ADHD can't be all I have?

[Jewelsheam]

I have been diagnosed with ADHD since I was 24 years old. I am now 39 and I have realized that I have other symptoms that where never address by the drugs I have taken. I have taken every drug for ADHD and have settled on Aderall XR because it is the one that works the best with all of my symptoms.  I have several other symptoms that have never been address and seem to be getting worse.  I would sleep all day if it weren't for my alarm waking me up and the Aderall keeping me awake. I can not remember anything for more than a few seconds. If I want to remember anything for a longer period of time I have to repeat it over and over under my breathe or I will walk to where whatever it is I need and stand there wondering what I want.  I know this happens to everyone, but it ALWAYS happens to me, EVERYTIME I try to remember something.  I know these thing are symptoms of depression.  It is these symptoms that are CAUSING the depression, not symptoms of the depression.  I have been tested every year for hypothyriodism and every year it comes back that I do not have it.  I can tell you that it seems like it must be a deficiency because I once had to receive blood because I lost allot and I felt great and had no problem for about two days afterwards.  Please, please, please can someone tell me what is wrong with me.  Can it really only be in my head?

[Anteros1966]

Most socalled experts agree that most adhd/add persons have an additional issue. Schizo, depressions, anger issues and so on.... So yes, you probably do have other issues, I have the depression issue, and do recognice what you describe. The discussion will be, what came first, the egg or the chicken? This discussion is widely discussed, and there are no conclusions yet.

What I found lately is that I have severe back issues that could well contribute to depressions and the other symptomps that you describe as well, so take an MR of you neck and vertebral column and see if the problem could lay there as it did for me :)

[dollyn]

Have you been tested for seizures.Because if you are having night time Seizures that would make it so you want to sleep more,and would also make it very hard to do other things.

also a lot of these drugs they use to treat add/adhd can cause Seizures and you wouldn't even know you where having them.and there are so many kind of Seizures .Youtube shows a lot of them.

I would ask to be seen by a Neroligest and have them do a EEG and only sleep for about four hours the night before the EEG ,so that you will go to sleep once the wires are on and you do what they ask of you to do.

also Seizures can look like ADD/ADHD and is Misdiagnosed or can be from the drugs and Adderall is just one of many that has the side effects that can cause Seizures.

also try taken  Vitamin B6 and B12 and C Along with Omega 3-6-9 and A MultiVitamin every day.Will take maybe about a Month to notice and changes.

[allmymarbles]

Are you anemic? Is so, what did the test show?

An aid to memory is gingko biloba, the left of a tree. It has been tested over and over again. I really works. I have taken it.

[Sandman2]

   Its funny, when I was teaching, the best indicator I had (outside of the really obvious ones) that a child had ADD was the frustration level.  This was with fifth and sixth graders, The intelligent kids would get so frustrated!  They knew they were smarter than their classmates, yet they couldn't perform on tests, etc.  They would get frustrated, would work even harder, not get the results they wanted, get depressed, get more frustrated, and spiral down from there.  Probably a good example of this is this Utube video by a highly intelligent young lady explaining how ADD affects her college studies -   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rybVzoKOwWA
    Point being is that something like ADD can really affect your life, and you may not even be realizing how much it is doing it.  I think it would be worth it to find a psychiatrist that specializes in ADHD/ADD and get their opinion.  The reason I favor a psychiatrist is that they are also a medical doctor and can hopefully deal with the tired feelings during the day.  If you can figure out what is happening to you - than you can deal with it.
Good Luck! ! !

[Jewelsheam]

I guess I negrected to mention that I sleep through the night and very well. I had a sleep study done and the nurse said that I sleep better then she does.  I had a cat scan done and there where no problems. I have no problem getting therapy (I have health insurance) but I am generally a happy person even though it doesn't seem like it here.  I am just frustrated.  I am a smarter person then I portray.

Thank you for the book suggestion. I will pick it up.

[Sandman2]

  The trouble is that depression will cause the symptoms you have mentioned.  And the symptoms you mentioned would cause you to be depressed.   To figure it all out you first need to eliminate the physical causes.  It sounds like you have been doing that with the tests for hypothyroidism and I would assume that you have been getting other blood work done (low iron, anemia, etc.)
  The next step is to make sure you have a doctor that can deal with both the physical and mental/emotional issues.  I think that only a psychiatrist can do that.  The reason I say you need to look at the mental/emotional issues is that, "adults with AD/HD are three times more likely than their nondisordered counterparts to experience significant stress, depression, or other emotional problems."  The more symptoms (of ADHD) the more difficulty they have.  This is from the book,  "The ADD/ ADHD Answer book," by Susan Ashley - (you might want to check it out).  Many of your symptoms are typical ADHD or ADD (perhaps more ADD).  I almost wonder if your body has gotten used to the dosage of meds that you are on.  Have  these symptoms been getting worse over the last year?  The sleep all day part has me puzzled.  That more typically happens to someone who has trouble getting to sleep at night.  How is your nightly sleep patterns?  If you sleep well at night, than you definitely need to figure out why you feel like this during the day.  This is perhaps the MOST concerning problem and one that your doctor (or new doctor) should be actively working on.
  I don't know what type of a doctor that you are working with for your ADHD, but I have a feeling that you need a more proactive one who is willing to sit down with you and give you something more than just medication.  Many times doctors will hand out the medication (which makes a great difference), but won't follow up with behavioral therapy.  Of course, that gets expensive - so kind of understandable.  You stated that,  "ADHD can't be all I have?", yet, it is very possible from what I have read and witnessed that it is much more responsible for what is going on with you than you realize.  Hope some of this helps, or at least points you in a direction that will help you.