22 yr old guy; Newly diagnosed; a few questions

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.

Thank you everyone.

You have all given me some really good advice. I’m so glad that I found this site. All of my friends that have ADD/ADHD were diagnosed as kids and have been treated for years. It’s really nice to be around people that either are or were in similar situations. We should all be pretty thankful that it’s here.

the side effects with time will go away or diminish as i have seen with adderall 10 mg twice a day….i too had similar issues and family in denial..im 23 and a mother of one but sadly my ex spouse didnt do as your wife is…but i took that as a time to grow and find out what really was “wrong” with me and why i didnt see things as others did and why i took something and made it bigger than it was…i wanted to be so called “normal” and fit in not stick out as much as i was…..my psych likes concerta adn vyvanse but concerta didnt work for me but with school/work i may be switching to it. as for sleep till it slows down or diminishes i take OTC sleep med at walmart..it is what is in benadryl lots of ppl take it and it is safe unless you have been dx as allergic or know u are…..and no adverse effects just a bit groggy upoin awakiening but as i have cont with my meds i noticed i no longer need them so long as i take my medicine EARLY and get comfortable

TURN OFF EVERYHTING AND RELAX WITH A BOOK or meditation and slow music about 30 min to 1 hr before bed and it will ease u into sleep. i promise i had same issues before nad about went nuts between 2 jobs, school, and single mom…..i was sooo grumpy and unfuntional till my psych recommended this till i got used to the meds.

good luck

i am happy you are taking the first steps in finding helpa nd to be honest this place has saved me literally…

i used to be soo scared to even think this was my issue after so many people have told me my issues….sadly i was diagnosed this past summer almost a year now and it is hard to accept along with having to take the stimulants they have given me bc the anxiety from them was horrid..

I actually start wellbutrin xl tomorrow and am a bit excited because I am not a super bad case of adhd as i work out A LOT AND balance it out with healthy food and lifestyle but i will say even though the adderall and concerta helped cognitivly and sometimes with just slowing my butt down i found that with time my anxiety was horrid..at night i became so anxious after it wore off and felt a never ending lump in my throat. i have heard form a few ppl such as myself who are older and now much calmer and only have add symptoms and cant take the stimulants either that wellbutrin has been a life savor since there is really nothing else besides strattera or nothing at all.

kudos for your step up on getting a diagnosis and i commend you for this because as i am in the same boat as a newby i am still finding it ever so difficult to accept and try to find a good treatment that wont make me zombie, zoned out, anxious above anything and something that makes me still feel like me