I am diagnosed with, as my psychiatrist says, "one of the worst cases of ADHD-C I've ever seen." My life is basically one crisis after another, but after 30 years of dealing with it, I'm at a sort of peace.
I will never tell anyone aside from close friends and family that I have ADHD, though. There are simply too many people who claim to have it and it's become a joke. Nobody in the work place would take me seriously. I just take my lumps, I apologize when I mess up, and when I get fired I keep going to the next job.
I don't ever anticipate that I'll be viewed with anything other than general disdain by more normal-minded people, but I'm okay with that. I wish in the future this disorder (which can actually be measured by mapping frontal lobe activity) will be taken seriously so that others aren't resigned to a 'second best' life.
Why resign yourself? Strattera has made an enormous impact on my life. I went from jobless and single to employed, working on finishing up my higher education, and in the happiest relationship of my life so far.
I've been on medication twice, and both times have ended in disaster, even after trying all the available ones. It always works for the first few months but it ends in complete brain fog during waking hours. I'm married and make a decent amount of money so life isn't so bad. I've learned how to cope. I'm just always falling short of where I want to be.
I'm in the inattentive category myself, and Wellbutrin has done wonders in terms of overall concentration as well as reigning in the more irrational, combustive reactions I used to have when faced with adversity.
It actually does! My self-loathing has lowered to manageable levels. It's not a cure all. I still need to practice discipline, but a lot of the negative feelings have been lifted. I had taken Straterra previously, but it made me too sick to function. The wellbutrin, (or whatever the generic version I'm taking) is working well in conjunction with a small dose of Adderall . I also do talk therapy to work out the rest.
Huh. I tried Ritalin as a kid but it only helped a little bit. It did nothing for my energy/hyperactivity but I could at least focus more and my impulsivity wasn't quite so bad.
Strattera ended up working for me, but ONLY after we bumped it up to 100mg/daily.
I wouldn't describe my state of mind as "brain fog" (though I have had days like that, both on and off meds, and they're the worst) - I do notice that my emotions seem a little more muted, whether positive or negative.
I can't tell whether that's a direct effect of the medication, or just the fact that I'm not constantly a whirlwind of disaster that's finally allowing me to stabilize emotionally. Off the Strattera my emotions become much more severe - I can feel a lot happier, but it's more likely that I'll simply feel much worse since I tend to (irrationally) blame myself for not being able to focus and get shit done.
Strattera's been really helpful for me, a real life-changer and no exaggeration. Sorry to hear it didn't work for you.
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u/L_Cpl_Scott_Bukkake May 30 '17
I am diagnosed with, as my psychiatrist says, "one of the worst cases of ADHD-C I've ever seen." My life is basically one crisis after another, but after 30 years of dealing with it, I'm at a sort of peace.
I will never tell anyone aside from close friends and family that I have ADHD, though. There are simply too many people who claim to have it and it's become a joke. Nobody in the work place would take me seriously. I just take my lumps, I apologize when I mess up, and when I get fired I keep going to the next job.
I don't ever anticipate that I'll be viewed with anything other than general disdain by more normal-minded people, but I'm okay with that. I wish in the future this disorder (which can actually be measured by mapping frontal lobe activity) will be taken seriously so that others aren't resigned to a 'second best' life.