It's like they know nothing about ADHD. Why assume everyone wakes up before 7am? It's also AI slop 🙄

I just had an appointment with a nurse practitioner that supposedly specializes in ADHD amongst other things. She isn't my normal practitioner, but I was due for an on-site appointment and she is closer.

She's asking me all the regular questions about how my Vyvanse is working for me, and eventually asked about my work. I don't work. She asked me "so what do you need to focus on?"

This was my first time meeting her, so I don't know if it was a genuine question or if she was asking me why do I take Vyvanse if I don't work (implying that I don't need it). My first impression was that it was the latter.

Ma'am, even medicated, it is a struggle every day to focus on what I intend to focus on. Or initiate any task. For example, I took my shower at the last second before leaving for the appointment.

I think I struggle more now than I did when I worked because now, there's no set schedule or outside pressure to get the thing done.

Idk. Maybe I don't need the meds to stay at home and I could just see what happens. But I'm scared of what that would look like. I already have so much shame around not "doing enough".

That's it, just needed to put it somewhere. Thanks 🩷

And I definitely "burnt" my feel on hot kernels trying to turn it off. Popcorn everywhere in the kitchen

I just feel like a failure a feeling I don’t know rejection sensitive dysphoria maybe about it? It’s been so long since the accident happened. It’s happened on May 3. I still can’t seem to move on because the story just doesn’t make any sense because he should’ve seen her and been able to break. She made a mistake too because she should not have gone but the amount of time we went out to the intersection and he should’ve been able to break. It was a big truck the guy had a cdl. I think my sister was through the intersection almost and he looked up saw her and swerved into her it seems. She should’ve not gone but it also seems like he could have saved her life by even trying to stop so I don’t think he saw her.

I’ve been obsessing over the like reality of it and trying to understand the laws around the situation and my mom thinks I’m crazy I think. I did use the robot to help with some math which I know is questionable but still I’m really bad at math lol. I checked it tho and went to any sources it pulled to be sure it really applied. It just seemed like it would be pretty clear that we’d have a case and that my sister wasn’t the only one at fault. I printed documents and highlighted things from the law and drivers manuals and I talked with a lawyer today and went to the intersection, but he didn’t really seem like he knew what he was doing. I feel like he didn’t understand what I was saying and seemed to think those laws didn’t matter over her stop sign. He’s technically the second lawyer I’ve talked to so that makes me feel even more crazy. My mom thinks I’m rationalizing everything cause of grief. The truck was penalized for hauling too much during her accident it seems from the court database but he seemed to think it didn’t matter.

and I went to go to work today and then but the thing is he had called me and wanted to go to the intersection and I stupidly agreed and then it was right before I had to go to work and then I ended up crying and telling them that I couldn’t go. I haven’t been back to work since this whole thing. My mom said she’s just frustrated and worried about me.

I just wish that I had somebody else to fall back on, but my dad who agrees with me that the driver should have some fault is in Mexico on a vacation and so I’m all alone. It’s hard to stay strong when I’m all alone. I feel really lost and I’m broke too. I need to go back to work because the disability payment didn’t go through really and so I have no money but I just couldn’t do it. I wish I could be a better daughter and worker and person. I feel guilty like my lack of self control and hyperfixation and everything was all just me rationalizing my grief or something. I feel so alone

I'm not sure what the disconnect is between me leaving the house looking polished and put together, to seeing a photo of myself out and about or in a bathroom mirror, with mascara and eyeliner smudged, the hairs falling out of my ponytail, and/or my clothes looking really sloppy. I've just gone back to wearing no makeup and a wash-and-wear hairstyle most days, but when I do make an effort it seems futile because of this!

Does anyone know any solutions to this other than incessant self-consciousness?

Let me start.

- I was labeled as rude at my elementary school. I was notorious as the most obnoxiously chatty girl. If my teacher told me something, I would talk back 10x as long (she said that to my mom).

- I was labeled as lazy. I would come home from school, have lunch (in bed), and fall asleep while still wearing school uniform. I sleep with with the dishes in bed. I hated to shower; I always felt like it was such a big task.

