ADHD

I just found this MARVELOUS post by a woman with ADD. Hopefully she doesn't mind that I borrowed it, or alternatively doesn't find out at all. XD

"I had to return to Adderall after trying to function without it and I was seriously enraged at the scrutiny that my Dr.’s office put me under. I now at least understand where the concern is coming from.
I’m old and my first diagnosis for ADHD was before we got a label. My pediatrician at the time did not want to put me on Ritalin because my dream was to work for NASA or join the Air Force and prior use of Ritalin was flagged for pilots. He had my mother give me Sudafed, 2 tablets twice a day. My teachers were great and made exceptions for me that didn’t help me “fit in” but that kept me from getting suspended. My chair would be removed so I had to stand in the back of the class but it kept me from leaning back in it and rocking excessively and in between recesses and lunch my teachers would just point at the door when I was getting wound too tight and that was my signal to take a lap around the track and come back.

I am anti-drug and if my need wasn't so great, I would avoid it all together. Because I am responsible for the wellbeing of my family, I am medicated.

For those of you that are “taking Adderall when needed” or are complaining about “feeling it” I would like you to know that for me, there is no “feeling it”. I take 60mg-90mg daily and religiously and my heart rate never increases, if I sit still for too long without some form of mental stimulation, I can fall asleep one hour after taking it. My “feeling it” is when I don’t take it. Residual ADD/ADHD is not just the inability to stay focused or one’s desire to overachieve. I fear myself when I am not medicated. I will start a bath and then agree with the kids that we should bake a cake- put the cake in the oven and realize that the bathroom is flooded- go to the garage to get the fans and heaters and be reminded that the cake is done----by the smoke alarm. I have left my truck running all day because I wanted it warm when the kids and I went to the store. Since the Tinker Toys were next to my car keys and the kids were in an awesome mood, we sat and played with the damn Tinker Toys until we were hungry for lunch---in our winter coats and scarves because we were going to the store---to get the bread for lunch. This is where the depression associated with ADD/ADHD comes in. Symptoms will often be listed as “accompanied by depression or low self esteem”. How worthless as a mother would you feel? So when I can be consistent with my medication, it is not taken “when needed”, used because “I have to work 2 jobs”, “be a domestic God”, “shred every other Scout or soccer mom”,” loose weight” or “recover from a late night of partying” it is so I can get from A to Z without blowing up B through Y in the process. So, please leave my drug alone before your recreational use leads to even stricter distribution protocol or before the medications become black labeled all together. If you are getting wired from the stuff, you have been misdiagnosed or you are over medicated. As for the recommendation of Benadryl, Nyquil, Tylenol PM and whatever else was listed above- please know that you are playing with your brain’s chemistry and those A’s that you recreational users are trying to achieve won’t be any good when you give yourself schizophrenia. Spend a few minutes with Google and look up the rates of amphetamine induced psychosis related to withdrawal and maybe common sense will set in. Maybe."


YES! Finally someone else who gets it.