Is medication necessary?

[ShrutifromIndia]

I am a 27 year old Cis-Bi-female from India. I was recently diagnosed with ADD. I am still in the process of understanding it completely. While it's a huge relief finally realizing that a lot of things since childhood was/ is not my fault and I should be kinder to myself, I cannot wait to manage my ADD. It's been a huge task trying to concentrate for little chores. I am really inconsistent with my work too. It affects my confidence. My Psychiatrist who is also my psychologist, has not been too keen on me starting meds. I haven't had a direct conversation with him about this, I plan to. I want to understand - is there anyone here who has been managing fine without medication? Can that be done? Also - I am from creative field (Graphic designer & Filmmaker). I would like to believe that not all of my creativity is related to my ADD. But from what I have read, it makes me feel concerned. I have read some people speaking about how they have embraced ADD to keep their creativity intact. I am confused. I want to know what I am getting into before I ask him about the meds. Because it looks a lot like that decision is mostly mine - whether or not I want to do something about my ADD through medication.

[jeeje]

Why not just give it a try For one month, say, and see for yourself?

[ShrutifromIndia in reply to jeeje]

Thanks @Jeeje, sounds like a fair option.

[AEppinette]

It is definitely "every person is different" type of thing. I don't know what is available in your country, but I had to go through a few medications and doses to find the right one for me. Medication, education, a timer, and a schedule have greatly improved my life. For me, medication is necessary. Each medication has their own pros and cons. By knowing those I could be more aware of the changes in my body and whether it was a major side effect or common one. As for the creativity, I don't think it would diminish it in any way. I am also in the creative field and I now I have time and concentration to have my imagination come to life.

[ShrutifromIndia in reply to AEppinette]

Thank you for sharing your experience AEppinette . Like jeeje said I am going to give it a month and see. But it's good to know that you are on medication and it hasn't affected your creativity or about the way it has worked for you.

[AEppinette in reply to ShrutifromIndia]

Just on the caution side; sometimes you need to give medicine a bit of a chance. It took me 4 months to get on the right dose and medicine. My body had to flush out the old and readjust to the new. This may help;

addadult.com/add-education-...

artforeveryability.weebly.c...

[Adultadhd]

Medication alone is not the answer, as others have said adding things like meditation (which annoyingly takes too long) and exercise (helps way more than you think but is always hard to start).

I'm taking Adderall a stimulant medication which is in my opinion the thing that has unlocked all my hidden potentials. I do not feel at all limited in creativity in fact it's much easier to produce creative things because my thoughts can be more organized.

The first time I took it I fell asleep, they call this the paradoxical effect because neurotypical people would be bouncing off the walls. Once I got the dose right, I started organizing things and life just felt like someone hit the easy button that I had been missing all my life.

3 years later, I still struggle with lots of different things and get overwhelmed. But I'm a rockstar compared to what I used to be. I'm glad you will be trying it out because it is one of the largest life-changing things that I have ever gone through and I wish that for you.

[Pcofwork]

If you had cancer, would you question if you really needed chemo or radiation? No, you wouldn't! So why do people do this when it comes to ADHD? Yes, you absolutely should have medication and therapy! There is not enough talk about how ADHD affects the intensity of our emotions. We feel everything more intensely than other people, and rejection and social anxiety are what drives unhealthy coping skills-like substance use, binge eating, sex, etc.

Haven't you suffered enough? Yes, you need medication! It's a gift, not a weakness in character. Be kind to yourself, love yourself and grab at anything that will help manage your symptoms.

[Adultadhd in reply to Pcofwork]

I really like the "be kind to yourself" outlook, I'm sure most people that get diagnosed late in life have had a long time to do the very opposite. The 34 years I had before I was diagnosed a motivator I used to get through life was a very over critical internal voice.

[Pcofwork in reply to Adultadhd]

My inner criticism is really bad. The past four years has been torture. Every night after work, I spend it alone lamenting over every little interaction and how I shouldn't have said this or done that. Nonstop! So I just work and come home. I push everyone away, so now I spend the majority of my free time alone. The social anxiety is crippling!