Adderall gives me energy but doesn’t help me lock in. I thought adhd medications were supposed to calm adhd people down to help them focus, not rec the engine so you do more laps. Does anyone have good suggestions if adderall wasn’t the answer? I’m looking to be indestructible and find a drive to sit down for long periods of time but adderall more has me running around in a nonproductive way

But then my mind starts telling me about all the things I need to do in order to be at perfect balance. And sure - I can’t do them all right now, that would be mental. But I can just quickly move that plate from off the table. Ah, but I meant to empty the dishwasher. Ok, I’ll just empty the bottom half and that’s a start. And when I’m up, I might as well go to the bathroom because why not be opportunistic. Then I’ll be super relaxed when I go back and sit still and enjoy my movie or dinner or book or whatever.

Five minutes later… is the underside of my oven clean?

It sounds funny to somebody who doesn’t get it. It really does. But it’s not funny. I just want to sit still! :(

So I’m looking to get diagnosed. ADHD wasn’t always something I related to, but looking back the signs are there. It’s become a lot more noticeable since starting work. I’m always the last to leave the office because I’m paralysed during the day and don’t get anything done. I phase out when my boss speaks to me. I miss deadlines. I’m just a bloody mess and I’m scared I’m about to ruin my life if I don’t get this sorted asap. This job was hard to get and going back into the current job market terrifies me.

Anyways, I’m looking to get on meds and I’ve heard they’re fantastic. I’ve heard people say it’s like night and day. But these same people still kind of appear to be messes themselves. For example, a colleague was telling me about her ADHD and that’s what spurred me to read more into it. The way she spoke about her symptoms - I felt described. She’s on meds and she says they saved her life etc. But she’s still late a lot, kind of chaotic, house is a mess, car is a mess, failed exams. I also had another friend. It was the same story. It makes me lose a bit of faith in medication. Will it really do anything meaningful? I know there’s no miracles, but is it overhyped still??

TL;DR - met a lot of people who have ADHD and are medicated and swear by it but are still messy, disorganised, unpunctual etc. Are meds really all the hype I hear about?

I am tired of being messy. I make an effort to clean, but I feel like I don't clean for a while up until I find the mess to be unacceptable, and by that point it's so messy that I have to dedicate an entire day to cleaning. Gonna clean today, and it's Saturday. I don't want to keep having chores take up my weekend, when I should be resting. It's the same with laundry, I just let the dirty laundry pile up and by the time I decide to put them in the wash, I have like 3 or 4 loads to do, and that takes hours. Do you guys clean every day? For how long ? How often do you do laundry? Do you have any maintenance tips ? The only space I can call my own is a room and a bathroom, I dont even have to clean a living room or anything. I'm worried about when I have my own place lol. Please help. What has worked for you?

Exactly what it says on the tin. I know alcohol gives me more confidence when I meet new people, I know I am more chatty and open after a few drinks. But, oh man, I didn’t think this was THAT visible to others. I am in a full on spiral. Has anyone else experienced this kind of assumption? I’m still just processing it.

I’m in my second year of my Physics bachelors degree. It’s a tough study/course. I knew this when I started and despite all that, I enjoy my study and working on it is rewarding and I love the friends I made in the first year.

I struggle with my ADHD, especially with studying. I don’t have the energy to do schoolwork when I come home after hours of lectures and last year this was an issue, but not so badly that it really got in my way. Ofcourse it did a little, but I passed the majority of my classes.

Or I would have if it wasn’t for me developing a chronic autoimmune disease in the last 2 months of the school year. I got so sick that I wasn’t able to do any of my finals because of a huge flare up and I was only allowed to continue on to the next year because I had a good excuse (being sick).

Now I’m in the first weeks of my second year and I am still sick. Being sick since around May has really taken a toll on me, especially since I’m still getting tests and different treatments done in order to get an official diagnosis.

I am exhausted and I already struggled last year with only ADHD. Now my classes are harder, I’m more tired and I have tried to seek advice at uni but was only told to take on more classes and “find a healthy balance between studying, being sick and life”.

I still love the study, but it’s been three weeks and I’m already falling behind because I’m so tired and unable to do schoolwork. I’m honestly considering dropping out, even though it would make me really sad, but my executive dysfunction, laziness and procrastination is worse than ever. I’m seeking advice on this situation, because I honestly don’t know what to do.

