ADD and the Suckage Thereof

[Barefoot Bree]

I shamelessly stole the thread title from a similar thread on IIDB a few years back. And I'm not giving it back!

Do you have it?
How does it affect you?
What meds or supplements have you taken for it?
What compensating strategies have you developed?
Wanna go for a bike ride? Never mind, it's raining here, too.

*****

I've never been clinically diagnosed, but my elder daughter was in grade school. She was on Ritalin for a while, but it made her too groggy, and we gave it up. That was before the newer meds were on the market; it was R or nothing. We chose nothing.

A while later, while she was in high school, I was reading yet another ADD book looking for tips that might help her and us, when I suddenly realized that the long list of ADD signs I was in the middle of was describing... me!

I'm not hyper, and I seem to have a relatively mild case, so I've not gone for clinical treatment. A steady regimen of all the vitamins and minerals, along with the Omega oils which really seem to help my concentration, is my best course.

ETA: the biggest effect it has with me is that my thoughts are constantly, continuously jumping from one thing to the next. It never ends. If any of you have seen that ad on TV for one of the new ADD drugs, with the woman and the TV set continuously flipping from one channel to the next, that's me. Oh, that and the fact that unless I'm listening to the TV or the radio, I always have a song running through the back of my head. The music literally never stops. At times that's been like to drive me mad.

One of these days when I'm not constantly on the move, I might find a doctor and see if any meds or other clinical treatment might help. It's tough, though, when you literally live on the road (long-distance truck driver, don't even have an apartment).

You?

[nygreenguy]

I shamelessly stole the thread title from a similar thread on IIDB a few years back. And I'm not giving it back!

Do you have it? Yep. Well, Adult ADHD.
How does it affect you? Well, imagine trying to read a book while having 200 people saying 200 different things to you, its sort of like that for me. When I try to focus on anything, either any little sound totally blows my concentration or my head just "doesnt shut up".


What meds or supplements have you taken for it? Straterra, and it really helps. I dont have insurance so eli lilly supplies me for free! MY doctor also suggested fish oil which has been shown to help moods and add in clinical double blind controled studies.

I also have a couple problems which help to complicate treating this and thats depression with OCD. The treatment for ADD is often stimulants, which to a person with OCD can be a very bad thing. This is why im on stratera, its a non stimulant. However, it makes me tired! So, we put me on welbutrin for my depression which is a mild stimulant but I have been luck and not had any bad side effects. Im also hoping exercize will help me remain calm!


What compensating strategies have you developed? Well, as I said im going to try to work out more. My therapist has been working on some relaxiation techniques which attempts to put the brakes on my brain a bit.
Wanna go for a bike ride? Never mind, it's raining here, too.

Someone stole my bike.... :dunno:

[Barefoot Bree]

I'd really like to try to learn meditation to see if that helps, but .... [insert the usual excuses].

[Brianna]

I'd really like to try to learn meditation to see if that helps, but .... [insert the usual excuses].

Oh, yeah. It is very hard to get into the habit of.

I jump all over and watch 3 tv programs at once. It drives my roommate nutso.

[Brianna]

I shamelessly stole the thread title from a similar thread on IIDB a few years back. And I'm not giving it back!

Do you have it?
How does it affect you?
What meds or supplements have you taken for it?
What compensating strategies have you developed?
Wanna go for a bike ride? Never mind, it's raining here, too.



Clinical diagnosis but my doc says I don't fit the usual picture. He never elaborated.

I take vitamins and omega oils.
I take 15 mg of extended release adderall.

I speed read.

[Mediancat]

Yup -- or something that mimics it closely. At the moment, I am on no medication directly for that, though I do take an anti-anxiety medication, which helps indirectly.

Rob

[Free in Freeport]

A psychologist who is a friend described me as 'the worst case of adult ADHD' she'd ever seen, and said my case is 'as bad as can be and still function without medication'. Now I wonder if I'm really ADHD or just plain fucked up.

[sohy]

I have never had a problem with ADD symptoms until I began spending a lot of time on the internet. It didn't happen initially but developed over the years. I probably shouldn't be here now. :) It's a lovely day and I'm across the street from the beautiful Gulf Coast, but I can't seem to get away from my damn computer. In the past year or two, I have had problems reading books, watching movies or even listening to serious pieces of music without getting distracted. I can't focus on one thing for very long. I worried that I was getting dementia until I spoke to friends half my age that admitted suffering from similar symptoms.

