Can you share your experiences of Adult ADD/ADHD

[lborgia]

Have a bit of time at home at the moment dealing with health issues and finally got around to Googling the above (a friend suggested I look it up weeks ago).

I am going to speak to someone about it in a couple of weeks but as always a poll of MNs for personal experience would be great. How were you diagnosed? What do you do to deal with the symptoms? Do you have a prescription?

I'm overly excited at the prospect of a plan, although I recognise it may not be the HG I'm looking for.

Also describes my dad to the last symptom - is it hereditary?

Many thanks - LB

Bumpy bump bump. ..

Hello? Anyone?

I'm about to be tested but unfortunately don't have any proof of what i was like as a young child as my DM changes history as a matter of course and there is no-one else who remembers.

I have 2 x DC with a dx of ADHD and I am convinced there is an element of heredity, yes.

I am not diagnosed but have no doubt that I have ADD. I don't feel there would be any benefit for me of seeking a diagnosis now. Ds1 has ADHD and is on Concerta XL and ds3 almost certainly has ADD so I would say it's hereditary.

I'm starting to wonder if I am. I'm diagnosed dyslexic (but high functioning enough that even that wasn't picked up til I was 21 and studying at uni).

I find I'm all or nothing, I either have no energy and can only do the basics or I'm sped up, zooming round doing all sorts and find it difficult to sit still! I'm still working on trying to find a balance. I do find taking an omega-3 supplement helps me to concentrate and aides my memory.

I've often wondered... I seem to meet the online tests but havent really managed to find strategies to make life more manageable.

Thanks so much for your replies - time difference means you're probably all off to bed now.
futureme I know, I look at the self help ideas and think "well if I was capable of doing those things I wouldn't think I had a problem"!
AL I wish I had more zoom moments, but mine seems to be about the overwhelmed, low self esteem etc etc. . Thanks for the omega tip, I was already starting that for other reasons so will be happy if it has an impact.
Autumn no point because you just manage ok, or because you have enough to deal with and no time to think about it ? Obviously there is a whole slew of symptoms and some I think are adults only (or perceived that way) - Do you see benefits in Concerta that might be worth having? Has it made a big difference to DS1?
Indan I'm really interested in your reference to your mum, as in a similar situation here. .. And read last night about it sometimes being triggered by an early childhood over agitation of the flight/fight response with a difficult family situation. . Which would certainly have pertained to me, but hereditary seems very strong too.

Thanks so much, interesting to hear that it's largely self awareness and little medical intervention for adults.

Concerta has made a huge difference to ds1. It has allowed him to have a "normal" education and whilst he has taken longer to get there than his peers he is now in his second year at (our local, so living at home) university with only some extra equipment for help. He had a year off medication when he first left school but couldn't cope so started taking it again.

I think it would have been well worth a diagnosis for me up until a few years ago although I also wonder if I would have been offered the career opportunities I was if diagnosed. I took early retirement from work last year due to health issues some of which were caused by my feeling of being unable to cope with huge changes at work for the second time in a short space of time. Here I can see a diagnosis may have been helpful.

I know that if I am able to work again it it will not be in such a senior or stressful position and I have few regrets. I am happy, if poor, and don't believe diagnosis would help now. I wouldn't consider medication now due to increasing risks as you get older. I hope that ds1 will be able to come off his at some time in the future although I do know adults that still take it.

I should also say that ds1 had a very traumatic and prolonged birth which some believe may have had an effect but I'm pretty sure it has been inherited.

Thanks for the extra info autumn, very helpful. I suppose I feel I've lost at least a decade to this since I've given up trying to battle against these symptoms and I'm no where near retirement yet - so if I could even gain some sort of clarity for a few years yet that would be incredible. I need to make a note of my symptoms etc, I certainly don't have any surviving school reports!

Will go and look up side effects in adults. ..

Thanks so much again.

I was diagnosed with adult ADHD ten years ago. Main issues are hyperactivity followed by 'slump', major memory and organisation issues, quite severe anxiety and sensory overload issues, low self - esteem and social issues. I've been on and off medication. Meds do help with memory/organisation and anxiety, I feel much more 'even'. However, I stopped taking them as I felt they left me 'flat' when teaching. I've always been a very energetic/enthusiastic (hyperactive ) teacher and my pupils thrived on it. I felt meds took that away, although my paperwork and organisation was much better.

I'm considering going back on meds as my anxiety is getting worse and I'm struggling with sensory issues. Even simple things like shopping/driving/meeting friends/bright lights/low - level noise are very overwhelming just now, I'm avoiding doing them so getting isolated.

v interesting and v alarming, Keep, all of the above. Mm.. I can cope with being too even or flat - as ADs have been doing that already, but haven't helped with the issues you mention.

At the moment I'm flat but incompetent and sensorily (SP??) overloaded, and memory problems

Thanks for the detail - any and all detail welcome.

Wondering if I can get to gp this week - not looking forward to the laughing or whatever might ensue.

I've been on anti - depressants (before I was diagnosed) and they didn't work for me. You won't be laughed at, I asked if I could be tested from ADHD as my son has it and the more I read about it/saw how he was the more it became clear. Dr took me very seriously and I got tested/diagnosed through psychiatric dept of hospital.

Anti - depressants don't work because I have ADHD not depression. When I took the medication it did help the 'depressive' aspects because my brain/memory was functioning better so I didn't feel so overwhelmed/hopeless.

YY, to your last sentence. I suppose I feel silly because my kids don't seem to have these kinds of symptoms, and we've already been through a gamut of health problems (with the assumption that any one of rise would be depressing alone). Ho hum, I'll get on with it and see what happens. Thanks again, I hope you can find a balance that works for you soon.

There is often a hereditary link, but that doesn't mean your children will have it. Remember your husband's genes will also affect how they are. My Dad also had it (undiagnosed), and from the stories about his Dad, he also did, but my brother doesn't, nor does my daughter. I'm much more like my dad and my brother is much more like my mum.