I just got diagnosed last week with ADHD with some anxiety as a side effect of being constantly frustrated by it. I'm 34. It was rather a relief, b/c my symptoms had been plagueing me for a while. I couldn't hold things in my mind for more than 2 seconds, losing everything, even losing something and finally finding it but spacing that I had found it -- so I'm still looking and finally realize it's in my hand already. I miss probably 1/2 of what people say to me. My mind races, I can't keep it on one topic. I interrupt people b/c I feel I have to say something b4 my mind loses it. I have piles and piles and piles of stuff at home and in my office. Can't stay on one task at a time. Get very irritated when people interrupt me in my office when I'm trying to get something done. And fidget like crazy any time i have to sit still.

My doc put me on Adderall 5 mg. for a couple days, then told me to move to two. I've been 2 days on each so far. Just curious if anyone else has the experience of finding the right dose.

On the 2 a day, I've noticed I'm much less irritated in general. Feel more relaxed and more confident about getting through the tasks I have at work for a day. (Though still forgetful & with attention problems). She said the Adderall should make me calmer. So I'm confused -- I'm calmer in terms of not being as irritated and not feeling as overwhelmed. But I definitely have lots of energy and still fidget like crazy when I'm sitting. Does this mean it's not working? OR does it just mean i haven't found the right dose?

I'll see my doc next week -- but was hoping maybe someone has been through the Adderall (or Ritalin) phase of starting low and upping it. How do you know when you've hit the right dose?

Thanks.

Hi!
I also just got diagnosed with Inattentive ADD this past week on Tuesday! I had researched up on ADD for a long time and thought I had it but was finally able to go in and get diagnosed. I also have anxiety as well from it and my doctor prescribed me with Busporine, an anxiety medicine to help with that. I am going to start that today. The last few days I've been taking concerta. It seems pretty good other then the fact that i may need a little higher doseage. We'll see. I have had the exact same symptoms! I still do! I don't know if Concerta is supposed to help the whole losing and forgetting things or not but lately I'm still doing it so maybe I really do need a higher doseage. I do it all the time! I forget my backpack for class and then remember on the way that i have to go get it. It's frustrating. I also forgot my cell phone at my fiances house yesterday. The day before that I lost my ID card for school and got a new one and then found the old one. So frustrating! I did that the other day with my keys...i looked and looked and looked for them and I was holding them in my hand!! I missed a lot of what people said to me but feel that when I take the medication in the morning I focus a lot better although it is still difficult(but not as much) if it is a boring topic. My mind also races. I am a very random person as well as my fiance lol but he understands my randomness so it's cool. We will be talking about one thing and then I change subjects so quick and say what comes into my head so i won't forget. it is so hard for me to stay on one topic for long.I interrupt the same reason you do. I don't mean to but It just happens and I won't remember what i was going to say if i dont. I can stay on one task at a time if i enjoy it otherwise it is very hard. I also fidget and move my feet or hands and after awhile I get quite restless. In class It is hard not to daydream. I did that for so long....now I'm trying to focus with concerta. It is easier I admit but still not perfect. I dont know because I take concerta but I will tell you this... I am also confused about doseage and think I may need a bigger one. I'm calmer with the concerta too but I still have energy as well. I think it's normal. It's a high stimulant medicine sort of like caffeine. So that will do it to you. No, I believe the medicine is working for you I just think that you might, like me, need a higher doseage. But it's up to you. Make sure you are comfortable with getting a bigger doseage before you do and ask your doctor. It sounds like we have a lot in common with symptoms and confused about what the right dose is for each of us. Anyway good luck! i sure hope you find the right dose! I hope I've helped just a little lol. Probably not much though because i wasn't answering what you needed answered. Oh well! ask the doc! and other people may reply and help you more on here as well!

We do have a lot in common. I can relate to everything you wrote. It was rather amazing for me to learn that all of these seemingly unconnected things (interrupting, forgetting EVERYTHIG, fidgeting) were all related -- and something that can be treated. Although I'm scared to death the treatment won't work now that I've let the hope in. But a lot of people on these boards seems to have been helped.

I'm just impatient to know! My doc said I have anxiety too, but rather than give me meds, she wants to see if the adderall can control the symptoms. If so, she hopes that I will naturally become less anxious about things. It's usually b/c I feel things are spinning out of control b/c thoughts are racing so much in my head -- and it becomes overwhelming.

Let me know how the Concerta goes. I guess I should just be patient, and slowly up the dose and see what happens.

Thanks for your post. It is nice to know there are others out there dealing with the same things. A lot of folks with ADHD seem to have a lot of different combination of symptoms. Yours seem pretty close to mine.

