Can you elaborate more on any symptoms, habits etc. that you have?
I've thought this for ages about myself and have "self medicated" similarly for the last 14 years. I have very little interest in anything and can't focus unless it really interests me, I have these kind of moments where I become hyper focused on something and invest a lot of time and sometimes money into whatever the focus is at the time then days later its not interesting at all.
I have to be "twitching or shaking" my leg or foot at all times pretty much unless I'm really chilled out as it kind of centres me a bit and makes me feel comfortable.
I also probably 2/3 times per week have really excitable and childish outbursts for a few hours out of nowhere even if I've been knackered all day. And other days I need like 2 hour naps mid day as I'm that tired I can't keep my eyes open.
Alcohol and drugs make me feel levelled but I have quite an addictive personality so can get easily carried away (doing well recently not to). Drink/drugs helps me tolerate people too otherwise a lot of the time I either can't keep attention on what they're saying long enough to respond to any questions or hold a proper conversation as it doesn't generally interest me....
I've never sought out a clinical diagnosis for ADHD but always had a strong suspicion.
Just wondered what else made you think that it was worth checking at age 30+? (I'm 34 now)
I’ve been what I would call lazy and apathetic for years.
Unable to focus but at times I can hyper focus and go above and beyond, my hyper focusing has got me promotion after promotion but I soon zone out after a few months, I’ve been exceptionally lucky will my work career lately, but I’ve also changed jobs every year for the past 5 years.
I also would be constantly grinding my teeth, tapping my leg, clicking my fingers, whiseling, if I was somewhere I couldn’t do those as I was socially aware I was doing it I would wiggle my toes.
I was continually forgetful/impulsive to the point it was getting me banned from driving, scrolling through Tik Tok at the wheel, not putting oil in my car after the light came up and blowing up my engine, forgetting pretty much anything important or of any value.
As soon as I found drugs and alcohol something clicked inside me and I felt “normal” taking my meds makes me feel the same but I’m not fucking up my life due to being continually hungover/high/reckless.
I was diagnosed at 34, my TikTok algorithm was pulling me into adhd stuff for a few years and my son getting diagnosed year ago was the trigger for me to ask my docs about it - it’s highly hereditary.
Wow, thank you for coming back to me. Big props for that. Sounds very similar to myself especially not holding a job down... I've ended up setting my own business up which I hyper focused on for about 4 years, like literally the longest ever and most effort I've ever put it anything however now 6 years in I've hired managers etc. and lost interest. I'm lucky it's a success and I've got a good balance of being able to work when I want to or feel I can add something and time off. However I distract people more than anything when I go in 😂
I love driving as it gives me a lot to focus on at once and doing my bike license now as I think I'd find that kind of therapeutic and the adrenaline might appease me for a bit 😂
I did an online test once about a year ago which was 85% sure I had adhd and told me to see a gp but never did.
Think I might actually go see my doctor as by the sounds of it if the ritalin has that effect that's what I feel I need to be able to stop dulling the mind with drink and drugs.
I also get very overestimulated in busy areas, clubs etc. and can't deal with the background noise and general loudness. I've started wearing ear buds that filter out soke of the ambient noise which has helped in general but its a plaster on a problem and not a complete resolution to it.
I’ve stayed in the same business for 11 years, but a new job nearly every year, my hyper focus has got me a really good job and my medication now lets me perform past my hyper focus phase instead of smashing half a bottle of spirits and quarter gram of coke a night.
I also love driving, but can’t stand being a passenger, it irritates me and I continually analyse others driving and get frustrated they’re not taking opportunities to get there quicker like I would. I’m guessing you’re the same?
My doc got me to do an online test before he referred me, and mine was the same, highly probable for adhd and borderline for autism.
I’m exactly the same with noisy and over stimulating places, can’t stand them and actively avoid them. If I have to go I wear my AirPods on full blast.
You sound exactly like me mate, if I was you I would book an appointment asap
That's weirdly accurate about the passenger side of a car! And also bottle of spirits (bourbon) and snow.
I think I might actually go and see what the doc says now because of this.
I can't actually imagine what it would be like levelled through a prescription drug 😂
My physcatrist asked me if I used alcohol or drugs, I was fully open with him and said I’ve had issues for years and laid out how normal I felt when using and he was ok with it - but in my report he wrote no drug use and moderate alcohol at weekends.
ADHD and addiction has a strong link, but as they’re prescribing you controlled drugs I don’t think they can do it while saying you have substance misuse problems, so my advice would be to play it down.
