Does anyone have the hyperactive or combined type of ADHD?

I do! I do! :D

<--------LOOK

Sometimes? :D

Me too!

Not always hyperactive physically, but my MIND always is. I do tend to be very restless if I'm confined to the house (or an office)! I'm happier when I'm on the go.

I definately wouldn't be diagnosed as hyperactive in the ADD sense, but a lot of my freinds tell me I'm hyper...

If I'm excited I really DO start bouncing off the walls... it's crazy! I talk way too much and interrupt all the time, all the stuff. here's some of the stuff I do:

-spin in my chair at the computer

-jump over seats in a lecture hall (to get to teh one next to my freinds :D they're always like 'woah!! where did you come from!!?")

-wiggle my leg up and down if i'm sitting

-stretch out more than I should (like during lecture at a huge table)

-run up and down the stairs (i don't think i EVER walk a flight of stairs unless i have a heavy backpack on or somthing)

-run when i'm at work and i have to get somthing. most people would take their time and walk, but i have to go NOW!!

-talk really loudly or excitedly (i used to get all excited in history at 7:30 in the morning... lol!! my freinds seriously thought i was crazy, but i was really just happy to be at school and away from HOME!)


The really weird thing is that I was really shy when I was little, I was always pretty active (ran around alot outside) but I wasn't one of those kids who HAD to be moving. I could sit patiently for a long time... I still can sort of but I think it's gotten harder since Ive grown out of the shyness.

Christiana, how is what you described not hyperactive in the ADD sense? Some of those behaviors (not all:D ) you described are just hyperactivity manifesting in more acceptibly "adult" ways.

well..... i guess it's becuase I dont' feel like i HAVE to do any of those things.... I just sort of do because I want to... lol

i don't feel the need to 'spill over' as they say... i don't have to tap my pencil or anything, i definately don't feel as if i'm driven by a motor....

i guess what i'm saying is that even though I often act pretty hyper I feel like I have complete control over it. I can definately sit still, and was actually pretty patient as a child. I think I just get excited over things sometimes :)

I am a inattentive ADD. I do not have hyperactive actions a lot. My mind jumps all over the place. I procrastinate a lot. I am acitive in that I exercise a lot. So maybe that lets off some of my hyperness. I interupt frequently and finish peoples sentences for them.
Jim

I dont think i can actually sit completly still, without Concerta. There is always somthing moving, even just fingers.

I go through periods of complete sloth where i feal tired and unmotivated, but even then i fidget and carry on moving, i just whine how tired i am while i do it.

I can conciously control my activity now, up till a few years ago i would just stand up and start pacing, no matter how inaproriate it was.
Now i can reduce the need for activity to fidgeting and stretching toes in shoes or tapping fingers.

When i try to sit completly still and not fidget (tried really hard at a funeral) i am so preocupied with trying to remain still i cant do anything else. I was actually elbowed in the ribs at my Grandmas funeral because in my efforts to remain still i didnt notice that i was actually humming.

I think best on the move though, i have always have.

Does any of this sound familiar?
- jiggling legs, dancing feet, clicking pens, flicking fingers, chewing gum (I could not work without gum :D)

This is me all the time (by partner advises me feet even move when I'm asleep) Its only dex that lets me stay in meetings without toilet breaks just to move. But this is all great stuff in the right crisis situations - so I'm not cut for a life of meditation & silence. I am action woman & proud of it!!!!

:D :O

I usta not think so, but I am probably combined. I don't remember bouncing around the classroom as a kid, but now some body part or another is always jiggling. Now get that image out of your heads, I'm referring to feet, hands, swiveling in a chair, etc. Gotta love those swivel chairs. My daughter is combined--she can't stop talking, interrupting, etc.

When I was tested I was told I was a bordline hyper....Not sure if anyone else has heard that....Mostly I'm the day dreamer type...lol..

I think when I was younger I was much more hyper than I am now. Now I'm more tried than hyper...lol.... But I do have more of what keeps ya going and going and going when dead tried than others I know....

