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@Ramblinon, I’d suggest researching the med on http://www.drugs.com (a reliable source), and discussing it with your pharmacist (since they often know more about meds than doctors do) and your doctor.
The idea that dosages should be based on the age and weight of the patient was debunked many years ago. The standard is now to base dosages on the patient’s metabolism.
REPORT ABUSE@Newfietroll, we DO believe in Dyslexia in Canada. Any doctor who doesn’t is doing his patients some serious harm. You might want to contact the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada (http://www.ldac-acta.ca). They can advise you, and help you get the help you need.
Patrick McKenna, who’s in several videos here, has both ADHD and Dyslexia, and he talks about it. It’s not at all rare for people to have ADHD and Dyslexia or some other Learning Disability. (So your doctor’s REALLY off-base about that.)
As for the Disability Tax Credit, it’s not just you. It’s REALLY hard to be approved for it. The Harper Government has made it as difficult as possible for people to qualify for EI, Disability benefits, Disability Tax Credits, and other desperately-needed financial support for those most in need. Meanwhile, they bring in “easy money” policies for the richest people (doubling the TFSA limit, income-splitting), financed by cutting healthcare, social programs, Veterans Affairs, etc.
If we want good social programs, we might have to move to Norway or Sweden. But the 24-hour winter nights would be hell.
REPORT ABUSE@Deebee, I found my family doctor when a new group-practice (Patient Networks, at Yonge & Richmond) opened near me. He was fresh out of medical school, as are the other doctors there. All medical records are electronic, and shared by all of the doctors, so it doesn’t matter which of them you see.
They’re not “officially” taking new patients, because each doctor has reached the limit they’re allowed to have, but they offer walk-in appointments to anyone. Most patients there are technically “walk-ins”, but they’ve been going for several years.
My doctor doesn’t prescribe ADHD meds, because he knows it’s a specialty that he isn’t trained in. However, he was happy to refer me to an ADHD clinic that has a doctor who specializes in ADHD meds and getting each patient through the tricky trial-and-error process of finding the right med(s) and dose(s) for him/her, as well as psychologists and coaches, all of whom specialize in treating ADHD.
I go to Springboard Clinic, which is 1 block north of Rosedale subway station. Laura MacNiven, the guest at the next TotallyADD webinar (8 pm, April 1, 2015 – http://totallyadd.com/webinars/), is part of the Springboard team. Maybe you can ask her about it during the webinar.
Since it’s a specialized clinic, you’ll need a referral from your doctor. You can download a referral form from Springboard’s website. I filled in most of the info myself, and my doctor went through it with me before signing it. He appreciated this!
REPORT ABUSE@Clayhughes, I’m almost completely teetotal, other than a small glass of cream & Bailey’s at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
It’s not prudishness; I just hate the taste, smell, and burn of alcohol. Maybe this is some form of instinctive self-preservation, because booze is bad news if you’re diabetic or taking meds for Depression and ADHD—and I am.
REPORT ABUSE@Cassatt, having multiple streams of thought running through your head is part of having ADHD. But actually, physically hearing noises in your head is not.
REPORT ABUSEMarch 9, 2015 at 3:47 pm in reply to: Concerta makes me feel sick and doesn't seem to do the job anymore #126751test
REPORT ABUSEMarch 8, 2015 at 9:40 pm in reply to: Concerta makes me feel sick and doesn't seem to do the job anymore #126748@Onewithmany, I’ve had that kind of frustrating bad reaction with certain meds I’ve tried—and not just ADHD meds.
Just remember that meds for mental conditions are never one-size-fits-all, which is why it takes trial-and-error to find the right med for each patient. So, methylphenidate (whether plain or in a special form like Concerta) may have been crap *for you*, but somebody else could find that it’s the one med that works for them. YMMV
REPORT ABUSEWhen you’re having a bad day, just think of this, and your day might not seem so bad: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-31017567
We humans are supposed to be the most intelligent, and probably the only truly self-aware species on the planet. Sometimes, I wonder if it might not have been better to have been born a cat, instead of a human who has to think about ADHD, and living up to my potential, and making a real difference in this screwed-up unfair world, and HOW old am I now???
Then, I think of something silly or sparkly, I’ve created and I realize that I couldn’t have done that if I were a cat.
REPORT ABUSE@Lailamoon786, I’m a confirmed singleton, and I now see that I’ve been that way my whole life. My reasons are pretty much the same as yours. And because I’ve seen how toxic an ADHD “mixed-marriage” can get, as I look at my parents’ marriage—like a cross between the Costanzas and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”.
I’ve heard of several ADDers who have a great marriage, and sleep in separate bedrooms to keep it that way. It makes so much sense, that you wonder why our culture thinks that it’s “wrong”. Besides, that “norm” of sharing a bed was historically something only done by people who were too poor to afford separate beds or separate bedrooms.
I think the key is really knowing and understanding who you are, and what you want from life. It doesn’t matter what the rest of the world thinks you ought to do; do what actually works for you.
My brother and I are very lucky that our parents always taught us that marriage and children are the biggest responsibilities of your life, and if you don’t feel completely ready for them, DON’T DO THEM. They taught us the facts of life, starting when we were very little, and always emphasizing the tremendous responsibility of it all.
They’ve also NEVER asked us, “When are you going to get married and give us some grandchildren?”
REPORT ABUSEIt’s like Alice in Wonderland, isn’t it?
“I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it.”
That’s why the best Coaches have their own Coaches, because knowing what to do, and actually doing it, are two different things…as we learned in the last webinar.
REPORT ABUSEThanks, @Rick!
