ADD/ADHD

the_journeyman

That's only one part of it, I leave a trail of items anywhere I go because I simply just get completely distracted and forget whatever I was doing. Often if I just jump track and you ask me what I said, I have no idea. Some days are worse than others.

JM

sarah_ep

For some reason, this comic makes me sad.

This is why I stopped taking my ADHD medication. It's no fun. There are many other things you can incorporate to help remember, stay on task, and complete things.

UsedToBeHusky

That's only one part of it, I leave a trail of items anywhere I go because I simply just get completely distracted and forget whatever I was doing. Often if I just jump track and you ask me what I said, I have no idea. Some days are worse than others.

JM

I forget where I put things too. I guess everybody can have a tendency to do these things sometimes. The difference is how it impacts your life.

AmyLRed

this is me!!!

scs143

For some reason, this comic makes me sad.

It is sad. Clown it's nice to know you have a little heart- even if it is kind of shriveled up and black.

the_journeyman

It's a great impact, I've had to learn how to live with it. My parents (thank god they actually parented) helped me manage it. I had couldn't get stuff done, never remembered what I had to do for homework. At the same time I could give you every detail about something else that was completely unrelated to anything. School was tough because I couldn't control my brain. Without intervention I would have never been able to pass anything.

JM

pinuplove

My wife has learned my train-jumping ways. She just laughs and tries to follow my never ending stream of jumping from track to track.

Pinup - You husband sounds a lot like me, but I've never bother being actually diagnosed.

JM

I know how your wife feels! We are very special, for putting up with your confusing ways I love my husband to bits, but a lot of the stuff he did used to drive me CRAZY until I finally figured out it's just how his mind works.

xHelloQuincyx

i have ADD and i just spent the last 30 mins drinking coffee and doing nothing. then i click on this. man i need to be more productive haha. must do worrrkkk.

Angie80281

For some reason, this comic makes me sad.

And this is exactly why I can't bring myself to put my son on meds.

AJ_MotherRunner

Has someone been talking to my co-workers? My nickname is actually squirrel to all of them! hahahaha.

Mamakatspokane

Sooo funny!

AmberJslimsAWAY

My son is ADHD, and I don't medicate him. I give him iced tea in a container to take to school, it keeps him focused uptil the last 10 or so minutes of school.

emfilomena

LMAO! Hilarious :') So my mind track...

I'm hungry! *goes to kitchen, but stops in living room* .. Oh what's on tv? *sits down and forgets to tend to other things*

Casey45

Poster hanging in my aunt's kitchen:

" people say I have ADD but I don't th-
Oh look! A chicken!"

My daughter spied it the moment we walked in her house a few months after she (my daughter) was diagnosed with ADD. We often quote it in our house.

I like the references to shiny.

the_journeyman

My wife has learned my train-jumping ways. She just laughs and tries to follow my never ending stream of jumping from track to track.

Pinup - You husband sounds a lot like me, but I've never bother being actually diagnosed.

JM

I know how your wife feels! We are very special, for putting up with your confusing ways I love my husband to bits, but a lot of the stuff he did used to drive me CRAZY until I finally figured out it's just how his mind works.

Yes, at first things I did & having conversations could be really frustrating. Leaving one task have done to go do or finish drove her crazy. I would walk through the house (mid task for a class or water or something) for something and start doing something completely different, totally abandoning the original task wherever it was :laugh:

JM

zippo32

I am now crushing on ElizabethRoad for her comment on this thread.
I appreciate good swearing/ use of ****s

TexasGirl_Amie

Can all the debating stop? It's the fun and games board! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......

Wileyjoe

did someone mention Wheaties?

JennaM222

I sold my pills in highschool! 5 bucks a 90 Mg. POP!!!

sarah_ep

For some reason, this comic makes me sad.

And this is exactly why I can't bring myself to put my son on meds.

I advocate not putting your son on meds unless absolutely necessary. I had ADHD growing up. With the help of my teachers and mom I was able to deal with it and learn other methods of helping me stay focused, remember homework, and minimize day dreaming. My mom would conference with my teachers often as they developed way to help me concentrate. Things that helped me were:

Color coding
Underlining
Taking Notes
Eye Contact (though later in my academic career this stopped being a helpful method)

I was put in special classes for a while until I was able to catch up. I think I am much better for it. I do take medication occasionally now when I know that the tools I have just aren't quite enough. There are the everyday things that drive me crazy but this is where routine and consistency plays a vital role in my everyday life.

OnWisconsin84

the_journeyman

My son is ADHD, and I don't medicate him. I give him iced tea in a container to take to school, it keeps him focused uptil the last 10 or so minutes of school.

In a lot of cases (you son's too is seems) caffeine actually helps with concentration. I know more that 2 cups as me ready to doze.

On the other hand, Benedryl wires me up to the point i can't function then have a terrible crash.

