Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community  

Go Back   Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community > The Academy > Tilted Life


 
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 08-11-2004, 11:26 AM   #1 (permalink)
Insane
 
Inattentive ADD

Just accepted that I have a condition called Inattentive ADD. Where do I go from here?
There's some advice on this page:
http://www.newideas.net/inattentive_adhd.htm

and while I'd like to try to embrace their diet plan the medication is rather expensive. I have an appt. with my physician on the 23rd, and I will bring it up then. But there's also the matter of me leaving for college at the end of the month, though it's nearby so I can still manage this... ah this is a tough situation, but I'm glad that a change can take place now.
mulletJeb is offline  
Old 08-11-2004, 11:46 AM   #2 (permalink)
Insane
 
Bentley Little's Avatar
 
Location: In my head...
Just my experience with ADD. I have/had the regular ADD, not the hyperactive or inattentive, but I think a lot of ADD sufferers have similar symptons.

I found out when I was 20. It was a major discovery. I was put on Ritalin and it made a huge difference. I remained on it for 4-5 years, but after a couple of years on it, I started to feel "zombie-like". Towards the end I really felt like a f**king brain dead nothing. So I stopped cold turkey. Immediately the next day I felt reinvigorated. I started to focus on fixing this problem myself. I forced myself to overcome it. This was a difficult and endearing process and took a year or so, but I finally got to a point where I felt that I could function normally without drugs and really had no problem concentrating, etc.

The reason I post this is that I want to say that you can do this without drugs. I don't really recall exactly what it is that I did to overcome it, but I know from personal experience that it can be done. And yes, diet does play a role in how our bodies/brains function.

I would not rely on any one source as an ultimate authority, get several, if not 10 plus sources of info. to get a broad base of what can be done. But definitely asking your doctor if s/he can recommend a specialist for you to see, is a good idea. Even if it is only when you come home on semester breaks, etc.

Try hitting the library too, rather than the internet, (as I am sure you know much of the info out on the net is false).
__________________
That is my 2 cents.
Bentley Little is offline  
Old 08-11-2004, 03:03 PM   #3 (permalink)
Insane
 
Ideally I would want to take the medications just long enough to pick up the skills that I'm deficient in. I'd like to do this without drugs altogether, but I have to decide whether they are crucial to my success in some instances. I'll be an Engineering major, which is a very intense field, and while I greatly enjoy the subject, I can't fall back because of these learning shortfalls.
mulletJeb is offline  
Old 08-11-2004, 03:34 PM   #4 (permalink)
Observant Ruminant
 
Location: Rich Wannabe Hippie Town
Question: do you have problems concentrating on problems or subjects which _really_ interest you? I've worked with a lot of kids who can't wrap their brains around read 'n test work-sheet-style school activities, but just fly when given a problem to solve that is practical and of interest (and, just by the way, involves using the same skills that the worksheets use).

You may well have inattentive ADHD, but you may also have a different learning intelligence or learning style than standard. In other words, you may absorb information just fine, but the method that works for you is not the one that they use in school. Here is a real basic page on the characteristics of visual, auditory, and kineasthetic (tactile) learners, and what teaching approach works best for them. See if you fit into one of those categories.

http://www.familyeducation.com/artic...,4-605,00.html
Rodney is offline  
Old 08-12-2004, 07:18 AM   #5 (permalink)
Banned
 
Location: Massachusetts, USA
Re: Inattentive ADD

Quote:
Originally posted by mulletJeb
Just accepted that I have a condition called Inattentive ADD. Where do I go from here?
There's some advice on this page:
http://www.newideas.net/inattentive_adhd.htm
Understand that that guy's just trying to sell snake oil. Pay more attention to your doctor.

I was diagnosed in 1977, and have been on three different meds. While there may be something to [not] eating certain things, it's going to likely be very idiosyncratic to you personally. That's for you to figure out on your own, though you're of course welcome to take that guy's ideas as a starting point. I'd just stop short of doing anything which puts money in his pocket until you're certain he actually has a clue.

Having or putting "Dr." in front of his name isn't enough, 'cause it doesn't mean shit. He might be a PhD in basket weaving, if that much. I'd want to check his credentials before I'd grant him more cred than a trash man.

