Ask HN: Those with ADHD, how are you doing? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Those with ADHD, how are you doing?

15 pointsdondraper3619 comments

Hello HN,

I am about to ask for professional help and finally check whether I have ADHD or not. Most likely, I do even though over the years I have learned to deal with some aspects.

Here are some examples:

* I find it extremely hard to concentrate on reading, listening, watching, etc. Just reading a paper or a few pages of book might turn into a multi-hour adventure

* The funniest thing is that the same happens when during leisure time when I just watch a movie or listen to music. I constantly distract, skip tracks and multi-task which results in the whole day spent with no completed activities

* I have frequent mood swings. That sounds even more like being bypolar but it's not that severe

Regardless of the above, I managed to be quite successful from the academic perspective, got a master's in computer science and mathematics and now work as a software engineer at a large company.

That said, I still feel frustrated sometimes by the lack of focus and concentration.

What I have been recently practising is using Pomodoro (pomofocus.io) and different background noises (like those on mynoise.net) so that there is no music, no irrelevant browser tabs, etc.

As for medications, I have serious doubts regarding stimulants. Based on what I have read, there is no concensus on the long term effect of this class of drugs so that makes me doubt.

What is your story? How do you deal with ADHD?

Vyvance works great for me, but it's over $300 even with my insurance. Adderol is the next best for me. It's $50-ish a month.

My current life doesn't give me a lot of time to do the non-med things that help. Things like exercise and meditation.

I've learned not to hold myself to neurotypical standards, which gets rid of a lot of the pressure and frustration I feel. I have to remind myself to do this often though. It's not always easy to show compassion, especially to yourself. But it's worth it.

Finding the right balance of meds and etc that work for you goes a long way. Actually sticking to it is a challenge all on it's own.

Good luck!

Look into Dexedrine. Basically Adderall is a mix of 75% D-Amphetamine and 25% L-Amphetamine. D works more on dopamine, and L has a norepinephrine (adrenaline) component to it. Vyvanse and Dexedrine are 100% D-Amphetamine, the difference being that Vyvanse has a different way of delivering it. Dexedrine might be the same cost as Adderall for you. Btw I am not a doctor just an internet rando.

It's worth a shot, thanks.

The patent expired a couple of weeks ago so I assume generics will be available at some point.

https://www.drugs.com/availability/generic-vyvanse.html

Wait a second... is _this_ why the FDA is suddenly cracking down on ADHD telemedicine prescriptions? Another protectionist racket?

The FDA is returning to pre-COVID rules because the change from those rules was predicated on the COVID emergency.

(The original rules may have been based on the motivation you describe, but the return is just ending the emergency suspension of the original rules.)

I don't think so. Adderall is already available generically.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/11fm3v5/how_to_outrun...

I never have problems concentrating, it’s always motivation and follow through.

For entirely selfish reasons I’ll recommend against taking stimulants because there is a shortage and I don’t want to run out again :). I’ll say finding the right one can help a ton, but you have to realize very early on, what you are feeling is a kind of “high” that will wear off over the course of the never several months. I haven’t seen any data that they are that unhealthy for you long term if you are not abusing them.

What helps me the most is focusing on getting good sleep - and note that it takes over a week to transition from being regularly poorly rested to well rested. And even more, exercise! Sometimes I don’t even realize how bad my symptoms were on some particular day until I get a bunch of sun and lift weights. Also, if you regularly consume cannabis, try taking a week off - for me I find a pretty strong correlation between how much cannabis I'm consuming and how strong my symptoms are.

Outside of general lifestyle choices, I find collaborative work to be much more engaging and help me stay on top of things. “Body doubling” of just being around other people working isn’t effective for me, but actively working or chatting about work with someone else keeps me very engaged.

The good news: an ADHD diagnosis is a positive experience. ADHD is treatable. In general, getting diagnosed with ADHD means you can start making the changes to improve your situation. Medication and techniques to help you are available.

The not so good news: ADHD isn't going anywhere. It can affect many aspects of life. It's something that needs constant attention and there is no magical silver bullet that will fix all of you problems.

