Can someone help me sort out my thoughts? Does anyone else feel like this?

Hi guys. First post on here. I was clinically diagnosed with social anxiety disorder about four years ago (was 22 then, now 26) but I've been struggling with it for basically my whole life. I have been on Paxil 20 mg since I went to therapy.

Anyway, I have an increasing feeling that I may have ADD, but I don't have all of the symptoms. My most persistent and debilitating symptoms are an inability to pay attention when reading, listening, doing schoolwork, taking tests, etc. I literally will read a sentence over 20 times and not remember a single fact from the sentence. I think I'm realizing it more now because for the past six years or so I've only been going to college part time, taking one class a semester (and working 3 jobs) so taking a long time to do my homework and tests, etc. wasn't a big deal. Now however, I've cut down my jobs to only one and I'm going to school full time. It's so hard to stay caught up with all the work when I feel like 80% of the time I'm trying to do my work, I'm not retaining any information, or learning anything really. I also will procrastinate to no end because I know it will be such a struggle to do homework/online quizzes/tests.

But I don't really have any other symptoms. I'm extremely organized (although I'm pretty sure I also have mild OCD), don't misplace things, or forget appointments, etc.

I don't have a hard time at all when listening to people talk directly to me (listening to a teacher in class is a different story). But I also feel like this ties into my social anxiety and my fear of missing something in a conversation and being put on the spot and not being able to remember what someone said.

I guess what I'm saying is does anyone else feel this way (obviously not with my same set of disorder[s]), and do you use medication? I really feel like I need it, and I have been prescribed Adderal XR before by my doctor, but to get it I had to pay my insurance deductible and it was too high, so I went without. My new job has a different insurance provider which doesn't make me pay a deductible first before getting medication, so I know I'll be able to afford it this time.

Any thoughts or insight for me? I guess I just feel like I have a mild case but I wish to use medication and I don't know if I should.

Thank you guys.

I have terrible concentration problems. I can't read, watch movies, listen to music, relax, listen to people talk, etc. without being distracted. But my distraction comes from my own thoughts. They're mostly cynical and superficial (for instance I'm always measuring myself to other people determining if I'm better off). But sometimes they're positive daydream type stuff (how awesome my life will be when I get cured). Why is it you can't concentrate I'm wondering? Is it outside or inside stimulus?

I'm pretty sure I've always had this but, similar to you, I've finally become conscious of it, although it's been affecting me most of my life (I'm 25). It is the reason I have had no real happiness in my life for perhaps the last 12 years. Also, though, I'm diagnosed bipolar so that has brought it's own problems.

Anyway, I've recently started taking medicine for what my doctor suspects is ADD. See the thing is he never flatout said it was ADD. He just said the questionnaire I filled out indicated it. I'm worried cause I think what if it's not ADD and I'm taking the wrong medicine and it's going to take that much longer to figure out what I need. See I don't exhibit much of the other symptoms either. But it's been killing me for a while now and I can't take it much longer. Anyway, he prescribed me Strattera, a non-stimulant because I have a mood disorder that could be disturbed with a stimulant like Adderall. I'm only on day six and it takes a little longer to get on a therapeutic dosage.

So I figured I share with you my story. Sorry I couldn't give much helpful advice but I figured it might be nice to know there is someone else out there who is not sure if they have ADD or not. My advice would be to go see a doctor and see if medicine is what you need. Personally I've tried everything I could think of (yoga, mediation, acupuncture, concentration exercises, a strict diet, plenty of exercise, sports) to improve my concentration and nothing worked. When I was unmedicated for bipolar I similarly tried to fight my illness but to no avail. I know for certain I have a disorder and believe medicine is just about the only remedy available to me.