I accidentally replied to the comment directly above this, then deleted it. Yup, I have ADHD. Anyways, here is what I said above:
Just commenting on your ways to cope with ADHD. I hate my Adderall, makes me feel like a robot and I get crabby at people for trying to be nice or social with me. I think meditation is an excellent choice. As far as alarms go, my Google calendar is decked out with all of my important deadlines with alarms set to go off. My real preference for treating my ADHD is marijuana. If I smoke just enough of a strong sativa, it helps me level off and allows me to actually focus on one thing. Problem with this is that I have a very very high tolerance, so I don't get very loopy or silly from smoking a few hits. A lot of people get absolutely silly from a little marijuana though, so I could see this method being awful for some people. Figured I'd put in my 2 cents.
Background: my family is rampant with learning disabilities and I have been prescribed to take approx 70mg of amphetamine daily for the last 10 years. Gf is a psychologist and says I have the worst ADHD she has ever seen.
Edit: in true ADHD fashion, I was so absorbed in this thread that I am now late for a med check up at my Dr office for my Adderall.
Hey there! I don't tolerate Ritalin, Adderall, or Concerta, without nasty side effects. But, I have found incredible success with Vyvanse. My god, the difference on the Vyvanse and off couldn't be more stark for me.
Give it a look. If marijuana helps to tamp down some of the problems, I think you might have success with it. I also take a low dose (150 mg) of wellbutrin. The combination of the 40mg Vyvanse and 150mg Wellbutrin is by far the most successful treatment I have found for my ADD in 30 years of medications.
For me, the Wellbutrin is part of the focus side of my treatment. I do have mild depression that is mostly related to the time of year (I live in Western Oregon, we don't see the sun for months at a time).
The come down from Vyvanse is fucking awful. But I take it every day, with no breaks. With other meds, I took them on an "as needed" basis. Vyvanse goes down with my morning cup of coffee or smoothie, every day. I was specifically warned about what could happen if I went off the Vyvanse without preparation (extra depression meds and mood stabilizer).
Not sure what you mean about treating depressive effects of failure caused by ADHD, I never had a total breakdown of functionality. It takes all my energy to function at a minimal level unmedicated. Now, I understand the phrases "normal" and "under control". But like I said, I have made a commitment to take my meds every day (along with a shitton of vitamins and supplements)
Vyvanse without preparation (extra depression meds and mood stabilizer).
Basically whenever I pull an all nighter to try to make up for lost time, but still fail. I'll come off of it too medicated or caffeinated to sleep immediately, and I'll have taken an additional vyvanse at midnight to work overnight, so for about a day after my test I'll have something equivalent to seratonin syndrome or temporary chemical imbalance/chemical depression.
Combine that with failing an exam and its not fun.
Wellbutrin is used off label for ADHD sometimes. I tried it for a while and it made me feel like a raving lunatic. I had energy but no motivation at all. I was depressed and anxious and very very angry all the time. Just saying, it works great for some people but there's a reason it's not a first line treatment. I take Vyvanse now and it's fabulous.
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u/[deleted] May 30 '17 edited Oct 10 '17
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