shrewdfool
02-10-05, 07:35 PM
t off, I want to thank anyone who is reading this and hopefully I can get as many opinions, pieces of advice, or helpful insight as possible from you all. I think this board is great, and is much, much needed. I've found it to be of great help already, honestly. I hope you read this all the way through, because I need some help or advice from people who've been there before.
I was just recently diagnosed with ADD, maybe a month ago. I dont think I ever had it as a child, or at least, never exhibited symptoms from it. In high school, probably not much, other than general inability to concentrate of textbooks or things of that sort. Probably not very apparent if I was disorganized, because for one, I didnt have that much to do, other than homework, and two: my parents would probably yell at me to clean stuff up and fix up my room. But I've always excelled in school with no problems. Top of my class. In college, it kinda all went downhill. My dorm room was in shambles, I had a lot of trouble reading and finishing textbooks and projects. I put in lots of work to achieve I guess would be above average output, but certainly not high-caliber work. Anyway, I always joked around that I had ADD, and even though I had the classic symptons, I was very apprehensive to go to a doctor, let alone admit something like this is possible.
(sorry, there's a question soon!)
Anyway, I'm 27 now, and I guess I've seen a steady decline. I lose a lot more things, run a lot later, my desk at work and my apartment is a complete disaster, forget a lot of things, etc. You all get the picture. I finally go and was diagnosed. She prescribed Adderall XR for me. I kinda read about the meds, and it seemed like Adderall had the least side effects, so I was at least willing to try it. (this is coming from a person who doesn't smoke, drink, even take aspirin unless it's necessary). So I was given the basic instructions to start low at 10mg (breaking up a pill of 20) and do it for a few days and move to 20 for a few, and then escalate upwards...at least until i felt i was too jittery and i would know then that the amount I should be taking is just below that. So I take 10mg for a little, the first few days, I was zoned out, as if I was dazed. There were a few days I forgot it, and then I moved to 20mg by my next appt to see the Dr. It still felt weird, but I wasnt' sure if it was working or not working or what. She tells me that no one ever told her they feel zoned out from it and that it should be easily apparent if it's working or not. People say it should be eye opening, like an epiphany and a monkey has been taken off of them. Well I certainly didnt feel that. She advised I move up the dosage like she had told me before...25mg, 30, 40, 50g, and 60g. Stop if I feel jittery or hyper.
So I do that. So it's been about a month on this. I've taken each increment for about 3 days, and I am already up to 50mg, and honestly I dont feel any different, well not remarkably different anyway. I can't say it's eye opening and that I have great concentration now. So here are my questions or I guess concerns:
1) is this even possible? I mean I understood that say I had nothing wrong with me to begin with, if i take even 5mg of this stuff, I'd go bonkers..like on a cocaine high or something. I'm already up to 50. How high am I supposed to go? I'm kinda of worried about going too high, but I still don't feel significant effects.
2) Can Adderall not work on people? Even at this high a dosage? I mean my dopamines must be severely screwed up for this to happen.
3) Is this a function of how bad I have ADD? I'm starting to wonder to myself how F-ed up am I? if it takes like 70mgs to help, how bad did I have it before?
4) Should I ask to try something else? If so, what? what would work in my situation? Especially in light of today's Adderall XR news in Canada, perhaps it's a good time.
5) Could I just not even HAVE ADD at all? as in "good" is already what I had always seen?
6) anyone had this problem? I look at the poll about what everyone's dosage was and it was most low, the big cluster being in the 20mg range. So I don't know. Should I worry? Any advice?
Thanks for all your help. This is my first time here, but all you guys have help me a lot by posting so I can read and learn more. I'm gonna post this to the other threads, because I dont know where it's really supposed to go, but I need some advise soon.
Thanks again. -Len
I was just recently diagnosed with ADD, maybe a month ago. I dont think I ever had it as a child, or at least, never exhibited symptoms from it. In high school, probably not much, other than general inability to concentrate of textbooks or things of that sort. Probably not very apparent if I was disorganized, because for one, I didnt have that much to do, other than homework, and two: my parents would probably yell at me to clean stuff up and fix up my room. But I've always excelled in school with no problems. Top of my class. In college, it kinda all went downhill. My dorm room was in shambles, I had a lot of trouble reading and finishing textbooks and projects. I put in lots of work to achieve I guess would be above average output, but certainly not high-caliber work. Anyway, I always joked around that I had ADD, and even though I had the classic symptons, I was very apprehensive to go to a doctor, let alone admit something like this is possible.
(sorry, there's a question soon!)
Anyway, I'm 27 now, and I guess I've seen a steady decline. I lose a lot more things, run a lot later, my desk at work and my apartment is a complete disaster, forget a lot of things, etc. You all get the picture. I finally go and was diagnosed. She prescribed Adderall XR for me. I kinda read about the meds, and it seemed like Adderall had the least side effects, so I was at least willing to try it. (this is coming from a person who doesn't smoke, drink, even take aspirin unless it's necessary). So I was given the basic instructions to start low at 10mg (breaking up a pill of 20) and do it for a few days and move to 20 for a few, and then escalate upwards...at least until i felt i was too jittery and i would know then that the amount I should be taking is just below that. So I take 10mg for a little, the first few days, I was zoned out, as if I was dazed. There were a few days I forgot it, and then I moved to 20mg by my next appt to see the Dr. It still felt weird, but I wasnt' sure if it was working or not working or what. She tells me that no one ever told her they feel zoned out from it and that it should be easily apparent if it's working or not. People say it should be eye opening, like an epiphany and a monkey has been taken off of them. Well I certainly didnt feel that. She advised I move up the dosage like she had told me before...25mg, 30, 40, 50g, and 60g. Stop if I feel jittery or hyper.
So I do that. So it's been about a month on this. I've taken each increment for about 3 days, and I am already up to 50mg, and honestly I dont feel any different, well not remarkably different anyway. I can't say it's eye opening and that I have great concentration now. So here are my questions or I guess concerns:
1) is this even possible? I mean I understood that say I had nothing wrong with me to begin with, if i take even 5mg of this stuff, I'd go bonkers..like on a cocaine high or something. I'm already up to 50. How high am I supposed to go? I'm kinda of worried about going too high, but I still don't feel significant effects.
2) Can Adderall not work on people? Even at this high a dosage? I mean my dopamines must be severely screwed up for this to happen.
3) Is this a function of how bad I have ADD? I'm starting to wonder to myself how F-ed up am I? if it takes like 70mgs to help, how bad did I have it before?
4) Should I ask to try something else? If so, what? what would work in my situation? Especially in light of today's Adderall XR news in Canada, perhaps it's a good time.
5) Could I just not even HAVE ADD at all? as in "good" is already what I had always seen?
6) anyone had this problem? I look at the poll about what everyone's dosage was and it was most low, the big cluster being in the 20mg range. So I don't know. Should I worry? Any advice?
Thanks for all your help. This is my first time here, but all you guys have help me a lot by posting so I can read and learn more. I'm gonna post this to the other threads, because I dont know where it's really supposed to go, but I need some advise soon.
Thanks again. -Len