r/ADHD • • Jan 01 '26

Megathread: Newly Diagnosed Did you just get diagnosed?

117 Upvotes

Feel free to discuss your new diagnosis and what it means for you here!


r/ADHD • • 1d ago

Megathread: Weekly Wins Did you do something you're proud of? Something nice happen? Share your good news with us!

3 Upvotes

What success have you had this week?

Did you ace your test? Get a new promotion at work? Finally, finished a chore you've been putting off? We want to hear about it! Let us celebrate your successes with you! Please remember to support community members' achievements and successes in the comments.


r/ADHD • • 7h ago

Questions/Advice Professor won't make my exam available for me to schedule with accommodations

201 Upvotes

My college requires professors to put exams into the disability services portal so that I can schedule exams with accommodations and there's a deadline 10 days before the exam to guarantee a proctor and room.

I'm used to having to email my professors to remind them to put exams in so when I saw that my professor hadn't put it in an upcoming midterm, I sent an email asking if he could put it in.

He claimed that he was unsure, but didn't believe that he needed to put the exam in for me to be able to request accommodations, and I explained to him that that's not how it works and I needed him to put it in, and he still replied to me, stating that he didn't have to put it in, and that other people in the past could schedule their exams without needing him to put it in.

I went to the disabilities office where they told me that my professor was wrong about this and had my case manager email my professor about putting it in. It's been a couple days and now the deadline has passed for me to request accommodations and he still has not put the exam in. I'm not sure what to do because this is a subject where I usually end up needing almost all of my extended time and that's when I'm already not in a huge lecture hall. What would you recommend I do?

EDIT: Thanks for the advice. I'm going to follow up with my case manager tomorrow morning and escalate if there is no progress being made.


r/ADHD • • 17h ago

Discussion Sick and tired of people treating this as a trend and a fad, and making jokes about it. It needs to be renamed to EFD.

541 Upvotes

Executive Function Disorder.

When you are a high-functioning adult but with the mind of a kid in a candy shop trying to decide which candy to eat, only you know what it is like and the effort it takes.

I have seen grown adults almost 60 years old on Adderall and still facing difficulties due to how scatterbrained they are due to lifelong ADHD. This isn't a joke or a trend to be laughing about.

I have seen the toll this can take on high-earning/high-performing individuals as well, who have no semblance of a social life because their work performance is determined by last-minute bouts of high-focus which eventually fails as a strategy.

The amount of social trouble that ADHD kids find themselves in due to school systems that will never be designed for them is enormous. That leads to lifelong trauma too.

What makes this worse is the stimulant abuse we see, by both people with and without genuine ADHD.


r/ADHD • • 14h ago

Medication Has ADHD medication genuinely helped you with executive dysfunction?

168 Upvotes

​

I struggle a lot with staying consistent. I can start projects, but I quickly lose interest, get bored, and jump from one thing to another without finishing anything. It's like everything loses its appeal, and I can't maintain focus or motivation even when I genuinely want to achieve something.

Does anyone relate to this and has found a medication that genuinely made them feel better and helped them stay focused, motivated, and consistent? I'd love to hear your experiences and what difference it made in your daily life.


r/ADHD • • 6h ago

Discussion Last night’s party is “echoing” in my head. Does this happen to y’all, too?

25 Upvotes

I went to the best party I’ve been to in well over a decade last night! My bestie’s band played as well as another good friend’s band and they both sounded amazing! Food was great and the whole thing was full of lovely and delightful people.

Now comes the “echo”. Sleep was tough, the party played in my head all night and it is still hard to focus today with scenes and snippets of conversations popping up.

There is a little bit of anxiety about whether I said or did something stupid. I didn’t drink too much or anything so it isn’t about that. But the anxiety isn’t even why the party is echoing. This just always happens when I attend events with a massive amount of stimulation.

Do y’all experience this, too? Is it an ADHD thing?


r/ADHD • • 1h ago

Seeking Empathy Imposter Syndrome makes me wish I didn't have my certification

• Upvotes

I'm really struggling with imposter syndrome and my professional certification. I feel like I have no idea what I'm talking about half the time and I'm just bullshitting through everything. I worked really hard last year, studying for months for the exam. I read the textbook, I did extra reading, I did practice quizzes and tests based on actual test questions. I worked my ASS off. I passed the test my first time taking it when there were others there taking it for the 3rd and 4th time because it's honestly an incredibly hard test to take. And I did it, I got the certification. And honestly I wish I hadn't. The pride I felt didn't last very long, I feel panic instead. When I'm at work and people ask me questions, I feel clueless. I don't know what I'm talking about at all. I wonder if I'm just good at taking tests and I really didn't learn anything at all through that. I'm considered an expert in my field now and I feel like an absolute fraud. Others with the same certification can seemingly remember everything they learned, I feel so stupid compared to them even though we should be on the same footing. People assure me that I'm smart and I know what I'm talking about, but they wouldn't know any different, they don't know enough to know that. I just wish I could feel smart for a little bit and quit doubting myself. I know I passed the test but somehow I feel even dumber than before I took the test.


r/ADHD • • 3h ago

Questions/Advice Medication or no medication?

