Should ADHD Meds make you feel more figidy? - ADD / ADHD Message Board

dadofthree · 07-07-2005, 09:24 PM

Hi All - I am new to these boards. Nice to meet all of you!

So heres my story - I have long suspected I may have ADHD - I am 30 now - and many of my symptoms are characterisitics of Adult ADHD - less hyper - more impulsive - not necessarily a thrill seaker, but definitly hard to concentrate or remember simple things. This began to affect my ability to function at work and in my marriage - so I take the online quiz - rank highly for symptoms suggestive of ADHD and go see an MD.

He basically asks me a couple of questions - all of which I answered "high" for and, best on what else I had told him, said well it sounds like ADHD and he prescribes Adderall 20MG. So I take it and the first day or two I felt good - really attentive and aware. But as the days have worn on, I feel more hyper than anything. And, ironically, I feel like I have more ADHD than ever before. I am figidy, scatterbrained - can't remember a thought or two out in work, find myself not finishing tasks I am assigned to.

Has anyone had this happen to them? I know Adderall is a stimulant - and I dont really understand how a stimulant could help people who suffer from ADHD, but my question is more this - I have read that people who take ADHD meds that dont really have it (like parents of children with ADHD) become very hyper and it winds up having the oppositie affect than it would on the ADHD'ers. Is my increase in hyperactivity may a sign that I dont have ADHD afterall?

index.html · 07-08-2005, 03:29 PM

Hi Dadofthree, nice to meet you, too!

Yes, there is a theory that the effect stimulants have on you indicate whether or not you have ADD. It's hotly debated at this point, however.

What is more important is the effect Adderall has had on you. It has made you more fidgetty and more scatter-brained. Definitely not the desired effect. Whatever the cause, I'd have to say that it must not be the drug for you. A call to the doc is in order.

Good luck!

PS. Many people don't "get" how stimulants help ADHD. What most people don't realize is that ADHD is a result of UNDER-arousal of the brain, not OVER-arousal. Hyperactive individuals appear overaroused, but they are not. They use their hyperactivity to keep their brains awake. When stimulants are taken, they take on the role of "awakening" the brain. The individual no longer has to constantly fight to stay awake and is therefore able to calm down and attune to his environment. That's the theory, anyway.

Sylvia224 · 07-08-2005, 04:38 PM

Wow index, what a great P.S. that was, a great way to explain it. I would tend to agree that Adderall is not the drug for you, or probably any stimulant. But on the other hand, you said it did work for you the first few days, and that you were able to achieve the "focus" that the drug is designed for. Could it be that these past few days are a time when you have been bored or not sure what to do with yourself? For instance, if I’m not sure what to do with myself or I’m bored and restless, I can get like that with or without meds. If you add too high a dose of speed to that (maybe that's the problem - the dose?), I can see where it might get worse.
I can only figure that it works for me because with meds (when they work) I can focus on one thing at a time, which makes me appear calmer to others, and I guess am calmer because I am actually concentrating. My normal brain is jumping around so fast that it causes total confusion, frustration and panic, and that makes me flit around nervously and fidget and babble and whatever because I can’t settle down long enough to complete any task or thought – a painful feeling.
That probably didn’t help much, sorry, just my thoughts on the matter.

hummingbirdkiss · 07-08-2005, 07:01 PM

message deleted

seriousperson · 07-08-2005, 07:15 PM

dado'3,
The part of your story that you told is part of my story.

Sylvia, yours too.

*sigh*

Anyhoo, my experience with Adderall was the same as dado's (along with my experiences with 4 other medications for 2 other disorders).

Reading Sylvia's response I do recall the doc cutting back on the Adderall when I reacted like dado. It's been about 8 months now, and, as far as Adderall goes, I take one 10mg in the am, and then, sometimes a 5mg Ritalin in the afternoon. If I do take the 5 mil in the pm, I'm more productive at work, but have a hard time making myself go to sleep at night-- even though I have something to knock me out-- I put off taking it, and the next thing I know it's after midnight, and I have to get up at 6.

And the reason I can't just get up at 7 is because I'm so groggy and scattered when I wake up, that it takes twice as long to get ready. Some of it's just zoning out--I've been doing it since I was a little girl & my mom would look in on me before school and say, "keep moving, keep moving."

And if I haven't settled what I'm wearing the night before, I'm late for work.

But if I don't take my meds when I'm still in bed with my eyes half closed while the alarm goes onto another snooze cycle, then I am definitely going to be late as I cycle through several clothing choices, and run in and out of the house several times for things I forgot, often forgetting what I came back to get.

And I'm too old now to say I'll take meds some other time. It's now or never, and life as it's been is not working. When I was younger it was okay to 'act younger' than my age. But being a little crazy is not cute anymore-- certainly not for my boss.