Adult adhd experiences please?

[RooksAndRavens]

We're awaiting an appointment for our son to be assessed for adhd.

My husband and I have both wondered about ourselves having adhd too. We both tick the boxes.

So for me, I'm chaotic and disorganised. I'm always late for everything. I get overwhelmed in places like supermarkets. I can be very restless and anxious. My concentration is very up and down.

Experiences of adhd in adults would be great? Thank you.

LittleMy77 - yes I am certain I masked difficulties, but as soon as I took on a more responsible job with longer hours then it all hit the fan. I think I was wrongly diagnosed with depression.

Also I am not a chatterbox, I know knowledge, but trying to organise it into words and sentences is hard work.

To give another example, I was at the park with my child and a mum I know arrived and she spoke non stop at me for 25 minutes, I was so irritated at the effort to listen and the constant noise that we had to leave the park.

Bit of a long post from me but I'm diagnosed with ADHD.

• I struggle with remembering things even when it's wrote down, I'll forget to look at the list or check the calendar.

*I often have sensory overload and have up and down moods some times. The smallest of things can set it off so I have to work hard to try and be calmer, remove stressors etc.

*I am late for majority of things, struggle to leave the house on time or get up on time.
I miss direct debits etc by not transferring the money from my savings to pay bills.

• I have to be prepared always for big events otherwise it's too much for me. For example for Christmas I start in July, that's toy shopping, Organising who's coming and what not and what we are doing, this I actually enjoy doing and does keep me focused.

*I am quite sensitive some times to others and can hyperfixate on someone. I've been with my Husband for 13 years met him at 16 and been obsessed with him ever since. But constantly feel the need to tell him I love him etc and I can come across needy!.

*Struggled at school as I couldn't concentrate. If there was a loose thread in the carpet etc I'd find it. Had to re sit all my GCSES but passed them! Failed at college as It was just not structured enough and too much free rein and responsibility was given so had to do that again also!

*I am rubbish with money. If I go into sainsburys I can't buy one thing we need for £2, I'll spend £200 and my DH will just open the door like

*Growing up I made poor choices for a whilst constantly testing boundaries, Felt I didn't fit in or have a purpose, life was a joke to me. BUT Since I became a mother at 21 and found a career that suits me (moving about a lot, solving problems and a lot of stress, I thrive in stressful situations ) I am fine and quite content.

*I can talk for hours about things I'm obsessed with, I always feel with a new task I'd be great at it and can be quite impulsive with thinking of new business's and stop starting new hobbies. Last hobby/business idea was a wood engraving business .

*I have now forgotten what your original post was asking about as I've waffled on now but this is just how I am with ADHD, it is terrifying at first finding out about it, and wondering how you'll cope but I'm genuinely happy to be diagnosed with it and learn about it as it just happens to be a part of me and it has made me understand myself so much more.
but I do feel sad for my "young self" where it was never picked up on.

2 out of 3 kids are diagnosed with it too so it's a lot in our house.

Oh I also lose every thing. I'm constantly losing my phone in the house as I put it down and can't find it, so my husband will phone it to find it, but I have it on silent as the noise overwhelms me 🤦🏽‍♀️ so that's fun.

Did you know you can override that? If your phone is Android, Google "find my device" and go to the Google page that will find it for you. It will show a location then you can ring it and it will override silent mode. (If it can't find it, it might be that you need to change location setting).

I must use it at least 5 times a day.

There is an equivalent Apple version, I'm not sure what it's called though.

i wonder if a member of my family has this - very disorganised, frequently overlooks appointments or deadlines, procrastinates, anxious etc.

This is exactly me!

This is exactly me. I also talk too much and constantly cut people off.
I zone out when people talk to me.
I get bored easily with repetitive tasks and I tic when stressed.

Also I'm very impulsive which has messed me up financially more than once.

Is it an ADHD thing that you can't watch films or read books because there's so much choice out there, how do you possibly select one from a million different choices so you just don't pick anything as too difficult.

🙋🏽‍♀️

Yes me! And when I finally choose something I end up missing most of it due to scrolling on my phone.

I was such a great reader as a child as well but can barely read more than 2 books in a year now.

I was saying to the psychiatrist who diagnosed me that I think a lot of my symptoms have gotten worse with age and he agreed that it's something that he sees

OP I was recently diagnosed as Combined type, and share a lot of the symptoms that others here have already mentioned.

I went for a private diagnosis with My Pace.

I saw this the other day and it really made me laugh; it captures why so many people don't realise they have it or get told they can't have it

My mum often jokes that she has ADHD and a few times I've thought, do I have it?

