Ptsd and Adhd

[Anonymous]

I am hoping to connect with one that suffers both from the diagnosis of ADHD and PTSD. I would like to share symptom issues and management techniques. For me the symptoms of these disorders seem to feed off each other to create added chaos . I was diagnosed at age 45(now 48) with ADHD but I always have struggled with the disorder my whole life. Since suffering a trauma about 15 months ago My Adhd issues are much worse and of course now I have the additional symptoms that are unique to PTSD.. I was going to post with close/like disorders (such as bi-polar) but they were eliminated when I had my testing done for ADHD.

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[mgplumley]

NJadd.

I am presently 61, and was diagnosed with ADHD only a few months ago. My story runs like this: I was being treated for PTSD with 10MG Lexapro as a result of flashbacks from a mugging in 2001. While in therapy, I related some events to the therapist which led her to think I might have ADHD as well. Further evaluation by a psychiatrist at the clinic I attend and my nurse practitioner confirmed this and I was started on 18 mg Strattera, which eventually was increased to 60mg daily.

I’ve definitely changed for the better since I started taking these drugs. The flashbacks are just about nonexistant now. My anxiety level is way down. I have a more positive feeling about myself. I’m becoming more organized. My driving has noticeably improved.

Not everything has changed. I still have some personal habits I need to work on. But overall, the last few months especially have given me a much better outlook on my life.

I’d be glad to share what’s working for me and what isn’t. Hope to hear from you

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[Anonymous]

mg

Thank you for your response. I have tons of questions! Then I would like to share experiences (to which I see u have gained much success in managing these sometimes formidable opponents)……

May I ask how you became diagnosed with ADHD? Did you not struggle with the symptoms of ADHD your entire life? May I ask when did you start to see the P/ Nurse practitioner after the Mugging? I am curious why it took almost 10 years to get the ADHD diagnosis………

OK I am very very thankful you replied I have been having a difficult time connecting with persons like us although my T, P and Scholarly article authors say this is not a unique phenomena to have these two disorders in combination.

May I ask if you are gainfully employed and if you are what field are you in now? And in terms of your ADHD issues what difficulties and symptoms did you suffer from to lead to the diagnosis? What type of testing if any was done to make the ADHD diagnosis?

Thanks and I am in anticipation to your reply

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[Anonymous]

hi njadd, i have a dx of both adhd & ptsd (& depression & social anxiety).

i too find that they all feed one another. the lack of concentration and the difficulty falling asleep (common to both adhd & ptsd) are the two things i find the most disruptive.

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[Anonymous]

Shell (thank you for your reply)

I agree falling asleep and concentration are biggies…….. May I ask how is your memory …….. I am noticing a huge problem with memory It. I always had a tough time with short term memory but now it is really horrible… I am not sure if it is because of the trauma thoughts that pop into my head that just kinda take over or what . I am not sure. But I have started to research Via the web and will discuss with T.

I must say I never was a big sleeper because of ADHD…….. I would just crash when my body/mind told me I needed rest. Now I am all over the place in times and depth… I have nightmares of varying severity in detail and topics.

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[mgplumley]

Njadd,

I have struggled with ADHD throughout my life, I just didn’t know what I had until recently. My parents got a report about me from my 1st Grade teacher regarding my behavior and apparently thought I would grow out of whatever problems I was having.

While the ADHD goes way back, the PTSD was a more recent phenomenon. I didn’t seek therapy for it until eight years after the mugging, by which time I had lost my job and most of my money. So I started on Lexapro first, in Feb 2009. The Lexapro greatly decreased the intrusive thoughts and pacing I was having. It also improved my driving by making me more decisive behind the wheel.

At the clinic I attend, the therapist, a social worker, provides counseling and the practitional nurse dispenses meds, with the approval of a psychiatrist. To make a long story short, in one of the therapy sessions I related some things I had done without really thinking about them–turning the wrong way on a one way street in an area I was familiar with, for example (fortunately no accident or ticket on that (on my previous history and interviews with me and my brother (my only surviving immediate family member) I was diagnosed with ADHD in late February 2011 and put on 18mg Strattera. In March, the dose was increased to 30mg and nine days ago to 60mg.

I’m just starting to notice changes after the increase to 60mg Strattera. I think it’s made me less prone to be impulsive, which in the past has led to money problems and indulging in junk food.

Being in a relationship certainly helps. My fiancee is very supportive and has stuck with me during some low periods back in 2008. Hope you have someone to rely on through all of this.

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[mgplumley]

Njadd, I should also mention that I’ve been working PT and making a good rate per hour, although limited to about 20 hrs per week.

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[mgplumley]

njadd,

I work in the social services field. I don’t want to be more specific than that, since my employers aren’t aware of my ADHD and I’ve been advised by my job coach not to tell them. I’ve been working for a year and 1/2 PT, but at a good rate of pay. The job does not call for much organization and I’m moving around a lot, so it’s good for someone like me.

I meet with a job coach once every two weeks (once a week when I was unemployed). We go over problems at work, whether related to my ADHD or not. Sessions last about 1/2 hour (1 hr. when I was unemployed). While unemplloyed, the job coach worked with a job developer to find suitable work for me. It was up to me to make the contacts.

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[Anonymous]

Very interesting…….. May I ask what sources you used to find your coach and the app rate per session?

Are you a college grad? If yes may I ask level and degree obtained?

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[mgplumley]

njadd, I have an M.A. degree. I don’t want to say in what field because it may give away my ID. My job coach is supplied free of charge by my county government. I was in their vocational rehab program while I was on welfare and was assigned the coach during that time. Job coaching will continue free of charge until mid-2012, even though I am now working. I was also on disability for about two years due to the PTSD. If this job ends before I reach 62 I can go back on disability (Not a likely scenario, I hope).

