I’m a late diagnosed 24f (diagnosed as of last year), and recently started taking Adderal 20mg IR for a month now. I took it a few years ago before being diagnosed but stopped taking it. Anyway, I have experience with it, so I know I may need to increase my dosage at some point. As of right now, I am still struggling to maintain productivity for the right things. I’ll find myself getting things done around the house, but then it’s messy again by the end of the night. Then I spend so much time on that, that I’ve noticed I didn’t get any school/job work done. My job is virtual so I have to be very disciplined with sitting down and getting my shit done. To say I’m falling behind is an understatement. We won’t even get started on the college part. I’ve tried all of the planners, even the ones you pay for. Sticky notes, coffee, body doubling. So please, if you have anything that works for you, share it with me! Thanks so much 🩷

Is there a routines/habits app with an ai component where I can talk or type out a brain dump of all the stuff I need to do and it builds a routine for me that I can then customize?

I know about Goblin Tools but I wasn’t something more designed to be saved and used long term. And that one is great for generating a list when you don’t know what to do, but I have a list of things in my head and just want to dump them into a routines app.

I always get stuck trying new apps because of how long it takes to add things so I just give up.

TIA!

Psychiatrists say that everything that happens to me is due to ADHD, they say that ADHD affects my personality, I am very rigid, intolerant, I do not tolerate frustration, and I have a lot of hostility towards the world, I do not empathize at all with people, I only think about myself, in what I want, I do not like to share, my mother complains about my greed and selfishness towards her and others, but I do not care, I am fine being this way, morally I am twisted, I behave well because I understand the consequences of acting wrong, but I have the desire to physically harm certain people as a way of challenging their people to show that they will not even be able to know who I am because they lack power, I like it when others do what I cannot do, it is seen very rarely but it has happened. I am someone who when he wants his way above all else, I refuse to cooperate, I refuse to give in to threats, I refuse to accept consequences, I refuse to respect limits, and I blame others if something happens to me, I've seen people like me and they are hated, I've seen them end up dead or injured for going too far with others, and I want to prove that not even the devil can touch me or see me if I fuck with him, when someone heavier than me threatens me and makes me give in it makes me feel very resentful and want to get revenge with violence, people like me should have the green light to do what they have to do.

I am currently on the max dosis of Dexamfetamine, it makes me feel like Thanos from Squid Game:

Positive: I have endless energy and optimism. I am concentrated and focussed, I multitask constantly. I am friendly, funny and have no anxiety and fear, nor hate towards my self. I am confident and am willing to do even the most obnoxious chores and tasks I normally avoid when I dont take my meds.

Negative: I am extremely hyperactive, motormouth, cottonmouth, I overwhelm people socially, especially family, friends and coworkers that have not had their morning coffee yet. I move and fidget to an insane degree and have no rest in my body, I cant even take a break or a nap. The moment my medication runs out after 14+/- hours I get super tired and my jaw and frontal lobe hurt like crazy. The worst is my heartrate spiking the entire day.

My doctor is like "sounds good" but I dunno what to do. Ive tried all other medication and this is the only one that does not kill me, shall I continue?

I‘m currently working on a job application. To me those kind of tasks are very tiring. It‘s not like hard cognitive work, but it‘s going over the stuff again and again, because I know I tend to make many little mistakes, which need to be rectified. And after only like 10 minutes of working on it, I‘m exhausted… Together with the high cost of starting to work on something, I tend to just put it off until the last minute.

I know taking breaks can help, but then after a break I have to start all over again, and that once again takes a lot of energy. So once I‘m working on it I try to just get it all done.

Now my questions: Do you experience this? What helps you deal with it?

I’ve tried a lot of tools over the years to manage overwhelm and emotional dysregulation — from breathwork and mindfulness to nervous system resets. Some really helped, some didn't. Lately, I’ve been focusing on simple, body-based practices that feel more ADHD-friendly — and they’ve helped a lot. But I’m still curious:

What’s actually worked for you in a real, lasting way? What didn't work and why? And what tends to get in the way of using the things you know are helpful?

Would love to hear your experience — I think we can learn something from each other here.

According to the scientific literature, those with ADHD are nearly three times more likely to develop dementia than the general population. I’m only 21 years old, yet I think about that statistic almost everyday. The thought of loosing my mind scares me so much more than the thought of dying. I’m not exactly sure why, but it probably has something to do with witnessing my grandmother slowly die from Alzheimer’s disease, seeing how much my aunt suffers from her schizophrenia, and the time I spent working in nursing home and being physically, sexually, and verbally assaulted by elders with dementia as a teenager, as well as seeing the suffering of those elders. I’ve made peace with the fact that I will die one day, but my only hope is that day will come before the day I loose my mind. I want to spend my last few years of life conscious of my reality and in control of my mind, not slowly wasting away while my neuron’s degenerate and my mind deteriorates until I can no longer recognize myself in the mirror. Until I’m betrayed by my own mind and forced to spit in the face of my own morals by harming a loved one or caretaker. As if my ADHD hasn’t caused and will continue to cause me enough suffering in this life. Such a significant increase in risk of developing dementia just feels like rubbing salt in the wound. I’m not suicidal, but I think I would seriously consider ending things at some point during the early stages of dementia if I develop it one day. It wouldn’t be a choice made out of despair or fear. It would be a choice made out of love for myself and the life I lived, and perhaps what’s even more significant, it would be a choice I would get to make.

Anyone else a bit paranoid about developing dementia? Or how do you reconcile with the possibility of developing it one day?

I was referred to official diagnosis should be diagnosed within two months after receiving unofficial diagnosis.

Anyway, please help me. I can’t keep a job. In 7 years I’ve been unemployed for the most part and had 14 jobs.

I can’t keep them for more than three weeks. My lowest point was yesterday. I went into the shop called farm foods. I walked through the store and it was very dirty. I had to do my training in the back office and in the back office there was tobacco on the sides mould on the floor and my uniform had someone’s dirty slippers on it. I lasted 1 hour and 30 mins didn’t even try the actual job because I knew I wouldn’t like it. So I said I’m sorry I can’t do this and went after just 1hr and a half. Now the problem is I’m married so this just doesn’t affect me it affects my wife aswell who is so good but I made her cry because I need a job and need money but I have never kept a job. I am doing barbering which I love (think i don’t love it as much as the first 6 months but I think it’s something I’ll do forever, it’s just I’m not good enough to get paid yet) I have like £600 I need to pay off and the stress is overwhelming. I struggle with long hours so that job I did yesterday I negotiated only four hour shifts and in that time I was daydreaming had songs running through my head the whole time and I just couldn’t focus on the boring training videos.

Am I screwed for life ? How do I work around this? I feel like a failure!

I also feel what if it’s not ADHD and I’m just lazy and useless.

Thank you for listening

When I was a kid I pressed the pencil into the paper so hard that graphite crumbs would come off the tip and my fingers would bruise. And this continued for a long time. I grew up playing violin and my teacher always told me i’m squeezing so hard that i can’t properly shift from one position to another. I was diagnosed with tendinitis as a teenager and had to undergo physical therapy and I thought it was just from playing violin with bad technique. And it was, but I don’t think that’s the whole story.

Now that I have an ADHD diagnosis, I recognize that part of that has to do with fine motor skills. I do wonder if there were other things I was doing that were exacerbating my poor arm health.

For instance, squeezing and pressing my pencil very hard would certainly have affected the health of my tendons. Using enough pressure to get a good tone from the violin doesn’t mean pressing all the way down all the time with no release… and yet I couldn’t break that habit for many years and as a result I hurt myself. Or holding too tightly a video game controller as I was known to do as well. But that was the way I learned to do those things and so when I finally came around to unlearning them many years later, it was very difficult.

So, fellow ADHD friends, do you experience any physical pain from habits that you think could stem from ADHD? If so, what is it? Have you been able to manage the pain? If yes then how?

My son has ADHD and is prescribed 30 MG of methylphenidate. I give it to him every morning before school and by the time he gets home it’s already leaving his system. I know the common side effects are reduced appetite which I have seen. He mentioned having headaches, and I associated it with hunger headaches, and began packing him lunch for school. He’s been on this medication for a couple of years and everything has been fine; he’s been doing well in school. We had a recent doctors appointment, and he didn’t mention anything he said he was fine.

