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ADHD thread There is a stigma around talking about mental health and people who suffer from ADHD often feel like their condition isnt as valid or important as say chronic depression, autism or BPD... Like other disorders, ADHD influences how you socialize and function...
...in society and leaving it untreated will inevitably lead to a point where intervention is necessary. (Especially during times of great stress eg. Covid, work problems etc) Iâd like to share some of my observations. First Iâd like to say to those that do not suffer from ADHD:
ADHD feels like having a giant tap of thoughts on full blast splashing through your brain and your brain is a leaky bucket, another metaphor would be that thoughts are like soap and they keep slipping away. Or if your brain was an ocean your thoughts would be a flock of..
seabirds trying to dive into a stormy ocean to fish and drowning. ADHD sufferers struggle to regulate their thoughts, need things to obsessively focus on only to crash and move onto another fix.. an ADHD brain is severely understimulated and craving that spike of dopamine. ...
...Keeping a diary of how you feel when going on ADHD meds and tracking your own behavior is essential to grasping the benefits and sticking with it.
ADHD is usually treated by stimulating the frontal cortex through highly addictive regulated drugs such as amfetamines...
ADHD is usually treated by stimulating the frontal cortex through highly addictive regulated drugs such as amfetamines...
eg. Ritalin, Vyvanse/Elvanse etc which results in the leveling out of the craving for stimulation or just preventing the feeling like youâre running on empty.
When I observe myself on ADHD meds I notice:
- My level of focus is intense and Iâm able to steer my thoughts more
When I observe myself on ADHD meds I notice:
- My level of focus is intense and Iâm able to steer my thoughts more
- Iâm able to park a thought and come back to it later
- Conversations I had months ago with someone dont randomly come back to haunt me (bad combo if you have OCD too)
- I have less/no nervous ticks (shaking legs, hands)
- My brain feels like its not leaking thoughts
- Conversations I had months ago with someone dont randomly come back to haunt me (bad combo if you have OCD too)
- I have less/no nervous ticks (shaking legs, hands)
- My brain feels like its not leaking thoughts
I think of myself as a self-aware person so it comes as a bit of a shock when ppl around me tell me how much of a drastic change theyâve noticed with me on ADHD meds that I myself am not super aware of so I asked them what is different:
According to them I:
- Donât share as many self depricating thoughts
- My eye movement is more stable
- Reactions to things they say are less extreme
- Less erratic
- Im a better listener
There are downsides to the medication and I think its important to share them.
- Donât share as many self depricating thoughts
- My eye movement is more stable
- Reactions to things they say are less extreme
- Less erratic
- Im a better listener
There are downsides to the medication and I think its important to share them.
When I am on ADHD meds:
- My brain is always on, always ready to GO and it can be exhausting having so much brain power... its like the longest lasting coffee high without the crash.. it eases out in the evening (hopefully before bed YMMV.
- I am in problem solving mode the...
- My brain is always on, always ready to GO and it can be exhausting having so much brain power... its like the longest lasting coffee high without the crash.. it eases out in the evening (hopefully before bed YMMV.
- I am in problem solving mode the...
... entire fucking time which is great for work but not always great for relaxation. It is difficult to switch off in the evenings/weekends
- ADHD meds can make anxiety disorders much worse in my case it is gasoline to the OCD fire that is my brain so I take Intuniv which...
- ADHD meds can make anxiety disorders much worse in my case it is gasoline to the OCD fire that is my brain so I take Intuniv which...
... doubles as ADHD and blood pressure lowering medication so Iâm essentially doubling up on ADHD treatment and my heart feels less like its going to explode.
- Stimulants leave the rest of my body cold
- Stimulants leave the rest of my body cold
- Elvanse takes my desire for eating totally away which has been good for losing weight but its not very healthy, I keep forgetting to eat because what even is food 
ADHD sufferers struggle a lot at work and home with listening to people and cant help but speak over them...
ADHD sufferers struggle a lot at work and home with listening to people and cant help but speak over them...
... becsuse they cant hold a thought that is slipping away. They also struggle a lot with emails and documentation because its hard to focus on them and prefer talking to people face to face or look at slideshows. ADHD ppl talk a whole lot and can often drown out others in...
... a meeting. Another common problem is seeking approval / positive reinforcement from your manager because you feel understimulated. New tasks and projects feel exciting then get boring really quickly, causing them to do a lot of task switching to keep things interesting.
Anyways hope that was insightful and educational! Do these patterns remind you of anyone you work with or do you see yourself in these descriptions?
The benefits I experience outweigh the negatives and I honestly feel medicating has saved my life.
Lots of love to ADHD pals
The benefits I experience outweigh the negatives and I honestly feel medicating has saved my life.
Lots of love to ADHD pals