Though I’m not a touchy-feely person, in the right circumstances, I quite enjoy it.
When I was at the ADDA conference in Florida, this past summer, I found that getting a massage at the hotel’s spa was one of the most relaxing experiences I’ve ever had…especially after the stress of travelling to Florida in the summer heat, and checking into the crowded hotel.
Here in Toronto, I found a fantastic massage therapist, who used to work at a circus—so you can imagine the kind of injuries she had to soothe!
In my experience, when you have the kind of heightened sensitivities that we ADDers do, the key is to tell the massage therapist, up-front. Even if you don’t, the massage therapist will tell you to let them know if anything feels uncomfortable, and will ask you during the massage, if the pressure is okay.
Don’t hesitate to speak up! Their job is to make you feel better than when you came in. If you don’t tell them they’re hurting you or making you uncomfortable, how will they know?
REPORT ABUSE@BabafredDenandenanda, have you thought about putting a punching bag in your office? Seriously! It’s a much more effective way of venting your frustration, without hurting yourself or your desk…or that precious wedding ring.
Those scary tantrums are just (“just”!) what happens when your brain and body are so overwhelmed that they can’t take any more. Often, we don’t see them coming, because we’re so caught up in what we’re doing. We’re not too mindful of ourselves at the best of times, and when we’re under high-stress is NOT the best of times.
But if we can be mindful of the pressures that are building up, maybe we can do something to stop them before they blow up. This takes practice, and I’m still working on it, myself, but it does help me. I’ve learned that if I don’t give myself a complete time-out when my body is telling me I need it, I’ll have one heck of a meltdown. (Now, if I can just remember that I’ve learned this…)
Can you do a little visualization for me?
Picture yourself hard at work at your desk, on a typical project. You’ve been in the zone for a couple of hours, without a break, but now you’ve hit a roadblock.
What’s going on in your brain right now?
How does it feel?
What are you thinking about in that moment?
Now, what about your body?
How do your head and jaws feel?
How do your neck and shoulders feel? (My chiropractor calls these the “holy s*** muscles”.)
How do your hands and arms feel?
How does your back feel?
How does your stomach feel?
Now… Remember those thoughts and feelings. Next time you’re working, try to be alert to them, as they start sneaking up on you.
Before they get to be too much, take a time-out, and physically release that frustration by getting up and moving!
Beat the crap out of your punching bag (if you’ve set one up in your office). Go for a brisk walk. I’ve even found that belting out forceful showtunes works wonders…though people tend to look at me funny if I do it while I’m out walking.
After that, go to a quiet place, take some deep breaths, and try tackling that roadblock again.
Let me know if this works for you!
REPORT ABUSE@Wiredonjava, funny you should say that…
I’m learning to be an ADHD Coach, though what I really want to do is give presentations and write articles. I never would have imagined doing this, but Rick noticed I had a knack for it, from reading my posts here, and suggested it to me.
I’ve taken courses, and started setting up my coaching business, but I’ve been bogged-down in my old beliefs for a while. Now that we’re starting a new year, I’m more determined to work through them, with a couple of Coaches, so I can get out there and shed a little light and laughter into the dark corners of ADHD. Becoming rich-ish and famous-ish would be fringe benefits. It means a lot more to me to be able to really connect with a room full of people, and help them to understand their ADHD, and to feel better about it. I’ve done this a few times, and it feels so right to me.
As for books, my favourites are: “ADD Stole My Car Keys” (I still find surprises in it), Elaine Aron’s “The Highly Sensitive Person” (explains so much about me and my mom), Dr. Charles Parker’s “The New ADHD Medication Rules” (so fascinating that I devoured most of it in one sitting), and Melissa Orlov’s “The ADHD Effect on Marriage” (I’m a confirmed singleton, but it explains so much about my parents’ toxic marriage…though they refuse to read it, which is sad).
I’m in Toronto, but I do occasionally venture out to Hamilton, to visit Denniger’s and Ann’s Fabrics. Toronto may have a lot of things, but it doesn’t have Denninger’s or Ann’s!
REPORT ABUSE@Wiredonjava, we ADDers are often more sensitive to stimuli, including touch, so I can completely understand why a spa day could be torture for you.
Don’t blame yourself. If you’d never had a spa day before, then you had no way of knowing what it would involve, or how you would react to it. So, it wasn’t a total loss: you learned that it’s not a good situation for you.
And you can find a way to turn it into a bit of a joke (maybe by taking your description of the experience into hyperexaggeration), to let people know that you’re one of those people who actually get freaked out by this supposedly-relaxing experience, so they don’t give you another spa day.
(Hey, I get freaked out on laughing gas, while everyone else seems to find it lovely and floaty and relaxing.)
REPORT ABUSE@Jenm71, I’d take a look at legitimate sites like http://www.drugs.com/sfx/strattera-side-effects.html and http://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-64629/strattera-oral/details . They’ll give you the facts about this med, what to expect, possible side effects and interactions, and when you need to see your doctor immediately.
Bear in mind that NO med is a “magic bullet”. They’re more like training wheels on a bike. They’ll help keep you upright, but you still need to learn the techniques and strategies to “ride that bike” yourself. That means, learning all about ADHD and how it affects you personally, getting counselling and coaching, and being mindful of your thoughts, feelings, and actions.
I’d also suggest keeping a daily med journal, noting the med, dose, and when you took it; as well as the effects (good and bad), and any other factors (great day at work, fight with your spouse, etc.). That way, when you have follow-up appointments with your doctor, the two of you can go through that journal, and better assess if the med is working or if anything needs to be adjusted.
Keep us posted!
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