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  • AADD/ADHD thoughts?

    So it turns out that there is a very strong likelihood that I have AADD/ADHD. Without going into too many details my 17 year old sister was just diagnosed with it after a lot of school problems even though she is a brilliant girl. My brother was diagnosed with it years ago when he was around 12 (he's 27 now). I just found out my mother was recently diagnosed with it as well and it can be hereditary.

    It turns out that it is MUCH harder to diagnose in girls than boys and it was seen as just depression in my sister before this point. While my parents were listening to the doctor’s going over possible signs of ADHD/ADD apparently they just sent up red flags concerning me growing up. Playing with legos for hours on end, extreme focus on something they want to do, trouble focusing when they aren’t interesting, the tendency to fiddle/fidget constantly, etc.

    I’ve managed to learn to work with most of my ‘tendencies’ over the years but I can tell you it’s still a constant battle. The prime example is my art. I love doing it but as an ‘artist’ I HAVE to do it thus part of me constantly fights it and I literally get headaches and queasy when I start anything but if I force myself to do it I will get into a groove and can easily work on something for 14 hours and forget to eat. The most current example of this is I’m turning 30 in under two months and I decided to finally get into shape. I bought a recumbent exercise bike and I’ve been doing on average 3-4 hours on it a night (at the hardest setting). It’s already cured me of my nightly leg aches that used to keep me up. The point is I don’t seem to know how to do anything in moderation and it’s an all or nothing thing.

    I’m not looking for an easy out of this, but if I DO have this I want to know. Most of my research last night lends me to believe I DO have it. If learning proper techniques and/or medication is what I need to do than I’m all for it. However, I don’t want to go into this blind and I know we’ve had threads about this subject before. If anyone has any advice it would be greatly be appreciated. I’m calling my doctor today to schedule an appointment and see if I can see a specialist. Any advice is appreciated. I feel weird talking about this in an open forum but you all have become people I consider friends and/or respect years ago.
    Wikipedia and Google.... the needles to my tangent habit.
    ________________________________________________

    That special feeling we get in the cockles of our hearts, Or maybe below the cockles, Maybe in the sub-cockle area, Maybe in the liver, Maybe in the kidneys, Maybe even in the colon, We don't know.

  • #2
    No offence but, IMHO AADD/ADHD is the current PC catch em all syndrome

    Edit:Adjusted the sentence to not give the expression that I don't think AADD/ADHD exist
    Last edited by Technoid; 10 August 2007, 12:26.
    If there's artificial intelligence, there's bound to be some artificial stupidity.

    Jeremy Clarkson "806 brake horsepower..and that on that limp wrist faerie liquid the Americans call petrol, if you run it on the more explosive jungle juice we have in Europe you'd be getting 850 brake horsepower..."

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    • #3
      No offense taken. I'm going into this with eyes WIDE open but I'd rather know than not know.
      Wikipedia and Google.... the needles to my tangent habit.
      ________________________________________________

      That special feeling we get in the cockles of our hearts, Or maybe below the cockles, Maybe in the sub-cockle area, Maybe in the liver, Maybe in the kidneys, Maybe even in the colon, We don't know.

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      • #4
        I just happened to catch a program on Radio 4 about ADHD on Wednesday afternoon around 4.30-5pm. If you check the BBC Radio 4 website you may be able to 'listen again'. I'll have a look for it myself later if I get the chance.

        What I do remember is that the medication has virtually instantaneous effects if it is going to work. 70% respond to the first drug, a futher 20% to a revised medication and 10% need other forms of help. Not sure I caught it right but I think the drug Ritalin was mentioned.

        One issue here is that it is often felt to be a childhood problem that you 'grow out of' but that simply isn't the case, and there are plenty of examples of people getting into trouble soon after medication is withdrawn at age 16/17.

        HTH and Good luck!

        Tony.
        FT.

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        • #5
          Actually ADD/ADHD is real just over-diagnosed especially in boys. A good diagnosis requires numerous cross-referenced cognitive tests and takes more than one session, so beware of an instant diagnosis.

          We've been through the ADD/ADHD wars with our middle son, who was incorrectly diagnosed and put on Ritalin for several years.

