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I am also going to my therapist on Thursday, and was wondering if I should try medication. I was recently diagnosed with ADD in March and am 50 yrs old. I’ve gone this long coping with my scattered brain that I’m kind of nervous. (I’m already taking something for depression.) I’ve read where you can take medication for both ADD and depression. It might be nice to be able to focus and stay on task for once. Maybe even actually finish my laundry and other chores that need to be tackled!
I would also like advice on this subject.
Thanks.
P.S. Good luck on Thurs., no_dopamine
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I take Vyvanse and it has been a godsend. I am also in treatment for bipolar disorder and my psychiatrist started me on the Vyvanse once we got the mania under control. He preferred to try me on that because a side effect could be increased mania (Yay!) I was highly reluctant to take the Vyvanse because of that. (I used to think that my mania was what made me productive, but now I realize it just made me horrible. I say it turned me into the ‘Incredible Hulk), but after the universe told me (I locked my keys in my car right after I got the Rx for the Vyvanse…) I decided to try it, fortunately, I did NOT have any of those nasty side effects. I got started on a low dose and loved it, but seemed like I needed an increase about 3 months later. The sleeping issue isn’t a problem, but I take my meds for the bipolar disorder at night (I say that I’m on the ‘Judy Garland diet’, uppers in the morning, downers at night), but even on days when I forget to take my Trileptal, sleeping has never been a problem. I have cut waaaay back on caffeine, at the request of my doc, because he says that is what makes the med have to ‘work harder’ and could lead to the insomnia and mania, but I do like Vyvanse. I wasn’t a big fan of adding yet another pill to my routine, but my goal was to take it long enough to develop good ‘habits’ so that I would one day not need the meds. Due to their cost (even with insurance) there are months when I will go without, and I’ve done okay for the most part, but I’ve been taking it now for nearly three years, so I think that once I realized how awesome it was to finish tasks and get things done, I got addicted to that feeling, and not the pills (another fear of mine). I constantly tell people that the meds saved me, and I still believe that.
Good luck to you. I’m sure tha they will find a med that works the best for you
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Wow Steffie Thanks for sharing! Your information was very helpful to me. If the Vyvanse (or even something like it) would help me get on a course to develop better organizational habits, then I may suggest it to my therapist on Thurs. and see what she says. I’m so glad it works for you. That gives me hope! You seem like you are very happy with your life and are doing great on the meds! That makes me excited to try it. I’m tired of not finishing or starting projects and feeling so tired in the afternoon because my brain has worked so hard concentrating on getting my errands done and working in the house or garden in the morning.
Thanks again Steffie
P.S. That’s my daughters name—- It’s a good one!
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I had my appointment yesterday, but my therapist didn’t recommend putting me on any meds right now. I guess because I’m working at home and don’t have to worry about the stresses of working for a boss. (I’m only guessing) I do stress out and get overwhelmed sometimes, but luckily I do have a husband that is very understanding and can talk me “down”. I’m also trying very hard to make a list of all the things I need to do the night before. I found a neat notepad at Walmart that is divided into three sections
Errand, Tasks, and Notes. (I use the note section for a short grocery list). The notepad also has circles next to the line where I can check mark what I’ve accomplished. Even if I don’t get everything done on my list (which I won’t), it’s ok because I can look and see what I was able to do and get a positive feedback from that. Whoops! Got off subject! Imagine that!Anyway, I’m glad no_dopamine that you’ve gotten your official diagnosis and will soon be starting on meds. I hope this will help you stay with one job that you enjoy and feel normal. (For years until my husband’s retirement from the military, we moved a lot and I was able to get a new job if I wanted at each new town we lived in. By the time I was bored with the job, we moved! Never worked long enough to get fired or too bored.) Now I just can’t find a job in this little town. I did work for 2 attorney’s for two years until I had to quit and take care of my mother-in-law for a year. Darn it! I get carried away. I write like I talk! Also, good luck with your sleep study. Let us now how it went. You’re right! Just because you’re almost 56 doesn’t mean you have to slow down!!!!! I have a friend who is your age and when we’re together we act like we’re 25! Live and enjoy life!!!! (I learned to kayak last year. I love it!)
