Hello I am a new member to CHADD. I was diagnosed when I was about 6/7. I am now 24 years old. I have taken Vyvanse and Adderall. Throughout my years of taking medication my dosage constantly fluctuated due to lack of eating socializing and behaviors. During my junior year of high school I decided to completely stop taking the medication because I felt I didn’t need it anymore. I am now 24 and I feel I need it the most due to life and working two jobs my focus is constantly lost and I am constantly overly hyper. I feel my ADHD is ruining my social, love and job life. Also I feel my Adhd is causing underlying issues to come to surface and i’m hurting the people i love more and more slowly because i can’t be attentive and affectionate . so i’m here seeking help in any way possible.
New Member: Hello I am a new member to... - CHADD's Adult ADH...
New Member
Hey
I am also new hear and landed on this page after constant fight with my boss who also happens to be my partner about working on certain tasks. My life is also preety much confused because of this condition.
I tried taking a new path, that is making very short and quick discussion focused on one topic as I could see that my brain needs to process hyperactively then only it could do a thing. So small and quick things help me.
Hope this helps.
Adhd is a lifelong condition that creates a toll. You felt better because of the treatments you were receiving, and the skills you were learning to manage them. Now you arn't receiving them, or checking the skills are intact, your system is going back to its inefficient workarounds, that the medication compensated for, and your mental health tool kits aided it with.
I suggest going bk to a adhd coach or health professional and reassess what skills you have, what skills you coukd try and if medication helped giving it another try. Your system is unlikely to stop needing these 2 things. But some things you learn become habits you dont think about implementing. Which reduces mental loads.
Habits get lost over time though too, if not checked in with yourself once in a while. Behaviour slips, habits slip. Etc. Self maintanance is lifelong. Between when you were diagnosed and now, more research has been carried out and more things understood about the condition. How it changes at different life stages. How your needs change over time. The techniques and why some work better than others for what reason. Sounds complicated, but professionals are there to guide and help navigate it.
Welcome to the community!
I was diagnosed when I was 50, and the meds changed my life. I'd managed to mask and compensate up until I was about 45 and then I think the hormonal issues, plus insane life stressors, drove me to the point where I could no longer find workarounds for my brain chemistry. That led to a diagnosis, which led to meds for me, which led to me starting my own business working with other ADHDers. I do NOT think I could've done what I've done without being on my meds.
I hope you're not being held back from trying meds again because of the currently popular narrative that they're being over-prescribed needlessly. If you need them, you need them.
If you want to figure out ways to work with your ADHD that doesn't involve meds, there are a lot of people out there - like Joseph Pack - who teach you ways to help without meds. These methods involve things like cold showers every day (not no, but heck no for me) and supplements, etc., but they do help some people.
I wish you all the best on your journey to figure out what helps you!