          The good news is that these days there are much better meds for those who really do need treatment.
          Dr. Mordrid
          ----------------------------
          An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

          I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

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          • #6
            Adults have just learned better coping mechanisms, plus they don't have the hormone fluctuations of puberty exacerbating the problem. They're not "cured" or "grown out of it", they just deal with it better. Doesn't mean they couldn't benefit from the meds, if they really have it!

            But I'm with Doc. In as many as 90% of cases it's misdiagnosed. Yes, 90%! It's a ridiculously high amount. Considering that the preponderance of cases involve little boys - who are hyper, moody, prone to lack of attention in the FIRST PLACE... it's easy to see why it would be misdiagnosed.
            The Internet - where men are men, women are men, and teenage girls are FBI agents!

            I'm the least you could do
            If only life were as easy as you
            I'm the least you could do, oh yeah
            If only life were as easy as you
            I would still get screwed

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            • #7
              Thanks again everyone. Lets just say I planned to be tested six ways from Sunday before I let them give me anything.

              I'm assuming that since they are testing me as an adult the % of misdiagnosis is lower since puberty isn't an issue.
              Wikipedia and Google.... the needles to my tangent habit.
              ________________________________________________

              That special feeling we get in the cockles of our hearts, Or maybe below the cockles, Maybe in the sub-cockle area, Maybe in the liver, Maybe in the kidneys, Maybe even in the colon, We don't know.

              Comment


              • #8
                It's lower in adults because they don't have teachers, school administrators and school social workers pressuring parents, often to abusive levels, for a way to calm them down.

                Most of those people either don't have kids or have them and still don't have a clue how they work or how to control them, so pressuring parents to medicate them is the universal plan. Unfortunately ADD/ADHD med scripts can be written by general practitioners, so a lot of kids never see a psychiatrist for a proper evaluation.

                As a result, depending on locale, 7-20% of US boys are on those meds.

                Then comes the real bad part: normal kids on these meds often show ADD/ADHD or autism-like symptoms as a side effect, so in an effort to "treat" them the doses are continually increased. This all too often results in a dosing spiral that can turn a normal kid nearly psychotic in an effort to "help" them.

                This happened to our middle son, who was a typically fidgety boy but on the Honor Roll. At one point the physician wanted to put him on Depakote (divalproex sodium), an antipsychotic. That was the last straw. I countered that order with one of my own: wean him of all meds, NOW!!

                The school district raised hell, threatening to expel him and call child protective services if we didn't let him be "properly medicated", but nasty letters from our lawyer and an eminent psychiatrist at the U of M (nice having friends ) calmed that down in rapid order.

                Soon he was totally off the meds and has done well ever since. Yes, we moved to another district the next year. I made it a point to send all those involved at the previous school district a copy of each of his glowing report cards all the next year, along with a reminder note relating how f'ed up they were

                IMO this kind of s**t is, or should be, criminal.
                Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 10 August 2007, 16:54.
                Dr. Mordrid
                ----------------------------
                An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Dr Mordrid View Post
                  It's lower in adults because they don't have teachers, school administrators and school social workers pressuring parents, often to abusive levels, for a way to calm them down.

                  Most of those people either don't have kids or have them and still don't have a clue how they work or how to control them, so pressuring parents to medicate them is the universal plan. Unfortunately ADD/ADHD med scripts can be written by general practitioners, so a lot of kids never see a psychiatrist for a proper evaluation.

                  As a result, depending on locale, 7-20% of US boys are on those meds.

                  Then comes the real bad part: normal kids on these meds often show ADD/ADHD or autism-like symptoms as a side effect, so in an effort to "treat" them the doses are continually increased. This all too often results in a dosing spiral that can turn a normal kid nearly psychotic in an effort to "help" them.

                  This happened to our middle son, who was a typically fidgety boy but on the Honor Roll. At one point the physician wanted to put him on Depakote (divalproex sodium), an antipsychotic. That was the last straw. I countered that order with one of my own: wean him of all meds, NOW!!

                  The school district raised hell, threatening to expel him and call child protective services if we didn't let him be "properly medicated", but nasty letters from our lawyer and an eminent psychiatrist at the U of M (nice having friends ) calmed that down in rapid order.

                  Soon he was totally off the meds and has done well ever since. Yes, we moved to another district the next year. I made it a point to send all those involved at the previous school district a copy of each of his glowing report cards all the next year, along with a reminder note relating how f'ed up they were

                  IMO this kind of s**t is, or should be, criminal.