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[Anonymous]

I have PTSD and was recently diagnosed with ADD. The combination of symptoms when I am stressed is difficult. I think that having a sense of humor is paramount to surviving this. It really helps to read other people’s stories so you don’t feel so alone. I had to laugh when I read about having problems driving. I rear-ended two cars in three weeks last summer, both of them at speeds of less than 5 mph. I often don’t know I’m having problems until I’m on the road. My reaction is almost always surprise and “oh, yeah…I forgot about that.” I lose focus, time, space and boundaries. I don’t know how I managed to get to 55 and not know this… It is actually a relief to know that I’m not just crazy.

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[mgplumley]

ddslc,

I’ve survived two high-speed crashes. The first was at a light where the guy hit me from behind doing about 50 mph while I was stopped. The second happened in the Bronx while I was waiting to get on the Triborough and was hit from behind. Neither was my fault, but there have been a few less major ones that were. I sometimes drive without the radio on, which helps. Also, the medication has improved my attention, although I have had problems with cars in my blind spot. Maybe fixing that was just a matter of adjusting my mirrors. I’ve had no problems since I did that. It’s just a matter of thinking ahead and paying attention to everything on the road.

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[Anonymous]

Yes, PTSD and ADD have been a part of my life for so long now, it has been a little surreal. PTSD surfaced about 6 years ago but was diagnosed as clinical depression and anxiety disorder. I was put on anti-depressents but since they did not work to any long-term degree my doctor finally told me to see a therapist. I also had to go on long-term disability leave from my job last year as well, since the coping mechanisms that I had were no longer working. Long story short, I am 56 years old now, was diagnosed about 2 months ago and am taking Concerta 56 mg so far because the doctor keeps increasing the dosage every time I see him. My biggest issue is the hypersensitivity which makes me suffer from sensory overload every time I leave my home (and sometimes when I don’t). My sense of hearing is TOO MUCH, sense of smell is TOO MUCH (city smells make me gag and vomit) and overstimulation from too many people create a sense of panic that I can barely control. Concerta has done nothing to decrease these symptoms and finding information about hypersensitivity is difficult. Still muddling through with my therapist trying to come up with ways to help me get back to work and cope with living in the city. Any tips would be appreciated of course. The good thing is with all this ADD stuff it has distracted my mind from letting the PTSD disturb my sleep with nightmares stemming from locked away memories, which was my way of coping with the horrible events in my young life.

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[Anonymous]

I suffer from hypersensitivity to sound – I’m sure that this was one of the reasons I quit a very high paying job as a professional accountant because we had been moved to a new open office with cubicle arrangements where the desks faced out in a kind of square – every noise and drawer closing was amplified within the square. I would always work late and now I realize that this was because I was so distracted during the day that I couldn’t get my work done, and I really enjoyed the peace and quiet when everyone else left for the day. Had I known that I have ADD, I could have asked for accommodations, like having my own separate cubicle, being allowed to work longer or different hours than others, etc.

I can’t sleep because any noise in the house or outside will wake me up, so I use industrial strength ear plugs. When I need to focus in a noisy environment, I use them as well (like exam writing). I can also use music with headphones (classical music, but played loud to keep me from hearing other sounds).

I have to have the TV on when we eat at home because I can’t stand the sound of others eating – corn on the cob or chips being eaten can drive me around the bend. And when I’m waiting for a DVD to start (we don’t have tv reception), I can’t stand it if you start to eat before there’s sound.

One day I was seeing my therapist, and there was a loud high-pitched sound in the room. I have tinnitus, so I told him that this sounded exactly like what I hear in my head every day and that it was really driving me crazy. He made me sit there and fully experience the sound, what it physically sounded like, what my resistance to it was like, where in my body I felt the resistance, etc. And he asked me to heighten that emotional response to it as much as I could and just sit with it, without trying to change anything. It was hard but not impossible. I was really pissed when at one point he said “would you like me to turn it off?” – it was some kind of electrical control for the radiator heating system. But it taught me that I can just live through the experience – I don’t have to like it but I don’t have to run away from it either. Very useful.

My PTSD incident was driving to Florida in the early ’80s with two friends. It was late at night, my friend was driving and I was sleeping in the front passenger seat. He became captivated by a light off to the other side of the highway (divided by a grass median). I woke up, and as we came closer, it looked like a freight train derailing, there were lots of sparks but it was so dark we couldn’t see what it was. Eventually we could see that it was a tractor trailer, and that it was out of control. I told my friend to stop and pull over, but he was captivated and wanted to keep going closer. At one point I said STOP AND PULL OVER OR I AM GETTING OUT OF THE CAR RIGHT NOW! The transport truck came across the median, within 100 feet of us and crossed over the shoulder on our side of the highway and drove into a field where it eventually stopped. There was a passenger vehicle underneath it that it had been dragging, and that’s why all the sparks and why the truck was out of control.

I am embarassed and feel guilty that we did not go into the field to see if we could help. I was worried about an explosion, and I also figured that there were plenty of transport drivers around and that the driver would have called for help. So I took over the wheel (my car) and we drove on. At the next major truck stop (near the exit for Savannah, Georgia), we stopped and played video games until after midnight. We never talked about it again, and I never sought treatment. But it’s as clear as day when I think about it, and how petrified I was because my friend was going to drive us right into the path of the truck.

To this day, I am an extremely nervous passenger in a car and prefer to drive whenever I can.

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