how long have you been on ADD/ADHD meds?

[lightthecandle]

I feel like I need to go on meds, but I"m not sure how that'll affect the antidepressants that I"m taking.

at what age, and for how long have ya'll been taking ADD/ADHD meds?
how much did it change things for you from before taking them to after..and how long did it take for you to see a change?

[geekchic9]

I took antidepressants and Concerta for a while. It turns out I didn't have ADHD, I had a different disorder. The Concerta only made me have panic attacks. Not fun. Sorry I can't be more positive.

EDIT: I took the ADHD medication when I was about 20 or 21. I took them for less than a year. It took me a while to link the panic attacks with the medication.

[Life Warrior]

Every person is different, especially with psychoactive drugs and such sensitive conditions as add/adhd. The proper way to approach the issue is to talk to a professional and experiment with different treatments under close supervision.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia is a good place to start in terms of useful information.

From a personal standpoint, I've been switching from a very small dose of ritalin, to large amounts of coffee, while maintaining continuous exercise routine for a little over a year - about the time when I realized how I was different from those around me. But I think that being actively aware of my condition was what really put me back on track in life. Good luck.

[Ponce]

I am 67 and never taken anything.....don't smoke, drink or do drugs.....not even aspirin.

To take something now only means that you will need to take something else in the future......so why start now?

The only cure that you need is your mind.....make it work.

PS: I am guilty to have taken pain pills when my body was broken to pieces, left shoulder twice, four broken ribs, squash right foot, right leg broken four times (right foot and leg shorter than the left one), two bullets wounds and one knife wound.

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

I have not been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD nor am I in any way an expert on the subject, however, a long while ago I read a book called No More Ritalin which talked about some of the underlying causes of the symptoms labeled ADD/ADHD. The author of that book has a website with information about adult ADD. Maybe there are some other avenues you can pursue prior to choosing medication that could conflict with your current medication.

Adult ADD/ADHD

[Ponce]

Want to hear something funny? hahahahahahahahaahha LOL.

A nurse representing my insurance company called me today in order to find out how come I haven't requested any prescription medecine sinse I became a member five years ago juaaaaaaaaaaaaaa hahahahahahah.

She told me that I was the only known person never to have taken anything, even flu shots...... I told her "Why do you think that I am so healthy?", she dind't know what to say .

I don't know why but this makes me happy as hell......

By the way, all my male family members lives to be over 100, in 4 1/2 years I'll have to go to Cuba for my dad's 100 birthday.

[cheery]

Hi,

I started taking Concerta along with an SSRI antidepressant two years ago. I started taking them at roughly the same time. For you and anyone else reading, I'd like to offer my experience.

Concerta, at the time, changed my life. For the first time ever, I was able to do simple things such as watch a movie all the way through and read a book to the end. I recall erupting into tears and gaining much self esteem as my grades, performance at work and cleanliness improved. I also gained more awareness and realized things I had previously missed out on because I was always in a brain fog or readily distracted, and better retained information. I started on 18 mg. and titrated up to the highest legal dose for adults, 72 mg. More about that in a minute.

I started taking an antidepressant because I had been having panic attacks. I was taking Xanax to cope and felt powerless. I noticed the effects in about three weeks. My panic attacks disappeared. I was always generally in a happy disposition, but lost my sex drive and the ability to feel a normal range of emotions. I was never too happy nor too sad. In that way, I was a robot. I felt empty. I did not feel "love" towards my significant other; the heart-pounding moments of passion and gratitude disappeared. I was neutral toward everything. At the time, it felt better than panicking multiple times a day.

After six months, Concerta gradually stopped working. This is very common with ADD stimulants. Slowly but surely, I reverted back to my "old self"- spacey, forgetful, messy, and unreliable. It was as if the self esteem I had been given mere months earlier- something which I secretly and fearfully believed as "too good to be true", anyway- was a myth. Though, I was still on the antidepressant so the enormity and implications of what happened didn't make me feel much of anything. It was unfortunate, but I was blissfully unaware (doped up, ). Concerta first lasted for nine hours, then seven, six, and now four.

Concerta is another medicine that robs you of yourself. When it comes to work and school, it is extraordinarily helpful with keeping on par to tasks. Simultaneously, I lost all desire to be social. I didn't see a purpose in being with friends because I was absorbed in a book. My sense of humor basically died. I became serious and studious. If I was interrupted from my work, I became short and angry with people. I began to hyperfocus, so that I had tunnel vision with my tasks. I could easily become sidetracked and forget to eat. When the medicine wore off at the end of the day, I was in a sour mood for about an hour. Taking Concerta is like being on a roller coaster that starts great, plummets down and throws you off.

One day, I forgot to take my antidepressant. Actually, it was a few days, but I hadn't realized it. I was doing "normal", so I didn't feel any urgency to keep taking them. That's when hell broke loose. I thought I had the worst stomach flu ever created. I was vomiting from morning until night, getting three hours of sleep, depressed, and having tingling zaps in my head. I was completely clueless until I googled the symptoms, which pointed to antidepressant withdrawal. I knew, at that time, that I needed to get myself off of the antidepressant.

What followed were the most awful three months of my entire life. The physical symptoms subsided, though I missed many days of work. After that was the worst part: crippling, suicidal depression. I had never been depressed before, and scared myself with my constant negative thoughts. The insomnia persisted. I cried on a daily basis for weeks. I had "hit the bottom", all because of the pill that I took. To top it off, it was then that my Concerta had zero effect on me. It was like taking a sugar pill. I was very "ADD", even moreso than I was before I started taking Concerta, and very depressed. I could barely get out of bed. Through it all, I persisted and discovered strength in myself I never knew I had.

That was earlier this year. I'm still depressed, though not as severe as before, and the Concerta still doesn't work very well. I've tried other ADD medications with the same kind of result. I began experimenting with my own health and tried many things which I am still trying. I believe the Concerta stopped working because it depletes the adrenal glands. This leads me to believe that it isn't something that I want to take for much longer. Some people find success taking "holidays" from it (skipping one day a week), but this is delaying the inevitable. I've tried many natural methods: acupuncture, homeopathy, supplements, diet and exercise. I'm still trying.

Overall, I can tell you this is a good order of doing things: Nutrition, Natural Remedies, then Conventional Medicine.

Look at your diet first. See how you eat. I did an elimination diet free of gluten and dairy for two weeks. I learned a bit.

Try some supplements. 5-HTP and Tyrosine were helpful during withdrawal, and helped a little for ADD.

Only then, go to a doctor.

Hope this helps someone. I feel compelled to offer up my story when I hear questions like this one.

[Zukin]

Fish oil and omega 3 supplements containing EPA & DHA may be helpful:
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder treatments - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Plus, it has anti-depressive benefits:
Omega-3 for Depression and Bipolar Disorder

If it doesn't work, you can always try medication, but it would be a lot cheaper if fish oil pills worked for you.

[Amandaaa]

i'm not on any. (but i'm supposed to be.)


i tried Strattera for 3 days... it made me suicidal. (seriously. it made me feel so sick, i thought i was dying.)

i tried Ritalin for one day, and thought i was going to die from a heart attack before the day was over. (but i already have heart problems, so that may be why)

i tried Adderall-XR for a couple weeks, and it was actually amazing... but i felt like i was cheating.
it definitely fixed my problems, but taking a pill just seems too easy...and i like to make things harder on myself.


so, yeah.

no medication. i hate medicine.

i'm still struggling with my inattentive ADD... (it's pretty much ruining my life...) but i've convinced myself that i'll figure out how to conquer this on my own.

(one time, i went to an ADD forum and tried to say that "medication is cheating"...and you should've seeeen the way that they attacked me. i thought someone was gonna show up at my doorstep with a hatchet and murder me.
..don't mess with addicts. )

[Christian223]

You should try EFT, it has worked for me with different issues, but im sure it will change yor life for the better as it did for me, good luck.

Using EFT for Attention Deficit Disorder-ADD-ADHD

[Old Soul]

I am suppose to be on Lithium but refused to walk around feeling like my emotions were chopped off... I felt zombie like it was horrible

so I just deal with disorder through mind work and discipline and diet...

[Mighty Morgan]

I'm 33 and wasn't diagnosed with ADD till much later in life...most of my teachers just thought I was learning disabled..ha!
I have taken adderrall on and off for the past few years...which honestly worked great in regards to being able to complete my thoughts, tasks, focus and what not.
BUT...it definately has physical side effects that are not too wonderful....wears the heart muscle down a bit. I broke out in horrible cystic like acne...for now i just really, really try to watch what i eat. try to stay away from foods filled with preservatives and anything that triggers the ADD...I find A LOT of coffee sometimes helps...but in the end whatever you choose to use, make sure you have all the information avaiable. There are a many different ways to approach this disorder and every person really needs to find what works for them.
My suggestion....work with diet first and if all else fails then consider medication.

[Amandaaa]

BUT...it definately has physical side effects that are not too wonderful....wears the heart muscle down a bit.

yikes!

that's scary...

[Carl Carlson IV]

I just try to focus my thoughts on other things to concentrate. Strangely with some effort and I can make it work. Plus I don't think I could afford meds anyway w/o insurance. However, I do think I may need to get some for my tourettes, it's starting to get worse every day....

[geekchic9]

I completely agree with your sentiment. I'm on medication simply because nothing else worked as well. I eat healthily, take supplements, do therapy, lead a support group, and so on. It's just that my bipolar disorder doesn't improve with those things as much as it improves with medication.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned so far is exercise. I get quite a bit of walking through my work, but I need to start an exercise program again so I can build more muscle and have more stamina. Plus, the benefits to my mind will be great: more concentration, more control over mood changes, and so on. That will probably reduce my dependence on medication, but I doubt I'll get over it entirely. Until there's some sort of new technology on the horizon, I think I will be stuck on my meds.

About not having insurance: There are US government and company programs that help you get your medications for free. When I didn't have insurance, I paid nothing for my medication, because I knew where to go and what to do through research and recommendations. Now, I have to pay $75 a month for 3 types of medication. Not bad, but nothing beats free.