add medication

[cactuscarl]

OK so I'm pretty sure I have ADD, I have thought this for a few years now but it's starting to be a problem with work and home life. I find it really hard to finish a task before I loose interest and it instantly turns into a painful chore. I find it next to impossible to start a task I don't want to do and will go great lengths out of my way to avoid it.

Is there a definitive test for ADD? And is this the sort of thing medication is designed to adress?

I want to ask the doctor for medication but I don't want him thinking I'm a junkie looking for a fix.

This is a serious question and I'm not just trying to score.

Cheers

[Alchemica]

Be careful - anything you say that's seemingly hinting at you wanting psychostimulants won't go down well, even if you could benefit from them. Particularly if this is a new complaint. Mentioning any troubles you have (particularly in the domains listed) would be the way to start out the conversation IMO:

Should I be evaluated for adult ADD / ADHD?

If you have significant problems with any of the following categories, you may want to get evaluated for ADD/ADHD:

• Job or career: losing or quitting jobs frequently
• Work or school: not performing up to your capacity or ability
• Day-to-day tasks: inability to do household chores, pay bills on time, organize things
• Relationships: forgetting important things, being unable finish tasks, getting upset over little things
• Emotions: having ongoing stress and worry because you don't meet goals and responsibilities

There are relatively definitive diagnostic tests for narcolepsy (Multiple Sleep Latency Test/EEGs) and even excessive daytime sleepiness but not anything for ADD/ADHD at this time. The medications can help address some issues.

The other thing to consider is - could you be depressed? There can be quite an overlap and depression+concentration issues can get quite problematic to say the least...

If you smoke and want to quit at the same time, maybe try some bupropion.

Best of luck with everything.

Edited August 7, 2014 by Alchemica

[doxneed2c-me]

People have to stop seeing ADD as such a horrible thing. The mind is a labyrinth and sometimes brilliant discoveries are made when it is explored.

Try to do lists and different teas you may be surprised. I was prescribed 2 types of ADD medication. One made me crash hard into an almost depressive state and the other put me to sleep because I have a paradoxical reaction to strong stimulants. It is a rare phenomenon which is from over stimulation. My doctor initially wouldn't believe it but he did do some research and accept it as plausible. SSRIs actually were most useful if you can endure the urpy feeling and strong nausea when the capsule dissolves in the stomach. I ultimately chose to manipulate other factors in my life and discontinue the psychotropic medications.

Another thing I have found to be useful recently is passionflower teas which is the opposite end of the spectrum that one may expect as useful.

Also if you partake in any substance use be it alcohol, nicotine, herbs, etc. discontinue that and see how things go.

[cactuscarl]

Thanks for the great responses. I have fort with mild depression since my sister died and it comes and goes but is manageable. I don't really like pharmaceutical drug and never took any before but its getting to me I feel soooo lazy it actually makes me angry. @ dox I agree it shouldn't be stigmatized in fact in most cases I don't even think it should be medicated. I have thought I had ADD for many years and has never really been an issue but its getting problematic now. If it even is ADD that is

Edited August 7, 2014 by cactuscarl

[wert]

GABA receptors.a class of receptors that neurotransmiter "Gamma Aminobutyric Acid is the chief inhibitory neurotransmitor in the vertibrate nervous central nervous system.

Banannas have bucket loads in it. Try eating a few banannas daily. There are other foods containing if u googz.

This may help you feel better.

[wert]

For what its worth we used to be able to buy it over the counter in concentrate but some complete dickhead made it ilegal in vic? Still can get it in qld.

Still can make it using two over the counter vitamins so the law is a fucking joke.

Ps. Maybe you are morphing into a goldfish. Lol!

Seriously i hope you get help.

You may not fit the requirements but olanzapine is the best pharma out there and its benifits are highly underated.

[cactuscarl]

Sweet thanks... Speaking of bananas i had one a couple of weeks ago for the first time in years it made me feel so good I've had one every other day since.

[ThunderIdeal]

i think alchemica said so but i don't think there's a "definitive" test because it isn't really a definitive condition is it? it's a bunch of symptoms which somebody gave a label to. i'd go to the doctor with an open mind, they can try to diagnose you and maybe they have suggestions besides medication, or maybe not the medication you expect. the alternatives will probably be "hard work" compared to taking a pill (improve diet, improve sleep, exercise, quit drugs, get hobbies). alchemica also mentioned the possibility that you have depression.

i'm wondering if yoga or maybe tai chi could help with symptoms. i mean a proper practise session twice a week at the minimum, and continuing for months until you are quite good at the breath control, moving with breath, core control and so forth. at first it is difficult even to follow the movement let alone get everything else firing.

-i'm a lazy procrastinator especially if i've put something in the "too hard basket" many times already.

-i love stimulants.

-after maintaining my breath and presence of mind for 50 minutes or more of yoga my mind usually descends into noise during the post-practise meditation.

so i share some of your traits, and i can honestly say that it helps having a solid practise like yoga to form the backbone of your week, something that you love to put energy into with obvious benefits (yoga has proven benefits), something which is so challenging that it makes everything else seem easy, something which gives you a supple body and a supple mind.

stimulants really only give you a temporary boost which is overshadowed by the subsequent crash, and that's obvious if you play it out with a backdrop of some consistent challenging hobby/practise. if you get pretty high your performance improves hugely, but even if you make it back to practise two or three days later you will feel like you've gone backwards a week, but in reality if you get pretty high then licking your wounds will be the main priority for at least the next four days. trust me on this. a bottle of dexies would be very helpful to you if you can manage everything properly, but people like us who can benefit from that kind of tool might even be predisposed to mismanaging it.