I love my desk chair -- it's an exercise ball! I can bounce to my heart's content (just like tigger) while working and it's fantastic.
I just wish it had one of those rings on it so I could just bounce everywhere.

My nickname in high school was Cricket lol I find it impossible to sit for more than five minutes. My husband say's the only time I stop is when I'm sleeping and even then I change positions every five minute's and my brain NEVER shuts off. Or it could be my walk it's a combo all my own consisting of hop/skip/jump/run/walk lol

That's ADORABLE:)
When my son was little, he used to "chirp" like a cricket, meaning he talked nonstop (like his mum) while he was playing. It was wonderful (she says in hindsight) and I used to discreetly write down some of the things he was saying like:

In the Tub

"Magicians die in bubble stunts....
....everyone has bubbles, crystal balls...."

When he stopped chirping, I knew something was amiss or that he was ill. He was better when he started chirping again.
Thanks for inspiring that memory.

I'm ADHD and I can go 2 days with no sleep and no food when I am manic enough...I love it!:D

I'm hyperactive! That is for sure and if I focus it, watch out!! This morning for instance I finished 4 projects in 4 hours (My poor boss has to scrabble to find something else for me to work on, she asked I take a lunch break!)

citruscat- That was cute too! I call what my kids do has chirping as well!!! Too funny :D

Sleep and food are for sissies!

Of course sometimes I am very sissified.

Dear Ones,

Namaste,

I have/had a strange way of hyperactivity..when I am sitting or standing still many a times I am in habit of moving my legs,

as a child at bedtime I could have habit of banging my head on the pillow till I get to the point where I would go to sleep or sometimes I would bang my head even in my sleep(I would be told about it in the morning my parents)

I also talked fast..still do..

Has anyone heard of such a habit of hyperactivity?

I can lose sleep just like that either when I tense or when I am excited about something. I would be wake up continously for many days for my studies near at exam time.
is this a criterian for hyeractivity too?

Nachi

Nachi,

The thing with the legs is called restless leg syndrome and yes it is part of hyper activity. :-) The head thing is not unusual either as I did it as a youth, but not so much as an adult. I can't stop my legs now at my desk. :-). Restlessness with sleep certainly qualifies. In fact, until I was treated for anxiety disorders I never realized how little sleep I need. I absolutely max out at six hours and that is really too much. Unless I am burned out. Four hours is normal and I can go for weeks on end on two hours a night and feel fine. This is great for night classes and more than one job. Believe me Nachi, on what the Navy pays me with a family my size, more than one job is the general rule! :-) So, I suppose in that aspect I am fortunate to have ADHD. Also on the ships underway we work long hours. I am one of the few people who doesn't get tired and complain. 16 hour shifts, plus a four hour watch? NO PROBLEM! :-) Yeah there are advantages.

Nice to meet you by the way!

I'm like gymsocks. Ok, that sounded funny. The only difference is I don't excercise. There isn't enough time in the day! I feel so undisciplined. So nope, I'm inattentive. But I am a leg-swinger.
:D
wow, this was a random post!

I am extremely hyper. I sleep an average of 3-5 hours a night and that is all I need. I have to make arrangements with my professor so that they understand that sometimes my hyperkinceticity gets the better of my and I have to get up and either walk around the classroom or go walk in the halls for a few moments. The good news: I am 29 and have the energy of an 18 year old.

In one of my interviews for grad school a professor asked: "You are quite a bit older than the average entering student. Do you really think that you have the energy to keep up with the work and your fellow students"
I looked him in the eyes and said, " Dr. [name was here] I am ADHD and very hyper. Your asking the wrong question. The question isn't 'Can I keep up with them?' the question is 'Can they keep up with me?'" The interviewer smiled, got up from his chair and said "thankyou for your time". Later in an interview with the director of admissions, he told me that Dr. [name was here] marched into his office after speaking with me and demanded that he accept me immediately because I was just what this school needed.

Hyperactivity. It can be nice sometimes.

MM

This is all really interesting. I never could figure out why I only need 6 hours of sleep to feel awake. More and I get sleepy during the day. I also have the urge to shake my leg up and down when I sit as well as tap on a table (I have learned to not do that at work).