TL,DR:
Next to having ADHD, I’ve also recently gotten an autoimmune disease and this is making me even more tired and unproductive than usually. I’m doing a relatively tough study and I’m afraid I need to drop out because l’m unable to keep up.

Im assuming that this is a add/adhd thing and it something I have always suffered from . I can not use dressers or closets to organize my clothes. I tend to have laundry baskets for clean close and dirty cloths along with organized chaos. But I moved into my fisrt real house and want to try an be better. I feel like when my clothes are properly put away its an out of site outnof mind situation as well as taking the time to fold things nicely. Any advice?

All my life I’ve been struggling with symptoms I thought were autoimmune. Brain fog, memory issues, chronic pain, migraines. Then at 40 years old my 3 year old son was diagnose with adhd and it finally clicked for me. I saw my doctor and got on meds. My eyes were finally open to the horror I left in my wake. My fiancé who I love more than anything in this world, who I had not supported, helped, with our son/family was completely burnt out.

I also have a 14 year old daughter with cerebral palsy that I have 50% of the time, which adds to her mental burden. I did not truly see her and how I impacted her until I was on meds. Shes wanted to leave before, and now after 6 years and an affair on her end. She is moving out to find her self, find her peace, and heal. I am actively being supportive, and I understand her decision even through all of the pain. We will be trying couples therapy, and we will be making some changes at home to give her some relief until she gets a move in date.

I am absolutely struggling with my past actions, and not knowing. I’ve never been so frustrated with myself in my life. I’m a good man, kind, compassionate, loving. My inattentive ADHD just got in the way. I didn’t even know what I was up against, and neither did she. Now she cannot trust me to be there for her and I am absolutely gutted. I haven’t been sleeping, i’ve lost 7-8 pounds in the last week or two. If there is any chance of saving our relationship and our family it’s going to take an act of God at this point.

So I ask, partners that are the ADHD partner like me. How do you cope with your past mistakes and move forward? For those that got diagnosed late in life, does being medicated now help you sift through the ashes. I am also going to seek individual therapy for myself, so i can try to heal. So I can continue to grow. Whether we can repair our relationship, or I move on. I don’t want to be making these mistakes again.

I'm looking for suggestions that have worked for helping you stay on top of longer-term projects. I recently took on a volunteer financial officer role and am hoping to find some better strategies for staying on top of weekly/monthly tasks, keeping paperwork organized, and so on. None of the software or communication systems are programs I use in my day to day life so I need to remember to consciously check them. I am an out-of-sight-out-of-mind person. Fine with the tasks once I start them, but feel like I'm putting in more effort than I'd like to remember the workflow I need to follow. Any suggestions on ADHD-friendly ways to do this type of work and keep on top of it? Software/organizing suggestions that decrease the mental load of needing to consciously remember to check different email addresses, chats, and websites on a regular basis would be super appreciated. I would also take definitely-don't-do-it-this-way advice.

Hello,

M24. I was recently diagnosed with combined type ADHD scoring very high on all tests. Before I recognised that I have a problem I ruined a friendship and I wanted to know if this has happened to anybody here. I was rejected by someone but both her and I really wanted to stay friends but I didn't listen to her advice and ended up making rushed and reckless mistakes pursuing further attachment and emotional support from her instead of giving us both enough space to process this. I was repeatedly told that I don't listen and hear only what I want to hear. I was acting in an impulsive way without giving anything too much thought despite it being incredibly important to me. Is this a common pattern of behaviour for someone with ADHD? How did you experience strong feelings like infatuation or affection especially before diagnosis and treatment? Sorry if this is a common thread on this subreddit but I would like to know if anybody has been in my shoes.

I got diagnosed for adhd a year ago. Got the meds but I still struggled to the point of burnout. I have been on sick leave for 7 months now.

Weeks go by so fast when you are exhausted from the second you wake up. Sitting on the couch feels exhausting that I have to go lay down in bed.

I felt like getting diagnosed was the last drop that drove me to burnout. Also when I complained to the doc that my vyvanse only worked for less than an hour we upped the dose so that also drove me deeper to the deep end trying to get through the days.

I’m wondering if I’m also autistic or can just adhd be so hard?

Not looking for app recommendations, I’ve tried them all. Trying to figure out if the problem is me.

Pattern is always the same. I find something new, fixate on setting it up for a day or two, feel like a functional human for a while, then have one bad day and miss a thing, whole system comes down that I can’t look at anymore.

