I know this is a popular thread.

But when I think of medication for ADHD I think of the book A Brave New World. Everyone takes "happy" meds and are completely conformed by society. They stay normal and protected. The greatness of our all of our commonality is this different personality we've been blessed with. It allows us to be spontaneous, passionate, creative, different. Its a type of genius.

Why would you want to normalize you're behavior? This is my dilemma. I clearly have ADHD. I have issues in life but I'm scared to death of becoming a drooling idiot. I might wake up one day and drive a BMW and wear a blue shirt yellow tie and black slacks. Cut my hair to a comfortable buzz cut! Heavens forbid.

Someone who's medicated and therapized please shed some light.

Thanks
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Being medicated allows me to take my time and be observant. I am able to maintain my cool when I want to tell some one not so nice things - being medicated allows to to categorize better therefore I know that a post such as this would do better this section (http://www.addforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=258) because it has nothing to so with needing help navigating or using this site.

Hope this helps shed some light on your ponderance. :)

I wish there were happy drugs for ADHD or ADD, but the truth be known, the many different drugs available are far from perfect. On top of that, the meds effect on each individual can vary greatly. The hope is that through the use of a good ADHD Therapist or an ADHD coach and the proper meds, you can learn how to control your ADHD instead of it controlling you. The rest is up to you. I think everyone retains their individual personalities and you won’t become a drooling idiot. Just stay away from Doctors with last names like Frankenstein, Jeckel, Hyde etc. Oh, I almost forgot the most important thing, visit this forum often. The experience and knowledge in all these threads will help you more than anything. But what do I know, I’m just a drooling idiot with ADD.(lol)

Limbo

In my opinion, this phrase "you can learn how to control your ADHD instead of it controlling you"

can be rewritten as "you can learn to find a different way of medicating."

Whatever you do to control your ADHD, you are medicating. Whether it be by running 3 times around the block really fast 10 times a day, or letting out a scream every morning, noon and evening, setting up a daily 5-minute 'act out to upbeat music in a rubber room" session, or worse, abuse alcohol, sex, food, cigarettes or other drugs.

it's a matter of picking your evil. Meds are much easier and more predictable.

I had to search but here's my stock reply:


I think this is universal among ADDers, for the most part. I do not think meds ever will turn us into anything like a NT, and I do not think that they are meant to. I think that they give us a better shot at functioning in the world that is defined by NTs, but we definitely remain ADHD.

I see so often the fears about what may result if a person decides to take meds or medicate a child (or two, or four).

"Will I lose my creativity?" :eek:

"Will I turn my child into a zombie/robot/doll/etc. if I medicate them?" :eyebrow:

"Will I be like normal people?" :rolleyes:

Creativity, in my experience, remains. I may lose some of of my tendency to fall into hyperfocus, meaning that my output may be reduced. However, my increased ability to focus seems to make my work better, I pay more attention to details that I might have missed previously, catch my errors more easily...these are some of the differences due to medicated states that I have seen in what, in the end, is my own natural creativity. I own that part of my personality and no, it cannot be separated from me and will not vanish when medicated. I am what I am.

Zombies? Robots? DOLLS?? OK first off I think this type of thing is patently impossible, but maybe that's my ADHD brain splitting hairs due to the absurdity of the descriptions offered. IF you or your child have a reaction that is very unusual, that results in a resemblance to one of the options provided or a reasonable facsimile therof (I love that phrase, don't you?) there is something wrong. At this point you discontinue the medication, and call a doctor immediately. This type of reaction may occur, but its certainly not the norm, and probably means what so many of us discover: This medication is not the one for this particular person's body chemistry. That does not mean that this will occur with every ADHD medication that exists. Furthermore, ALL medications carry risks, every last one of them, including those nifty little orange St. Joseph's baby aspirins...remember those? I loved those, they tasted like oranges.

Geez, why do I have these images in my head of people morphing into plastic baby dolls, complete with pacifiers and little bonnets? Must be that quirky ADHD sense of humor, that never changes, on meds or off. I can be zany and random and cut up the same when I am medicated as I do when I am not. Some things you just never lose. I am what I am.