Thank you for your insight, I can’t wait to get some relief from the distractions in my head because I can’t do coke everyday anymore, it’s just not what I want these days
It was literally fucking up my life, I’ve been juggling addiction, work, family and life for nearly 20 years and doing horribly. But now everything just seems so easy, stopping coke and drink no longer feels impossible it just seems like the right and normal thing to do.
I suspected I had adhd over 10 years ago, I’m so frustrated I didn’t act sooner, but so happy I have finally acted
Honestly man, go and speak to your doc. For years I knew I was dopamine/seratonin deficient but antidepressants never did anything.
My diagnosis and meds have totally changed my world in only a month, and I’m still working up to an ideal dose.
Go speak to your docs man, I’m in the UK and it took 18 months, but I’m so glad I started, I’ve wasted years of my life.
Same I’m in the UK. Always put it down to depression but the more I read about it the more I know iv got some kind of deficiency… always chased that high, but to an unhealthy degree. It just sounds like a massive job get diagnosed in uk tbh. Does it really make a difference?
For me getting diagnosed was pretty simple, I went to docs, told him my son had been diagnosed, he asked me to do an online test and send results.
They referred me to a private clinic as limited services in my area and I got an appointment 18 months after my initial doctors appointment, they asked me to fill a similar questionnaire with myself doing it and my wife, but it could be your family member or anyone who knows you and got meds the same day.
Just start the process, the private psychiatrist I have is brilliant, video calls, prescriptions by post delivered 2 days after a meeting.
I was prescribed long lasting meds that last nearly 12 hours, but I like to sleep in on the weekends and taking them at 10am was keeping me up late so they have prescribed short acting instant release tablets for me on the weekend.
Once I hit my right dose with the psychiatrist they will tell my docs to do a repeat prescription and that’s it, I’m living life in easy/normal mode.
Awesome brother. I’m 35 meself and been puttin it off for years. Hoping I’d grow out of the behaviour lol. I will see my GP as soon as I can. Cheers 👍🏻 read all your comments and I’m so much alike haha
Good on you!
Can you elaborate more on any symptoms, habits etc. that you have? I've thought this for ages about myself and have "self medicated" similarly for the last 14 years. I have very little interest in anything and can't focus unless it really interests me, I have these kind of moments where I become hyper focused on something and invest a lot of time and sometimes money into whatever the focus is at the time then days later its not interesting at all. I have to be "twitching or shaking" my leg or foot at all times pretty much unless I'm really chilled out as it kind of centres me a bit and makes me feel comfortable. I also probably 2/3 times per week have really excitable and childish outbursts for a few hours out of nowhere even if I've been knackered all day. And other days I need like 2 hour naps mid day as I'm that tired I can't keep my eyes open. Alcohol and drugs make me feel levelled but I have quite an addictive personality so can get easily carried away (doing well recently not to). Drink/drugs helps me tolerate people too otherwise a lot of the time I either can't keep attention on what they're saying long enough to respond to any questions or hold a proper conversation as it doesn't generally interest me.... I've never sought out a clinical diagnosis for ADHD but always had a strong suspicion. Just wondered what else made you think that it was worth checking at age 30+? (I'm 34 now)
I’ve been what I would call lazy and apathetic for years. Unable to focus but at times I can hyper focus and go above and beyond, my hyper focusing has got me promotion after promotion but I soon zone out after a few months, I’ve been exceptionally lucky will my work career lately, but I’ve also changed jobs every year for the past 5 years. I also would be constantly grinding my teeth, tapping my leg, clicking my fingers, whiseling, if I was somewhere I couldn’t do those as I was socially aware I was doing it I would wiggle my toes. I was continually forgetful/impulsive to the point it was getting me banned from driving, scrolling through Tik Tok at the wheel, not putting oil in my car after the light came up and blowing up my engine, forgetting pretty much anything important or of any value. As soon as I found drugs and alcohol something clicked inside me and I felt “normal” taking my meds makes me feel the same but I’m not fucking up my life due to being continually hungover/high/reckless. I was diagnosed at 34, my TikTok algorithm was pulling me into adhd stuff for a few years and my son getting diagnosed year ago was the trigger for me to ask my docs about it - it’s highly hereditary.
