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 🩷

Anybody else simply have to fix a problem and think up super creative ways to do so? - My work mixers sensor has gone funny so I was having to stand there and hold the lever and a particular point and not move while mixing ... until today 😂

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

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

I'm not saying it isn't helpful or that it's bad in any way. I know many people who found medication to be absolutely life-changing, and I'm sure many of you did too. But what I am saying is that I think sometimes we hype it up so much that we create unrealistic expectations.

Pretty much every time I look at this sub I see at least one of the following:

• someone who just took medication for the first time ever talking about how it just fixed their entire life
• that same person 2 weeks later saying their medication "isn't working anymore" because they no longer feel that way
• someone who just took medication for the first time ever talking about how it didn't fix their entire life and wondering if that means meds don't work for them or they were misdiagnosed
• someone considering starting medication asking if it's going to solve things that have nothing to do with ADHD
• someone asking how to get an ADHD diagnosis as quickly as possible so they can get medication as quickly as possible, which they see as the only way to address any of the difficulties they're having
• someone who doesn't respond well to medication worried that they've failed somehow and that there's no hope for them

The goal of medication is to remove some of the friction from your life and allow you more flexibility to choose where your attention is directed. It will not turn you into a different person. All the difficulties you experience will still be there. You will still have ADHD. If you don't have supportive people or environments in your life, medication will not create them. You will still need to learn and consciously choose to apply coping mechanisms. To use the popular "racecar with bicycle brakes" analogy, medication gives you the racecar brakes, but you still need to drive the car.

Many people experience euphoria when they take their first dose. It might not feel like euphoria (in my experience it feels more like sudden calm and clarity), but that's what it is. It's a very normal response to ADHD medication (especially stimulants - I mean, your brain is literally being flooded with dopamine), but that euphoria is not actually the goal of treatment, and it's not representative of what it feels like to be medicated long term, nor should it be.

Also, medication isn't necessarily the best option for everyone. Many people either don't respond well to it, are unable to take it, or even choose not to take it for various reasons, and that's okay. It's not the only option, and having it not work the way you expected it to doesn't mean your life is over.

Medication is a tool, and a very powerful one that has genuinely turned lives around. But it's not some magic pill that's going to solve every problem you've ever had, and I seriously don't think it's doing anyone any favours for us to talk about it like it is.

Sometimes I'm just so fed up with feeling different from everybody else.
Wether it's hobbies, opinions, lifestyle, time and time again I find myself being the outsider and it's just gets exhausting.

I'm tired of being the weirdo, having shown my freak flag for so many years to attract others only to be more and more alienated. And sometimes, just sometimes, I find someone on the same frequency, but it's not guaranteed to end in a longterm friendship.

This feeling is very fluctuating for me, but sometimes it hits me so hard as an adult to still be the outsider. I swear it must be some sort of trauma. I just naively hoped it would be easier as the years go by, but lately I find it's not...

Rant over.
Disclaimer: am pregnant and unmedicated, bear with me lol

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

This rage, it comes on so quickly and disappears so quickly. It’s so intense and I end up crying afterwards. Is it:
A. ADHD
B. Perimenopause
C. Both
But also, how can I handle it better? I may have slammed a door tonight.

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?

30 seconds after I popped them I grabbed the rainbow pill holder that holds my morning meds: (Venlafaxine and Vyvanse) and triple checked. The Wednesday slot was empty. IT'S TUESDAY!

I purposefully have a rainbow pill case (daytime) and a black case (night time) to prevent this very thing from happening.

I tried to expell them but the only thing that came up was water and a bit of dinner (tomato soup).

So I did what anyone in my shoes would have done: I doubled my nighttime dose of trazodone.

I have to be at work half an hour earlier than usual tomorrow, too.

WHYYYYYYY?!

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!! 🩵

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.

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.

No like genuinely and then there’s me. My mental health and habits are a night mare, I eat til I’m in pain everyday, I had so much feelings for a guy who likes and follows pretty/skinny girls on Instagram. I can make myself try to appear pretty but that anger and resentment is just there and i can’t do anything about it tbh. I just hate living inside my own body and my own head tbh. If I’m not getting high or vaping weed I, using food as a clutch. Also I barely even talk to anyone tbh… it’s like I’m just alone in everything and I hate it so much, I don’t even know what to do anymore.

