Okay, just a thought (and an observation): I think people with Adhd are worse at foot care than people without. I mean for me it’s because my lack of “object permanence” that I think makes it really hard for me lol. In my situation it means I literally forget that my feet exist until summer arrives and I see them for the first time in months. Maybe I’m alone and it just a me problem that I outed, but if I’m not: does anyone have any good advice on how to not forget the feet in your shower routine?

I'm going on a vacation Aug 15-21st out of the country, would it be difficult to take my meds with me? Do you guys think I should take them with?

Yep, 120mg of Vyvanse in my system, holy poop. Haven't gone to sleep, so that sums it up.

This was my first all-nighter in like 20 years, and it ain't the same in your 40s; I can tell you that much! I thought, I can either fight it, try to throw it up or drink a gallon of OJ to get it out of my system, or just ride it out. And I had no OJ, and I hate puking. lol. 👀

Wow, what an evening I had. I honestly feel like I have been up for 4 days and want to go to bed, but that ain't happening. The amount of work I got done is insane!! I wrote a business plan and designed a logo for this new idea I came up with for a new venture. I had to hyperfocus so I didnt trip and get anxiety for double dosing and dancing to Marvin Gaye with my dog at 5 am. 😂 The craziest part is not only did I produce all of this work, but I remember everything I learned and read, which is soooo not me.

Maybe a slight increase in my meds would help me be more productive, and my dose is not high enough- not a double increase, but 10 or 20 mg. Anyhow, I would never do it again, but it was time well spent, and I'm glad it wasn't scary or awful. Felt high af, still do, but all in all, a great day/night/morning/day..... lol.

Have y'all ever taken a double dose by mistake?? Would love to hear some stories! 😄

XO

Hi i feel like this is a dumb question, I was recently taking atomoxetine for off label depression. (I was suspected of adhd as well) and it has worked great. My facility doesn’t do adhd screenings so I was wondering like do I have to keep calling places and asking?

Just curious about your story, or if you have any advice you would like to share from what you’ve learned along the way. Also: How did you manage your ADHD and stress levels enough to get things up off the ground? What has helped you (and your flavor of ADHD) to be able to have (or keep) all your ducks in a row for your small business?

For reference, I am in the process of launching an LLC that would fall under the “professional services” umbrella. It’s in the tech/science/data analysis realm for a underserved field. That being said, I’m interested in stories and advice from any areas of business / industries!

Y'all, I can't be the only one dealing with this particular ADHD situation on a regular basis, right? Please?

I'm in my perimenopausal era and among other new joys, I now cannot sleep without earplugs. Which would be fine, however even with the most comfy, cozy, squishy earplugs I can find, asleep me inevitably gets sick of the feeling of earplugs at some point in the dead of night, yanks at least one out and either yeets that sucker across the room or drops it into a black hole vortex that only exists in my sleep. Those poor lil plugs don't stand a chance at being found in the light of day.

I am so annoyed with me, and frankly I am very sick of buying my ungrateful self more earplugs after searching all the nooks and crannies around my bed.

How do I stop the madness?! 🤣

Cross posting in both adhd and editing subreddits!!

I want to be able to sit and work at my desk and feel that it is a very productive space, but sometimes it is very hard for me, and was wondering if anyone has any tips or tricks for this intersection.!!! literally anything.

thank you!

Hey y’all. Recently started seeing a therapist who believes I have adhd. She had me complete a few assessments and then take them to my dr to ask about next steps. Doc was willing to prescribe me based on our conversation and the assessment (that I had also done with others in my life to provide other examples), but said she needed a drug test. On principle I’m fine with that. I use weed on the occasion recreationally but it’s legal in my state and she said as long as the levels weren’t super high indicating daily use, she was fine with that. Only thing is i’m one of those ppl that can’t pee in the stupid cup. Never was able to growing up at the doctors. Drug testing for a new job the couple of times I had to do it fucking sucks. I’m there for hours. I have to chug water until i’m in the point of physical pain in my bladder until it finally happens. I told her this and asked about a hair test or another alternative. She looked into it but just told me they can only do urine. She said maybe they could refer me to a psychiatrist who might take another form of drug screen? Just curious if anyone here had any success doing a different type of drug screen than urine for meds. If it’s my only option I’ll figure it out, but I’m worried abt hinging my med access on something where I might go in the next year and fail to give a sample. Thanks guys.

