Add/adhd...

[Renegade7]

I'm just curious if any parents have kids with ADD or ADHD. I have ADHD, and even though my parents don't know it, I'm not taking the meds now. I can't stand them, but I "have" to take them. It's almost like I'm being looked at like some diseased child or something. Sure my attention span isn't great, and I do get forgetful, but c'mon!!! Again, curious what everyone else has to say about this ADHD thing. I know it's real, but I'm not looking at it as an excuse and I'm not putting any perscription drugs in my body. To hell with it, I'd rather have a 5 second attention span then take that crap anymore.

Any war stories like mine? What do ya'll feel about this?

[Mickalino]

I'm just curious if any parents have kids with ADD or ADHD. I have ADHD, and even though my parents don't know it, I'm not taking the meds now. I can't stand them, but I "have" to take them. It's almost like I'm being looked at like some diseased child or something. Sure my attention span isn't great, and I do get forgetful, but c'mon!!! Again, curious what everyone else has to say about this ADHD thing. I know it's real, but I'm not looking at it as an excuse and I'm not putting any perscription drugs in my body. To hell with it, I'd rather have a 5 second attention span then take that crap anymore.

Any war stories like mine? What do ya'll feel about this?

Have you seen the random topics I post ?

I am the poster-boy for short-attention span.

[Johnny Punani2]

what did you say?

[PleaseBlitz]

I think 90% of the people on this board cant stand it when they lose their keys.

[Major Harris]

what did you say?

i knew that one was coming. :laugh:

[Renegade7]

ya'll are terrible. :laugh:

[JMURedskins]

I'm just curious if any parents have kids with ADD or ADHD. I have ADHD, and even though my parents don't know it, I'm not taking the meds now. I can't stand them, but I "have" to take them. It's almost like I'm being looked at like some diseased child or something. Sure my attention span isn't great, and I do get forgetful, but c'mon!!! Again, curious what everyone else has to say about this ADHD thing. I know it's real, but I'm not looking at it as an excuse and I'm not putting any perscription drugs in my body. To hell with it, I'd rather have a 5 second attention span then take that crap anymore.

Any war stories like mine? What do ya'll feel about this?

I have a lot of attention problems myself. It definitely affects my memory. The worst is that I got away with it in High School, but it has definitely affected my grades in college. I just can't stay focused. I get anxious sitting in the classroom nowadays. I've heard stories about people who don't like having to take medicine for attention problems so I have decided to not make it an issue. I don't want to be dependent on a pill every day. It sucks forgetting things and having trouble staying focused, but I would rather live how I am then take medicine for it. I don't let my parents know about it because I don't want it to be an issue. **** it took me long enough to write this post because I got distracted.

[Slacky McSlackAss]

I was diagnosed with ADHD in 1st grade, went through numerous meds. ritalin, welbutrin, adderal, concerta. ive been off of them for 2 years now and im doin perfectly fine. sometimes i sidetrack but thats expected from a college student so ill take a pill. no biggie, ive got mine under control and am no longer a slave to that god forsaken pill.

[RLeVan]

I think it's an overdiagnosed disease, more like being predisposed to things that bore you to death.

Now there are some people that will start talking to you and suddenly blurt out "hey look, a chicken". Most scenarios like this are just kids being kids. Adults I have to worry about. Human brains aren't fully developed until early to mid twenties. I just don't agree drugging kids up till they are old enough to know better.

[PokerPacker]

damn, the paragraphs you guys write are too damn long, i can't read all that without... hey! a butterfly!

anyways, i've got ADD, and i refuse to take the meds. if you want to get by, you just have to try extra hard. don't let anything distract you for a moment.

[PokerPacker]

I think it's an overdiagnosed disease, more like being predisposed to things that bore you to death.

Now there are some people that will start talking to you and suddenly blurt out "hey look, a chicken". Most scenarios like this are just kids being kids. Adults I have to worry about. Human brains aren't fully developed until early to mid twenties. I just don't agree drugging kids up till they are old enough to know better.

i agree. teachers basically diagnose it, and ask parents to take thier kids to the doctors for the prescription. of course the advantage to the teachers is that they have a drowsy side effect. i'm sure that makes a bunch of 1st graders a little easier to handle.

[Jumbo]

Having a serious discusssion about something like this on a general internet forum is not for me. But if I were in your place and wanted non-professional input, I'd go to one of the numeorus internet sites dedicated to "support chat-rooms" and discussion boards that are populated with parents of those with ADHD, people who have ADHD, and people who work with ADHD. And then still be cautious about making informed choices, and involve professionals in them no matter what opinions, strories, or anecdotal experiences you find. Best wishes.

[#98QBKiller]

damn, the paragraphs you guys write are too damn long, i can't read all that without... hey! a butterfly!

anyways, i've got ADD, and i refuse to take the meds. if you want to get by, you just have to try extra hard. don't let anything distract you for a moment.