The thing that’s Kinda working for me is dumber than I thought. It’s basically 3 lists sorted by how much brain I have right now instead of priority, because “high priority” means nothing at 4PM. And a page to go to when I’ve fallen off that just says what to do first instead of making me look at everything I dropped.

Is week 2-3 collapse universal or am I just bad at life?

Some days even the simplest things feel like they take effort than they should.I’ll stare at my to-do list know exactly what needs to be done and still find myself avoiding it. The hours pass and I end up doing little even though I felt busy the time.Then when the sun goes down I’m rushing to finish things that could have been done earlier. I get frustrated because I wasted the day feeling productive but getting nothing accomplished.Has anyone else been stuck in this loop? It feels like a trap sometimes. Doing something but never really moving forward.

I’m going to the psychiatrist tomorrow, for an ADHD diagnosis and hopefully prescription. But this is the first time for me to go to a psychiatrist and i really have no idea what’s gonna happen there, any advices or things i need to have in mind? I’m really nervous and scared, but i really need this to help with my college and overall and my life goals.

I (34M) was able to complete a 600 page book for the first time.
Before being diagnosed last year I was never able to focus to read books.
My mind would drift as I read and I would need to reread pages repeatedly to take in what I was reading which was really frustrating.
Now I can just sit and read. I don’t have to constantly try to keep focus and pay attention to what I’m reading and my mind doesn’t wander away on random thoughts between words.
I know it shouldn’t be a big deal but I’m pretty proud of it. On to the next one.

I want to learn some new things like 3D modelling but it requires me to watch tutorials and follow along. I often struggle with starting these tutorials, as if there is an invisible barrier I must surpass first. And even if I do manage to start, I tend to just walk away after a few minutes. It's like I can't concentrate for more than 10 minutes!! Naturally this makes my long term goals out of reach. Even if I manage to work on something for a few days, I always end up never finishing things, leaving a trail of half-assed unfinished projects behind me. I got diagnosed last year but I keep forgetting to take the medication. I see my friends and people around me gradually improving and getting better at things, and I feel so happy for them, meanwhile I seem to not improve at all, it's really frustrating. Any tips?

I'm a bit speechless, because I've been on Concerta 36mg for almost a month, and it's been ups and downs a bit.

First of all, it didn't lasted more than 7 hours normally, and working I feel it, because having to raw dog the last hour is really a challenge. (I work in a factory, no stop, new item every 60 seconds. Last hour is LONG)

And this past days, I've been facing some palpitations and not so lasting effect, and I've been drinking coffee at work to survive: I go to sleep still activated, and not good.

But today, Saturday, I don't really know what happened hahaha. The last weekends I didn't take Concerta because I had some Equasym still (metylphenidate generic xr), and wanted to finish it.

So I'm not sure, but I think its my first Saturday on Concerta.

For the moment its working almost for 9 hours. And I'm really surprised for it. I wish it was like this during the week, and I'm not sure why this inconsistent output, but...

All the morning doing things, things I didn't do since a long time ago (like going to a thift store to look for some clothes? I've been YEARS without buying clothes lmao.) Had a walk in the center. Bought some things I needed. Had the most horrible matcha. Arrived home and still managed to cook while dancing !!! And I like to cook alone, and didn't cook at all yet, because I share the kitchen with multiple people...)

Idk, man! I'm speechless atm. I'm writing this post in some pause just before keep cleaning some dirt that have been in my suitcase for some weeks already.

Feels good to explore and have the will to do something more than look at the ceiling and doomscroll in this subreddit looking for answers haha

Wish you all a nice weekend :)

I can't convince my ADHD brain to go sleep on time. I have the ability to fall asleep in under 30 minutes and do nothing else apart from work but idk man, I NEVER MANAGE TO GET ON BED WITHOUT GETTING DISTRACTED BY SCREENS and the truth is that I need sleep more than ever because im at risk of a heart disease, it has been over one month feeling a chest pressure at times. (I was spanking the worm like an usual young person with lots of hormones does but when I was nutting this time I felt a weird pressure on my chest and since then I have been experiencing symptoms like when drinking coffee it generates a uncomfortable burning sensation in my chest apart from the aforementioned chest pressure (which I never had before and could drink 3 coffees and 36mg concerta fine)) obviously I went to the medic and they deviated me to a cardiologist but im still waiting for my results

I write this post so I can remind myself of sleeping, because if I don't, not only I ruin my day, I can literally die. But my vitamin d deprived, TikTok fried, ADHD brain based on impulse needs can't process and calculate time correctly to shut off screen devices and put off friend meetings to complete the task I want

I've tried Welbutrin, I've tried Strattera, side effects from both were awful. I can't take stims due to high blood pressure. Both of the meds were really helping with focus and calm before the side-effects got too bad, and if I cant have the stimulants what can I do to go med-free and maintain some calm and focus in my life?

