Adult ADHD: Anyone have experience?

I wasn't diagnosed until three years ago when i went back to school that i have adhd but i also have bipolar disorder and ptsd on top of it but with the combination of meds i am on now it has really helped get it under control. my suggestion is do some of your own research on it. often times adults that get diagnosed have had it there whole life but it was mis-diagnosed.

I was diagnosed with ADHD-C five years ago. I have Bipolar Disorder and started treatment for that 12 years ago. Once the Bipolar situation was evened out, I still had a lot of activity (too much) and so many of the classic ADHD behav?ors. I convinced my doctor to let me try Buproprion instead of Selectra for my anti-depressant. I had read on a website that this is the only treatment recommended for people with Bipolar. The effect was almost immediate. I could focus, I could walk outside. I could listen to music. I sat down and wrote four novels, each 400 pages long (I am a historian, technical writer and editor). Five years later I am still very creative yet calm.

I'm 37. I've had ADD symptoms since I was in grade school. I am very creative. I tend to RBI k of multiple things at once. I'm a very strategic thinker. I am very anticipatory when thinking or speaking with people. I have a constant problem of focusing on what someone is telling me. I will start thinking of other things and will soon get lost in the conversation. It's affected me at work. It's lost me s few past jobs. Yet I have always had past professors and co-workers tell me how creative and sharp I am. All that creativity and sharpness hasn't helped me stay focused on the job. I have many years of college, yet could never decide on a major. It was science and business. But never did what I needed to do to obtain the degree.

I was tried Ritalin. It gives me a clear and cool refreshed feeing. The problem is that is has lactase or some kind of milk product in it. Bin lactose intolerant. The same goes for all the other common ADD meds. I understand that the new one called Vyvanse is milk free. I'd like to try it but I was recently let go from a position. It's expensive. I take Ativan as needed and it helps calm my thoughts which I often describe as mirroring fireworks. Lots of good and creative thoughts....but when you don't apply them...they're just that...thoughts. I've tried all the SSRI's. They did nothing except take my sex drive away, constipate me and mess with my coordination.

I also learned at a checkup that I'm deficient in Vitamin D. I believe my number was 5. I was out on supplements but it barely rose. I read somewhere that vitamin d deficiency can contribute to many problems, some of which include concentration, etc. So I am now taking 5000 IU of D everyday.

My husband and daughter both have inatentive ADHD. My husband was just diagnosed with ADHD because of our discovery with our daughter. i can tell you since he was diagnosed and is getting treatment his depression has improved. From what I have found out in all the classes I have attended and on line chat, ADHD people experience depression because they are always down on themselves and they feel like a failure. I know with treatment and a lot of positive reinforcement for them they are doing great. Good Luck

I agree! Treating my adult ADHD has dramatically helped my depression. For me 100mg of Strattera and 10mg of Adderall (IR) combined with 50mg Pristiq and 10mg Prozac have left me feeling well just about all the time. Also I feel I am as creative as ever and if anything better suited to actually DO something with all that creativity!

"I could focus, I could walk outside. I could listen to music. I sat down and wrote four novels, each 400 pages long (I am a historian, technical writer and editor). Five years later I am still very creative yet calm."

That is so great to hear! Congrats!

Interesting connections. I, too have depression and have had it for many years. Depression/anxiety. I am also a super creative person (majored in art prior to becoming a teacher), and i understand, completely your struggle with focus during conversations. I get so upset with myself when i find that i've wandered off in my mind and missed chunks of conversation. And isn't it sooo rude if i say, i totally missed the last two minutes of what you said?!

I also have a Vitamin D deficiency. I did the daily Vitamin D and it didn't work for me. Then the dr. tried a short dose of higher amounts, but again it went up, but only temporarily. So now i'm on 50,000iu once a week and it seems to be doing well. Apparently some bodies just don't absorb it like it should.

I don't have any answers for you regarding the new medications. I had tried something similar to ritalin once and i felt like i was on speed. I had to stop or I would have likely lost my job! I may try this new Vyvanse. I have heard good things. Maybe my house would then be cleaned up, my art projects would get completed, and my anxiety would decrease?!!

Hello I would like to connect with other people on the mental health discussion forum who have adult ADHD. I would like to learn coping mechanisms and options for this mental health issue. After speaking with a psychiatrist she thinks that my symptoms of severe anxiety, depression, Spacey Behavior, unfocused thinking, and overwhelm might be coming from having undiagnosed adult ADHD. Thank you for your continued support, I think this form is amazing.

I have ADD (without the hyperactivity). My psychiatrist tried me on a couple of different meds and made me so anxious i nearly jumped ut of my skin - so, so much for THAT. Coping strategies for remembering, organizing and focusing have worked much better for me.

See if you can get a referral for speech therapy. These therapists work with more then speech problems. They help people learn how to focus better, scanning techniques, improve short term memory, organize themselves and keep organized and use various strategies, tools and tricks to make your life manageable.

This stuff is too hard to figure out on your own. Go to the pros. They have Master's degrees in this stuff.

I have had Major Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, and PTSD for most of my life. The Major Depression plus alcoholism run in my family. The PTSD is the result of my father's suicide when I was 10 years old which was exacerbated by a recent serious automobile accident. I had been treated for the depression by my primary care physician who gave me only a very small dose of Celexa. This did not help much, of course. After the accident, I started seeing a psychologist and a psychiatrist who put me on a large dose of Zoloft and Adderall. This is making a big difference especially the Adderall which helps with fatigue and the Zoloft with the PTSD. Regarding the ADHD, I had a difficult childhood in school having a short attention span, being unable to concentrate and complete tasks and also having dyslexia. This was back in the dark ages before much was known about ADHD so it went undiagnosed and untreated. I am definitely not creative as so many have said in this forum because of the dyslexia, I guess. The psychologist is using cognitive therapy to help me deal with the anxiety resulting from the accident and with my negative thinking. There again, I think the Zoloft and Adderall are helping with this, too. I am 78 years old so I am not very hopeful for being completely "cured" in the years I have left but being able to concentrate on completing tasks and having a little more energy will mean much.