Posted by Sarah on March 9, 2000, at 17:16:13
In reply to Re: Sarah Re: Ritalin, Stimulant Question? , posted by gloria on March 9, 2000, at 15:30:19
I'm so glad I could help! ADD can be a royal pain in the ass. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 29. I am not ADHD, though the two are similar. Yes, my mind constantly races, though the Adderall has helped with that. It slowed it down, but definitly does not make me "slow". Just lets me think in a more organized way. Some of the hallmarks of ADD/ADHD are impulsiveness, disorganized thought, social problems, (from not being able to control what you say or do,ie. talking before you think!) disorganization problems in general, not being able to sit in one place for too long, short attention span, problems with school, hyper sexuality, I could go on and on. There is a really good support group called CHADD. They have a web site, I believe www.chadd.com or it might be .org. There is a test on the site to check for ADD/ADHD. I wouldn't take that as my offical diagnosis. ADD can mimic other mental disorders like bipolar. (my shrink wasn't too sure if I had it or ADD)(the Adderall worked, so we went with ADD) I would go take the test, and if possible print it out and take it to your shrink. As far as the "seeming calm" and having add, I am about the most laid back person one could know. The Adderall has helped with that, too. I guess alot of my laidbackeness was my apathy. I was a bit of a worrier also, but that seems to have mostly disappered. I still worry, but mostly just about things I should worry about. Congradulations on the weight loss, bummer you have gained some back. I know how that can be, lost a bunch after my last baby and gained back a bunch when the Doc put me on the pill. (I'm off it now, yuck) ADD can have some wonderful aspects to it also. Ppl with it are usually much more aware of the ppl around them and their feelings, more creative, open minded, and usually have a pretty good sense of humor. There are also some draw backs though of not being diagnosed early. One of the big ones is depression. Selfasteme(sp) problems are another. Oh, and anxiety. I have found with mine, though, that those problems have all but disappeared since starting the Adderall. I wasn't getting anything done that I should have been, my impulsiveness was making me spend too much money and eat too much. (spending money on fast food!lol) I'm sure I was comforting myself with food. I still have to fight it somedays, but all in all, I am like a new person! My husband could tell the difference almost immediately. (I could as well) There are also things I hyperfocus on, like reading and gardening. When I am lost in a good book or really into repotting or watering, I shut everything else out. It is also common to have a learning disability with ADD. It took me two school years to learn to read,(even though I have an above average IQ) but once I did, I was a voratious reader. I still have spelling problems, though. (as you can tell! :-)) I was tested in the 6th grade because they thought I was slow, but found out I certainly was not. The statistics show that most ADDers have an above average IQ. (look at Einestien, who I am convinced was) I have found a wonderful book on ADD/ADHD titled "Driven to Distraction". It was funny to find a book on my life history! It got me to go to the doc to finally get it taken care of. That one was a quack and was just treating my anxiety with a downer which made me even more apathetic. (finally found a good one, just love him!) I guess I have gone on long enough, if you have any more questions please feel free to ask!
poster:Sarah
thread:26448
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000302/msgs/26496.html