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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Kari on July 19, 2002, at 10:12:32
Hi all,
Can a person suffer from latent ADD as a child and then suffer from severe concentration problems as an adult?
I have always felt restless and uneasy while attempting to concentrate in the past but have been very successful in school nevertheless. Over the years the problem has worsened and it is difficult for me to follow a conversation or read.
My mind is always racing with thoughts and there is constant "white noise" in the background as well as feelings of restlessness.
I also suffer from OCD and depression and don't know which symptoms to attribute to what.
Can OCD be masked ADD? And can slow thinking be caused by problems other than depression? ADs help my symptoms of anxiety and depression but not so much the concentration problems.Thanks,
Kari.
Posted by ShelliR on July 19, 2002, at 10:54:39
In reply to Is this ADD?, posted by Kari on July 19, 2002, at 10:12:32
Hi Kari,
I'm wondering if you've ever tried a stimulent in conjunction with your AD, like adderal, dexedrine, etc.
My therapist was sure that I had ADD; I thought it was very iffy. So I got tested and the pychologist who interpreted said no, it was anxiety.
I wouldn't necessarily have accepted her conclusion--I thought the testing that she did was very limited and somewhat lame. But when I tried stimulents, they did nothing for me; I hated how they made me feel and they seemed not to do anything for my symptoms (hyperfocus, difficulty in transitioning, etc.)
I guess if the stimulents had worked, it wouldn't have mattered what the tests showed. Unless there is really reliable testing for ADD, it makes sense to me just to add a stimulent and see if you feel better. I think an ADD diagnosis would point there anyway.
Maybe someone who knows more about ADD can point to a flaw in my reasoning.
Shelli
Posted by katekite on July 19, 2002, at 15:11:07
In reply to Re: Is this ADD? » Kari, posted by ShelliR on July 19, 2002, at 10:54:39
For me, diagnosis of my ADD only occurred because of it being worsened by approaching menopause (which it turns out does not necessarily change periods right away). I think I have had ADD all along but somehow coped better than at the moment. I'm told that it will most likely get better now that I'm on hormones but that it could take a while.
Thyroid and ovarian conditions and Cushing's syndrome can all cause attentional problems, slow thinking or thinking with a lot of 'static'. However, anxiety and depression are supposed to be able to cause the same thing so it can be very hard to know if the beginnings of a hormonal problem could exist. If you have any physical symptoms at all such as decreased ability to exercise, that could be hormonal you could check it out with an endocrinologist.
The other thing I have heard people with a single diagnosis of ADD say is that it always is much worse if they do not have a lot of external structure: for example working with a set-in-stone schedule is good for them. Some women are only diagnosed when they quit working to raise a family and find they can't organize on their own. So life changes can really make a difference.
Some people also find ssris like Paxil make ADD worse. Though occasionally people say the more stimulating ones like Prozac actually help it. So meds can contribute.
I agree with ShelliR that trying a stimulant to see if it will help is not wrong if your doc thinks its safe (ie not likely to be bipolar, etc). My pdoc did tell me that most everyone finds stimulants in general help improve focus, even if they do not have ADD -- so that diagnosis should be made from a whole clinical picture and not only response to meds.
I have some mild ocd like things like pulling my hair out in times of stress, and sort of obsessive worry if I'm at all in a negative mood. Normally I also find it hard to change tasks -- I'll promise myself to just email for 1/2 hour and then somehow still be doing it 2 hrs later even though I really don't want to be. It creates a sense of frustration and anxiety. I found these things were remarkably helped by Ritalin. These are all things that can fall into the category of self-control or impulsiveness and stimulants tend to help impulsiveness. For more classic compulsive symptoms I have heard stimulants can sometimes make it worse by allowing someone to focus even more on it. It would be hard to know until you tried a stimulant. Ritalin is supposed to be the least anxiety-provoking but it is very individual.
OCD and ADD coexist more commonly than would be expected by chance.
Hope that helps some.
kate
Posted by Kari on July 20, 2002, at 8:37:54
In reply to Re: Is this ADD? » Kari, posted by ShelliR on July 19, 2002, at 10:54:39
Hi Shelli,
Thanks for your response.
It seems like a good idea to try a stimulant, though I'm a bit hesitant since I also suffer from anxiety and heart rhythm disturbance- both are contraindications. But perhaps it would be worth giving it a try, even for a day or two, as I am curious to see what the effect would be.Take care,
Kari.
Posted by Kari on July 20, 2002, at 8:49:17
In reply to Re: Is this ADD?, posted by katekite on July 19, 2002, at 15:11:07
Hi Kate,
Thanks for your response.
I hope you feel better and experience an improvement in your symptoms very soon.
I have always felt that I have some kind of hormonal problem but it is probably sub-clinical as nothing shows up clearly during testing. Physical as well as mental symptoms seem to point in that direction. Quite strange...Take care,
Kari.
This is the end of the thread.
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