I have no problem reading articles from newspapers and journals, but if something takes more than 10 or 20 minutes, I lose interest. I need to keep jumping around from one thing to another, kind of like you do when you're net surfing.

Worse yet, after a long surfing expedition, I sometimes can't get all the ideas and arguments that I've read out of my mind. Has anyone else noticed an attention deficit problem related to their internet habit?

[Brianna]

I have never had a problem with ADD symptoms until I began spending a lot of time on the internet. It didn't happen initially but developed over the years. I probably shouldn't be here now. :) It's a lovely day and I'm across the street from the beautiful Gulf Coast, but I can't seem to get away from my damn computer. In the past year or two, I have had problems reading books, watching movies or even listening to serious pieces of music without getting distracted. I can't focus on one thing for very long. I worried that I was getting dementia until I spoke to friends half my age that admitted suffering from similar symptoms.

I have no problem reading articles from newspapers and journals, but if something takes more than 10 or 20 minutes, I lose interest. I need to keep jumping around from one thing to another, kind of like you do when you're net surfing.

Worse yet, after a long surfing expedition, I sometimes can't get all the ideas and arguments that I've read out of my mind. Has anyone else noticed an attention deficit problem related to their internet habit?

I usually can focus on the internet. Hyperfocus !

[His Noodly Appendage]

Do you have it?
Yes, no clinical diagnosis.

How does it affect you?
By giving me the time- and task-management skills of a four-year-old. Ferinstance, this happened to me:

*ring, ring*
Hi, I'm at uni, and I forgot to bring my folder with all my stuff in it. Can you grab it, and hop a bus down here?
Sure, no problem.

*ring, ring*
Oh hey, and it's getting cold; can you also bring my black sweater?
No worries.

*travel montage*
Hi! Here's your sweater.
Thanks. Um, so where's my folder?
... *blink* *stare* *pause* ... Fuck.

I rely utterly on autopilot and accustomed routines - I can remember to do shopping on the way home from work only because I always do. There's little point asking me to stop or divert between waypoints, because although I'll likely be able to repeat your request to you verbatim if you ask me about it, there's zero probability that the task will impinge on my awareness at the appropriate time.

Also, studying is *hard* - probably what normals would experience if they tried to study in a room with a toddler, a puppy and an incessantly ringing phone, all while they needed to pee.

Some tasks are easier than others, though. I lack a mental whiteboard, and instead have a constant soft rain of post-it notes, with everything from "So therefore f(n) < x(n)" to "hey look, a doorknob!". As such, deductive tasks, where I can put my head down and *follow* the chain of reasoning, aren't too bad. Give me a programming assignment where I have a rough idea of how to go about it, and I can get it done, albeit in bits and chunks. Open ended tasks that require a sort of constant brainstorming process, on the other hand... are hell. Depth-first vs breadth-first.

I can filter out external stuff, but it's all or nothing - and with the filters on, the house could burn down around me and I wouldn't notice. I find that I consistently miss my stop on the bus if I don't have a book.

What meds or supplements have you taken for it?

Omega 3 supplements seemed to have an effect when I first tried them, but it seems that was placebo. I don't seem to get any sustained benefit from them.

Getting clinically diagnosed and medicated over here is hard - and takes far more organisation than I can generally muster. However, I've tried diet pills (phentermine), and they're scarily good - so much so that I save them for dire emergencies, such as days when I can't fous for more than a few seconds, and I have an assignment due. I'm quite terrified of getting either acclimated or addicted.

What compensating strategies have you developed?

Mainly, strong habits that lead autopilot to take you to a decision-point - like always stopping at the shops, whether we need shopping or not.

[Brother Daniel]

ADD (zoned-out non-hyperactive variant) in a big way.
the biggest effect it has with me is that my thoughts are constantly, continuously jumping from one thing to the next. It never ends. If any of you have seen that ad on TV for one of the new ADD drugs, with the woman and the TV set continuously flipping from one channel to the next, that's me.
Sounds much like me.
Well, imagine trying to read a book while having 200 people saying 200 different things to you, its sort of like that for me. When I try to focus on anything, either any little sound totally blows my concentration or my head just "doesnt shut up".
This.
By giving me the time- and task-management skills of a four-year-old.
This too.
although I'll likely be able to repeat your request to you verbatim if you ask me about it, there's zero probability that the task will impinge on my awareness at the appropriate time.
And especially this. I absolutely do not get the whole business of remembering to do something. How the hell do normal people do that?

