorized SIX different kinds of ADD. That’s why Welbutrin or other anti-depressants work for one kind out of the six, but if I take them I sleep 24 hours a day – no joke. It’s a very interesting educational book and I highly recommend it.
Have been on vyvanse for 9 months. Mind is more quiet and forgiving. Less guilt and dispair. Feel good often. Still trouble with hyperfocus. Feel more physically hyper. Trouble sitting to read or knit or even watch TV. Still start too many projects, but I am completing. Too much energy. Friend say I talk nonstop and jump from idea to idea. I don’t even notice this. I feel that knowing I am on meds for this that I am ” under glass” for them to study and pass and discuss. Maybe I need to increase my dose. I felt so demoralized when I heard that my talking was mentioned by several friends and family. I feel that even though my negative self talk has all but disappeared, I’ve made no progress at all. I feel that they are watching for me to do something “crazy.” Too hard to believe a 63 year old girl has a naughty child’s disorder. I feel like a weirdo and a nut. One friend told me about this today and although it was surprisingly upsetting at least she wasn’t afraid to talk to me directly rather than whisper behind my back. So, has med. helped? I guess it’s yes on the inside of my head, and no, not so anyone else would notice. So maybe questions need to be less general. I talked to my Doc about increasing dose from 60 to 75 and I guess I well. I love the energy I have to hike and climb and complete tasks I begin, but not if it makes everyone else nuts being around me. Comments? Has anyone else experienced this?
Kathy,
I am so sorry you are having such demoralizing feelings. You are not those negative labels. You are right to talk with your doctor and work with him to figure out the most effective dosage. You can also sort out with him the timing of the medication. In other words if you are around others during the work day and need to be more focused and less impulsive, you want the medication to help during this time. But if you spend early evenings in outdoor activities hiking and climbing and don’t like the way the medication makes you feel during this time, your doctor may be able to coordinate it so the dose is less potent during these times. I guess the best advice is to continue to communicate with your doctor to find what works best for you.
Feel free to visit our ADD/ADHD Forum to share your question. We have lots of members who understand exactly what you are feeling. Not everyone sees the comments on these blogs unless they happen to be on the same page viewing them. You may get more responses from the Forum. You might also want to find a local ADHD support groups. Here are some links that may help.
For our Forum:
http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=ab-add
Locate a CHADD Support Group – Go to the link below and click on “Finding Support”:
http://www.chadd.org/
Find an ADDA Support Group:
http://www.add.org/help/support.html
I WAS THE POSTER CHILD FOR ADD ADHD WHEN I WAS A KID, BUT THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT IT WAS THEN. I STARTED TAKING VYVANSE IN SEPT OF 08 , WHAT A WONDERFUL DIFFERENCE IT MADE. THOSE JUNK DRAWERS I NEVER NEW WHAT TO DO WITH, NOW I CAN ORGANIZE THEM, I CLEANED OUT MY CLOSET, AND NOW I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL. BEFORE I WOULD NEVER CONSIDER SCHOOL BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE TO READ THE SAME PAGE OF BOOK SOMETIMES 3 TIMES TO GET IT. THANK YOU FOR INVENTING THE MEDICATION.