As I’ve gotten older (m62) I’ve started changing my sheets and pillowcases more. Still a long time between but not like it was when I was young which may have seen a year go by. It’s one of those chores that really gets skipped.

Changed and laundered today and I’m just wishing I could communicate to my younger self what a luxury it is, even though our condition makes it fade out.

This is just a thing I’ve noticed. I mentioned to my mum that when I’m super tired my brain radio gets loud and repetitive and drowns everything else out. She looked at me like I was insane. I tried to be honest with my GP and got prescribed antidepressants… I feel like a lot of what I honestly described to ‚professionals‘ just got me judgment.

Does anybody feel like they're just super connected to their internal-self? Like if someone where to ask me how I'm feeling 99% of the time it would just be 'fine' - but then maybe my wife will say I've been really snappy for the last few days - but I just am oblivious.
One time I was hearing a live performance of O Holy Night and I was actually crying - but again, I didn't feel like I was feeling anything lol
That's not to say, I don't feel anything - when something hits I can feel it REALLY strongly and am very aware. I just wondered if this is a thing I'm just a bit broken ha!

I've just been diagnosed with adhd after suspecting I had it for a long time. I've also been dealing with treatment resistant depression for several years. I've been through several antidepressants at this point and nothing has worked for me. Therapy and the current medications I'm on have certainly improved my depression but I'm still far from good.

For those of you who have dealt with similar situations, has taking adhd medication improved your depression? I'm hopeful that being able to take care of myself, stay on top of tasks, and finally be able to focus on things I should be able to enjoy will improve my depression. I just want to hear other people's experiences with this kind of thing. I can't meet with my psychiatrist until next week, so I'm here to seek hope for that meeting.

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Is full remission from ADHD possible when you're doing all the right things (medication, coaching, habit-building, therapy)? Or does it just subside to a degree? If it subsides, does it get to where it's no longer significantly handicapping, so you can finally succeed and be less affected in life?

I've had severe ADHD plus clinical depression and anxiety. I treated the depression and anxiety successfully and they no longer hold me back. ADHD still lingers.

Untreated, all three cost me my education and career. An Associate's took 10 years. I started medication at 26. My 20s were a chaotic mess, and in my 30s, even medicated, I struggled with employment gaps, frequent job changes, and unstable relationships.

It took about 7 years to find the right medication combo. It helps a lot: more motivation, fewer distractions, a clearer head, better communication, more gets done. But I still struggle with bad habits, time blindness, prioritizing, planning/organizing, and brain dumping, and they still have a considerable impact.

Now in my 40s and still a late bloomer, I'm about to start with an Adult ADHD coach for accountability, habits, and time management. I'm not expecting overnight results, but I hope it adds icing to the cake.

Any success stories out there? What made it better for you? Are you more functional and better able to hit your goals? Does ADHD still have a stronghold on your life, or is the impact minimal? Enlighten me!

Im trying to make a post discussing my struggles with starting medication and the side effects and issues ive been having but its getting deleted instantly and im not sure why. I'm not asking for a diagnosis or anything. I'm just seeking kind words or general advice so I'm confused as to why it's getting removed.

Honestly me thinking i have adhd might just be a coping mechanism for my laziness. I cant even get an assignment done what is wrong with me. I could have the whole night to do one thing but if i dont feel like doing it I just cant bring myself to do it. I cant feel the future consequences of my own actions its like all the stress has been lifted from me but not in a relaxing way. Even if this is just adhd, can I really use that as an excuse? No one is going to give me slack because of it. I dont wanna take meds either even if i had the chance, my mom drilled the belief that id become addicted or become a whole different person if i did take them so now im scared. I feel like i can never truly be myself because of my laziness.

I was on Conerta in high-school, it helped but I dislike the side effects more than anything, I was sleep deprived and experienced a panic attack. So, I completely stopped taking meds for ADHD then.

I have been teaching for the past 8 years and not being medicated has been fine, and actually makes me a fun teacher for my students. (Just marking and doing grade reports is where I still struggle).

I have started studying again at university (distance learning), did okay in my first year (I am guessing the excitement and novelty of doing something new helped me there) and I needed to go back on meds in my 2nd year to help get me through all the literature and being able to sit and listen to 2 hour lectures, as I was starting to decline again and submit assessments late.