[rigger]

Hey Carl,

I looked into this a while ago and noticed if you google search adult, add, treatment/diagnosis and a city you live near you should find a lot of results for psycologists treating adult add. It would be best to call them and see if they require a referral which shouldn't be hard to get. I think you will have more chance dealing with people who recognize it than just a GP.

They did seem to have some sort of testing which consists of questions the Alchemica has well listed. I would imagine as well as the test the psycologists own impression would also be an important factor in diagnosis.

By the way I know your doing it for legitimate reasons but they generally ask if you have had substance abuse problems. It best to say no if you are looking for medication rather than say therapy. If you don't, it might mean you miss out on the medication you need as the doctor will have trouble prescribing these meds to someone with a history of drug addiction.

Good luck

Edited August 8, 2014 by rigger

[C_T]

when i was diagnosed, i got a referral from a gp to a psych who asked me to do an online quiz and print out my answers for next visit.

how i answered those questions and the things he asked in the interview is how he formally diagnosed.

narcolepsy is totally different (although they share the same medication, the criteria couldn't be further away from adhd).

Edit: oh, its now standard practice to urine drug screen everyone being prescribed restricted prescriptions such as dex.

Edited August 8, 2014 by C_T

[doxneed2c-me]

Yes I meant to bring that up. Many places in the world have drug testing both when being prescribed or renewing prescriptions for certain things. Depression can cause distractions, can cause anxiety which if even just subtle can be distracting, it can cause insomnia which worsens anxiety and depression and focus. Depression is a terrible thing. I have met my inner demons on their home field twice where I was extremely depressed. Recently I had to encounter them again. I have a chronic incurable autoimmune disease which took my quality of life from a 10 to a 4 and to know they can only moderate my symptoms and hope I respond to treatments left me in the pits. The battle in my body launched a war in my mind. I had little focus for anything.

One last thing amphetamine salts and methylphenidate are counter indicated if you have depression. Even when being monitored methylphenidate demolished my spirit as it wore off. Adderall put me to sleep. Adderall often caused me to be more abrasive with people which most peoplenty didn't notice because I am very relaxed and always opt to avoid confrontations but I noticed it. This would be after I woke up from the paradoxical effect of over stimulation.

Medication is the easiest fix for the doctors. They love to prescribe it to shut people up but the problems that come later as a result of medication aren't often that nice. Here doctors get paid per visit so they love having you on life long prescriptions because it means you come back to renew your prescription. Just consider all your options before you jump to medication. Medication is best used as a stepping stone in combination with psychotherapy or lifestyle changes depending on the disorder.

Understand life is beautiful and cherish it because sometimes shit gets real way too quickly.

Edited August 8, 2014 by doxneed2c-me

[indigo264nm]

OK so I'm pretty sure I have ADD, I have thought this for a few years now but it's starting to be a problem with work and home life. I find it really hard to finish a task before I loose interest and it instantly turns into a painful chore. I find it next to impossible to start a task I don't want to do and will go great lengths out of my way to avoid it.

Is there a definitive test for ADD? And is this the sort of thing medication is designed to adress?

I want to ask the doctor for medication but I don't want him thinking I'm a junkie looking for a fix.

This is a serious question and I'm not just trying to score.

Cheers

Firstly bring it up with your GP and just say you want a referral to a psychiatrist - don't stress about what the GP thinks, as there is plenty of red tape designed to make prescription difficult, and just get the referral. Also ask for a second referral to another psych whilst your there, will get to why below.

Secondly discuss it with the psych - he will probably have some questionnaires to fill out which will assess you to see if you have Adult ADHD.

Now assuming that first psych thinks you're a candidate, he'll need a second opinion. That's where the second referral comes into play.

After this process first psych will be authorised to prescribe S8 stims. He may trial ritalin first, in which case if it doesn't sit well after trialing you can whinge about side effects and then the doc will probably go to straight dex or Vyvanse.

[PhoenixSon]

Wow i didnt know they prescribed vyvanse in aus? probably have less side effects then dex, awesome.

[sundrop]

Hey Carl, seeing as you said you only had a banana for the first time in years recently, it makes me think that perhaps your diet is lacking.. What do you eat on an average day?

I've read a lot about treating adhd with diet, so many people are having success and realising that its the food their children are eating that is causing these 'disorders', and with a wholesome and often plant-based diet, symptoms disappear. I understand add and adhd are slightly different, but it makes sense that diet would affect your ability to complete tasks, as when your brain is lacking in certain nutrients and minerals, it is harder to function.

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Great post sun drop!

[IndianDreaming]

The activities you're not finishing and the things you're dreading doing could also be the problem... If you feel compelled to do something by someone else, and it goes against your grain, it's very difficult to maintain the motivation.

Check and see if you're doing what you want to be doing, and not what you think someone else wants you to be doing. I found this to be a massive part of my inability to maintain interest in certain topics. I kicked a few people out of my life and whallah - free flowing, happy and motivated.