ADD In Adults

my older sister was recently diagnosed with adult ADD - I know she took some online evaluations when she first thought that might be something she had so you might look for those. She was able to get some medicine and is doing much better now - better able to focus and finish tasks. It is definitely worth looking into as I know it has helped her so much to know and get a little help.

Lenc-
If you're on Facebook, you might want to check into the ADHD group. There are a lot of postings by/about adults with ADD/ADHD with positions on meds and no meds. You could even post your question there.

My son has severe ADHD so I understand the challenges your family faces. Good luck.
S.

Hello Lenc,

I a parent coach, and I specialize in medication free treatments for ADD & ADHD. Often parents realize they have had ADD/ADHD all their lives when their children are diagnosised, but have learned to manage sympotms through alternative treatments. Some use electronic organizers & reminders, some use diet, and some use coffee & caffinated drinks.

As for meds, they are not a cure all. I am not antimedication, but I think it's important for parents & individuals with ADD/ADHD to know ADD/ADHD is not a disease to cure with medication, it's a different way your brain recieves, processes and interprets information. It is honestly a huge benefit for many, most of your top 100 company CEO's & "super brains" have ADD/ADHD.

Medications helps some calm enough to focus, but I always suggest before you start a medication regiment, try alternative treatments, like diet, and yes, exercies. Protein rich foods are brain food, and helps the brain work better. Exercise helps get oxygen to the brain, and again helps with brain processes.

There are a lot of other tricks to use as well, which are items the ADD/ADHD individual needs to know to be suscessful through life.

A great website to visit is: http://www.additudemag.com/ they have a great magazine and helpful hints for everyone with an ADD/ADHD person in their lives.

I hope this information helps you.

R. Magby

I have two friends who have ADD and are on Ritalin. The drug does make them lose weight. Both are going to school and are much better able to focus on their studies. As far as the organization goes, neither is very organized and they get overwhelmed easily. But, everyone is different. Remember too, back 10-15 or more years ago, ADD was not as publicized as it is now, so many cases went undiagnosed. I would start with asking your family doctor about testing and the side effects and long term usage of medication.

Good Luck,

M.

You're going to need to sit down for this... ready???.... YOU'RE A MOM!!!
Most stay at home mom's go through exactly what you just described... I do. My husband calls it the "but first...." disease... meaning that I always have stuff to do, but first I have to do this... or that... or this... etc. etc. and nothing ever actually gets DONE! It's frustrating, to say the least, to me... I can only imagine how it must be for the husband and kids that have to live with me!
I do not suggest meds for yourself. Simply being aware of things will help. Some days are worse than others. Set a schedule for yourself, which includes when to eat (I have this problem as well). For example...
my "me" time is obviously in the morning because it's not gonna happen in the evening when everyone is home and I have to be mom, so the first hour after everyone leaves in the am is my computer, tv, etc. time. At the end of this time, I write out a list of things I need to accomplish for the day... could be as simple as a phone call I need to make. As I COMPLETE each task, I cross it off. The hard part comes with the bigger tasks such as "clean the kitchen"... I will never get that crossed off... so, I break it down into "clean out fridge, wipe down counters, do dishes". It's motivating to know that I am getting something done.
As for the laundry... my husband and I fight about this ALL THE TIME... folded laundry sitting around is his petpeive. I am great at getting it washed and dried... folded, put away, not so much!
Take a breath and figure out what works for you, but unless it is a HUGE disrpution in your life... your house is filthy, you don't get your bills paid, etc. then leave the dr./meds out of the equation.

I am a teacher and we just had a Psych MD come in and talk to our school about ADD and ADHD. She said that they are usually hereditary...mostly hereditary, so it may be highly possible you have it too....or someone in your or your husband's family. Also, you may check out the book "Spark" I think it is called, it talks about how making schedules, exercising regularly, and many other foods can help with ADD and ADHD. Although the Pscyh MD said that medication is VERY successful for kids to get improvement in focusing on schoolwork. There are many studies that show this. So wonderful you are getting help for your 7 year old this early in the game. I am a middle school teacher and I have seen many students that fall WAY behind b/c they never got help. You are being a wonderful parent!

both my kids have ADHD and my husband just recently diagnosed, what a relief. See a psycologist who specializes in ADHD in adults. Check out Ned Hallowell's web site adhd and marriage.

You just described me. I used to be much better at housework and laundry, etc., but now that I have kids and I live in Oregon (energy level definitely went down- touch of depression) I get the laundry folded and slowly put it away until the next laundry day. It also didn't help that my parents are pilers- they use horizontal surfaces as places to put things and I apparently have the pack rat, piler gene.

I'm guessing that it is more that you are worn out and also want to spend some quality time with your kids, rather than do laundry and other organizing. I actually used to show some signs of OCD (didn't know until I looked back on some of my laundry habits in the closet, yikes...)

Just try not to worry that you don't get everything done. I find myself much more ADD with things around the house now that I have kids. Sleep deprivation and physical exhaustion can have that effect.
D.