ADD sucks, no doubt about it at all. OTOH, there are much worse things you can have, so don't feel too sorry for yourself. Learn to handle it, instead.
denim is offline  
Old 08-16-2004, 09:41 AM   #6 (permalink)
Crazy
 
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
I am 20 and I was diagnosed with ADHD predominantly Inattentive about 5 months ago. I coasted through high school because I didn't need to pay attention to get great grades, and to be honest it was almost something I was proud of, not paying one bit of attention and still doing great. College, however, can be a different story, depending on how hard of one you go to. I realized I wasn't doing near as well as I should've been capable of about halfway through freshman year. So for the end of freshman year and beginning of sophomore, I worked hard at getting a better work ethic down, setting aside and using time to read and study and the like, thinking that would help. After finally getting that worked out and getting better work and study habits, I realized that still didn't help at all. I would be studying or in general doing anything and I simply could not focus on one task, there were always at least 3 or 4 thoughts roaming through my head and I would end up thinking on some tangets. It was frustrating to study for an hour and at the end of it, have no recollection of any of it because my mind was elsewhere despite my best efforts to the contrary.

There was more than that to the diagnosis, of course, including stuff going back to my childhood that I had to ask my parents about and make a self-history of the problem for the psychiatrist, but that gives a basic outline of what sent me looking in the direction of ADD. I have since started on some medications, all various forms of Ritalin, and they have made a huge difference. Its rather hard to describe to someone how it feels different, but the best simple description is before if I was trying to do something and another thought came into my head, a potention distraction, I was unable to resist being distracted by it, as instead it was like the choice had already been made. Now with some Ritalin, and also with general knowledge about the problem and knowing the tendencies it causes, its like I have more of a choice of whether to be distracted or whether to say "nah, i'll keep focusing on this instead." Vague description, but I think others who have been diagnosed or such will probably recognize what I'm trying to say.

One downside of medication, like you said, is cost. Even with decent insurance, the federal government considers most of the medications (other than Strattera, which I tried first and didn't notice much difference with) as stimulants and only allows one month no refills prescriptions. For me this means each month a specialist (psychiatrist) copay and a prescription copay, though getting generics has helped somewhat.

All in all, just go with what the doctors say, as no one thing works for everyone and they seem good about trying out different things until something finally sticks and you realize improvement.
__________________
...And then I found $5!
Gustoferson is offline  
Old 08-16-2004, 11:26 AM   #7 (permalink)
Here
 
World's King's Avatar
 
Location: Denver City Denver
*King was gonna responde but has walked away fallowing a butterfly*
__________________
heavy is the head that wears the crown
World's King is offline  
Old 08-16-2004, 06:45 PM   #8 (permalink)
Insane
 
Bentley Little's Avatar
 
Location: In my head...
Gustoferson, that is almost exactly how my ADD history was. No problem in HS. but when I got to college, well... And you described how it feels so well. It is amazing what the meds can do for one with ADD. But be careful, after a few years, they started to turn me into a mindless zombie.
__________________
That is my 2 cents.
Bentley Little is offline  
Old 08-16-2004, 07:03 PM   #9 (permalink)
Junkie
 
hannukah harry's Avatar
 
i'm actually going to see a psychologist next monday to see if i have ADD or not. most likely, i think i do and it's the inattentive type. but i really hope you're wrong about the costs and prescription rules. i lose my insurance through my parents when i graduate, either in may or next august.

hey,
i'm close to cananda, maybe that's an option?
__________________
shabbat shalom, mother fucker! - the hebrew hammer
hannukah harry is offline  
Old 08-16-2004, 07:16 PM   #10 (permalink)
Banned
 
Location: Massachusetts, USA
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bentley Little
But be careful, after a few years, they started to turn me into a mindless zombie.
Depends on the meds. If they turn you into a zombie, try something else.
denim is offline  
Old 09-08-2004, 09:35 PM   #11 (permalink)
Upright
 
if you think you can cure your self of ADD you dont have ADD, its a chemical imbalance in your brain and not something you can cure yourself of by retraining yourself, you can Break habits formed by ADD tho, its NOT easy, its in fact VERY VERY HARD because you Have ADD and you dont want to concentrate on fixing these things, I have ADD, diagnosed in 1978 at the age of 6 and my parents werent informed about it until I was in 7th Grade, then everything just fell into place reguarding my behavior.

Placed on Ritalin for 4 years, my body acclimated to it and I was diagnosed as "cured" because they didnt know about much about adult ADD at the time. what should have happened was my dosage changed and then i could have gone on to lead a normal life(not saying that mine is far from normal), now im having trouble trying to get back on anything because I dont have Health insurance(IT Consultant) and when i did have health insurance, I would make the initial appointments, and then just peter out on interest, My g/f doesnt really understand what she needs to do to keep me in check with it. So until I buckle down and just get it done, i'm flying solo again, all 10 trains of thought and 4 hrs of sleep of it(cant say that i dont enjoy it most of the time, its just those times when i need to buckle down and learn something that i dont have any interest in)
Mesach is offline  
Old 09-15-2004, 02:43 PM   #12 (permalink)
Slave of Fear
 
I had no problem in HS or college, pretty much coasted. Even in Business I never had any serious problems picking things up and was always successful. When I took a promotion and moved to a new environment, I started having trouble concentrating. My wife finally talked me into seeing a Doctor. He diagnosed me with A.D.D. I thought he was a quack, but some of the things he said made sense. I know I don't respond to meds the same way most people do. They tend to have the opposite effect on me. He put me on Strattera. I don't notice effects from the drugs but I am doing much better. I have learned to organize better and try to complete tasks while I am thinking of them so I don't forget. I find that the more stressed I get the harder it is to control the constant "switching of channels". Some of the things my brain does are beneficial. I can switch gears much quicker that some of the other people I work with.
I guess what I am saying is eliminate as much stress as possible. Take the meds if they help. find ways to cope with the problem and try to find tasks that benefit from a quick mind.
Frowning Budah is offline  
Old 09-24-2004, 12:59 PM   #13 (permalink)
Upright
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frowning Budah
I... He put me on Strattera. I don't notice effects from the drugs but I am doing much better. ...
I wonder if this (i.e., not really noticing effects) can happen with Ritalin too? A doctor prescribed it to me and at first I felt a certain, positive effect but now, not so much...
hybris is offline  
Old 09-24-2004, 05:27 PM   #14 (permalink)
Banned
 
Location: Massachusetts, USA
Quote:
Originally Posted by hybris
I wonder if this (i.e., not really noticing effects) can happen with Ritalin too? A doctor prescribed it to me and at first I felt a certain, positive effect but now, not so much...
You might want to discuss it with that doctor.
denim is offline  
Old 09-25-2004, 02:42 PM   #15 (permalink)
Upright
 
Yeah, I guess I should. Just wondered what others' experience was...
hybris is offline  
Old 09-25-2004, 06:38 PM   #16 (permalink)
Custom User Title
 
gar1976's Avatar
 
Location: Lurking. Under the desk.
Who wants to ride bikes?
__________________
Blistex, in regards to crappy games -

They made pong look like a story driven RPG with a dynamic campaign.
gar1976 is offline  
Old 10-06-2004, 03:40 AM   #17 (permalink)
Upright
 
it's very interesting to read from others having add/adhd. i didn't consult a doctor but i'm quite sure that i have it too. a also had not much problems in school, except with foreign languages( french and english), but i had serious problems at unversity. because here you have to work very much to be successfull. but this is of course not the main reason, why i believe to have adhd.
i know, that common scientific opinion is, that there is a chemical reason for add/adhd and maybe sometimes only medication will help. but if you are patient maybe some meditation practice may help. i'm trying to go that way.
typical add story that happend to me: one year ago i've met someone who had defenitly adhd and who tried to go that way to. we exchanged our email adresses. unfortunately i lost his adress and i guess he lost mine too because he did not write. so i will never know if he is successfull or not.
badong is offline  
Old 12-07-2005, 05:51 PM   #18 (permalink)
Insane
 
Location: bangor pa
crap am i the only one who couldent pay attention in school, rember what they read who the main characters were... and i dont even know if i have add or adhd. lol hs sucked, i would do my homework, then lose it before the nexttimei had class.....so i eventually stopped doing it
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Redlemon
...but if you only add files and you never delete, there's nothing to cause file fragmentation, so pattycakes is correct.
pattycakes is offline  
Old 12-10-2005, 07:32 AM   #19 (permalink)
A Storm Is Coming
 
thingstodo's Avatar
 
Location: The Great White North
We learned that my son was ADD about 20 years ago. That's when I figured out my father and me both are ADD. Explaines a lot. I've been able to learn compensating techniques. It also helps to fall into the right job.

I don't get the inattentive ADD though...isn't that the first word in ADD (attention)?

You might try reading a book called "Now, Discover Your Strengths." It could help you understand the right direction to go for a job based on the things you naturally do well. There is a lengthy on-line test that points out your top five natural talents that can be most easily developed into strengths.

Good luck!
__________________
If you're wringing your hands you can't roll up your shirt sleeves.

Stangers have the best candy.
thingstodo is offline  
 

Tags
add, inattentive

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT -8. The time now is 12:17 AM.

Tilted Forum Project

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2
© 2002-2012 Tilted Forum Project

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360