                  We're in the process of getting Logan started in first grade. His school seems pretty reasonable so far, but we'll see. I am digging in and preparing for a LENGTHY battle, both to get him the extra attention he needs and to prevent some of the ridiculousness that is so prevalent in our educational system.

                  First step? _I_ tell _THEM_ when he will and will not be in school. No school district idiot planner is going to dictate my vacation schedule, or - much worse - whether or not the child is ill. I've heard tell of school districts punishing students whose parents let them stay home when they have a tummyache. Logan might tell us he's "tired" when he doesn't want to go to school, but he NEVER lies about being ill. So they can just suck eggs if that's a problem with them.

                  It's the same mentality - the school refuses to take any real RESPONSIBILITY for the children, and yet they presume to dictate what is or is not best for the child to the parents.
                  The Internet - where men are men, women are men, and teenage girls are FBI agents!

                  I'm the least you could do
                  If only life were as easy as you
                  I'm the least you could do, oh yeah
                  If only life were as easy as you
                  I would still get screwed

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Boy, do I ever hear that chapter and verse
                    Dr. Mordrid
                    ----------------------------
                    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

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                    • #11
                      Update for those that are interested - well I did this the right way and I still have a ways to go. I got a physical and asked for a thyroid test (mother is hypothyroid and a misfunctioning thyroid is known to cause similar symptoms problems). I tested fine there. I also got the ok from my doctor to see a specialist. It turns out mental health is a completely different ballpark and I didn't really need the referral but I don't regret doing it this way.

                      I've been reading 'Driven to Distraction' http://www.amazon.com/Driven-Distrac.../dp/0684801280 and it while I don't believe in self diagnosis there is a suggested diagnostic criteria section in it http://users.rcn.com/peregrin.enteract/add/diag.html if you have 15 of the 20 it's very possible you might have ADD/ADHD. I consider 18 of them very key to how I internally see myself and act and the other 2 I can answer yes to but have to think about it.

                      I saw a specialist today and this was just the initial evaluation. Basically I have a lot more to do but based on the initial chat, some pointed questions about my early life and things like caffeine intake (college examples of two liters of mountain dew before going to bed and recently taking 2-3 large energy drinks for me to really feel jittery), he's very sure I have it but still wants to go further with evaluation and testing. I see him again in two weeks. This is all very liberating in a sense but at the same time seems a slow process but obviously it shouldn't be any other way. If he was just willing to sign a script right then and there for me I'd worry about going to the right person.
                      Wikipedia and Google.... the needles to my tangent habit.
                      ________________________________________________

                      That special feeling we get in the cockles of our hearts, Or maybe below the cockles, Maybe in the sub-cockle area, Maybe in the liver, Maybe in the kidneys, Maybe even in the colon, We don't know.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        My brother was diagnosed with it years ago as well. Hes 10 years older than me and was telling me the other day he feels like the drugs he used to take for it have messed his brain up. He feels like it burnt holes in his mind and now all the parts don't work. He was on the meds for 2-3 years.

                        I think he was taking Adderall
                        Last edited by Lizzard[MPE]; 18 September 2007, 22:03.
                        www.lizziemorrison.com

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                        • #13
                          Similar to out middle son, but his doses were so rediculous for his age/size that it shouldn't be compared to those taking 'normal' doses.
                          Dr. Mordrid
                          ----------------------------
                          An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                          I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

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                          • #14
                            Adderall is an amphetamine, and I believe can have some pretty serious side effects if it doesn't agree with you, or if it isn't taken properly. Don't be too scared away from medication though, if taken properly it can work wonders.

                            I wouldn't pay too much attention to that self diagnosis test, I bet most of the people on this forum score pretty high on that test. I know I do.
                            Q9450 + TRUE, G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2, GTX 560, ASUS X48, 1TB WD Black, Windows 7 64-bit, LG M2762D-PM 27" + 17" LG 1752TX, Corsair HX620, Antec P182, Logitech G5 (Blue)
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                            • #15
                              Neh, not very high on the high strung list here. Drives the wife nuts as she can be blowing a gasket and 99.9% of the time I'm just looking at her like "what's the problem?". It's the other 0.1% you have to watch out for
                              Dr. Mordrid
                              ----------------------------
                              An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                              I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

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