But I am back!

I have included a link to my blog on Psych Central – Mental Health Discoveries where I am a contributing author.  The link takes you to my most recent post on the subjects ADHD and college students. 

See link below.

 https://blogs.psychcentral.com/discoveries/2018/12/3-truths-on-college-from-my-adhd-brain/

The post New Post on ADHD and College at Psych Central Blog -Mental Health Discoveries appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.

STEP 1:

Day One

At my first appointment, my Psychiatrist discussed the side effects of Adderall.  I almost always read the pamphlets the local pharmacy hands out with prescriptions.  The symptoms of the new med mirrored some of the other medications I was taking.  These are a few of the side effects, you may experience while on Adderall:

• anxiety,
• a headache,
• weakness,
• dizziness,
• a terrible taste in your mouth,
• diarrhea,
• constipation,
• nausea, and
• hair falling out.
• These are not all the side effects known about this medication.

Psychiatrist

STEP 2:

The Pros 

I told my Psychiatrist this stimulant has revolutionized my life!  Once I got the Adderall in my system, the sleeping and the attention issues faded away.  The energy I am experiencing is amazing, too!  However, I did learn that I could not rely solely on this pill that I swallowed every day four times a day.

The Cons

But, everything was not perfect. I had moments when I felt like a zombie.  The old habits came back!   I started again to fall asleep at inappropriate or dangerous times. I knew I needed the Adderall. But something had to change.

This all culminated in a moment of sheer brilliance. Once the Psychiatrist showed me, I realize my poor sleep habits were affecting the drug!  I was not getting enough sleep at night.

• I had to rethink when I took my evening meds.
• Also, I needed to rethink when I should take my new medicine during the day.
• And thirdly, I needed to go to bed much earlier.

Psychiatrist

Affecting My Writing

Likewise, I would get a few minor glitches with the Adderall working on the ADHD. As a person diagnosed with ADD, it is normally strange to have an attention span greater than a gnat.

Weird things began occurring with the new medicine my Psychiatrist prescribed.  For instance, an entire blog of 1,000 words or less took me the entire day and into the evening to write. Before when I was at my best, I could write something much quicker.  Such as, only taking the morning to write a blog.

Psychiatrist

So, I wanted to scream “this is taking me incredibly too long to write anything!”  “I’m wasting time!  I’m wasting money!”

Since I could not stay focused on my work.  I wound up wasting valuable resources by editing my drafts one thousand times too many.  The first draft of a blog is now cut so much that it looks like I’m chopping up a word salad.  I am trashing half of the first draft due to so many words that make no sense.

STEP 3:

My Psychiatrist is Willing to Figure this Out

It sounds as if the Psychiatrist will take each medicine at a time in order to figure out the real problems.  None of the other four previous psychiatrists ever stopped to do that.  I’m thankful for my psychiatrist!

Psychiatrist

Call To Action

If anyone is interested in learning more about what a psychiatrist can do for you, please go to https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/psychologists/reasons-to-choose-an-online-psychiatrist/

Life Conquering and Psych Central (Mental Health Discoveries)

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adderall

http://www.alaskasleep.com/blog/narcolepsy-definition-symptoms-causes-treatment

https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-a-pulmonologist

https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/diagnosing-narcolepsy

http://www.alaskasleep.com/blog/what-is-a-polysomnogram-test

http://www.efpa.be/psychologist-psychiatrist.htm

https://www.rxlist.com/adderall-side-effects-drug-center.htm

Going Further

Mental Illness: Making a Decision, Heads or Tails

ADHD in Adults – The Truth behind the Mystery

The post 3 Steps a Psychiatrist Can Take to Help You Discover Which Meds are Best appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.

ADHD Symptoms

ADHD is a tough disorder to deal with as a kid as well as an adult.  If you are an adult with ADHD who has been recently diagnosed, you need to find a therapist ASAP.  See the link above to obtain more information.

This mental illness is not the same for everybody who has it.  However, there are some symptoms which overlap and mirror other symptoms.  Here is an abbreviated list of the symptoms you may encounter.  If you are not touched by the disorder yourself, here are some signs so you may help a loved one or a friend.

• Unable to concentrate
• Unable to pay attention
• Difficulty getting organized
• Inability to plan
• Difficulty solving problems
• Inability to control your own emotions

ADHD – organized

I HATE ADHD!

I had no idea I had ADHD until my psychologist brought it up.  Apparently the complaints I had like: unable to plan; lack of concentration; paying attention; and the inability to solve problems were sure signs of this disorder; as well as not capable of reading a book or watch TV.  I was a walking advertisement for Adult ADHD.

For me, concentrating is one of the hardest skills to do with this mental illness.  The lack of concentration crept up on me when I worked  desk jobs and now as a writer.  The inability to pay attention has many similarities to that of concentrating.  It does not matter the activity.  I can talk on the phone, work on the computer or talk to someone face to face, I go space cadet or fall asleep.

