OK, another question.

At what level of severity of ADHD symptoms do you decide to try medication? I realize that some people have symptoms of ADHD quite badly - they can barely make it through the day without medication. Then there are those who have mild cases - those for whom medication helps but they would be self-sufficient without it.

Quick context - I was apparently diagnosed with ADHD. I think anyways - I met with some "counselors" and my doctor who collaborated and asked me some questions and said, yeah I have ADD. Not sure if this is what a diagnosis is, but anyways.

I'm 26 years old and have always been an overachiever for the most part. Good grades, little studying. But I have a mega attention problem. I can be in conversations with my boss, coworkers, wife, friends, and I will zone out in the middle of a sentance. I am neat & organized, but I do procrastinate. Things that I am not intersted in I can't seem to get done. Things that I am interested in get done wicked fast and the world seems to dissapear while I am working on them.

My whole life poepl have always had to call on me 4, 5, 6 times to get my attention. I've always caused mischief growing up and talk wicked fast. I am always fidgeting and clicking on pens & the mouse.

beause of all this and a few reasons, I thinK I do have ADHD. The Dr prescribed me 20mg Adderall XR which I started to take today. But I feel kind of guilty - like if I made it 26 years (and have been succesfull too!) why do I need drugs?

At the same point, I feel recently like I just can't get it together at work. I have a hard time starting tasks. I do what needs to get done but just enough so I don't lose my job. I hide it well - Ill sit at the desk for 5, 6 hour and then do my work in 1 hr at the last minute. Everyone thinks I have been working on it all day so I am OK.

I dunno. I guess I think i have untapped potential that my distractability is taking away from me. I feel very conflicted about taking the Adderall. A part of me says, just try it, if it helps, great, if not, stop taking it. but the other part of me says I am giving in to drugs, when I dont' need it.

I mean, i have a great job, paying close to six digits. I have a masters degree. I have a great wife & inlaws. How could I possibly be a candidate for medication?

I think what really made me want to try it is the fact that my wife insists I am not good at holding a conversation, and that I don't listen to her well or I tune out. My marriage is the most important thing in the world to me and I want to be the husband that listens to everythign she has to say, and doesn't always go, "wait, huh, what was that?"

Sorry if this is long... just a lot of emotions today I think because of starting the Adderall and the above feelings I have mixed in.

At what level of severity of ADHD symptoms do you decide to try medication? I realize that some people have symptoms of ADHD quite badly - they can barely make it through the day without medication. Then there are those who have mild cases - those for whom medication helps but they would be self-sufficient without it. There is, as near as I can tell, no hard and fast rule about how "severe" a person's ADHD to need medication. Firstly, because the diagonsis is dependent upon a significant imparment on some aspect of living. Secondly because severity and levels of imparment are varible for each person.
The gamut can run from people who exhibit severe symptoms but still seem to have control on their life to people who have minor symptoms but can't seem to get anything in order.

Here's an illustrative metaphor: My husband plays rugby. One game he got hit hard and broke his lower leg (forget which bone). When he got to the hospital, the doc said there was unlikely the bone was broken. Hubby had hobbled in, and if it was broken he'd have been in too much pain to hobble. My husband's response was that he has a very high pain tolerance (I have been witness to this on several occasions). Sure enough, the xrays showed a break. It was in error to think that level of self-reported symptom severity (ie pain response) without objective observation (ie xrays) is an adequete indicator of reality.

The same is true for ADHD. Just cause you are functional doesn't mean the ADHD isn't there or that you wouldn't get benefit from treating it. It is personal decision you have to make yourself. Just because you "feel" that there are no difficulties, doesn't mean this is so.

I mean, i have a great job, paying close to six digits. I have a masters degree. I have a great wife & inlaws. How could I possibly be a candidate for medication? A very close friend of mine said the exact same thing. Until she got a letter and discovered that her finances were a complete mess (she had actually lost a credit card and forgetten she even had it; the letter was from the collection agency). Turned out the only reason she could find her keys and
cell phone was that her fiance was picked them up and putting them by the door several times a day. He was also doing all the housework and keeping her on track with her schedule. She never thought she needed medication until other people showed her how much she just didn't notice. ADDers commonly don't have a clear analysis of their own difficulties.

The irony to her view was that all through my own diagnosis I found myself answering questions with "yeah I do, although nowhere near as much as my friend M--." We have since decided she has the "Spinal Tap" version of ADD; it goes all the way to 11.

Sorry this was so long. Hope you all made it through to the end and at least got a laugh.

At what level of severity of ADHD symptoms do you decide to try medication? I realize that some people have symptoms of ADHD quite badly - they can barely make it through the day without medication. Then there are those who have mild cases - those for whom medication helps but they would be self-sufficient without it.
I think I waited far too long to start with the meds. I'm not expert, but if I had to guess I'd say I have a very severe case of ADD.

I got to a point where I seriously did not know what was the point of me waking up in the morning. Although I forced myself to do so, and I even had the last shred of discipline in me to spend the entire (unproductive) day in my home office trying to pretend to be working... I felt paralized. Up until days ago I led a sad, dysfunctional life. I'm not saying it's gone, but I'm filled with optimism all of a sudden. I knew I had ADD, and yet I did nothing. I had no doubt meds would be of great help to me, but I could not get myself to make a change.

I let it slide for so long that depression, anxiety, feeling of complete failure, and frustration joined the party.

So to answer your question.. I'm starting treatment at what I believe to be the peak of a severe ADD. I truly cannot see how it can get any worse for me.


I dunno. I guess I think i have untapped potential that my distractability is taking away from me. I feel very conflicted about taking the Adderall. A part of me says, just try it, if it helps, great, if not, stop taking it. but the other part of me says I am giving in to drugs, when I dont' need it.
I think that the only thing that kept me going (and eventually go for the meds) was knowing that indeed I DO have untapped potential. I'm just sick of feeling like a failure. I KNOW I used to be different and I KNOW something is messing with my brain and stopping me from living. I'm not even looking to live a better life.. be organized.. procrastinate less, or whatever. I am looking to get my life back.

I agree with the part in you that says you should try Adderall. You're not giving in... Not at all, actually. I can tell you that for me, not seeking medication at this point is giving in to misery.