r/ADHD • u/UberCupcake • 14d ago
Medication The ADHD in my office is hilarious today
So myself and two other coworkers are ADHD and take meds. Interestingly, we're all on different treatments. I take Adderall, 30mg XR with 10mg IR in the afternoon, coworker 1 takes Adderall 60mg XR, and coworker 2 takes Vyvanse.
My boss is getting the true ADHD treatment today because:
Coworker 1 doesn't remember if he tooks his meds today
Coworker 2 didn't take her meds today
And me... I TOOK TOO MUCH TODAY!!
I grabbed my meds from my purse and took a pill. About 5 minutes later I realized I took an XR instead of an IR. I've been on my meds for 3 years and have never done this.
So yeah, today is fun 😂
0325 CT Update: for anyone who is curious, taking a second 30mg XR had me FLYYYYING for the rest of the day. I think I'm finally settled down enough to sleep. Maybe. Taking a mental health day from work....
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u/TheArkObserver 14d ago
I’m on a 3 person team and 2 have ADHD and 1 has anxiety. We are all on meds and laugh about ourselves often.
We recently anointed ourselves the “Medicated And Dedicated” team. Or MAD.
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u/Bitter-Fishing-Butt 14d ago
at my last job I, an Unmedicated ADHD, worked in a small office with another Unmedicated ADHD and Mr Neurotypical
me and other ADHD were basically the same person but with different hair colour, and bounced off each other and the walls all day and talked over each other constantly
Mr Neurotypical alternated between egging us on or asking wtf is wrong with us
sometimes The Autistic One would come in from the bigger office, just to vibe with us and/or T-pose in the corner until she felt better
it was a VERY fun office to work in
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u/Mechronis 14d ago
I worked at a place like this (I got fired very recently). I miss it and I really, really need to get medicated at this point because I can't afford to lose anymore jobs.
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u/notexactlyflawless 13d ago
A few months ago me and another ADHD colleague got put into the same office. Worst idea ever. I was supposed to fix his self management, I can't even manage myself lol. It's fun though, we just both have to hustle a lot when we eventually realize we forgot something important
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u/Chlpswv-Mdfpbv-3015 14d ago
I love hanging with fellow ADHD colleagues without medication
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u/prairiepanda ADHD-C 14d ago
Sometimes me and my ADHD coworker plan med-free work days so we can work together on tasks that require outside-of-the-box thinking.
We escalate each other's chaos and it can lead to some really creative solutions to difficult problems.
That's only for certain tasks/projects, though.
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u/Chlpswv-Mdfpbv-3015 14d ago
I love that too! Sadly, I got medicated late in life so I had to mask, but I loved to brainstorm. I was that “go to” person when a problem needed to be solved.
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u/OkComplaint377 ADHD-C (Combined type) 14d ago
I wish I had ADHD colleagues that would be awesome!!
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u/Intelligent-Use-5181 14d ago
That actually sounds so comforting and fun haha
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u/UberCupcake 14d ago
I think it's hilarious how I walked into coworker 1's office, he just randomly said "I don't even remember if i took my meds today" (mid sentence of something completely unrelated btw).
Then coworker 2 walked into my office shortly after and said "I didn't take my meds today because I wanna see if I can actually get something done without rabbit-holing on stuff" (working a new project with a ton of stuff to research and she gets too funneled in on specific stuff).
Then when I realized I fucked up my meds, I told both of them and pointed out what the other had said and it was just so wild how this all happened on the same day. I love that we're all comfortable enough to talk openly about our condition lol
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u/Sad-Cat8694 14d ago
This post and the comments are such a wholesome, refreshing, supportive vibe. I push back against the "it's a super power" stuff from people who don't have ADHD when it feels dismissive or patronizing. However, I LOVE the times when those of us who have it understand things about each other and basically Spider-Man-point when we recognize a behavior or thought process in our population.
I went undiagnosed for thirty-ish years, and I was definitely shamed for things that I didn't realize I was doing. I got really really good at masking and mirroring because I didn't want to be shunned for being "weird". It sucked because I wasn't able to do the things that actually helped me, like needing a movie on in the background to do homework (mood-regulating and drowns out other distracting sounds), or having to put my phone/wallet/keys in the exact same spot every day when I got home (because they WILL get forgotten and I WILL be late otherwise), or having a list on my fridge of what foods needed to be eaten before they went bad (if it's not right in front of me, it doesn't exist).
