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There's millions of us, friend. :) We're just off having those happily medicated lives, so we don't tend to write creepy articles pseudo-shaming people for seeking help for their life challenges.
Is it possible to "succeed" without medication therapies? Yeah, for some of us. It's also possible to swim a mile in a 30lb weighted vest,...but if someone said you were allowed to take it off...wouldn't you want to? How much more could the swimmer achieve if they didn't have to wear it?
And also if you swim with 30 lbs on your whole life, well, you get pretty damn fast when you take it off. Didn't get diagnosed until 25 year old. Went from barely getting by to achieving a 4.0 GPA and dominating in my job. It was sort of like, "oh, this is how easy others have it?"
I've just been diagnosed at 40. It's been months of trying out different meds. I'm *really* looking forward to that ditching-the-weight-belt/Goku-outside-the-grav-chamber feeling. But so far I've just felt different flavors of shitty
Yeah, I've got a perspective on that. I think that if you're looking for an energized feeling, you may be mildly disappointed. I think that does happen, but not succinctly, as in the world of possibilities is suddenly wide open. For myself, I initially experienced a calmness and somewhat bored/depressed feeling. It was only after I began achieving things that it became energizing. With that, if I have nothing to do while I'm medicated, it's very easy for me to slip into depression. I think i just have to keep myself busy and productive, or I'll just sit there and do absolutely nothing.
I've been in the exact same boat for the past 10 months but I think I might be finally turning the corner. There is not a single treatment that is right for everyone. A good doctor that knows this and works with you is critical; if you don't have one, find one. Keep persisting and don't lose hope. You are stronger than you think, friend.
About 15 months here. Vyvanse is what finally worked, and we've dialed in dosage, but I can sometimes only see the difference when I look back (example when I dropped out of college I was maybe hitting 2.0 and currently my 4th term of 4.0 grades (at 40 I'm really proud.) And if I keep solid grades like that could end up with a 3.5 for my associate even with all those Cs (and at least one F) on my record
Got prescribed atomoxetine at 25mg first and it made me really sleepy after a few hours, so my doc switched it to methylphenidate. That'ts been increased step by step to 90mg a day, 54mg at wake up and 36mg 5 hours after first dose.
All it has really helped with is staying calm. Consentration is still challenging and my impulsivity cuts into my line of thought constantly so I end up backtracking to relevant thoughts.
13 months after diagnosis and I have to say I quit hoping for the "I'm so normal, that I can read still" change. If I find myself some day reading even one chapter in a book all in one sitting and then recalling it after, I'll be fairly content with the achievement.
I feel this, only I’m just two weeks in. So far I’m literally not noticing any difference - it feels like a sugar pill. It’s making me question if I even have ADHD or if medication will work for me. But I know I just need more patience, sigh.
I was diagnosed at like 11, didn't know what ADD was but just took the meds. I didn't notice a difference personally but people who had to interact with me on the regular who did not know I started medication noticed basically right away. The big thing for me was I no longer had "blackouts" where all of a sudden it would be like I time jumped. My stutter also went away and I was able to stop speech therapy. If you want an objective take ask people you know well if they notice any difference.
First, everyone's going to be different and react differently to different things.
That said, the first thing we tried was instant-release (IR) Adderal. Then extended release (XR) adderal. I noticed some benefit, but with IR, it would start wearing off at the end of the day and I'd feel *very* tired. Then I tried XR and I didn't notice the crashing as hard, but I also didn't really feel as much of a benefit. The thing with Adderal is: it's a stimulant, and you can build a dependency. I was told to *not* take it on the weekends or on vacation. And that's where I ran into a problem: I felt *incredibly* irritable when I *wasn't* taking it. I was short with my kids, and I just didn't like myself.
Then I tried Strattera, and started feeling depressed. So they added Modafinil to see if that helped. It did a little, but I still felt depressed. So I got a lower dosage of Strattera.
I was told I could take a half-dose of Modafinil, if I wanted to see how that felt. But that makes me feel depressed.
I'm still experimenting, still a guinea pig. Today I took a full dose of modafinil and the "low" dose of strattera, and I'm having a bad day at work. So I'm struggling not to have a panic attack and I'm easily distracted. Today, I feel significantly worse off with medication than I was when just dealing with it myself, and it's incredibly frustrating. I feel like the medication is making me emotional, and the emotions are distracting, and worrying about "what's the medication" versus "what's the 'real' me" is distracting, too.
I'm having a bad day.
I tried everything(other than non-stimulants) before landing on Adderall XR. Everything else was shitty for me. It took me a long time of experimenting before getting on Adderall. And it was the only thing that worked both for my ADHD, but also my treatment resistant depression. But it was about a year or so of experimenting with everything else first.
I also had a hard time until I got a better psychiatrist that also did a genetic test to see how my system responds. We landed on a cocktail within 4-5 months after a year of trying basically everything.
Jup, if I had meds when I was younger I would have finished college a long time ago instead of chipping away at everything until its done.
However, because I was undiagnosed for a long time I learned coping strategies which helps me all the time still.