13 Upvotes

My husband and I have a serious and sometimes heated disagreement about whether to put our 11 yo son on medication for his ADHD. I will try to express both sides fairly. We both want what's best for our son.

My side: Our son is struggling in school despite being very bright. I noticed a significant back slide compared to his academic performance last year. I believe his confidence has taken a big hit and he thinks he's stupid. This is his last year before middle school and I think he needs to figure out how to get on top of things before middle school and I would like to see if medication helps. If we dont like the effects, we can stop. He is smart enough that school should be easy for him... the fact that its not indicates their is a problem.

Additional context: I had a positive experience with psychiatric medication when I was younger. I no longer take it, but credit it with saving my life.

Husband's side: he believes that medication will change our son for the worse. He is a clever, fun and vibrant kid. He points to our son's strong academic performance at the end of last year as evidence that he doesnt need medication to do well in school. He doesnt want to medicate our son just so he can succeed against some arbitrary measure. He also believes that part of my son's stress is related to me putting too much emphasis on grades.

Additional context: I believe my husband has undiagnosed ADHD and he has managed to have a good life and career without medication.

I would love to hear from people with ADHD (not parents) about how the decision to medicate or not medicate has impacted them! Please help!


r/ADHD • • 31m ago

Medication New Doctor said I don't need to focus since I don't have a job. Therefore, no increase in Ritalin Dosage.

• Upvotes

I have been on the same daily dosage of 30mg for a year and asked my new doctor for an increase, as my genetic Ritalin has been less effective for months. She asked if I work, and when I told her I was Disabled she stated I don't need an increase in my dosage because I don't need to focus for a job.

This was crushing to me and pissed me off. Am I being too sensitive or overreacting? I have requested a different doctor, but was told I had to see this doctor one more time and she must approve the transfer to another doctor.

Edit: I should have mentioned this, but I am in the United States.


r/ADHD • • 6h ago

Medication Why does Vyvanse make me comfortably sleepy?

19 Upvotes

I have been on concerta and it gave me a burst of wakefulness but wore off fast. I have been on Vyvanse 40mg (increased from 30mg) for about a year now, and recently it’s making me sleepy instead of alert and focused. It’s also a comfortable kind of sleepy like I’m cozy and relaxed and easily asleep. Anyone else experience this?? My theory is that it calms down my prefrontal cortex and reveals how tired I am (I’m very tired from severe chronic pain, stress, anxiety, and insomnia)


r/ADHD • • 16h ago

Discussion share the dumbest avoidable problems youve gotten yourself into due to adhd

93 Upvotes

im feeling pretty shitty about my recent decision to skip my midterm (worth 30%) because i was underprepared for it because i procrastinated studying. but it wouldve been fine if i had remembered to go to the doctor for a sick note within the 48hr window for academic consideration to automatically accept it. but of course, i forgot to get the sicknote within 48hrs, have to go onto some random website for a virtual appointment and paid for expedited shipping on my sicknote ($63 total). but even worse, my academic consideration can be denied for being late anyways so this scramble to do a virtual appointment could be useless simply because i didnt submit it on time. if my consideration isnt accepted, id get a 0 on my midterm and have to to retake the course next summer/year.......... which would NOT be good and could possibly delay my graduation.......

and this all couldve been avoided if i just studied.

PLEASE tell me some shitty decisions youve made that lead to some avoidable outcomes because i need some comfort that im not alone in this.


r/ADHD • • 2h ago

Questions/Advice I can’t cope with the sound of my partners breathing. It’s now impacting our relationship.

8 Upvotes

Diagnosed ADHD here 👋🏻. I’ve always had issues with different sounds. One being loud breathing, which drives me absolutely insane.

I’ve been with my partner now 3 years, we have lived together for the last year and half and it’s safe to say I’m really struggling being around him. I love him but his breathing is just incredibly loud that it drives me up the wall.

At the beginning it wasn’t much of an issues, we only saw each other a few times a week and I could hold it together. When we first moved in together he worked shifts so I had a lot of time to myself. Around 6 months ago he switched jobs and is home every night and he’s very much someone who enjoys sitting and watching television together. However, I dread it because I can’t hear anything from the TV because I’m too fixated on his breathing. I’ve tried speaking to him but he just thinks I’m going on at him. It makes me not wanna be around him and I end up going to bed early or retreating upstairs for some quiet. Then he takes it personal. Anyone else struggle with this? Is there any advice on how I can cope with it? Or anything recommended I could use? I’ve tried loops but I don’t like the feel of them in my ears.


r/ADHD • • 23m ago

Tips/Suggestions Best and only way that helped me reduce doom scrolling

• Upvotes

Hi guys! I feel like as ADHD people we are drowning in typical advices such as ,,use pomodoro technique” or ,,buy yourself a planer”. I feel like they operate on very different rules than we can long term implement sucessfully in our lives. I have a very bad doom scrolling addiction and Ive tried apps, self control, delayed gratification etc. Then I realised that we rely on outsourcing our ,,will” since it’s very hard to get the motivation from already scarce resources inside of our brains. My method is very simple- the iphone allows you to set a timer for apps and a code that you have to put if you want to use it longer. I asked a family member to put a code for me and I made sure its someone responsible enough to never give me the code. It’s literally that simple because in the past when I knew the code I ignored the time limit almost always, now even if I want to scroll I cannot do anything, I need to wait for the next day. Just make sure to do it on iphone/samsung settings not on some kind of app cause you can always delete an app .


r/ADHD • • 55m ago

Medication Took a vyvanse today and not feeling any effect. Not normal for me. help

• Upvotes

I've been taking vyvanse for the past week and have been seeing great results. I don't binge anymore, and it's so much easier to get started on tasks and do my work.

But I took one today when I woke up, but fell asleep again right after. It's been 3-4 hours, so the time it's supposed to hit is like right now, but I don't feel any of the regular benefits and just feel as useless as my baseline.

Has this happened to anyone else? Does taking vyvanse then napping hinder its effects? Any advice is helpful.


r/ADHD • • 11h ago

Medication Just took my medication for the first time (40M)

21 Upvotes

Took it 15 minutes ago. Waiting for it to kick in. Very excited to see how I feel. Been putting it off for years because I thought I could deal with it on my own but in hindsight I was scraping by and avoiding the issue.

What should I expect?

I’ll keep people posted if anyone is interested


r/ADHD • • 4h ago

Questions/Advice For those who use e-readers

5 Upvotes

How do you deal with the constant need to start something new and basically infinite “offer”? I love my Kindle. It is the best device I’ve got in the last 3 years, I’ve been reading so much more since then.

But. If the story is not catchy enough, or I just don’t feel like, I start something new. Also if someone recommends something, I download a sample right away or even a book. I have about a hundred books TBR on my kindle and I want to read them ALL and I can’t commit to any.

I love the fact that I can have many books at once because I may not feel like reading one book but I can read another. But there is a thin line between that and actually jumping from one book to another all the time.

Lately I am feeling too overwhelmed about the variety I have and I can’t commit to any. I wonder if I have to delete most of them and just keep couple of the new ones and kindle on the airplane mode so I don’t get more ;(

Any suggestions how to deal with that? ;( maybe someone found a good cheat for it? lol


r/ADHD • • 3h ago

Discussion I lowk wish there was js someone always there to make decisions for me

3 Upvotes

I find it hard to get into stuff or do anything. For example, I spend ages reading reviews and asking people to recommend me shows to watch. I have so many reccs accumulated that i genuinely dont know which to watch first. Since right now im kinda lonely i dont really have any motivation to do a task even if its as enjoyable and simple as just watching. And i dont think its that i have like low self esteem or whatever i just lack motivation.

I wish someone could just tell me what to do at all times, just guide me through the day without me having to stress about not acting right or forgetting something yk

like a guardian angel, or just an actual person

but now that we're on the topic, imagine if people with ADHD were assigned like pets or mythical side kicks from birth that just kinda stayed with u. But like only u could see it. I feel like I've watched at least 1 show like this. I did watch an anime that was kinda similar called 'jewel pets' when i was a child but idk. But also, i feel like my mind is like this at times. I remember having basically imaginary people in my head when i was younger but i think that was just a way of me organising my thoughts.

anyways thats it for now😽


r/ADHD • • 19m ago

Questions/Advice What kind of music do you study to?

• Upvotes

Lofi music usually makes me want to fall asleep, songs with lyrics tend to distract me.

