Do the symptoms of add get worse as we get older? It seems I have become more and more distracted easily over the past year.More forgetful. I also noticed that my life attitude has become more negative. I used to be a positive person but today it feels as though the glass is half empty. I don't have insurance so I can't see a doctor for meds yet.In july I can.

Does anyone experience a feeling of feeling down after a minor incident or argument. are these add related or am i having other issues?
I just don't remember feeling negative like this before.

It did for me. I had mild symptoms all my life. I damaged my hearing and developed severe tinnitus with hyperacousus. the neurological insult stressed me enough that I developed significant hypersensitivities and strong ADD-like symptoms.

I literally went from "average guy" to "train wreck" in just a few months.

Me :D

Well, speaking from the standpoint of being raised by a mother with ADD, I think the answer can be yes. She did seem to worsen as she got older and especially under times of stress. I know my ADD, while mild, has worsened under stress and with age.

Yes, I feel that sense of being down after a mild argument and I'm not sure if it's related to ADD or not. Maybe it's rooted in the rumination of the thoughts concerning the argument?

I don't think that ADD gets worse. It hasn't for me.
I think the stress of having to deal with ADD compounds and amplifies issues so it seems like you are getting worse. When I'm really stressed out it's like I stopped taking my meds and grew another 1/2 of a personality.
When the stress goes back to "normal" I'm my usual self again.

So, if there is something you can do to relieve your stress over having ADD....like take a lot of 3 day vacations from daily life....or something like that....you will find that things will calm down quite a bit.

I think it gets worse with age, but also with age comes being an adult and having more to put on our already overwhelmed shoulders. For a more "normal" person it's not so bad but for us it's very difficult to handle sometimes and the pressures get stressful...

It will be so nice to one day have meds to I think....yeah...soon I hope. But for now my ADD has very much gone from okay to worse in the past few months...

I believe it gets better. Not like my symptoms are all gone but they are not so severe anymore.

I'm hoping that when I retire it will get better. Somtimes I think the times we live contribute a great deal to ADD/ADHD. We are not built to withstand constant stress, noise, being on-the-go-go-go and time shortages due to today's culture. Not to mention financial stress, which by itself can cause ill health.
Plus, as we get older there are things that just don't bother us like when we're young, like if we have a tan, how our hair looks, what kind of car we drive, and if we have the latest electronic gadget. Popularity just doesn't matter anymore, we acquire some measure of wisdom, and hopefully things will mellow out in life. But I guess we'll all have to wait until we get there.

For me, it's been compensation my whole life. As I've gotten older I've gotten better at compensating and knowing where my strengths and weaknesses are. It's kind of like becoming familiar with a road full of potholes and after a while you know where they are and you learn to drive around them. Most people do start to slow down as they get older in different ways. I do think it will probably get harder for me dealing with aging and ADD on top of it but I know that if I keep a positive attitude and never give up on improving myself and my abilities it doesn't have to be a negative experience getting older. Actually, like Prairiewind said, you can let your hair down a little(and I've got plenty to let down, down to my backside :)) Silly trivial things aren't so important anymore. I have also accepted the fact that if I need some meds as I get older to keep more focused and not forget things so be it. I will do whatever I need to do to live as normal a life as possible. I also have a daughter I need to guide through the mazes of a life with ADD and that helps keep me on my toes. Of course I have my good days and my bad days but I just cherish the good ones even more and instead of dreading the future I look forward to it :). Dee
P.S. It's a good day today. Can't you tell? :)