I struggled through university and then didn't really make much career progress in my 20s. I was diagnosed at 30 and started taking stimulant medication. Well my life since then has not been perfect it's definitely on an upward trend. I'm doing better at work and in interpersonal relationships. You've already noticed emotional disregulation in yourself.

Start by informing yourself. There is a lot of bad information around about ADHD. Russell Barkley[1] is an expert on the topic and a great place to start. His free talks are available on youtube and made me realize the extent of my problem. His book, Taking Charge of Adult ADHD,

[1] https://www.russellbarkley.org/

Live in the EU. Psychiatrists are highly uneducated on the the subject of ADHD, and amphetamine-based medication has the stigma of hard drugs. Getting diagnosed is possible but painful when you're always stigmatized and your problems disregard with bullshit reasoning. Psychiatrists who prescribe medication are also treated like drug traffickers and can easily land a jail sentence. Not to mention that medication is also hard to get.

I found out I had ADHD when I started really struggling and getting behind all of my responsibilities and was irrationally angry, agitated and hateful every waking moment of my life. Learning I had ADHD was a relief, but at the same time I feel awful knowing how we're treated.

I don't really deal with ADHD with some kind of routine. It just doesn't work. If I can force myself to work and my mind springs into action, that's great. If it doesn't, I'll try Modafinil or Nicotine. But otherwise, I just go with the waves. There isn't much to do, really.

In regards of relating to you, mood swings for me include spontaneous obsessions towards a subject. Hyperfixation and hyperfocusing on something. Obviously it had its benefits, but I've also been forced by my mind to do something that's was not really important at that time. Negative emotions are mostly constant rumination and intrusive thoughts, although those aren't a problem if I'm obsessing over something that makes me happy. I'm not particularly negative, but I prefer to have something to do if I can, otherwise I'm always stuck in my mind going over imaginary scenarios and ideas. I am also very sensitive to sound, especially. The house can burn down if I am hyperfocusing on something, I wouldn't even feel the skin peeling off of me. But if I am trying to focus on something that must be done, and you even breathe in the same room as me, I will proceed to fantasize about choking you to death.

My short-term memory can often times be peanuts. I frequently get mini panic attacks and check my pockets if I still have my phone and wallet with me.

On the topic of education, I have been traumatized by teachers and my parents. I couldn't even look through a math notebook without getting sick in the stomach. I still can't.

I also got quite bad anxiety from all the trauma and when I'm stressed I have double the constant mind noise. I'm always have a constant monologue with myself in the second person.

I totally relate in terms of hyperfocus. I very often get so excited about an idea (like learning neuroscience all of a sudden) that it's hard to sleep.

In addition, I can't go to bed and distract when I have an issue at work or a task I don't know how to solve yet. I physically can't think of anything else until I figure it out. It might sound paradoxical in the context of ADHD but as far as I know it's pretty common :)

Sometimes I think I might be just awfully undisciplined. But it's more tricky than the standard procrastination. And it definitely wouldn't show when I want to watch a TV series or listen to Spotify

Well ADHD is not a lack of attention but a lack of control over your attention. And yeah, when I was really obsessed with something, I would spend the entire day doing it, and then the rest of the days until it lost its charm or I finished whatever I had planned. I always binge YT, anime, movies, manga, books. It's very hard to pry yourself off of them once you start. Sometimes it's just easier to finish it, but just don't dare start anything else because then you're back at the start.

It also happens to me sometimes that I might lose interest as soon as there is at least moderate progress. The field just loses its appeal and I "switch" :)

Emotional regulation issues / mood swings are definitely associated with ADHD. I'll echo what another commenter wrote, vyvanse definitely has changed my life for the better. At the moment I'm not taking it due insurance but I plan to get back on it when my insurance changes.

I'd recommend you seek treatment with a professional. CBT can do wonders too.

> How do you deal with ADHD?

Honestly, getting into a more senior / principal developer role really helped me. Rather than just being assigned tickets, I'm meant to be proactive about finding meaningful work. In practice, this means I can let my ADHD hyperfocus land where it may.

