I have been recently diagnosed with add and also suffer from constant anxiety.

I think Cait said it best "I'm not completely sure how separate the anxiety is from the ADD, but I definitely have anxiety issues. Sometimes related to a particular topic (relationship issues, things I SHOULD be doing, how to prioritize, feeling overwhelmed, making decisions....I could go on - I think sometimes I have perpetual anxiety ). Sometimes, the anxiety's NOT related to anything I can pin point precisely. That's when it's difficult, because I can't fix it if I can't find a problem, you know?"

This pretty much sums it up for me. I find myself having one drink every night just to help with some of the anxiety. I'm thinking of meds and was wondering if anyone with similar symptoms has any recommendations based on there success.

Cheers,

Golfgrip

I have both anxiety and AD/HD. I have known about the AD/HD for quite some time. But, I just recently realized that I also have an anxiety disorder too. I just never identified with anxiety before because my amxiety is mostly internal.

I nver realized that thet constant feeling I had that I was always forgetting something or that something was always going to catch up with me was actually anxiety.

There were other situations that I just avioded even though I knew intellectually that the outcome even if negative wouldn't be that bad. It was so frustrating but that was anxiety too.


I began taking Celexa a few months ago and it has really helped with the anxiety.

FYI...when stimulants are taken alone they can make anxiety worse

The anxiety disorder, although it may seem to be because of the ADD, is probably more debilitating and distressing than the ADD. I'd advise that you check it out with your doc and treat it as a separate issue. When you treat it, your concentration will improve too and your quality of life will be better.

I was tested agian my senior year in high school, so that the college would have current test results for deciding my Learning Modifications, and it was determined that on the anxity normal is like 50 and i had a 55. i apparently do not have too many problems with anxity but i feel that sometimes, it hurts me as i have an unreasonable fear of rejection, and dont always say what i want to say to some one out of fear of rejection. is there anything i can to do help my anxity

Eric,
Although I am quite a bit older than you I also have suffered from fear of rejection. I do think it is more of symptom of the ADD. Better not to say anything than to have someone reply in a negative way. I also am very anxious. I think it goes back to what Tara said. I am always worried I did something wrong or that I forgot something. I always think that whenever my boss wants to talk to me that I am going to be fired.
I have not explored the anxiety part yet as I have just started counseling for my ADD. I think the idea is to find out if the anxiety is caused by the ADD or that the anxiety is something on top of the ADD.

Anxiety is present in ADD a great deal of the time. My Dr told me that impulsiveness turns into anxiety as we age - we are so used to hearing "NO" in one way or the other (like rejection) that we become afraid of it. This sort of "What if I get rejected/what if they say No" kind of thinking makes people anxious. It's a mechanism for helping to control impulsiveness. Our jails are full of implulsive people who do not fear rejection and who can't control their impulses. Anxiety can also be present as a personality trait. I think this is when it is considered a disorder of it's own.
Certain anti-depressants have strong anti-anxiety effects and may help you with your anxiety. Celelexa (a.k.a. Lexapro) has already been mentioned, but Paxil is also very good, as is Remeron (the drug I take) and a few others. Speak to your Dr about it.
Good luck,
Greg

Wow, Gregster, that's very interesting:"...impulsiveness turns into anxiety as we age - we are so used to hearing "NO" in one way or the other (like rejection) that we become afraid of it."

I didn't know that. Sounds like what i worry about. People think I am outspoken, but I don't say half of what I feel like saying (inside). I don't like to make phone calls for fear of the word "NO" being the main response to my call.

Golfgrip, don't know much about ADD yet, but as for anxiety, my (completely unprofessional) advice would be to stay clear of SSRIs (& SNRIs), as they're relatively new and no one really knows what their long-term side effects will be. I've been on almost a dozen prescription meds for anxiety and three of them were SSRIs. I haven't taken one in nearly a year, yet I still get the "dizzy spells" that were supposed to be temporary. SSRIs don't have a very high success rate, and you'll end up taking them for up to a few months each before your doc determines whether or not they're working.

benzodiazepines have been around for much longer and they've been studied extensively. personally I think the dependency issue surrounding their use has been WAY overblown. if you're able to limit yourself to ONE drink a night, and maybe an extra one once or twice a week, benzos shouldn't be a problem. some docs will prescribe them as-needed (which might not help much, if you can't pinpoint your anxiety) and others will have you take them 2-3 times a day. downside is they might make your ADD worse and many docs don't like prescribing them because of their bad rep, so you have to be careful with your approach. if you're interested, do some research before asking a doc about them.

sedating antihistamines can also work, and there are other meds like antipsychotics and beta-blockers that I don't know enough about. someone else have experience with those?

definitely give some meds a try, but don't get your hopes up. it will probably take awhile to find one that does the trick, or, like me, you might give up searching. therapy and self-exposure have helped me more than any drug.


MedlinePlus Drug Information: Benzodiazepines (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/uspdi/202084.html)
MedlinePlus Drug Information: Antihistamines, Phenothiazine-derivative (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/uspdi/202063.html)
The Good Drug Guide: Benzodiazepines (http://www.biopsychiatry.com/diazepam.html)
Remedyfind: Anxiety Disorders (http://remedyfind.com/HC-Anxiety.asp)

Hi all,
I also found out I have anxiety as well. I am a very social person, but as someone earlier in the thread wrote, FEAR OF REJECTION. I realized that I was always afraid of being judged in settings where people would be evaluating me.

I am currently taking Paxil (20mg @ night) and it has not only lessened that "what if what if what if" feeling, but it's also helped me smooth out my sleep patterns.

If I miss a dose, my sleep pattern gets messed up, and I can feel the anxiety coming back... that feeling of dread...

For me, it's been a bit weird, because I didn't really realize that the anxiety was there until I recognized the feeling. It's so sneaky... and when I don't have the dread there, sometimes I don't realize it until I sit down and consciously reflect on how my anxiety has been lately.

What I find helps is listening to self-hypnosis sessions. I downloaded some off the internet, and burned them onto a CD. They are each about 20minutes, and they help me go to sleep. They also are great for putting me in the mood to study. As always, being ADDer I am challenged by remembering to use them as a resource more often.

If you have any questions, please let me know

I think ADD over the course of many years, left untreated, leads to anxiety problems. I'm no expert, but after starting and stopping so many projects, both personal and work and school related, it gets to you. I know I began feeling like a failure and started thinking I was never going to get things right. I very much lack self confidence because of ADD. I think it all turned to anxiety as I got older and had my brain wired to believe I did not have ADD. I'm now recognizing the different disorders in myself through-out the day..it sucks to know that what you are doing or have done was not right because of one thing or another. And of course that leads to more anxiety as you worry over that something.

Ironicly my girlfriend thinks I'm a confident person. I put off a good show of confidence and optimisim. But in reality I have low self esteem(which I seem to think about alot) and I'm usually pesimistic because things I get optimistic about let me down.

So uh..yeah, Anxiety+ADD=Sucks

Ken

well i went to the doctor today for my routine add back to school checkup and talked to the Doc, and he prescribed me fast acting Inderal that will last for about 4 hours to see what that dose for me