Anyone with ADD? - need addvice

[FFW]

I've been taking ritalin for some time and don't like the side effects. I've also been diagnosed w/ mild Tourette's which is aggravated by -fock-sh1t- stimulants - bastid!

Seriously, I've tried addarall, concerta and a couple other stimulant meds with similar side effects. Also tried a version of risperidone but that did really weird shlt to me.

If I go unmedicated it is very difficult to get through the day. If I ride unmedicated I tend to literally start daydreaming and just crash into stuff.

Any suggestions - herbal or alternative medicines?

Thanks,
Tired and Twitchy

[pcemkr]

have you tried weed? seriously....

[Sweetpea]

A couple of months ago in Outside Magazine there was an article on road riding and its positive effects for persons with ADD. It was a very interesting article. The person featured in the article was able to give up all of his medication so long as he was engaged in intensive road riding. The doctors thought that it had something to do with the fact that your brain has to work at an intense rate 100% of the time in a pelaton type situation. There was one other sport that worked the same way, I think it was basketball but I'm not sure.

you might want to check it out.

[Mongo]

My son has had success with Stratera. there is also Dr. Amen from UCI that specializes is brain study. He's not cheap but good, from what i hear.

[blender]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj72e5q61Fs

i know it's a lame MSNBC interview, but the results are real..
i don't suffer from the disorder myself, but i've heard quite more than a handful of personal experiences, attesting to the fact that cannabis does work.

thankfully, you live in California, and it is perfectly within your rights to try it as a medicinal remedy.

[FFW]

Originally Posted by blender

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj72e5q61Fs

i know it's a lame MSNBC interview, but the results are real..
i don't suffer from the disorder myself, but i've heard quite more than a handful of personal experiences, attesting to the fact that cannabis does work.

thankfully, you live in California, and it is perfectly within your rights to try it as a medicinal remedy.

I'd love to use the "herbal" remedy but I work for a government contractor and would get fired...
Come to think of it, probably why I never knew I had ADD when I was younger

I have started road riding again with a small group and it does really help. Also I've been doing interval training on the mountain bike at lunch 2 days a week and it seems to straighten me out for a good couple hours afterward.

[FFW]

Originally Posted by Mongo

My son has had success with Stratera. there is also Dr. Amen from UCI that specializes is brain study. He's not cheap but good, from what i hear.

Thanks! I looked up drug facts and it sounds interesting. There were a lot of side effects listed but I'll ask my doctor about it. I'm glad you're able to help your son! My 18 yr old son has ADHD but I can't convince him to take meds for it any more and it's really impacting his life.

[pmortuary]

I was on Dexedrine for 5-7 years throught Jr. High, High and some College. I loved how much I could focus and keep my daydreaming under control. Mood sideffects were minimal but once I got off them completly I had a very disturbing realization that I had serious memory loss. I talk to friends from my school years and more then half of the stories they talk about I have no memory of at all.

One saving grace to keep my mind under control now is trance and house music. A friend suggested it when in college because we were always in the computer lab and the conversations always distracted me. Now I have a sucessful job as a CAD drafter. When ever I can't see to focus I put on the headphones and fad away. Works great because there is so much going on with the beats and sounds that it clears my eyes and mind to actual get working.

Best of luck and I hope something can help.

[mpmffitz]

I have OCD because I awake in the wee hrs of night to see the latest str threads or replies to my posts .

I'm so so so sick.

Please no offense to your question, no belittling from thyself.

[mtbchip]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj72e5q61Fs

Serious.......

[Fritz White]

I'm officially diagnosed with ADD and have tried self-medicating a lot of different ways as people with the disorder tend to do. Everything has positive and negative benefits. Right now I've been on nothing for awhile and it's definitely harder in some ways, but at the same time I'm happy with the choice. It's critical that I ride a fair amount as it helps the ADD, but I also get depressed when I don't so cycling is a win win for me.

[Johnnyfattire]

My son has been on Stratera for some time now, it's a non stimulant, talk to your Dr. about alternatives to ritalin. Also try high protien diet

[dirtmistress]

I got lucky and was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 5. (1962) Back then it was called Hyperkinetic.
It was not a very widely known disorder. That's why I was lucky to have a Dr. to recognize it.
I was on Ritalin and it helped me in school to focus.
They said back then that kids grow out of it but they don't as you know.
It's definitely caused problems in my life but it's also had some very positive effects on my life.
I don't like taking meds for it either. Basically if you can find something else that works like music or road cycling then do it. It's all about stimulating the brain and getting it to hyper focus on something. Like chunky technical singletrack! My job is a FedEx courier! How perfect is that?? I'd be crazy in an office(and fired) but my job has me flitting around from place to place always on the go!
On the flip side, self medicating does lead to dangerous drugs. But they don't know why they are doing it!

I got this magazine for awhile and it was VERY informative! You should check it out.

http://www.additudemag.com/

ADHD can be a positive force in someone's life if they can find a way to channel that energy.

As a side note, I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one with memory issues.
It freaks me out bad sometimes. I was told that ADHD causes that. I never knew till a few years ago.

[victor13]

Personally, i'm a fan of the groundbreaking treatment shown here
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/103440

[FFW]

Thanks for all the great advice! I also have a lot of gaps in my memory but I thought it was from all the "self-medicating" I did back in middle school and high school.

I too like not being on meds but the downside is that....
ummm yeah brain fade - I was trying to deliver a pitch to our Sr. management team here last week and had them captivated but right in the middle of a sentence just sort of fizzled; not only did I lose the flow but couldn't even remember what I had just said. Thankfully I use note cards but it was an uncomfortable moment that negatively impacted the presentation.

So now it makes sense why I like thrashing myself with interval training in the dirt and long hard road rides where I can't lift my leg to get off the bike at the end. I wish I could but can't use the mary jane because my employer will not recognize it as a medicine rather than illegal substance.

Sounds like Statera is an option - I sent my doc an email to see what he thinks. Got to admit, I do miss the mild hallucinations from accidentally double dosing myself with ritalin.

So for safety sake, if you ride with me just make sure I'm the last rider on the ST and that you're going faster than I am. Hey maybe we should organize the first annual STR ADD/ADHD ride Body armor required!

[dirtmistress]

Hallucinations??? That would explain the giant rat I saw run across my room when I was 6 but my folks couldn't find!
Brain fade! YES! In the middle of talking I'll blank out!
After 50 years of it, I've learned to deal with it but it does freak me out sometimes. Especially the memory part.
Check out the magazine!

Originally Posted by FFW

Thanks for all the great advice! I also have a lot of gaps in my memory but I thought it was from all the "self-medicating" I did back in middle school and high school.

I too like not being on meds but the downside is that....
ummm yeah brain fade - I was trying to deliver a pitch to our Sr. management team here last week and had them captivated but right in the middle of a sentence just sort of fizzled; not only did I lose the flow but couldn't even remember what I had just said. Thankfully I use note cards but it was an uncomfortable moment that negatively impacted the presentation.

So now it makes sense why I like thrashing myself with interval training in the dirt and long hard road rides where I can't lift my leg to get off the bike at the end. I wish I could but can't use the mary jane because my employer will not recognize it as a medicine rather than illegal substance.

Sounds like Statera is an option - I sent my doc an email to see what he thinks. Got to admit, I do miss the mild hallucinations from accidentally double dosing myself with ritalin.

So for safety sake, if you ride with me just make sure I'm the last rider on the ST and that you're going faster than I am. Hey maybe we should organize the first annual STR ADD/ADHD ride Body armor required!

[tink bell]

one of my dr's several years ago threw out the term add or adhd (don't recall which), but nothing was ever done about it. i, too, have persistent focus issues due to daydreaming and serious memory loss. so significant that i was sent to a nuerologist for testing. they said nothing was wrong w/me. ok, so tell me why i can't remember a 3 item list that was just given to me by my boss (which really pissed him off). not to mention what the hell did i just read for my homework or what did i just test on last week? (only examples, not currently in school as i have such a hard time w/it & get easily frustrated) i worry that my memory & focus issues are impacting my jobs. in fact, i KNOW they are...

i'm w/liz on meds though. i'm on enough & don't want more & certainly don't want side effects! it sounds like to me from what ya'll are saying is i need to go out & kick my ass on the bike regularly while listening to electronica! if only it were that simple...

anyway, good to know i'm not the only one.

[SheDevil]

I have a friend who was on Ritalin etc for many years....(this is such a Y2K thing to diagnose someone with....sorry I am one of those who thinks most things can be solved with a swift kick to proverbial ass), after suffering for years with the side effects of medications and psychologists....she found out her actual issue was numerous vitamin deficiencies. She's been off meds and doing fine since...you might want to have a blood panel done

[minimusprime]

I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 5. (huh... a kid that doesn't want to pay attention or sit still in 1st grade... what a surprise.) From that point I was put through the full gamut of testing, psychologist sessions and medication. I basically went through every single one of the modern day medicines until the age of 12 when I decided (for myself) that I would no longer take medication during the summers when I was not in school. This came full circle when I turned 15 and decided I would no longer take my medication (again a choice un-benounced to my parents and psychologist).

I had the issues you would expect. Again having problems staying focused, procrastination issues etc etc. But there were a few building block to grow on. When crunch time hit and I was in a do or die situation I always had the ability to labor on and push through. I worked very well under high stress situations. I had also gained a moderate amount of control over my focus. I was still scattered and easily distracted... but I found that I could take say 4 tasks... and accomplish all of them at the same time letting my focus wander from one to the next. This is how I started my overall control of this disorder.

In my experience you have to treat this disorder as a life/work style more than a crutch. You have to come to the conclusion that yes... it can make certain things harder but other things easier. Develop your little tricks as I have:
-controlling the amount of things you can scatter yourself on. (tons of people will lecture you on how this is a terrible idea but hear me out.) Admit a small defeat and say... I'm going to float from thing to thing. So be pro-active and chose what those things are and how many of them there are. Get 4 tasks going on your desks and plow away at one of them until you find yourself surfing STR or something... then move onto the next. Do this systematically and in control and it won't waste too much time.
-setting small mile stones (and when I small I mean small. Treat your time as little wind sprints ie 30 minutes on 3-5 off, etc etc. next thing you know you'll be working for 60 minutes at a time and not even noticing it.)
-Lists, Lists, Lists Lists... Make check lists for everything. Write everything as you'll be forgetting everything. Checking things off one at a time is not only satisfying but keeps you focusing and makes you feel like you're not just doing thing... but a series of pieces that make up a whole... kinda like not looking at the top of the hill.
-Do the quick stuff first. For me part of ADHD is that I inherently have a hard time prioritizing... and I'll easily make excuses for not getting things done. A good way for me to overcome this is get a while bunch of little tasks completed... I'm talking 5 minute ones. you'll find that gaining momentum of getting things done allows you to roll on into the bigger ones and not get so distracted.
-Make everything a challenge. Find the game in everything you do. Find a sense of enjoyment in the menial tasks that you can't stay focused on. Either time yourself to see how fast you can be or challenge yourself to organize it as best you can. just to keep a shred of your interest in it.

What is most important about all of these things is that they are little tricks to teach yourself... what is you being you... and what is your disorder taking control of you. The more you can identify... oh hey, I'm really just kinda dazing off here. Or, wow I'm not paying attention to anything right now, is the more chances you have of reeling it in and taking control of it.

These are all tricks I use to keep me off medication. To be honest I don't know how I feel about medication. I know that for me the side effects are not worth the advantages. My father however, is a real real serious case of ADHD, being around him when he's un-medicated is a nightmare. He drives me bonkers and just won't stop fidgeting and can be a real pita.

For me the medication makes me moody, I don't eat well on it and I certainly don't sleep. I turn into this zombie that gets amazing amount of work done, but really doesn't have a personality. I think the truth is weed is a far better medication that any of the amphetamines combo's you get from the psychatrist although again for me the illegality of it and the potential of getting fired (random drug tests) and the fact that it tears me lungs up and hurts my physical performance on the bike means I cant' use it.

All in all strive to gain control of the disorder. This may mean you have to take medication to do so... and don't feel ashamed of that. If you do need medication do your best to take a little and use tricks like I do. Or take it only during the work day and then really concentrate (ironic that it takes concentration doesn't it?) on gaining your own control over this disorder. At the very least, this will allow you to be yourself.

Oh and since it's a relevant information to this post. I am now 28 years old. Have 2 undergraduate majors and 2 minors from Indiana University and am a Project Engineer at a commercial construction company. Keep soldiering on.

[minimusprime]

sorry about all the grammar issues in that post guys. I had to kinda bang it out at work and don't have time to spell/grammar check it.