What to do? - ADD / ADHD Message Board

tomjayc · 08-22-2007, 07:24 PM

Recently a shrink told me that I have ADD. After doing a lot of research about the symptoms of ADD, my life is starting to make sense to me. The first half of my 39 years weren't all that productive. I the last 20 years I have been thought of as a successful business owner.

I'm wondering if pills will make me loose my creativity. This may sound like an erogant thing to ask, but my scattered brain is all that I've ever known. Does this make sense? Is being able to juggle a few things around in your brain a blessing or a curse?

TM1 · 08-22-2007, 10:47 PM

I think I can say without a doubt you will trade some creativity for increased productivity if you take meds for
ADD. If your like me taking stimulants after a life of viewing your mind in a ADD state you might feel quite unlike yourself.

Also meds will not really address procrastination either. They will make getting a job done easier but they will not get it started.

Personally I think from a technological innovation standpoint we need some stimulant with a short half life that will give you focus when you need it but will wear off and permit creative thinking when work is not needed. In
many ways the abuse of caffeine and nicotine feels that need in a crude fashion for many undiagnosed ADDers.
Though something more CNS selective and in some small implantable device under the skin would be more usefull.

tomjayc · 08-23-2007, 04:31 AM

Thanks TM1 for your insight.
If you quit taking meds, do you go back to your "old self?" Can I just try it and if I don't like it give it up?

TM1 · 08-23-2007, 06:51 AM

Yeah you return to your lovable old self. [removed] some people reject the idea that your creativity can be reduced on stimulants. A small number of studies seem to support their position. But I can find alot of posts of people who support my line of reasoning with their own use of stimulants.

Its important to note you might still get alot more creative work done on meds compared to the extreme creativity you might have without meds and getting little work done.

bwitht · 08-23-2007, 11:09 PM

Tom,

Both my son and I are what the school psychologist calls highly ADD. I find that caffeine does work for me. I do still have some of the not so pleasant affects, but through the years I have learned many coping skills. My son was medicated from near the end of kindergarten. I really hated what the medication did to him, so he only took meds for school. We also had him take meds whenever there was a major event, as he would get over stimulated.

That is the long way of saying, yes you can take meds & if you do not like them stop. Or if you want to just take them for work and be yourself for weekends, you can do that. Any of the meds that I am aware of are short acting. Even the long acting metadate that my son was on only lasted 8 hours.