Aa
ADHD info, for those that didn´t know :) - quick guide to ADHD/ADD ;)
I´ve searched and searched, and there isn´t very much that I don´t know about ADHD (at least I thought my shrink all about it, and he know uses it on other patients ;) ). So I thought that I would make a little list over known issues for us that have this curse!
Here goes (numbered casual, and not listed by importance):
1. Sexuality and ADHD.
Most men will have problems getting an erection that will last, especially in the start of a relation. Don´t worry if so, it´s very very common that you need to be completely relaxed and trusting with your partner. At the start you will often have too many thoughts in your head to effectively manage a "hard-on" over time.
2. When you start with ADHD meds be aware that even though you were the one that could drink anything, and much of it and still be more clear in your head than your friends this will change! 2 beers and you´ll almost be drunk.... This is not the combination, but the fact that your brain will function similar to a "normal" one... ADHD makes us very resistand to drugs and alcohol.
3. Its completely normal having issues in a relationship, but remember that most of the time we are the problem, not them. So you have to change and take grip of things..... I do not say that everything is our fault, but you, and you alone can do something with your frustration, don´t expect that the world will change for you (would be great though)!
4. Many of our meds are similar to eachother, but if you feel that it doesn´t work as you hoped for try another.
5. If you start getting irritated, anxious, nervous, depressed, very highs, and deep lows you are probably above the dose that you should take.
6. Its harder for us to quit smoking, drinking coffee and so on since these substances normally gives us a kick that is similar to the meds. I for example can drink 1-2 ltrs of espresso a day without meds, and still sleep at night, on meds I drink one cup (big) in the morning.
7. Teeth hygiene, and general hygiene. Its normal that you don´t brush them, that you don´t shower as often as others (not saying that its acceptable though ;) ), this is due to our attention span. We often think about doing it, but if manage to forget your meds that are really important how can anyone believe that we would remember these things.
8. Your teeth will be damaged by these meds! They will reduce saliva, and therefore give more "stress" to the teeth.
9. Its normal not knowing, being confused and so on. Most of us will have problems understanding how to keep a household, buy groseries and so on. Decisions is not our strong spot!
10. Start making lists for everything, or even better buy a huge board and put it up in your entrance so that you see it every time you leave the room, put anything on it. Things to do, shopping list, remember the keys and so on.....
11. Never go into a shop without a list of what you need and have to buy, and yes, this is the though part, do not buy anything except for the things you have on the list!
12. Drink alot, eat healthy! If you are low on fluids, or high on chimicals/sugars/salts/E´s this probably will reduce tranfer of dopamine in your brain, resulting in all the additional problems that we have (depressions/bipolar etc etc)
13. Its normal (but not justified) looking for a verbal (or physical) fight, just as normal as it is that we get lobotomized when in love. Why? It will trigger some of the chimical reactions that meds and other substances trigger. Leaving you clearer in your head afterwards, even though you normally will feel in guilt and ashame since you recognice that you made it happen.
14. We are normally more creative, intelligent (in my opinion our brain will compensate and make us more "smart" in certain areas), but rarely social intelligent. We are problemsolvers, drugaddicts, caring, angry and often more tenderhearted than most. But life presses us in a way to live that we don´t really understand, we therefore often act as a "parrot" copying what we think is normal behaviour.
15. Most of us will have problems economically, so never take your credit card with you when entering a shop, bring approx what you should spend +10%
16. Most of us will have problems planning beyond tomorrow even though we think we are.....
17. Excersise will help you, but getting out of the couch could be a problem!
18. Methylphenidate have been used for approx 100 years, but got synthezided in the 40s (I think). Its NOT a new drug/medication, but well tested for a long long time.
19. ADHD/ADD is a new name for the common used MBD (minimal brain disfunction), that has been around since early 1900.....
20. I´m not their doctor, but its said that T. Cruise, Woody Harrelson, Prince Charles, "Magic" Johnson, Michael Jordan, Will Smith, Steven Spielberg, Michael Phelps, Bill Gates and many many more is said to have ADHD/ADD, most of them thanks their handicap for achieving the extraordinary things they have done/managed. Many are left out, and I never mention people that died 100+ years ago since that is guessing! But if the mentioned ones aren´t ashamed, why should you? Be proud, look at the wonderfull things your brain thinks, manages, and how it reacts when "normals" don´t have a clue
21. My sister took a ritalin sr 20mg once to see if she could have it as well, she didn´t sleep for 2 days..... I take one and sleep like a baby, so if they tell you that its a modern and created diagnosis tell them to shut up, brainscans have shown that our brains are different! So these meds will calm us down, while wake up normals, the same is the case for many illegal drugs. Happy pills btw will normally pull us down and not up! And as a curiosity, my IQ tests withouth meds lays around 120, with ritalin sr I normally "score" around 135, this for your information, not intented in anyway to be seen as bragging! Point is that problems in the test that you normally give up on before even trying will seem so clear, so easy that it is a shame! This is also often seen in children with adhd/add that become very frustrated on easy test that their schoolmates don´t have problems with.
