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fmri & pet scans don’t lie. ADHD is a pervasive development disorder affecting the anterior cingulate cortex & possibly other areas of the brain.

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lifehacker had a post about it. I tried to get it from my GP and a specialist; no go. I guess since the normal ADHD meds work for me, no need to try things like modafinil.

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I’d suggest methylphenidate. It’s cheap, and it works great for me. It’s the only medication I’ve tried so far.

I’d also suggest learning emotional validation. It took some time for me to learn, but when I remember to do it (tricky since I’m ADHD!) it works great with my kids.

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@Tiddler: I can’t remember from your previous posts whether you’ve tried “public” drugs like caffeine & nicotine. Both are stimulants, and I’ve read one study that showed nicotine helped ADHD more than methylphenidate.

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If some of your ADHD symptoms are as a result of a smaller than normal ACC, then psychoanalysis is not going to help those symptoms. People often have issues going on in their head that do not have physical causes, which psychoanalysis is likely to help.

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@Gary: I choose when I take my ADHD medication. Sometimes I take it when I don’t really want to, but I choose to because I have no better alternative. I’ll take a twist on Barkley’s prosthesis analogy to explain how I see it. When I broke my ankle, I didn’t want to use crutches, but I often chose to. Sometimes I’d hobble/walk if it was just a few steps, but most times I’d use my crutches. I could have chose to hop on one leg, or push through the pain of limping on it. My shoulders got tired and my armpits got chaffed, however I still got to move from A to B.

I didn’t get much pressure to use my crutches and (so far) I don’t get any pressure to take my medication. I think I understand the issue of feeling pressured — directly or even indirectly by societal expectations. Gathering the willpower to stand up and say, “It’s my body and I choose what I do to it” will help you in a lot more situations than when you feel pressured to pop a pill in your mouth.

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@tiddler: I chuckled when I read the last line of your post.

When you stop feeling frustrated about the “is it a gift discussion”, check this out:

http://addralph.blogspot.com/2011/10/is-adhd-gift-or-curse.html

Personally I like the buddhist perspective: If it is something you can change, then you need not suffer. If it is something you cannot change, then you need not suffer.

It might sound cold (I’m no better at empathy than I am at remembering where I left my cordless drill!), but it sounds like you are suffering over the “what could have been”.

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I’m having great results with APO 20mg-SR, 4 times/day during the week, and 3 times on the weekend. 4x/day lasts ~16hrs, whereas 54mg concerta was wearing off after ~10hrs. Once I got the timing right (3-4hrs between dosing), I stopped getting the side-effects from the spike in levels (even Concerta spikes 6-7hrs after taking it & I’d feel chest pressure during that time).

The SR is a bit more expensive than IR, but still only 25c/pill.

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For myself, I find Concerta lacking. In adults taking Concerta, blood levels typically drop to half of the peak 9.6 hours after taking it.

http://www.janssen-ortho.com/JOI/pdf_files/concerta_E.pdf

I got my doctor to switch me to Ritalin-SR, and I bought the generic APO 20mg SR.

Based on the APO product monograph, taking 2x20mg followed by a single 20mg 5h later gives a higher maximum concentration than 54mg Concerta (14ng vs 12), a flatter peak (more even levels), and doesn’t drop off to half (7ng) until 12hrs after taking the first 2. taking another 9hrs after the first two sustains the drug above 7ng until 16 hrs.

The cost is also a fraction of Concerta (25c per 20mg pill).

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I’ve had only good response with telling people about my ADHD.

When I forgot to do something my lawyer’s assistant asked about, I emailed her to say thanks for reminding me & added this at the end:

p.s. earlier this year I was diagnosed with ADHD; it might help explain my absent-mindedness for you.

her reply:

Lol….you’re hilarious…I needed a laugh today…thank you

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@Jason: thanks for the reference to lumosity.com. I plan to check it out.

I’ve been using cognitivefun.net

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My doc mentioned biphentin, but the price close to Concerta. I’m on 3 Apo MPH-SR (20mg)/day now, and I can focus better on boring tasks vs. 54mg Concerta & it costs less than 1/3 the price. I’m taking 2 in the am & 1 at noon, but it doesn’t last long enough into the evening. Next appointment I’m going to get him to up my prescription to 4/day so I can take 2 when I get up, 1 ~4hrs later & 1 ~8hrs later.

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Some info here on working memory and attention/focus in ADHD:

http://addralph.blogspot.com/2011/09/adhd-tests.html

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I agree it’s a good idea to ensure your magnesium levels are healthy. Don’t stop there though; go for a full blood test; magnesium, iron, vitamin D, B12, sodium, potassium, etc.

Most people that have healthy vitamin D levels (40-50ng) don’t need calcium suppliments. I think the best way to get your nutrients is naturally (I still use suppliments to give me a boost or if I have difficulty with natural sources). For magnesium I snack on sunflower seeds. Shellfish are another good source of minerals.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201106/can-multivitamin-help-treat-adhd

I started focusing on healthy eating years before I was diagnosed with ADHD, so I can’t say what difference it made in my symptoms.

Except for my iron saturation being marginally high,& magnesium marginally low, my blood test results are very healthy. I still need at least 40mg/day of MPH to make a big impact on my ADHD.

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Thanks for the suggestions. I’m tempted to check them out now, but I really should go to bed…

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