No drugs,

[sixxdixx]

I have serious ADD and my doctors are always trying to get me to go on ADD medication.
Does it really make that much difference?
I played in bands for years and abused drugs and alcohol for many years, then one day I got sick of feeling sick so I changed my mind and focused on getting healthy. Short story quick I quit everything so, my fear is how are these medications going to make me feel? do they have addictive qualites?

[Asylum]

I've never been successfully medicated for ADD (not by choice) so i'm probably not the one to give you advice (but it seems i am anyway!) but i think medication should very much be a personal choice. You should get all the information you can and trial them if you want, but never feel pressured to be medicated. They're a drug that's hard on the body and i think they should be taken with caution.

[coondude88]

The essential question you have to ask yourself is - do you NEED treatment in order to successfully carry out your day-to-day activities and be a productive and happy individual? If so, medication is definitely the most effective option. Just be aware that the first meds you try may not be the perfect fit for you. Everybody is different, and it takes patience when working with doctors and medicines to find something that works for you.

As for how the medications make you feel, that is an individual issue. Personally, I take a stimulant medication and two antidepressant medicines and suffer no side effects whatsoever. My quality of life is better than it has ever been, and I am finally able to utilize my full potential as a person, largely thanks to prescription medication. Any psychiatric medication can be addictive, but the key is that, if it works, why worry? None of them will be anywhere near as addictive as the alcohol and illicit drugs you used to abuse. Definitely try to find a good doctor that listens and cares, and see what you can do with it. Good luck!

[sixxdixx]

I really like the feeling of being sobor and 100% me. I am curious to see if there are any personality changes? I am also curious about the feeling that I am so tired all the time, will that go away, I feel tired but, I am a million miles an hour according to some.
I hate the thought of being dependant on something other than myself, I guess I seek answers because I want those around me to be happy.

[rd_wnc]

For me the meds make all the difference. I started with Strattera which is a non-stimulant and not addictive (and I can't see why anyone would want to take more). It did help the ADD but for me the side effects weren't worth it.

I know of other people who have had no problem on it. It wasn't a buzz or high of any kind but just allowed me to focus.

I use Adderall XR now which is a stimulant but for me it works better, faster, at a lower dose and with very few side effects as long as I stay hydrated. Also I don't tend to drink as much on this because it doesn't seem to sit as well but I've heard other people on here have the opposite reaction.

Like the previous post said, it's a matter of how much you need to have the meds to function or have the quality of life. For me I'd probably lose my job without them so it's a trade off.

good luck.

[glitznglamour]

yes, they make a big difference in everything in your life. I was scared to take them when diagnosed because I didnt know how they were going to make me feel. When I took them I regret not taking them sooner. I was able to function and get things done. Doctors have told me that I am so text book ADHD and I am hard to treat I was on 30mg of adderall 4 times a day and thats alot. I havent had any side effects so far and I have been on alot of different meds.

[Hobbledehoy]

What I have is a mental illness and would be dead or infected with HIV without medications. And that mental illness is called ADHD.

Are you ADDer's in pain? Does your mind feel like it's on fire? Constant need of stimulation? Maybe there's variations of this disease. Though I have Manic Depression also. And maybe that plays a role in how sh*tty I would feel without these drugs.

I'm on 5 medications and am finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Where there can be maintenance all the way through.

The problem with my manic depression is that I have no pride or sense of worth. So that makes me mono-depressive. But still manic depressive because I can get mad as hell where I overflow depending on the situation. Or super religious. Though they both end in psychosis.

But false pride and ignorant goals I have not, thus I rot in a well of darkness and solitude.

I also have GAD and SAD and suffer from paranoia and obsessive compulsive disorder.

I am not a perfectionist, though I may look like one. I just try to keep up with a world that I am convinced is ahead of me and I take it further than the average person at times.

Though, with all that said, I sometimes fear that I lost my super powers. But I'm thinking that they are only possible in the state of ignorance.

In the past, if I wanted something really bad. I could manifest it based on pure willpower alone. Like Michael Jordan putting the ball in the hoop.

This I would miss. That is, if it's gone.

Many of the most beautiful things in the world are constructed in a state of ignorance. People in the past were told no they couldn't, and they set missions to prove them wrong.

But there's always relapse, recovery, and then self-awareness of affliction.

Most of what I wrote it scattered, I know. But I still want to be a member of these forums which have been beneficial. So if anything in this nonsense is beneficial to you than good occurred.

[Fima]

well dude, when it comes to stimulants, they won't harm(in the right dosage),
if you scared about addiction, then you can be on Ritalin, although scinetology claims its addictive, its not! even not psychologicly, when you decide you quit, you quit!

stimulants makes an big diffrance! I think that you should use it, I haven't used them for 15 years in wich I should, all I got is depression, washed brains, low self confidence and alot of theorys about why everyone should die...

[cynwldkat]

For me personally, when I was taking the stim. medication Dexedrine it was like the difference between night and day in my life. As long as you and your Dr. are aware of your past and you really enjoy being sober/clean I would not think there would be a problem. You will only be given a certain amount of any drug and it should not really get you "high" but actually feeling "normal". At least that is how it worked on me. For me, I felt so tired from my mind working overtime going in so many different directions at the same time and I was still hyperactive even though I felt tired. The medication helped me to focus and turn that energy into a useful direction. I am so looking forward to getting my life back again!! Please hurry up insurance!!

[sixxdixx]

Do you guys and gals who medicate for ADHD see improvements in your relationships with others? or is that not currable by medication? Is that an ADD trait that needs behavioral treatment?

[Goofycook]

I,m 52 years old. Im what you would probaly call exteme ADD or whatever. O was diagnosed at 9 years old. My patents never medicated me. The seventies and early eighties were kind of a blur with good times and bad times. Like you I did staighten out because I like to be in complete control and be able enjoy life to its fullest with a clear head.

About the ADD. They told me I would outgrow it. I never did. A good portion of my life I felt like such a misfit. I thought something was seriously wrong with me cause I never seemed to outgrow, what they called back in the sixties, minimal brain dysfunction. I mentioned it to shrinks and counslers in the seventies and they blew it off. It took me many years to come to grips with the ADD and it is still a constant battle.

A few years ago my neice was diagnosed with inattentive ADD. She had dropped out of college but when she started taking adderal she became a staight A student. Then it was my daughter who started meds. My family started putting the pressure on me to try them. I resisted the drugs for the same reason you did.

I finally gave in when my husband was diagnosed with hep C (a suvinere from the 70's) and in late stages of liver dissease plus I was going through my change of life. I was a emotional wreck and my ADD was at its worst. I gave in and went to my doctor. It hasn't "cured" it but it is a big help. Although I stilled have some of the classic symptons of ADD the adderal does help me focus.

I hpoe this info helps you make a discisoin

Goodluck
The goofycook

[Goofycook]

Yes I am much better around poeple. I dont feel so awkward.

[sixxdixx]

good story goofycook, it helps to some degree, how has it improved your relationships with people on how they precieve you. Do others notice a difference in you with conversation?
here is my biggest problem, when people have conversations with me I can pay attention for maybe 20 seconds, then my mind wonders off to wherever it takes me, People think I am an A-hole because they think I don't care about what they are saying to me when the truth is, I cannot help but to wonder off mentally.

[cynwldkat]

I pretty much drive people around me crazy if they don't know me! I can come off as quite rude but it's not at all intentional. Like you, my attention span is that of a small child. I really would like to hear more of what others have to say and I am sure my memory would greatly improve if I did but without medication it isn't happening. Yes, to answer your question, people did enjoy me a whole lot more when I was on medication. I enjoyed myself more too!

[Vickie]

Meds taken orally at the prescribe doses are not addictive. The doses and routes of administration for abuse are addictive. Someone who really needs the meds to function can be seen as dependent on the meds but this dependence is the same as being dependent on thyroid or other medications that bring the system in to a more "normalized" state.

Everybody is different and responds differently to meds. If you try meds, give them an honest try for the right med and right dose; and if you find that they are not helpful, or have unacceptable side effects, you can stop. There is no commitment, especially with stimulants that are in and out of the body quickly.

Socially: Prior to meds, my youngest would talk too fast and and always be frustrated with people asking her to repeat herself, then she would just give up interacting with them or even participating in the classroom. On meds she talks a little fast but not crazy fast and is more interactive with others and has made some good friends. On meds she does not do all the things that amuse her bored brain and irritates her friends as well. Just to note: My youngest is currently trying a period without meds right now and it is important to see if they are still needed from time to time so the doc and I are supporting this.

The doc says that the meds allow the brain that split second to make a better thought out choice that the random (and not usually appropriate) one that a person with ADHD often makes.

I take meds because I cannot get through my "boring" paperwork job and deal with the demands of my family (hubby and kids) without getting frustrated and shutting down. With meds I get through my work and do not stress all the time about forgetting stuff. I am much more calm and not so tense all the time. And I actually sleep at night now, rather than wake up planning the next day and worrying about what I will forget. Normal organizing tools actually work for me now.