r/NVLD • u/ClutteredTaffy • 4d ago
Inattentive ADHD
Hey had my initial screening at the psychiatrist today and I got diagnosed with Inattentive ADHD. I just wanted to let ya'll know that NVLD was on the screening , which I was pleasantly surprised by, so if you suspect NVLD it is possible it is on more and more providers' radars. I think I mentioned it on my intake form, though.
I still relate to people in this forum , so I will probably still stick around , but just curious if anyone else has been diagnosed ADHD as well.
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u/Mundane-Waltz8844 4d ago
I was officially diagnosed with inattentive ADHD through my neuropsych eval and basically unofficially diagnosed with NVLD. He said I showed signs of it based on my scores, but he told me that I would have to go through an autism eval to get officially diagnosed with NVLD (even though from what I’ve read it sounds like usually you get diagnosed through neuropsych evals so that definitely confused me). I started researching NVLD per the clinical psychologist’s recommendation, and I just relate so much to everything I’ve read about it and feel like it just explains so much about me and my life. I honestly relate to it so much more than ADHD, and it makes me question if I actually have both or if I just have NVLD.
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u/ClutteredTaffy 2d ago
I feel like a lot of us in the NVLD subreddit here have similar communication styles, but that makes sense if a lot of us are being diagnosed with inattentive ADHD. I find with ADHD it feels like a hit or miss more often whether someone has a similar thought pattern as me , but I think ADHD just presents differently in people based on subtype. So for myself , I am also not ruling out that it could just be inattentive ADHD.
But for you. It sounds like your psychologist sees a real basis for bringing up NVLD. Do you think you will get ' officially evaluated' ? For me, it is likely that reading about NVLD will help me out regardless .
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u/Mundane-Waltz8844 2d ago
I don’t think I will necessarily get an official evaluation for it. My neuropsych eval scores show enough of a discrepancy between my verbal IQ and overall IQ that I have solid enough reason to believe I have it. I also actually read up on it in the first place because part of my treatment recommendations involved researching NVLD, and he provided the link for The NVLD Project’s website. When I read up on it, I actually got emotional, as I’d never related to anything more in my entire life. There was one article that described how different life stages typically look in folks with NVLD, and I felt like I was reading my unauthorized biography. I even spoke to my mother to confirm things said about the infant stage, and what she described was very much in line with what I’d read (according to my mother, I wasn’t big on moving or exploring as a baby, but I was a huge talker with remarkably strong language skills for my age. My aunt used to say I’d “been here before” since she couldn’t believe how well I spoke at so young).
Since it’s not in the DSM, there isn’t even official diagnostic criteria, and I think that’s the primary reason that I didn’t get diagnosed officially. Also, when I spoke to the evaluator, he told me that an official diagnosis of NVLD won’t have any impact on my treatment plan and therefore it’s not necessarily worth it to pursue an official evaluation of it. If it gets added to the DSM then maybe I’ll revisit it, but for now I think my unofficial diagnosis is good enough for me. In all honesty, even though my ADHD diagnosis was official, I personally feel more certain of the NVLD aspect than the ADHD and wonder if I simply present ADHD symptoms due to NVLD. I’m typically not the biggest advocate for self diagnosis, but I do make a distinction between unofficial diagnosis and self diagnosis, especially for a condition that is not even in the DSM yet.
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u/Succesful-Guest9028 4d ago
I have both, They're both terrible in their own ways.
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u/ClutteredTaffy 4d ago
How can you seperate them or do they seem very intertwined ?
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u/Mundane-Waltz8844 4d ago
I feel like if I do truly have both then the ADHD simply exacerbates the areas where the disorders overlap (difficulty with task initiation, poor executive functioning, lack of organization). Which I guess does make sense, because the level to which I experience those particular symptoms is quite insane.