In a nutshell, ADD makes me so scattered and disorganized that I'm only marginally competent to muddle my way through life.

Medication: I've tried pretty much everything. Strattera does nothing for me. Ritalin does very, very little. Ditto for Dexedrine or Adderall. I'm now taking Aricept (designed for Alzheimer's, which I don't have, but my shrink says it helps with ADD in some rare cases) and it seems to be the best thing so far. Still not a dramatic effect, though.

Coping strategies: Still looking for some.

[Brianna]

I cope pretty well. My time management is crappy, but structure is good. Back ground music helps. I do ok.

I say that I have a moderate case according to my doctor.

[Free in Freeport]

Do you have it?

yes, little doubt about that.
How does it affect you?

-Lifelong underachiever/black sheep from a family of over achievers.
-Mediocre grades despite high potential.
-Two years of adolescence were nearly friendless, because my impulsivity and obnoxiousness alienated everyone.
-Started smoking pot and cigarettes at age 13, drinking at 14, totally indiscriminately sexually active at 15.
-Went through a stage of stealing that lasted about 2 years when I was a teenager
-Lost two jobs due to drinking while still a teenager
-Temper tantrum probably contributed to loss of a job 5 years ago

What meds or supplements have you taken for it?

I've nicked a few pills from a relative (adderall and...uh...I dont remember what the other one was, but dont think it was ritalin. Seems to me one made me feel clear-headed and focused, the other made me paranoid. I dont remember which was which.

When I took a valium for a dental procedure, it had wonderful calming effects. However, I have not taken it other than for in advance of medical/dental procedures.

I drink boatloads of coffee and occasionally guarana. LOVE guarana!

What compensating strategies have you developed?

Better to suppress emotions altogether, than to express inappropriately.
Just learned to form a shell and not care or react. Sometimes I feel like I'm only half-alive.
Coffee, coffee, coffee
Write lists
FOrce myself to look through other's eyes and feel through their skin.
Thought-stoppage.

Wanna go for a bike ride? Never mind, it's raining here, too.

Yes if it ever gets warm enough.

[Danhalen]

I was just diagnosed.

I do internet fora instead of my homework.

I just finished my first month of Concerta and it has not done anything.

I have learned no coping skills.

I would love to go for a bike ride in the rain.

[Brianna]

I find that I always have a music tract on in my head.
Right now I have the tv on, my ipod on, i am talking to someone on aim, posting on forums, and I just finished my taxes.

I used to have a poor filter on thoughts to mouth but I have worked on that a lot! I am not such an ass.

I found that working on structure is important but also giving myself room to wiggle and get distracted.

I found that day dreaming is still important.

I found that I need to have a place for everything in my house and always return things to that place or I will never find them again. If I am tired and distracted and put something down, I will spend hours trying to find it. Or hours trying to remember why I would put the cheese in the pantry instead of the refrigerator.

I don't let go of things very well. I am working on that too.

I allow myself to have ten projects going at once and actually finish five of them! :D

[Free in Freeport]

I can't handle background noise when I'm trying to concentrate. I'm definitely 'mono-channel'. No radio/tv when I'm reading. I even turn off the car radio and heater when I have to make a left-hand turn or enter a construction zone.

[JamesBannon]

I don't have ADD, but I do have depression. Some of what I've seen here can be symptoms of either condition. Concentration & decision-making skills are poor to non-existent & I get OCD. Sometimes the decision-making is so bad it's crippling. I can't read anything technical any more, it's just a blur on the page. Lately, I've been afraid to go out because, when I do, I fantasise about throwing myself in front of on-coming traffic. Needless to say, I can't work & my coping skills are non-existent. I'm over 50 and pretty much a total failure!

[Free in Freeport]

I don't have ADD, but I do have depression. Some of what I've seen here can be symptoms of either condition. Concentration & decision-making skills are poor to non-existent & I get OCD. Sometimes the decision-making is so bad it's crippling. I can't read anything technical any more, it's just a blur on the page. Lately, I've been afraid to go out because, when I do, I fantasise about throwing myself in front of on-coming traffic. Needless to say, I can't work & my coping skills are non-existent. I'm over 50 and pretty much a total failure!