The importance of a therapist

Adults with ADHD find it extremely difficult to stay awake, alert, sufficiently aroused and activated to continue their concentration when things are not interesting or no immediate excitement or payoff.  This in turns causes them not to pay attention.  Having these brain issues that might slow you down at home or at work, your therapist will be able to give you coping skills to compensate for the loss of focus or concentration and the inability to stay organized.  In order to find a therapist near you, go to the link above, and take a look around on their website for information.

ADHD – alertness

Organization

The difficulty to organize is liken to climbing Mt. Everest with a goat on your back. It can be done, you just have to work above and beyond to achieve your goals.  Try to see your therapist as your trainer/coach for the climb.  He or she will give you ideas to respond when the ADHD gets out of control or tries to take over.

When I was a teacher to middle school students, I was the Queen of Organization.  Nobody could beat me in the organization relay race among the teachers and staff.  Toward the end of my career, though, as a teacher I started losing that organization relay race as the ADHD grew and developed in my brain..

ADHD

Where do you turn?

Like I said at the beginning, having ADHD is really, really hard.  Many times family and friends cannot understand or grapple with the ADHD you are experiencing.  If you have a mental illness, such as ADHD you need professional help  With my mental illness, I try to go to Jesus first for help and comfort.  He sticks closer than a brother.  He will never leave me nor forsake me.  If he doesn’t take the symptom away, He will walk with me through it, never letting go of my hand.

You could also go to your therapist  If you need help finding a local therapist, go to the link at the top of this page.  Sometimes when my ADHD ramps up, I believe it is time to see my psychiatrist and let him adjust my meds.

Comments

Please post comments in the section below or email me at: [email protected].  I would love to know what your experiences have been with Adult ADHD.  And how you were able to cope.

References

“Taking Charge of Adult ADHD” by Russell A. Barkley, PhD with Christine M. Benton

Going Further

https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-adults#1

https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/10-symptoms-adult-adhd#1

https://www.additudemag.com/adult-test-for-add-adhd/

Life Conquering and Psych Central (Mental Health Discoveries)

The post ADHD in Adults – How do I find a therapist near me? appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.

When I first started, the side effects were few if any.  Many of the items on the list were symptoms I have with my other medications and from the illness itself.  For instance these are a few of the side effects you might experience while on Adderall: anxiety, headache; weakness, dizziness, a terrible taste in your mouth, diarrhea, constipation, nausea and hair falling out.  This list is just the tip of the ice burg.

This stimulant has revolutionized my life.  Between the narcolepsy, AD/HD and the bipolar, I was going out of my mind mad!  Once I got the Adderall in my system, the sleeping and the attention issues faded away.  My energy can be amazing, too!  However, I did learn that I could not rely solely on the pill I swallowed everyday four times a day.

I had moments when I was like a zombie.  I started again to fall asleep at inappropriate or dangerous times. I knew I needed the Adderall and understood that the medicine and my behavior should work together for optimal satisfaction.  This culminated to shine a light on my poor sleep hygiene habits.  The medicine’s poor performance  pointed to the facts that I was not getting enough sleep at night.  And I might need to rethink when I should take my medicine during the day.

Likewise, I would get a few minor glitches with the AD/HD.  As an example, not being able to have an attention span greater than a gnat.  I want to scream “this is taking me increasingly more time to write anything!”  I cannot stay focused and the results are cutting about half of the first draft because I have so much crap in the article/post that it makes no sense.

Writing and editing is getting more and more difficult to do

For me to be a successful writer, I need to be awake, focused and have my whits about me.  When I write,  I do so with as much time that I can to squeeze every second out of the day.

For me, the outside distractions are minimal. It is my internal distractions that wreak havoc on my writing.  I may have a sick dog and another dog to tend to.  Laundry.  Phone calls.  Then the bipolar and the other mental health issues that come along for a ride are ready to muck up the waters.

Then it starts.  I have brain freeze, next a starring contest with my monitor, I can’t figure out a title or the subject, don’t forget wasting time on writing something that does not fit in the first place, I lose interest once I get frustrated and I am not being productive, forgetting that one word that would be perfect, and…inability to spell.  YES! SPELL!  Then I look at the clock and I react:

“Now it is quarter-to-one?!” 

“All I want to do is take a nap.” 

adderall

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adderall

http://www.alaskasleep.com/blog/narcolepsy-definition-symptoms-causes-treatment

https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-a-pulmonologist

https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/diagnosing-narcolepsy

http://www.alaskasleep.com/blog/what-is-a-polysomnogram-test

http://www.efpa.be/psychologist-psychiatrist.htm

https://www.rxlist.com/adderall-side-effects-drug-center.htm

Going Further

Mental Illness: Making a Decision, Heads or Tails

ADHD in Adults – The Truth behind the Mystery

The post Adderall Review appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.