This weekend, he left with his dad, and I get a call from my son. He’s telling me that the medication I give him everyday is making him see things. The way the conversation was weird as he sounded coached. I’m asking him when did it start happening and what is he seeing. He says that it’s been happening for a while. I asked him why he didn’t say anything when we went to the doctor. His excuse was “ I didn’t see it at the time”. I’m not gonna lie I’m kind of getting frustrated because it’s not the first time that his dad has tried to convince me to get my son off the medication. His dad has ADHD and was over medicated as a child. I for one monitor the medication and follow up with the neurologist on what I think is an appropriate dose. Regardless, I felt bad and apologized to my son for dismissing how he felt. He said he was seeing figures and faces. I looked up the side effects and it says that it can rarely happen.

I called the doctor today and I was told I would get a call back. My parents are trying to tell me to take him off the medication. This has been a constant battle with my parents and his dad. I just feel that what I do is never good enough. I just want to know if anyone else has experienced hallucinations with this medication?

Hi! I was wondering what everyone was using in terms of productivity tracking apps? I’ve used ticktick, but I don’t like that there’s no free trial for full functionality, and a 30€ investment seems like a lot for uncertainty.

I’m mostly curious about an app that lets me log the activities and the time I spent on them during the day instead of forming daily habits etc.

If it’s gamified or contains a pomodoro style timer even better.

Curious to hear if you are motivated by money or passion, and what your occupation is.

Feel free to go into detail about how you got there, what made you realize it, or if you’re feeling stuck,, etc.

Personally, I was raised by money driven parents, but I always just wanted to be a pop star for the performance and expression sake lol. I listened to them and pursued a corporate job—which isn’t going too great. The social politics are kind of hard to handle. I’m wondering if this is a hidden symptom of ADHD. I’m constantly told to play up the niceties but I’m really just trying to get through my day and the million spreadsheets and email managing I’m doing. It’s not that I spend money like crazy or don’t know how to manage it. I’m just kind of find how I am? I have a lack of fulfillment and really have a hard time getting anything done because of it. My ADHD co-worker feels the same way.

My buddy said he clocked 12 hours at his basically sweatshop job—VOLUNTARILY. And he’s going on his day off again. When I asked him why, he said, “Money, bro.”

I'm going through the ADHD evaluation process since December last year and have been drug tested in January. I had a long interview this week, a couple more forms to fill out and another interview next week. Hopefully the process is coming to an end. I just saw a post by someone on this forum that they are getting randomly called for a drug screening test with only 24 hours to comply and to bring the pills for a count to make sure they are not selling them. Is this something to expect?

Hi all. The methylphenidate classes seem to make me super relaxed and kind of sleepy but my mind is still all over the place.

For those that experienced a similar thing. Was there ever a thresholds of doseage that once you crossed it; then the meds began to increase attentiveness and focus? Or was it just a steady increase in sedation ?

Hey. I'm just curious to hear if anyone had positive experience with adding Strattera (Atomoxetine) to Concerta or other Methylphenidate formulations in a Combination Therapy approach to address remaining symptoms that aren't sufficiently addressed by a stimulant alone?

• I've been titrating for around 5 months from Elvanse (30,40,50 within 3 months) -> to Ritalin -> then Concerta 72 mg -- which turned out to be my most optimal formulation and dose with the most balanced inner state and positive effects.
• I've been experiencing and noticing quite good benefits and improvements on Concerta 72 mg with basically zero side effects -- except my Emotional Dysregulation and Executive Dysfunction have not been addressed sufficiently, but rather slightly improved (Concerta 36 and 54 mg in fact caused more side effects than 72 mg).
• My doc agreed to try Combo Therapy and augmenting Concerta with Atomoxetine per my initiative. My introductory Atomoxetine titration schedule is: 3 days 10 mg, 5 days 20 mg, 5 days 30 mg.

I'd really appreciate if you shared your experience or feedback about adding Strattera (Atomoxetine) to Concerta:

1. Dosing increase intervals and schedule?
2. Any side effects or what to expect and look out for? Tips to avoid side effects?
3. How long it took for you to feel the improvement? How have your symptoms and quality of life improved vs stimulant alone?
4. Did you have to lower your Concerta/Stimulant dose after reaching optimal Atomoxetine dosage? Why and when did you or your doc decide to lower Concerta?
5. Any insights or learnings from taking Concerta+Atomoxetin that might be helpful for

Thanks!

I know this is probably the millionth time someone has gone on here to talk about the life-changing effects of ADHD meds. And I’m going to be the millionth and one, lock in.

The whole ‘it’s so quiet’ thing never made sense to me, but now I get it. It’s like, a stillness? And not an uncomfortable one. I’ve never felt comfortably still — ever. I just finished my late work for ALL my classes in like 3 hours. Like, I single-handedly fixed all my failing grades overnight. I probably shouldn’t expect to be doing that all the time. But the fact that I managed it without feeling completely dead? The fact that I managed it at ALL? This is all so incredibly surreal.

I don’t think I ever realized the sheer amount of energy that gets sucked out of me every time I even THINK about doing something. It could be something I enjoy, it literally would not matter. And now, boom, I can sit down and not worry about not going back to what I was doing because just doing feels so much easier. The barrier of dread and resistance is just gone. So’s the anxiety, which I didn’t expect with a stimulant.

Have you ever seen Into The Woods? There’s this line: “Careful the tale you tell, that is the spell”. I’ve been under this spell of guilt and borderline self-hatred for years. And now, it’s suddenly gone. Probably because I realized that realistically, I’m not to blame for virtually every problem in my life. You have no idea how much good that’s going to do for my mental health.

Will the crash be crazy? Most definitely. But now my brain can’t say that I’m just lazy or victimizing myself. So I think it’s been plenty worth it. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

I’ve been experiencing a TON of stress and normally I am someone who loves to eat.. I know I’m not eating hardly anything bc of the stress. Here’s the kicker. Food I usually eat doesn’t taste the same, I’m getting zero enjoyment. It’s feeling more like a chore. The only thing I can eat and not think this is boring or this isn’t it. Are bagel bites. Idk what it is my mind doesn’t have anything to say about em. So bagel bites it Anyways, I know that when people with ADHD get stressed out it can be bad for various reasons.. but I guess my question is anybody else here when they get stressed out Do you tend to only eat one type of food or what do you do? Does it affect your food intake?

I started writing “Done” lists instead of “To Do” lists and it radically increased my productivity.

Instead of writing down the tasks I need to do, I write down the tasks I’ve completed, no matter how big or small. The more I can add, the better. Doing this helps me to feel accomplished and self-assured that I can be productive, whereas if I don’t complete everything on my “To Do” list I feel like a failure and it halts my productivity.

When I'm off my meds, I feel much more edgy, pragmatic and jerk in general. It's almost as if I lose connection to my emotions, but isn't the opposite supposed to happen? Is it my real personality?

I rest uneasy knowing that if I stop taking meds, I'll turn into a much worse version of myself.

Hey guys, I just wanted to share my current problem and maybe get some additional insight.

I havent had a real "friend" in an incredibly long time. Last i can remember i had any sort of connection with someone was in middle school. I have had some online friendships but It didnt really feel like anything. So fragile and easily broken over a few time lapses in communication.

I think I have finally made a connection between why and how this is happening.. and its sort of embarassing. Knowing this is only halfway, however, and fixing it is going to take a lot longer.

I believe I have spent my whole life mistaking my feelings of connection with infatuation/obsession. I have spent a lot of time, anxiety and energy avoiding this feeling, because it felt wrong. When i did go with it, i took it only at a romantic/sexual level and most times I would end up ruining what could have been a friendship. I only realized this recently.

Such a simple mistake makes me reflect on missed opportunities and mistakes. I didnt feel an immediate romantic attachment for these individuals, rather, I wanted to get to know them and felt like maybe they could understand me.

I dealt with feeling misunderstood for so long because i was distancing myself out of fear of being too obsessive... and now I dont even know how to approach or behave someone im interested in. It feels like im a child compared to the social skills and abilities others have.

I guess ill ask: Where do i even start recovering from this? Am i even right in this assumption? Im coming to realize i am more emotionally driven than I thought, and my anxiety is the only thing keeping that in check... So I dont even know how to advance. I starve so much for a connection and the feeling of that is just building and making it harder. ADHD and anxiety makes my thoughts race and take over all my ability to act.

Thanks for reading.

Been noticing these times that im picky regarding certain foods, every since I was a kid i was always highly picky when it came to chicken with bones, i just cant wrap my mind around eating it, it makes me wanna puke, its not that i dont like chicken but i only like certain parts, like chicken breast (i buy it without bone) and nuggets which doesnt have bones and when it came to fat on meat i also dont like it, when im eating red meat and i bite on a chunk of fat i just feel the urge to puke, but my family just cant understand it, im also very repulsed when it cames to fish, cuz some of them smell bad when cooking and i hate the smell, is it normal having adhd and being picky?

What are your safe foods? What’s easy for you to eat even when you don’t want to? I want all the suggestions and advice and even questions you might have to give!

Context: I’m on 60mg Vyvanse and struggling with the lack of appetite. At my last doctors appointment I weighed in at a whopping 86lbs (I’m not dying!) and my GP was less then thrilled. I now have to go in every month to get my refill but if I lose any weight she’s pulling me off the meds. I can’t afford to not be medicated because I simply can’t function without them.

I feel like so many ADHD'ers have that random fidget skill they decided to learn one day and ended up loving and fidgeting with it constantly for a month or two. I'd be interested to hear what other people with ADHD have picked up because A: we all love talking about our random skill and B: I'm interested in seeing new stuff to possibly learn! I'll go first.

Zippo's (lighter) and zippo tricks, surprisingly fun to play with and I mess with mine constantly although I don't smoke.

Footbags: super fun to kick around and pretty easy to get a group together to have a fun session

Frisbee's: this is from my friend, but tossing around a frisbee, throwing it too people, and doing tricks.

My partner was asking me a question about whether or not I was going to do a task soon and it made me agitated at first. Instead of reacting to the agitation, I paused and asked if before answering I could do a few things first...

In order, those things were

• Put on sunglasses because it was bright outside even with the blinds closed
• Change into shorts because my legs were hot and it felt uncomfortable
• Close an open door because every so often the wind would cause the latch to bump into the strike
• Close an open window because there was some kind of industrial hum outside that was way too loud
• Put on earplugs in case the noise was still audible in the background

Having done those things, I was able to take a deep sigh of relief, sit down and answer her without being agitated at all. It was effective, but I sure feel like a freak for having to do all this extra stuff just to feel normal and clam and not blow up at my partner for all these exceedingly trivial reasons.

Anybody in this sub who can relate to that? Does anyone pack something like an ADHD emergency kit to bring with them in case this kind of stuff happens outside the house?

It wasn’t until my ADHD diagnosis that I began to loosen the grip of self-hatred.

Acceptance is what started to make things better. Accepting that I might lose things meant I stopped fighting myself, stopped shaming myself.

I was doing okay—until you broke me. What I needed wasn’t more judgment or scolding. I needed therapy, and a lot of compassion.

Compassion and non-judgment create change. Shame and judgment don’t. We’re aiming for progress, not perfection.

Society set us up to fail. People with differences was never part of the standards I were expected to meet. I was never going to be able to explain myself to someone who doesn’t even see the difference.

I’ve spent years in therapy unpacking why I’m being punished for standing up for my son. We both made mistakes—it wasn’t just me.

I don’t see my mistakes as proof I’m broken anymore. I see them as growth. You should too. But instead, you use them to damage my relationship with my child.

Progress comes from self-acceptance, not forcing yourself into a mold that was never meant for you. That’s the real issue—you’re not here to support our family, you’re here to punish me for being different.

Owning my struggles has helped me accept them. That’s done far more good than shame ever did. And yet, these CAFCASS proceedings have forced shame back onto me.

Again: we’re looking for progress, not perfection.

Because compassion and non-judgment will always lead to more change than shame and blame ever could.