Hi all, another question.

I know everybody is different, and different things work for different people, and so on and so forth and scooby dooby doo...

But the impression I got on the medicine (say, Adderall or Concerta) was that if they were going to work for you, you would know it. You would feel the ability to focus better, your mind would calm down.

Not me. Low doses have no discernable effect, and higher doses just rev me up. (go figure) And not in a pleasant way either, I can't imagine people taking this stuff recreationally. It's like my engine red lines with rpms but my tranny won't get into gear. My clutch seems to be broken!

So does this mean I've been mis-diagnosed? I really want to find something that works before I do something I'm going to regret more than usual.

Craig

A good test for me is with reading. Without medication it's a real chore. With it, a pleasure. Ritalin allowed me to focus while reading but it also brought on anxiety. I took it for it's effect and put up with the side effect, for a while. I have now switched to Strattera. I get the focus with reading and some motivation. Only 8 days on it so I still have a few side effects that I hope will fade. Many who can't tolerate Ritalin have better luck with Dexedrine or Adderall

Generally, if a stimulant ramps you up at lower or normal dosages - you probably (hopefully) do not have ADD. At higher dosages, it is more difficult to tell because some ADD brains at higher dosages still "speed up".

I would discuss your diagnosis more with your doctor and pursue non-stimulant based medication if he/she feels strongly that you have ADD.

I don't think you can make that conclusion. I feel that there can be people that have ADD that could be sensitive to stimulants. Do they not have ADD? I don't understand how you can assume you don't have ADD based on what the medication does to your body.

The way in which stimulants help ADHD is a paradox in itself. You can't say that if someone doesn't get that paradoxical reaction from stimulants, that they simply don't have the disorder.

I'm ADD - Very prominent inattentive, what else is a stimulant suppose to do besides make my brain, therefore my body, active?

There is just too many factors when you are dealing with science to make a conclusion that if a drug does this to your body then you don't have anything wrong with you. I know you have "generally" and "hopefully" in there, but you shouldn't have that sentence at all. I think there are many people on the forums here that have benefited from low doses of stimulants, thus relieving their symptoms, and I don't think you want to tell them that they have been misdiagnosed.

If someone has persistent symptoms of depression and they are given perscription for a very small dose of an SSRI. Then they come back and feel much happier and life couldn't be any better, are you going to tell them that they don't have depression?

Craig, have you tried a wide variety of doses on the stimulants? Some people can have a really fine border between what works and what makes you not feel right. Some people can't even take stimulants because of sensitivity. I would assume you got your diagnosis from one or two experienced, educated, and trained professional. I wouldn't judge your diagnosis, you just haven't found the right medium for meds or therapy. When you think about it, meds only get you so far, then the rest is up to you.
Take care.