22. Punishing an ADHD/ADD child will only confirm to her/him that the world is an unfair and rotten place, beatings are absolutely the last thing you should do to a child, but for a ADHD/ADD child you can multiple the negative effect by many many times!
23. And finally, we are just as different, and similar to eachother as "normals" are...... So don´t accept from anyone that all ADHD/ADD people are drugaddicts or violent, this is not a fact, just stupid ideas people have.
All of it is written for, and by an ADHD person that was diagnosed as an adult, but hopefully it may help others as well!
Good luck with it all :) And please feel free to add things if I forgot something essential. I will certanly do as they pop into my wonderfull brain ;)!
Here goes (numbered casual, and not listed by importance):
1. Sexuality and ADHD.
Most men will have problems getting an erection that will last, especially in the start of a relation. Don´t worry if so, it´s very very common that you need to be completely relaxed and trusting with your partner. At the start you will often have too many thoughts in your head to effectively manage a "hard-on" over time.
2. When you start with ADHD meds be aware that even though you were the one that could drink anything, and much of it and still be more clear in your head than your friends this will change! 2 beers and you´ll almost be drunk.... This is not the combination, but the fact that your brain will function similar to a "normal" one... ADHD makes us very resistand to drugs and alcohol.
3. Its completely normal having issues in a relationship, but remember that most of the time we are the problem, not them. So you have to change and take grip of things..... I do not say that everything is our fault, but you, and you alone can do something with your frustration, don´t expect that the world will change for you (would be great though)!
4. Many of our meds are similar to eachother, but if you feel that it doesn´t work as you hoped for try another.
5. If you start getting irritated, anxious, nervous, depressed, very highs, and deep lows you are probably above the dose that you should take.
6. Its harder for us to quit smoking, drinking coffee and so on since these substances normally gives us a kick that is similar to the meds. I for example can drink 1-2 ltrs of espresso a day without meds, and still sleep at night, on meds I drink one cup (big) in the morning.
7. Teeth hygiene, and general hygiene. Its normal that you don´t brush them, that you don´t shower as often as others (not saying that its acceptable though ;) ), this is due to our attention span. We often think about doing it, but if manage to forget your meds that are really important how can anyone believe that we would remember these things.
8. Your teeth will be damaged by these meds! They will reduce saliva, and therefore give more "stress" to the teeth.
9. Its normal not knowing, being confused and so on. Most of us will have problems understanding how to keep a household, buy groseries and so on. Decisions is not our strong spot!
10. Start making lists for everything, or even better buy a huge board and put it up in your entrance so that you see it every time you leave the room, put anything on it. Things to do, shopping list, remember the keys and so on.....
11. Never go into a shop without a list of what you need and have to buy, and yes, this is the though part, do not buy anything except for the things you have on the list!
12. Drink alot, eat healthy! If you are low on fluids, or high on chimicals/sugars/salts/E´s this probably will reduce tranfer of dopamine in your brain, resulting in all the additional problems that we have (depressions/bipolar etc etc)
13. Its normal (but not justified) looking for a verbal (or physical) fight, just as normal as it is that we get lobotomized when in love. Why? It will trigger some of the chimical reactions that meds and other substances trigger. Leaving you clearer in your head afterwards, even though you normally will feel in guilt and ashame since you recognice that you made it happen.
14. We are normally more creative, intelligent (in my opinion our brain will compensate and make us more "smart" in certain areas), but rarely social intelligent. We are problemsolvers, drugaddicts, caring, angry and often more tenderhearted than most. But life presses us in a way to live that we don´t really understand, we therefore often act as a "parrot" copying what we think is normal behaviour.
15. Most of us will have problems economically, so never take your credit card with you when entering a shop, bring approx what you should spend +10%
16. Most of us will have problems planning beyond tomorrow even though we think we are.....
17. Excersise will help you, but getting out of the couch could be a problem!
18. Methylphenidate have been used for approx 100 years, but got synthezided in the 40s (I think). Its NOT a new drug/medication, but well tested for a long long time.
19. ADHD/ADD is a new name for the common used MBD (minimal brain disfunction), that has been around since early 1900.....
