this post was submitted on 27 Jun 2024
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ADHD Women

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[–] [email protected] 81 points 5 months ago (8 children)

Wait, I can sleep right after drinking coffee. Is it similar?

[–] surewhynotlem 111 points 5 months ago (7 children)

Welcome! You're possibly a self medicating ADHD person.

Otter common signs you should get checked out

  • do you sit there paralyzed and unable to do a task, even when you want to do it and know it needs to get done?

  • are you weirdly calm and effective in stressful and panicked situations?

  • do you get really into a hobby for a while, then drop it forever because you lose all interest?

If so, a diagnosis could be life altering.

[–] bitwaba 24 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Otter common signs

  • Do you enjoy fresh fish as a meal?

  • Are you good at swimming?

  • Do you have a favorite rock?

It is important to identify if you are an otter so you can build an appropriate environment and daily routine that is conducive to a happy lifestyle.

[–] surewhynotlem 5 points 5 months ago

They hold hands while they sleep. It's too adorable.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago (4 children)

the hobby thing really gets on your nerves after 3-4 times of spending a shitton of money into every single one

[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Yeah but if one of my friends wants to take up leatherworking, guitar, beer brewing, 3d printing, miniature painting, drone photography, Super Nintendo, bass, embroidery, scuba diving, or stiltwalking I have some gear and between 3 weeks and 6 months of knowledge to get them started. Oh, also, does anyone have a good source for parts on old gi joe toys?

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

Devil's advocate if you're an adult and your QOL is fine DO NOT entertain meds without a clear understanding of what they do, what they solve and what you're looking for.

I got diagnosed at 40. I tried meds. First biphentin then concerta. Then I dropped it. What I need meds for is to assist with was negligible in my life with the exception of emotional regulation which they were making my life substantially worse. I'm successful in a career and as a father. I fail at relationships. I made the executive decision that meds are not for me. Psychology and CBT are far more valuable.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago

Although I agree medication is certainly not needed if your QOL is fine, it is still the best moment to find out what type/dose/brand works best for you. Life can quickly take some unexpected turns and finding the right medication takes a while, as well as the process generally not being the most comfortable if you don’t get lucky on the first try. Knowing if, and what kind of, meditation works for you could come in handy when problems start piling up.

[–] surewhynotlem 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

100% right. I stayed unmedicated until my coping mechanisms started to fall apart. I'm currently on the lowest dose of medication, just to get back to that normal.

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[–] cybersandwich 16 points 5 months ago

Ummm

Interesting

[–] Speculater 10 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Not trying to be a naysayer or anything, but aren't these all normal? Otherwise I'm a mega ADHD.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 5 months ago (1 children)

a lot of adhd things are "normal" problems that people deal with, except that they are often dialed up to the point of affecting a person's daily life negatively.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

So much this. Like sure. Zoning out/disassociating is totally normal. When you spend 1/2 your day doing it and it’s manifested as paralysis it becomes A bit of a fucking issue.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Theres a ton of nonsense online since being neurodivergent is cool now. Check out this legitimate self assessment:

https://add.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/adhd-questionnaire-ASRS111.pdf

If you can afford it, get a real test done in person!

[–] littlewonder 9 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Oh wow, didn't realize it was cool now. Where do I collect on all this coolness?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 months ago

It comes from within 🥰

alternatively you can post your tics on tiktok

[–] surewhynotlem 9 points 5 months ago

It's about frequency and how badly it affects your quality of life. I went almost 40 years just self-medicating with caffeine and having lots of coping mechanisms. But with the birth of my second child, it was too much and I couldn't hold it together. That's when I got a proper diagnosis and medication.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago

Wow, I've been thinking I might have ADHD for a bit now, but this is a perfect description of me.

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[–] Zenabiz 31 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I was always so confused that friends couldn't drink coffee after 3pm or they'd have trouble sleeping. I'd drink one before bed and get a great night's sleep. Now I have to have a nap after I take my meds.

[–] stoly 11 points 5 months ago (1 children)

This was me when I was younger. Now I can’t drink after 12. I think aging plays a role.

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[–] Carbonizer 13 points 5 months ago

Some folks with ADHD get a backwards effect from caffeine, putting them to sleep. Wouldn't hurt to get tested

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago (1 children)

That seems fairly common in people with ADHD. My SO is one of those. It's definitely not the case for me, but I also have another condition that's exacerbated by caffeine.

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[–] Shou 9 points 5 months ago

Yup. Makes me feel calm and focussed. Even though it physically causes my heartrate and bloodpressure to increase. Sometimes till discomfort. Worth the work focus though.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago

Yes. Can be anyway.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

My dad and I used to stay up until 4 am making coffee in the garage so that my mom wouldn’t smell it and wake up before work (Dad was disabled and not working at this point).

