New to board - have a few questions?

[Roxy]

Hi All,
I'm so glad I found an adult ADD board (there are so many child ADHD sites when you do a search)

I'm 45 and recently diagnosed. I have a few things I'm just desperate to get someone's opinion on, and I'll try to keep this as short as possible.

Doesn't Ritalin and Adderall effect us differently than the rest of the population?
I've been seeing a doctor who listed ADD as one of his specialties on his website (he listed about 20 others, that should have given me a clue)
Anyway, he's not big on advice – he seems to consider medication trial and error (which I know it is) and kind of leaves it to me to suggest what I'd like to try. I get the feeling that he doesn't put a lot of hope into medication. He calls Adderall and Ritalin 'speed' and when I come back to him with the good and bad effects list he just says "That's just how speed makes everyone feel".
I guess what it is is that he doesn't seem to think these drugs will effect a person with ADD any differently than they do anyone else.
I'd like to hear some opinions on this?

Ritalin and Adderal make some of my problems worse?
I tried Ritalin first. It did give me the jump start to start, and I definitely was able to complete a project (something I have had real problems with)
But my impulsiveness and scattered prioritizing was possibly worse than ever.

I've been on Adderall for 3 days now, and it's basically the same thing.
I guess the only bonus is I find that once I get myself to start a project I dread, I'm able to focus on it much better, but the starting it is nearly impossible.
(I started some work tonight that I should have done on Saturday morning!)

Thanks for any time you can give me to answer some of these questions.
And thanks for having this message board, I can't tell you how relived I am to have found all of you.
Roxy

[sierra]

No personal experience with stimulants. Not a good idea for me for medical reasons.

Both my sprouts wound up on the same stimulant. Concerta. Which is time released ritalin. Not constant release. The equivalent of 5 mg or 7 mg released every 3-4 hours depending on their metabolisms which are different.

Works great for my ADHD/ODD sprout. Doesn't work so good for my ADD sprout. But it's better than anything else for him so far. I'm starting to think he's a very atypical adhder.

[Roxy]

Thanks for responding Sierra.
That it works better for ADHD falls in line with the literature I've read about the stimulant medications.

Ok, well it's almost 3 am and I still can't sleep (the new Adderall) but I guess the good news is that I have spent the night writing reports I need for work this week (as opposed to rearranging furniture or something else just as pointless, that I would ordinarily do!)

It's going to be a l-o-n-g Monday, I have to start work in 3 hours!
What a nightmare this has become.

[Dad2Brooke]

Roxy, welcome aboard. We are so pleased to have you here. This board was a lifeline for me and my family when I first started here. I learn something new and helpful every day.

I don't have ADHD, but my daughter does, and I noticed alot of the same things with the stimulants that Brooke was on.

She is now on Strattera (non stimulant) and doing much better.

I also go to a support group with a good mix of ADHD adults and parents of ADHD kids and practically all of the adults with ADHD are on Strattera, and most are very happy with the results.

Good luck!

[Roxy]

Thanks Ralph,
I wonder if maybe the idea of these stimulants affecting us differently doesn't apply more to people like your son with ADHA, where the stimulant has a more calming effect.
I'm ADD only (cannot focus, etc - but without the energy that goes along with ADHD).
I kind of think that's where I'm running into medication info confusion.

[Roxy]

Ok, I clicked on that before I was finished - haha.

I have found in the last 2 days that if I can keep the dosage fairly low, the Adderall does seem to be helping me. So maybe I'm on the way to a solution.

Thanks,
Roxy

[wifeguy]

cant get straterra in canada

[lionlady]

Hi, welcome!

From what I've read, Ritalin and Adderall are the same medication (methylphenidate). Not really sure WHAT the dif is between the two brand names. I suggest you find a different doctor - one who truly has a CLUE about ADD in adults - this one sounds ignorant to me.

I have ADD, without the hyper part, though I am a high-energy person, I don't have a tough time sitting still.

I've been on Concerta for about 2 years and it has been wonderful. One thing I do know is that if I take it after say, 9:30 or 10 in the morning then I have a TERRIBLE time getting to sleep at night.

Don't stress too much about not having found the right med yet... it may be that only your dosage needs to be tweaked.