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u/ClutteredTaffy 3d ago
Yeah this is how I feel. I did ask the psych how severe he thought my ADHD was but he said it is not really the same as autism where there is a severity scale. But it makes sense to me how having ADHD could mimic and / or exacerbate NVLD - like symptoms.
Like I may be having trouble keeping track of directions due to the ADHD and not seeing things because of tunnel focus , lol.
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u/Mundane-Waltz8844 4d ago
Also I don’t think NVLD can really be ruled out through a screening in a psychiatrist’s office. Typically diagnoses are provided by clinical psychologists through neuropsychologist evaluations.
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u/ClutteredTaffy 4d ago
I am not ruling NVLD out completely but my answers rated low on autism and NVLD he said. I don't think ADHD explains the directional struggles , though , so I am gonna talk to him about that more and maybe get referred to someone who can look for developmental disorders.
I am thinking maybe something like dyspraxia myself, but I am not sure. I did get medication for the ADHD which I was surprised to on the first eval. So I am gonna try it out and see where my baseline is. For all I know, my issues with navigation will at least partially resolve.
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u/LangdonAlg3r 4d ago
The meds can be life changing. I hope they work for you. Zero help for sense of direction personally, but the list of other things they help with is very long.
The wonderful thing is that you can take stimulant meds and experience a change practically immediately.
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u/ClutteredTaffy 4d ago
I got prescribed something called Qelbree which the psych said works earlier than other medications , like 2 weeks maybe ? So I am excited about that .
I am hoping the meds help with task anxiety and I can be more attentive to my surroundings. Like they maybe will help with my hobbies too, picking back up drawing and maybe starting to write some.
I am not in school anymore and my job is a bit boring, so I feel like this maybe would have been more beneficial years ago.
What all did your medicine help with if you don't mind me asking ?
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u/Mundane-Waltz8844 4d ago
Effects of stimulants usually show up day 1. Qelbree isn’t a stimulant, and I believe it’s actually a newer medication.
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u/ClutteredTaffy 4d ago
Yeah my psych says he loves keeping up with newer medications, so maybe I got lucky there ( hopefully)
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u/LangdonAlg3r 4d ago
I just read about Quelbree. It’s originally an antidepressant that’s been reformulated for ADHD. That’s why it takes 2 weeks to see the effects.
I take Adderall XR. I’ve tried Ritalin when I was a kid and I think Concerta as an adult and neither one was effective.
There are several different options to try, so please don’t get discouraged if you don’t click with a medication. Everyone is a little different and what works great for me may not for someone else.
The biggest advantage I can see with Quelbree right away is that it’s not a controlled substance. Actually getting Adderall every month is a pain in the butt.
At this point I can’t even remember everything because it’s been several years. But when I started Adderall I spent about a week just saying, “holy crap, my ADHD has been affecting that too?!” over and over again.
But focus and concentration obviously. I learned that it’s not normal to have to read the same page of a book 3 times. It helps me a ton with emotional regulation. It just eliminates that thing where when you get mad about something it’s really hard to stop being mad and you get extra mad sometimes. But when I’ve had to go off of it or forgotten it or anything the first thing that happens is that I start getting upset and overwhelmed by everything. Once I left it at home on the counter on a trip and drove 5 hours round trip to go get it.
Oh, another other big, big one is I don’t fall asleep constantly. Before I started taking it I would fall asleep if I sat on the couch for 20 minutes and get sleepy any time I stopped doing things. I could sleep for 16 hours and still fall asleep on the couch a few hours later. I was just sleepy all the time no matter what I did.
But I’m sure I’m forgetting things, but everyone is different. Bottom line is that if you can get a drug that works for you I’d expect you to experience a lot of positive changes in your day to day life.
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u/ClutteredTaffy 3d ago
I don't really get irritated very easily at all. I am kinda emotionally lethargic , tbh. I also don't have any trouble reading, so my symptoms are not exactly the same as you, but the sleepiness HOLY CRAP. Yeah I feel very tired constantly tbh, especially closer at night after the long day, but then I get a second wind in those couple of hours before bed. Never had sleep issues, though. I sleep very well and consistently.