I am the exact same way. If I get less than 3 hours sleep I am a zombie all day. If I get more than 5-6 I am a Zombie all day. So I have to really regulate how much sleep I get. I feel sorry for my wife sometimes, however, because she is one of those individuals that cannot get less than 8-10 hours of sleep without feeling sleepy all day and my schedule really conflicts with her. We manage though.

MM

Originally posted by Keppig
This is all really interesting. I never could figure out why I only need 6 hours of sleep to feel awake. More and I get sleepy during the day. I also have the urge to shake my leg up and down when I sit as well as tap on a table (I have learned to not do that at work).

Ping pong brain and body

- run everywhere, always over the speed limmits driving - nothing seems to move quick enough -

I actually get slow motion effects sometimes - Hate it !! It was ok as a teen and in my 20's but 40 + ... Its enough already

bouncy legs - wearing out my knee joints - rock in bed or on the floor or wherever I choose top sleep - when I sleep.

Body gets very uncomfortable if im not always in motion...

What was the question?

You know, over the past month or so (after posting here) I've been noticing more and more things about myself which suggest I'm hyperactive or combined type - but I was diagnosed innattentive. I think the reason I was diagnosed that way though was that AT THE TIME I really THOUGHT that I wasn't hyperactive!! I couln't see it in my childhood... I didn't feel like it wasn't under my control... but the more I think about it the more I think that I was wrong.

I've been watching myself and realized that I very often scare people with the amount of energy I have - especially when I'm excited! I thought that I was just very energetic and very excitable... (I get excited over absolutely everything - even homework!! I can be having an absolutely terrible day/week/month, but if even one thing a teeny bit good happens (such as being in a fun group of people, or being on time for 3 classes in a row) then I will flip into happy mode and be bouncing off the walls.

And another thing about it is that I can fool people into thinking that my life is wonderful just by having that sort of reaction to the small things in life. I've had several depressed friends (one in early high school and two in college) tell me that I make them feel better just by being happy and excited. Excitement spreads!!! but anyway...


So in this search to self-discovery I am trying to figure out if my hyperactivity fits with ADD hyperactivity. In almost every regard it does, but two things are still bothering me:

1. A lot of you are saying that you don't need very much sleep because you have so much energy. I don't think that's true for me (although it's hard to tell since I can't remember a time when I've gotten 6 hours... it's almost always 3-4 or 8-12 hours) My mom tells me that when I was a baby and a little kid I NEEDED 10-12 hours of sleep a night. I was very energetic, but I don't know if it was anything out of the norm since I can't exactly go back. I still have tons of energy, but I do think that I still need a lot of sleep. I might try going for a week on 6-7 hours of sleep and see what happens, although it's pretty hard to keep a regular schedule in college.
Is there anyone out there who is hyperactive but still needs 8 hours of sleep?

2. I feel like I have control over my hyperactivity. If I have to sit still I CAN do it. Some of you have said that you have to get up and move around - I really LIKE to do that, (more than anyone I know), but I don't think I have to. On the other hand... what exactly is the line between REALLY REALLY wanting to, and HAVING to? I guess that's what the real issue is.
I have been told by numerous people (especially professors at office hours) to "relax", "settle down", "hold on ONE second..." etc... and I often didn't even realize that I was acting out of the norm until they pointed it out. SO maybe I don't have as much control as I think I do. Does hyperactivity seem to follow with your emotions at all?? (like if you are excited, or nervous?)

3. (Ok, I know I said that it was 2 but too bad!)
I'm afraid that I am acting MORE hyperactive just becuase I think I am. Like I want
to see if it's real, so I suddenly start acting more and more hyperactive. I think
hyperactivity is fun and kind of cute in a way... I WANT to be hyperactive, so I decide
that I will be. I'm afraid that it's not valid. But at the same time, I'm kind of
afraid that I'm doing that with the whole of ADD (not just hyperactivity) as well... so
who knows. If there's anything I DON"T want to be it's a hypocondriac... and I
definately don't want to be an imposter. I already feel like an imposter in the
"normal" world, I don't want to be one in the ADD world too!!!
I guess maybe THAT"S the real issue here....

