I managed to never notice this thread until yesterday. It speaks to me, as I've had non-hyperactive ADD my whole life, but I wasn't diagnosed til I was about 21 (I'm 41 now) but it was plain as day when I was finally diagnosed. In things like my teachers' comments you could see the same comments all the way from third grade through the end of high school.
First course of treatment was Ritalin (noooo thanks!), then Adderal (not as bad as Ritalin, but no thanks anyway) and finally Welbutrin (150SR). Supplemented with therapy. This worked pretty well for me for some years. Tapered off of meds because eventually seemed like they weren't doing much. Picked the Welbutrin back up again somewhere in my early 30s for a couple of years, stopped for the same reason. Tried again a couple of years ago, couldn't honestly notice much benefit.
Cold meds sure do clear my mind. (My doctor told me years ago it was the antihistamines).
Trying to stay focused on anything kills me. Most of the time. Especially lots of boring stuff, like work. I feel wildly unproductive at work, though for some reason my boss considers me productive. Imagine what he'd think if *I* thought I was!
This condition hurts me even with the stuff I do for fun - e.g. my car projects take years, one of my bikes has been lazing in the work stand for six months, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Kontak
Yes. The focus part. Deep memory access can probably be stated better as clarity of thought.
It's easier to perform a linear set of not so exciting tasks without the distraction of "Oh, look, a squirrel" pulling you off task. The squirrel is always there though. With the stimulant, you are better able to assess the consequence of your actions. The downside of getting side tracked.
With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the impact is different on the "H" part. It (meds) changes the person to introvert from life of the party. Better for keeping your job but almost like a micro lobotomy.
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