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Hi D-Cindy,
In my latest business incarnation, I am a self-employed entrepeneur and work from home (6 years now, that’s the longest I’ve ever stuck with any job), but I’ve just taken a big step and rented commercial space (6 mos lease, I’m not good with commitments and responsibility so I was reluctant to extend it). Having had so many jobs and being “older”, I really want to make this job work. Besides, I’m really creative and skilled in many aspects, and it’s not a boring job (just some parts – you know, get others to do those bits). And it’s exciting to see my business grow.
Our house was being taken over by the business and we literally couldn’t move around (or sell and move). Working from home can be really distracting and hard on relationships, since it’s hard to separate work and play (although as a classic workaholic I rarely played, except surfing on computer, which was an addiction). So my day would start at 8, loaf on the computer (like I’m doing now, in order to “wake up” for the day), my husband would get up at 10, he’d want lunch (I would only have finished breakfast) and then I wouldn’t really get started until 2 or 3 pm and I’d have to work way into the evening to catch up. He would complain we had no time together and I was always working (not true, always procrastinating and falling behind). So I have some behavioural change to work on. Hopefully going somewhere else to work and then physically coming home for dinner will start to create some new positive habits.
I am a big believer in writing stuff down on lists so I don’t think about it in bed, but I do make a lot of lists, too much stuff to keep track of. I have trouble paring it down, to do just what is essential. If I get too much on my list, I really start to spin my gears and you can see it, I’ll circle from one room to the next, almost paralyzed, not knowing where to start but knowing I really need to get started FAST. Totally spinning my gears.
I am going to dig out my old Daytimer portfolio and see if that might work for me. I have been using large whiteboards and they’re good for me since I can erase and re-write (bit of a perfectionist here, OK A LOT), and also I like to visually see things. My photo here pretty much looks like my desk, I have a netbook/laptop and another computer monitor behind it that’s full of post-it notes. But the whiteboard thing is helping, write stuff down and erase and move the other stuff up as you start to go through it. Have to resist the urge to get more and decorate the house with them!
You say you never worked at any job long enough to get fired or bored, that explains a lot for me. I also never got fired, I quit a few jobs, but I always had another job to go to (I guess I knew somehow that the job wasn’t working out for me, often personality clashes or resistance to authority, which is a pattern for me).
I’m feeling a lot better this week, I am on Ritalin (husband’s meds) and I’ve had four good nights of sleep. Last night I slept all the way through. I’m waking a bit earlier than I used to, but at least I’m not as tired.
One tip from my therapist (he can’t diagnose or prescribe ADD meds), if I had six things on the list (way more, usually), he told me to do only three. And I was supposed to stop after completing one item and see how I felt before going on to the next. Since I’m a hyperactive compulsive type of person, I would rush from one to the next and never really realize that my body was telling me TOO MUCH! TOO FAST! SLOW DOWN! until it was way too late! I don’t that practice but I am a lot more aware of the fact that I try to get a gazillion things done in a day and even a superhuman has their limits!
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DistractedCindy and no_dopamine,
Ok this has nothing to do with meds but…
One way I’ve learned to structure my day with a planner is to get one that has the days of the week broken down into 15 minute increments. I can then pencil in the task or appointment but draw a square around the total time frame needed to complete it. The week ends up kind of looking like a bunch of big square boxes. I use a format where the week is on a two page spread so everything is very visually defined.
If I plan ahead it keeps me from double booking myself because the coming time frame is somehow imprinted on my brain. Somehow just writing down an appointment next to a time doesn’t have the same effect. I’ve been doing this for a couple of months and it;s really helped to keep me on track.
no_dopamine I’ve been wanting to get a white board like you describe for some time but can’t find any spare wall space to hang it! My walls kind of look like my floors but at least it’s art
REPORT ABUSE And had to chuckle at the description of you day – ditto the 45 minute time to wake up surfing