20. I´m not their doctor, but its said that T. Cruise, Woody Harrelson, Prince Charles, "Magic" Johnson, Michael Jordan, Will Smith, Steven Spielberg, Michael Phelps, Bill Gates and many many more is said to have ADHD/ADD, most of them thanks their handicap for achieving the extraordinary things they have done/managed. Many are left out, and I never mention people that died 100+ years ago since that is guessing! But if the mentioned ones aren´t ashamed, why should you? Be proud, look at the wonderfull things your brain thinks, manages, and how it reacts when "normals" don´t have a clue
21. My sister took a ritalin sr 20mg once to see if she could have it as well, she didn´t sleep for 2 days..... I take one and sleep like a baby, so if they tell you that its a modern and created diagnosis tell them to shut up, brainscans have shown that our brains are different! So these meds will calm us down, while wake up normals, the same is the case for many illegal drugs. Happy pills btw will normally pull us down and not up! And as a curiosity, my IQ tests withouth meds lays around 120, with ritalin sr I normally "score" around 135, this for your information, not intented in anyway to be seen as bragging! Point is that problems in the test that you normally give up on before even trying will seem so clear, so easy that it is a shame! This is also often seen in children with adhd/add that become very frustrated on easy test that their schoolmates don´t have problems with.
22. Punishing an ADHD/ADD child will only confirm to her/him that the world is an unfair and rotten place, beatings are absolutely the last thing you should do to a child, but for a ADHD/ADD child you can multiple the negative effect by many many times!
23. And finally, we are just as different, and similar to eachother as "normals" are...... So don´t accept from anyone that all ADHD/ADD people are drugaddicts or violent, this is not a fact, just stupid ideas people have.
All of it is written for, and by an ADHD person that was diagnosed as an adult, but hopefully it may help others as well!
Good luck with it all :) And please feel free to add things if I forgot something essential. I will certanly do as they pop into my wonderfull brain ;)!
If you want to please be my guest :) But do me a favor, clean up my errors, when I write I do so without thinking and stopping (actually the list was written in 5-10 minutes).....
And Sandman, thx for nice words. I guess most newly diagnosed ADHD/ADD "victims" needs to know, but they will find information wildly distributed on the net... So I´m just trying to help remembering all my tears over a life that could have been, and immaginating their tears and questions that raises....
25. Hyperfocusing, yeeees, most of us have one of those as well, mine is writing, stats and probability. Yours? So don´t be afraid if your child reads too much, or does anything too much, its completely normal. If it is a hyperfocus that will isolate, or pull you/your child away from the "real world" try to find another more sane. Phelps hyperfocus is training and swimming as an example, but it was his mother that tried and found after failing several times.
And Sandman, thx for nice words. I guess most newly diagnosed ADHD/ADD "victims" needs to know, but they will find information wildly distributed on the net... So I´m just trying to help remembering all my tears over a life that could have been, and immaginating their tears and questions that raises....
25. Hyperfocusing, yeeees, most of us have one of those as well, mine is writing, stats and probability. Yours? So don´t be afraid if your child reads too much, or does anything too much, its completely normal. If it is a hyperfocus that will isolate, or pull you/your child away from the "real world" try to find another more sane. Phelps hyperfocus is training and swimming as an example, but it was his mother that tried and found after failing several times.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Man, you should write a book! Great stuff. There is so little out there for adult ADHD. Speaking of which why don't you see if you can repost this on http://jeffsaddmind.com/ - its an interesting site and could use this info.
Once again - very valuable info. I haven't yet seen anything I disagree with, but I probably will go over it with a fine toothed comb (I'm a wee bit compulsive). I definitely will bookmark it for future reference. A job well done!
By the way, I still am amazed at how international this site can be.
Once again - very valuable info. I haven't yet seen anything I disagree with, but I probably will go over it with a fine toothed comb (I'm a wee bit compulsive). I definitely will bookmark it for future reference. A job well done!
By the way, I still am amazed at how international this site can be.
Be critical to a diagnosis, get second opinions, test for other causes that may have similar symptoms.
Don´t listen to either medical or alternative medicine crusaders, search and make up your own mind! Your child or yourself is much to important to be influenced by others that really don´t care if you that or the other....! And try anything you want to try, but land on what works best for you! And not on what others tell you are best for you.....
Don´t listen to either medical or alternative medicine crusaders, search and make up your own mind! Your child or yourself is much to important to be influenced by others that really don´t care if you that or the other....! And try anything you want to try, but land on what works best for you! And not on what others tell you are best for you.....
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the ADHD Community
Fearing autism, many parents aren't vaccinating their kids. Can doctors reverse this dangerous trend?
Yummy eats that will keep your child healthy and happy
What to expect in your growing baby
Is the PS3 the new Prozac … or causing ADHD in your kid?
Autism expert Dr. Richard Graff weighs in on the vaccine-autism media scandal.
Could your home be a haven for toxins that can cause ADHD?
