Hi, my name is Leslie & I am 23 years old. My question is, how did you find out you had ADD? I have never been diagnosed with ADD, but I will be visiting my Doctor tommorow. I don't know if I should just tell him I think I am ADD?! I don't want him to think I am self diagnosing myself...even though I guess I am.

I was dianosed with anxiety & mild depression about 7 months ago & was put on wellbutrin. It helped alot but I still have severe anxiety in situations where I am not doing anything. (church, riding in the car, classroom environments,etc.)
I finally put things together & I think I have ADD. I have typed up a list of things that I do and I plan to go over it with my doctor.

Please, tell me what you think of my symptoms. Am I way off?

Trouble remembering things & misplacing stuff

Have to write things down or I feel stressed out. It's almost an immediate relief.

Moody

Can't talk on the phone if something else is going on. TV, driving, etc. I have to go in a room all by myself or I feel like I am only halfway listening

I sometimes think about other stuff when people are talking to me & when I realize I am doing that, it gives me anxiety because I think I'm nuts

If I dont have a list of things to do at work, I won't get anything done

EXTREMELY impatient. I got upset that I didn't get a DR appointment yesterday when I called!!

Sometimes I have to read things over and over (no matter how simple) because I am thinking about something else.

Is it stupid to write this down and give it to him? I just will forget everything I want to say if I don't.
Thanks for any and all advice! :)

hey first off before i even give you my opinion i have to say WELCOME tro the forums even if you don't have add you can still come here. anyways. Reading the list you gave yes personally i do think you have add. but medicated yourself should be a last resort not the first.

You wont find many people here who will diagnose you on this forum but yeah it sounds like you have a good chance of joining the crowd here.

Welcome to the forums. :D Just by you thinking that something is not quite right is a big step in the right direction. I am sure you have felt this way for your entire life, but just couldn't figure it out.

Print out and take with you a list of the symptoms you have recognized. This will help your doctor a lot. Is this the same doctor that diagnosed your depression and anxiety? A lot of times, if a person being treated for anxiety/depression only improves a little, there is usually something else going on. This happened to me. Once I got the ADHD diagnosis and added it to the overall treatment, everything improved dramatically.

The symptoms you listed all fall into the symptoms of ADHD.

During your appointment, just be honest with your doctor.

If you can dig up some old elementary grade cards, look at the teachers comments. These are really helpful in an adult ADHD diagnosis. Your doctor may refer you to a psychologist or psychiatrist for more indepth testing.

Good luck tomorrow and let us know how things go.

Well I had the worst Dr's visit ever today. They were so busy that he didn't spend hardly any time with me. I didn't even get a chance to read him a list of the symptoms. Everytime I tried to tell him something he would say "well, that's just part of life", thats just "stress" etc. Then he asked me if I had ever taken anyone's ADD medicine!! I guess he just thinks I am making crap up.

Long story short, he gave me Ritalin SR but he scared the heck out of me. I have anxiety problems & he told me that this could make them severe. I am scared to take it now!

Is it possible to have ADD and been very good in school? My only problem seemed to be putting things off till the very end.

Seems to me Doc's have no time for anyone, so they give you pills to get you on your way and out of their office.

A little net lookin' will answer your Q's.

Then if you must, go to the Doc armed with knowledge.
I didn't need a Doctor to tell me I have ADD, I did my own research, what are the chances a doctor is going to research you and your symptoms?

I just find that the internet, forums in particular, is just loaded with info, more info than ANY doctor alone could possibly know.

So get lookin'!

Well I had the worst Dr's visit ever today. They were so busy that he didn't spend hardly any time with me. I didn't even get a chance to read him a list of the symptoms. Everytime I tried to tell him something he would say "well, that's just part of life", thats just "stress" etc. Then he asked me if I had ever taken anyone's ADD medicine!! I guess he just thinks I am making crap up.

Long story short, he gave me Ritalin SR but he scared the heck out of me. I have anxiety problems & he told me that this could make them severe. I am scared to take it now!Sorry to hear about the bad experience. He was really invalidating your feelings. :mad: Could you ask for a referal to a psychologist or psychiatrist that has experience with ADHD? This seems like your next step. I am surprised he gave you a script, if he was doubting you. :confused:

I have social anxiety disorder and have not experienced an increase after taking mine. It actually calms me down and helps me verbalize my thoughts.