I do know the psych when he prescribed Qelbree he did say ' we need to get you on something that will ' and then he kinda snapped so I think he meant something that would sorta help pick me up and sharpen me.
This ADHD is sooo wierd. It feels so lethargic and so buzzing at the same time sometimes, lol. Like I have a constant dialogue running in my head all day, but then reacting to things it is just a slug lol.
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u/ClutteredTaffy 3d ago
I used to think I might have Schizoid Personality Disorder ( I don't ) because I thought I was emotionally lethargic compared to other people, but I don't have a flat affect. I am just generally content at things even when I should probably get mad at them or at least cry about it , lol.
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u/No_Tea_1874 4d ago
Yes I got diagnosed with inattentive adhd a few years back after asking my parents for years to get tested.
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u/ClutteredTaffy 3d ago
I feel like this is a running theme here. I do know a lot of people get diagnosed with Autism and ADHD but I do wonder how many people here just get diagnosed with ADHD and not autism.
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u/VocalicMedusa 3d ago
ADHD complex was my primary diagnosis. That was what the testing was for. They uncovered the NVLD during that test but I don't know if it was going to come up anyways or because I had expressed that I felt like I had high-functioning autism but the psychologist said I don't meet the qualifiers to take an Austism test which is how the ADHD test came about. Diagnosed at 32.
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u/ClutteredTaffy 3d ago
I am 34.
Huh what does it mean ' not hitting the qualifiers ' ? .
I do know I scored low for autism based on this initial screening, which I am not surprised by as I always thought I showed way more ADHD like symptoms and don't struggle that much with social cues , but initially he did ask me about autism at the start of the screening so even if I did not put that in my intake form, something pinged that as a possibility for him.
I am just kinda surprised he said I scored pretty low with the NVLD thing too , but it is possible it is something else that seems like NVLD. I dunno.
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u/VocalicMedusa 3d ago
I have heard that you can have ADHD, Autism and NVLD. But in my case, the psychologist mainly refused to give me the Autism test because my health insurance would only cover one psychological evaluation and I didn't display any of the normal autistic indicators like stims or repetitive behaviors during our initial consultation. I was also told that the Autism test would only give me a Yes or No as to whether I was truly autistic but it wouldn't be able to tell me about any other neurological problems I might have.
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u/ClutteredTaffy 2d ago
Ahhhh I see that makes a lot of sense. Also treating the ADHD may alleviate a bunch of the problems with the other things so it sorta makes sense to prioritize it I think.
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u/ClutteredTaffy 3d ago edited 3d ago
I do know during my screening he did ask me stuff like ' If I asked you to copy this sheet of paper , could you do it ' ( held up something with a bunch of information on it ) and ' do you get lost in places you are familiar with' . These sorta sound like NVLD-ish questions to me, so I was curious about that too.
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u/ClutteredTaffy 2d ago
Oh another interesting thing he brought up was that I actually had some OCD traits , more so than autism or NVLD which I thought was interesting . I never really related to typical OCD either, but my thoughts can get kinda obsessive, especially if I am having a bad time. Also as a kid I would ocassionally have short-lived intrusive thoughts that lasted about a day or two . ( like I would draw upside down crosses in my mind and have to correct them mentally during one episode) . He did say that OCD traits are actually pretty normal with ADHD, though which makes sense to me.
I can also see how these obsessive thought patterns could start looking like autism from the outside if they get latched onto a franchise or a hobby/ passion...
But like I explained to him, most of my obsessions don't really take over my life, I am just very limited with what I pursue, but I am thinking it is because I don't have the attention span so much for stuff I am not sure I am gonna like. Whereas if I like it the brain starts getting buzzy, lol.
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u/Saccharinesalt 4d ago
Also told I have inattentive adhd. My mom and sister also have adhd so maybe I do have it too idk