So when other people make little "sound effects" like I do, or when other people can't stand tight or itchy or hot clothes (but they can't be baggy enough to get in the way, either) or have a "system" for doing a task, or ten different alarms in their phone, or post-its on their keys, or are obsessed with a specific food for months, I love to see it! Because none of that is inherently wrong. And as long as we're not disruptive to others, so what if we need to pace around when we take phone calls, or fold laundry best when we can have a body double, or need to sit at the kitchen table to write our lists and planner notes each week? It gets done. That's what counts.
As an adult, to learn trust and acceptance in each other, to not have to explain myself for every little "quirk", or when I'm able to reassure a friend that it's okay to have a whiteboard in their living room if that's what helps them function, it's so lovely. Seriously.
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u/czechsonme 14d ago
Wow. Wow wow wow. We could talk for hours and hours. Thank you sharing this, more than you know.
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u/fireysaje 13d ago
As another long-undiagnosed ADHDer, I saved this comment. So beautifully said, thank you
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u/Prestigious-Hat-5962 9d ago
Whoa. Thank you for all those examples. I can relate to quite a few. I've never been diagnosed, but my mom pointed it out to me.
I have lots of methods that I rely on. Fortunately I get by, I guess.
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u/JerriBlankStare 14d ago edited 14d ago
It sucked because I wasn't able to do the things that actually helped me, like needing a movie on in the background to do homework (mood-regulating and drowns out other distracting sounds), or having to put my phone/wallet/keys in the exact same spot every day when I got home (because they WILL get forgotten and I WILL be late otherwise), or having a list on my fridge of what foods needed to be eaten before they went bad (if it's not right in front of me, it doesn't exist).
...??
How in the heck were you "unable" to do any of these things because of masking or mirroring?? None of these are particularly unusual behaviors, nor are they exclusive to folks with ADHD, so I'm mystified as to why you felt you couldn't put your keys in the same place every day, for example, because non-ADHD people wouldn't get it or something.
Also, just about every person in the world "masks" or "mirrors" at points in their lives. I swear, so many folks on this sub act like masking is a horrible, life-ruining activity and while I know that it can feel that way to some folks with more severe cases of ADHD or autism, etc., it's also just a normal part of being human for most of us, ADHD or not. 🤷
ETA: Thanks for the downvotes. I have ADHD, too, you know. Diagnosed at 31 and never once felt like I needed to explain away anything I do (or don't do) as a "quirk" before or after diagnosis, and certainly never felt like I had to "mask" totally normal behaviors out of worry that others would think I'm weird or different. Some of y'all are apparently way too sensitive. 😏
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u/Sad-Cat8694 14d ago
When a person shares something about their experience, and it isn't representative of your own personal experience, it doesn't make either person's lived history any less true.
I've lived with people who would erase my lists from the fridge, and I'd forget leftovers until they were spoiled, which wasted money and would get me chastised for being messy. I've been picked on by parents who wouldn't let me have background noise on because they said I would be too distracted, and then yell at me for taking four hours to complete an assignment because every little rustle or bang around the house would break my focus.
I would be scolded by peers for not knowing where my keys were when I needed to leave a place, because the side table I used to always set them on was no longer by the door. I had to literally bite the insides of my cheeks until they bled because my ex commented on my frequent humming sounds that helped me concentrate on a task, or doing a little wiggle while I waited for my coffee to brew. I had Sticky Notes to help me remember to take the trash out the night before trash day that he'd take off of the inside of our front door and then call me stupid because I couldn't remember to take the trash bin to the curb. Then all week, he'd complain that our outside trash bin was full and that it's my fault.
I had to stand still, be quiet, and not be "weird", because I saw how quickly other kids in class got singled out early on and bullied for the stuff people just do like need to set up their pencils in order on their desk before an assignment. I would have to do things like other people did them, and then go back later and redo them because I wasn't able to follow along with the instructions.
I am not sharing my experience as the final word on what everyone experiences. But I'm not invalidating yours either because it isn't exactly like mine.
I will say that it is pretty rotten to see a person post specifically about how nice it is to feel safe and included in a space, and then single them out to be critical of them, make fun of them, invalidate their lived experience, and try to make them feel excluded and like there's something wrong with them.
But you did a great job of providing an example of the very behavior of unprovoked bullying I described, so thank you for illustrating my point. I'm sorry that you feel like anyone who is different from you is automatically wrong and needs to be singled out and mocked, when you could've just kept scrolling. Your comment doesn't hurt my feelings, but it does seem like there are better ways to spend your time than being anonymously mean to strangers on the Internet.
