Reviewer: Maggie, 55-64 on Treatment for 5 to less than 10 years

Comment:
I am a 56 yr female going thru late onset menopause. I am ADD and was diagnosed by two psychiatrists. It was hard for me to believe but now that I have learned about it they were right...I wasn't paying attention I guess In the past 15 years I've tried Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta and now Vyvanse. Extended release and regular. Up until last year, Adderall plain tablets were my favorite. ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
I am a 56 yr female going thru late onset menopause. I am ADD and was diagnosed by two psychiatrists. It was hard for me to believe but now that I have learned about it they were right...I wasn't paying attention I guess In the past 15 years I've tried Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta and now Vyvanse. Extended release and regular. Up until last year, Adderall plain tablets were my favorite. The extended release made me stay awake. I dont feel like superwoman on Adderall but I feel better. A bit calmer, a bit more capable. I do get dry mouth and I forget to eat. It did increase my blood pressure quite a bit. I don't know why, I suspect my hormones changed, but now vyvanse works better for me. Adderall doesn't have to be taken everyday. I liked that. Vyvanse has to be taken everyday. If you are going thru menopause try vyvanse if Adderall stops working. Adderall is much cheaper.
Hide Full Comment

Reviewer: Hurt, 25-34 Male on Treatment for 5 to less than 10 years (Patient)

Comment:
I was diagnosed as ADHD in 4th grade and prescribed Ritalin, 6th grade they saw it wasn't working and they prescribed me Adderall 2 pills in the morning 2 pills by lunch I went from to energetic to sleep in every class... But because i had to urinate all the time after i started the medicine some time I'd be so sleep I'd dream i was in a restroom urinating and the warm sensation of pee ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
I was diagnosed as ADHD in 4th grade and prescribed Ritalin, 6th grade they saw it wasn't working and they prescribed me Adderall 2 pills in the morning 2 pills by lunch I went from to energetic to sleep in every class... But because i had to urinate all the time after i started the medicine some time I'd be so sleep I'd dream i was in a restroom urinating and the warm sensation of peeing on myself would wake me up to a class room of embarrassment. My throat muscles stopped working so i couldn't eat breakfast lunch or after school only intake liquid (parents cook and don't understand that i literally couldn't swallow my food, whooped or screamed wasting food {but i would be hungry}). From time to time i would stand up and everything would look like a frying TV channel (Black white and gray dots is all i would see scared i was going blind, still happens now). I would get random rashes that would start looking like a ant bite and spread till it vanised i thought it was something wrong with me so i separated my self fell deep into depression until i dropped out of school 2007 and stopped taking the medicine. After about 6 years those rashes slowed down still stuggle eating socially awkward (don't know how to handle socializing at work) still have to urinate every 20-30 min (interferes with my jobs to many breaks) i was a kid whos school had my mom put me on the medicine i didn't pay for it but i was a kid effected by the medicine and the #LABEL of ADHD and the #Process of #ADHD Lester Taylor
Hide Full Comment

Reviewer: MrCook, 65-74 Male on Treatment for 10 years or more (Patient)

Comment:
I struggled to concentrate my whole life. I was called a "high aptitude/low achiever". "If he would just buckle down and do the work...his mind wanders...he refuses to get his work done. He's unprepared...he always has an excuse... He's disorganized." I heard these comments from everyone. I frustrated my teachers, my parents and myself. I couldn't pay attention. Sch ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
I struggled to concentrate my whole life. I was called a "high aptitude/low achiever". "If he would just buckle down and do the work...his mind wanders...he refuses to get his work done. He's unprepared...he always has an excuse... He's disorganized." I heard these comments from everyone. I frustrated my teachers, my parents and myself. I couldn't pay attention. School was a nightmare that seemed to last forever. I couldn't wait for each class to end. Yet I would do well on tests. I'd get terrible grades for class participation and homework assignments, but then I would get an A or a B on midterms and finals and end up with a B or a C in the course. In college I discovered amphetamines, which are much stronger than Adderall but had the same effect on my ability to concentrate. I'd be failing a course all semester, skipping classes, losing my homework, etc., but then I'd get some "speed" and learn the entire course from the book in a couple of days and ace the final. I was accused of cheating once because professor didn't believe I could have learned so much in such a short period. I was self-medicating, but I didn't know it. There was no such thing as ADD or ADHD in the 60's and 70'. I thought there was something wrong with me and I was wrong to take amphetamines. I couldn't take them all the time; the side effects were extreme. After college, I had to accept mediocrity in almost everything, but I got by. At 50, a shrink finally recognized my ADHD and prescribed Adderall. One of the best days of my life. No more antidepressants, no more confusion and no more procrastination and mediocre achievement. The fog had lifted. My life is so much better in every way. I've learned to accept that where I am today is the culmination of everything I've ever done. I can't regret that because I am happier now than I've ever been. Medical science has saved me. My newfound ability to think and act rationally has made it so I can help others through this sometimes confusing life.
Hide Full Comment

Reviewer: Darby1, 25-34 Female on Treatment for 1 to less than 2 years (Patient)

Comment:
I was misdiagnosed for the first 17 years of my life, I was forced to take antidepressants that scared me and didn't work. I failed at everything. I would have emotional outbursts from being so overwhelmed. I saw so many doctors and counselors I felt like I was broken and no one was able to "fix" me. As I grew up I learned ways to manage my symptoms but it was exhausting. If i was su ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
I was misdiagnosed for the first 17 years of my life, I was forced to take antidepressants that scared me and didn't work. I failed at everything. I would have emotional outbursts from being so overwhelmed. I saw so many doctors and counselors I felt like I was broken and no one was able to "fix" me. As I grew up I learned ways to manage my symptoms but it was exhausting. If i was succeeding at any point it always ended with failure or side tracked resulting in countless unfinished things that made me feel incompetent. "Jack of all trades; master at none". I knew I was capable of so much more but the distractions of hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling everything in my environment all at the same time made me dizzy and I couldn't sort it all out. It wasnt until a little over a year ago I began therapy, seeing a wonderful Psychiatrist who UNDERSTOOD ME! For the first time in my life i was reassured i wasnt alone. Apprehensively I began taking this medicine, it took over 6 months to start feeling in control of my mind, but now I have it figured out. Instead of hearing music, I am listening to the instruments. I can single out the drummer and follow his beats to the end. I am maintaining a high GPA in college, I am organized, efficient and I no longer feel like a crack in the sidewalk of life. I hate that people without a diagnosis, who aren't struggling are abusing this medicine that helps so many people function at high capacity who truly need it! The biggest draw back for me is seeing what I could've done years ago but didn't. I have noticed my heart rate goes up spontaneously which can be scary, but it does pass. I have to learn to give myself credit for my successes, I am not my medication or ADHD but they have both added to the positives of who I am. If you have been struggling, reach out!
Hide Full Comment

Reviewer: thoughts?, 13-18 Male on Treatment for 5 to less than 10 years (Patient)

Comment:
It really helped me when I would take it I would be preforming much better then normal and eliminated all symptoms of my ADHD but it made me feel like I didn't do what I did. As in I would take it and when I would be off it I would feel like there was a completely different person who acted in place of me.

Comment:
It really helped me when I would take it I would be preforming much better then normal and eliminated all symptoms of my ADHD but it made me feel like I didn't do what I did. As in I would take it and when I would be off it I would feel like there was a completely different person who acted in place of me.
Hide Full Comment