I have been upfront with my boss about it, as I think most people should be. I'm going to forget about meetings. It's just going to happen. Under the ADA, work has to make reasonable accommodations, which in my case, amounts to someone pinging me if I got in the zone and missed the start of something.

And when the time comes to really focus, I do it the same way I did in college 20 years ago. Working in front of the TV with Law and Order marathoning in the background.

You have to have discipline and desire. Drugs and therapists can’t give that to you. A strict routine helps. Being accountable to other people helps.

Your username is amusing

I’m mostly okay, probably. I think my main problem is procrastination; can get stuck for days in some kind of suspended mental state until I force it.

I have been fired once for it though. Not proud of that. Don’t be like me and do nothing then get fired. I’ve had a successful 7 years of employment after that though.

I can relate to the things you mention. My approach has been to go with the flow and embrace the weirdness, though sometimes have to pull it back a bit. Not many people in the world get to see the world in a different light, like we do through the lens and experience of ADHD. I’m not saying it’s all fluffy rainbows but we’re kinda privileged to have a unique perspective. It makes me enjoy life more.

I do have bipolar and autism too though. Some stuff overlaps but I can identify where ADHD starts and ends mostly.

You mention mood problems. I have those too sometimes, most often intense irritation and frustration for no real reason, which is tough to control and not let it affect others around me.

I have come to learn that I am a very mood-dependent person, so I usually factor my current and future mood into decisions. Do I only want this ice cream now, but in reality I will eat it later, when I probably won’t want it because I don’t like ice cream when I’m in that mood I predict? But then, I can freeze the ice cream and wait for a 10pm ice cream craving. Anyway, you get the point. Sub ice cream for almost anything. Does future me or present me want that, and if it’s only present me, will I enjoy it now or is it a waste?

That being said, waking up the next day and remembering impulsive decisions from yesterday (maybe talked too much, ordered spontaneous takeout, bought a new guitar, whatever) makes me feel some regret and I need to work through it.

Mostly I realise I am gonna die (relatively, geologically) soon so me ordering takeout is probably okay. When I’m dead I can’t order takeout so I should probably try to make the most of my freedoms while I have them, within limits.

If I can’t focus on an episode of series (I frequently watch 10/15 minutes then start feeling physically compelled to do something else), I will either make myself watch it because I know I actually like it (usually enjoy watching it in the end), or I will leave and do something else, which usually ends up being a video game. Books used to hold my attention and still can but reading them now kinda feels like I’m wrestling a swarm of bees in my brain for a sliver of focus. I find games to hold my attention longer, perhaps because you control your game’s input and it changes frequently so getting bored is harder. That being said, I swap and alternate games very frequently, but that is also fun because I can (as above) pick a game for my mood.

I quite enjoy being so excited by new things and also being very good at learning new things because it happens naturally so often. Going to a market you’ve always been but discovering cracks on the wall up high you never saw previously then spending 5 minutes staring and 30 minutes thinking about it is fun for me. Same happens with textures of things, or sounds and smells. Sometimes super small things are so amazingly fascinating. My wife thinks I’m weird but do you know how many man hours of work went into the table mat at a restaurant, just to be a little sliver of plastic we don’t even think about? It’s cool. Stare at it a bit and you might notice little details we never thought of that make a big difference. Btw table mat crafting/factory processes are super cool.

I wrote a lot but yeah. Verbosity helps me when I am looking for information like this.

Anyway, it’s part of you and you can find a way to embrace it, merely live with it, or squash it. I don’t think squashing it works out long term though, but YMMV.

Meds do help but I don’t take them unless I know I will need them, since I get really tired after they wear off, plus feeling like that isn’t nice for me. I take methylphenidate, kinda playing with the dose (cleared with my psychiatrist first) depending on what I need/how much of a bump I want. It hasn’t been this magical portal into productivity for me, but it quiets my mind and sharpens my thoughts/responses, which enables me to perform much better in situations that need quick thinking and response, or intense short-term focus. Usually joke that I’m taking my “meth*” when I do.

If I have any advice it’s this: - Get a good psychiatrist and trust their work - Think of the bigger picture when you get stuck into stressful details

Reply on news.ycombinator.com