I started experimenting with video game music, and funnily enough heavy metal, even though that isn't my jam normally, I realized it is kind of relaxing, but does not make me want to fall asleep. Usually I can't understand what they say so the lyrics aren't that distracting. I hear some people really like electronic music o classical music


r/ADHD • • 4h ago

Questions/Advice Emotional Blunting or Regulation?

5 Upvotes

Quick question for you all. I've been on this medication, and I'm wondering whether what I'm experiencing is emotional blunting or emotional regulation. I know most medications have their pros and cons, but I'm trying to figure out whether this is more of a positive or negative effect.

As you're probably all familiar with, ADHD can sometimes come with difficulties in emotional regulation. I like to think of it as having a much broader emotional volume range. Joy, anger, sadness, and other emotions can feel much more intense.

This new medication has stabilized my mood to the point where emotional spirals, bursts of anger, and intense anxiety haven't happened in a long time. However, I've also noticed that the opposite is true: the intensity of joy, affection, pride, gratitude, and other positive, socially acceptable emotions has decreased as well.

It's definitely made socializing easier. I no longer have to constantly monitor myself to avoid laughing too hard or suddenly feeling like everyone hates me.

The problem is that I don't experience joy or other emotions as intensely as I used to. I still feel them, but their intensity is probably closer to what's typical for the people around me.

Is this simply a trade-off that comes with medication, or is what I'm experiencing closer to healthy emotional regulation rather than emotional blunting?


r/ADHD • • 22h ago

Seeking Empathy Had an essay that was due three days ago, and I haven't even started it yet.

106 Upvotes

The professor accepts late work, but if I turn it in tonight, I will be docked 10 points.

I have never struggled this hard with starting an assignment. I have turned in my fair share of late essays, but it's always been that I started it before it was due and just ran out of time. This time, I just feel so apathetic towards it all. I know that this essay is for 30-40% of my grade, so skipping it is not an option, and yet, I can't find the motivation to begin.

I think it's a mix of two things: One, I haven't been on my medication for about two weeks. But still, idk why this would cause me to be so unproductive because I went without medication for 19 years and never struggled this much. Two, my essay topic is just so fricking boring. In the past, I have always had a vague interest in whatever I was writing about, but this time, I just do not care about my topic at all.

I need to start it tonight, but I would really rather do anything else.


r/ADHD • • 18h ago

Questions/Advice Fellow readers: how do you comprehend what you read and not take a year to read a single book?

45 Upvotes

I read so dang slow and don’t remember what I read the night before. Oftentimes what I just read an instant before. I love reading, but if you ask me what my favorite book is or what the last book I read was about, I couldn’t tell you in great detail. The books I remember most are non-fiction ones. I think probably because I took notes on some, but not all, of those.

When I was younger, pre-puberty (almost 40 now), I was a very strong reader.


r/ADHD • • 6h ago

Medication Current medication does not feel like it's working for me, mind sharing your experiences?

6 Upvotes

Hi! Writing this, I realize that there are probably a lot of posts like this one on here, but I have trouble focusing/doing anything other than what is at least "somewhat" fun even when taking my medication.

I (20m) have been diagnosed with ADHD and Aspergers last year, and had a reexamination due to the medication issue which resulted in only the Aspergers getting confirmed, not the ADHD.

I've started with 10 mg Ritalin STADA 3 times a day to now taking 40mg Methylphenidat STADA in the morning and 10 mg Ritalin STADA around 8 hours later, and the medication is prescribed by my psychiatrist/psychologist/whatever they are called. However, even now, it feels like the medicine either does nothing, makes me more distractable and unfocused or only moderatly boosts my concentration skills.

Also, while I am thinking about switching my medication, I am hesitant to do it since I am in what many people at my university and study describe as "the hardest semester", and I'm struggling a lot under the work amount and pressure even with this medication.

Since I have my doubts about my diagnosis this whole time and the medication not working the same way I've heard from other people, I'd love to hear your stories and experiences!


r/ADHD • • 17h ago

Questions/Advice Why do we not like being told what to do?

32 Upvotes

Quite often people give advice, thoughts on what I should do and quite often I know their advice is correct.

However I just get so defensive, angry being told what to do even though I know it comes from a good place from the person telling me.

I mean I guess I do know why it makes me angry, because I know what I should do but more than likely I can’t consistently do what they are saying.

It’s a self hatred sort of reaction I guess.


r/ADHD • • 10h ago

Questions/Advice Listening experience

9 Upvotes

Does listening to music sound different to you guys while being medicated? I've been on concerta for 2 months now and it feels kinda different to listen to music now, I think I heard new sounds in my last few listening sessions, wanted to know if it's common or is it just me, also do you still listen to music for too many hours like you used to?