jannie Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 Hi there, i was very recently diagnosed with adult ADD. i am actually relieved to find this out after years and years of being mis-diagnosed as dsythymia, anxiety, bi-polar, ocd and God only knows what else! they are all such similar symtpoms that i can understand how it could be over looked. i have had such problems with jobs, relationships, tasks, forgetting, concentration, just glossing over things and totally missing the whole pic and the list can go on and on. these are things similar to depression and anxiety disorder but are not helped with anti depressants, just ask me i can attest to that! now my problem is that i was put on strattera. it is a new supposedly NON-stimulant for ADD, i will use ADD instead of ADHD though i think i have components of both. now the med i am on is a very low starting dose of 10 mgs and i am having problems with it already such as heart palps and feeling so spacey. i debated taking it this a.m. but out of desperation and such a STRONG need to feel what normal may feel like i took it anyway. i am so desperate to feel what follow through might feel like, to hold a job and LIKE it, to focus, to remember, to concentrate, to feel in CONTROL of my life for the first time in my life is something that i am looking forward to doing! i have heard every negative about strattera and am progressively getting nervous to take it each day but it is only day 3 and i took it anyway but am now debating what to do after today. so i said to my common law hubby that i wanted to look for a "natural remedy" to help me. he does not give me much support and thinks that each and every med that i have tired was only stopped due to "psychological" side effects. to me this is degrading me as he thinks i do not know my own mind and body? so we got into a fight about it today when i told him i wanted to look for "natural remedy" instead and said that i always quit on everything, which is actually part of the ADD. he just does not get it. i have tried to educate him on the symptoms of things and i have gone over a long list of symptoms with him and he agreed to most of them that i have and believes now too that i have the adult ADD, now he is going to think that i am using it as an excuse to NOT do things, and that is SO not true! i am lost here, can anyone offer any support or suggestions for me since i virtually have no support system and this is so hard on me and he has no clue of how this strattera is making me feel with the tight chest, palps and spaciness going on. thanks be to all. Link to post Share on other sites
moimeme Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 Read up on AD/HD. According to sources, the success or failure of non-med interventions depends on the sort of AD/HD you have and the sorts of interventions currently available. Link to post Share on other sites
krbshappy71 Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 I dated a guy with Adult ADD and have an old friend who has it,also. It is NOT an excuse to get out of holding a job, relationship, etc. These people really do have a disorder and wish they didn't. One of my friends keeps going off his meds everytime he thinks he's better, screws up his life, goes back on meds, quite frustrating to watch! He doesn't seem to realize he is doing it! Good for you for trying to solve this mystery, perhaps its a combination of disorders? Hang in there and those likes from Moi I'm sure will make you feel you are not alone. Link to post Share on other sites
Author jannie Posted November 28, 2004 Author Share Posted November 28, 2004 thank you for the responses. sadly the strattera is not helping and is making things worse. i thought it was my imagination at first or just stress that was causing me some serious iritablity and hostility towards life. i did an extensve search on strattera and found several articles on this particula med causing anger, aggression, hostility, iritablity, things of that nature. needless to say i did not take it today and am hoping the side effects soon abate. i have been crying over senseless things like you would not believe and i know that is also a side effect and well i just feel so totally out of control of my self. i will be talking to my dr. tomorrow to see what she thinks of this mess. he has manic depression, refuses meds, has such mood swings, has low blood sugar stuff going on and i have to ask him if he has eaten when he is in a "mood". i put up with this on a daily basis and between my problems and his, we are a pair! LOL! Link to post Share on other sites
SoleMate Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 I know someone with adult ADD, who has gone through 15 (!) different medications and combinations to find a regimen that is helpful. That's typical for psychiatric meds in general...they are poorly understood, and people respond quite differently, so experimentation is needed. Not every doctor is patient and persistent enough to get this right. Link to post Share on other sites
moimeme Posted November 29, 2004 Share Posted November 29, 2004 Don't be taking so-called 'natural' remedies when they haven't been prescribed by a doc. There are still snake-oil salesmen - only now they call it 'natural medicine' and people buy it. You probably should not just quit your meds. You also should discuss with your doc. Sometimes it takes several weeks for a med to be effective and the early side-effects often subside. Don't get into treating yourself because you'll likely cause yourself more problems. Work with your doctors and your pharmacist on this. Link to post Share on other sites
Thinkalot Posted November 29, 2004 Share Posted November 29, 2004 I have OCD and ADD symptoms also. I went on anti-depressants about 10 months ago, and only recently went off them. I agree..work with your doc on this, and give the meds a chance to take effect. They helped me a lot...and now I am more able to handle my symptoms...I also had CBT which is really important also. Good luck- I really do know how hard it can be living with something like this...and also how hard it can be when others dont understand or support you Link to post Share on other sites
Swoup Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 I never can understand how they can tell one disorder different from the next if they are so similar. Wouldnt personality differences and different pschological strategies make it difficult to know wether or not the research results are tainted? Link to post Share on other sites
moimeme Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 The symptoms are usually quite distinct. Sometimes there can be similarities, but that's why the docs conduct what's known as a 'differential diagnosis'. Link to post Share on other sites
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