I have a lot of work friends but few really good friends outside work. I have my husband and kids and family but no real “best friend”, just acquaintances. I struggle with feeling rejected so don’t put myself out there to meet people and only go out to do things if someone invites me first.

I also gave up alcohol years ago so the friends I would socialize with for after work or weekend drinks have dwindled away.

Are there places where more neurodivergent people go? I wish there was a meetup or group that meets in person that takes the rejection element away where you can go for coffee or do a hobby, etc. I’m in Canada and haven’t found anything.

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.

I’ll start.

Hi friends,

Just a cute lil rant because I’m seriously about to crash out. I am currently caught in what my therapist and I are dubbing “the perfect storm” of ADHD circumstances.

1. I’m a teacher and it’s the first week of school. I have 1000000000 things to do and I’m completely overwhelmed.

2. I’m in my luteal phase (iykyk) and my symptoms are significantly worse than normal this week.

3. I’ve been without my meds for several days and when I asked the pharmacy tech when my refill would be ready (ordered LAST WEEK), she replied “I don’t know.”

My brain doesn’t work, I have so much to do, and I can’t currently access one of the only things that actually helps me. Please send good vibes because ya girl is struggling. 🫠

im a teenage girl diagnosed with mdd and gad

ive been thinking i have adhd for a while now and ive discussed it with my dad, who did some research and contacted a family friend whos a doct abd has adhd, and they both agreed i had a lot of the symptoms ( and that my mom did too ).

ive been putting it off to call my psychiatrist to set up an appointment to test for it cause 1. i keep forgetting and 2. i have bad anxiety with calls, appointments etc

i finally called in a month ago and it was in the meeting notes that i wanted to ask, cause my psychiatrist reads the notes every appointment. (i filled out the form and asked there cause i was scared to actually ask during the appointment)
but this time she didnt bring it up at all and just went through the usual talks about my meds, so right at the end of the appointment i blurted the question out.

she seemed hesitant and asked me why i wanted testing, i explained my reasoning and how mosf if my issues were lack of concentration etc that aligned with adhd. she then asked if i had any family history, and i told her none diagnosed (i was trying to explain that im the first generation of my family to receive mental health treatment, the rest of my family grew up poor and in underdeveloped areas so there was no way to get diagnosed) and she started speaking before i could say anything else and i was too scared to speak up and accidentally cut her off.

she then told me that she would set up an appointment for me to get assessed and that they would call me in a few days. i thought this was weird cause when i set up the appointment the lady i talked to told me they would call me back the day of and have me fill out a form then.

fast forward a few weeks and i never got a call or an email, and so i called back to ask about it and they said that my psychiatrist never put me in for adhd screening, and that i would have to set up an appointment again to ask for screening again.

do i just take this as a sign that my psychiatrist doesn’t think i have adhd??

Sorry; just want to vent a bit. I'm not complaining about my life at all. In fact, I'm extremely blessed. I have a supportive husband and family, a great job that allows me to work 100% remotely, and I don't have kids. I don't really have any actual responsibilities. Yet I can't seem to do anything or get what little I need to do finished. I'm just such a spaz at work. I need to just calm down and slow down and stop acting immediately. Which is ironic, because it feels like I can't get anything done :D. But when I try to get things done, it turns out I'm acting too quickly. And I end up needing to go back on what I said or re-do what I did, because I didn't have all of the facts or I was given incorrect information to begin with and should have known to clarify first. I then feel like I'm failing everyone and I stay on late to try to make up for the work that I wasn't doing while I was trying to clean up the mess from all of the mistakes that I made. Then I don't get anything done at home and the mess piles up. So I stay up late to clean and get at least the bare minimum done before I go to bed way too late. Then I get up late because I hit snooze on my alarm and the whole cycle begins again.

I know that I shouldn't be having these issues when I don't even have the added responsibility of children or of taking care of other family members or even just the financial difficulty that so many others have. I don't really *do* anything or have real responsibilities or difficulties in life, and so I shouldn't be having these problems. And I have been doing a bit better; today was just a bad day with some setbacks. I'm sure if I stop moping about it that I'll do better tomorrow. Just wanted to complain to the internet in general. Thank you :).