[munchkin]

Lakelly, I think Concerta has the same exact ingredient as Ritalin and Methylphenidate, just a different type of capsule – it slowly releases the meds all day so you don’t have to take multiple doses. The best thing I noticed about Concerta was the smooth-ness in comparison with taking short acting methylin several times a day. Comes on gently, lasts all day. I still find the come-down a little troublesome. Adderal is a similar type of drug – but totally different ingredients. For some reason, even if one stimulant works for a person, another one might not work well at all. At least that’s what I’ve read. I hope you can get back on what works for you.

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[munchkin]

Thanks Filmbuff! I’ll check out your blog First thing on my list… everything! oh, I guess I’ll have to get a little more specific, eh? 😆

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[munchkin]

After 2 weeks of ramping up on plain methylin pills, I went to 54 mg Concerta. I can’t imagine less- this works great and few side effects. I do need to figure out hoe to time it so the come down occurs at the least disruptive time in my evening. Still working out minor bugs but very pleased overall.

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[munchkin]

I found myself struggling with similar frustration, and never could get any hand holding with this. It seems that adult ADD isn’t well understood by most practitioners and you have to really know what your goals are and then go doc shopping. This means calling and making phone or office appts with doctor after doctor until you can make some progress. It took me five tries to get the type of help I was looking for, and the entire time I had no idea if I was headed in the right direction. I wish I could give you a phone number and presto! If you are lucky there might be someone on this forum from your area who can help. I am in Oregon, so… Not much help. CHADD isn’t very active in my area, so I had to just pound the pavement. If you can’t connect with anyone who has already been successful getting treatment in your area, please don’t despair – keep trying every strategy you can think of, and your persistence will likely pay off. I hope you’ll let us know what you find out – it could help others with the same challenges 🙄

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[munchkin]

Fun theory filmbuff! Wealth easily obtained, admiration without having helped anyone, exactly like heroin right? Would you have to be mentally Ill to fall prey? It could probably drive all but the strongest crazy! And run in the family too… Don’t we all want unconditional love and our needs provided without having to constantly negotiate, haggle, beg, be nice to mean people, compromise our dignity…. I think the most difficult is inherited wealth and or privelege. Seriously though, I think it’s a lot easier to have a good moral code when you can see people every day in your life that have been wronged and need help. Much harder when surrounded with spoiled people. Then the poor people aren’t your friend or family member- they’re a criminal in a news article who you think maybe deserves to be poor because look what a nasty person they are. Check out Brett Dennon’s Mosaic Project. Maybe the treatment for the mental illness you speak of!

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[munchkin]

I know, right??? You never know – we might find a million dollar lottery ticket on the ground while we’re searching! I’ll split it with you lakelly 😆

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[munchkin]

Hi Granahan’s – I think it’s kind of cool that you got to at least try out the meds. When I was your age, I had really great support as well, but when I left home things really took a dive, and I had no idea how dependent I had been on those “horrible mean” parents. Plus I didn’t want to believe I had ADD, and fiercely rejected the idea that there was anything “wrong” with me… it was everyone else’s fault for being so darn time obsessed!!

It’s so great that you’re learning all the non-med strategies for ADD and then you always know that the meds are available if you ever find you need them. How cool is that? If you ever do need them, hopefully they will invent something that agrees with your system better…

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[munchkin]

What about LOSING your car in the parking lot? This is where I get crazy. Recently I had a passenger with me, and I completely forgot where I parked in a downtown area. He got so aggravated, especially since the sun had set and it was getting darker and darker. I realized that this was totally normal for me to walk around for an hour or so finding my car. I actually thought of it as an adventure – part of the experience. He wasn’t amused. Several times I’ve had to take public transit home, and come back the next day to continue the search. Usually, I don’t even get upset about that kind of stuff unless it affects others. Then I’m so bummed because they think I don’t even care about their feelings – sometimes they even think it’s something I did to be passive agressive because I want to make them suffer somehow. Not true!!! I guess now that I’m getting this ADD stuff figured out, I’ll have to start noticing these problems so I can try to improve – I have worked so hard to be zen with it all – I just try to let stuff go unless it’s destructive to myself or others…

PS – I love cats, but unfortunately my german shepherd does not…

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[munchkin]

