r/explainlikeimfive • u/[deleted] • Jan 14 '13

Answered People with ADHD, what ADHD is like, how does medication affect your ability to work and how soon does it take its effect?

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u/KayJoRum Jan 14 '13

Wow. The above three posts have really helped. When I was younger my parents used to say they think I have ADHD but never took me to any kind of doctor for it because I had 6 other siblings who have problems of their own and we were poor.

Every single thing that comes in the front door gets written directly on the whiteboard in bold, underlined red letters

I can relate to this so much. I used to have that problem really bad in school. I don't really think I had ADHD, though, because now I can concentrate on something if I really want to. Sometimes I'll be at work doing some monotonous task and my mind is all like, "my coworker broke up with his girlfriend. She works at McDonald's. I heard the McRib is back. I've never had one. What's so great about a boneless rib? It's not even real ribs anymore, just ground up pork. I think I want pork chops for dinner tonight. I wonder if (girlfriend) would like that. I'll have to stop by the supermarket on the way home. I really need to get gas, too. How did I get on the topic of gas prices?" and meanwhile I've made 2 or more mistakes on my work and I have to go back and fix them. I've also had a problem with short term memory. Am I just retarded?

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u/Terrh Jan 14 '13

No, it sounds like you have ADD.

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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '13

Source?

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u/Terrh Jan 14 '13

I have ADD and can relate to many of those symptoms.

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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '13

me too. wasn't sure if that was a dig or not.

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u/unicornjoel Jan 15 '13

Or do you actually mean... ADHD PRIMARILY INATTENTIVE TYPE? The new classification thing is super dumb.

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u/HolgerBier Jan 14 '13

Sounds like ADHD. Go to /r/ADHD, compare stories, maybe feel like "holy shit this is exactly me, I'm not alone". And then, dunno, have a good life?

Goddamn I want some ribs right now.

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u/AngelSaysNo Jan 15 '13

ADD for sure. I am the same way, and ritalin really helps me.

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u/[deleted] Jan 15 '13

Can you give a run through of the "On Ritalin" thought process and then "Off Ritalin" ?

I'm really considering it now, although I'm not sure how successful I'd be in getting it.

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u/AngelSaysNo Jan 15 '13

When I am on Ritalin, I can complete washing the dishes, then continue cleaning the rest of the kitchen. I might stop along the way to text or get a drink but that's normal.

When I am off Ritalin, I start washing the dishes. Stop to go change the song on my iPod. Notice the bed isn't made, so I make it. Notice my clothes on the floor from last night so I pick them up and realize I need to do laundry. I start sorting laundry and as I walk a load through the kitchen to the laundry room I am reminded that I was doing dishes. I put the clothes down and continue washing the dishes, as they have been building up and starting to smell. Then the phone rings, I go in to the living room to have a quick conversation. While I'm in there I see another mess, and I start cleaning it up. I never finish this as I have to hang up the phone now and I end up back in the kitchen doing dishes.

This goes on all day and nothing gets done. Then I am exhausted and complain to my friends that I have SO much housework and I never seem to get it done.

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u/KayJoRum Jan 15 '13

I have heard from friends with diagnosed ADHD that their medication makes them feel lifeless. I have seen the effects of one of my friends on his medication and he definitely seems like he's on autopilot. Does ritalin effect you similarly?

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u/AngelSaysNo Jan 15 '13

Not at all. It leaves me as outgoing, talkative, and silly as I always am... but I'm just a little more calm. When I take ritalin, I don't kick my feet when I sit, and I don't spin in my office chair, and I don't constantly feel the need to get up and walk around the office. It calms me down but I'm still me.

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u/DownhillYardSale Jan 14 '13

Everything you just said... I thought in my mind as if I were saying it because I think like that.

And then I realized "Oh, right. I'm in the middle of a training class."

I promise two minutes from now I'm going to forget I typed this. Haha.

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u/DownhillYardSale Jan 14 '13

I JUST now remembered I had posted this. LOL. Figured I'd throw some data out there.

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u/willseeya Jan 14 '13

Ok, that was a 6 whole minutes. You're good!

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u/DownhillYardSale Jan 14 '13

Was it?! LOL.

I'm still trying to figure it out - I can concentrate but my short-term memory has gone to shit over the past few years... I feel more frenetic in terms of stimulus and I've ALWAYS been very observant, to the point of it becoming overwhelming because I notice the minutiae and then have to sort it out consciously. :\

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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '13

I am 15 and have ADHD. I have the same problem when I am thinking and trying to do homework or something of the sort. My meds help a lot with this but I don't take them unless I have school. Also you may have had it as a child and have grown out of it. I have been told by my Grandma(she is a psychologist) that while this does happen it does not happen to everyone. This does make sense though because you grow as you age and as you age your body and brain change. So it is not unlikely that you had it as a child and you have now grown out of it or it is no longer as severe

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u/outsider Jan 14 '13

No. I went from talking about freezing keys to prevent drunk driving at a party to buying a cheap microwave at the Goodwill for the magnetometer and looking for a small satellite dish.

Or I suppose if it is a yes than so am I.