No you aren't :grouphug:

[Brianna]

Eh. that sounds like depression talking james.

I am a tangent girl. Most of my conversations with other people meander all over the place and not everyone can see those connections.

I live for lists. I learn best if I can verbalize what I am learning.

I can not tune out something clinking like fingernails on a keyboard or a heating vent clicking noise. I always know when my furnace comes on. I pay attention to weird details.

Like others who have adhd, I am often hypersensitive to touch and have to be careful what kind of fabrics are on my skin. I can't stand to be tickled.

Spell check is my friend as I spell things phonetically and reverse letters often. only is spelled OLNY in my mind :)

[His Noodly Appendage]

I absolutely do not get the whole business of remembering to do something. How the hell do normal people do that?

Simple. They have a whiteboard and filters.

A normal person needs to buy stamps from the postoffice on the way home, and keep an eye out for a new coffee pot. So they put "postoffice, stamps" and "coffee pot" on their mental whiteboard.

Subsequently, every time they look at something, they mentally google for "$THING AND ((postoffice OR stamps) OR "coffee pot"

So, they see a rock on the ground. They search, get no hits (of > 0.003% relevance), discard the experience and move on. Same with the doorknob. Then they walk past the street that the postoffice is on... and boom, major hit on postoffice. This refreshes the stamp-buying task into short-term memory - and with so few other hits impinging, they're unlikely to forget by the time they get there - at which point, they'd be freshly reminded anyway.

We on the other hand have no whiteboard, and no "AND" keyword in our search.

As such, our search strings look like "$THING OR post office OR doorknob OR the way words with two Os in them look OR stamps OR nice rack OR coffee pots OR hey that was my dog's name or stamps OR food", with no relevance limit.

The results are so numerous and so astoundingly titty-useless that we learn to just tune them out altogether.

[Barefoot Bree]

I cannot function without lists. Up to four items at the store I can remember, literally chanting them under my breath until I've got them all. More than four, they must be written down or I'll forget most of them.

I have the unfortunate tendency to try to hyperorganize things, especially new complicated systems at work. Unfortunate because I never manage to complete the organization, and it ends up worse than it started. Not always, but sometimes. I've learned over the years to scale back this hyperorganization to something a little more manageable, a little more finishable, and a lot more usable in the end. But it's taken a lot of years to get there, and I still have to watch it.

ETA: Oh, and I'm a counter. I count stair steps, and any short rhythmic noise like telephone rings or beeps. I can tell you the pattern of them, too - on the Prepass on our old truck, 5 long beeps meant "pass" while two sets of 8 short beeps meant "pull into the weigh station".

Not sure if that's ADD or a bit of OCD in there, though.

[Zygote]

And especially this. I absolutely do not get the whole business of remembering to do something. How the hell do normal people do that?

Yes! I haven't the slightest clue.

I've been "organizing" my office all week (school vacation, I teach) and all I've really accomplished is to boost my post count at SC.

My son was diagnosed as ADD inattentive type. He was on Concerta and hated it. It gave him headaches and made him crabby as it wore off. Even worse, he said it locked up the creative thinking part of his brain so that he could see it but he couldn't get at it. Yes, he remembered his assignments but felt like he was someone else.

We have a white board on his door that helps with coping.

He has Type 1 diabetes, which presents other problems, like the serious health effects of forgetting an insulin dose or a blood sugar test. He's fine about being reminded, so no attitude problems, thankfully. I try not to be terrified at the thought of him moving out when he transfers from community college to a 4-year university.

I'm undiagnosed, but have considered trying one of those unused Concerta pills, maybe just to get the taxes done.

I live my life in a somewhat scattered haze. I can focus obsessively when I need to, as when organizing for a trip when I don't want to have loose ends. Most of the time, I move in a fairly constrained sphere from one distraction to the next. The necessary stuff usually gets done eventually.

[Puck]

Undiagnosed ADHD.

In this thread, I read a couple posts, noticed a rough patch on a finger nail, got up and filed it, then got a drink of water. Read a couple more posts, got up and went out and had a couple of puffs of a cig. Read a couple more posts, realized I needed to pee, then noticed I was hungry, so made some cereal. Finished thread while eating cereal, went out for a smoke, and here I am. This goes on all day long, flitting about from whatever has caught my attention next, to the next thing, and then maybe back to what I was doing. Needless to say, I have unfinished projects every where.

The only time I can concentrate is when I get into the 'zone' and then I forget all else. It's a rare book or movie that captures my full attention. I rely on keeping important things in the same place, and lists. I've been known to forget my list when I go to town. (back, got up again) I'm very sensitive to light, sounds, spicy foods and cold temps. I will shut down if I have to deal with them.

So I attempt to keep my life calm, and as organized as possible. Fortunately, I'm generally cheerful and enjoy life, so these things don't worry me over much. Frankly, I don't have any desire to change the way I am. I've adapted quite well, and it's all perfectly normal to me.

[Zygote]

I started to deep clean the kitchen once, found a broken ceramic something, did phase one of the gluing, went to take something else upstairs while the first glue joints dried, puttered up there for a couple of hours, came downstairs and wondered why the glue was out on the kitchen table.

[Faerie]

This is a valuable thread to me. My son has ADD (he's 13) and I'm trying to find coping mechanisms for him. Any advice for young teens from any of you? He's gone off his meds (Ritalin) last year August (because he wanted to), he's now failed two terms at school although he got a distinction in Math and did okayish in History, failed all his other subjects though. He doesnt want to go back on the meds but he's obviously having a hard time to cope, he's willing enough, but just dont seem to have the "oomph" to get going. Any advice?

[Anne]

I'm still wondering how add is anything but how normal people are.

It's the BO (born organized) people who are weird.

I'm not joking here. I have met mebe 3 people in my life who aren't displaying add symptoms.

Am I just lucky?

Ok, without FLYlady (http://www.flylady.net/index.asp)we'd be living in CHAOS (can't have anyone over syndrome). We discovered her when I was pregnant and applied her ideas to our lives.

I really see how she is a help to ADD people, so I'm throwing her into this mix.

She teaches you how to portion your chores and budget your time. Her biggest weapon is a timer, and her biggest asset is her lists--- which you can have emailed to you as she says you should do them. After a few months of that, we got our lives into a state where we were no longer putting out fires, the house was clean, and we had more time.

She's completely free, everything in her book is on her web page. She's a little religious, but not cloyingly so.

And without her, our lives would be hell.

So, I'm thinking, she creates a routine for you, and gives you time limits, and tells you what to do and when. So, yeah, possibly good for add folk?

[VoxRat]

I'm still wondering how add is anything but how normal people are.

It's the BO (born organized) people who are weird.

I'm not joking here. I have met mebe 3 people in my life who aren't displaying add symptoms.

Am I just lucky?This is my experience too.
Well, I've met more than 3.
I married one.
Regrettably, the child didn't get those genes.

[Christina]

It's the BO (born organized) people who are weird.

I'm one of those people and I'm unquestionably weird for all sorts of reasons but I know at least one person who is as hyper-organized as I was when I was at work and she isn't weird at all. She gets annoyed at disorganized people too and vents about it but only quietly. I'm sure that there are lots out there.

Even now that 90% of what I do is optional I still make lists, all of the paperwork that I need is filed away, everything has a place and unless Joe moves things I can find them right away. My cupboards, closets and drawers are neat and organized most of the time too. I don't think that I'm obsessive about it because I can procrastinate doing those things and I lose garden tools constantly from leaving them laying around, but in general I just do it without thinking about it much. When it comes to doing things with other people, more than a little bit of disorganization irritates the hell out of me and takes all of the fun out of doing it. I just can't handle it without wanting to scream so I find a way out. Is that really all that weird?

[Anne]

I realized I may only know add type people.

I mean about 80% of the people we know are pagan as well...

[wordy]

I'm diagnosed as Asperger but have some add or adhd and ocd problems too.

The ADD is that I too easily lose concentration when reading or writing and so on.

The result is a confusing text with many restarts and repetitions.

The Asperger is most noticable in my failure to read others intention and to behave in socially proper ways. I am either too rigid and stale and not enought responsive or at times I get too close too fast and too much and overwhelm the other with too much of what is on my mind. so I lose people all the time. They withdraw cause they feel me too alien to what they expect from a fellow being.

Adhd is obvious every time I try to dance. I am extremely clumsy in my dance movements and not on or in lock step with the rhythm at all. I go blank in head so I fail to hear the rhythm.