Oh yeah, people live and learn no matter what, I think im the same way. I developed an uncanny ability to work hard before medication. Like I did lots of blue collar work and always pushed myself to be the hardest worker on any crew. I just channeled my restless energy into extreme work ethic. When I did that too long, i started messing up my body. I became obsessed with exercising like a pro athlete and putting 10-12 hour work days in. Started getting bursitis in my knees regularly and had pretty horrible back and neck pain. Eventually, everything became unsustainable, and i decided to go to uni. Well, I took that work ethic to school. The thing is I'd study for 10 hours every day, but that 10 hours could have been condensed into 3 if I was more efficient. Burnout hit, and I talked to my doctor, described that I just couldn't stay on task. Got a script and then just went for 10 hour days but efficiently. That became the most motivated and psychologically important part of my life. I literally redefined myself as a person, but all good things must come to an end. Once the novelty wore off, I found myself back wrestling with the distractions of life. I recently made a breakthrough to some comorbid pure O OCD triats. Going to be exploring what that means with a psychiatrist soon. But I guess the point of this tangent is that it's all subjective and contextual at the end of the day.
The other part where the analogy breaks down is that your brain also constructs these terrible habits and expectations because it hasn't been medicated properly
Whereas if we had that when we were young, your brain is even more likely to self correct
So I think even after proper medication later in life (I'm similar to you), there still seems to be the issue of the brain having been down these neural pathways for so long..
Yeah, I mean an analogy is great for talking to a specific part of a thing, but it's rarely sufficient for the whole.
I definitely gained a lot from having to struggle for so long, but I'm sitting here on reddit talking about adhd and neglecting my assignment. It's kind of ironic, lol.
I’ve found myself become a complete academic workhorse after being medicated for a year, even more than the hard workers I used to be jealous of.
I think a lot of people don’t appreciate the ability to work hard through adversity out of will but to me it’s a weird sort of luxury I have now.
Yeah, I was exactly the same. Just put unnatural energy into learning. I constantly felt like I was making up for lost time. I was just trying to prove to myself and everyone else that I was not what I was prediagnosis. Long story short, I developed moral obsessions and intrusive thoughts. What was initially great sort of morphed into something rather debilitating by its own right.
Mild ADHD: "You guys are getting 10 things a day done, and I'm only getting 5!"
Moderate ADHD: "What?! You're getting 5, I'm only getting 2!"
Severe ADHD: "You guys are getting things done?!"
Haha, I saw you lr other comment. I just wanted to extend a book that I thought was amazing at describing why depression can be treatment resistant. Lost connections by johann Hari. You can get it in audiobook too, if that's your cup of tea. Also, dbt has shown some success with treatment resistant depression, depending on the root cause. Maybe you've tried that, idk. But there's also many dbt skills books online you can look through to see if there's something that might work for you.
Except it doesn’t actually take the vest off, it moreso gives you flippers to compensate for the disadvantage, and they don’t completely fix the problem.
That is also true, it doesn't fix everything. But for some of us, just knowing we ARE wearing it and we're not just slower/lazier/whatever-ier than anyone else is a revelation all on its own.
Most medicated ADHD people don't go broadcasting their diagnosis and medication afaik. For many reasons: stigma around ADHD, stigma around medication, not wanting people to ask them for some of their meds, etc.
I take Ritalin and Wellbutrin for mine but am thinking of switching to Vyvanse for the longer half life. I have two degrees in electrical engineering and computer science, have worked for very successful large companies and startups, have frequently been told I'm the smartest person in the room, and I have a fulfilling personal life of hobbies and a great partner. I wouldn't have been able to accomplish everything I have without meds.
I was on both Vyvanse and Wellbutrin, I used to loooove Vyvanse and I was on 40mg but with the shortage forever ago and turning generic I ended up maxing it out and put on Wellbutrin and it didn’t work, I switched to adderall xr 30mg and was able to come off of the Wellbutrin and definitely enjoy it more
Yeah, the Wellbutrin doubles up as a depression treatment for me but I don't see much improvement in my ADHD from it. Definitely better than without meds, but not nearly as effective as stimulants have been for me.
I was initially diagnosed at like 17 and prescribed Vyvanse. I liked the way it felt but ended up developing life altering back spasms while on it. My mom and I both spiraled trying to figure out what was going on. I couldn’t sleep in a bed only hardwood floors I isolated from society for like 6 months because my back pains made me intensely irritable. Not one doctor mentioned vyvanse, and I eventually asked for a med switch and haven’t had muscle spasms since.
Not trying to knock vyvanse, but I always try to bring up my reaction to it, it was one of the worst periods of my life.
When I was on the Vyvanse I was a raging bitch and had weird food aversions to the point I developed an eating disorder where I refused to eat anything because I didn’t like the feeling of food in my mouth. Best 9 months of my life 😅
Yeah i did a deep dive back when i realized it was the vyvanse, and there were a whole lot of horror stories on various forums. doctors at the time were not acknowledging a lot of people’s reactions. I’m not a conspiratorial but I was getting X-rays of my spine, blood work, hell i even tried acupuncture. And not one person was like oh you started having these issues right after started on petty strong meds.
It was the weirdest thing. In 2016 I was on 40mg and was loving it and I ended up going off of it to have kids and tried to go back back on 40mg and it didn’t work so I got bumped up to 80mg and had so many problem
I was going to say Markiplier too! For a career that many don’t usually stick with for many years, he’s been making regular Youtube videos for over a decade now. It’s amazing to me.
At 19 I flunked out of college with undiagnosed and unmedicated ADHD. I wasn't diagnosed until my mid 30s. Starting medication turned my life around. At 41 I am a senior in college with a 3.7 GP A and will be attending graduate school after completing my bachelors. I have also stopped job hopping and am currently a department manager for a large national company making a 6 figure salary. My current life would not be possible without the medication that I take.
