I was newly diagnosed with ADHD last week. This coming week I'll be seeing my physician to discuss and possible start a regimine on medication and am kind of hesitant to start medication, especially medication that directly affects my brain.

There are parts of myself that I now see are based around my ADHD (impulsive nature, often random thoughts that go in many different directions at once) that, although might seem bothersome to others, are very much apart of WHO I am. I'm fearful that once I start taking medication, the person that I am now will essentially no longer exist, which honestly is freightening. I know that these thought are unfound, but they are in my mind.

If you had initial fears, how did you overcome them? What happened after you started taking medication?

I was very hestitant to take medication. Its a long story but I finally saw that i needed help and decided to give it a try. I am glad I did but I reminded myself that I could try them and if it didn't work I was under no obligation to continue. The medication does not stay in your system for long periods of time. You have control over the decisions and the situation.

I found the medication to be helpful and still do now 6 months later as I am ecoming more aware of behaviors and thought processes that I don't think I would of understoodunless I experienced for myself. When it was suspected i had ADD my therapist who dx'd me told me symtoms etc. It seems so funny to me now but even though my symptoms are strikingly noticeable to me now I didn't think they applied to me at all. I had hardly any self awareness in how my mind operated. The medication (I am on adderall) made it possible for me to see how different things can be. I told my h once I took the adderall its like things just started to line up in my head. I have a terrible time with sequencing and prioritizing but before meds I thought I was perfectly fine. I had only ever know disorganization inside my brain so I really never knew anything different.

I don't know how long I'll stay on meds but for now it is getting me pointed in the right direction and allowing me to see what needs to be changed or how to develop ways of coping.

My only advise is to go slow with increasing the doses. Most doctors start you off on a low dose and gradually increase the amount until they find the right dosage. I know most people fight the temptation to up their dose because if a little is good more would be better but a little is often what is needed.

good luck!

I was in pretty rough shape when I got to the doctor and I knew it. I was glad to have any medicaiton that would help.

From there I got a diagnosis, and began learning about ADD.

I'm a naturally curious person, so I was sort of entertained when I first learned I was having symptoms of ADD. After a while the newness wore off, and I slowly began to realize that it was something that had been a part of me all my life. I also began to realize that it was not going to go away and that I was basically stuck with it for life .

At that point I became depressed for a while and eventually recovered then began working my issues to try to mitigate all the bad things the best I could. This required some research into what ADD was, how it worked, and learning a bit of neurobiology. I became better informed and started working with my doctor. This led to discovering that my condition was at least partly due to organic causes. A quick side trip and some new medications appropriate to the new information have helped to reduce my symptoms significantly.

I also began forming a support network made of "normal" friends, and healthy friends with ADD/ADHD/bipolar. I learned to accept myself as I am, and to start learning how to manage my condition. This involved a few more mediacal tests and some adjustments ot my medication. It also required that I adjust my behavior appropriately to my environment.

There were a few upsets along the way, but Ive begun to evolve a strategy that is starting to work for me, and I'm beginning to see some hope for me to live my life without feeling miserable and overwhelmed all the time.

The things that seem to be helping the most have been medication, prayer and knowledge. Good friends are important. Especially friends who are healthy. I've found that tapping the knowledge and experience of healthy friends with ADD/ADHD/Bipolar to be extremely useful, and I have been "rescued" more than once by these fine people.

If you had initial fears, how did you overcome them? What happened after you started taking medication?
Welcome to the forums. This site is a great way to learn about AD/HD, yourself and others. I know for some the initial diagnosis was very difficult to accept. The "I'm not good enough" just gets re-enforced even more. You probably have a ton of thoughts running through your mind and this is normal (hey, that's a characteristic of AD/HD:D ).

This is a huge turnning point in your life. Learn everything you can about AD/HD and use these characteristics to your advantage. Some of the most successful people are or have been AD/HD.

As far as the medications, they should not effect your personality. They will help you focus and stop the racing thoughts in your brain. It's up to you to do the rest. If you feel you are depressed, you might want to consider an anti-depressant. I was on Lexapro for 1 year and just got the OK from my doctor to stop. I am only on Adderall XR now.

Trust your doctor, but trust your body more. Keep in touch with how you feel when you are taking the medication and also when you increase dosages. If you are prescribed Strattera, ask to start with a low dose (10mg) for a couple weeks then increase the dosage slowly. This will allow you body to adjust to the medication. A lot of people are prescribed 40mg as a starting dose and have terrible side-effects. They end up stopping the medication. It will take 2 to 3 months to get up to the recommended dosage.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

[/QUOTE] [/QUOTE=nkidu]I was newly diagnosed with ADHD last week. This coming week I'll be seeing my physician to discuss and possible start a regimine on medication and am kind of hesitant to start medication, especially medication that directly affects my brain. I also am new at this too nkidu. I was just test last week and waiting for the result. My dr. want to get all the history he can. I will find out on the 24th of May Yikes. As for your concern, bring the thought and question to your doctor. As we all know ADHD people at least me forget things, so write or type them out on the computer.This way you will have them in front of you and wont forget .
About the medication, I know how you feel when you are taking medication that effects the brain...it is scarey right . Well, I am also epileptic and take meds so I wont have seizures and I have taken medications since I was 9 months old. I can tell you the medication has not changed my personality, it has only helped me to be able to function better without having the seizures throughout the day. ( that would make me feel worse and more selfconscious around people and the public.) I still dont know my diagnose but I know howo it feels to take medication when you dont want to. Like tim said when you start the medication start slow on a low dose this will give you more of a success rate and you will be able to tolerate the side effect much better.


There are parts of myself that I now see are based around my ADHD (impulsive nature, often random thoughts that go in many different directions at once) that, although might seem bothersome to others, are very much apart of WHO I am. I'm fearful that once I start taking medication, the person that I am now will essentially no longer exist, which honestly is freightening. I know that these thought are unfound, but they are in my mind.
If you had initial fears, how did you overcome them? What happened after you started taking medication?


I am also very impulsive and I hope that i can be helped through meds and therapy. once you start the meds and they kick ;In my opinion thereapy is a helpful tool also. when you have both going for you it seems there is more of a success rate. Good luck let me know and I will keep you informed how it goes on the 24th with me. :eyebrow: :eek: