Taking ADHD Medication As An Adult

 Taking ADHD Medication As An Adult | Outfit Details

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Taking ADHD Medication As An Adult | Disclaimer

I AM NOT A DOCTOR. Just to clarify. I can only tell you what my experience was and what has worked for me. I do believe that many people are not diagnosed and would really benefit from even a low dosage of these kinds of meds. But that is just my personal opinion.

Taking ADHD Medication As An Adult | Symptoms I Experienced

I was never disruptive. My schools never sent notes home to my parents telling them I should get tested. I was however was some would call flighty. I had a temper (over the dumbest things) and I would lie about literally nothing. My cognitive processing skills were minimal at best. I procrastinated until the very last possible moment. The year I got my drivers license, I was in 6 car accidents (4.5 were my fault, 1 was someone else's, 0.5 was shared by another driver) because I just wasn't paying attention. Retaining any information under pressure was nearly impossible. I could study my heart out and know the material inside out and backwards but I would sit down to take the test and blank. Every time.

Taking ADHD Medication As An Adult | Diagnosis

I was lucky. My parents were going through the process of my older brother being diagnosed with Aspurger's Syndrom when I was 15. My boyfriend at the time mentioned to my mom that I was struggling in school even though he watched and often helped me study for the tests and I knew the materials. My parents mentioned this to my brother's psychiatrist. She thought I may have ADD/ADHD and sent them home with a ADD test, similar to this one. While you can find similar tests online, you really do need to have one administered by a doctor to avoid bias. Based on my answers, this doctor concluded that I did have Attention Deficit Disorder. She then became my psychiatrist and we started the process of finding the right medication for me.

Taking ADHD Medication As An Adult | Taking Medication

People tend to shy away from the concept of taking medication for ADD/ADHD. They see it as a weakness. Being diagnosed with ADD/ADHD just means that your brain is wired differently than the "normal" person's brain. Medications help your brain work the way it is supposed to work.

There is also a stigma that comes along with Adderall and Ritalin and other ADD/ADHD medications. They are portrayed on television as a drug college students use to get through finals, which they then get addicted to. I would like to clarify something at this point. If you actually need these medications, you will not get addicted to them. These kinds of medications help the neurons in your brain fire and receive information correctly. While these medications are technically "uppers" they actually stimulate the brain to calm it down.

Taking ADHD Medication As An Adult | Finding The Right Medication

This is probably the hardest part for people to understand. There is not one medication that works perfectly for everyone. Every person is different. Body chemistry, brain make up is different between each person. I went through three kinds of medication before I found the right one for me. The first med made me paranoid. I was so wound up, I ended up curling up in a ball in the back of a teacher's classroom and someone had to call my mom. I was convinced my mom and the rest of the school were conspiring to kill me. Clearly that med was not right for me. The next med I tried, didn't last long enough. When I finally did find the right medication, I had to add a supplement to it.

I have been taking 20 mLgs of Adderall XL for 10 years. This is the extended release of Adderall which runs for 12(ish) hours. I was also prescribed an additional 4 hour "booster" medication due to my school and extra curricular schedule. I do not take a 12 hour and a 4 hour medication any more. Sometimes, I do just take a 4 hour dosage because I don't need to take a 12 hour dosage.

Each medication has it's own side effects. Many will stunt your appetite. Adderall does, but I only experienced that for the first 6 months. 10 years later and I can literally eat all day long when medicated. Some medications do cause personality changes. You have to decide which side effects you are ok with and if the results outweigh the side effects. I personally only experience a weird phenomenon where my Adderall and birth control interact with each other and cause my feet to get hot and swollen when my body over heats. I have found ways to deal with this and honestly it's such a mild side effect I don't really see it as one.

Taking ADHD Medication As An Adult | What The Medication Does For Me

I noticed a difference as soon as we found the right medication. Literally an hour after I took the med (how long it takes for it to kick in), I felt the fog I had been experiencing lift from my brain. I was able to remember things I had studied and I was retaining information. I was no longer lying about dumb things. My decision making process became much more rational. The procrastination I was experiencing went away. I haven't been at fault for a car accident since I started taking my meds 10 years ago. Of course, I was a teenager so my brain was not fully developed and what I experience now is much different.

As an adult, I take my medication 6-7 days a week. Most doctors recommend skipping one day a week because you will experience better potency from the medication that way. I haven't found that to be a problem over the last 10 years. I like taking my meds every day and I don't like being unmedicated. When I don't take my meds now, as an adult, I have noticed what my symptoms are. I procrastinate more, I don't pay as much attention to my surroundings, I don't process information or retain it as well, I struggle to formulate my thoughts into sentences, I say things I shouldn't and I often get angry over things I shouldn't. When I do take my medication, I can actually get through a day. Taking my meds help me be the best version of myself. This has become even more important as I have become a mom. I have better decision making skills and I am more confident in my ability to be Jackie's mom. You can read more about this here.

Taking ADHD Medication As An Adult | What Should You Do Now?

You have been following me for awhile and you have read some of the things I have posted about ADD. You have finished this post and you think maybe, just maybe, you need ADD meds. First, go see a doctor. But don't just go see any doctor. You need to see a psychologist or a neurologist. General practitioners will also diagnose but I don't think that is the best idea. I would STRONGLY recommend seeing a neurologist. ADD/ADHD is a brain problem so you should be seeing a brain doctor about it. Tell them why you think you may have it. Take an online test and take it with you to their office. Ask them to administer their own test. If you are happy with the results and the doctor agrees, then start the process of finding the right medication for you. Go into that process knowing that it is going to be hard and you will mostly likely not find the right med on the first try. But be willing to try. If you truly have ADD/ADHD, it will be worth it in the end.

I am happy to answer any questions you have! I am not a doctor and do not claim to be. After 10 years of dealing with my own ADD, I do know a little about it though!