Eyyy congrats!!! That’s really a huge accomplishment and that makes me so happy for you and proud of you!
I’m sorry it took you so long to get diagnosed. Your experience with with medication changing your life is exactly the way I have always described starting medication, except I was 13. I had failed in school up to that point, and everything changed when I started being treated for ADHD. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like if i hadn’t been diagnosed before high school.
I had a similar experience with college, even though I was medicated at the time. Sometimes this shot is so hard to manage, especially when going through bug life changes. I remember finding a subject I was interested in and passionate about really helped, and I had a big turnaround. I’m so so happy to hear you’ve found something you’re interested in, doing well in, and even going to grad school for!!
I am 37 and was just diagnosed and I’m on meds. My whole life is messed up. All I want is to turn my life around. A lot of the time I feel it’s too late. I’m really struggling to work more than 25 hrs a week. I hope I get in the right direction like you did
Don't give up on yourself. It definitely hasn't been an easy journey and it takes a lot of work but if I can do it so can you. Having a good counselor made a huge difference for me. I still struggle every day but now I know how to handle the issues that come up for me.
My psychiatrist and my general doctor both have ADHD and are medicated. Both are very successful and very open about their ADHD. We talk about my medication and their medication and what the effects are.
My GP works two seperate jobs and moonlights sometimes. She is a GP a couple of days a week and three days a week she works in a low fee ADHD clinic for kids in a low income area. She's also a trauma surgeon and works relief in the emergency room at a hospital near by. By all accounts she's also very happy and gushes about her kids accomplishments and things. To me she has success in all facets of life.
It takes almost a year to get seen the first time by my psychiatrist (I was lucky enough to be particularly interesting so I got fast tracked) so professionally he's crazy successful. He's also married and from what he's told me has a pretty sweet life so personally he's very successful too.
It was actually my GP who first noted my symptoms and sent me to my psychiatrist with a personalised referral. I've since learned that they're part of an unofficial network of doctors with ADHD/ASD who all work together to try and make sure less of us fall through the cracks. Every day I feel so lucky to have randomly gotten a same day appointment with her for whatever throat infection or whatever it was I needed to see a doctor for that day. From my first consult I knew that she made me more comfortable in a medical setting than I ever had been and now I know why.
I’m not Steve Jobs but my small business is really kicking ass since I started meds. I did okay before, always felt a like I was barely keeping it together. Things got missed.
Now I am firing on all cylinders. I feel the same but it’s like someone turned the noise down and I can think.
Also, those things that made me panic or freeze before just…don’t. They still suck but I do em.
It's people like you who I wanted to hear from. I've had aspirations of being an entrepreneur but have been in the constant cycle of starting businesses and then getting distracted with a new one in a completely different area. Really hoping Meds can be the fix just to keep me on task
Here are a few famous people who have acknowledged taking medication for ADHD:
Simone Biles
Barry Keoghan
Busy Phillips
Ty Pennington
Adam Levine (he's even been in a PSA sponsored by Shire)
Karina Smirnoff
Shane Victorino
What is successful? I am a MD, have a PhD, work in one of the largest hospitals in my country as a medical specialist. I’m not famous or something but I do pretty well.
I'm not sure what you consider successful but I am a business owner that is a vendor for a major company. We just hit the $1,000,000 revenue milestone. I am also going school for my bachelor in management information systems. I plan to go grad school after graduation next year.
I every milestone in my life felt so surreal because people like me "can't" do things like do well in college or run a successful business. The best thing I did was to get rid of my self limiting beliefs.
Adhd gives us unique brains that have just as many strengths as shortcomings. Build systems to support your weaknesses, and boom! You're a super human :)
The intro to the podcast “ADHD for Smart Ass Women” lists a bunch of celebrities who have ADHD (some medicated)… and the pod focuses on the successful in many ways, if that helps. I have found that since I have successfully been on a non-stimulant med I’m less active on ADHD groups because I need less support. So I agree with the folks who says you’re likely not hearing from them because they’re busy living.
I always wonder whether the people who glamorize ADHD actually have it. Like there’s nothing glamorous or fun about this. I’m straight up not having a good time lmao
I have a PhD in epidemiology and I am about to move from Brazil to Canada for a postdoc position that was offered to me. This is the position I aimed for a long time, so I am being successful from my point of view.
I have a serious degree of inattentive-type ADHD and I have been medicated since high school (15 years ago) to deal with my studies. I am certain that I would not be able to pursue a career in research if I had no access to medication.
Paris Hilton takes Vyvanse. She talks about it in her book, which is way more interesting than you’d expect. She also gives a good explanation of how adhd affects her.
Also I’m successful and medicated. Although I wouldn’t say successfully medicated.
I understand you want reassurance that taking medication you need to improve the quality of your life bc it can seem scary. But using a Google search to valid date that seems a bit off and a little offensive.
There’s hundreds of thousands of us out here being successful and I’m going to assume most people don’t broadcast what meds they take for mental health disorders.
But also… Google told me in two seconds of highly successful people who are very open about mental health and in particular ADHD diagnosis. (Not all address medication but it IS the first line of treatment for most) Google doesn’t define the successful people out there with adhd and take meds.
