Re: 22 yr old guy; Newly diagnosed; a few questions

[Anonymous]

Hi and welcome Christian. First off, recognising and having confirmed diagnosis at 22 is an enormous advantage. I was diagnosed at 38. You want to talk about immediate anger? The temptation to become immersed in a self pity due to the concept of “if I have known this earlier…” was very clear and very presently dangerous. Getting diagnosis early on in life can mean the difference between a positive outlook or a crippling retrospect. The latter of course, is most certainly a choice, but a challenging one to make in light of the perception of a lifetime of opportunities missed and/or failed.

As far as the meds go, Im not a doctor but my recommendation is to avoid combining powerful neurostimulants with sleep aids. It sounds as though health and well being are forefront for you so I would caution you on the potential side effects of mixing the two together. Yes, the sleeplessness is immensely frustrating (I’m on Adderall XR 10mg/day-recently stopped taking) but I’ve found that if I take a vacation from the meds for a little while, those side effects seem to subside. Ive also discovered that if I take the meds as early as possible when I wake, they dissipate early enough in the late afternoon for me to get a decent nights rest. I take mine with oj which I’ve heard can reduce the efficacy of the drug so maybe that has something to do with its duration?

For my experience, while n meds my mood improves enormously (my wife often asks “have you taken your adderall today?” when I’m cranky which leads me to believe there are other forces at play in my grey matter).

Having read quite a lot of the forum threads, I’m beginning to see a growing commonality: most, if not all of us here, are of the belief that either because of or in spite of our ADD, we are possessed of enhanced intelligence, creativity or empathy to name a few. The corelation is fascinating.

I would say Christian that a great deal of managing your ADD alongside your relationships will fall upon you in terms of your awareness of how your moods/conditions affect others. Being mindful of how you communicate and /or react to situations or others is the first step. I find that taking time to think through what I’m going to say or how I’m going to react helps immensely. It’s not always easily – strike that – it’s never easy! But in doing so, it helps to organise your thoughts and it’s hugely appreciated by your loves ones who will then become supportive of your efforts rather than adversely reactive to your adverse reactions.

Bottom line here is that there’s support here and definitely in your wife and Mom. You’re in great shape for the coming years. Always remember: if you’re not getting the result you’re looking for from someone, you can’t expect them to change. Instead, you must look inwardly and decide to change how you communicate. Recommended reading : “if..” by rudyard Kipling.

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