JM

pinuplove

My son is ADHD, and I don't medicate him. I give him iced tea in a container to take to school, it keeps him focused uptil the last 10 or so minutes of school.

In a lot of cases (you son's too is seems) caffeine actually helps with concentration. I know more that 2 cups as me ready to doze.

On the other hand, Benedryl wires me up to the point i can't function then have a terrible crash.

JM

Are you sure we're not each half of the same couple? Because everything you say is my husband to a T! He self-medicates with caffeine and gets totally weird on Benedryl :laugh:

the_journeyman

I actually can't take a lot of medications because they don't do what they're supposed to. OTC sleep aids? I'm laying there, brain going 90 miles a minute, wide awake, but can't hardly move my limbs. Total misery.

JM

pinuplove

I actually can't take a lot of medications because they don't do what they're supposed to. OTC sleep aids? I'm laying there, brain going 90 miles a minute, wide awake, but can't hardly move my limbs. Total misery.

JM

I feel for you! My husband is the same. He is awake a lot at night, but can't take anything because it all messes with his head but doesn't make him tired. He's just gotten really good at functioning on a few hours sleep.

cmriverside

My son is ADHD, and I don't medicate him. I give him iced tea in a container to take to school, it keeps him focused uptil the last 10 or so minutes of school.

In a lot of cases (you son's too is seems) caffeine actually helps with concentration. I know more that 2 cups as me ready to doze.

On the other hand, Benedryl wires me up to the point i can't function then have a terrible crash.

JM

Are you sure we're not each half of the same couple? Because everything you say is my husband to a T! He self-medicates with caffeine and gets totally weird on Benedryl :laugh:

All right, you two: Do you like Pina Coladas? Getting caught in the rain?

ahealthy4u

Ha our family always calls it the blue ball syndrome, as for my youngest he is borderline dyslexic and has ADHD, my husband he is the same way, my oldest son and he has learned to cope with it really well to where he doesn’t get as distracted. I myself have learned to cope as well the only time I get distracted is if I have to be in a meeting or training for more than an hour.

the_journeyman

:laugh: If you like piña coladas, and getting caught in the rain

Oh to be in the islands under a palm with a piña colada!

JM

pinuplove

My son is ADHD, and I don't medicate him. I give him iced tea in a container to take to school, it keeps him focused uptil the last 10 or so minutes of school.

In a lot of cases (you son's too is seems) caffeine actually helps with concentration. I know more that 2 cups as me ready to doze.

On the other hand, Benedryl wires me up to the point i can't function then have a terrible crash.

JM

Are you sure we're not each half of the same couple? Because everything you say is my husband to a T! He self-medicates with caffeine and gets totally weird on Benedryl :laugh:

All right, you two: Do you like Pina Coladas? Getting caught in the rain?

LMAO! I hope not :blushing:

mjbrenner

For some reason, this comic makes me sad.

And this is exactly why I can't bring myself to put my son on meds.

I advocate not putting your son on meds unless absolutely necessary. I had ADHD growing up. With the help of my teachers and mom I was able to deal with it and learn other methods of helping me stay focused, remember homework, and minimize day dreaming. My mom would conference with my teachers often as they developed way to help me concentrate. Things that helped me were:

Color coding
Underlining
Taking Notes
Eye Contact (though later in my academic career this stopped being a helpful method)

I was put in special classes for a while until I was able to catch up. I think I am much better for it. I do take medication occasionally now when I know that the tools I have just aren't quite enough. There are the everyday things that drive me crazy but this is where routine and consistency plays a vital role in my everyday life.

This entire chain of thought is highly worrisome to me. It is true that SOME PEOPLE do better without meds. MANY OF US with ADD, however, do need our medications to get by in life. It seems straight up dangerous to be using both propaganda and personal anecdotes to present only one side of the coin.

I cannot organize my thoughts without pumping my mind full of stimulants. A drug prescribed by my doctor is best, but a pot of coffee works well enough in a pinch. If you cannot imagine how a pot of coffee helps me to concentrate, please understand that you mind and mine work differently.

The brain of an individual with ADD generally functions best while in a novel environment or under stress. Our thoughts generally "clear up" under the very same circumstances most people's thoughts get confused. We are great to have around when our family is going through a crisis, but we are also not likely to remember to pick up milk on the way home.

My medicine, or coffee or nicotine before I was diagnosed, allow me to focus on "every day" activities. I use accommodations to help me, but all of the accommodations in the world will not help me to organize my internal dialog. Being medicated makes my life better.

If you or your child ever receive medication for ADD/ADHD and it takes away the thrill from life - talk to your doctor about it. Medication is not the right solution for everyone, but it has its place. It does not need to take away the "fun" or the "spark" that makes life interesting. I am just as creative on my meds as I was off of them but now I actually manage to finish more of the projects I start.