I lose things, everyday. Always having to get everyone to find mums phone (again), which another poster said is usually on silent. So end up getting DH to do a Google check. It's on silent because I forget to unmute after appointments.

I interrupt people impulsively and have to try so god damn hard to not do it.

I struggled to listen at school and would fret about being asked a question. I probably tapped a lot and foot wriggled. I have strange involuntary hand movements when under intense pressure. So I have to be worrying about what I'm doing with hands and have to sit on them almost if on a chair. Or they go under table etc.

One friend joked that I didn't sign texts with my name and she knew it was me due to text being full of x and y's and random emojis.

I do everything quickly when I don't need to. I forget words mid sentence and sometimes say the wrong word without realising. It's worse when I'm tired.

DH said it's just because I have kids and stressors. Deep down I'm not so sure.

At primary school, on anxious days I'd pace the perimeter like a wild cat and look at the fence and pray my mum would come and collect me. I would day dream all the time too or zone out.

I also couldn't sit still. I think I've got better with age but maybe that's masking? I feel I have to try harder at everything compared to others. Everything feels difficult. I drag my arse through each day. Getting started on tasks is awful but I'm ok once started, can get very distracted. Lots of unfinished projects. It's like I lose the will.

My own kids also show signs of having it. I think my dad is somewhere on the autism spectrum as well.

It's interesting to read everyone's experiences.

I was diagnosed in my late 30s took about 6/7months from asking GP for an assessment. I havnt taken any medication yet as i need to lose weight and stop smoking.
But i have had workplace adjustments and im kinder to myself. The treatment team offer coping strageies too which have helped.

Can an adult be diagnosed even if they were successful as a child? I was tidy and top of the class until I hit about 14. It was all downhill from then, and now I’m a complete disaster.

@Mydogatemypurse will they not give medication if overweight then? I'm m.obese and was hoping medication might help with impulse control around food/executive function with meal planning etc.

I'm pretty sure I have it. I did well at school and ok at university, mainly because I was on a structured course, but all essays, revision etc was last minute (albeit I wasn't alone there!)

It has affected my career. I am a lawyer but had to take a sideways step after about 10 years as I was always struggling with the consequences of my procrastination and couldn't cope any more. Doing OK now at work though mostly.

Home is a different story though and I have really noticed that since having a second child late so that has also coincided with peri-menopause, my strategies for coping have fallen apart.

The house is a disaster zone and I just can't seem to do anything about it, largely because I also seem to hoard too. I have to tackle it soon though as it is affecting the kids in terms of having friends over now.

Getting a diagnosis is impossible. I did try before lockdown, but they wanted to rule out the effects of hypothyroidism and menopause and I have kind of given up now. Just trying to use organisational strategies recommended by ADHDers on the net.

Interestingly, I know two other lawyers who are diagnosed. It does seem to be fairly prevalent in a profession where you wouldn't necessarily expect it, given the nature of the work.

Yes they will, they send you a heart monitor and you have to take readings daily and record them on the online portal. I am just not very healthy and under a lot of stress and was worried about the additional pressure on my heart until i improve myself. Which is easier said than done because like you say the symptoms go hand in hand with neglecting yourself.

@ToooOldForThis if you haven't found an NHS solution and @Whatafool123 don't give up! Try psychiatry-uk.com/
The site expains how to get your NHS GP to refer you. It can take a year, but if you do have ADHD, it's worth it. You can also phone them for advice on how to proceed - they're pretty good. Good luck!

I think it's that they won't give medication if you have high BP, drink or smoke. (You mustn't drink with the meds). I had no idea the meds would help with eating disorder, but it improved almost overnight. I've lost weight, never been happier. Zero booze is a small price to pay.

They didn't tell me zero booze when they gave me the prescription, should they have done?

And also, the doctor said I didn't need to take them every day, that some people take them on work days, and not on weekends, for example, as it's a short acting drug - it works while it's it's in your system them stops, totally different from antidepressants, for example, where you need to take them for a period of time and the effects build up. ADHD meds aren't like that.

So, presumably even if you can't drink while on them, you could always choose not to take the meds for a day if you wanted to have a drink?

I've never been told I can't drink. I take Elvanse and I will occasionally drink in the evenings when I'm out. My meds wear off by about 4-5pm and I've never had an issue having a drink with dinner in the evening 8pm onwards.

I'd love to know if being medicated has helped with bing eating/eating in general. I'm v overweight and I go in circles as to cause and effect.