- My friends in high school thought I was lazy, too. I would spend my entire day reading novels, never taking notes or paying attention to my teacher. I would copy my friends' homework, and photocopy their notes to study for tests, of which I never studied until the night before. Despite that, I still scored high in all my tests.

- I lost so many things, including glasses, a cellphone, and many others, that my dad labeled me as irresponsible until this day.

- I was SO terrified of rejection. I would over analyse every interaction, over thinking every statement, replay awkward moments over and over again thinking why tf did I do/said that.

- Clutters. I was labeled a messy child because all my knick knacks and stuff were strewn across the desk and floor in my bedroom.

- I always went to bed at 12AM the earliest, most days I stayed awake until 1-2AM. This was in elementary school. I went through so much grief from my family telling me off to go to bed earlier. I just wasn't able to.

These are just a few amongst many others. Thinking back I wished I could've given the younger me a hug, telling her that she's not a terrible or abnormal human being. For the longest time I hated myself so much for being lazy/emotional/sensitive, because that's what everyone told me. Obviously because I didn't run around and scream all the time, there's no way I had ADHD; I was just a bratty, disobedient child /s.

Me, to myself, after having given up on reading books but discovering the power of audio books and listening to The Lotus Empire (kickass book, highly recommended the series) while sweeping :

“huh? What is she saying”

rewinds again

“I need subtitles”

…..

“That would be called reading a book dumbass”

How many of us don't get enough daily fiber (or completely forget to eat) 🙋

How many of us are using water drink packets to increase our daily water consumption 🙋

Well, if you're like me, and likely millions of other people, you may fall into this category. It became extra apparent to me how lacking I was in getting enough fiber when I started taking wegovy (IYKKY), so I decided that since I was eating even less than I normally do thanks to my ADHD and forgetting to eat sometimes, I'd need to get it some other way, so I bought metamucil: a flavorless psyllium husk fiber supplement you can dissolve in your drinks. I started off with my flavored water. I have a giant 42oz cup I use to drink water, with the goal of drinking the whole thing while at work. So, I tried the metamucil with it, and I don't taste anything! I'm already adding packets of powder and stirring, so why not just add two more scoops anyway? (Disclaimer: the metamucil is a bit sticky and tougher to dissolve, but it only takes a few extra seconds). I also drink a cup of chai in the morning, and same thing, there's no flavor or anything noticable. And just like that you can drink some of your fiber.

I am aware of the importance of getting both soluble and insoluble fiber, and I do try to still get it from my food as much as I can (shout out to beans, carb balance tortillas, and raspberries), but this can at least help meet the gap. Also, complete side note, I would also like to say that you should be careful when using water packets. Many of them have electrolytes and vitamins added in, and drinking a lot of these can be harmful. I recommend trying to find drink flavor packets that are just the flavorings with no extra additives, and limiting the other ones to maybe once a day.

Also, feel free to share your favorite fiber-tastic easy meal or snack! I really like edamame 🫛 you can get steamables, toss them in the microwave, and viola, hot delicious mean snack with no prep. A great low effort snack for when you're burnt out or are having a low functioning type of day.

I am really afraid I will be attacked for saying this, but I truly believe knowing this is important. I'm going to try to be as concise as possible and state facts that I know.

When marijuana and stimulant medications, specifically adderrall and possibly others, are combined, your risk of experiencing an episode of psychosis increases.

When my psych told me this, I didn't believe it could possibly happen to me and continued to hide marijuana use. Well, it happened and I was hospitalized for 14 days. It took several years to fully heal.

Additionally, marijuana affects how your brain works. It causes a type of psychoactivation.

Medication prescribed for any mental conditions also work by affecting your brain in one capacity or another.

If you do not disclose marijuana use, a medical professional may not be able to accurately treat presenting symptoms, because they cannot account for the additional substance that is changing how your brain functions.

