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Psychiatrists are now using the terminology “autism spectrum” and are, in fact, moving away from the term “Asperger Syndrome”. As @Shutterbug55 noted, there is some thought that ADHD may be on far, far edge of autism spectrum, as there is some overlap of symptoms at times.
My son has mild autism spectrum as well as ADHD and OCD and it’s quite common to have these diagnoses, which are really labels for symptoms. That said, not everyone with ADHD is autistic, although they may share certain traits in common with those on the autism spectrum.
In my experience, there are huge differences in abilities and traits among people labeled autism spectrum, just as there are with people with ADHD. Although it may somehow seem better to have Asperger’s, it really is difficult to see the distinctions when you look at autism spectrum as a whole.
REPORT ABUSEWgreen, what is it you’re trying to find out?
I think the jury is still out on “top guys,” although we cannot forget Dr. Jain, who seems to strike a good balance between being overly positive and being negative. I don’t personally find Dr. Barkley negative so much as trying to be scientific, but I have other quibbles with him. <cough–kind of a blowhard–cough cough>
In any case, there are a lot of disorders over which authorities (some genuine and some who are self-promoting windbags) disagree. No doubt you can dig up an “authority” who will swear to you the world is flat.
Whether a particular “believes” in ADHD not, ADHD is now broadly recognized and understood in a basic way. Unfortunately, because of the complexities of brain disorders, basic isn’t good enough.
Oh well. I suspect that in 10 years or so, the landscape is going to look very different because of brain imaging and genetic research, and disorders like ADHD, autism spectrum and a host of others will be far better understood.
REPORT ABUSEI’ve definitely had different responses to generics, which often have different formulations of additives and varying amounts of the actual drug.
Was there any break between taking the generic and then going back to to the brand name?
When you began taking brand name XR again, did you take the full dose or did you titrate back up?I don’t know if the answers to either of those questions actually make any difference, but it might. The only time I’ve had the kind of physical response you describe is when I’ve taken too much of the drug when I was in the initial stages of trying to figure out the correct dosage for me.
In any case, Adderall is not the only drug out there. I take Focalin XR (also pricey and I don’t think there is a generic yet) and I like it and have not had a lot of problems with it since I stabilized my dosage.
REPORT ABUSEGrant, as with anything, ideal career paths vary depending on the person. I’m quite active in social media and understand and enjoy it, but there are aspects of social media work that I find tedious (various metrics and deep data analysis, for example).
In my case, my ADHD serves me well in that I can have fleeting interactions that build into online relationships over time. I actually began using social media to promote my band rather than for personal use, so I got a lot of good practice in being appropriate. I’ve retained a good level of control over what I say, even when using social media personally. And, of course, the kind of background I had in PR and business served me well, too.
I do have to be very careful about not getting caught up in social media and letting one thing lead to another, wasting all day on the computer. This happens quite a lot to me and I think it can be a real problem for anyone, though especially for ADDers. If you’re working in social media, it’s a job requiring focus like anything else.
Also, there are different kinds of social media jobs now. Some require intense computer time and others require some socializing with people in real life. So anyone going into social media as a career needs to evaluate strengths and weakness.
To sum up, careers in social media can be great for ADDers but I don’t think there is any one career that’s perfect for all ADDers.
REPORT ABUSESo, @PigMonkey, I get it. I’m on the other side of the pill hill and glad I climbed that mountain. You’ve had 40 years of trying. So you know high you have to climb and you just. Haven’t. Quite. Made. It. You need some oomph. Ritalin might be the oomph. Not magic, but oomph. An aid.
You’re 40. Pretty soon, if not already, you’re going to need reading glasses. You won’t want to. But you’ll do it so you can see.
Take the damn Ritalin.
REPORT ABUSEWitamind, that’s a very concise list of reasons why Mother Teresa was made a saint and I won’t be.