We all need more sleep than we get! Im sure of it .. in fact i believe the inability to settle down is what causes the lack of sleep. Whitch in turn causes or at least makes the symtoms worse

I found the imposter stuff you mentioned interesting... I have always felt a bit phoney and like I would be found out one day.. kinda wierd?

Its also interesting that you / we do not see the traits in ourselves..

I" thought" I was a mellow easing going person - and calm! - other than night time figits . BUT.... it took a wile - on the meds I seem able to "monitor" myself! WOW! What an eye opener...

I behave - or used to behave as a 16yr old in a old mans body- enbarasing now! Still long ways to go but the path is getting clearer!

Christiana - How long ago were you dx'ed?

Deisel,

i'm only 21 so I don't have a ton of perspective on maturity yet, but I KNOW I've always been slow to mature.... I was still playing outside games like capture the flag and hide&seek when i was 17 - all my neighbor "friends" refused to do anything but watch tv by the time they were about 14 or 15. there are TONS of other examples....

I was diagnosed in January - so yeah it hasn't been that long. And that definately adds to the insecurities about hte whole thing. feeling like an imposter in the ADD world I mean. But on the other hand, there is SO much support for it based on my past behaviors that it's pretty hard to deny now that I look back.

What about you? (when were you diagnosed?)

Originally posted by Christiana
Deisel,

I was diagnosed in January - so yeah it hasn't been that long. And that definately adds to the insecurities about hte whole thing. feeling like an imposter in the ADD world I mean. But on the other hand, there is SO much support for it based on my past behaviors that it's pretty hard to deny now that I look back.



Christiana, i hear you regarding feeling like an imposter. when i first saw the connection between behaviors i've exhibited (to a lesser degree sometimes, but, still there) all my life. my *first* reaction was one of disbelief/denial. i asked myself, is ADD even real, or is it just a convenient excuse for behavior this society deems "unacceptable?" after reading and thinking about how the dx fit, my reaction changed to relief and the beginning of acceptance. i finally felt like i could identify *why* i am the way i am, and start to work on ways to adapt.

i also sometimes feel like an imposter when i compare myself to other ADDers. then i wonder if i *really* have ADD because my behaviors don't look like someone elses. this is really just an example of me arguing with myself though. (ex. do i? don't i? if i do, is it really all that bad? am i blowing this out of proportion? etc, ad nausea ....)

in regards to your "question number 3 post" when you wrote, "I'm afraid that I am acting MORE hyperactive just because I think I am." i had the following thoughts. also, this seems to fit what sari solden described in her book, Women with attention deficit disorder : embracing disorganization at home and in the workplace. i remember reading that ADD symptoms are sometimes *worse* after diagnosis. she gave a reason which i can't remember right now. but, i think this happens for one of two reasons (or maybe both);1) i think we identify with the diagnosis right away, but, we doubt it. so, we unconsciously magnify the symptoms so that we can give ourselves proof. 2) after years of holding back and trying to fit in/conform to societies expectations, we relax. we *stop* trying to conform, and start figuring out that others just need to get used to us. so, because we are less inhibited, we exhibit the symptoms more.

you seem to be having a common "does the dx fit, or am i an imposter" reaction. well, similar to my reaction, anyway. i guess i don't really know if it's common. but, at least we are not alone. ;)

anyway, that's my opinion. feel free to take what you need, and leave the rest.

wheezie, that is EXACTLY what I needed... I was sort of looking for it for the last few months but never found anything that really hit upon that fear...

thankyou so much!! I think your reasoning is right on for why teh symptoms worsen immediately after diagnosis. It makes perfect sense... I had thought a lot about #1 but not at all #2 - I like #2 better ;)

I have Sari Solden's book (just bought it!!) but I haven't read that part yet. i think I will tonight (my reward for doing homework all day!)

the other thing that has been really tough for me is to keep everything in perspective. It's so easy to look at other ADDers and try to follow what they do to make yourself fit the dx... and yet I KNOW that ADD affects everybody differently. I guess it's just like back in middle school when you are trying to find your identity and so you mimic everyone around you rather than simply be yourself...