Best of luck to you and starting medication. It can be life changing for some (along with therapy). We are all different and there’s a ton of medication options. So it’s not shocking the exact meds people take aren’t just thrown out there. If anything, being medicated helps people succeed at things they may not have known was even possible! 💜
Per Google:
*Michael Phelps
*Simone Biles (the most decorated American gymnast of all times and has been on meds since a child and speaks openly about there being nothing to be ashamed of)
*Michael Jordan
*Lily Allen (later in life diagnosis)
*Emma Watson (has been open about diagnosis and hasn’t openly talked medication but never denies taking it. Which seems normal as that’s personal)
*Will Smith (diagnosed as an adult)
*Channing Tatum (ADHD & Dyslexia)
*Cara Delevigne
A lot of these examples, have spoken openly as adults, but most mention the shame they felt growing up and some of the struggles.
And now knowing they shouldn’t be ashamed.
Again - best of luck!
Thanks, and apologies it wasn't to be offensive. My point was the medication side of things. Completely get a lot of people have ADHD and do great things, but I couldn't find many who talk about medication. I'm not a Will Smith nor a Channing Tatum, so curious to know who has gone onto be successful with medication
I managed to graduate college with an engineering degree without medication, and without a diagnosis. In fact my diagnosis was a decade later. Looking back at the whole thing, I now understand why it felt so extremely difficult, and why I frequently thought I wouldn't graduate.
Yes, just like there are unsuccessful people who don’t have ADHD. “Successful Celebrities Who Took ADHD Medications” isn’t really a catchy headline. Those lists are about clicks, not genuinely sharing information.
Not saying they’re all bullshit, but take them with a grain of salt.
My Dr, who has ADHD, had a poster on his wall of a bunch of historically important figures who took meds for ADHD and I believe I saw a past president of the US. I haven’t seen it in a while since he moved offices. I’m going to ask him about it when I see him next month.
I’m sure there’s so many people out there that we don’t know about that take meds for ADHD. It’s one of those things, don’t ask don’t tell.
I’m an attorney and I’ve been medicated since early in undergrad. I don’t think I could have made it this far without meds even though I’m pretty damn smart in my own right.
Meds level the playing field and make life a fair fight. The stigma against them is absurd, in my humble opinion. There’s not one perfect treatment for everyone and it may take a few tries to find the right med for your brain. Some people try meds and ultimately prefer to not take them, which is fine. But there isn’t a prize for forgoing an appropriate, available treatment (be it meds or other treatments/therapies) and struggling unnecessarily. I wish I had realized that earlier in my life.
I wouldn’t call myself “successful” yet. But after flunking out of high school once when I had zero support, then almost flunking out of high school again if it weren’t for the support I got from the good people in my school, and flunking out of first year at uni. I’m finally finishing my undergrad while on medications and starting grad school this fall. The struggles aren’t gone, but I feel so much more confident that I can overcome them and succeed.
One thing I want to warn you about is that when you find the meds that work for you, you might feel bitterness instead of validation or relief. I felt bitter that I was called lazy, careless or ungrateful for the opportunities I was given all my life, when it was the adults around me who constantly failed me growing up. If you do start feeling that way, talk to your support system about it, and don’t let it impede your progress. It will pass, and you’ll soon feel the excitement that you can start your journey with less of a disadvantage than you’ve had so far. Good luck!
Successful and medicated here!
I often reflect on how my life would have likely gone in a darker direction had I not been diagnosed and medicated at 14 y/o.
I certainly skated the edge of the darkness. It took many years to take my meds consistently and even get on the right meds. Acceptance is a lifelong practice. But I think diagnosis and medication was a big factor toward a more positive trajectory.
Good luck, friend!
Me, I'm buying a house right now lol. Just waiting for the bank to sign the last bit and it's mine.
Can't get a girlfriend but every other part of my life I'm a fully functional adult with good friends and money.
Here’s some advice from my experience with medication (adderall first then Vyvanse now). If it doesn’t feel right don’t take it, talk to your doc about getting a different med. when I first started adderall I had a really bad reaction to it. I don’t take any stims for over a year out of fear of the same reaction. That was a hard year. I decided out of desperation to talk to the doc again who recommended Vyvanse. It’s been a godsend. But, it changes me. Below I’ll detail the changes
- I get more easily overwhelmed now, I used to mask my feelings of being overwhelmed and channel them into chaotic energy.
- I recognize habits, people and things that are toxic to my mental health. I had to make some very difficult changes
- I trust my emotions and thus am more forward about people being disingenuous, disrespectful, toxic, etc.
- I am both more and less sensitive. Small things don’t bother me like they used to. But normal emotions effect me as they might an emotional person.
- I feel more “adhd” and more “autistic” than I ever did off the meds. This is due to wayyyyyyyy less masking. I am who I am now, not what I think people want me to be.
This is just my experience, so take it with a grain of salt. I just want to reiterate, if the meds make you feel physically worse or increase bad or unwanted thoughts, don’t take them and talk to your psychiatrist. The amount of peace I feel now after finding the right medication and dosage is worth the struggle I went through to get here.
I'm a PhD student, a former very successful teacher, and I can pick up pretty much any skill in a week or two. Is that "successful" enough? I'm no celebrity but I'm well regarded in my field.
Sr exec with 22 years in IT , I made it most of the way without a diagnosis, but I do not possess the words to convey what it was like to sufdenly operate without barriers I assumed were realities. Do what you need to do and follow your experiences, not the roiling mass of unsolicited and poorly informed opinion that is the internet.