Here in Sweden they don't treat people older than 35 so we fail to get to test the modern metaamphetamins or even the older Ritalina. It is seen as an illegal drug.

You get at least 4 years in jail if you try to buy it.

A promising thing is the new mind improvement computer programs they have for kids.

They say the research is promising. They improve very much and rather fast too. Some weeks of daily training and everybody notice them more calmer and able to follow a lesson at school.

so hopefully this could help us old timers too. Unfortunately the guy who made them what to earn big money from them so they are very expensive.

I have not tested the Omega 3 do they really help us adults? Could it not be placebo?

I take 1000ml a day. A capsule Active Care made in Denmark out of Fish oil with E-vitamin to keep it fresh. Axellus the name of the company.

Meditation is out of the question for me. I lose concentration too easily.

[BWE]

I'd really like to try to learn meditation to see if that helps, but .... [insert the usual excuses].

It helps me. The effect only lasts a few hours though.

[Brianna]

I'm still wondering how add is anything but how normal people are.

It's the BO (born organized) people who are weird.

I'm not joking here. I have met mebe 3 people in my life who aren't displaying add symptoms.

Am I just lucky?This is my experience too.
Well, I've met more than 3.
I married one.
Regrettably, the child didn't get those genes.

How rude. I love it when people are asses about my disorder. LOVE IT!

Flylady is obnoxious imo.

I actually had a nursing instructor tell me it was made up.

Everyone can have symptoms of anything but having them for more then six months (or the whatever the standard is) and having more then just one or two of the symptoms listed... so i think have adhd with out hyperactive has about 12. You have to have at least 8 of them to be diagnosed.

[Brianna]

I'd really like to try to learn meditation to see if that helps, but .... [insert the usual excuses].

It helps me. The effect only lasts a few hours though.

I usually take my medication, meditate til it kicks in 20 mins, and have a great day.

[kazzaqld]

Interesting thread. Faerie, I too have a 13 yearold son with ADD. I think he gets it from me, but I've not been diagnosed as such.

He is on dexamphetamine, we tried the Concerta but it made him ill so that didn't work.

I am finding it challenging as he gets older and school expects him to be more self-managing - well you see....... :bang:

But based on his latest grades I think I have the teachers on side now - I think they can now see that I'm not kidding and that he is a bright boy who needs all of us working together to help him achieve his potential.

Reading all the responses with interest. :cool:

[Faerie]

I am finding it challenging as he gets older and school expects him to be more self-managing - well you see.......
he is a bright boy

It certainly is a challenge, and yes, mine too is a bright boy, he just cannot sit still long enough to read a single sentence. If you speak to him when the tv or radio is on, he'll make eye contact for some 3 seconds and then his mind wanders, he gets distracted SO quickly. He once told me that EVERYTHING is interesting and he tries to take in everything at once. (like: OOOH!! looky there, oh, lookit that!, oooooohhhh, whats happening there?)

How does one teach a 13 year old to meditate? You need to sit still and be introspective to manage that and this lad is way to fidgity for that, he cannot sit still to eat a meal, he's all over his chair. :bang:

Thanks for the replies, and links to websites would help too please! :notworthy:

[Cath B]

The Asperger is most noticable in my failure to read others intention and to behave in socially proper ways. I am either too rigid and stale and not enought responsive or at times I get too close too fast and too much and overwhelm the other with too much of what is on my mind. so I lose people all the time. They withdraw cause they feel me too alien to what they expect from a fellow being.



I can relate so well with what you're saying here.

This is what I was like when I was younger.

In recent years I've improved my social skills no end (I'm now 52!).

This is partly because reading and thinking about the evolution of people and human mindsets has deepened my understanding of such features as cliquishness and fashion which had previously bewildered me. So it's easier to latch on to where people are coming from.

[wordy]

I've found the link now to the cognitive training program via computer. AFAIK it is very expensive but there are maybe a less effective one on a site that use similar stimulations.
One could look into it and see if it helps?

http://www.cogmed.com/cogmed/sections/en/6.aspx
Cogmed Working Memory Training™ is a proven software-based program designed for sustainably improved attention. 80% of participants significantly improve their ability to concentrate and use problem solving skills after training. This is a program based on strong scientific research that is done in the convenience of your own home under the supervision of a Cogmed-qualified coach. Age-appropriate training programs are available for preschoolers through older adults.

Here is link to the "free"??? online game variant?
http://www.foxythinking.com/

With the help of online brain training games and exercises you improve your working memory and ability to focus.

With the unique constantly adopting level of difficulty Foxythinking ensures that you are always challenged to the maximum of your capability.

If all parents of ADD and ADHD children lobbied together they may find a humanitarian Nerd or Geek with programming skills and a love for Games that for decent come of money collected could come up with something that the parents could own together instead of sending all the money to those who crave huge sums for something that should be provided free by the schools.

[Faerie]

:notworthy:

Thank you Wordy!

[Danhalen]

So I'm now wrapping up my first three weeks on adderall. It seems to have no noticeable side effects like concerta did, but I'm still not able to focus on the task at hand. I don't know what the average dosage is for a 34 year old 215 lb male is, but perhaps 20mg of the extended release is just not enough.

I'm frustrated and crabby at the whole process of figuring this out.

[Oolon Colluphid]

Do you have it?
Yes, no clinical diagnosis.

How does it affect you?
By giving me the time- and task-management skills of a four-year-old. Ferinstance, this happened to me:

*ring, ring*
Hi, I'm at uni, and I forgot to bring my folder with all my stuff in it. Can you grab it, and hop a bus down here?
Sure, no problem.

*ring, ring*
Oh hey, and it's getting cold; can you also bring my black sweater?
No worries.

*travel montage*
Hi! Here's your sweater.
Thanks. Um, so where's my folder?
... *blink* *stare* *pause* ... Fuck.

I rely utterly on autopilot and accustomed routines - I can remember to do shopping on the way home from work only because I always do. There's little point asking me to stop or divert between waypoints, because although I'll likely be able to repeat your request to you verbatim if you ask me about it, there's zero probability that the task will impinge on my awareness at the appropriate time.

Also, studying is *hard* - probably what normals would experience if they tried to study in a room with a toddler, a puppy and an incessantly ringing phone, all while they needed to pee.

Some tasks are easier than others, though. I lack a mental whiteboard, and instead have a constant soft rain of post-it notes, with everything from "So therefore f(n) < x(n)" to "hey look, a doorknob!". As such, deductive tasks, where I can put my head down and *follow* the chain of reasoning, aren't too bad. Give me a programming assignment where I have a rough idea of how to go about it, and I can get it done, albeit in bits and chunks. Open ended tasks that require a sort of constant brainstorming process, on the other hand... are hell. Depth-first vs breadth-first.

I can filter out external stuff, but it's all or nothing - and with the filters on, the house could burn down around me and I wouldn't notice. I find that I consistently miss my stop on the bus if I don't have a book.

What meds or supplements have you taken for it?

Omega 3 supplements seemed to have an effect when I first tried them, but it seems that was placebo. I don't seem to get any sustained benefit from them.

Getting clinically diagnosed and medicated over here is hard - and takes far more organisation than I can generally muster. However, I've tried diet pills (phentermine), and they're scarily good - so much so that I save them for dire emergencies, such as days when I can't fous for more than a few seconds, and I have an assignment due. I'm quite terrified of getting either acclimated or addicted.

What compensating strategies have you developed?

Mainly, strong habits that lead autopilot to take you to a decision-point - like always stopping at the shops, whether we need shopping or not.

This was sounding an awful lot like me, till my mind wandered part way through.

[VoxRat]

I shamelessly stole the thread title from a similar thread on IIDB a few years back. And I'm not giving it back!
In the spirit of ADD, I'm distracted by the title.

While "suckage" is not a bad coinage, I'd like people to consider my alternative: succulence. And the corresponding adjective for things that suck: succulent.

It has the virtue of already being a word. (Or at least a homonym. Perhaps my word should be spelled "suckulence".) It's a virtue if you savor the momentary confusion that the seemingly out of place word causes in the hearer, and the resolution of said confusion when your meaning is made clear by the context.

Now, what were we talking about?

[Oolon Colluphid]

No idea.

[Faerie]

Got my son's report card this afternoon. He's been on his meds since the beginning of May, and received remedial classes after school in his languages. His average improved from 37% to 53% and all his subjects improved with aproximately 10% with the exception of his Maths which dropped from 70% odd to 59% - although I'm not overly concerned by the drop as I'm assuming he put more effort into the subjects he was having trouble with than the single one that he is actually good in.