I'm still trying to figure out who I am, and especially with this added perspective... everything seems to be changing all the time - how do you keep an identity if you're always learning new things about yourself? I guess that's for another thread though ;)

thanks again!!

christiana,

thank you for posting this in the first place. it helped me clarify my thoughts and it's always nice to know i'm not the only one with these struggles. now i want to go back and see if my conclusions are really solden's conclusions. i can't remember what she wrote for the "why this happens" part.

anyway, i had some other thoughts while reading solden's book. i'd love to hear your thoughts while reading the book. kinda like a read-as-you-go book group. do you have time for that? -- we'd hafta start a new thread of course because i am *very* guilty of going off topic, but, i am trying to be good.... ;)

oh, and, you are welcome :)

Originally posted by Christiana
Deisel,

i'm only 21 so I don't have a ton of perspective on maturity yet, but I KNOW I've always been slow to mature.... I was still playing outside games like capture the flag and hide&seek when i was 17 -

It seems we take to that task a little later than most others... Its all good though as I feel we have more fun in the long run. Playing silly games is still fun! Never loose that quality.


all my neighbor "friends" refused to do anything but watch tv by the time they were about 14 or 15. there are TONS of other examples....

Brain dead syndrome!- they really should be looking for a cure! Why be inside watching an idiot box when there so much to enjoy - in nature - outside???

I was diagnosed in January - so yeah it hasn't been that long. And that definately adds to the insecurities about hte whole thing. feeling like an imposter in the ADD world I mean.

I found the acceptance part THE most difficult - I unfortunatly was looking / trying to ask for help and could not put into words what you have described...

Your not alone on this for sure.


But on the other hand, there is SO much support for it based on my past behaviors that it's pretty hard to deny now that I look back.

It becomes more evident with time - took me 7 months after dx before I actually admitted there was an issue- I have this so called ADHD -I would have rather had a brain tumor than adhd - was my attitude BTW thats what I thought was wrong initially.

I do not agree however with all the " implications".

I will one day start a thread explaining my view on it witch may be of help to many. Under the right conitions we would RULE!

I notice that Im a bit different more so when on the meds - I can "see" myself a lot better and according to my wife more accuratly. Shes been awsome thru all this!

When first noticing how "hyper" I was -Well I really did not see it. I certailly do not have an attention problem - I seem to notice everything- just cant figure out whats realy important - sort of.

Bit by bit I started to see that I fit the description - becomes more and more evident with time - Doc told me to try the forums ... It Definitly helped!!

You will find info here that the Doc's dont seem to know. That thy should now and inform us!!!

I thought for a while that I was faking it too - it was making me VERY confused. And depressed. What a horrable state of mind to be in.

But the light gets brighter...

Now that I know myself WAY better than any "normie " I know - I can now get back to living with my new self knowladge... How many people realy know themselves that well?

What about you? (when were you diagnosed?)

Last June - On my Birthday of all days - Happy 40th ... your ADHD!!

Relief at first. Then I was very angry with my parents for a while (not any more - and Im glad I did not let them know how I was feeling) Then pure H**l for the longest time /depression (refused meds for a while too) Then a calmness started and hope for better things - Its all good! (now)

I guess it just takes time - especially if you cant seee what others can!

As you browse the forums you will feel better and things will get better if you want them to.

Theres lots of people here with the same issues - you will see that for sure. I also see a lot of support here.

Wish you the best. sorry for the long post ..

I can be very impulsive, too chatty, busy bee, have too many crazy ideas and go off the topic. Yup my bags are packed to go to china, when is the next training leaving!

Galexica

~I talk loud and a lot when I'm excited or really into the topic

~I literally bounce up and down or sway back and forth when I'm standing in line

~I always have to be the first to get somewhere

~I think faster than I can write or read, so I get words jumbled all the time. (you wouldn't beleive how many corrections I have to make before I post on here)

~I'm always tapping, humming, or shaking my leg when I'm sitting.