Take a dose and see how you feel. You might be surprised. It will leave your system within 24 hours.

As for your post about good grades, yes this is really possible to have ADHD and get straight A's. Your comment about waiting until the last minute to complete assignments is so typical of someone with ADHD. They crave the stimulation of pressure and deadlines. This releases dopamine and helps with focusing. Do you do or have you done some of you best work under pressure?

I was waiting to recommend a book until after your appointment. Read the book, " Driven to Distraction (1994)" or "Delivered from Distraction (2005)" by Hallowell and Ratey. Both are excellent books. Upon reading, if you feel you have found the answer and/or can totally relate, then you probably do have ADHD. Another great book is "Women with ADD" by Sari Solden. Even though the symptoms are the same between men and women, the social and interpersonal charateristics are usually different.

As far as a formal diagnosis, please follow through with the process. Otherwise you will always be wondering or second guessing.

Good luck and keep up posted.

Cat,

Any news on your visit? Some of what you describe indicates a possible mood disorder and that's something you don't want to mess with. Make sure you've talked to your doc about the mood problems.

Here's a whole thread on doing well in school w/ADD:

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23976&highlight=school

Leslie I am sorry your first appointment went so badly. It may be that you need to find a doctor who has more experience in dealing with ADD, or at least one who has more time to listen to their patient. You were the one who was paying for the doctors time.

Remember that health care professionals work for their patients NOT the other way around. Often people are intimidated by the health care profession. From what you described you didn't get very good attention from your doctor. That is so wrong of the doctor!!!!!!

The referal idea suggested above is a good one.

Today is my first day on methylin 20mg ER. I was really nervous to take it but I took it about 2 hours ago.

I am at work right now &I feel really happy & talkative. I usually feel alot of anxiety in my chest but I don't feel any right now. I have been having better phone conversations because I am not interrupting so much. I do have alot of energy though. My body feels speed up but my brain has slowed down.

I talked to the pharmacist this morning and she said if I DID have ADD that this would calm me down & if I DIDN'T have it it would speed me up. Does this sound normal?

Today is my first day on methylin 20mg ER. I was really nervous to take it but I took it about 2 hours ago.

I am at work right now &I feel really happy & talkative. I usually feel alot of anxiety in my chest but I don't feel any right now. I have been having better phone conversations because I am not interrupting so much. I do have alot of energy though. My body feels speed up but my brain has slowed down.

I talked to the pharmacist this morning and she said if I DID have ADD that this would calm me down & if I DIDN'T have it it would speed me up. Does this sound normal?
Glad you tried it. Now just remember, you are going to feel different until your body adjusts to the medication. You will also be more aware of the little things your body is doing, because you are looking for them. Stick with it for about a week straight and then see how you feel.

The pharmacist was correct. You mentioned your body is speeding up, but your brain has slowed down. Are you literally bouncing off the walls? The brain slowing down is what you are looking for.

Congratulations. :)

I talked to the pharmacist this morning and she said if I DID have ADD that this would calm me down & if I DIDN'T have it it would speed me up. Does this sound normal?
I just want to clarify, that the pharmacist is somewhat correct. And, yes, your experience is normal.

Let me explain what I mean by somewhat by telling you what I felt when I started Adderall.

The first day I felt that "brain slow-down", too. The second day, however, my husband was actually worried because I was MANIC. Now, I'm bipolar, but a lot of ADHDers are. I was manic, not because the meds made me "up", but because I was SO excited that I could THINK clearly. I'd had some serious declines in cognitive functioning that were interfering with my ability to get through my PhD program and Adderall gave me hope. By the end of the week, everything had calmed down.

I KNOW it's working now because I just had 3 new customers come in at once AND the phone ringing off the hook which would normally stress me out beyond belief!! I was calm and collected and did not rush. That was something I have never experienced. :)

Ok. Day 4 on the medicine and I am feeling quite diffrent than day 1. I am getting sleepy after taking the pill. I can tell that it wears off within 4 hours even though it's an extended release formula. I was very irritated yesterday & slightly today...but that could have just been the holidays. Not nearly as talkative as I was the first & second day. I am taking 20mg & I am supposed to go see the Dr. in a week. Should I ask to try something else or making up the dosage? Also, I usually don't do well with extended release formulas.