Attention Deficit Disorder - Medication

[JonsieRB34]

Have any of you been diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, Adult ADD, etc?

If so, what are your thoughts on medication, specifically Concerta vs. Adderol? I'd like to focus the discussion around the medication/treatment.

[Slacky McSlackAss]

I was on ADD medication from age 7-16. Been through them all, from Ritalen to Wellbutrin to Adderall and Concerta. Concerta works best for me, I still take it some times during finals as an aid.

[The 12th Commandment]

I take adderral to fight fatigue because of MS. Of the speed I've tried so far it has the shortest duration and is less jittery than the others. I've also tried provigil - too expensive and made me jittery all day long; vyvanse - too strong kept me up for about 18 hours at a relatively low dose; ritalin - I thought it was similar to adderral in strength and duration but it made my stomache a little touchy so that was the decider.

I do really low doses for most part I'll take a quarter of a 5 mg Adderal and that's good for about 6 hours.

[ACW]

I take Ritalin (2 20mg sustained release in the morning; 1 10mg later in the day; another 10 mg even later) and I'd be lost w/o it.

[Capt. Kaos]

I take Ritalin for Adult ADD and it has made a HUGE difference in my ability to concentrate on everyday tasks that I dread. Being a sales consultant follow up is extremely important and until I started the medication was the single most ignored part of my job because of the redundancy. Now I can sit for hours making follow up calls / emails and I dont even think about it.

[PCS]

I took Ritaline for about 2 years after being diagnosed with AADD a few years ago. Worked wonders for awhile,but my body got used to it. The important thing,to me,is to not rely upon just the medication. Concentrate on the other things as well that help to deal with it. Do the mental exercises,concentrate on task completion,(which is tough line to walk in between multi tasks and hyper focus),keep a day planner,that kind of thing. Be aware of any depression that could be making the ADD worse at times. Those kind of things. I talked to a young lady who has ADHD at the gym a few weeks ago andis in her second year of college. She's taking Adderol,(most I've talked to say this one is the best of the available medications),but only once a day or so. She said that one great thing to do,(if possible),is to get up once an hour and do something a little active. Walk around,anything to get the heart rate up a bit. She said that this can help raise productivity and effeciency in those with ADHD and AADD up to 50%. It helps in regaining the focus when those 1000 thoughts come crashing in. I've tried it and it does help,(obviously a lot of you probably know this already).

I haven't taken Ritaline in about 10 months. Mostly because it had all but lost it's effect. I take a few herbal pills and drink a bit more caffiene during the day. That and the other things I mention help.

[X_RedskinsGirly_X]

i have ADHD

I took Concerta in 2nd grade it kept me up til 1:00 am

Then in 3rd grade we changed To Adderall XR i have been taking that ever since

havent had any problems with Adderall except my weight i never pass 100

Im up till 12AM

You can concentrate better with Adderall

My little brother was just diagnosed with ADD and he taked Ritalin

He doesnt stay focused as long as i do

My body has gotten used to the Adderall since ive taken it for 7 years

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Personally, I'd avoid going for perscription meds right off the bat unless the problem is an emergency.

Try nutritional supplements. A multi-vitamin is definitely a good start. Also certainly have to recommend that you research Ginko Biloba. Have heard great things about it revitalizing focus to a point where you can stop taking it after a while and still feel its effects. Also, look in to supplements that increase seratonin and melatonin (5-htp or trytophan + B6). Relaxing your brain could be the key to gaining more focus.

[Corcaigh]

I'd echo others and suggest you look at alternatives to prescription meds, if possible.

Prescribing long term use of psychiatric drugs is largely a uniquely American phenomenon. Other modern Western countries don't have such a high percentage of their population on these meds.

[gbear]

Like KAO, I take adderall in part for fatigue from MS.

Of course my inability to stay on track argues pretty strongly for the ADD too. I take 10mg extended release.

It works. I wasn't taking the extended release, and I was stuggling by the afternoon every day.

[PCS]

I will say that in comparing a variety of treatments that I've taken so far,the prescription meds have worked the best. So far. As an addendum,I'll say that the somewhat extended goal that I have,is to use them,(should I take them again down the road),on a occasion in unison with the other treatments mentioned. Very long term would be to,obviously,be able to go off them.

[PokerPacker]

I used to take ritaline, but I got tired of taking it quite awhile ago. seriously, why take meth for something that can be taken care of by just putting in the effort to concentrate.

[The Sisko]

I used to take ritaline, but I got tired of taking it quite awhile ago. seriously, why take meth for something that can be taken care of by just putting in the effort to concentrate.

Then you probably didn't have ADD to start with. Trust me, there's a heck of a lot more to it than just effort.

[Huly]

I am ADHD. I tried the meds and hated them so I treat mine with Caffeine. Everything is opposite for ADD or ADHD people. Caffeine helps calm me down and helps me focus. Even non-drowsy meds will knock me out yet Nyquil etc makes me hyper.

Also watch your preservatives and sugars in foods.

[TheGoodBits]

Never diagnosed, but I'm pretty sure I have ADD. When I really needed to study or write a paper last year, my roommate would let me have an Adderall. They worked really well for me.

[ACW]

Then you probably didn't have ADD to start with. Trust me, there's a heck of a lot more to it than just effort.

:yes: It CAN be done with effort, but it's near impossible.

I am ADHD. I tried the meds and hated them so I treat mine with Caffeine. Everything is opposite for ADD or ADHD people. Caffeine helps calm me down and helps me focus. Even non-drowsy meds will knock me out yet Nyquil etc makes me hyper.

Also watch your preservatives and sugars in foods.

:yes: Ritalin's a stimulant-part of your brain is UNDERstimulated.

[Burgundy Burner]

I was thinking someone would be in this thread and mention MS and adderall. My doctors have chosen the natural route and it seems to work for me. Technically, I'm in remission - but there are still some times of general fatigue and a small increase in my naturals seem to work.

[Tennessee Ed]

I'm not a doctor, so take this with a grain of salt. Monitor your diet very carefully. Make sure you are eating right. Sugar,salt,coffee,soda,can all effect your metabolism. You don't mention your age. Or how you were diagnosed.

If a GP looked at me. Took my blood pressure,temperature, and said "you have ADD or ADHD", I would find another Doctor.

Good Luck.

[techboy]

The best advice is not to take advice on something this important from people on a message board. Talk to a professional. If you're not comfortable with what he or she says, get a second or third opinion as needed.

My second piece of advice is to ignore the various outraged posts that will follow, responding to mine, giving various reasons that anecdotal discussions have any relevance when discussing something like medication. That's what I intend to do.

[hp703]

Never diagnosed, but I'm pretty sure I have ADD. When I really needed to study or write a paper last year, my roommate would let me have an Adderall. They worked really well for me.

I've never been diagnosed but I'm pretty positive that I do have some form of it, but my question is how do you really go about getting yourself Adderole. Something like that would has proven before to help my focus and attention

[JonsieRB34]

The best advice is not to take advice on something this important from people on a message board. Talk to a professional. If you're not comfortable with what he or she says, get a second or third opinion as needed.

My second piece of advice is to ignore the various outraged posts that will follow, responding to mine, giving various reasons that anecdotal discussions have any relevance when discussing something like medication. That's what I intend to do.

For clarification, I'm not using this messageboard as a decision making body for a controlled substance. In fact, I'm smart enough to realize that an MD that took pharmacology would understand the impacts of medication better than your average skins fan. There has been value, though, in the input provided so far.