~I switch positions about every one - five minutes, depending where I am and what I'm doing.

I think I'm combined type. I don't know.

Cyndi :bowl:

I'm so hyper I don't need caffeine, but I drink it anyways, cuz morning isn't morning without it.

Really? Caffiene helps to settle me down a little bit. :bowl: I drink massive quantities of it throughout the day. :)

Cyndi

I have so many people make comments about me having too much sugar, pop, coffee... LOL and I never even DRANK pop or coffee until college (I still don't like coffee)

i've gotten those comments since about high school, when I would be hyper and excited about things, even at 7:30 in the morning during history class, LOL

my friends would say "christiana, how much sugar did you HAVE this morning?" (joking around of course) and I would say "what? no no, I'm just happy to be at school and away from home! I had rasin bran..." I used to attribute it to having problems with my parents (fighting all the time, me not doing well in school...) and also becuase I didn't have to do HOMEWORK when I was at school. School was like playtime to me, becuase when I got home, after procrastinating for a long time, I would end up spending hours and hours and hours on homework. talk about long nights... I was devoted but it took me absolutely forever and I hated going home from school becuase I knew that I would just have to face more homework.

ugh... just thinking aobut it makes me scared!!

I am hyper late at night, and other times once I get busy physically.

Otherwise I am just brain hyper.
I have tons of energy when I get going and can go go go go go go go. As a kid I was always doing, kind of a creative hyper mostly.
I also had this need to jump off high places and get tossed around in the ocean day and night.

still now,
in the warmer times I will be compelled to jump in the stormy sea in the dark nights. I love fighting the currents in hurricane season. Sounds sick but it is so fun to just try to keep yourself from being towed away. In Hawaii I would go in off rocks at night.
I now feel sorry for those who worried.

My wife is always telling me to slow down.........I also have these little "fits???" It feels like the energy just builds up in me all of the sudden and I just have to move, kinda shutter--actually, and make noises.....It is really odd..I dont really know how to explain it....and I never do it in front of anyone. It also seems to get more frequent the older I get.

Does anyone else have the same "feeling"???

I also click pens, chew gum, shift positions, etc. all the time.

Shrek

shrek - i dont' know if this is the same thing, ( i wouldn't really call it a fit) but often i have a whole bunch of energy just build up and suddenly i HAVE to move! someone i know called it "being struck by lightening" - only obviously not to that great of a degree. when it happens it's usually when somthing's struck my mind that i'm excited or happy about, and i'll just get shivers all up my body! I do it in from of other people all the tiem though lol

Originally posted by FlakeyGirl
Christiana, how is what you described not hyperactive in the ADD sense? Some of those behaviors (not all:D ) you described are just hyperactivity manifesting in more acceptibly "adult" ways.

Ok I answered underactive until I got to this one and it refers to Chrisitina talking about shaking legs and drumming fingers and now I know I have ADHD.........

Does that change my meds?

I dunno, I guess it depends on what you're taking, but probably not. Like, Adderall for ex helps both inattention AND hyperactivity.

But I'm on zoloft and Ritalin.... and I've been told I should take some "adult add meds".

I think they even classify "restless thoughts" and "excessive talking" as hyperactive type symptoms.

Ritalin and Adderall work on the same neurotransmitter. If your stuff is workin' then I wouldn't mess with it. BTW, what are "adult add meds?"

FG, My stuff isn't working all that well. I've been on it 6 years. Getting that medication immunity thing.....
I think the person who coined the phrase "adult ADD meds" was referring to Strattera and Wellbutrin.
I've been thinking about switching to WB but I have to find a new doc first.

well, i know that ritalin is often used by adults... (and it's sposed to curb hyperactivity too)

but hey, strattera is also worth a shot since it works differently than the others. (I'm trying it right now but can't really say too much abt it yet)

When younger, my legs moved a lot. If I was forced to stop, then something else would start moving and jiggling about.
Eventually, I was physically forced to sit still and often made to stay in my room.
As an adult, I shake my foot to get to sleep but the one thing that worries me is that I always, constantly keep a beat, or play a song rythm with my teeth. Not grinding but quietly clicking out a tune, always. Moving lower jaw side to side to make fairly accurate drum solo's.
I can force myself to sit still but if I stop thinking about it, things start moving around again. There is no way for me to sit in one position for very long.