As for the last option...wow. I mean just WOW! "Normal"?? Who are you trying to kid here? I have PI ADHD...what is "normal" for me is too be easily distracted, to tend to space out, to say "HUH?" quite a lot...I have a neurodiversity. I am not abnormal and neither is anybody else with ADHD...

ATTENTION!
THIS MEANS YOU!


(I wish I had a picture of Uncle Sam from those Army posters right here, you know, the one where he points his finger right at you?)



I think what these people are wondering is whether or not, if they medicate themselves, some mysterious switch somewhere will flip from ADHD to NT. This will never, ever happen. Brains do not change (well, they may due to brain damage or disease or...there I go again, seeing all the angles, thinking outside the box) from neurodiverse into neurotypical ever. As in never. Forever and ever, amen.

Besides, that little switch really does not exist you know...except maybe in a another dimension, when the time/space continuum becomes distorted and a black hole suddenly appears somewhere off to the left of Jupiter and...there I go again. Oh well.


I am what I am.

Pretty creative post, huh? I made it medicated.


Think about that....

Everyone takes "happy" meds and are completely conformed by society.

Hopefully I have sufficiently indicated that although I am medicated I am not overly happy. Medications allow me to be tolerable to most carbon based units.

Do medications kill my creativity = no never had any to kill.


expectations and reality can be two very different things.

at one time I expected marriage to be this wonderful union between two individuals who would merge at the soul working together to live happily ever after

PS {try not spew your screen laughing at this one - it only lead to having to get the glass cleaner}

The reality is marriage is a commitment, a lot of hard work and can be a real PIA - you often divide over the check book long before merging at the soul. I am not even sure there is such a thing as happily ever after unless one is dead.

Please file

A Brave New World. Everyone takes "happy" meds and are completely conformed by society.

Under the file titled unrealistic expectations .

I know this is a popular thread.

But when I think of medication for ADHD I think of the book A Brave New World. Everyone takes "happy" meds and are completely conformed by society. They stay normal and protected. The greatness of our all of our commonality is this different personality we've been blessed with. It allows us to be spontaneous, passionate, creative, different. Its a type of genius.

Why would you want to normalize you're behavior? This is my dilemma. I clearly have ADHD. I have issues in life but I'm scared to death of becoming a drooling idiot. I might wake up one day and drive a BMW and wear a blue shirt yellow tie and black slacks. Cut my hair to a comfortable buzz cut! Heavens forbid.

Someone who's medicated and therapized please shed some light.

Thanks
<!-- / message --><!-- controls -->I'd quite like to have the ability to have a white collar job, and drive a BMW :D oh, I look good in black slacks too :p :p

The meds can certainly reduce your creativity..but they positives can out weigh that..after nearly 2 years, I seem to be getting a bit of it back:D

didn't (http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e380/tracyhaddb/pv-1.jpg) work..edit..

If it actually does "kill creativity" it wears off eventually

If it actually does "kill creativity" it wears off eventuallyyeah, it's not so bad with that now...I'm back taking better photos :-)

well, I think so..:D here's one from tonight..can we still do this??:eek: :faint: :p

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e380/tracyhaddb/_MG_2485800.jpg

link works fine for me Tracy...very nice pic.

Maybe you would do better on different medication? People don't seem to have a uniform response to all medications or skills they implement.

I recently read a good book called "100 ideas for teaching creativity".

http://www.amazon.ca/100-Ideas-Teaching-Creativity-Bowkett/dp/0826493173/ref=sr_1_1/702-6157573-6077606?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192208319&sr=8-1


There are methods for bringing it out.

I've had all the "creativity" I can eat for many years. But what do I have to show for it? What good is it to be inventive and creative if I can't turn that worldview into something concrete? I'm a writer and an artist with a tiny body of work, and this is what makes me angry and determined to look for help.

There's a name for fascinating visions and insights that don't do anything, lead anywhere or have any permanence. They're called dreams. I've had enough of the dreams -- lets get to the reality.

Ducky

Right on. I may have painted kind of an over emphasized picture earlier. Hahaa....I tend to do that. But the fundamental issues are the same. Thank you everyone for you're responses.

Thank you Crazy~Feet for you're interesting images.

There's a name for fascinating visions and insights that don't do anything, lead anywhere or have any permanence. They're called dreams. I've had enough of the dreams -- lets get to the reality.


Very well said hollyduck!