REPORT ABUSELeeatbe, it’s very common to question an ADHD diagnosis initially. I know I did and felt many of the feelings you expressed (an excuse! everybody has it! etc.). Meds made a huge difference for me and you have to do what’s right for you, not avoid or do something because you have pre-conceived notions that may not apply to your own situation.
Depending on the medication prescribed, the meds may not affect your sex life adversely. You may, in fact, have a positive response with better focus and more clarity about what pleases you. Not to persuade you one way or the other to take meds–that’s entirely dependent on you and your prescriber.
Or you may simply be someone who is not wild about sex, for whatever reason. That’s OK too.
REPORT ABUSETeabaglady, do you know why your daughter refuses to take meds? Although my son is younger, until he started on meds, he just couldn’t make himself do almost anything productive. It’s very easy to envision being in the same boat when he turns 21 if he didn’t take the meds.
Taking meds might be a turning point for your daughter, IF (the big IF) she would take them.
REPORT ABUSEYes, Allan, who’d-a thought people of a particular religion painted with a broad brush of atrocities would take offense?
If I may offer an unsolicited opinion, take a pause before you speak or press send. It’s impossible to never offend, but it’s easy to avoid bigotry.
I delete and/or re-write at least half of everything I put online. I heartily recommend you do the same.
REPORT ABUSEThose are very good suggestions, @Pigmonkey.
REPORT ABUSEApril 18, 2013 at 3:08 pm in reply to: "The Perfect Storm": The terrible triad of ADHD OCD Tics #120120@mrc109, my son has ADHD and OCD (no tics though). I can’t say if a PET scan would be worth the money. Be direct with your physician and ask that question. Fainting and dizziness can have causes beyond the neurological, but some things may need to be ruled out first, especially with your history.
For relief of the OCD and PTSD, though, you may have to try several things. There is a cognitive therapy called ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) that has been clinically proven effective for many people with OCD and PTSD. It’s possible that therapy could help your tics if they are worsened by anxiety.
The OCD Foundation has a lot of good links and info:
http://www.ocfoundation.org/CBT.aspx
You may have to try or adjust your medications. It’s hard to go through all of that, I know. Persevere to get answers and improve your quality of life. Try to take the long view.
REPORT ABUSE@Phoenixmagicgirl, there’s never an easy fix, is there? I know lots of people who repeat themselves and, up to a point, people tolerate it. The only thing I can say is that mindfulness practice and memory training might help if the reason you’re repeating is that you aren’t noticing you’ve already said something and/or you don’t remember who you told the story to.
@Babyjo, I know what you mean when you say you don’t know what the Big Point is. I’ve had to train myself (still in training!) to figure that. I’ve made a study of listening to good speakers (like the TED talks) and storytellers, good news reporters, and observed their ways of clearly expressing ideas.
My weakness is in wanting to provide all the detail and nuance. I make an effort to remind myself: Who What When Where and a little How (if needed) STOP.
REPORT ABUSEApril 18, 2013 at 2:47 pm in reply to: Meds considering switch from gen ritalin to focalin xr #120117@Jensters1205, I use Focalin XR although I didn’t switch from anything else. I have never had any “speedy” feeling using the Focalin XR. I have tried supplementation with regular Focalin and know what you’re talking about.
From my experience, I would say that the XR is a much smoother effect. I get a faster response when I take it with a little food.
Your doctor should really be the one to tell you if you can just switch over to the Focalin XR. It may take some experimentation to get you on the right dosage. I use the Focalin XR and then use a very low 2.5 mg generic methylphenidate as needed–gives me a lot of control and no jitters.
REPORT ABUSE@Galadriel724, I have the same problem of having to talk through (sometimes write through) something to access what’s in my head. That’s a pretty common ADHD problem. Drives me crazy. I’m trying some alternatives to talking it through with a person.
For me, knowing my patterns has been helpful.
REPORT ABUSEThose are situations where your mind is occupied with emotion and lots of thoughts. @Phoenixmagicgirl, I forgot to ask, do you recognize that you’re repeating yourself or do people point it out?
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