14 minutes ago, Claymore said:

Do you find yourself watching a movie and stopping every 20 min to play a song or do something else? Are you hypersensitive to criticism and do you find washing dishes like a daunting task? Finding hard to fall asleep due to a barrage of thoughts popping by? These are some of my symptoms.

If I'm at home watching a movie or long show sometimes I'll just go on my phone (for no reason) and sometimes get distracted so have to rewind. In a theater no. Criticism doesn't really bother me if it's constructive. Cleaning in general can be kinda relaxing for me it's just I procrastinate. I'm pretty good with washing clothes (every other wear) and my sheets though (once a week). Sometimes I'll start one task and it becomes a whole other unrelated task and when I realize this it's almost like crawling out of a rabbit hole. Time blindness is another thing but I really try to be better with that. I've currently been trying to study for something major that I need to do well at in order to continue down the career path I want and I was locked in for a month or two but somehow veered off and haven't studied in months. Postponed the test twice now. This is what I find most frustrating is my ability to really focus and do well at something I'm passionate about and then I go through a lapse of time where I don't engage in said act and a month will go by before I realize, oh ****…I haven't done this in a month 
 

And as far as issues with sleeping, I do have issues with getting good quality sleep but my thoughts rarely prevent me from falling asleep. I've been through enough to learn how to compartmentalize my thoughts at this point. Of course some days I'll feel worse than others but it never prevents me from going on with my day even if it lingers in the back of my mind. But I'm not sure if it's hindering my life it's just little things that have made me question if maybe I have it. 

I think I have it. I cannot socialize very well and I'm always in a hurry (procrastination)

Edited May 10, 20251 yr by Giancor

Got diagnosed in the summer of 2022. The first time I received treatment I wasn't in the right headspace for it. Went back to the psych a year later and this time I was able to work on it. For me the biggest lesson I learned is working with my brain, not against it. And acceptance being the most important thing. Accepting that you can't do certain things at the same pace as others, your house is not always gonna be tidy and cleaned, and that is okay.

 

I actually started Elvanse (Vyvanse for the US dolls) today. Short working dex wasn't doing it for me anymore, I got crazily tired. It peaked too fast. Kinda hoping this gives a smoother effect.

4 hours ago, bad guy said:

What are the signs of this? I know very little other than "hyperactivity" but I know it's more complex than that. I've noticed that anytime I set a time for something like mini deadlines, I almost always look up and realize it's been an hour since I told myself to get it done. This is like mundane stuff like going to bed on time, when to start cooking, what time to go to the gym, etc. Some days it's not an issue and other days it's like where the **** did the time go. Like I just booked a ticket for something and it took me 30 minutes because I kept making sure all the info was correct…it should have taken like 10 minutes  

 

But when something is hard due at a specific time, I always manage to get it done. Even if it's day of I'll somehow lock in and complete it. College in a nutshell for me. I also don't have any effects with energy drinks. Red Bull is basically like soda to me. Does nothing but tastes good. I prefer Celsius and have drank two in a day and it's just like any other drink. Maybe I'll feel a slight buzz if I drink one off an empty stomach but it doesn't give me this crazy energy. 
 

Even me typing this right now I just realized I pulled into my driveway from the gym nearly 25 minutes ago and it feels like it's been 5 minutes  

It's not just hyperactivity. With ADHD you hold less dopamine/make less dopamine in your prefontal kwab and in the synapses that are particularly responsible for executive functioning (planning, task initiation, finishing a task, time management). Meaning you experience executive dysfunction much more regularly than someone who doesn't have ADHD.

 

This can result in:

 

1. Having a lot of trouble starting with tasks even if they're very small, such as doing the dishes

2. You often hop from task to task without finishing them

3. You have a tendency to do everything at the last minute (this is often due to our brains not feeling any sort of incentive to start with a task because there is no sense of urgency)

4. Mundane tasks that need to get done such as paperwork or reading bore you absolutely to death and are a DREAD to get through

 

These are just some general things. There's much more that tbh the internet hardly covers imo

4 hours ago, Ubermensch said:

I was diagnosed as a small child and was denied treatment because my parents tried it and thought my hyperactivity was cute and missed that version of me. I was an adult before I could seek medical help.  

SAMMMEEEE  Idk abt cute, but they missed me being a mess or something. 

 

OT: Welcome! Growing up, I always tried distancing myself from that label, and it was easy considering I am relatively neurotypical-"passing" (not saying this as a flex) until I realised how much it affected my life. My issues with procrastinating, picking up hobbies and leaving them in a ditch, having multiple interests, constantly hyper-fixating, and being prone to being easily distracted were not normal; my diagnosis amplified them. I did not weigh out how much it affected me in my studies till I was 17, so in a sense, I had my own phase of self-discovery. From as far as I can remember, I knew about my ADHD. I acknowledged it with small things like being hyperactive and having fidgety hands, but glossed over its integral role in each sphere of my life, such as in relationships, communication, personality, etc. That's when it finally felt like I wasn't doing something wrong voluntarily. 

So yea, like one member suggested, work with it. I am currently unmedicated, so I use different methods to cope with it, such as scheduling, pressurising and stuff. 