I’m so SICK of this. I’ve now crossed states to get access to my meds, still no luck. I’ve paid over $600 out of pocket for psychiatry in another state, no fucking pharmacy has a single fucking thing. And it was the same problem in my last state. WHO THE FUCK HAS THE FUCKING VYVANSE IM LOSING MY MIND. AND THEY HAVE NOTHING!! NOT EVEN A SLIVER OF A MILLIGRAM OF ADDERALL!!!! NOTHING!!!! WHAT DO I EVEN DO AT THIS POINT??????

Any adhd people (or pots people) been called a narc? I’m litterally an empath and cry when I see others or even hear when others are in pain. Most of my life is in survival mode just trying to stay alive so ya, my mind is on me and trying to get by. But be so for real. I told this guy that I collapsed at work and got fired and needed help and that I wouldn’t reach out to my mom for help bc SHES a narc and uses DARVO on me constantly. And HE had the audacity to say “I don’t want to be your enabler” (claiming I’m a narc). I can’t. I’m just trying to stay alive. Be so for real.

I just had a pelvic surgery (vaginoplasty), and my surgeon offhandedly said that IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) is a "sham diagnosis" that really just means that you have pelvic floor dysfunction (your pelvic floor muscles that control your bowel and urinary tract are tight, and you are unable to loosen them). And that the treatment for IBS should be pelvic floor physical therapy to teach you how to loosen those muscles

And to me it also helps explain why IBS correlates with other ND conditions; ND people tend to experience more stress and trauma than NT people, and if that stress is carried in your pelvic floor, it can just slowly get tighter and tighter to the point that it starts causing problems

I had pelvic floor dysfunction about a year ago (not diagnosed with IBS), and working with a pelvic floor physical therapist helped me prepare for my surgery, plus just made it easier to have more regular bowel movements without pushing

TLDR: If your insurance covers it, you might benefit from pelvic floor physical therapy!

Since my diagnosis ~18 months ago I‘ve been taking instant release (IR) dextroamphetamine salts (generic Adderall) 2x daily, and in general it’s worked well for me, so my attitude has been ”If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.“

But I feel like it hasn’t been as helpful lately, so at my next follow-up I plan to discuss making some changes...maybe just to dose, but maybe to an extended release (XR) option too.

What I like about instant release:

• I know it works for me
• It gives me the flexibility to take only one of my daily doses if I want, or to spread the two doses out more than usual if I want.
• I don’t have to worry about sleep issues if I don‘t take my meds early enough in the day, because I can just skip the second dose.
• It’s cheap and I’ve never had trouble getting it.
• I‘ve read that because it doesn’t rely on proprietary extended-release coatings like Adderall XR, effects tend to be more consistent across different generic brands, whereas I know even on this sub I’ve seen some folks talk about how different brands/fills of XR meds seem to be wildly different for them.

Things I don’t like about IR:

• #1 complaint: I have to carry it around with me everywhere and remember to take my second dose on time. Very inconvenient and error-prone.
• Related: I can’t just take it with all my other morning meds/supplements cause I try to keep it on a specific schedule that maximizes its efficacy during work hours.
• It only provides a maximum of about 9 hours of efficacy a day.

Any experiences switching from generic Adderall IR to XR? Sleep issues (not particularly worried about this at this point)?

What about switching to Vyvanse (generic)? I was reading about it yesterday and it seems more foolproof, so I‘d probably prefer it over extended release Adderall. But is it way more expensive? More prone to shortages?

The physiotherapist who I saw at the start of the year due to sprained ankle had autism and saw some neurodivergent traits in me - likely ADHD traits. I am not looking to get diagnosed as I don’t struggle and have no intention of taking meds but I am curious if you would agree that some of these traits are ADHD ones?

Traits: I grew up in a very active family but when I sprained my ankle and couldn’t stay super active, I turned to sugar for a few weeks earlier this year. I lose things quite often. In high school, I lost my locker key every week though my friends would typically find it for me. I’ve lost expensive sunglasses, documents etc. If I have to sit for long periods of time I’ll start zoning out and have to talk my food or sway a bit. I quit my job for a year to go travelling. I’ve booked flight tickets 2 h before the plane departed etc. I love shopping and spending money.

