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As an expat it would interesting to fully understand the differences between the North America, and the UK. From what I have found on the net, the focus seems to be more on dyslexia in the UK. Dyslexia can present like ADHD in many ways. I think the two disorders are very related, including co-morbidity. Much depends on the lens you are looking through.
REPORT ABUSEThe web address for the old forum no longer works. It might be an good idea to use that address to give the new link.
REPORT ABUSECookie, it really takes a lot of variables out of diagnosis, if you can find someone that specializes in adult ADHD. Psychology Today website has a great search engine http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/prof_search.php
It’s not a bad idea to have your family doctor check out other possible causes of the symptoms as well.
As others have said, many factors affect the severity of ADHD in adults. It’s seem common for people to have good and bad periods. Aside from anxiety and depression, there is some evidence that nutrition plays a role as well.
If you have experience with meditation, you might find this book helpful. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/listing/2685096707774?cm_mmc=GooglePLA-_-Book-_-Q000000633-_-2685096707774&cm_mmca2=pla&r=1 It has helped me a lot.
REPORT ABUSEOccasionally I get a little hypoglycemic, even without eating something with a lot of sugar beforehand. As I mentioned before, the parathyroids seem to be part of the big picture.
I’m certainly leaning that the holistic approach is so important. I’ll never view view an ailment in isolation again.
REPORT ABUSEMiss Muffins, this only a small part of my story, but this part began about five years ago with my doctor prescribing Lisinopril for high blood pressure. Though I didn’t really understand what was happening at the time this was the start of my ADHD symptoms becoming much worse.
Sometime latter, I started to get pain in my finger joints. As an electrician, my fingers have taken more abuse than most peoples, so I assumed it just an age thing. One joint in particular started to swell and become very painful. After about two years, my BP was up again, and HCTZ (a diuretic) was added to the Lisinopril. Also at this time, I was prescribed a PPI for acid reflux. The arthritis in the knuckle became much worse, and I saw the doctor about it. Looking at an X-ray, he was absolutely sure it was gout. I was drinking about 1/2 to 3/4 of a bottle wine daily, so I thought it sounded reasonable. The doc gave me some Ibuprofen ointment and sent me on my way. A while later I had him do a uric acid test, which came back negative. Must just be arthritis he said.
Over the next year or so, and quite by chance, I became very partial to balsamic vinegar. I noticed that the more Balsamic vinegar I ate, the better my knuckle was, eventually even reducing quite a bit. Turns out that acids help the digestion of minerals.
I was diagnosed with ADHD about eight months ago. For various reasons I started supplementing Mg about three months ago. I also started taking a multivitamin with high B6, zinc, and Vit D. It was obvious verly quickly that something had changed in that finger joint. The remaining swelling was disappearing, and it was becoming almost painless when bumped. In researching the balance between electrolytes, I came across pseudogout, Should have seen the look on my doctor’s face when I told him why the uric acid test came back negative. He believes I made a good “catch” when I figured out the Mg deficiency.
The harder deposits of calcium crystals in the joint won’t dissipate like those in the soft tissues. Not sure if I’ll get surgery to remove those yet.
I would have to say again that this really is only part of the story and there were many other factors including drinking RO water, antacid tablets without magnesium, and diet.
Oh and btw, mineral deficiencies can affect the parathyroid glands and insulin levels. I really believe that one day some researcher will tie all this stuff together. At the moment the medical field can’t seem to see the forest for the trees.
REPORT ABUSEI think there is enough evidence that points to a gut connection with a whole host of disorders. Leaky gut, and mal-absorption seem to be connected to Autism, ADHD, and auto-immune disorders. Unfortunately this area of research is unlikely to make big pharma any money…….
As a white water kayaker, I get to ingest more bacteria than most people, and have noticed a correlation between my well being, and taking antibiotics. Unfortunately the differences in well being are really only noticeable over long time periods; making direct connections difficult.
Certainly for me, nutrient deficiency is connected to my ADHD symptoms, and also blood pressure, heart rate, pseudogout, anxiety, and delayed onset muscle soreness. I would have been very skeptical of an ADHD connection, if it were not for the physical issues that are much more quantifiable.