Also, marijuana is a depressant. Adderall and many other medications used to manage ADHD are stimulants. I'm not going to elaborate on that.

I just wanted to let you guys know. Your choice to take it or leave it.

Wishing you all the best.

just as the title says!! i was diagnosed about a year ago and am just kind of coming to terms that my adhd is forever and i have to learn to live with it and not despite it, so im wondering what’s the best thing you guys have done for your adhd to make your lives a little bit easier :-) whether that be a mindset, habit, impulse purchase, anything— all very appreciated!! 🩵

I feel like the meds ended up making me aware of how evil the world is. I feel like before that, I was just living in a dissociative state 24/7. Being on the meds helped me to realize that I was being bullied by my friends and coworkers. It’s also helped me to realize other parts of my childhood. I just feel like everything is so pointless now. Like what’s the point? Everyone is just so mean and cruel for no reason, and I was made to feel like the problem this whole time.

I’ll start.

I have no motivation. I turn in a long essay and not even 5 minutes later, I’ve received feedback that can’t even spell my name right. I spend hours writing about something just for them to run it through ai and not even check what the ai says??

My feedback on an essay said “needing human rights doesn’t make sense”. We’re not being serious are we? My English teacher is going to make it impossible for me to keep my 4.0. I don’t believe in gen AI at all but it’s super hypocritical to ban students from using it when you won’t even read an essay without it 🫩

Should I report this? It took me three weeks to get enough motivation to finish an essay because I knew no matter what I did, it would be a low grade. I follow the feedback and still get a bad score.

I got diagnosed with ADHD last year at 30.

Told my parents I have adhd. Apparently they took me to get tested when I was maybe 5-7 year old. I was never medicated because I seemed fine at school and was able to focus watching tv. And did not look the same compared to my male cousins who were diagnosed.

They thought I could outgrew it as in Asia the name of adhd contains the word “kid”.

I think in high school they learnt that you don’t outgrew adhd as one of their friends kid got late diagnosis. But they still never told me.

I still grieve what I’ve missed when I was so close to getting the help I needed.

I’m still not medicated as we are ttc.

This is how much hair I lose in almost every brush. I feel like I’m going to be bald soon!!!! I don’t have a lot of hair to begin with.

To summarize: I went down a rabbit hole on this sub to find out why my hair was falling out and it seemed like a lot of people have had this same problem. I lost quite a bit of weight since I started meds so I linked my hair loss to lack of nutrients etc becuase I am eating less (as many people have mentioned). My blood work came back perfect and now I’m feeling hopeless. I really don’t want to have to drop medication because it’s changed my life for the better and has actually given me a will to live lol.

Currently I’m trying a bunch of hair oils a few times a week to try and stimulate hair growth and I do have some baby hair coming in. But it just seems like the shedding will always outweigh the hair growth.

Has anyone experienced this same thing and have a different method to help stop hair shedding? Or something I can ask my doctor about during our follow up?

Thank you!

Diagnosed last week at age 33, after about a 2 years of seriously looking into it (purely because I just couldn’t get myself to take the necessary steps)

My usual routine on my day off:
- Make a list of things I want/need to get done
- Pick one to start with
- Do that one thing in increments throughout the day, taking random breaks and separating it into steps
- Spend the rest of the day on the couch

Yesterday I took my first half tablet of Ritalin in the morning. And this is the difference I saw:
- Made a list of things I wanted/needed to get done
- Completed the first thing on the list from start to finish
- Completed the next thing on the list from start to finish
- Completed the entire list
- Felt like doing more things so I did

I couldn’t believe it. Is this how people who don’t need Ritalin operate each day? I felt like a SUPER HUMAN. I AM UNSTOPPABLE. I EVEN PUT THINGS DOWN AND THEN REMEMBERED WHERE I HAD PUT THEM WHEN I NEEDED THEM.

So yeah, feelin’ good gals. I’m feelin’ good.