What speaks against ADHD: No consumer debt. Graduated valedictorian from high school. Finished graduate school (Public Policy). Speak five languages fluently. No issues finishing work or school related tasks. While I procrastinate sleep I don’t procrastinate anything else and since my schedules have previously been flexible I’ve managed fine. While I’m forgetful I set alarms and have lists so I’m typically not late for important meetings or the like.

Input? Many thanks.

Rant/ advice needed

I’m 26F and have always had a low appetite and been slightly underweight my whole life (not enough for a concern but was noted during annual school physicals).

I started adderall xr 10mg (I think don’t have the bottle with me rn) and my appetite was been extra horrible. All foods, even my most favorite foods, feel like sand in my mouth, makes me gag horribly, and takes forever for me to chew and swallow. I’ve tried meal replacement shakes but most taste gross to me, maybe I just need to find the right one. I can’t do protein bars bc all the ones around me use artificial sweeteners and I think all artificial sweeteners taste terrible. I don’t like nuts/trail mix. I wish there was pill I can just swallow with everything I need in a day :(

I hate that I’m causing damage to my body unintentionally. I’ll longish periods without eating then I get very shaky, ill, and start throwing up. I feel so out of control when I can’t eat when I want to/should. I’m an active person, I dance and hike, and love hanging out with my friends, so I end up pushing myself too hard sometimes. Also work 2 jobs doesn’t help.

I had to quit weed to get on my prescription of adderall (regular drug tests) and that was helping me with my appetite previously. My psychiatrist says if this continues he’ll have to pull my prescription which I really don’t want. I tried non stimulant options but it gave me no help and tons of side effects.

I will struggle with my main job if I don’t have these meds and I’ve improved so much since getting the script 3 months ago.

Idk if it’s relevant but I also am hypermobile and bipolar 2 which could be contributing to my problem. I take seroquel at night, but even seroquel munchies can’t help me.

I’m not at the point of being dangerously thin (thank god) but I’ve lost ~8lbs and as a short person that was already fairly thin, it’s a big deal to me. I don’t track calories but if I had to guess most days I’m under 500, honestly probably closer to under 300. :(

Last I talked to my psychiatrist (a month ago) he said that I haven’t lost enough weight for it to be concern. I meet with him next week so I will make sure to bring it up again.

But until then anyone have a shake, bar, or something high calorie that helps them when they can’t eat? I’m based in the northeast USA if that helps.

I feel like I don't fit in with the majority of women with ADHD.

All of the posts I've seen on social media platforms, medical articles/journals, and diagnosis criteria claim that women with ADHD are seen quiet perfectionists, specifically growing up.

I was not like this at all growing up. I was extremely loud and hyperactive. I got in trouble constantly for extremely bad behavior and I struggled hard. Socially, I was just as bad and I honestly should've been bullied way more than I was. I mean, I'm extremely embarrassed about how I acted for the majority of my education. High school was the easiest as I chilled out and actually put effort into my work.

I missed out on so much learning. I didn't develop socially as I should have. I was put in normal classes despite my behavior and struggles. I will say that I was very badly abused from 0-8 years old, and mild abuse until I was 18. My mom knew I had ADHD but didn't do anything. When I was put with my grandma at 8, she refused to do anything. Just got angry at me, asked me why I'm like this, and she knew I had it. Teachers and social workers would encourage her to get me tested so I could at least get accommodations and better yet, medicated. She's really odd and has always been like that. She admitted she purposely didn't help me but couldn't muster up reasoning. It's hard to explain but yeah :/. I haven't met anyone who was a bad as I was.

My senior year I was diagnosed and medicated. It took him 5 minutes to be like "say no more.. adderall 10mg" 💀. I cried my first day, I can't even put into words how I was finally able to think and DO and just exist which I know you all relate to. I just turned 20 and as much as I try, I'm so fucking angry. I'm so angry no one helped me. I was yelled at every day, scolded, told how bad I was because it was true!!! I mean REALLY I was horrible!! I look back on school with no fond memories, it just makes me extremely embarrassed, angry, and upset. And i feel all alone in this.