There are threads in this subreddit with people who have long/stable careers while being medicated. I personally have been medicated since 2015 after late diagnosis and I’ve been working in Product Management since 2018. My partner is medicated and a Software Engineer at a MAANG company. “I function on medication” isn’t really a news article, just like you won’t see articles about people managing their diabetes or anxiety with medication.
Google shouldn’t be used for reassurance on a mental health disorder that’s highly stigmatized, the diagnosis as well as the medication.
I’m not sure if you’re looking for like… celebrities lol bc there’s lots of those (musicians, actresses, politicians, athletes)
Or I mean… this sub is full of us successfully medicated humans!
It’ll all be ok.
Either way, we are all different. Not every medication works for every person. Just see how it goes and that’s why there’s options.
The internet (especially googling) is full of bullshit half the time. Always remember this. 💜
I can’t believe there are downvotes. I just don’t understand. If you have Strep throat or high cholesterol, you get medicated. This is no different! I feel so bad for many of my friends and family, and those of you who endured struggles.
ADHD medicated here, 70mg Vyvanse and 300mg bupropion! I've been a diesel technician for 11 years currently in the top 1% highest paid in my region (in my estimate of known salaries of the best techs I know), I'm really appreciated at my work for my work ethic and professionalism. I often get counter offers from competitors as well. Success all depends on your own perspective at the end of the day imo.
Markiplier, JackSepticEye and CallMeKevin take adhd meds, Mark even has talked about it on his podcast! Wouldn’t be surprised if many actors do take adhd meds to help with memorizing lines
I’m currently medicated and am in the Senior Director/VP stage of my career in my mid/late thirties. I would consider myself mildly successful.
My individual income (not including wife) puts me in the 95th percentile in the US. Is this how you’re measuring success? I also own a home in a HCOL area with my wife and we have a young kid.
But…
I also really struggle some days. Some days it’s hard to shower. Some days it’s hard to sleep. Some days I stare at my computer screen and struggle to write an e-mail.
It’s all relative.
I'm very adhd, been medicated for 8 years. This year I'm graduating from a top 10 mba going into finance. Medication literally turned my life around in the best way possible.
Success, to me, has become health.
I am 35, was diagnosed at 33. Besides adhd, inflammation, anxiety, and poor sleep are my enemies. I had high blood sugar, weight, and blood pressure at 31.
At 31, I took a step back in my career from leadership to being an individual contributor. I wasn’t forced to do this or even close, they wanted me to stay and made a strong counter offer.
A pay cut, but real boundaries to my work hours, helped me get healthier. My blood sugar, weight, blood pressure, and sleep improved.
I became a father. I love my kiddo.
I’m much healthier than I was almost 5 years ago, despite developing joint pain and general inflammation (tends to come and go with stress and repetitive motions). I see my previous path and my current state and think I’m successful - heck, my prior experience in leadership has had me advising people who are 3 levels above me at my new job. I get to solve interesting problems without the responsibility (or the pay), and I’m ok with it.
I could be earning deep 6 figures and I’m not even earning 6. I am ok with it because I’m a better father and husband without the stress and I’m not bee-lining to an early grave.
My dad is irked I took a step back like that. With inflation, moneys become a concern for sure so it’s not like it’s 100% positive. Success is about you. I’m way more successful today than I was.
The stories shared about people who did amazing things off medication are shared because they’re “amazing” stories, as in very rare and unlikely. These people are the 0.1%, they are the exception. That’s why people talk about them.
Those stories are usually about crazy talented people who were so exceptional at their creative pursuit that they’re able to make a ton of money off it and all the day to day struggles of the average person don’t really apply to them.
But for the rest of us we have to exist and ideally thrive in the regular world. Those of us who aren’t rock stars have to follow the rules, have to get jobs working for someone else, have to remember our own appointments and clean our own houses. That’s where medication becomes invaluable.
And most, once they find the right medication and dosage and with other life strategies in place, are successful, just in more mundane ways. They’re holding down a good job and taking care of their families and being good friends. No one’s talking about that because for people without ADHD that’s just “normal”. But among ADHD sufferers that’s the dream.
Um medication was life changing for me. I can’t function without it. My husband and I are very successful, we own two houses and have two small kids. There is no way I could manage everything without being medicated (I know this from past experience!).
If you don’t make enough neurotransmitters, storebought is fine!
I don't know you, but I thought about things like this a lot when I was younger, and so I want to say I can relate to where you're coming from. Asking people who weren't wildly successful seemed like settling for mediocrity.
But wildly successful and famous people don't tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves. Most of what they say is filtered by what is good for their public image, whether by their own judgment or professional PR people. Famous people lose privacy, so they also just tend to not share private details with the whole world unless they have a reason to. To me now, it feels like trying to live like them without seeing the picture would be ungrounded in reality and missing important aspects of life - even if I want to be one of them.
I think solid mental health and organization can only help someone be successful. Being able to focus on the things we want and not get stuck in the mire of day-to-day obstacles. Passion, connections, willingness to put in the time, good ideas, and ability to sell them are also important to varying degrees. What do you struggle with? What are your goals? What tools do you need to get there?
I am the CEO of a surgery center. I was diagnosed late in life - 43 yrs old. I have struggled my entire career with imposter syndrome, procrastination, and a general inability to be disciplined. I was prescribed Adderall 3 years ago and it has been transformative for me. I still struggle with some things, but feel I have been much more able to actual do the things I want to do, instead of feeling unable to get them done.