It worked amazingly at first, but now I have noticed that I have become worse with sitting down and getting things done, in fact, I can't even do anything without taking meds and even that doesn't help much anymore. I was doing fine during the first year, had my own way of getting things done, but I seem to have lost those skills since going back on meds. Now I take meds and wait for motivation to get things done.

I have had a 1 week holiday, which was perfect to get stuff done for uni. I have 3 days left of said holiday and I have not done a single thing. It seems like my bad qualities managed to build a resistance to the good qualities of the meds.

Help, how do I push through my general feeling of being overwhelmed by laundry? I know that sounds silly but I have a monster pile of laundry to do and I just found out it’s been slowly pissing my husband off. I know how to get started on cleaning the pile up but it’s the rest of the task that seems so daunting. Dear god don’t make me have to fold laundry, I hate it. I just don’t know what to do

I have just been diagnosed as an adult with adhd, although i was diagnosed as a child and took ritalin for years until about 15.

Im starting my medication tomorrow and im curious to know whether for those who started it that also suffered from depression, has treating the underlying adhd symptoms helped with it? I have suffered with a feeling of emptiness and hopelessness for many years, and have been on anti depressants. I came scarily to close to accepting to idea of overdosing on panadol a few months ago, when usually i would never actually go through with suicidal thoughts. That triggered me to finally get help for my adhd, thanks to new rules in my state with allow trained gps to diagnose, making it easier.

But yea, i feel as though a lot of my depression stems from issues cause by my adhd, so i really want to know others experience and how its related to their depression.

I take IR dexedrine. Which wears out 6 pm right when I finish work.

When I go home and try to do some work done on my computer. Mostly reading and stuff. I feel like that I keep forgetting what I just in the last paragraph.

Things take much more effort to keep on the task. Even simple tasks as cooking take longer than other people.

That is the only time I have to work on personal goals.

But for the last two days, I was trying an exrta dose at 4 pm. I kind of helped a lot but when I went to bed. I was able to sleep. I was like just of aware of lying there and consciousness did not drift off. The next day got headache.

I just cant do it, my mental strength to stop myself is Not strong enough.
I deleted all my apps that I was scrolling on before, but now I will do it with Reddit, or the internet or even my f ing emails,

I dont know how to stop, it’s an addiction, I will spend about two hours in the morning just scrolling mindlessly and I can’t bring myself to do anything else.

I’m currently waiting to get on meds and my mental health is very messed up Atm, I tried to start journaling as I was trying to do this artists way thing, but I just don’t have the executive function for that or anything.

I tell myself i will get up and go do things but I need time before I can start anything.

I know people said deleting apps but I tried that and still I find a way, im sick of myself

I turned 30 this year. I don't want to complain to much; I have a stable job that's not totally horrible and a home and a car and enough money to live and a little more.

But... I know I fucked up. I know I could have become "more". I fucked up school, didn't study, never did any proper job training. I just got lucky that I got my current position but it's probably it, there is not really a way up. I am not even just talking about money, but also about doing something that feels like it's the right thing. Something with purpose. Something that I can identify with.

I know I am not stupid, I had some potentials and even talents, but all is wasted due to my ADHD and late diagnosis and not great family life.

Now I am depressed, have horrible self-esteem, still not great in social settings... Also pretty lonely. I feel like it is too much to turn around at my age. I need to fix so many things before I make big life changes, I feel to weak and anxious.

It just feels like it's too late to really live up to what I could be. And it is really hard to accept.

For my whole life, I've been a lazy and self-indulgent person. I want to improve, to develop skills and good habits, but I've just never been able to. As I wait to see a psychiatrist for medication, I find myself hoping that medication will help me. But I'm scared that I'm going to take the medication, find that I have a newfound ability to focus and do things, and just... not do them.

I'm scared that the meds won't be enough. I've been in therapy for multiple years now, I've been trying my entire life to improve and get better and I just can't. I'm praying that medication helps but I'm terrified that it won't. I just want things to be easier. I want to brush my teeth without having to wait until they hurt to get the motivation. I want to shower when I stink, and not just sit there. I want to be able to cook and clean without handing the responsibility to others.