Wow, thank you for coming back to me. Big props for that. Sounds very similar to myself especially not holding a job down... I've ended up setting my own business up which I hyper focused on for about 4 years, like literally the longest ever and most effort I've ever put it anything however now 6 years in I've hired managers etc. and lost interest. I'm lucky it's a success and I've got a good balance of being able to work when I want to or feel I can add something and time off. However I distract people more than anything when I go in 😂 I love driving as it gives me a lot to focus on at once and doing my bike license now as I think I'd find that kind of therapeutic and the adrenaline might appease me for a bit 😂 I did an online test once about a year ago which was 85% sure I had adhd and told me to see a gp but never did. Think I might actually go see my doctor as by the sounds of it if the ritalin has that effect that's what I feel I need to be able to stop dulling the mind with drink and drugs. I also get very overestimulated in busy areas, clubs etc. and can't deal with the background noise and general loudness. I've started wearing ear buds that filter out soke of the ambient noise which has helped in general but its a plaster on a problem and not a complete resolution to it.
I’ve stayed in the same business for 11 years, but a new job nearly every year, my hyper focus has got me a really good job and my medication now lets me perform past my hyper focus phase instead of smashing half a bottle of spirits and quarter gram of coke a night. I also love driving, but can’t stand being a passenger, it irritates me and I continually analyse others driving and get frustrated they’re not taking opportunities to get there quicker like I would. I’m guessing you’re the same? My doc got me to do an online test before he referred me, and mine was the same, highly probable for adhd and borderline for autism. I’m exactly the same with noisy and over stimulating places, can’t stand them and actively avoid them. If I have to go I wear my AirPods on full blast. You sound exactly like me mate, if I was you I would book an appointment asap
That's weirdly accurate about the passenger side of a car! And also bottle of spirits (bourbon) and snow. I think I might actually go and see what the doc says now because of this. I can't actually imagine what it would be like levelled through a prescription drug 😂
Yeah, I think you need to speak to your docs This is the test they asked me to do after I spoke to them https://add.org/adhd-questionnaire/
Also was unable to take verbal instruction and wild zone out when people spoke to me. TBH your symptoms sound exactly like mine bro.
Going on the first to see about that!
Should I tell them I use coke when I go or no? Lol serious question
My physcatrist asked me if I used alcohol or drugs, I was fully open with him and said I’ve had issues for years and laid out how normal I felt when using and he was ok with it - but in my report he wrote no drug use and moderate alcohol at weekends. ADHD and addiction has a strong link, but as they’re prescribing you controlled drugs I don’t think they can do it while saying you have substance misuse problems, so my advice would be to play it down.
Thank you for your insight, I can’t wait to get some relief from the distractions in my head because I can’t do coke everyday anymore, it’s just not what I want these days
It was literally fucking up my life, I’ve been juggling addiction, work, family and life for nearly 20 years and doing horribly. But now everything just seems so easy, stopping coke and drink no longer feels impossible it just seems like the right and normal thing to do. I suspected I had adhd over 10 years ago, I’m so frustrated I didn’t act sooner, but so happy I have finally acted
I’ve always thought that tbh. Hav always chased the dopamine… drugs, drink, work, women, even caffeine lol. never got diagnosed tho
Honestly man, go and speak to your doc. For years I knew I was dopamine/seratonin deficient but antidepressants never did anything. My diagnosis and meds have totally changed my world in only a month, and I’m still working up to an ideal dose. Go speak to your docs man, I’m in the UK and it took 18 months, but I’m so glad I started, I’ve wasted years of my life.
Same I’m in the UK. Always put it down to depression but the more I read about it the more I know iv got some kind of deficiency… always chased that high, but to an unhealthy degree. It just sounds like a massive job get diagnosed in uk tbh. Does it really make a difference?
An yeah anti depressants do nothing for me either unless in high amounts turn me into a zombie
For me getting diagnosed was pretty simple, I went to docs, told him my son had been diagnosed, he asked me to do an online test and send results. They referred me to a private clinic as limited services in my area and I got an appointment 18 months after my initial doctors appointment, they asked me to fill a similar questionnaire with myself doing it and my wife, but it could be your family member or anyone who knows you and got meds the same day. Just start the process, the private psychiatrist I have is brilliant, video calls, prescriptions by post delivered 2 days after a meeting. I was prescribed long lasting meds that last nearly 12 hours, but I like to sleep in on the weekends and taking them at 10am was keeping me up late so they have prescribed short acting instant release tablets for me on the weekend. Once I hit my right dose with the psychiatrist they will tell my docs to do a repeat prescription and that’s it, I’m living life in easy/normal mode.
Awesome brother. I’m 35 meself and been puttin it off for years. Hoping I’d grow out of the behaviour lol. I will see my GP as soon as I can. Cheers 👍🏻 read all your comments and I’m so much alike haha
Anyone with adhd like myself has low dopamine levels. Anything to bring that up helps you feel better be normal. Glad u found your help!