Just diagnosed - ADD / ADHD Message Board

Charlotte88 · 02-13-2008, 05:31 PM

Hello, Im a 19 year old uni student, got diagnosed with ADHD (am also dyslexic) today and am wondering if anyone has any tips which could help me with this. I cant organise anything, I cant take notes, sit still, watch a film, read a book, my housemates are driven mad by by constant fidgeting. I dont think i want to go on medication unless i really want to, are there any other remedies/ hints/ tips out there?

Any help much appreciated

anbridge77 · 03-12-2008, 09:02 PM

I just graduated from college and got diagnosed with ADD right after. I had lots of inattention issues and school has always been a struggle. However, I did very well in college and I'm now trying to get into medical school. Tips that worked well for me before I was diagnosed included keeping a tight schedule and writing everything down! Keep a weekly planner with you every day, on top of having a calendar or a bulletin/dry-erase board in your room so you can remember things and stay organized. Keeping physically active helped regulate me a little bit too. Go to your teacher's office hours, tutoring, whatever you need to do...every little bit helps. As for remedies...ha, I've tried them all. Ginko biloba, DMAE, focus factor, none could help me. I know you want to avoid taking meds as much as possible, but from someone who has been there....let me just say it can open up a new world for you. To be able to actually complete tasks and focus for the first time is wonderful and you might be pleasantly surprised. Nothing big, try taking a small dose once a day. Adderall works best for me, but finding the right med is really experimenting b/c everyone is affected differently. Hope this helped!

Charlotte88 · 03-13-2008, 01:33 PM

Hey thanks so much for your reply! Really appreciate it, i think the problem seems to be that im also dyslexic and that just makes everything so much harder. My grades are really slipping, not so bad that im failing, but it is still such a worry. Maybe i will have a look at the idea of taking drugs, i do get hyper attention spans at times, and when it happens its amazing! but its just i dont have time to wait around for it to happen! Any more tips would be great- Iv got the whiteboard- i realised it was needed in school. haha thanks x

anbridge77 · 03-13-2008, 09:16 PM

Funny thing is I might be dyslexic too. I have several of the symptoms but I don't know if they are significant enough to say I am dyslexic. Does this sound like it? ---> VERY slow reading, reading words but not actually comprehending what they mean and having to reread over and over again, and sometimes skipping or reversing words. Well about your grades and focus problems, I know how hard it is, but things don't have to be this way. I don't like the idea of having to take meds but doing so has really made me see what I've been missing out on. I'm so much more efficient and can actually take things away from lectures, which I could never do before. I read that Strattera has been given to people with dyslexia as well as ADHD b/c it helps with concentration which improves reading. I just started it a little over a week ago to supplement my adderall and it seems to be doing well so far. Strattera takes around a month to really see how it affects you. I'll keep you posted on how it goes and see if it helps my symptoms that sound like dyslexia.

Charlotte88 · 04-04-2008, 12:12 PM

Um, i read quite quicly but take nothing in. i skip words and my spelling is atrocious. i also have dysleia with numbers and scotoipic sensitivity! eurrghhhh. Apparently they are really common to have both! xx