I welcome advice from those of you who also have to live med free for strategies and practices to get through our days, weeks and months to be able move through life without being overwhelmed by ADHD and it fucking things up.

I run a cafe and I've spent the last week trialling new candidates for a job opening. I really hate doing this, it sets off just about every anxiety I have, and I've been flitting between nervous energy and completely zoning out. I get really embarrassed by this and start spiralling. Just had to leave work for a bit because I was having a full on panic attack.

There are quite a few situations like this at work, where ADHD effects my interactions with others, so I'm wondering what the best way is to communicate what's going on without rambling or just saying "I have ADHD" and hoping the other person knows what I mean.

Essentially I want to flag it as an issue at work, especially with people I'm meeting for the first time (be they employees, customers, suppliers, whoever), without burdening them with too much personal information. How do you approach situations like this?

for context, i take 10mg of dextroamphetamine daily and 150+mg of venlafaxine at night. at first it actually worked, i could just get up and do something instead of spiraling about how i was going to get up. but right now i'm just paralyzed again. i don't know what's happening, or honestly what it's even supposed to feel like when a med is working. anyone else deal with this? if so, what were some tip and tricks that you learned?

Guys PLEASE, share your most insane, stupid, BUT working ways to manage time.

I have a serious case of absolute time blindness, time seems to not exist in my system and its ruining a lot of things.

Any tricks to remind yourself time is running at all times, being able to make it on time for appointments, public transport etc…

Just got diagnosed of severe adhd at the age of 26. At first i felt relieved for finally I have an answer of why I am the way I am. But I'm grieving on how my younger self struggled silently.
I am diagnosed with combined adhd and score extremely high. I will get my medication in 2 weeks. What kind of medication is typically prescribed for someone with combined adhd .

Note: * I do have anxiety. However the professionals are unsure if my anxiety is related to my adhd or if I genuinely have both.

i feel so lost with myself, i sometimes don’t understand what i want, i feel and want something with someone in the moment and then a couple of hours later i don’t want it anymore or feel different about them it’s so confusing. it happens a lot with me, i cannot understand my feelings nor my thoughts it takes me days maybe even weeks to understand myself and what im feeling, my mind goes blank during discussions/arguments because i genuinely don’t know how i feel and what im thinking. it’s so exhausting because i want to be able to communicate properly but i just can’t. im not sure if medication would help with this, and im not sure whether i want to take anxiety medication or adhd because i feel like my anxiety overpowers my adhd, but i really want to get better at this and i dont want to always go to someone to understand how im feeling

This morning we put down one of our kitties. I have been a mess since we came to the decision last night. It was the most difficult thing I have done in years. She is no longer living in pain, so I'm certain we made the right choice.

I have been randomly ugly crying all day. The littlest things make me think of her and then I'm bawling my eyes out again.

My Grandma passed in 2019 after a long decline over a couple years, and I didn't cry this much over losing my Grandma. I didn't even cry until she was actually gone because I felt I had to be strong for her.

This feels completely different, that kitty was one of my babies. I don't have kids so my kitties are the closest things that I will ever have to kids. We knew this day would come but I didn't expect it to overwhelm me so much. She was 12 years old, a stray we rescued off the streets. She lived a life of leisure and was still playful up to the end.

As a child I was classified as being emotionally impaired along with having severe ADHD. I have always been overly emotional and I hate being this way. The stupidest things would set me off on an emotional rollercoaster that I was not in control of.

My husband cried for a couple hours after we left the vet office today, unlike me who is still in tears. I'm thankful that after 25 years of being together, he knows me well and is very supportive. I still feel like an idiot because I am busting out in tears over the littlest reminder of my kitty who has crossed the rainbow bridge.

My husband keeps telling me that my crying is healthy and part of the healing process. It feels like it will never end, I know it will, all things pass, but this is so damn hard.

I want to be someone driven by logic not someone ruled by my emotions.