WOW! NO BELLS & WHISTLES?

[Completelyme67]

Just got diagnosed at 49 a few month back. I was put on ER Adderall and was quite surprised at how the medication worked so subtlely. I was expecting to feel like the zombie that I've seen kids through the years turn into when administered stimulants for ADHD.

[Diana_Late-Diagnosis]

Welcome! I thought generic Ritalin was also pretty subtle, but it really helped once I got to an accurate dosage. I hope you’re feeling good about your progress with meds. Unfortunately for me, I need to learn LOTS of other skills to get closer to feeling like I’m making progress. I’m learning to love incremental progress. Best Wishes! Diana

[Completelyme67 in reply to Diana_Late-Diagnosis]

Well do you think that subtlety might mean wrong dosage? I tried doubling once and I honestly couldn't tell the difference.

[Diana_Late-Diagnosis in reply to Completelyme67]

When Ritalin was first prescribed to me, my doc gave me 10mg pills and told me to take them until I noticed a difference. I didn't understand that she meant I should add pills until I experienced a positive effect! So I stumbled along for 3 months not noticing any difference! Eventually, I worked up to a 40mg dose for approx. 4 hours of focus. On the busiest of days, I would normally take that dose twice for approx. 8 hours of focus. I could do that three times on occasion, but then the drug would interfere with my ability to sleep. When I really need to focus, that has worked for me. On the other hand, I’m a plus-sized human. I expect weight/height influences your body dose. People often respond very differently to medications. If you don't notice a change with twice the dose, talk to your doctor.

From what I’m reading, it seems to take many people a few months to figure out what works. You may also need to consider other things that influence your focus: coffee intake, chocolate, etc. Patience isn’t my strong suit... but you may want to discuss a method with your doc (try X for Y days, if nothing, then try Z for Y days, etc.). Be sure you’re getting plenty of rest and listen carefully to how your body/mind is feeling. This new medication experience may take awhile to understand. Unfortunately, you’re the only one who can KNOW how you’re feeling!

I tell everyone about Jessica McCabe’s “How to ADHD” videos on YouTube. I’ve found them to be very comforting when I’m feeling like nothing is working. Hang in there!

[Completelyme67 in reply to Diana_Late-Diagnosis]

Thank you so much for that. I wish I could explain things that clearly, lol! I will definitely check out those videos!

[clumsychristine in reply to Diana_Late-Diagnosis]

This was an interesting post. I believe I probably have a high threshold too. This is why I hope my psychiatrist is proficient at dosing. My medical doctor felt I needed it bc of my history and major educational endeavors at 51. But he wanted my psychiatrist to evaluate for dose. So he gave be 2 3o day supply of 10,mg IR per day. Even he knew I would need a higher dose, but he just said take a few when you study. This has gone wrong twice when I may have dosed too high or too soon and felt sick after, I'm doing what my doctor said, he was so vague. But I am a 5 4, 140 lb woman. I guess its average I try not to keep up. While people say ones weight relates to tolerance I don't think that's always true, I remember being on a higher dose in the past. My frontal lobe is a bit messed up

[Diana_Late-Diagnosis in reply to clumsychristine]

Greetings “CC”, I doubt that I have a high threshold... A ten milligram dose is a MINIMAL dose or the lowest amount a child might take. You don’t mention which medication you were given. I’m using generic Ritalin (methylphenid). What do you mean by IR? Generally, whatever dose you take will last approx. 4 hours (unless you get an extended release, which will normally last about 8 hrs). I have pals who use Adderol with good success. Every ADHD adult I’ve met seems to have a struggle getting to the right medication or dose.

The psychiatrist wanted me to take the med. every day. I don’t want to use it like that. I only pursued medication because I read about a technical writer w/ADHD who took a medication only when she needed to focus during her writing sessions. I’d prefer only to take the medication when I have a mentally demanding task.

Do you mind speaking about your frontal lobe, rather, what you mean about being a bit messed up?

I’d like to call my problem HADD (Hyperactive Attention Deficite). My brain is always busy. I have bazillions of ideas and most of my ideas are visual (like little film skits playing in my head). I have a very hard time prioritizing one task over another and because of my over-busy brain, I find it extremely easy to become overwhelmed.

Do yourself a favor and sign up for the FREE ADHD “Palooza”—Feb. 5–10, 2018 (see adhdpalooza.com/ to sign up). This is a week-long webinar featuring ADHD pundits presenting on relevant topics. I found these to be extremely helpful. Most of the presenters have decades of experience and often cope with ADHD themselves. There is a wealth of wisdom here!

I watch for these kinds of events because I don’t have the budget to throw at medical/therapeutic providers only to discover they can’t help! Hang in there!

[jasab]

My 44 yo son was just rediagnosed with add and I sas wondering how you are doing with your meds. He is anxious about meds.

[Completelyme67]

I'm good. I really like the idea of being able to focus when I need to although I do still get distracted from time to time and need to get myself back on task but this is much easier for me to do with meds.