has anyone been diagnosed with add/ inattentive type and tried meds for it (ritalin or adderall?)

[roxanne]

The symptoms for this specific type of ADD - the inattentive type- sound very familiar, at least some of them: excessive daydreaming, disorganization, inattention to details, distractability, forgetfulness, procrastination, difficulty listening and reading, bored, unmotivated, sluggish, preoccupied, spacey, tired & slow-moving.  I am very curious as to any results anyone has had with treatment, with any of these symptoms.

[roxanne]

Thanks for the update.  I worked for years with schizophrenics and see MD as very different from the negative symptoms of schizophrenia.  That doesn't mean there couldn't be some overlap of symptomatology and treatments in common.  So your experience is very interesting.  I'd appreciate any updates. 

Anyone else diagnosed and treated for inattentive ADD.  I have used Rhodiola, an herbal supplement, recommended by Dr. Daniel Amen, a prominent authority on ADD.  I've balked at taking the recommended dose, so I'm not sure if it helped.

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Lots of conditions have daydreaming and/or inattentiveness as possible symptoms.  That doesn't mean this is them.  If so, this would be a whole LOT of other conditions.  I'm not saying you don't have that as well, but it's easy to see a condition with some symptoms like that and get excited.

[Liza]

I definitely fit the diagnostic criteria for ADD, but when i think about myself, my ADD and the 'maladaptive daydreaming' are two completely seperate things.  I only began taking ritalin as an adult.  It really helped my ADD!!! At first, my MD was less, and I was quite excited about that, but that didn't last and my MD came back as it always has been. ... which confirms what I believe:  that (for me at least) MD and ADD are two seperate disorders!

 

Liza

[roxanne]

I guess it makes sense that daydreaming & inattentiveness are symptoms of many conditions and so why not be something all of it's own.  It does feel like the tone of this daydreaming is different.  And despite the differences of posters here, I am struck by how akin I feel to everyone; not so with other disorders.

[Liza]

Yes, roxanne!!! it's amazng how our experiences are so different, but sooooo very similar at the same time!

 

[Tila]

I have been taking Adderrall for 3 1/2 years.

I was never diagnosed with inattentive ADD, but I fit all the criteria. That's all it is though- a list of generalized traits that are just a psychiatrists way of looking at creative people. I think Disordered is a poor description for what ADD is.

 

When I was 17, my therapist suggested writing me a prescription one day. The first day I took Adderrall, I felt a mental clarity that I have never had before. 

Prior to that, I had a love for Red Bull and coffee (still do...:P), I had also been trying to buy Ritalin from a friend. I knew intuitively that my brain needed an upper of some kind.

 

PROS: Adderrall pushed me to analyze myself more, to verbalize my thoughts more (which can lead to talking a bit too much!), to have enthusiasm and awareness in the present moment, to tackle projects I was once too lazy to do.

It has not effected my creativity, but in fact allowed me to start a bunch of new paintings/drawings.

I also became more confident in myself, and more excited about small, regular tasks (like learning French, which I've always had no patience for). This feeling of hope and excitement was the source of motivation to daydream less, and live on "the outside" more.

 

CONS: My daydreams will come flooding back in once the Adderrall wears off. The rush of hyper awareness is replaced with tiredness, and sometimes negative thoughts... the state resembles depression. Your body feels heavier, and the weight of all your duties feel heavier. It feels fitting to flop down on your bed and daydream while a movie is on, even if it is only 11 in the morning. 

You have to take another Adderrall quickly, before the lethargy monster takes you. (Lol, it really does feel like there are giant paws pushing down on your shoulders)

 

Adderrall, as you probably know, will not make any problems you have evaporate . It will not make your daydreaming, or your distractions go away. But it can give you a boost, one that can give you the strength to fight the mental habits you've fallen into.

 

The trick of Adderrall is not to become dependent on it- this is difficult, because it is an amphetamine. I finally understand that, after taking it for 3 years, I am practically the same without it. But it took running out of Adderrall for me to learn this lesson.

Another thing you may already know- make sure to do thoroughly research on any medication that you are curious about. Be sure to know the chemical structure, and even know the technical details of how it works in the brain. Read more personal experiences of the drug, from real people not doctors!

I would try www.erowid.org for personal accounts of different kinds of medications.