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Im trying to work on my mental health. My son has ADHD. His test scores and executive functioning scores were pretty low.

When hos teachers brought up adhd in 3 or 4th grade, i kept saying, noooo, hes just like me at that age! I had the same issues. He will be fine. Finally got him tested in 5th grade, and the psychologist said he was significantly impacted by adhd. As in, “How the *%#! did you not know your kid has this, lady?”

The more i learned the more i realized shit, i think i might have this too.

Have any adults here been tested and gotten on meds? My son went from almost being held back one year to getting on Meds and then deans list the next year. So i see how amazing proper treatment can be and what a difference it can make in your life.

I am a sahm now, but will need to re enter work force soon, so im thinking i shoukd get tested and a care plan in place to improve my functioning. I currently have symptoms like always late, forgetful (i pay bills several months in advance) rejection sensitive dysphoria (i cant take criticism) and if youve ever read a post of mine i go off on a lot of tangents

[This message edited by Gottagetthrough at 12:57 AM, Monday, August 30th]

"How the *%#! did you not know your kid has this, lady?"

This is how:

The more i learned the more i realized shit, i think i might have this too.

I'm ADD, diagnosed at 59. Long-lasting Adderall (XR? XL?) did wonders for me. Who knows? If I had started Adderall at 18, I'd probably be an MD, which is what I wanted to do when I entered college - but a 2.0 average as a freshman, which never got much better, made that too much of a long shot. If I had started at 21, I'd probably be a great historian and professor emeritus at my old college. That's what I really wanted.

Adderall took an edge off my creativity, but it was worth it. I got so much done!

Now I take amantadine, which is a lot more subtle than Adderall. Not many docs use it, but it's not a controlled substance; Adderall is. I don;t really know what it would have done for me at work, since I was basically retired when I started. But ... I still remember watching the first Lord of the Rings movie a few days after I started Adderall and being in some sort of altered reality, focusing on the movie instead of hearing or seeing something on the screen and being unable to keep my mind from going off into distraction.

Get tested.

[This message edited by SI Staff at 5:07 PM, Monday, August 30th]

I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 6 by my 1st grade teacher who was in her 2nd year of teaching. She pegged me for what I was and treated me with kindness and alerted my parents.
I was tested and shown to be above average intelligence but also had a processing disorder that back then got chalked up to being a "spaz". I was put on Ritalin immediately and the behavior issues resolved. I was always a pleaser. Wanted to be good, wanted to make people happy so the meds allowed me to quiet my mind enough to be quiet and focus on the work. I read well and had off the charts comprehension but read extremely slowly. My processing disorder caused me to have horrible handwriting and mess up anything that was a mirror image, bd, pq, E3, etc.
The dr I went to felt that meds were a tool not a long term cure. Calm the mind learn the tools to function in a normal world. It worked for me.
School was always a challenge and standardized tests were my nemesis. Could being on meds through all my education have helped? Probably. But I was able to (despite my high school counselors recommendation) get into the hardest public college in my region, and completed one of the toughest degrees there is in 4 years.
Could meds have made my GPA better? Dunno maybe, but is doesn't matter. I chose a career where I could move my body and my mind. It was perfect for me.
I did try meds shortly after Dday because I was a mess. However I did not tolerate them and wanted to kill anyone who talked to me between 3-6 pm. The med has since gotten a black box warning so it may have been that med.

I have skills that keep me fairly organized and functional. I'm generally a happy person and enjoy my life. I do admit I drink too much and that may be some self medication to quiet my mind. But I am ok with that. Because I love bourbon. Lol.

The dr I went to felt that meds were a tool not a long term cure. Calm the mind learn the tools to function in a normal world. It worked for me.

No medicine is without side effects. I think we're on the opposite side of the spectrum now. We've had a few teachers try that with spawn even though he doesn't meet all the check marks. Keeping him active during the day has kept him within bounds without the medication and is a better long term solution.

i pay bills several months in advance

Oh my gosh how lovely it would be if this were a symptom of ADD lol! I haven’t managed to pay taxes in years and currently have collection companies after me. I have the money I just am not a normally functioning human.

You may have a mild form or just be super high functioning.

ADD continues to ruin my life. It’s really like having half a life (or in my case, one-tenth) because if you can’t control your actions or thoughts, in what sense are you living. Time just passes. I am 47 and have done nothing. I am medicated but I can’t go to extreme levels of dosage without causing heart issues.

Try medication. When I first went on it I thought "is this what life is like for normals? Everything is so EASY! Those lucky bastards!". Too bad it didn’t last for me, but it does last for a lot of people.

[This message edited by annanew at 4:06 PM, Wednesday, September 1st]

Haha, i guess i should say i pay several mos
In advance when i am 3 mos behind and wh gets paid a big check. I will settle the bill and think, hey, lets pay 3 mos ahead because you know you will forget it lol.

Im in no manner current with bills.im either behind or way ahead because I know i will forget

Unfortunately I don't have information to help you however, I have a huge interest this topic. I believe I have a husband never diagnosed, maybe a son both are adults. If anyone has any information on this topic I would appreciate it. Or places to go to get more information.

thanks

My son saw a behavioral psychologist who diagnosed him, 2oldforthis. I have been thinking about going to him as well and getting tested before i go back to school. I hope it would help me balance school and family? I tend to hyperfocus