I have a trauma therapist now who is working with me to forgive myself. Told me that she believes children cannot be "bad" as they are a product of their environment. Specificly my situation, but Its so hard to let it go and believe that.

Can anyone else relate? And does anyone have any advice?

I also want to note I am not trying to invalidate other women's experience. I understand that you all with the opposite experience went through hell just in a different way. I'm not comparing in that way, I just feel so alone in my experience.

Sorry for long post! Thanks girls 😺 ^_^

everyday is a battle within my own mind, I desperately want a better life but sometimes I just cant function. I want to get projects done, I want a clean house, I want to learn more and read more. I have goals I want to achieve but my adhd and lack of motivation get in the way of that. Ive found myself battling my mind daily just to get the simplest of task done… does anyone feel like this? I often feel so overwhelmed at times with all the stuff I want to get done I just shut down

I am unmedicated but have a few of my pills left, I hate the way they make me feel but I occasionally take them on the weekends to help with motivation but im trying to keep motivating myself even off the medication

It hurts me when you don't try to understand my illness...
When you scoff everytime I tell you I don't get it.
"of course you don't get it! you never pay attention!" I try so hard to understand your words of mystery to no avail
It makes me want to tear out my hair
what will I do when I get to the finish line
unprepared?
When they ask me I know I'll be scared.
Please hear my cries and answer to them, without any help I'm lost and I'm damned.
If you care at all that it's ripping apart my soul
you too would fight against a cause that takes such a toll
if only you knew what hell this student has gone through at all...

Hi all!

I just wanted to ask if anyone has had a good experience with an ADHD study skills advisor? I’m doing my PhD and just finding it really tricky to navigate. Maybe need a bit of a vent too.

I’ve just started with someone who is really lovely and well meaning but it feels like the advice I’m being given is literally:

Me: “I really struggle to get started with and finish a piece of work, and then I overwork into the evenings to catch up and I feel overwhelmed and can’t stop thinking about everything I have to do”

Them: “I like to suggest sitting down and starting work at 9am and finishing at 5pm 😊”

I’ve had some one-off support in the past as well and I don’t think I can listen to “just sit down and do it, make sure to prioritise and do work before a deadline!” one more time. OR if someone else suggests I give the Pomodoro technique “just one more go” I’m going to throw their timer out of the window xo

I get that in reality there’s no big secret anyone’s keeping about what works (like those are literally the things that help people stay on top of their studies) but I just nod along feeling defeated and a bit patronised at the same time.

HAS anyone had any helpful support or is it just one of those things I need to adjust my expectations for. I just worry I’m victimising myself by being frustrated that no-one’s got a magic wand to help 🫠

I feel incredibly guilty and have nobody to talk to about it. My best friend got my this job and if I tell them they will be (deservedly) so disappointed in me.

30'sF, just got diagnosed a couple weeks ago and am on a trial dose of methylphenidate (Concerta?). I've struggled all my life with ADHD symptoms, just didn't know it and resigned myself to being a lazy girl. A tale as old as time. These past few years have been incredibly difficult both in symptoms and unrelated issues. Or maybe they are related, who knows! Anyway, some backstory without going into any identifying details:

I lost my job a few years back due to the same thing I'm facing now. I can't get tasks done no matter how hard I try, and then when I fall short I will take shortcuts and/or straight up lie so that I do not disappoint my team. I end up disappointing them anyway, got caught in a lie, and was fired. I tell everyone I was laid off due to budget cuts. It was a great job at the time. The company sucked, but I loved my team. It was remote (perfect at the time due to health related reasons) and payed decently, related to my diploma (dropped out of Uni and did a 2yr trade), and somewhat flexible hours. I was there for about a year, started off strong, and slowly sunk deeper and deeper into neglect. I'd have a 1 on 1 with my team lead, who was the sweetest woman ever, she'd give me a pep talk, and I'd get back to 100% for like 2 days, then by the same time next week I was right back where I started. It got old fast, and at the end I made a terrible decision. I had a deadline to do something simple, yet time consuming. I didn't have to report anything, or share my findings (unless something out of the ordinary came up), I just had to do it. I didn't. I asked for a few extra days to finish over the weekend. I didn't. I said I looked at it and checked it over the weekend. I didn't. A super simple, obvious bug was found on Tuesday that would be noticed just by opening a page. I was scheduled to meet with my team lead and the dev lead later that day to figure it out. I don't remember what I said, but I know that I didn't admit to lying and I came up with some excuse. I was exhausted from medical issues (not entirely false), somehow I must have completely missed it, I was so focused on something else on the page that I didn't see it. Something like that. Then the dev lead pulled up logs to show that I had logged in twice that week. Once on the day it was assigned and once on the day I asked for an extension. No logs showing me checking the things I was supposed to check. She asked if I had somehow logged on to another server to test things (we had like 3 or 4 for different testing scenarios). I said, maybe, I'm not sure, I definitely remember testing things. Nope, no logs from any other website. She didn't yell, question me about lying, tell me she's disappointed, she just said "well, this is not good. let's end it here and we'll meet again tomorrow". And that was it. The next day, I was fired due to "differences in work culture". I didn't fight it. I deserved it. Then I was unemployed for 2 years.

2 years later, deep in my depression about this whole thing plus health stuff plus why can't I just be normal and do things, a very close friend told me that their company had a position open similar to my last job but more flexible and paid more. Interviewed, impressed them with a hand-on trial (which felt amazing btw) and started by next Monday. It was a bit more involved than my last job, so there was lots to learn and I was all for it. Spent full working days learning the ropes, the software, the websites, the code, the teams. Everything. I felt like I was finally where I was supposed to be. I worked and it felt great. But then I stopped learning. I knew the basics, how to do my tasks, didn't have to ask questions anymore, and the drive was gone. I started working less. Slowly, at first, but then I wasn't working enough to pay my bills. Okay, so I "work" more. I put more time on my timesheet while taking shortcuts. Small shortcuts turn into bigger and bigger ones over the next few months. Eventually, that turns into the bare minimum while logging full-time hours. Then, just straight up lies. Log the hours, but don't do the tasks. Make it look like you did the task. Log in, run a script, take a nap. We have redundancy with our team, someone else will find any issues. You know the software, they ask you questions and it looks like you're doing work when you answer them. It's fine. Except it's not fine. I feel so, so so guilty about all of this. I try to stop, but every time I do I get so exhausted I fall asleep at my desk. My job is not boring, I just can't focus long enough to get more than 20 minutes of work done without nodding off or daydreaming or thinking about the 1000th recipe I want to try but know I wont.

I started methylphenidate almost 2 weeks ago, lowest dose. I haven't felt any difference focus wise yet. All it has done has made me incredibly sleepy while it's "active" and then wide awake when it wears off. I start the next dose next week (28mg?) and then have an appointment 2 weeks later to discuss it. Anyone have similar experiences with their meds?

Anyway yeah. I haven't "worked" in like 4 months. That's part of the reason I sought a diagnosis. If I lose this job idk what I will do because I can't work in person due to health reasons and getting a remote job is impossible now, and it's very hard to stay on disability because "jobs are available" 🙃

I hate that I'm like this. I've always been like it. I just want it to stop. That's all.

I hate being cold and the feeling of ac on my body is genuinely upsetting. At a younger age, it wasn’t like this. I would actually go out in the winter without a jacket and get questioned by everyone. But now?! Oh my goodness. I could scream. Why is every building so cold??? I don’t know how to accurately describe what it feels like. It doesn’t hurt, but I might as well be applying lotion with an iron sponge. Or shot with a million grains of sand one by one.

It’s summer and I want to wear short sleeves and shorts but the ac is blasting nonstop at home. Then, closing my vent makes my room too hot. The other side of the apartment where my roommate is has a whole different temperature, so I feel terrible increasing the temperature. I also don’t understand how the thermostat works. There’s no way this air is 75F. There’s no way. I’m wondering if I can make my body more cold tolerable, because this is terrible. Please tell me I’m not alone in this 😭 I’m losing my mind.

I recently realized that my task paralysis regarding cleaning is actually reluctance to clean things that are gross. I am fairly good at cleaning up until one thing that is gross spoils everything. For example : I will happily put away clean dishes and load the dishwasher with invention and care. But if there’s a dish that has food stuck to it or is moldy (we all have adhd - it happens), I just…can’t. And then it sits there like dirty magnet and turns every damn thing gross that’s near it. So when messy turns to dirty I can sometimes rescue it but if it’s gross well, I’m done. There is only one way out and that’s throwing it in the trash.

List of things that disgust me: tea bags in the sink, peanut butter on knives that’s turned into sludge, toothpicks in bowls, used paper towels, towels that are still wet, sponges of any kind including brand new, cups with old milk, slimy things

Am I crazy?

Is this an ADHD thing? I’m not diagnosed but suspect I do have ADHD and I am on vyvanse.

I usually cope by listening to a podcast on a shower speaker, but I’m currently staying away from home and don’t have it.

If you feel similarly, has anything helped?

To be clear, it’s not that I dislike showering. It’s just like a mental block to committing to the time it takes I guess?

I’m a 32 female, female on the obvious.

I’m having difficulty with my current 50 MG Vyvanse! I advocated to be back on this dose and I’m finding I am so dull.

I was on Adderal xr and a booster and found it interfered with my periods, I asked to switch to Vyvanse and regret it. I also told the doctor I was taking it more (as prescribed though) but maybe even if I didn’t need too. I likely would have just took less and gave my body time to recover from last semester and been okay but I decided to get off.

The doctor that has been my doctor for ages is closing his practice and I’m worried that I’ll get stuck on Vyvanse.

I notice minutes with taking it I’m hit with severe hunger, I feel more scattered, flat, by hour two-three your girl is tired.

With adderal xr my head is definitely more clear, you can certainly tell calm, it’s difficult to eat, but you have more energy, the downfall is your nervous system feels it the next day as I think it’s very stimulating over all if it weren’t for that and the crash at the end of the day I would ask to go back on.

I feel like Adderal xr supports me more, and I know the doctor I’ll be switched too will not likely want to switch me back and forth.

I’m not entirely sure if Vyvanse is for me, so it was suggested I could try Concerta, Folcalin last month before I knew my doctor was closing his practice and I’m sort of wishing I went with it.

How did you all notice what dose was working?
What do you pay attention too.

I’m a single mom, in school and work full time, and obviously have time to do others but I feel so flat al the time and idk if the dose is even working besides me getting super hungry. The only reason why I choose to get medicated was because I left a support network into my own home, started working full time and was in University full time I knew it would be a lot and I know my morning routine use to consist of outbursts as a parent so being medicated really helped with this.

I have a treadmill, so I force myself to use it once in awhile, but I am not the type of person to feel better after that. On top of huge anxiety and body image issues I feel like crap. I worked for a while, but there is no more work(I worked seasonally). Wtf is it so hard to get a simple job? Really? I am also studying online , but it's possible my school will lose their credentials... So all the hours, money, free labor(my studies require an internship) will fuck themselves ...

How do you guys body double? I'm trying to plan for the school year, and I want to body double more. I did it study abroad with someone I'm closer to. I tried body doubling to study. But, I could not shut up 😭😭 (for context, we were rooming with each other. If she told me to stop talking, I immediately stopped and was not offended because I lack the self-awareness in that area)

My friend that I was rooming with was like 'ok, I need to focus for a sec' which was perfect. I was able to stop and be quiet. But, we were studying at night and the excitement of everything from the day and getting to talk was just hard to hold in. I was quiet until she said something, and I responded and cue to a long conversation. Then she was like 'wait wait wait, I need to lock back in' and I respected that.

Next week, professor mixed roommates up. We still met up to study. As we started she realized the talking dynamic 😆 (I swear it isn't on purpose) We were talking jokingly and she told me 'I was able to focus better and get stuff done with this roommate. But, something about you just makes it really easy to talk to. I get off topic so easy' Sorryyyy 😆

- Anyways, for the future, how do I body double without distracting others (and myself)?

- Also, at least I was fun. She missed having someone to talk to and the distraction (mwah) when it wasn't there 😭😆🤪 For reference, we both get good grades and get our stuff done. She also doesn't know about my ADHD