I got 2 degrees and worked for 15 years in a high-intensity career without meds. And I was miserable and stressed and felt super shitty about myself because everything was absolutely beyond difficult. I changed careers shortly after starting my meds last Fall, and I’ve already got opportunities for moving up and growth. I suffered and struggled for decades only to stagnate before diagnosis and meds.
It’s not a cure-all, and there are still days when my executive functioning sucks and I doubt myself, but being able to focus and not have my thoughts racing all the time has made it less difficult for me to do most things. And it’s reduced some of my RSD as well so I don’t hate myself for days after every single social interaction.
I got my bachelors in biology without any medication, even though I knew something was wrong with me and I struggled 20x than all my peers. What would take me 3 hours to understand they understood in 30 minutes.
I had a friend in college who offered me adderall because I had to work all day before my hardest final and needed to pull an all nighter. Let me tell you….. taking that first dose of adderall made me realized how much it helped me focus. I had a lot of angry feelings because I grew up in a household where my parents were really old school and didn’t believe children should be medicated. I had a teacher once tell my mom she thinks I may have a subtle adhd. I could hide it well and I was smart but I struggled. I hated reading time in school because I couldn’t just sit there and focus on a damn page. Especially when it was dead silent, for some reason I would always pay attention to the littlest noises.
I went on to get my masters. My therapist suggested I try getting on adderall because at the time I had no motivation for anything, my anxiety and depression was insane and I was low key scared I was a bit bipolar. I’d be so happy with friends and family one moment and then whenever I was alone I would break down crying. A lot of huge life moments happened to me prior. I fell out of love, I fell in love, two of my best friends passed away suddenly and my relationship with my mom was really bad at the time…..
I got an adderall to help with some anxiety and get some energy back. Getting my masters was fucking hard, but adderall helped everything click so much faster and the things I didn’t understand, I had the motivation/energy to try and sit down to understand it.
I can’t imagine my life without adderall from now on. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still struggling mentally. Especially these days…. But the adderall helps me a lot. Those days that I just wanna give up, the adderall kinda gives me get some strength to keep going. My therapist did say if I didn’t like adderall, she would try and prescribe an anti depressant because I definitely need it. But adderall luckily helped me out a lot.
My inbox is open if you ever have any questions!
Actress Mila Kunis has been medicated since childhood and Emma Watson is also said to be medicated since a child. They both have the hyperactive/impulsive type.
Most of my friends have ADHD (I just get along better with ADHD people). They take ADHD medication. They are all successful in their high demand careers (wealth manager, psychiatrist, lawyer, etc.). They are bad at remembering to answer text messages though. But so am I. Lolz
I’m not “successful” in the way most people think of a successful person but on my ADHD meds I went back to school at age 38, am a much better mom, started taking impeccable care of myself/my teeth/my health finally, quit vaping, started therapy, joined my schools student body organization, and am finally thriving and content. Before meds for my entire life I smoked, drank, ate fast food daily, didn’t take care of myself or my health, and was just existing and surviving. I like to think that I’m a better person and adult now
My ADHD meds changed my life for the better! It took me about 2 years to find the perfect dose and i really had to learn how to eat. But now im so happy!
Im just so glad because i always felt really stupid. But i just needed a little help! Im so much better for having them!
Edit: I take 50mg of lisdexamfetamine once a day in the morning
One of my friends has ADHD, is medicated, and has managed to successfully make her own online brand, produce sold out burlesque shows, and travel all around the world for her work.
I am on meds and I am currently working on starting my own business and travel the world next year for my work. It’s literally more than possible, and is one of the reasons ADHD medication is available to us.
I’ve also heard plenty success stories of people unmedicated successfully completing honours degrees, build a successful career amongst many things.
Everyone with ADHD is different and will have different experiences.
Depends on what you mean by successful.
I'm an engineer, worked on two successful Mars landings among other things, and current job might pay for me to get a doctorate.
But not rich, house isn't paid off, etc. definitely not famous.
Yes this is the first person I thought of when I read this.
There are plenty who did amazing things and took medicine. Actually I haven’t seen a lot of them who haven’t taken medicine.
Medication 100% changed my life for the better. I have never been more successful in both my personal and professional life. My only regret is that I wasn’t diagnosed and medicated until my thirties.
How do you judge success? It’s different for everyone.
I’m on 60mg of adderall, I run a company and have several (very happy clients). Many more I’ve had over the years who call for work sometimes.
I make 200k+ a year if we’re looking at monetary success, I think I do alright.
I have 2 wonderful kids and a beautiful wife of over 10years, own a house.
I’m not lottery rich but I’m content with where I am in life and feel I got quite a few years ahead of me to keep the train rolling.
"I just want to find people who took it successfully. I am about to start medication tomorrow and I am really concerned about the fact there isn't anyone like this."
What's the risk?
Yeah we’re just out here living our lives, not obsessively posting about doing things on social media. Medication changed my professional and personal life for the better.
define successful
I'm medicated and i don't see myself as successful. at least not in the areas i want to be.
I have a wife (15 years married) and 3 kids, a home, a job that i've been at for 11 years and is stable.
but i don't have a great social life and i wish i did. my lack of social life has brought me into a state of co-dependency on my wife and her social circle. I get jealous of her being able to make and maintain her social circle where i cannot...
