[Hoolee]

I use marajuana fairly regularly, although how effective it is regarding the ADD depends on the task at hand. On the other hand, I also suffer from bipolar disorder and for that, I often find that it helps me immensely with relaxation which both helps me to sleep (if I time it right) and also helps me not stress so much – stress and lack of sleep each being two of my biggest triggers for hypo-mania episodes related to the bipolar. It doesn’t mask my problems, but it helps me to reflect on issues more calmly and often I find that I’m putting too much energy into worrying about something that isn’t actually a threat to me, but rather a simple inconvenience and no more. In situations like that, realizing an over-reaction helps me to move onto a practical solution and/or simply being able to “get over it”.

Using marajuana is helpful with the ADD if I’m facing repetative and/or boring tasks, such as cleaning, painting, or gardening, etc. The type of tasks that keep your hands busy but leave room for me to “step out” and work out issues mentally while I’m physicallly working. On the other hand, if I cannot confidently determine that I can eliminate immediate professional tasks or social interactions, or anything else that doesn’t leave room for distractedness, then I stay far away from it! In those types of circumstances I’m better to take the Dexidrine or just struggle through it.

One thing I’ve learned about marajuana is that, like alcohol, your frame of mind and overall physical well-being, just as the potency of the substance, can significantly affect how you react to it. I do my best to take responsibility for my usage by being aware and honest with myself about how I feel, physically and emotionally, and base my decision to smoke or not to smoke accordingly.

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[Hoolee]

I am prescribed Dexidrine as well, a med later introduced approximately two years after Ridlin failed to work and a reassessment suggested I still needed a medicine to help me. Unfortunately, I find that while it helps me stay alert and focused, it also keeps me awake at night, even when taken only in the morning. Because of this, I only use it when I have a deadline to meet and staying focused is essential to achieving the goal.

I am also bipolar and prone to hyper-manias which often find me unable to relax or to sleep properly. Thankfully, I seem to calm down after two or three days, (or rather, burn out). I will sometimes use the Dexidrine to help me stay alert and functional through the day after I have experienced a couple of restless/sleepless nights and can usually still go to bed early despite the otherwise usual effects that it has.

However, I recently returned to school with the goal to work from home, (a self-study that has taken me at least twice as long as the other students who attended the same time as me). Now working at home, I have found that I am better able to control the bipolar and ADD through routine and stress elimination as I can now mostly control my environment. I now have the ability to take the time to eat better, eliminate, or at least , minimalize stress, or simply avoid interactions where I know that I am feeling especially impulsive and/or emotional and might worry about saying too much, talking to fast, etc. I have mostly learned to recognize when I am “off” and working from home allows me the freedom to alter my schedule so that it accommodates my behaviour and allows me to work through it without causing any additional or unnecessary damage.

I don’t imagine I’d be able to avoid the Dexidrine as much as I can now if I were still working “on location” at some 40 hours/week job again though.

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