:rotflmao: Yeah I know what you mean about those long threads...

[Barney B]

I can only speak for myself, but if they could give me a pill that would improve my quality of life, I'd take the pill. I'll only live once, and I'd like to do it as well as I can. But if the pill didn't help, I wouldn't take it. I might work with my doctor to try to find a pill that did help, but then I'm not you - not the last time I checked, anyway. Good luck either way.

[Spartacus87]

I'm actually seriously contemplating getting tested for ADD/ADHD sometime soon, I don't think I have it badly but I've always felt like I had an issue concentrating. It was one of things I just didn't want to possibly face, but as I've gotten older I feel like it's only gotten worse year by year- just recently I've had A LOT of work to do to finish the semester and I've noticed how easily I get sidetracked when studying for exams or trying to write a paper. I could spend 3 hours in the library and only study for about 30 to maybe 40% of that time, even when I KNOW I need to be working, but instead I find myself doing things like doodling, tracing my pen over letters in my notes, and other dumb things without even realizing it until a few minutes later. Even when I'm on the internet, I've always got about 10 Internet Explorer windows open because I just have to keep looking up new stuff and going to different websites at the same time. I'm not crazy about taking a pill every day, but if there was some treatment to just help me moderate my time better and keep me a little more focused, I'd be all for seeing if it could aid me.

[spanishomelette]

I am opposed to you taking it, but I am not you. I think Jumbo's idea is a good one. Talking through things with a LCSW or psychologist might be good as well, no presciption drugs with them. Or Co-Counseling (Reevaluation Counseling) http://www.rc.org/ is something you might want to look into.

What I'd like to also add is check into any alternatives like chinese herbal medicines, and give alternative medicine a try in general...Look for a clinical or applied kinesiologist, naturopath, chiropractor (or osteopath) that practices naet http://www.naet.com/ allergy elimination..Food allergies are crazy things, I've had them all . Hey, maybe even hypnotherapy is worth researching. Sorry to throw so much out there, but if you want to avoid having to take pills, you might find an alternative that works for you.

[RLeVan]

As you can tell, I'm not a big "drug em up" fan. Put a kid on uppers, no doubt they will have a better attention span, as well as concentration. Just look at undiagnosed ADD/ADHD students in college taking Ritalin. Not sure if Wellbutrin fits into this bill as skinsfan suggested, because as far as I know it's an anti-depressant. My old man is on the stuff, and aside from the fact that you eventually build up a tolerance to it, emotionally he has swings as if he were a drug addict.

Granted, a message board isn't really the best place to seek medical advice but beware of the psychiatrist's that readily prescribe medication.

[Huly]

I am ADD and ADHD. I was not diagnosed till college. Everyone knew I was hyperactive. I only slept an hour a day till I was three years old. I treated my ADD/ADHD with caffeine. You also need to watch your sugars. Everything is opposite with an ADD/ADHD person. Example Nyquil normally puts a person to sleep. With an ADD/ADHD person it will make us hyper. In elementary school and middle school my mom would bring me a glass of un-sweet tea at lunch where I could make it through school the rest of the day. I tried Ritalin in college and it made me feel like a zombie. I hated it so I quit taking it too. You need to learn on your own on how to focus and deal with it.

I can never do one thing at a time. I have to be doing multiple things at once. In high school it was doodling (drove my teachers crazy), doing my homework for that night or writing notes to my friends. By doing this I was able to take in what the teacher said. I am still that way. At work I have multiple things going on at once.

ADD/ADHD is not bad once you learn how to deal with it. It is one of the main reasons I can help plan the ES tailgate. I have never ending energy!

:laugh:

[Mr. S]

i agree. teachers basically diagnose it, and ask parents to take thier kids to the doctors for the prescription. of course the advantage to the teachers is that they have a drowsy side effect. i'm sure that makes a bunch of 1st graders a little easier to handle.

Pretty much. Kids will be kids, and who really did not lose focus in elementary school or even college? It's kinda hard when the class and/or teacher are boring. I don't think I'm ADD/ADHD, but Im sure I could easily be diagnosed just cause I can say I lose focus easily (which I do, I don't care enough so I procrastinate, like right now when I should be working on some take home tests due at 1:30 today). I procrastinate a lot, never do any work 'til the night before it's due, and still don't start until at least 12 at night the night/day of. I also daydream a lot and blank out in class a lot.

I think it is all objective, people just think they have ADD/ADHD based on seeing other people with pills who exhibit similar symptoms. I know there are cases where it is necessary, and I do know people who definitely do need the help. They also do not come off as your typical ADD/ADHD person of being very hyperactive and forgetful. They usually cope well and try to hide it, if not forgetful sometimes. The people I know who claim to be ADD but are similar to me try and give the impression of being hyperactive.