I think this started when I was ~ 10 and out of school and I was able to sleep fine. I also now know which parent I got this from, haha

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[–] [email protected] 63 points 5 months ago (1 children)

This is so relatable!

While being diagnosed in my 30s, I mentioned that cocaine made me relaxed which helped with finding the right medication on the second try.

[–] [email protected] 50 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Please don't give me reasons to try cocaine because I can definitely get that easier than Concerta

[–] [email protected] 19 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

I wouldn't suggest cocaine since it isn't as safe and consistently formulated as a prescription med.

If Concerta availability is horrible and you haven't tried many of the other options that have generic versions, you might talk to your doctor about what options you have. I did not respond well to the newer, expensive ones but generic for Ritalin worked out well and that has some availability issues, but not as many as some of the others.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

And probably only a one month wait to see the doctor!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

Adding to horrible availability, my friend also struggles with it and last time he talked about Livizux (LISDEXAMFETAMIN). Couldn't hurt to ask your doctor.

[–] fireweed 33 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I've heard several of these "I accidentally found out I have ADHD when I tried meds recreationally" stories. How accurate of a diagnostic strategy is this, actually? For many reasons this would never be implemented in a medical setting of course, but theoretically if you gave a room of random people ADHD meds and recorded who got high and who calmed down, would there be a lot of false positives/negatives in determining who has ADHD?

[–] ickplant 55 points 5 months ago (3 children)

I’m a therapist. In grad school, one of my professors said that the most reliable way to diagnose someone with ADHD is to give them a stimulant and see how they react. Understandably, that’s not how people are diagnosed for safety and ethical reasons… but it is effective.

[–] noughtnaut 15 points 5 months ago (1 children)

A more ethical approach then: put the person in a room together with an adhd'er and see how quickly they bond. Seriously, it's like there's a hidden kinship, shit just works.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago (1 children)

That doesn't sound all that dangerous to me. I don't really understand what the ethical issues here are.

[–] flicker 19 points 5 months ago (24 children)

For people who do not have ADHD, the medication used to treat ADHD can be extremely addictive.

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Yeah I can relate to that..I'm on vyvanse for a year now and the other day I gave one to my wife that had to do a test she was studying a lot to pass and. After like 4 hours she looked like a neth head literally running around the house while I was drinking coffee and reading a book. For the first time in forever all that noise inside my head is gone.

[–] tacosplease 10 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Funny thing is, Coke and Adderall do nothing for me, Vyvanse makes me feel like a normal person, and a single cup of coffee makes me a maniac with no hope of falling asleep for 12-15+ hours.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

That same situation is how we figured out my wife has adhd.

[–] TeenieBopper 23 points 5 months ago (1 children)

This was a friend of mine, except it was cocaine.

[–] LemmyKnowsBest 9 points 5 months ago (5 children)

Oh. What mental illness do doctors prescribe cocaine for?

[–] Narauko 26 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Typically it's prescribed for ghosts in the blood, but can pull double duty off-lable for ADHD if amphetamine is out of stock at your local apothecary.

[–] LemmyKnowsBest 5 points 5 months ago

gonna tell my doctor I have ghosts in my blood

[–] John_McMurray 11 points 5 months ago

It's not that they prescribe it, but it's also a tell for the ADHD when coke don't work as usual either.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

Normally not for brain stuff, but it's considered to have valid medical uses as a local anesthetic and vasoconstrictor in some cases.

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[–] MeatStiq 20 points 5 months ago

This will sound wild as shit. But I went to visit a friend in Oklahoma. Where because of the lack of any good weed or beer (was all 3%) he convinced me to try meth....

I hit it a few times following his instructions to a T. He and his other friends had a great time. I remember pretty much feeling nothing remarkable.

I knew I had ADHD, I was diagnosed at a young age.

I didn't know that this drug wouldn't do shit and I was bummed but somewhat relieved.

I left his place about a week later since this was the tip of the iceberg with his drug use.

And I knew if I stayed I'd end up an addict like him.

Also tried coke the same trip, close to the same results. That dude ended up in jail and all kinds of other issues. Riding the bus to Austin was the best choice I could have ever made.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago (4 children)

Doctor gave me Focalin and one of my coworkers asked me for one. He was climbing walls while I quietly and calmly troubleshot an incident and wrote my after action report while listening to Styrofoam.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 months ago

For me it was the other way around lol. Got diagnosed with ADD as a child and medicated. Had to stop due to weight loss. Many years ago I tried speed once. And that's how I realised my medication was basically just amphetamines all that time. Also quite a shock.

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