Both my daughter and I have ADD and I know we had to get it from somewhere. I'm pretty sure it's my side of the family. Both of my parents seem to have learning impairments yet they both have held very responsible positions and my father was an electrical engineer, extremely intelligent. Neither of them were ever diagnosed with anything but my father is super slow to catch onto things. Once he does he's great and intelligence wise he's way above most people I know. He never stops moving. He always has to be doing something, but when he is tired he crashes.

My mother is the complete opposite of my father and seems to always have low energy. She also has told me that she herself has struggled in different areas in her life with being slow to pick things up, yet she has held jobs and positions with leadership and huge responsibilities. She tells me how she has always had to hide the fact that she was slower then others to learn things and no one knew. Now that she is older and retired she is so listless and has lack of appetite and energy. She has a thyroid problem with a very slight heart condition but is on medication. Everything else in her body has been checked and no one can seem to find out why she has no energy and feels weak all the time and has no ambition at all. The only place she hasn't been is to a neurologist. I guess that has to be the next stop.

I have read that ADD, especially undiagnosed, gets worse as you get older. Is it possible this could be part of her problem?? I'm just really concerned. Most women I know that are her age(mid 60's) are very active and she is like an 80 year old woman. Very strange and disenheartening. Any advice and/or suggestions are very welcome. Dee

It is entirely possible that she has ADD... would she be willing to go check herself out with a professional?

She will admit she has a problem with learning things slowly but I don't think she is willing to use the term ADD. I think she even questions it's true existence. What I am hoping is that we can get her to see a neurologist and it will be pointed out there. I am going to really try to get her to go. I was bugging her again today about it. I know one thing for sure, I do not want to be in the condition she is in at 64 when I am that age. I'm hoping we can find out soon what is going on with her. I so much want to see her with energy and ambition and back to normal. I'm going to give her a book I am reading called "Attention Deficit Disorder in Adults" by Lyn Weiss. I told her I think she'll be surprised at what she finds out. I know she'll see things in there that remind her of my childhood and maybe even her own. Maybe this will prompt her too to get to the right Doctor.
Wish me luck. Dee

You might want to check out the questionaires found on the website:
http://www.amenclinic.com
Maybe this is a good way to proceed - have her fill one out and see what it says.
It wouldn't surprise me is she did have it - my mother sounds very much like yours and I think I get it from her.
Good luck
Greg

As I have pointed out elsewhere, I am 63 and just got diagnosed in the late fall 2003. I don't have any children, but I did (natch) have parents. My mother was hyperactive to a very disordered degree, and drove most "normal" people around her to distraction with her "plate-spinning" behaviour. When she was tired, she also crashed. As for ADHD, I think I "got it" from my mother. My father was the long-suffering husband and father to a highly-wired, scatterbrained kid.

At 63 I am still pretty sharp. I am very creative and intellectually curious, but I get tired more easily than I did even a year ago. My HD is mostly in my imagination now. I don't think of myself as old, and not many of my friends do, either. I think of the sixties as the time that some of us start to wear out physically, but not necessarily emotionally or intellectually. I say this as I look around at my age mates.

Maybe your father is the key. I wouldn't be too quick to go for an ADD diagnosis for your mom without seeing a professional. Check on line in the same subject areas as we ADD-ers on these foums visit, and assist your mother in taking the AMEN test if she is willing. Invite your dad to try it, too.

Also look at neurological sites on line. There are screening tests in those areas, too, and a screening in person with a neurologist may shed some light on the issues affecting you and your family.

Good luck. Being informed is better than not knowing.

Thanks SOOO much guys for the suggestion for my parents to take the test, great idea. I just hope I can get them to take it. I might write the questions down and tell them it's a kind of brain function test without using the word ADD. They come from the old school where you tend to deny there is a problem. It will be most interesting to see how they answer the questions. Thanks again for your replies. Really appreciate it. Have a great weekend :). Dee

As I am very lazy when it comes to typing so I have created a welcome page and ADDed a link here to get you there

My Welcome Page (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3345)

Garry

I know that ADD is hereditary..I got it from my Mother and Bipolar from my Grandmother on moms side. Back in the days, I don't think ADD was even heard of and not treated. My Mom had the same problems as I as a child. I can only imagine that it was harder for her cause it went untreated.

Come to think of it, my Mom's mom was kind of neurotic about things and got hysterical over things very easily. She never knew how to sit down until she was completely exhausted. This weekend I'm going to find a way to get my parents to take the test without the mention of ADD. My father is very sensitive about his being slow to catch on to things and getting projects completed in a timely manner. Just the mention of ADD would set him off. I hate to be sneaky but I think this is the only way I can see how they do on the AMEN test.

And Gary, thanks for the welcome and the info. :) Dee

OK complete hersay but I have heard ADD does tend to follow a mother's blood line and my family would prove it to be correct lol.

