Ok, I feel like maybe this is a dumb question, but it's been driving me nuts:

Individuals with ADHD - Combined Type, do they experience both inattention and hyperactivity at the same time all the time or does it kinda of cycle back and forth a lot?

I've just been dx Combined type, but I feel like maybe I'm not because even though I completely fit the hyperactive/impulsive side to a T, it's not all the time (unlike my attention problems). I mean maybe I just haven't noticed properly, but I think I sit still sometimes... So if you're hyperactive, are you always on the go?

Thanks!

Ok, I feel like maybe this is a dumb question, but it's been driving me nuts:
So if you're hyperactive, are you always on the go?
I'm not hyperactive, but from what I've read in Hallowell and Ratey's "Driven to Distraction," and "Delivered from Distraction," people tend to outgrow the hyperactive part of their ADHD and mistakenly feel they no longer *have* ADHD, when in fact they still do. They may tap their foot or something else as they get older and no longer climb on everything, for instance.

It is only one of the symptoms.

Just my 2 cents worth! Welcome to the forum, if I haven't already said that. (I tend to be forgetful!) :D

There are no dumb questions, except the one's you don't ask.
How can you learn if you don't ask? Being newly diagnosed, while intially is relief, and we all think and say this....."Yipee" now I know what's been wrong with me all this time! I'm not stupid, worthless etc.
It's usually quickly followed by a rush of 5 million questions...while we try to come with terms and understand everything,,and in true ADD form....ALL AT ONE TIME!!!!!

Here are some links that might help.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/brain/adhd/adhd.about.types.htm

http://www.revolutionhealth.com/conditions/mental-behavioral-health/adhd/understand-overview/add (http://www.revolutionhealth.com/conditions/mental-behavioral-health/adhd/understand-overview/add)


http://www.add.org/articles/SimilaritiesandDifferencesBetweenADHDSubtypes.html (http://www.add.org/articles/SimilaritiesandDifferencesBetweenADHDSubtypes.html )


There are also sticky''s attached in the beginnings of the threads that can help and there are an abundance of books like Jeannie mentions above out there you can read that will help.
When I first got diagnosed with ADD (inattentive type at first, then combined type..and now after the BPD dx back to Inattentive...WOW what a journey)
I looked like a college student doing thier thesis. When I got dx 13 years later with Bipolar I did the same thing.
It's the natural course of things. And to ease your very busy mind, it's what you need to do. So do it.

So here, you never need to be afraid to ask questions. We have all been there and done it, and are happy to help those new to it! Welcome, and ask away! Good luck...let us know how it's going!


Hope

ps......
It's never hurts to ask, and be aware, there are comorbids that come along with ADD or have the appearence of ADD, that can be misdiagnosed if you are not informed. Some of the rapid changes you are expierencing can be rapid forms of BPDII. So please be informed, read, ask questions, and most of all keep track by keeping a journal of some sort, to discuss things with your doctor.

I will jump in on this because I can't sit still. :D
Long story short...
I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid (at 6yrs old).
In HS, I ran around as a goofy teen, driving fast, listening to hair bands, and moving all the time.
In college I started slowing down a bit.
Now I'm in my 30's, and I need a nap daily. (I've napped everyday since I was a kid, but now I really need one!)
I drink several cups of coffee each day, and have my peaks, but at 5pm I'm pooped.
I walk 1 mile (trying to get to 2 a day) and then nap for about 30 minutes.
Otherwise I get a fuzzy mind and a zombie look.
So in my case I'd say no.
I don't always move around all the time.
But, my mind can still be active well into the night (up to 11pm).
I've learned to control that by writing things down as I worry about them.
(things at work, things at home, etc)
I write them out, then I have them on paper, and don't have to worry about them (because they are down on a list to remind me).

people tend to outgrow the hyperactive part of their ADHD

Hmmm I like it I think my next “title thing” will be “oldest living child moderator” hyper means I move fast which is how I have managed to live as a child for so long.




listening to hair bands

Wow I didn’t know hair had bands with out being the rubber variety. . .


Okay must be pill time . . . if the body doesn’t bounce the brain will and some times brain and body bounce at the same time but not in unison. . .

Oh btw the other sub-type trait not mention is impulsive. . . it is normally associated with hyperactivity as in physically impulsive however some of us are multi-talented in that we can be physically wiggly and verbally impulsive . . . hmm I wonder if impulsively posting the first thing that pops into my brain would be a physical impulse or a mental one as it requires both . . .

okay I am swallowing the pill now . . . . . . :o

The first phase of medication wearing off I am like gstien on caffeine. . . :p



In HS, I ran around as a goofy teen, driving fast, listening to hair bands, and moving all the time.
In college I started slowing down a bit.
Now I'm in my 30's, and I need a nap daily.


However I am ADD – primarily hyperactive I am older than gstien and female. . . .

I am 40+ and I think I am loosing some of my endurance but wiggle yeppers that I still do. . . on computer chair three I can’t seem to find one that will be comfortable to sit in and be sturdy enough to second as a jungle gym. . . I keep breaking the bloomin arms off the things. . when I am trying to read longer post my hinny gets tired of my weight so I like to hold myself up using my arms if the post is challenging I will even swing back and forth while holding myself up by my arms. . .I can still lift my weight at over forty but under 45. . . .. . out work male young ones who are twice my size half my age . . . however compared to Mr. I ain’t got no ADD resident male who is 45+ I look like I am standing still. . .. .

We are all different
Chance are you have symptoms of impulsiveness / restlessness and inattention. . . . thus combined ADD .

I am for the first time in my life beginning to gain a few symptoms of inattention mostly when my medications are wearing off just before the silly stage sets in and the hyper wind up begins. . . Gary still has primary hyper ADD traits he is very impulsive as well.

If this silliness serves only to be more confusing her eis a much sanoer version that out lines the difference in sub-types very well
ADD diagnostic criteria (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23276)

Welcome to the forums Moodette hope some thing I wrote helps. . .

Yes I swallowed my pilll . . . . .

Hey there:

I alternate constantly as well. When I was diagnosed ADHD i thought "but im not hyper!". Then they explained "but you fidget...look, you distroyed my pencil :-O." I thought " but im not impulsive" until they showed the test results were i had picked any picture instead of taking the time to look at it without realizing it.

The inattentive stuff is always there, but i am a quiet softspoken kid who's either lethargic or walks around the house in circles w/o realizing it...

My point is, ADHD can manifest itself in more than one way. Just because you dont fit its common sterotypes of some ridiculous thrill seeking hypomaniac who defies authority -- doesn't mean you arn't ADHD.
(and if we are hypomaniacs? well then, hell yeah! ;-) )

~Ali

And let's not confuse...the terms...hypomania/hypermania are not often terms associated with ADD/ADHD. They are more associated with the often present comorbid of BPDII .....the difference being the extreme swings/and length of the states. Please see the difference.

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26832



http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23276 given by Tammy (MeADD823) for ADD..
This one is helpful too...
http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27386

Here is the link for BPD ..


http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23945 (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23945)

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32615 (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32615)

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138 (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138)


Just because, I was dx early with Combined Type ADD,,,,,and then later Depression...then later on BPDII and adjusted the ADD dx back to Inattentive?
Want you to be clear and watchful, since they are close...but not exact, and treated VERY differently..

Just my 2cents....Hope

I have combined type. I am more hyper in the afternoon and night then in the morning.

Oopzie, I didn't know.

I just put what I new from the two latin/greek roots together.
Good to know! I'd edit it, but i cant figure out how to do that.

~Ali

For the record I am the combined type for impulsivity only; never been hyeractive a day in my life. Hypomanic and unable to shut up/sit still is a whole other ball of wax....

Wow, thanks for all the info & support.

But, see I've been reading tons on ADHD types, and the Hyperactive and Inattentive ones have nice long lists on the signs and symptoms, but all you get as a definition for combined type is that it's a mixture of both. I wanted to know how exactly they interact with each other. Gah- I'm being so annoyingly me right now. I can't get my head off the topic and accept the big-picture answer (justhope you had me pinned - the after dx reaction).

The doc I was originally seeing was convinced I was bipolar (especially cause it's in my family), but it never really felt right to me. I mean I've always been pretty reckless when it comes to thrill-seeking i guess, but I don't get grandiose - and that's supposed to be the one thing that really takes out the blur between bipolar and ADHD right?

Anyway I was on Ritalin and now Dexedrine and it hasn't seemed to cause me to go Manic.

I do get hyper, and figet - a lot. But sometimes I get really depressed, and I will get into bed and sleep, for days. Or other times, for some reason especially when I used to walk into my old doctor’s office, I became very resigned and didn't move. And especially after a couple of hours of trying to do 'regular people' work (whatever that is) leaves me drained of energy and motivation. Of course bring something exciting in front of me and suddenly it's like I'm on speed.

I don't even know why I NEED to know if I'm really combined or just inattentive. It's like if the answer I'm looking for isn't black and white I get stuck on it, in all the gray and obsess over it. I guess I'm just tiered of not knowing what's wrong with me and want to fit into a little box cause then it might be easier to fix... you know?

Oh no, post getting too long.

Completely did not mean to offend anyone if i did!! When I it mentioned the getting fixed thing, I didn't mean to say that people who have ADHD need fixing. It's just that I, personally, feel like I'm not functioning and can't take it anymore.

Wow, thanks for all the info & support.

You are welcome....it's what we are all here for:D

But, see I've been reading tons on ADHD types, and the Hyperactive and Inattentive ones have nice long lists on the signs and symptoms, but all you get as a definition for combined type is that it's a mixture of both. I wanted to know how exactly they interact with each other. Gah- I'm being so annoyingly me right now. I can't get my head off the topic and accept the big-picture answer (justhope you had me pinned - the after dx reaction).

Well then maybe it's time to just deal with what you do know NOW...and what you can do about that. Baby steps remember, it took you some time to get dx, and you've been this way your whole life, heck you can't figure it out overnight...I'll steal from the other programs, One day at a time Moodette. ;)

The doc I was originally seeing was convinced I was bipolar (especially cause it's in my family), but it never really felt right to me. I mean I've always been pretty reckless when it comes to thrill-seeking i guess, but I don't get grandiose - and that's supposed to be the one thing that really takes out the blur between bipolar and ADHD right?


Umm not necessarily. I don't think I fit in the box of grandiose either? And reckless behavior can equal...um hypomania/ mania? So here's the deal, keep an eye on your symptoms as you regulate on your meds. Journal , like I suggested. I was dx orig in 1994 with ADD, 2 years later with depressin (here's a good sign or what happened in 2006) then 2006 dx with BPDII.So it's not unheard of. And it's not hard to misdiagnose BPDII for ADHD. And it's not that uncommon for them to be together. AS you can see. So just keep an eye on it. I was on stims for years and they never made me manic either..until the BPDII kicked in bad enough to effect me , severe enough for me to notice it was not ADD?

Anyway I was on Ritalin and now Dexedrine and it hasn't seemed to cause me to go Manic.
See what I said above...me either.

I do get hyper, and figet - a lot. But sometimes I get really depressed, and I will get into bed and sleep, for days. Or other times, for some reason especially when I used to walk into my old doctor’s office, I became very resigned and didn't move. And especially after a couple of hours of trying to do 'regular people' work (whatever that is) leaves me drained of energy and motivation. Of course bring something exciting in front of me and suddenly it's like I'm on speed.

Um ...ME TOO!

I don't even know why I NEED to know if I'm really combined or just inattentive. It's like if the answer I'm looking for isn't black and white I get stuck on it, in all the gray and obsess over it. I guess I'm just tiered of not knowing what's wrong with me and want to fit into a little box cause then it might be easier to fix... you know?

Because sweety, you want to know who you are NOW? So you know what to do with yourself, in this new box? And I am not good with Grey area's either. Funny my youngest son is the same way, and it drives me nuts, until I realize he got it from me And again it's been this way for a long time, and the more you have stuggled with, the more you have failed, and the longer it took to get you here, the more in again true ADD fashion..YOU WANT TO FIX IT NOW!!!!Sorry, no quick fixes And this might be an ouch here, but speaking from experience...and it's just something to think about...it's sometimes easier to try to found out all this stuff and focus on it, then it is to start umm dealing with and correcting what we already know? It's another stall tactic,,,ADD trait...hyperfocus to distract ....make sense?


Oh no, post getting too long.

Nah...not too long...it's how you feel and you are asking for help, and just like you ..it doesn't fit in a nice neat box, or 2 line paragraph. It's okay. So next?