[gchwood]

I think that ADHD is a bunch of crap. I am sure that ADD is legitamate because I have it, but Hyperactivity is just a child that does not want to be stuck in a class room for 8 hours a day, he has some actual energy instead of the child that just wants to sit and play video games all day long. They prescribe Narcotics to make these kids docile and then they wonder what is wrong with kids now with obesity and mental issues. My parents thought I had ADHD and they had me put on this experamental (at that time) drug called Cylert, a class 3 narcotic, the doctor actually tried to suggest to my parents something else. When I was taking that drug, I did not eat hardly at all, and I had hallucinations, as well as night sweats, and chills when it was 100 degrees outside. Due to that drug, I have random episodes of Vertigo and electrical shocks sent through my spine.

The misdiagnosis of hyperactivity can and will be harmful for many children and I fear what may happen to some of these kids, as I know they will have worse symptoms than I did

[Kilmer17]

Diet and Exercise solves 99% of the problems diagnosed as ADD. IMO.

But it's easier for parents to shove a pill down a kids throat and sitting them in front of the idiot box than it is to spend time hiking, riding bikes, playing catch etc etc

[Huly]

Diet and Exercise solves 99% of the problems diagnosed as ADD. IMO.

But it's easier for parents to shove a pill down a kids throat and sitting them in front of the idiot box than it is to spend time hiking, riding bikes, playing catch etc etc

Honey a lot of times people do that but still have issues.

[HailYeah]

I am opposed to you taking it, but I am not you. I think Jumbo's idea is a good one. Talking through things with a LCSW or psychologist might be good as well, no presciption drugs with them. Or Co-Counseling (Reevaluation Counseling) http://www.rc.org/ is something you might want to look into.

What I'd like to also add is check into any alternatives like chinese herbal medicines, and give alternative medicine a try in general...Look for a clinical or applied kinesiologist, naturopath, chiropractor (or osteopath) that practices naet http://www.naet.com/ allergy elimination..Food allergies are crazy things, I've had them all . Hey, maybe even hypnotherapy is worth researching. Sorry to throw so much out there, but if you want to avoid having to take pills, you might find an alternative that works for you.

I agree.

But if you are looking for an anonymous opinon from a stranger on a message board here it is: you are doing the right thing by not taking the drugs. These kinds of amphetamine-drugs dished out from over-diagnosis of ADHD is going to be a huge problem in this country within the next 10 years.

[chomerics]

ADHD/ADD is one most misdiagnosed diseases in the country. I remember reading something like 90% of the people diagnosed with it are not ADHD/ADD. In order to properly diagnose it, you need a spectrogram or an EEG, as it is an abnormality with the brain, I am curious how many of the people who were diagnosed with it actually had a either of these tests. Psychologists often diagnosis the disease without ordering tests to determing if it is actually a PHYSICAL problem or a MENTAL problem. The only TRUE form od ADHD is from a brain scan, and the others are just using it as a all encompasing disorder which hardly gets at the root of the problem.

Again, this is just paraphrasing my interpertation of the disorder and what I have found out through looking up stuff myself.

[DCsportsfan53]

Having a serious discusssion about something like this on a general internet forum is not for me. But if I were in your place and wanted non-professional input, I'd go to one of the numeorus internet sites dedicated to "support chat-rooms" and discussion boards that are populated with parents of those with ADHD, people who have ADHD, and people who work with ADHD. And then still be cautious about making informed choices, and involve professionals in them no matter what opinions, strories, or anecdotal experiences you find. Best wishes.

I think that's part of the problem he's talking about. It's not a freakin disease like many make it out to be. IMO, it's just that some people have different ways of processing information and functioning than others. It's been said before that people with ADD have almost a hunter/gatherer way of working. Short bursts of intense concentration when something is very interesting (ie, hunting something) but that type of personality is not ideal for the way our modern society operates. People with ADD do well in jobs such as being a firefighter because, when inspired, people with ADD are able to hyperfocus and concentrate on things in a way others can't.

I've been diagnosed with ADD and they tried to put me on meds but I didn't like them. All of them gave me unwanted side effects with virtually no benefits. Besides, the drugs like Ritalin are nothing but speed and I don't care what anyone says, I don't think it's healthy to be on speed everyday. When I took Ritalin, I took it on an as needed basis, such as, I have a big test tomorrow, I need to focus while studying.

Oh, also, people build tolerances and addictions to Ritalin-like drugs. I've known people who were put on it at around 7 years old and now, in their 20s, can't get through a day without literally 100s of milligrams of Ritalin. It's a drug, just like all other legal and illegal ones, and it should be prescribed with much more care, if it all, imho.

Again, I completely disagree that ADD is some kind of a disease. It's merely and different type of personality and way of processing information. The person with it has to learn how to use the benefits and overcome the limiting factors of this mindset in order to fully participate in modern society because it is not currently set up to cater to that kind of brain functioning.