Help for a Newbie!

[Ash0328]

Hi all!

While looking for ADHD resources, I came across this site- and am so thankful!

I am 36 and received my diagnosis at 35 after years of telling doctors that there had to be an overarching reason for all of the symptoms that were bothering me! I was told it was because I’m a mom, and diagnosed with anxiety.

I finally had enough with accepting the statement that it was because I was a mom. The anxiety meds helped the elephant on my chest, but that was it.

We ran sleep studies and blood panels galore- everything looked good…not that I wanted it to be bad, but I was still getting no answers.

A random post on Facebook caught my attention last year- symptoms of women with ADHD- described everything I was telling my Dr about! I never would have guessed ADHD but started researching, took my research to my Dr and finally got the diagnosis to explain so much!

We started on Adderall IR, worked to Adderall XR plus an afternoon IR. It still wasn’t addressing the symptoms that bothered me most. Then my awesome new Dr moved away.

I made an appt with a Psychiatrist who worked in my therapist office. I completed Genesight and had my initial appt.

DNA testing showed straterra would work well - not the case! I gave it 2 weeks and I was a scattered mess with hot flashes!

Went 9 days without meds - which was super eye opening. I had never noticed how distracted I was before!

Psych moved me back to Adderall - 30 mg IR twice a day.

This still wasn’t addressing my main concerns. He added 125 mg Wellbutrin, since the Adderall is helping my attention.

So far, day 3, I don’t feel a difference. I also think if the Adderall only addresses my attention, a smaller dose works- but he wants to change one thing at a time to isolate what works.

my top 3 symptoms that bother me are:

Memory

Brain Fog

Exhaustion

I can say that the distractedness is certainly important to treat, after being off meds for those 9 days!

I keep seeing that exercise will help, but I’m too exhausted! Also, out of sight, out of mind - the treadmill is in the basement. I need to figure out how to address my top 3 and wondered if anyone had ideas!

also- how did you know your meds were right? I feel like it is a guessing game and I don’t know what my full capacity feels like, so I don’t know how I will be able to tell!

Sorry this is a novel, I’m just so happy to have found people who will understand!!

Thank you in advance!!

[MemphisAdhd1988]

This site really is amazing, so helpful to see others with the same questions. Please read me Bio for more info on me. I just went through a meds change after 15 years of taking Adderall 30XR. We started by adding Wellbutrin, and on day 4, I was super foggy, and doc told me to stop taking Adderall and stick with 150 Welbutrin. Around this time I had also learned that to much Adderall can actually cause more anxiety and depression, which I have been dealing with for a long time. Over the years when my doc would ask how I was feeling, I thought great because I could hyperfocus and get a crazy amount of work done. Unfortunately I now realize it was probably to much. Anyways I have completely stopped the Adderall and just using 300mg Wellbutrin. So far I am feeling pretty good. I feel a little short on the focus, but better in other areas. I have also changed a lot in my life over these past weeks, so it is a little harder to recognize how I am feeling. I have given up a lot of unhealthy coping/soothing skills. If that makes sense. My main point is be patient with the meds, and pay attention to all your symptoms.

[Newlife49]

Hello , I like to start off by saying your in the right track. First thing is , no medication is going to take away your thoughts and the way you process it. Every second is a challenge for me. That is exhausting for me. First thing I noticed is my ability to deal with the rollercoaster ride of emotions. I’m very obsessive with it. That distracts me to get so caught up, makes me feel so unsound. I practice positive thinking. I took the thought of why does everything bad happen to me and I tried to break it down by analyzing my actions and their reactions. i noticed I was selfish in my actions. I tried to be considerate of others and what they intentions were or what their drive is. I eliminated the toxic people out of my life. I plan my day the best I can and thought out my goals for the day or at least the first four hours of the day. I put boundaries on my actions and thoughts. I face my challenges with simplicity and I don’t run away from them. People with adhd are very successful with pressure. I keep things very simple. I finish, or at least I try to do one thing at a time and with my Adderal I’m able to focus and finish something. I keep the thought of being grateful in what I have and not dwell on things I can’t have. I accept my life and hold myself accountable on everything that I am faced with. I take negative words out of my emotions. Self care is important. Keeping yourself happy but not being obsessive with it. It also can lead to addiction. My life is not perfect, but I embrace what I have now. I try not to be forecast my worst outcome. At the end of the day, it’s not in your control. Tomorrow is a new day. Take this is for what is worth. Might take you a while or you might even want to read this at all. I also face the challenges of adhd, ocd with trauma. One thing at a time. Feel the joy of finishing it. Take advantage of the medication for being able to focus. There’s no med or doctor they will help your emotions but yourself. Take control of what you can. Keep it simple. Good luck

[Inquisitive_Polymath in reply to Newlife49]

I'm so glad you pointed out that there is no medication that will fix ADHD. I've got a few friends who are convinced they have ADHD and ask me questions about meds. I always tell them that I'm not qualified but can tell them that meds alone are never the solution. It just doesn't work that way. Meds, instead, help us help ourselves. But, yes, it still is very much a struggle all the time.

[PhillySail]

There is no cure for ADHD, each treatment only helps some symptoms. Primarily they seem to impact distractibility and allow you to focus longer and better. This gives you more mental energy to take on the rest of the symptoms! It helps me be more productive so I can actually stick to my proper bed time which is what actually fights the fatigue in my case. After 30 plus years I have developed other coping methods for memory, I'll always be bad with names and immediate recall, but by being organized I can help manage my way around that. Our brains are wired for ADHD no way around it, find little crutches to help along the way though. Medication is only one!