I'm ADHD diagnosed later in life myself and two of my children are also ADHD. But, as I said completly hersay.

Another thing you need to look at is thyroid,,,I work in long term care and have found that anyone suffering from a thyroid disorder tend to be more tired,,,then you add on the heart condition which also makes us feel tired and worn out and then med side effects. I would suggest you do not ignore these conditions in your research it could be a combination of thing's that can be dealt with to help your mother feel better.

Good luck and best wishes
Cherity

Cherity, thanks for the thyroid note. You are the second person to mention this, and it's a good idea. My older sister and mother were diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was a kid, but I never was even tested.

It is hereditary and should be something you look into Ace as thyroid problems not only make you extremely tired; but, also link into your memory and performance. You cannot function at top notch when your body is using so much energy to compansate for a illness.

If she does have AD/HD and has gone through life indiagnosed there is a good chance she also suffer from depression. It's no wonder she is so down.

In addition to the book you mentioned and the other resources suggested you maybe also think about audio book and tapes since. Sari Solden's bool Women with ADD is availbe on Cassette.

My Mother may really appreciate the tapes and she may get through them faster then a book. She's been checked for everything else except her head and that could be part of the problem besides the thyroid and slight heart condition. I just don't want her to have to live the rest of her days feeling like she feels. I'm just going to have to be a pain in the neck daughter and bug her until she gets the right help from the right doctor. I think educating her with some of the info you have told me about is a start. Thanks so much for your advice and info. I really appreciate it :) Dee

Hi,
FYI... about 80% of ADHD is genetic/inherited, with the other approx 20-25% acquired.You can acquire it at any time in life thru head trauma, toxicity, as well as chemotherapy( but what % of those patients are diagnosed with ADHD I don't know).

The acquired type is harder to treat with stimulants(don't respond as well),

The other point I wanted to make is about SCT or Sluggish Cognitive Tempo.That's Russell Barkley's term for the Inattentive type alone( or the old ADD).

Take care.

mctavish23(Robert)

Tara is well versed on that ( and pretty much everything else):)

Hey mctavish

long time no see

i am fairly certain that my mother was ADD based on my imediate family and the offspring of my brothers and sisters.

we had another thread somewhere in history where we dicussed head injury and the results of the injury could give the look alike symptoms of ADD

ADD being a very generic title for a lot of symptoms that take a person away from what is considered normal in todays society.

This was just a comment for the sake of typing and saying hello

Hi,
I'd like to say that having had hypothyroidism for 29 years and not being adequately treated until about 4 years ago, I'd say to make sure her thyroid is adequately treated. Most people do best with TSH between 1 and 2 although alot of tests still say up to 5 is normal. It may not be normal for your mother. Also if she's taking Synthroid and her body isn't converting enough T4 to T3 it can still cause a problem. So try to get the doctor to test her T4 and T3 as well as TSH. (If she's taking estrogen, it's best to test the free numbers, free T3, free T4, rather than total T3 and total T4.)
I think someone else mentioned depression, which could be the cause. (Having low T3 can cause depression.) If her T3 is below the upper third of the range, she could try adding no more than 200 mcg. of selenium to her vitamin regimen to see if that helps convert T4 to T3. Or she could try to get the doctor to let her try Armour Thyroid. Synthroid only has T4, whereas Armour has all 4 thyroid hormones.
Another problem could be the female hormones: estrogen, progesterone, and even testosterone. Low testosterone can cause depression and low motivation. There are some questionaires on the Internet to give you an idea what's going on with these hormones.
Then again, there's the ADD. The test would be a good idea if she's receptive.
Good luck!
Linda in Va.

I think my Mom was on on Synthroid and they took her off of it because it wasn't working right and she was getting sick. I'm not sure which one she is on right now. I think you could be right about the T3. I have read about that myself. My mother claims to be going to the best doctor but I really wonder about that and if her levels of T3 and T4 may be off causing her to be depressed and lathargic. I will suggest Armour Thyroid to her to mention to her doctor. She had a hysterectomy about 10 years ago but has never taken estrogen. I will also look into those questionaires and show them to my Mom. Thanks a bunch Linda and Robert too for the info. I'll keep posting. Have a great week. :)Dee

Dee,
You are so welcome! I hope you can get her some help. Beware there's still alot of doctors prejudiced against Armour. They want to claim it's unstable from one batch to another. The truth is it's much improved and the very same thing can happen with Synthroid but they don't complain about it. Hmmm... Makes you wonder... Anyway, if you could go to Mary Shomon's website at about.com you can get loads of great thyroid info. I don't recall the addy but you can search it on google.
I'm soon going to be looking into bio-identical hormones for HRT. The pharmacist has to compound it because it's a cream. But it's made from soy and yam somehow to match our natural hormones. With all the studies about the regular hormones causing bad effects, I'm ready to try the bio-identical.
Let us know what happens with your Mom!
Linda in Va.

Thanks Linda,

I'll check out that site. My Mom is suppose to see her Thyroid Specialist soon and I'm hoping a change of medicine may help. Gosh it would be great if Armour is the answer and she just needs to get her T3 and T4 levels adjusted. If I don't like what this doctor says I'm going to see what other doctors in our area specialize in endocrinology and the Thyroid. My Mom is not fond of changing doctors so I'm hoping this one can get her straightened out.

As for the natural hormones, I'm totally with you on that. I believe that the synthetic ones are dangerous and when the time comes I am going with the natural stuff. You might be right too about my Mom's hormone levels causing her to be depressed but she won't take any kind of hormones. Like they say, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink. Especially a stubborn one like my Mom. She'd probably take an anti-depressant before she'd take any hormones. Maybe alittle of that wouldn't hurt. We'll have to see what the doc says. I'll let ya know. Thanks again for the info and have a good night/day. Dee

Dee.
I hope it goes well with your Mom. I can understand her resistance to switching doctors! I've done my share, however, we constantly get fed up with our primary care office and threaten to switch all the time. But so far we haven't. I look forward to hearing what happens.
Linda in Va.

I just talked to my Mom today and she is really unhappy with her condition. She is going in to see the thyroid doctor on March 8th and I will be able to go with her and talk to this doctor. I am going to print up the information from that website you suggested and talk to him about changing medications and focusing on the T3 and T4. My Mom is finally agreeing with me that if things don't improve after this visit we are going to try another doctor she has been told about. She is also FINALLY leaning toward seeing a neurologist. I haven't gotten her to take Dr. Amen's test yet but it's on my list of definite to do's for this week. I am hoping we can get my Mom straightened out and feeling good again soon. Thanks again for all of your advice. I'll keep you posted. Dee

I just recently read a book called The Wisdom of Menopause by Christianne Northrup M.D., and found much good information on this topic. I really feel that much of the recent problems I've encountered with a re-emergence of "severe" ADD symptoms are linked to hormonal changes.
Do you think estrogen/progesterone cycles during reproductive years somehow can act as mood-altering hormones? I feel like I'm 10 yrs old again and it's the only explanation I can come up with.
On the up side, I haven't got the usual complaints of menopause (yet) that all my friends seem to be encountering. Just the ADD!

Dee,
That's great! I'm glad to hear that your mother is receptive to doing whatever it takes to get better. I look forward to hearing how it goes.
Linda in Va.

Citruscat,
Maybe I need to read that book. That's very interesting that the hormones could be playing a role in my (our) problems. That would be wonderful if the bio-identical problems could get rid of the ADD problems. Am I dreaming? LOL
Do I think that estrogen/progesterone cycles could alter mood? I think so.
Thanks for the info.
Linda in Va.

Hi Linda -- I agree. Hope it's that simple. It's not always easy to find a receptive M.D. and a compounding pharmacy. I have a jar of cream given to me by a gal pal who had it mixed for her, but I don't know if it's the right one for me. I used it a few days and my "friend" returned -- not what I expected or wanted!:D
The book is good. I like that she's an M.D., but is open to alternative perspectives.
To tell you the truth, if I didn't have to hold down a responsible job, I think I would just enjoy feeling 10 again! Seems a shame to "fix" it.

Hi, Citruscat,
It would be nice!I hope you can find that receptive MD and compounding pharmacy. I was shocked to find it myself. I didn't think there'd be such in my area. I doubt that cream is the right prescription for you. I'll have to put that book on my list to read!
Good luck!
Linda in Va.

My mother is the complete opposite of my father and seems to always have low energy.
I'm frequently listless and low in mental and physical energy.
But I lead a relatively healthy life - no refined sugars, no fats and protein from semi-skimmed milk only, lots of brown bread, veg and fruit - work out every other day, don't smoke or really drink.
Has to be the ADD, because during the ADD-remission of a cold/fever I am greatly energized - if not a little weaker for the physical malaise.
Apathy and lethargy disappear and nothing's too much effort.
Normally, even speaking can be too much effort - and I try to economise by using the fewest words possible.

As with most (if not all) of you, my ADD is also hereditary. I finally figured out that my mother must have some form of it. Recently, her doctor described her as having "a lot of get up and go for a 72 year old." She has always been physically active, and also obsessive--a tremendous worrier. My father definitely had it too--the primarily inattentive type I have. He was lazy, disorganized, sloppy, probably a daydreamer, lost everything...you know the story.

I also work with someone who must be ADHD (and probably undiagnosed). He is creative, has somewhat of a temper and continuously roams the workplace when he has nothing to do. He is a poor manager--has no direction and no patience with his subordinates. This guy is well into his 60's (or more), and will not retire. I think the prospect of retirement terrifies him--the lack of structure and something to do with his time.