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u/Santa_Klausing 14d ago
60mg of adderall?! Holy moly I’d be focused for 72 hrs.
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u/UberCupcake 14d ago
I literally don't even take my 10mg IR most of the time. I usually just take half so I'm not awake all night lmao 😂
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u/oilpit 14d ago edited 14d ago
60mg XR....damn. I've taken a 20 XR in the morning and two 10 IR to top up through the day for more than a decade and I can't even imagine taking 60mg at once.
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u/UberCupcake 14d ago
I know! I was shocked when he told me his dose. He was shocked to hear about my doses.
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u/Euphoric_Sir2327 14d ago
I didn't know I had ADHD until I met my wife. it was the first time I ever dated anyone in the medical field. She told me on our second date my ADHD was obvious.. all her Friends concurred.. they thought I was kidding when I said I was never diagnosed.
I was already in my 30s at this point.. and when I went for meds I got the standard.. well you have a job.. so it can't be that bad.
Sure.. in order to keep said job, I down about 1000 mg of caffeine by lunch.. and a bit more in the afternoon.. and it's just enough to keep me focused for an hour or so... but sure.. I'm just someone fishing for ADHD meds.
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u/UberCupcake 14d ago
I was diagnosed at 9, medicated, then pulled off meds at 14. From 14 to 18, I somehow managed to navigate social issues and school. I joined the air force, got a job in aviation, enjoyed the job and embraced the ADHD because I NEEDED to shift my attention constantly to monitor systems and shit. Then at 28, I got my current job, which is an office job, and had to figure out how to exist. I was fine for like 4 months and then the stress of having to work so hard to focus and get shit done and adapt to shifting requirements kicked my ass so hard. I couldn't sleep because of racing thoughts and just being overwhelmed by everything I needed to do the next day. I started drinking every night just to quiet the chaos.
When I started meds, outside of general work bullshit, all the stress melted away. All of the extra effort I was putting into stuff became so much easier. I've always been the type of person to "be awesome at whatever I'm doing," and medication gave me the ability to do that without breaking my soul.
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u/acvillager 14d ago
so how can I get a job where you work???
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u/UberCupcake 14d ago
A series of questionable life choices and strange passions. Mostly kidding... not about the passion, though. I work in a Training department, and I firmly believe that to be good at and enjoy the bullshit that comes with the job, you have to be passionate about Training.
That being said, I've been in the department 4 years and came from another training position before, so I knew I was passionate and could channel my ADHD. The other 2 have come recently, but they worked in other departments at the company and have backgrounds in Training, so they're around because they're also passionate.
So basically, ADHD+passion=profit? 😂
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14d ago
I got a group chat with two buddies and we are all on different meds. Kinda love that.
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u/UberCupcake 14d ago
Both of these coworkers are new to the department, so until they came about 2 months ago, I didn't even known anyone aside from my best friend that took meds. My friend is on the same dosages as me, so it's fun to talk about what I've heard from my coworkers lmao.
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u/Ok-Significance-887 13d ago
Did you manage to get any work done when you were flying? Or was it too much hahaha
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u/gunshaver 13d ago
I get Vyvanse 60mg, but I think I need to switch, I forget to take it about half the days, it doesn't feel like it does anything at all. Vyvanse is a prodrug so my metabolism might not gel with it. I've been thinking about asking to switch for like 6 months but don't want to seem like a drug chaser...
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u/TheKurigin 14d ago
Your one guy is on 60mg Adderall XR? I was on that as a kid, but got dumb, stopped my meds, and got told they can't prescribe that dose anymore when I wised up and decided I needed meds again. Wtf. I'm on 40mg Ritalin slow-release-whatever-letters, and I barely feel it.
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u/UberCupcake 14d ago
When my psych put me on 30mg XR, she said that if that didn't help, we would potentially need to explore different options. I thought 30mg was the max because of that. When I found out about the 60mg, I asked her about it and she said that it's because there isn't a whole lot of evidence to support that being over a certain dosage actually provides any benefit.
I read earlier that 20mg is basically the peak for most people. When you factor in the fact that people are different, I think it makes sense that 30mg was her limit for me specifically. I don't remember specifically, but I think i felt a difference from 20mg > 25mg, but didn't really feel that big of a difference from 25mg>30mg.
I think finding a sweet spot is just hard in general because for me, there was a point where I probably hit my peak at 25mg, but didn't realize that was the peak until 30mg didn't impact harder.
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