I wanted to ask if adult individuals, actually percieve a benefit from ADD meds. I'm an inattentive type and have be using natural supplements which seem to help alot, however...I really really really want to stop smoking.

Which is a catch 22, in that if I stop smoking...which I can successfully do, excepting each time I've quit smoking...I either get fired or demoted to the point of almost being fired at work.

So I'm hoping some of you might be able to share with me, if you think the meds do help...are they worth the side effects? Which areas of life do they help most?

I cant imagine struggling without any meds. I also take fish oil and eat well, but our brains are missing the "firing mechanism" that others have. I think of it this way, a diabetic takes insulin but ALSO has to watch sugar intake and weight, ect. No one would expect a diabetic to struggle without insulin (type 1 obviously) I cant think of a reason not to at least try meds. They are safe with proper care, safer than most of the meds and even the food additives we injest daily. as far as side effects, everyones different, I had tons on Strattera and none on Adderral. The meds seem to help me relative to the degree each ADD symptom bothers me. I get the least relief from noise distractions, cause this is my most severe manifistation, and the most relief from impulse control, my least bothersome one. You can always try them, and continue natural supplements, if you dont like them, just stop!

I find medication helps me a great deal, and with very few side effects. Improvements in focus and impulse control primarily. They help me with procrastination as well.
I don't know if stimulants will help you quit smoking or not - perhaps they will help. Wellbutrin (zyban) is a simulating anti-depressant that is used for smokeing cessation with a great deal of success. A lot of people take it for ADHD as well - you might ask your doctor about that drug too.

I'll be honest when I say this, I read about people who were able to focus and study for hours on end. They were able to do homework for hours on end without any interruptions. I was not like this at all. It maybe helped me focus or stayed focus just a little bit more than normal. I don't think medication works that well for me but I take it in hopes that it does affect me positively.

I wanted to ask if adult individuals, actually percieve a benefit from ADD meds. I'm an inattentive type and have be using natural supplements which seem to help alot, however...I really really really want to stop smoking.

Which is a catch 22, in that if I stop smoking...which I can successfully do, excepting each time I've quit smoking...I either get fired or demoted to the point of almost being fired at work.

So I'm hoping some of you might be able to share with me, if you think the meds do help...are they worth the side effects? Which areas of life do they help most?
I can only give you one advice , starts not to stress about smoking. You will never never stop until you are really ready too. It,s like that stoping anything, booze, drugs , weight loss ect. there are no miracle pills anywhere, for anything. When you are truely ready you will stop.. hve some faith in yourself.

Digitl who just ate cereal ...:D

Slippy,

Welbutrin. Get some from doc. Tell him you want to quit smoking. It takes away the urge.

Slippy,
Medication is essential for me to function in day to day life. In now way does it cure my ADHD; it simply gives me the ability to function well enough to deal with things.
I think the analogy to insulin is an excellent one.

I've read dozens of posts here by people who found that after starting medications they lost the desire to abuse street drugs, so I don't see why that couldn't apply with tobacco too, although nicotine is about the most addictive drug there is. I've met two different junkies who hadn't picked up a needle in years and said that quitting smoking was harder than kicking heroin.

Am I correct to assume that the problems with work after quitting smoking were due to behavior changes and/or withdrawl symptoms? Too much stress, and you couldn't funtion properly?
I do think that that is something meds could help with. (With the usual disclaimers blah, blah, blah consult your physician....)

ssmoking makes my symptoms worse. a lot worse. but at least everything is fine momentarily until the next **** happens and then you gotta smoke more

Slippy,

In a way you are already taking medication and coping with "side effects". Many ADDers abuse or use "recreational pharmecueticals" to self medicate. This isn't necessarily a concious attempt at therapy, but just noticing over time they focus better or remember better with a smoke, a cup of coffee, or some less socially acceptable chemical intervention.

Not everyone with ADD does well on the available medications, but much of this is due to dosage levels and or not having tried all available avenues of chemical intervention. Physicians (IE GP's) often do what's called treating to "first positive response". Which basically means giving people medication and upping the dose until they get a positive result and then stopping. This can be bad because often times individuals get no where near the benefit from the meds they could if the doctor "tuned" the dosage.

To find out if medication will work for you, you may have to be patient. Several different medication trials may be necessary to find the one that works best for you. Not everyone with ADD wants or needs meds to achieve effective treatment. It is also important to note, that regardless of how effective the medication is, that the pills don't give us skill sets we've been unable to learn with the ADD. Once the symptoms are treated we need to actively pursue behavioral and general life style modification to get the most out of the treatment. This too requires patience.

In the long run, it can be quite a rewarding road. It's definitely worth the effort at patience and being satisfied with baby steps. It just may not feel like it for a while. It is quite important to involve unbiased opinions from those around you who observe you on medication (loved ones, friends, aquaintances, etc.) because we often aren't even all that aware, even when the meds do make a significant difference. It is also however very important to avoid negative influences. Don't ask people who are consistently down on you about what they think of your general performance, as they probably won't be dwelling on improvements. Your best bet is to remove as many negative people and things as possible from your life. A good support network and treating yourself well (exercise, diet, proper rest, and investing in yourself with classes you like, pursuing any other interests, etc...) is far more important than even meds. Ultimately you will want to find a niche in life that is a good fit for you, rather than trying to fit into an existing bad fit. However, coping skills can give you the ability to survive well until you find that niche.

I hope this was helpful to you.

Still looking for the answer on the med issue, myself.

Didn't know it, but I self-medicated for years with decongestants, which are uppers. I get a laugh when I go to the drugstore and they have the 30mg pseudophedrine capsules (sudafeds) locked behind the counter to prevent abuse, but the Loratadine D products are out on the shelves. Most Loratadine Ds contain 240 mgs of pseudophedrine, or the equivalent of 8 sudafed capsules.