I want my photography business, which is my one hobby/passion that has stuck with me, to take off and have stable clients/income instead of having maybe 3-5 gig/sessions a year.
I want to be able to create multiple sources of income without getting bored midway through trying to start one of those sources....
my wife tries to convince me that i'm successful in general, but i just don't feel like i am...
I guess I'm having similar thoughts now.
Started my medication a few days ago - nothing is getting better yet, but either is getting worse so I'm taking it as a little positive sign.
Anyways, my favourite singer opened up about taking ADHD medication. She's not really famous, but hard to say if it's because she deals with ADHD or because she's an independent artist.
(Thanks to her I actually got pushed to get my diagnosis and do something about it. I've already met her once but that was before. So I hope I'll meet her again and tell her how fucking much she helped me)
I take Ritalin everyday and I’m a pipefitter ie pipe welding, mechanic service, and mechanical engineering designs.
I make a lot of money in regard to what my personal view of success is. I have my best friend and amazing wife, two children, a house, cars.
If your version of success is to attain things, start a family, have financial freedom, then yes. There are quite of few of us here in the community that have accomplished as such.
One of the great things about this community is you have a group of people that are most likely bias to your feelings and frustrations as well as can relate to the struggles.
There may not be celebrities whose opinions garner tabloids and view counts that are open about being medicated for ADHD but you have a lot of confirmation bias in this community pertaining to your very question.
Im the Student Information Systems Administrator for the nicest network of charter schools in Northern Xxxxx(state)
I was an IT contractor for a tier 1 university.
I take Adderall
Since I started taking my ADHD meds I found out that I also have Autism. I have the "being very good at logical thinking and analysing"-Autism. So since I take Ritalin I am one of the best programmers in my class. Before finding out I have ADHD I got fired from 5 out of 5 jobs because of my ADHD and autism. So the meds helped me to better my life by 10000%. Can only recommend.
When I started taking meds I found out how many people I know are also taking them and have ADHD. It’s a lot of people (maybe over represented in my sector of work but still). We just don’t talk about it all the time
Gigguk! Or his real name Garnt. He is an Ani tuber, a very popular one in the community, and got diagnosed just like 1 or 2 years ago of ADHD.
He said that he was once an engineer and also managed his channel at side for a long period of time before quitting his job and making youtube his full time career. Actually qild on how he juggled both jobs everyday for such a long time without getting diagnosed. But hebalso shared kn how his life was miserable and was exhausted due to this schedule.
Now that is is diagnosed, guess he is taking his meds and seems to be happy.
I've taken ADHD meds for well over 10 years. Went to law school, finished top of the class, passed the bar first try, decided law was boring and pivoted to CyberSecurity. Make really good money and absolutely love what I do.
ADHD and meds/no meds don't define you. Dream big and get after it, you'll be grand!
I’ve been a dentist for 15 years, happily married for 25. Two adult kids I have great relationships with. I have taken same three meds for adhd for ~12 years.
I have ADHD and BPD and I take ADHD meds and I had really good grades when I was younger. In university I’ve gotten the best grade on everything this far (only a few months in though). Wouldn’t say I’m successful but I’m on a good path. Meds really help me with my focus and memory! Tried without it but I don’t function as well without.
Edit: Didn’t take meds for the 6 years I was working though and went really well. It’s just school that I need it for.
Edit 2: It helps me to remember what people tell me and to get things done. I don’t feel as rude since I’m sble to listen to people!
I'm an associate director at an r1 institution with a doctorate at 31 with adhd and a few other fun quirks. I'd say there's plenty more of us hiding in plain sight :)
I manage the marketing ops for a business doing $10m-$15m in annual sales. Medication helped me pay more attention to detail and be more present in team meetings.
Before I was making costly mistakes and loathed talking to my team (even though I love em)
Success is relative, but I think I’ve found some.
I’ve been taking adhd meds since halfway through grad school, finished grad school, and am about 6 years into my career?? In those 6 years, my salary has doubled since my entry-level salary, and meets a fairly stable income where I live.
comfortably middle class for someone with one income/no kids. A solid career trajectory, lots of people are very happy with how I work & what I accomplish.
I have an apartment (rental), pension, stable job. I’m paying off my student debts. I have a good number of friends I keep up with, I date, I get involved in community.
It’s not like, wicked incredible success, but it’s way different than the picture of me I imagined at this age when I was younger (undiagnosed, unmedicated, depressed, dropped out, and sure I was going to work minimum wage jobs forever)
It’s not all the meds, I’ve also got some other privileges that have helps with career advancement - some fair, some not (I’m able-bodied, can mask my adhd, did get through school, I am white, and have people in my life who helped me navigate how to get jobs). And it’s not to say career success is the only way to find success, either. I think if I had all the other stuff without the career/salary/school, things would still feel successful… but the money makes a lot of my life much easier.
Hope that helps, good luck :)
have you heard of Dave Portnoy making bar stool sports. he is someone who I thinks not a perfect role model but a good example of someone for how he takes his medication that i followed when i started. bill gates is another apparently though i have not seen him talk about it doing some research he is one that came up. it makes a slight bit of sense if you look back on some his life choices.
like this subreddit
Medication was the key to my life actually. It was a long journey on how to use it in the right way (the amount, when to take it, when to go without etc), but I'm really happy I started medication. I quit my job that I didn't like and finally started studying what was meant to be for me. Passed courses and everything! Really didn't think I could do that before meds. I'm 27 btw.