Originally posted by bluesman
When younger, my legs moved a lot. If I was forced to stop, then something else would start moving and jiggling about.
Eventually, I was physically forced to sit still and often made to stay in my room.
As an adult, I shake my foot to get to sleep but the one thing that worries me is that I always, constantly keep a beat, or play a song rythm with my teeth. Not grinding but quietly clicking out a tune, always. Moving lower jaw side to side to make fairly accurate drum solo's.
I can force myself to sit still but if I stop thinking about it, things start moving around again. There is no way for me to sit in one position for very long.

Hey, try taking 1500mg/day of L-Tyrosine and tell me what happens. This is an herbal supplement that Dr. Amen suggests for hyperactivity. I've been taking it with some others and it helps with the shaking and such but not as much as I'd like.

thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to wait though. I'm just curious - the movements, to me, are not like spasms or uncontrollable movements. It's more like, I just get tired of focusing on it and naturally move about.
I'm also guessing that the "oral" movements are just an internalized reaction from being forced to sit still.

Originally posted by bluesman
thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to wait though. I'm just curious - the movements, to me, are not like spasms or uncontrollable movements. It's more like, I just get tired of focusing on it and naturally move about.
I'm also guessing that the "oral" movements are just an internalized reaction from being forced to sit still.

I agree with you there that the mandibulars drums are from being force to sit still. The movements I have are not uncontrollable either. But they are somewhat involuntary.
When I stop my movements I get physically uncomfortable and even though I might stop moving my leg something else wants to start.

Keep in mind that symptoms become aged referenced over time; meaning that you need less than the 6 out of 9 criteria for kids.So my energy level isnt what it used to be, but Im def hyper.

fightingboredom and mctavish,

Thanks for your replies. Both are exactly what I wanted to know.
This is kind of scary. The poll refers to going to china, and I don't have that much productive energy, it's more of a nervous energy.
But constant.

Mostly I'm just mentally hyperactive. If I daydream, I can sit still. I voted average because I'm not sluggish, as the inattentive type description reads.

I cannot lay down and sunbath on a beach, rarely I can lay in the sun in the garden and enjoy the warmth but that's more like taking a nap... or if there's enough birds chirping perhaps. More often I'll putter around in the garden, weeding and checking things out.

My feet or knee is always moving, even when I am sitting. Since my diagnosis last summer, I am more aware at how much I do move. I am so fidgety. Has anyone else spent a lifetime picking at, or biting their nails? It has been a challenge I've always dealt with. The rest of me looks mature and confident....my fingers look so immature. I've done the fake nail routine, but its expensive to keep up and I was always concerned about the cleanliness of the utensils they used at the shop I went to.

I think the fashion trend right now is to have short clean nails, not even polished, just buffed shiny. Low maintenance! hooray!

I am also one of those foot tapping, knee jerking, chewing, rocking, hyper people. I can't sit still for long which only really became apparent to me when I had kids and we were always scolding because they were up and down so much at the dinner table. Then I noticed that I was always the first leaping up. Hmmmm.

My friends have also commented on the speed at which I talk, the loudness, the skipping from subject to subject.

I also rocked myself to sleep for years and years, but sometime in the years of exhaustion of having small children that went away. Thank God I have such an understanding husband.

The list could go on and on. I often feel like I could jump right out of my skin.

i was reall hyper in grammer school and igot in troble alot.i remeber in 6th grade, first day of school, i walked in to the new classroom and my desk was all ready up there next to the teachers desk. she musta heard from the 5th grade teacher. now im kinda like grown up and responsable and while i dont bounce off the walls as much i gues im still prety hyper. the ritalin helps.