Hi. You are doing a great job with your son. Take everything a step at a time. Do what is going to make your son's life a good life. I have two son's with add, well one is adhhhhhhd. One is medicated one is not. Each child is different with this. I know add is generic. I liked to blame my ex for passing it down. But in looking at myself, I know it is probably me. You got some really good advise about getting yourself diagnosed. It may help your son accept and deal with his add as he gets bigger, if he sees that you are treating yours too. You can also go to adhd news member's forum, you don't have to join just to read, but it is full of moms and other people with add and kids with add. When you know you aren't alone with this, it makes a big difference.

My daughter has ADHD and we thing it was inherited from my husband, but he refuses to get tested. I don't think that it is a bad idea for you to get tested. If you are having problems with everyday life (due to ADD) then it may not be a bad idea to get a psyc evaluation. It may help you deal with your daughter down the road. I would do all the research you can do on ADD. Look up medication and alternative therapy and then make your decision for yourself.

LOL! This does not sound weird at all. Just talk to your family doctor. He/she may give you a script to try after asking a few questions. You probably don't need "testing." If you do have ADD then the days you take the meds you will be able to accomplish quite a bit and that will tell you quite a lot!

A friend of mine was diagnosed with ADD at age 25. She was put on medication and lost a bunch of weight - not in a healthy way, though. It did help her a lot with focus and decreased her stress level. However, she doesn't have children and is not married - there are less stressors in her life than there are in yours. She has less to organize, to remember... But, it's not unheard of and, as far as I know, it doesn't have to be a specialist - don't quote me on that, though.

My dad was diagnosed with ADD as an adult and take ritalin, or a generic version of it. We can always tell when he hasn't taken his meds. I was in high school when he was diagnosed and it made a huge difference in our family life. I do believe he has to see a psychiatrist to get his presciptions, because it is a controlled substance. He just goes once a year or so for a check in and they refill his prescription no problems. I don't really remember what he did to get diagnosed, and I am sure it would be different now anyways.

I'm an adult with ADD & have never taken meds. I actually think that way too many children are being placed on meds these days for ADD, when thy just don't fit into the normal school system that expects them to go for long periods of focusing & sitting down during the day. I would really look into other schooling options such as the free school, waldorf, & other alternative schools that will help them foster good self-esteem & focus on their talents, not their inability to focus. She may also need some special accomdations like extra time for tests, etc thoughout school, but it's very important the she be given special attention when she is having difficulties & not punished or told she has to just try harder, I speak from experience. It can be very hard to function "efficiently", especially as a mom when you have to be organized, but having ADD is something i try to embrace & not think of as something I have to cure. It just means that I put keys in the same place everyday, keep appointments in an organizer that reminds me daily, etc. But meds don't help you lose weight.

Of course you COULD have ADD, but I know that as a stay at home mom who doesn' get everything done, that's just because my kids keep me super busy and wear me out by the end of the day. My laundry is almost never 100% done, and my cupboards I let be unorganized so I have more time to do puzzles and play playdough with my kids. That's the real life of a SAHM, you're house is just not going to look perfect with kids living in it! Hang in there and do lots of research before making any decisions regarding you or your kids :)

My husband's family struggles with adult ADD - my husband is the middle of 5 boys. But, I know that two of them did get diagnosed as adult ADD and are taking medication that helps them tremendously! My husband does construction, so he is doing different stuff all the time and so while we think he has ADD it doesn't really effect his day. His two brothers, however, one has a corporate job for Lowe's and his meds help him focus so he can get through his day, and the other (just changed jobs) but was in a branch of the airforce that is like the FBI for the airforce. So, he would go on missions - where he was fine, but when it came time to be back at his desk doing reports and paperwork, simple things used to take him all day and once he got on ADD meds he was able to get his reports done within a couple hours instead of it taking him all day.

I don't know how ADD works in women, but I know for me that when I was in college I was having trouble focusing and getting distracted easily, but was also a little homesick and the doctor I saw said those were all signs of depression and so they put me on a mild anti-depressant and it greatly changed things for me - for the better. I stayed on that medication until I got married and had kids. But, I also have a mess of problems that affect me hormonally - I'm diabetic and insulin is a hormone, also I struggled to find the right strength of birth control pills so that I wasn't a blubbery mess all the time or the other extreme of extrememly angry at my husband all the time. I feel like it is often harder for women to find the right dosage of meds than for men because we are so hormonal and stress and other outside factors affect us more than men. So, really talk to your primary doc, your OB, etc. about how you are feeling and see what each says because they might have different takes on the matter.

Good Luck!

P.S. I know that if I plan to clean house for the day that sometimes the laundry doesn't get all put away simply because I am so tired by the end of the day! :) I think sometimes its ok if it just gets folded and put back in the basket to be put away another day.

My daughter is 30 she was diagnosed with add at age 9. she went on meds during grade school they helped remind her to take meds. in high school she mostly went off them. She is working and has found that she needs the meds to help her focus at work. on weekends often she does not take her meds and is not able to focus on anything unless it is something that she really wants to do. she is also on anti depressants between the anti depressants and the add medication often my daughter eats but not as much as she use to so she has lost some weight. her son is adhd and the person that did his testing said that this is genitics. I am not add but it is possible that her dad is.
Good luck in whatever you decide