First let me say how happy I am to have found Y'all. Besides the benefit of discovering a community of fellow "sufferers", I also happen to love people with ADD (ADHD Too--I just can't keep up with them as I have a very sedentary body containing a very hyper mind).

I was wondering if anyone has a similar type of ADD to mine and what meds have/haven't worked for them. Basically, I only notice 1 thing at a time. I can be very distractable, but I have as much trouble with being indistractable. I don't notice (because I'm thinking or listening to music or on the phone or eating) that one kid is throwing my glasses out the window while the other is coloring on me with a magic marker. Seriously! I also am extremely forgetful and have almost no visual/spatial memory. I get lost just about every day.

I've been taking Lexapro (10 mg) for about a week (for overfocusing not depression) and Ritalin LA (20 mg) for a couple months. Yesterday I accidentally set a cup of hot tea next to my 1 1/2 yr old who dunked a cracker in it and screamed in pain. Luckily he was okay but I was so sad & ashamed and freaked out that I could make such a dangerous mistake. I was thinking about something silly I'd said to someone earlier...my poor baby no doubt thought I was serving him the tea since I put it right next to his plate.

Any ideas? My kids safety is the #1 reason I'm determined to search for the right meds...

thanks, lila

Are you positive that you have ADD? Ya know its misdiagnosed a lot. Have you ever been tested for learning disabilities.. NVLD, problems with visual or auditory processing??

Theres a book called Healing ADD by Daniel G. Amen, M.D. Its an awesome book. It talks about 6 different subtypes of ADD and the best treatments for each subtype.

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~*~ Kristy ~*~

Wow, thanks for the quick response! I am positive that I have ADD and that my mom does too (while my grandmother has ADHD), but you know what? Maybe I do have problems with some kind of processing on top of the ADD...except that I seem to be great at processing whatever I'm focusing on (except directions. Man!)

You know, I've always had this feeling since I can remember that something (things actually)was wrong with me that I couldn't quite grasp then I read DRiven to Distraction about 10 yrs ago and it just sent shivers everywhere, all over me. I COULD NOT BELIEVE that all these things i'd been experiencing were all connected into one "disorder" and that others experienced it too. But lately, as I've been searching out medication and other sufferers, I've been re-experiencing that "what's wrong with me?" feeling all over again. Why aren't I responding more to treatment--why doesn't my ADD sound like anyone else's & so on...

I am going to get Dr. Amen's book tomorrow. I have a feeling it will like D to D 2 for me--another shivers up & down experience.

-lila

Ya need to get away from thinking that you are a "sufferer" ADD is different not bad. Dont be so negative! Everyone responds to diff treatments. I am on all natural treatments and doing great. For me this treatment is better than any medication (not to mention its a lot healthier too)

What other treatments have you tried? Some people who dont respond to ritalin products will respond better to dexedrine or adderall. It would be best if you could find a natural treatment that helps you but its understandable that you would want something that can work fast since you are in the position of having to care for children. If you have other issues complicating your ADD then its gonna take longer to find a treatment that works for you. If you havent tried any other meds and think that you need to then tell your doctor. Theres many meds out there. Then you can always add natural treatments while still taking your meds and hopefully be able to lower the medication dosage. Ritalin LA isnt the most effective med for most people. From what Ive heard Concerta is what most people prefer as far as ritalin products. I think most adults prefer adderall though. Remember that these are hard core meds. Only take them if you are positive you really need them to function. Wellbutrin is an anti depressant sometimes used for ADD. Nice thing is its always in your system, bad thing is it would take awhile to work. Strattera is a new ADD med, non stimulant and it works all day long. Bad thing about it... it can take 4-8 weeks to work.

The book I mentioned earlier should help you figure out your subtype and give you some clues about what treatments might be most effective for you.

P.S. Can you get a full evaluation to see if you have any other things going on?

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~*~ Kristy ~*~

First of all, thanks for being so generous and informative in your reply. Before I posted, I read through everything that was on the board and learned tons from you! I was really impressed with how many people you responded to and how thoroughly.

Anyway, I just wanted to clarify a couple things--first I kinda exagerrated (ADD tendency). I don't get lost every day (more like I take a wrong turn every day)! Also if I or my kids were as absent minded and accident prone as I implied, we probably would be in the hospital (knock on wood) though the tea incident really did occur, so maybe we are just lucky.

The other thing is that when I said "sufferer" I put it in quotes because i didn't mean it that way (but of course this was unclear). I said I love people with ADD and I mean it. I also love having ADD (crazy but true) because it is part of me and my way of seeing the world. I don't know if it's because ADD brains compensate for what they are lacking or if it's just the way the synapses are firing (or misfiring) with ADD or what, but the people I know with ADD (certainly this is true for myself) tend to be so much more creative, better at generating ideas, super intuitive, amazingly resiliant, funnier...I could go on and on. One of the things that astonished me when I read Driven to Distraction was that many wonderful special things about me that made me feel special and strange in a good way were connected to the things about me that that I had experienced as special and strange in a negative way. I would not give up the gifts ADD has given me for the challenges--but meds (let's say--the right meds--if they are out there--do not affect the good stuff, just the bad. I'm a writer and I sure as heck do not want anything messing with my creativity, for instance.

We'll see. I'm going to chronicle my medicating attempts here along with the rest of you and I will probably end up going the natural route--that's what my intuition is now telling me.

Best to all of us,
Lila

Cool, well personally I dont think theres anything wrong with ADD. I think of it as a difference. There are positive and negative aspects of all learning/personality types. Nobodys perfect right. See us ADDers we are great at things that the linear thinkers are horrible at. And we are horrible at the things that the linear thinkers are good at.

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~*~ Kristy ~*~

I would have to say after reading in my psychology book that this cannot be a form of ADD, it sounds like a part of the brain that controls all of those actions just is not performing correctly. My mom has Learning Disabilities, and is like that about many things. She is not ADD, she has a learning disability. maybe you should get a second opinion or talk to a psychiatrist about this. it could be something that most doctors aren't even considering.

hope i didn't offend, it isn't my nature.

No, I'm not offended. But are you familiar with the subtypes of ADD? My doc and I believe I have the overfocusing subtype of ADD. I would really like to figure out if someone else on the board has that type.

I think it's possible I could have a learning disability alongside the ADD--which maybe was never picked up because I do super well in school (I know it doesn't sound ADD-esque but it's the overfocusing). School is the thing I'm best at--hyperfocusing doesn't pay off as well anywhere else.

-lila

My main question is what testing did the doc do to diagnose you with ADD? Without proper testing it is often easy to confuse ADD with many other similar problems including something called ADD tendencies which is what my daughter has. If you were not properly tested that would be the first thing I would do is get proper testing. If you have been properly tested then you need to work with a counselor or psych doc for help on ways to overcome some of your problems such as setting a cup of hot tea to close to your son etc. Your psych doc should be working with on ways to help you with these types of problems and if he isn't then consider seeing someone else who can work on this with you.