3 minutes ago, Blackout2006 said:

SAMMMEEEE  Idk abt cute, but they missed me being a mess or something. 

 

OT: Welcome! Growing up, I always tried distancing myself from that label, and it was easy considering I am relatively neurotypical-"passing" (not saying this as a flex) until I realised how much it affected my life. My issues with procrastinating, picking up hobbies and leaving them in a ditch, having multiple interests, constantly hyper-fixating, and being prone to being easily distracted were not normal; my diagnosis amplified them. I did not weigh out how much it affected me in my studies till I was 17, so in a sense, I had my own phase of self-discovery. From as far as I can remember, I knew about my ADHD. I acknowledged it with small things like being hyperactive and having fidgety hands, but glossed over its integral role in each sphere of my life, such as in relationships, communication, personality, etc. That's when it finally felt like I wasn't doing something wrong voluntarily. 

So yea, like one member suggested, work with it. I am currently unmedicated, so I use different methods to cope with it, such as scheduling, pressurising and stuff. 

Lawdddd this one hits. I always resort back to hobbies that cost me 0 energy, that are passive and behind a screen. There are so many things I want to pick up but I can never get myself to commit to them for the long run 

I got diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago. Combo type

 

My experience with it has been interesting. I went to get an autism diagnosis only but the person I went to says they test for both simultaneously just because of the high comorbidity rates so I accidentally got diagnosed with ADHD. Over the years I'm learning how much ADHD affects me when I didn't think I had it. 

 

It's generally not been fun having ADHD. I like to say I'm fine being autistic and wouldn't want that taken away but if I had the power to rid myself of ADHD I would instantly. It's pretty debilitating to me but ADHD is much more normalised and so people accept that but they absolutely abhor autistic people and subsequently me. It's also been a weird experience talking to other people with ADHD and seeing how many of them have a superiority complex to autistic people so it's made me not be as keen to openly identifying as having ADHD 

 

I've tried being on medications but stopped due to a bad experience with it; it can heightened anxiety symptoms. It also didn't help me "focus" more in terms of attention. It just made me more wired. If I ever take it again I will say I'll take it for a bit more emotional regulation. Also helps curb appetite quite a lot which a dopamine-seeking behaviour can be eating unnecessarily. 

 

I'd recommend books by Russel Barkley. If you want a preview of his material he has some in-depth talks on YouTube to watch. It's hard to give advice or anything since everyone's ADHD is so different, especially depending on the type you have. My brother also has ADHD but a different type but we have different experiences

 

My best advice would be get tested for the most frequent comorbidities such as autism and OCD just to give you more clarity about your problems and routes to solutions. Cheers 

 

I was on medication for over a decade but now I'm off it. I haven't taken any med for my ADHD for 6 years now, and I love it much better without it. I've learned to be a much more passionate person in order to utilize my ADHD brain - you can easily focus even better normal people if you're passionate about something. I'm a software developer. 
 

If the medication helps you then stick with it. For me personally, when factoring all the pros and cons, I prefer to manage it without medication. 

Edited May 10, 20251 yr by Kh-Loud

I haven't diagnosed yet but looking with some symptoms. I might have one too

I'll just say this -

diagnosis is just the first step of the journey. Finding the right medication, learning how to use them in a way that won't make you overwhelmed or hurt you, learning how to live with adhd - these things take time. I wish you the best of luck, you got this. 

Edited May 10, 20251 yr by oscarscheller

Also it's so easy to get sucked into this and abuse the medications or get too dependent on them. Be careful and always keep in touch w your physician!

I have had it since around 9/10 years old and been medicated since on several different ones. Just a few days ago, I went to a new PCP for a physical for the first time since 2022, and they cancelled my appointment while I was in the room because they don't accept patients who take controlled substances. This appointment was scheduled in January. Very frustrating. Has anyone else experienced that?

5 hours ago, Giancor said:

I think I have it. I cannot socialize very well and I'm always in a hurry (procrastination)

I also have many symptoms too but I havent been tested yet. I am like you + many other signs that I have all read on the internet. 

It is hard. But medication helps.

6 hours ago, Solaria said:

Lawdddd this one hits. I always resort back to hobbies that cost me 0 energy, that are passive and behind a screen. There are so many things I want to pick up but I can never get myself to commit to them for the long run 

The thing is with me, I want to continue the habit but after the phase of hyperfixating, it's hard to come back to it because of procrastinating and being on the phone : ( 

On 5/9/2025 at 10:35 PM, Busty Woman said:

What stimulants have u tried? Any recs?

 

- a 23yo with unmedicated adhd (diagnosed 2yrs ago)

adderall. 

 

I honestly didn't like how it made my body felt, also the cravings for the next hit felt so fiendish at times, and the crash isnt pretty

I was diagnosed with it when I was 7 and consider it to be one of the most difficult things I struggle with on a daily basis. I recently want back on medication but had to stop taking it because it was lowering my blood pressure and making me dizzy.

Curious how my fellow adhd sistrens manage with sleep? Do you take anything to help with your sleep??