I hide it well (I have to at work or I'd be fired). when I've told even my family I have ADD, they say "oh, everyone has it. you don't have a problem. everyone loses their keys, etc." It's hard b/c they don't understand that so often in my life i've felt like I was on the brink of losing my mind. It's a miracle I've held it together. And the anxiety only gets worse b/c I have always been so constantly trying to fix myself, and failing. and i have succeeded in school and my career to date (i'm 34) -- but it has taken every ounce of effort to fight the attention lost, to create all sorts of tricks and systems to try to hang onto thoughts, onto tasks I need to do. But it's always an uphill battle.

I just hope the Adderall can help -- even if it just helps me make a little progress.

Anyway, yes, your post helped. Thanks. :-)

Hi!
I also just got diagnosed with Inattentive ADD this past week on Tuesday! I had researched up on ADD for a long time and thought I had it but was finally able to go in and get diagnosed. I also have anxiety as well from it and my doctor prescribed me with Busporine, an anxiety medicine to help with that. I am going to start that today. The last few days I've been taking concerta. It seems pretty good other then the fact that i may need a little higher doseage. We'll see. I have had the exact same symptoms! I still do! I don't know if Concerta is supposed to help the whole losing and forgetting things or not but lately I'm still doing it so maybe I really do need a higher doseage. I do it all the time! I forget my backpack for class and then remember on the way that i have to go get it. It's frustrating. I also forgot my cell phone at my fiances house yesterday. The day before that I lost my ID card for school and got a new one and then found the old one. So frustrating! I did that the other day with my keys...i looked and looked and looked for them and I was holding them in my hand!! I missed a lot of what people said to me but feel that when I take the medication in the morning I focus a lot better although it is still difficult(but not as much) if it is a boring topic. My mind also races. I am a very random person as well as my fiance lol but he understands my randomness so it's cool. We will be talking about one thing and then I change subjects so quick and say what comes into my head so i won't forget. it is so hard for me to stay on one topic for long.I interrupt the same reason you do. I don't mean to but It just happens and I won't remember what i was going to say if i dont. I can stay on one task at a time if i enjoy it otherwise it is very hard. I also fidget and move my feet or hands and after awhile I get quite restless. In class It is hard not to daydream. I did that for so long....now I'm trying to focus with concerta. It is easier I admit but still not perfect. I dont know because I take concerta but I will tell you this... I am also confused about doseage and think I may need a bigger one. I'm calmer with the concerta too but I still have energy as well. I think it's normal. It's a high stimulant medicine sort of like caffeine. So that will do it to you. No, I believe the medicine is working for you I just think that you might, like me, need a higher doseage. But it's up to you. Make sure you are comfortable with getting a bigger doseage before you do and ask your doctor. It sounds like we have a lot in common with symptoms and confused about what the right dose is for each of us. Anyway good luck! i sure hope you find the right dose! I hope I've helped just a little lol. Probably not much though because i wasn't answering what you needed answered. Oh well! ask the doc! and other people may reply and help you more on here as well!
Oh my gosh, your symptoms sound EXACTLY like mine. Except in addition I have MAJOR test anxiety, and my memory is really bad. I interrupt people so I don't forget what I was gonna say, LOL :D I'm ALWAYS losing my items it's SOOOO frustrating I hate it. I can see if it wasn't a persistant thing, but it's ALL THE TIME!!! I also feel my dose needs to be increased. I take Ritalin(methylphenidate) 3x a day at 10 mg. I was initially going to go on Concerta but when I went to get my prescription, they said I had to pay for it while I thought my doctor checked up on that. So I drove ALL THE way back to my doc and then he wrote me a prescription for Ritalin, and when I went to get THAT refilled they said the same thing!!! :confused: Well, here it turned out that my doctor needed to fax a letter or something to my insurance company since I'm 29 y/o and taking Ritalin. So, If my doc had that letter faxed, I'd be on concerta now. So, I payed $55 out of my pocket for it, but now since he did that, I will no longer have to pay. I was thinking of asking him about concerta when I go to my visit April 1st but I like to workout(hard cardio) and kinda liked the fact that I have the ability to turn the meds "off and on" and when it wears off, I can do my workout. Do you know anything about Concerta and working out?

And about the original poster, you JUST started meds and it may take time to work. I wouldn't increase meds TOO soon so your body adjusts. I feel my dose also needs to be increased but I think it's because I want this disorder to be fixed, AND FIXED NOW COMPLETELY DARN IT!!!LOL :D I think it takes a little time, and patience is definitely something us ADDERS need to work on. :rolleyes: