stimulants

[Spacehead]

I hear from people that if you have add or adhd its supposed supposed to have a calming effect. I get more hyper when im on them. Some professionals have said that neans you really dont have add ir adhd. Is that true? I have a high score/ number on all the tests I've taken for Adhd. I was considered mostly inattentive. The stimulants in low doses help me with motivation, ruminating thoughts and depression. Nothing else though. So according to some people i dont have ADD. Im wondering if thats true or false.

[Cat00]

My daughter and I both have ADHD combined type and we both don't respond well to ADHD meds, stimulants or non-stimulants. Stimulants made emotionally volatile and didn't help me with focus, non-stimulants gave my daughter a tick. Some people just respond differently. I was diagnosed at 46 despite despite having an extremely difficult life that looks like a textbook version of female ADHD, the only reason I got a diagnosis was because my 9 year was given it. This only happened because we both dont sleep and I was seeking help for that. I doubt most things in life but not this diagnosis, I'm not sure I could have a clearer case of ADHD if I tried and yet I don't respond to ADHD meds.

[Spacehead in reply to Cat00]

Thank u for sharing. Yeah i think meds are a case by case and too many “pros” dont get it

[Cat00 in reply to Spacehead]

Yes I also think that after 46 years of not being medicated for ADHD but being medicated for many other things is likely to effect my outcome. My daughter doesn't have this issue though and as far as I am aware, in the UK at least, the general consensus is that 20% of patients can't be helped by ADHD meds and we presumably just fall into that category. To say if you don't respond to meds means you don't have it, I suspect is an immensely over simplistic view of how our brains and bodies work.

[Mamamichl]

generally speaking, that is the theory that you dont have it. However, it is a theory, AND the stimulants do make people more anxious, which some people could see as not calming. For me, this was the case. I am working better with nonstimulants.

Stimulants work better with my partner, though it makes him more engaged with work… gung-ho (so to speak). It’s not really hyper, but more interested in being productive. It raises his anxieties as well, making him need anxiety meds.

So stimulants are supposed to have your mind not switch channels as much, so you can choose which thoughts to focus on and which to ignore. This is how they are supposed to calm.

[lovecrete]

This is what i was told by my psychiatrist and it makes sense. If you suffer from Add (inattentive type) it will speed you up. if you suffer from adhd (hyperactive type) it will slow you down

[Spacehead in reply to lovecrete]

I was wondering if that was a thing. kinda makes sense.

[LifeAfterDiagnosis]

I have the same issue. My stimulant helps with depression but not with the ADD/ADHD. Maybe we just haven't found the right med yet? I haven't tried very many.

[Spacehead in reply to LifeAfterDiagnosis]

I tried so many stimulants and non stimulants. A low dose of vyvanse helps my depression, rumination and motivation. Nothing else.

[lovelylavish]

That is not an indication that you don’t have adhd. Everyone responds differently to medication. I’ve heard the same thing that Cat00 mentioned, a certain percentage of people dont benefit from adhd medication, or don’t respond to it. Dr Russell Barkley has an adult adhd book that talks a lot about different medications, how often they help and don’t help people. He’s a leading expert on adhd.

Adderall made me too anxious (I have anxiety), Ritalin helped me a lot with motivation but not focus, I eventually stopped because of my anxiety. Wellbutrin helped me the most with focus and even finishing thoughts instead of jumping all over the place, but made me feel a bit like a robot. I’m taking a break from adhd medication but still take my anti-depressant. I hope I can find something where the benefits outweigh the negatives in the future!

Best of luck in your journey

[Queen_of_Tara]

I feel for you with different experts' opinions. I am on depression and anxiety meds as well as adderall. I feel like it helps me focus to where I'm not thinking and doing multiple things at one time. I write everything down and plan and prioritize from that. I start working in the top priority or whatever I've planned first. And I have enough focus to get myself back on track if I start thinking about the other things on my list. So it's not really calming exactly but it's motivating. But as others have responded, each person can react differently to meds...and also we don't all have the same add or adhd. So it's a matter of trial and error unfortunately. And the experts don't have all the answers. They are as human as the rest of us. I hope this helps at least some. Keep posting to let us know how you are doing. That's some of the best advice I've gotten here!!!

[Spacehead]

thank you!