Have you been taking your medication?

[Anonymous]

Haven’t we all heard that line from the people who claim to care about us? Whenever we get mad or distraught or sad that’s the one liner that’s always tossed in our face. I’m sick of it! As if ADHD is the only reason we have to get mad, sad or otherwise unhappy. That syndrome does not define us. We run the gamut of emotions just like the rest. No one asks them if they’ve taken their meds when they get indignant or otherwise pissed off. Thoughts people?

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[Robbo]

That reminds me of a fad that went around in my daughters high school that she told me about. If someone acted like they were unstable, frustrated, or just out of the ordinary/weird. Just having human problems. It was funny to look at them and say “you need therapy”, depending on how ya said it of course. The same way as when family/friends say “have you been taking your meds?” But it was meant more of a joke. It pisses me off a lot if people question me at all about what medications I take or any other personal question at the wrong place and time. That would piss me off too.

Imagine life without a sense of humor. Ack!! that’s awful!!

Just last night I made the mistake of talking about the ADHD diagnosis in a group of people that didn’t know me very well at all. (I was being impulsive with my mouth, inviting trouble…) Of course I got a few of those same old skeptical questions, opinions and comments from people who consider themselves some kind of expert. Including “are you taking medication?” I felt like saying “opinions are like toilet paper” n then condescendingly explaining what I meant by that. I need to remember to try not to say everything that my brain impulsively wants my mouth to blurt out. Other people do that to me and It pissed me off. Sometimes people just suck. Love and tolerance in extremely hard work some days.

It’s easy to understand how you can be frustrated. Being treated like a mental patient by a so called normal person can be torture.

So called normal people, that’s the thing. So many people have real problems that they should get help with, or at the very least, admit and look at honestly. It’s so much easier to look at what’s wrong with other people to feel less troubled or neurotic. I think what you’re saying helps explain why it bothers me if people look at my life in order to feel grateful that their life is not so bad. That’s not what I’m in this world for, well it’s not what I want to be in this world for. But reality is as it is… I sometimes get pissed off when people tell me to think about people who have much larger struggles than myself and to get grateful. Again, that happens because I’m talking about me/my struggles, so I’ve invited it. I think it’s possible that we all compare ourselves to other people too much, and focus on the differences more than we should. If I compare myself to other people with disabilities, it rarely ends well. None of us experience problems the same way.

Relationships are just too much trouble some days. I give myself permission to take a break once in a while. Retreat a little bit and just lighten up.

It’s good when I can feel compassion about someone else’s problems, and leave talking about/looking at me, and my problems completely out of the equation. Compassion for anyone regardless of how large or small the struggle they’re having always ends well. Even if the problem they have is that they are an ass! It’s still sad hehehehe. I’m better off just listening to music by myself sometimes. I like to be by myself when I’m fed up with fighting my way through uncomfortable social situations. It’s a trick finding the balance between too much time by myself and too much human contact. I love music so dang much! it’s not judgmental, it just is. It’s art. Maybe I should see people as art. God’s artwork. Some entertain, some annoy!.

I’m trying to make talking less, or just less about me! higher on my list of changes I want to make that help me live more comfortable inside my skin.

People are Strange when you’re a Stranger -Jim Morrison-

PS I try SO DANG HARD to keep my posts short, it’s a difficult riddle. I don’t know why I trip on that…

PPS, ah crap! I didn’t realize until I was done writing that this is a year or more old. I found this post running a search for that -Define Crazy- blog by Rick. Now I’m freaked out… (again, lol) to post or not to post, that’s the ?…

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[munchkin]

I’ve been around this issue quite a bit… my husband suffers from bipolar disorder, and one of the symptoms is that he is unable to perceive the effects of his medication, and it’s common that he will either stop taking or screw around with timing and dosages, not following doctor’s orders. This is common with bipolar I think, and can be a real issue. What happens is that he’ll start showing signs of an episode, and at the same time be unable to cope with questions about his medication. No matter how nice you ask him, he will take it as a low blow – playing the medication card, etc. We had to develop a system of communication around that with the help of a marriage counselor, and it’s still a very difficult issue.

With ADHD, I wonder whether that kind of conversation is needed… I think we are pretty aware of whether or not we are taking our meds, what our dose is supposed to be, and how taking or not taking the medication affects us… If I forgot to do something or misplaced something and was asked – what’s up with you – did you forget to take your meds? I would be insulted. The meds help, but they aren’t a cure. Not to say I don’t understand other people being frustrated when I screw something up and it effects them. I just don’t think a comment about the meds is the best way to express that. I would rather hear “when you forget xxxx it causes xxxx problems for me – is there any way you can work on that?”

What really gets my temper up is when the mistake causes absolutely no harm to the other person, but they feel the need to put me down about it. Then to ask about meds in something other than a concerned manner – like in a sarcastic tone – would probably not go over too well with me at all!

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[Scattybird]

Don’t worry about answering an old post Robbo. I hadn’t seen this one before but Miguel introduced an interesting issue.

Only one person at work knows about my diagnosis. Already I have had the “haven’t you taken your ritalin” question from her. That came just a few days after I told her. Think she needs to be careful what she says in the workplace though. Annoyingly I hadn’t taken it that day! But she winds me up so where is the line between my emotional regulation not being regulated because of the ADD and just being p****d off by her anyway?

I think with some problems when people feel better on meds they think they are cured and then stop taking them, not realising the meds keep them right. My neighbour does that with her prozac and then hits bottom when she stops. Thankfully as munchin said it’s not such an issue for ADHD folk.

But to go back to the original question…….. Yes it is annoying!

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[walkwithfarmgirl]

My boyfriend hasn’t been diagnosed as ADHD but, as my son has been diagnosed, I am familiar with the various symptoms and types and I strongly suspect that my BF is: he has a dreadful time trying to organize his pills (for various other ailments)–does anyone else put pills in a weekly organizer box and then mysteriously end up with pills two days in advance gone but the beginning of the week still there?

Thanks.

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[Faequine]

The situation totally sucks when you can’t afford the medication. This is my situation, schools all done, lost schools health benefits, and i have been broke for soon long at having actual money is a very faint memory.

I have only recently been trying to apply various strategies to help control the ADD behaviors, which is very hit and miss/slow going. I know things would be a lot better if i was on the medication, but i can’t afford to pay 100-150 bucks a month on pills when paying for food and our roof is a lot more important.

It is a very frustrating situation to be in.

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[HotinFC]

@Faequine if you live in the US you can contact The Partnership for Prescription Drug Assistance. Some drug companies offer ADHD medication for little or no cost. Their website is pparx.org. If in Canada there may be something similar. You can sometimes also contact drug companies directly. Good luck!

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[Faequine]

Yah, if only i can find the Canadian equivalent. And for Alberta….

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[Evelyn]

I keep my meds by my coffee pot which helps to remind me. But I also have it written in my phone alarm at 6:30 “Wake-up, take meds”, it doesn’t always work but I forget a lot less. Also I don’t have small children so leaving my meds on the counter isn’t a problem. I think if I did I’d put my med bottle in my morning coffee cup and keep it on a high shelf…

Provided I was awake enough not to pour the coffee over the pill bottle and ruin the whole batch.

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[Author]

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