How do you know when you can’t keep a normal job anymore? I’m not doing well in a new job that is an ADHD person’s worst nightmare. I took it out of desperation in a deteriorating environment for my profession. I’m also 61F, so also have a post-menopausal brain. All I want to do is sell my house, drastically downsize, move to a cheap, rural setting and retire, even though I’d have to radically downsize my already modest life. I love the idea for many reasons, but I can’t help but feel like a failure. A loser. And I’ve had a great career.

I’m just tired of faking it all the time and I think it shows. Am I nuts, or is the strong and sudden desire to stop working earlier than planned common in folks like us? Do we run out of gas sooner than others? Suddenly, I’m done.

I realized just today that having coffee early in the morning is sending me straight back to bed for a couple of hours, regardless of how long/well I slept. I read that it's because of the interplay of caffeine and the sleep/wake hormones (adenosine/cortisol) that are already trying to do their jobs when you wake up.

I'm hoping that I can just move coffee an hour later? Has anyone had this issue? Is there a solution that doesn't involve cutting coffee altogether? My husband and I are coffee lovers. We roast our own, and we really enjoy the morning ritual.

This might not make sense but I hate making friends and frankly I don’t want them. I don’t wanna be around other people who I have to commit to. Making new friends means you need to put in the effort to speak with them. You need to have things to say, sometimes it gets awkward cause you both don’t know what to say. I just don’t like having friends in general. I don’t like the pressure of needing to spend time with them. When you don’t your relationship losses value. Sometimes I just feel so performative. I don’t even bother to say what I actually want to anymore I just do. I’m just there, like I’m just living.

Sometimes I go to bed knowing I have to go to my college class but then I’ll wake up the next day and not get out of bed. Sometimes I’ll stay up till 4am just to have more alone time before the next day comes. I don’t mean to sound insensitive but I wish quarantine would come back so I could just stay in my room all day and enjoy media indulging my whole being into a game or a show. I could stay up all night or go to bed on time but it didn’t matter because I have no obligations. The next is nothing. So Is the day after that. I miss when nothing mattered and I didn’t need to matter. ( Wait that was kinda a bar.)

Also a moment of silence for all the people who have gotten called lazy by their parents most of their life. Maybe I am just lazy. Honestly I don’t care.

I saw the psychiatrist today for the first time this morning. Ive waited years... like 6+ years.

He was sweet, gentle, softly spoken and KIND. After some questions he said 'well, ive known you for 45minutes and i can say with 100% certainty that you have ADHD. It's causing all these problems and burnout is to blame. Let's get you on meds if that is something you want to consider'.

Holyshitballs!!!! He validated EVERYTHING i explained and experience.

I have NEVER not been gaslit or dismissed. It's a whole new world of emotion and feeling seen and heard and UNDERSTOOD.

Fuck me though it is a lot. Im 45 and life has been on EXTRA HARD MODE. No wonder im exhausted.

I feel like i've been ran over or something. Hit by an articulated lorry carrying grief and relief in equal quantities. Wow wow wow.

I've been with my husband for 26 years. Today, he was at the dentist and called me to ask what my Date of Birth is, so the insurance would work.

I get being forgetful, but seriously?

I'm 18, the prospect of me having ADHD was only brought up recently by a career advisor, but I've known I've had it since i was 13. I was evaluated but i honestly think that was BS, the person evaluating me straight up said ADHD is only really a thing little boys can have, and i had to complete geometric patterns. Feels like bologna.

I don't have an official diagnosis yet, I was going to get evaluated in September before my final exams, but my appointment got moved to next year due to a family crisis. The appointment was with someone in a different province than us and i would've gone while visiting family.

I'm very frustrated, the main reason I want a diagnosis is to get on medication. I don't think I'm "applying myself" and i think i could do so much better academically if I was medicated. I asked my mom if we could arrange an appointment in my hometown while we're there, but she thinks that I've managed without medication long enough that i dont need it. I feel like I have so much potential, but I have a lot of trouble paying attention in class and executive functioning problems that make studying torture.

My end of year exams are in October and I just feel like I'm not going to do as well as I could and it makes me sad. I am incapable of "locking in" 😒