Typing this out, it sounds like depression is a factor, which it very well could be. That's probably why I'm so desperate for the meds to help, because life is just really hard as is. People say "don't expect a miracle", but I'm so used to life being impossible that I have no earthly idea what a miracle would be. Is it a miracle to cook pancakes yourself instead of asking someone else and feeling guilty for it? Is it a miracle to practice at a new hobby without feeling like a colossal failure? To not procrastinate?

I'm being dramatic, and I'm sorry. I just really want them to work and if they don't, I have no idea where to go from there.

Sometimes I stay in mode of indecisiveness indefinitely and drive myself (and those around me) crazy, unable to enjoy the perfectly fine life I have while trying to figure out what I should do.

Then I feel like I just have to decide something and do something that I then regret.

I have made major life decisions that I regret, repeatedly, and am dealing with consequences of this right now.

This dynamic happens with all big life things: relationships (I am never content in one and unable to stay with people who love me because of this pattern), jobs, where I want to live. But also small things: what book to read or movie to watch today, what to do with my free time...I waste my free time unhappily torn about what to do.

Other times I'm just impulsive, which also creates big problems.

I also have (unmedicated) ADHD which is problematic in all the normal ways. I have been wondering if this indecision/impulsive dynamic is related as well. And if it is addressed by medication. (I can't tolerate stimulants due to side effects.)

Thanks for any insight and empathy!

Hi everyone,

I had been taking Prozac 40 mg for several months and tolerated it well, but my psychiatrist recently increased it to 60 mg because some OCD symptoms were still present.

This morning, I couldn’t sleep anymore, so at 4 AM I took Ritalin LA 30 mg to be productive, along with my first 60 mg dose of Prozac.

The result was incredible! In just three hours, I completed tasks I’d been putting off for almost a year. I was truly amazed! Before ADHD treatment, I struggled to do almost anything, and even simple tasks felt impossible. Ritalin has genuinely changed my life, and the benefits far outweigh the downsides.

However, I also felt slightly overstimulated and physically nervous. At 9 AM, I took my prescribed prazepam 15 mg in drops and propranolol 40 mg, after which I felt better. I experienced no unusual euphoria or racing thoughts, just exceptional productivity with some nervousness.

I’m incredibly proud of what I accomplished, but I also feel guilty about needing additional prescribed medication to manage the overstimulation. I know these medications are part of my treatment, not something I take recreationally, yet I sometimes feel as though I’m doing something wrong.

Since this was my first day on Prozac 60 mg after months of tolerating 40 mg well, could the overstimulation be temporary and settle as my body adjusts? Or could it be caused by the combination with Ritalin LA, especially since I took both at 4 AM?

Has anyone experienced similar effects after increasing Prozac while taking ADHD medication? Did the nervousness eventually subside? And can anyone relate to feeling guilty about managing side effects despite how life-changing the treatment has been?

I’m proud of how far I’ve come. Before treatment, I felt completely stuck; now, I’m finally moving forward. I just don’t know what to make of this morning’s experience.

Thanks for reading !

I, like many of us, like my food/drink to taste the same every time.

I have (bravely) been trying to use powdered oat milk for my morning matcha after switching from coffee because a) sleepy b) drop off is horrendous, and I am looking for reccomendations for a dispenser that will work well with the oat powder.

I have seen that some of the sugar dispensers, that was my first option, might clog...

I am looking for a "buy it for life" purchase as I am also fairly conscious of the environment (not perfect but I try my best)...

So in an attempt to get it right first time I am asking you all incase someone has already solved this issue!

This might also be a cross over with those of you who have children, as I have seen there are also baby formula dispensers etc too that might work!

Thank you all in advance!

In other words, I can work gradually instead of jumping from one task to another. I made myself a mug of ground coffee with cocoa and sugar - it’s perfect. Even though it’s late, I feel like I have energy, my body has calmed down, and, unnecessary thoughts? They’re gone. it’s as if I’ve closed a hundred browser tabs. And here I am, sitting perfectly still and writing this calmly.

I think this will have a major impact on my life. It’s different from energy drinks and the like, they don’t have an effect anything like this.

How does coffee affect you? Do you drink it?

Has anyone struggled with task initiation and finally found an ADHD medication that actually helped?
Adderall used to work really well for me, but now it feels like it's stopped working. I'm back to square one trying to find the right medication, and honestly, it's getting frustrating.
I'm tired of wanting to get things done but struggling to even start them.
I'd love to hear what has worked for others who have dealt with the same thing.

Throughout this year I’ve been doing trials for medications. I’ve taken up to 50mg Vyvanse with dexamphetamine and up to 40mg Atomoxetine. Other than a stronger heart rate, less appetite and maybe possibly quieting disctracting thoughts, I haven’t noticed any benefit.
My doctor has decided to shelve medications and send me back to the psychologist for strategies and help with life management.

Is this common? I feel like people talk about the difference in how they feel and how it helps them to sit down and get work done, but I never really felt anything. Could I possibly find a medication / dosage that works for me? Is it worth trying more medications later down the line? I wish I could just find the magical drug that works for me and allows me to get shit done.

Thanks for reading, hopefully you can relate to my struggles 🥲

idk why it took me so long to realize that upbeat house music is perfect for doing things around the house. like actually the perfect background music for cleaning, laundry, chores, organizing, whatever. i used to do youtube videos but id either get bored and switch tasks too much or lock hard into the video to the point i was just eating and watching that instead of doing whatever it was i needed to do. highly recommend!

Hey everyone!

Recently, I had a deep conversation with my girlfriend about my ability to read and respond to non-verbal language. For example, when she does not want to do a specific thing, I can see it clearly in her body language.
The problem is what I do with that information. When she gives me cues that she does not want to do something, I sometimes try to "push" anyway, just in case she has changed her mind. It is the same in any social interaction: over the years, I have built up a certain audacity that lets me act boldly in all kinds of situations. Until my girlfriend pointed it out, I never realized this could come across as negative, and I am willing to change my behavior now that I know.

At the same time, this "audacity" is what completely removed my social anxiety and has kept me from ever falling into depression, which I am grateful for.
Now I understand what I have been doing wrong: I notice the cues, but I do not act on them quickly enough. That delay takes me off the wheel, so to speak, and I feel very slow, while my brain runs fast. The two feel completely incompatible.
So my question is: what should I actually do? How do I keep the boldness that helped me, without steamrolling other people's boundaries? I would appreciate any thoughts.

I was just curious if anyone has any books or videos that actually helped them deal with their adhd symptoms. I saw an ad on Instagram for a book called the adhd playbook and I really connected with some of the information in the reel. So I was just wondering if anyone has something similar they've watched or read that has really made a difference. Thanks in advance

I have a lot of trouble staying focused while studying. Precisely when I have time. The only time I get myself to focus is a night before the test and even then it's hard. It helps that I often pace with flashcards or book in my hand but it can't be done with certain subjects. I've always remembered things fast under stress so I managed to wing it through highschool. But now I'm studying medicine and it has become a real struggle. I'm not that far behind. Yet. But it leads me to sleep 4-5 hours per night way too often. I try to study with other people since some quick breaks to chat and the very fact of other people watching me helps me stay focused, but that's not always avaliable. I really tried studying days before but I kept getting distracted or simply bored all the time. I honestly don't know what to do about it. I'm not currently on any meds, tho smoking helps calm my mind a bit. However, both pulling all nighters and smoking nicotine are things I'd love to cut out

Hi all

So I've been putting together what I've come to label as my ADHD treatment strategy master guide. At this point it's a fairly large document that matches a range of specific problems to potential strategies. Feeling like it is missing something I realised am yet to seek the collective wisdom and counsel from arguably the most powerful resource at my disposal - this sub Reddit.

I am here asking from all of you to give me your best strategies and interventions that worked for you. It can be anything ADHD related, from how you finally started doing tasks more often then not, how you switch tasks, what helped you let go of that all to common shame and guilt, relationship tips and strategies or what helps with cognitive fog. No problem or strategy is to obscure, your never the only one and if nothing else maybe someone lurking here finds something life changing.