REPORT ABUSEQuote by Rick “Welcome Carter! Make yourself comfortable! Put your feet up! Someone get Carter123 a snack and a beverage! Oh, and feel free to spam up the board.” 😉
REPORT ABUSEHey, when you start medication, you have an opportunity. The medication should give you a focus boost. You have to direct that focus boost to do the things you were unable to before. Getting some therapy from an ADHD specialist will help in doing this.
If you are not feeling able to do more than you were before, the medication may not be working for you.
REPORT ABUSEADHDwife, I think for a lot us older/late diagnosis people, the impulsiveness is not a blatant. It’s effects can be quite subtle, but still have a negative impact. Finances are a big problem simply because it’s the little things that add up.
As for thinking differently, it wasn’t until I got involved in instruction and teaching that I began to notice that difference. Modern instruction theory is based more on a whole brain experiential process. It made more sense to me than it seemed to for others. It wasn’t until my diagnosis, and then researching ADHD, that I understood why.
REPORT ABUSE“I think people have trouble accepting that ADHD is “real” because it threatens their concept of free will”
Who wants to believe their success in life was mostly down to lucking out with the neurotransmitters.
REPORT ABUSEhappyluckycharms, I’m assuming because you talk about asking your mom, that you are still at school, and N America (mom, not mum).
There are a few other things that can cause ADHD type symptoms, and those conditions could be quite serious health wise; hypothyroid for example. For that reason, you should ask your mother to let you see your family doctor. Most family doctors in the US are quite knowledgeable about ADHD. If it seems likely that you have ADHD and not something else, the doctor will tell your mother that you may need help with it.
In the mean time, I would down play ADHD and focus more on the general symptoms when discussing this with your mom, as she has already made up her mind. Otherwise just wait until your next doctors visit.
I know that this will be hard. When people with ADHD set their minds on a project (like getting diagnosed), it’s hard to think of anything else. Also, the emotional side of ADHD tends to make us over react, and see many things more negatively than they are.
Good luck.
REPORT ABUSEFamily is interesting for sure, and thanks; sometimes my thinking is too lateral, even for ADDers.
Another example might be something that is happening in my wife’s family. Her nephew is back home after just one year at college. There had never been a thought about his having ADHD before, but aside from the college issue, he is focusing on his long distance to the detriment of everything else.
What now makes sense is that he and his siblings were brought up with very consistent and unwavering structure, but also very supportive. He and his siblings are all long distance runners. and trained most days. At college he no longer had that structure, or someone making him run everyday. Running has been shown to moderate ADHD symptoms. It may well be that he is now starting to suffer impairments from ADHD, where there were none that were apparent before.
I know though, that any mention of ADHD would not be well received.
REPORT ABUSESayWhat, I think the difference between the other diseases you mention, and ADHD is that ADHD impairment does seem to be affected by environment. By that I mean that if a person with ADHD lucks out in choosing a career where their symptoms do not cause them too much stress, and a home environment that is easy to manage with a tolerant family, there may be no clinical impairment. Does that mean the person no longer has ADHD? Now if that person has to change careers, and someone becomes sick at home, the ADHD symptoms might start to cause real impairment to their lives.
That would be an extreme case, but to some degree these external factors affect us all.
REPORT ABUSEVery few conditions make people irrationally impulsive as ADHD does.
REPORT ABUSE“Does EVERYTHING have to be a spectrum these days”
A lot of people are a bit autistic, and a lot of people are a bit ADHD. That’s why the impairment to life and function is the yardstick of the diagnosis for both these disorders. Within families it’s possible to see variations in severity of ADHD; it is in mine, and in my wife’s too. My experience, and from what I’ve read, many others, is that impairment can vary even within the individual over time. Many of us with late diagnosis ADHD have functioned quite well at some points in our lives. Changes in health and environment can tip the scales, and suddenly we find ourselves with impairment meeting the diagnosis requirement.
I try to not judge people for these reasons.
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