All this time I've been working for a psychologist in exchange for treatment. He told me I also have post traumatic stress. I think some of the worry is not really hyperactivity, although, I was diagnosed as a child through an EEG. So, if I can get some stress related problems solved, the hyperactivity issue will be more pure. At least this is my theory. Although it recently came to light, how deeply hyperactivity is embedded in my personality, I've had a much better life in the past and most ppl wouldn't guess. I was just outgoing and willing to say anything, in their eyes. I have to overcome some personal issues that would make anyone have anxieties. But I am making progress, and I do have professional help, where I did not before. At some point I"m going to have to see the psychiatrist. I don't want to be overly medicated because of ptsd or anything other than "medium" adhd. I am very close to life and in sync with my surroundings. It's like I know what to feel and how to respond, and the drugs will take that. I think.

I'm Captain of the Combined Type crew right here, heh. I've noticed, apparently, though, Zoloft seems to take a _little_ edge off my hyperactivity...and I've only been taking it for 4 days, so that's worth noting.

I am your non typical add person. I never had that hyper part! Some days I wish I did have that hyper part, I would probably have more fun.

i'm writing this thinking right now..did i already post on this thread?...
i checked earlier today but i can't remember
so forgive me if i'm repeating myself

hyperactivity: i was really hyper when i was growing up. i could sit in my seat in class but i do remember wanting to get up a lot and 'sharpen my pencil' type of thing, i think my brain was all about devising plans to introduce some physical action in an acceptable way..

nowadays:
i fidget relentlessly. i'm pretty internalized so you probably wouldn't notice it. its especially bad on my commute home.
i just squirm and i feel so ..trapped sort of ..and all of a sudden it seems my bra is uncomfortable and it always makes me wonder..how could my bra now become so uncomfortable when i've been wearing it all day? just one of those deeply profound questions that keep me up at night guys.

as far as shaking your foot leg all that kind of stuff: i used to have to shake my foot to go to sleep but my husband weaned me off of it b/c it drove him nuts. you know what i do now?? i unconciously merged into a new habit that i've never spoken about! i now actually contract individual muscles instead of shaking my leg or something. LOL
no one would ever notice it and its just good for you know. when your spouse is being driven nuts. i even do it when i nap or relax..

i swivel and change positions in my office chair all day and i'll also pace with my phone connection stretching out like my damn leash and i tend to just type standing up sometimes b/c i hate just sitting there. i can do it but i have to be on the net and doing other stuff to tolerate it...
b/c unlike other regular office jobs..i can't wander from my desk so often b/c i work in a call center and that effects my stats. i must answer the phone by the third ring at most.
yeah. call centers SUCK.
but its better than having to wait tables and having to really try hard not to express every real feeling i have about my customers on my face.
i can at least use the mute button perpetually for my own running /commentary/rant

I haven't been diagnosed yet but was thinking that I was the inattention type. I was extremely hyper as a child and my parents put me on stimulants as a child but quickly took me off because of it being addicting but I was never diagnosed. :( I just thought that maybe the hyper part disappeared as I got older. I am very slow to get moving and I can't stay motivated long enough to get things done. I sleep and daydream a lot. But I also noticed that I can't sit down for more than 5 mins. I can control it when I have to but when I don't have to I don't. I hate waiting for things especially the computer. It's soo slow. When I have to wait I start pacing. I can't wait in lines oh that is one of the worst things. I interrupt constantly but yell at my daughter when she does it. I tap my pencil, click the pen, tap my fingers and move my legs and arms all the time. And I have a really hard time when my daughter talks to me. She is AD/HD too and when she speaks sometimes she tries to talk too fast before thinking about what she wants to say. She starts talking and then keeps saying umm umm and umm and then starts at the beginning again and I am so impatient. And I got up from my seat 3 times for no reason before I even finished writing this. :D So now I'm thinking combined type.

i honestly don't remember how hyper i was as a child, but i think i've calmed down since then.. i still have moments were i get really wired and i still fidget all the time.

i space out a lot. if i have to, can sit in one place for a while and keep myself occupied by just using my imagination.