By the way, I totally get why the Russell Barkley’s of the world want to wave the “grave disadvantage” flag. I think it’s absolutely a good thing to wake families and individuals up to the fact that there is effective treatment for the parts of ADD/ADHD that are holding us back. My mother was a 70’s era psychologist who was vehemently against “labeling” people, and stood in the way of my brother and I getting real help for our problems. We have both struggled so hard, and been repeatedly cut off from family support for our transgressions. She stubbornly insisted that behavior modification techniques such as “tough love” and “natural consequences” were the answer, and that there was no “easy” way out, or “magic pill.” Also, in our entire family, the whole creative, artsy, weird and loving it mentality was like a religion, and wanting to be “normal” was like blasphemy to these people. There are people out there who, in my opinion, need to hear the message that ADD/ADHD is not something everyone would choose, and the inability to get things done and regulate emotions is not a lack of moral values, it’s biologically based. On the other hand, once you realize what ADD is and what you can do about it, the choice is up to you to get angry, grieve for the bad stuff you’ve been through, and hopefully see the positive in yourself when it’s all said and done. If that means seeing ADD as the gift or catalyst that made you who you are and challenged you and forged you into the diamond you are, then cool! But don’t deprive your kid (or yourself) of treatment if you know they are going through hell, just because you don’t want to spoil their “gift.” (My opinion)

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[munchkin]

One, two or three? Depends on the day you ask me… I just started meds 2 weeks ago, and have a terrible case of:”what could my life have been?” right now… 😯

however…USUALLY I prefer to live life with no regrets and focus on how my trials and tribulations have been a learning experience and given me “soul” and enabled me to be an open minded, empathetic, determined, dogged, down to earth individual. This is why I choose to lean toward “3.” This is a choice of how to focus, not a scientific, objective observation on whether I am special, flawed or downright broken. All humans are unique, and have things going on that severely slant their view of themselves and the world. I know many privileged, educated, healthy people who are absolutely miserable because they are unable to enjoy the gifts they possess. It’s all shades of grey to them because they are living a “gilded cage” sheltered life with very few bumps in the road. These people have a tendency to create bumps (drama?) in order to feel more alive, but this barely works at all, and causes them no end of problems.

I love the idea that I would be an extremely gifted “huntress” in a different time, but I still might have been banished from the tribe for knocking the totem pole into the campfire by accident… I also love the idea that I was the one who realized that we didn’t need to lay down and die, because certainly there must be rich green fields on the other side of that humongous glacier… I’m going on a wander quest – who’s coming along?! (oops -forgot the food – can you say Donner party?)

I think ADD can be a sort of gift within a supportive community of people that has little need for one more organized, scheduled, responsible (boring?) individual, and enjoys, and cares for and respects it’s eccentric, creative, disfunctional members. I think a person with ADD, in an environment that primarily values rules and routine and manners and protocol and keeps it’s emotions on the down low, is in a very hard situation.

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[munchkin]

Well you wore out your welcome, with random precision, Rode on the steel breeze, come on you raver, you seer of visions, come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and SHINE!

Shine on you crazy diamond – Pink Floyd

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[munchkin]

Thanks for fixing it so quick!!!

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[munchkin]

I really struggle hard with this too. I think I started to get anxiety about mail because bad news came in the form of late notices, garnishments, collection stuff, bills I couldn’t afford to pay, notices I was being sued, etc. – – All of that, perhaps, fallout of adhd… Anyway, I tried everything, but would just feel sick after a short amount of time opening envelopes. I, also, had boxes of unopened mail – I would deal with it, usually, about once a year during tax time… I, also, had the mail carrier stop delivering mail, due to my mailbox never being emptied. Then I saw something on TV about anxiety and increasing your tolerance over time. I started dealing with the debts and/or writing letters asking them to cease contacting me about them because I couldn’t pay. I reduced the amount of mail coming in, and increased my amount of tolerance for time spent looking at it. I still have a really rough time but it’s getting better. I throw the junk mail out in the outside trash before it even enters my house. The bills go in one place, the other mail goes in another spot. I am living more within my means, and have a very structured system for paying bills that helps me stay on track. (mostly) It’s super tough, but worth the fight – don’t give up, we’ll all support each other!

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[munchkin]

I’ve never really been able to keep a checking account balanced because I forget about checks that are pending. If I can’t see exactly what my balance is at all times, I get completely screwed up. After serious legal problems, I stopped using checks. If I could just get a large enough balance in the account to allow for mistakes, maybe I could try again. In the meantime, I have a bills list. When a bill comes in, I immediately open it, and write down the creditor, amount and due date on my list. Then, whenever I get paid, I pay everything on the list by getting money orders and mailing them in. The money orders are drawn from my acct immediately, so there are no pending transactions to confuse me. The list works because even if I misplace the bill, I can still just look up the payment address online and mail the payment in with my own envelope. Unfortunately I lost the list when I was cleaning up for guests to come over – but persistence! I have started a new list, and if there are any bills that fell thruogh the cracks, I will get a late notice and be frustrated, but at least I will get right back on track. Important to get right back on that horse!!! 😆

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[munchkin]

If he likes TV, trick him into watching the ADD & Loving it movie… 😈

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