My Situation

[JD3P]

I think I might have ADD/ADHD, not sure which one. I would say that for the past four years I've felt this way, each year getting worse. I used to have clear thoughts, and remember everything. I did everything I needed to do on time, without procrastination and I was able to handle a lot more things. I began having a hard time remembering things, my thoughts are no longer clear, and the only way to explain them is "foggy". I do not even want to drive because I have a hard time paying attention. I miss important signs while driving, and no matter how hard I try to pay attention. Clear my mind of all things I still forget or drift off. I completely forget appointments I have made, even if I write them down in a place I'll look. I cannot focus on reading without feeling like I want to jump up or go to sleep. For me to even remember something it has to be very interesting to me. I can't even remember the simplest of things. I never used to be like this, I am only twenty two years old. I feel like my brain has aged very rapidly. I have forgotten a lot of things from my past, and can't remember things that happened just a second ago. Could this be add/adhd? It is not another medical condition, as I've been checked. Has anyone else been through this? Please help, everyday like this is making it difficult to have any real hope for a future I once thought I could reach.

[benjimom]

If I were you I would go in for a full appt with your doctor and have some bloodwork drawn.  See what they recommend, have your thyroid checked, are you depressed or anxious.  When you are anxious, everything is foggy, it's hard to make decisions, etc...

[Sandman2]

By the way, extreme anxiety can cause some or a lot of your symptoms.  You might want to look into the anxiety forum of this site.

[JD3P]

Thank you for the response. I've had my blood levels checked, and I think I have had MRI. I am going to double check. I've tried taking omega vitamins, I haven't really noticed anything. I am going to take your advice and ask my doctor to look over the scans and the blood results once more. Thanks.

[dollyn]

JD3P  and KCMSP  

    Please do this ask your doctors to send you to see a neurologist  to make sure everything is normal with your brain,there could be something going on with your brain and taking drugs for add or adhd and even bipolar and depression is not always the right thing to do if you have not had a MRI and a EEG to rule out that something else is going on beside add ,ahd, depression . Blood work should be done also to make sure all your blood levels are where they should be.

The drugs they give are like speed and witch we all no are street drugs and damage your brain it not treated right, also do other damages to your body and witch would cause you more health problems then what you had in the first place.

Make the doctors do there job and keep your body away from drugs you don't need. Try taken Vitamin B6 and Omega 3-6-9 they can help you.I put my son on them and it has helped him.

I also found out my son was having Seizures after  being put on drugs for add and adhd ,and the side effects of the drugs are seizures .And some people are misdiagnose with add ,adhd,depression or even bipolar  and even other things .When in the first place there brain in not working normal and they cant help it and don't understand why.But doctors and teachers along with parents don't do all the work to make sure that the brain is working right.Parent like myself find out to late.And if I can even help one person from making the right choice and safe them from what me and other family s have had to go and are still going threw then I will.

god bless and stay srong.

[JD3P]

Thank you for your response, I didn't mind it being long at all. I am glad I am not alone, lol and I hope when I speak to the psychiatrist I will be taken seriously. At this point the side effects probably wouldn't bother me that much. If I could actually feel like I have some of my intelligence back and concentration I would be willing to stick with the medication. I was also very quiet when I was younger, more so than I am now. I've had the same issue of being looked over at work and school. I also experience not being able to read around any noise. I know people who can be watching tv or listening to music and reading with no problem. And I end up having to put in ear plugs and make sure I pay attention. Your story has definitely given me hope that I can correct this.

[kcmsp]

I am about the same age and was having the some of the same issues you are having. When I was a kid I had isues but no as bad as this past few years or so. Instead of thoughts being foggy I would  just completely forget or zone out i.e. people would talk to me and during their conversation I would all of sudden think to myself "what did they say, I have been standing here for this long and didn't hear a word they said?" At work I would be to afraid to ask question for the fear of appearing stupid when really I was afraid that they went over that information and I just "missed" it due to my inability to remember what they just said two seconds ago. At school I had to drop two classes. It was awful. Then a family member of mine told me that he was diagnosed with adhd and that he was prescribed adderall. Well I started to talk to some other family members and did a bunch of research on the subject. Also adhd.com has quick test you can take even though I think those test are just mind games anyways and I still rather have a doctor tell me what is wrong rather then the web I took it and failed for being "normal" or past rather for having adha. I went to my family doctor and I told her some of the issues and that I was happy I just don't want to feel stupid anymore at work, home, school and in public. I told her that I would love to be able to sit at my desk do my job for longer then 15 minutes with out looking online or getting up to do something or calling a billion people. She prescribed me adderall XR. At first it was an auto blessing. For the first time in my life I actually sat down did my job and only called my husband once that day. At one point in the day I looked up at the clock and I didn't even realize It was almost past lunch time. I was on a roll felt great and day by day it was and still is like that. I am no longer afraid to ask questions at work I know that I have a valid reason for asking  other than "not listening". However there are alot of side effects. This is not a quick fix or a miracle pill. My doctor told me that sleep loss and appetite could be affected. Those are the major ones. And at first they were I probably only slept for and hour or two the first week or so and I was barely hungry at all. Which is not a good thing regardless of popular belief. (story within a story.. early in the month I just had braces put on for the first time so eating was already difficult). However I got my appetite back within that week only time I "forget" to eat is if I am busy focusing. As far as the sleepless nights as I have learned in my psychology class and through personal experience is regardless of what is pumped into the body to stay awake i.e. energy drinks, the mind will find away to get that rest your body desperately needs. For me one night I went to bed at 8:00 p.m and woke up the next morning at 5:30 a.m. perfect timing for work. After that as long as I made a conscience effort to go to bed at a reasonable hour I would be asleep with in the hour. Within the first month I had a few more side effects. I was and still am constantly thirsty. I have to have a glass of water or soda or tea or something at all times. This is my second month of taking adderall, there have been a few more side effects that have come up as well. My sleepless nights are back; with the holidays and the doctors office was closed and I wasn't able to schedule a check up before my scrip ran out so I didn't have it for about two days then when I started taking it again my sleep got off schedule and still is. I have also notice in this second month my anger a little bit more. Which I am now watching very closely  I don't want it to get out of controll. As far as I am concern me having a little anger probably wont hurt. I tend to not stick up for myself and at least I am now speaking up. But I have to say it is still something I don't want to lose controll of because being overly aggressive can be dangerous. The anger could also be because of that time of month who knows lol. The med can have other side effects as well and so I made sure I was aware of them and I make sure I watch myself, how I am feeling and my actions as well as keeping my doctor in the loop on things. My doctor can't be with me everyday and this med is not for everyone and I try to be very careful when it comes to any form of medication. I was worried my blood pressure or heart would be affected but when I went back both were great. So that subsided that fear. As far as being worried about the side affects I have told myself "right now the benefits out way the side affects and therefore it is okay." Again the medicine is not a quick fix. I have to everyday my a conscience affort to concentrate. Its not just something I have and no pill will give it to me. Its like the medicine opens my brian up to be able to sort things out. Like when it is time to get work done and when it is a valid reason for taking a break. As far as the reading issue, I have that still even after the med. The other day I was trying to read my western art book at work and my boss was talking in the back round and instead of focusing on the book I was listening to her. But I found that if I stuck my hands over my ears I was able to to read with very little problem. Reading has and will be hard for me unless I practice at it. I am an average reader but there is not enough adderall in the world for me to sit down and read something for enjoyment. Not that I hate reading but I believe learning to love to read is a taught habit and since I was never really taught I don't think it will happen unless I try and right now with work and school I am to busy I just do what I need too. After I graduate I am going to try to enjoy as many books as possible. The few I have actually read for pleasure I have enjoyed. I know this story is so long but reading what you have wrote, it kinda sounded like my story and I know how lost I felt for so long therefore I didn;t want anything left out. When I found this out and start to be proactive about it, my life just got better. For once I fit some where I belong and I am not crazy. I always thought I was depressed but just didn't feel sad which isn't really depression, who knows! Finding this out has changed my life I'm not ashamed of it and I am more than happy to tell people. For so long I have stayed so quiet and never said a word and always got looked over in school even with all the failing grades or looked over at work because I never spoke up, people never really notice me, I was to afaird of looking stupid when really I am pretty smart I just could organize my thoughts long enough to stick with anything.  I hope me sharing may bring some peace to you or at least give you some motivation to not give up regardless of the diagnoses. It ***** when you feel like the world is moving passed you and your stuck it nuetral not able to do anything. Again so sorry this is so long.