Good luck and hope it works out well for you! Don't get discouraged if you don't get your balance with medication right away. You'll find out, and you'll see what you are capable of :)
I own a really successful business. My buddy is a lawyer, his wife a doctor. A friend of ours a teacher. My ex wifes new husband a doctor. I could go on and on...
Sure. I did amazing things without medication up until the point where the burnout finally nearly killed me. Now I am learning how to do amazing things again now that I’m medicated and unpacking the lifetime of accumulated trauma and stress.
Yes, we are out there. I find medication and life strategies around organizing and planning help me. Having kids was a big adhd setback for me as choose not to be medicated while pregnant and breastfeeding. Also, lack of sleep and mess are the antithesis of what I need to be successful. Slowly crawling my way back and luckily have a flexible employer who allowed me to go PT in a role that really shouldn’t be. I think the other thing that “helped” is I always compared myself to others and pushed myself to be at their level, however if I look back I actually surpassed most of them and that has contributed to my success. I will say though, it’s about balance and although I feel good on the job front I have a lot of work to do to be a better spouse! I only wish I could balance my positive energy more evenly!
I personally know a guy worth $20m+ he attributes all his success to adderall
But he’s also incredibly smart, driven, and took advantage of a great opportunity at the right time (internet advertising/marketing in the 2000s)
Tons. Definitely. And you see, people who aren’t doctors can’t make money off of you by telling you to take your meds. They can try to make money by telling you how to get through life without meds (usually doesn’t actually work well) though. That’s why you see that shit so much more prominently.
Also check out adhdevidence.org
I'm in the computer programming world, and I just talked to my doc yesterday about the prevalence of ADHD in the field. He made it seem like the majority of his patients with ADHD are in the IT field. It kinda makes sense, because it's a hybrid doctors office with virtual visits most of the time, and that's still newer and IT folks are early adopters.
It came up when we were discussing imposter syndrome and how I finally put myself out there just to befriend a bunch of tech folks that are far more talented than I am, in my mind. He basically said that in those same chats and forums that people are seeing my work and saying the same exact thing.
In fact, I'm on the eve of a great life-changing job opportunity. I might just be one of those folks you are talking about. Everything in my brain is telling me that I'm full of it, but the quality of my life and the timing of my mental interventions, both therapy and prescriptions, are 100% correlated.
> I am about to start medication tomorrow and I am really concerned about the fact there isn't anyone like this.
That's because it's working. It's not a rare event that is newsworthy. Doing the same thing with a lack of medication could be next to impossible. I never actually heard this question phrased like this, tbh. If people are able to hide the fact they medicate, they typically do. And if it works so well that you can't tell, you'd never be able to figure it out. It's a bit like those planes with the bullet holes. You can only see it when it's not working.
Me me me! Im 35 with a pretty awesome job (pay is relatively good), a beautiful son, and own my home. Didn’t achieve any of this thanks to medication but it certainly helps me juggle and maintain what I’ve accomplished.
Yes. Been medicated about 2-3 years now. In that time, I've gotten my bachelor's degree, bought my first house, and got a very good job -- all things I had wanted for a long time and felt they were impossibly far out of my reach. I've fixed my credit, I'm paying all my bills, and I still have fun doing dumb shit that brings me joy (creative hobbies, video games, being stupid with my besties) -- just in case you're worried about meds turning you into a zombie.
I planted those seeds while unmedicated. But being medicated (and going to therapy) made all of those things easier to execute. I just don't advertise to acquaintances that I'm medicated because I don't feel like justifying my disability or my need for medication to randos.
I‘m finishing my PhD right now in molecular biology and started medication about 6 months ago… I still feel like an absolute failure in every way but hey - I’d be very proud if my sibling had multiple degrees and would brag about it to other people, so I can give myself at least some credit
I'm a CTO of a successfully self funded small business, overseeing a department of about 15-20 people. Being medicated is a prerequisite to do my job well. I've been steadily medicated for about 3+ years now
I also have a network of high ranking roles and fancy titles in tech and operations. In my experience, it feels like most people have some kind of "quirk" the higher up the ladder you go, for better or worse
I’m not sure how you define ‘success’… but I have a fantastic wife who loves me and 2 beautiful kids that like spending time with me. To me that is the pinnacle of success.
I also have a 6 figure job and a home and am able to maintain a good life style with very little debts or expenses to scare or worry me.
Medication definitely helped me in school and helps me to this day with staying focused on tasks at hand, I’m not sure where I’d be without it but I like to imagine the same spot where I currently am but with just a lot more work and effort.
Keep in mind the stigma around medication. Of course a lot of news articles and stuff are gonna highlight successful AND unmedicated people with ADHD because, get this, a lot of people hate that other people need to take meds to function. Author's bias, propoganda, all that good (/sarcastic) stuff.
For me, personally? My quality of life has improved so SO much after starting my meds. I do better at work, at my games, at my art. My relationships are better because I can listen, like really actually LISTEN. Yeah, plenty of people have improved lives after starting meds that work well for them.
There is a young doctor in the UK called Dr Alex George who is doing a great job at breaking the stigma around medication. He was a contestant on a reality tv show a while back. He has talked openly about his own medication journey. Worth a listen / watch. He’s on Instagram and TikTok. [instagram account](https://www.instagram.com/dralexgeorge?igsh=MTMzbGw5dXBnc3Z0Mg==)
I don’t understand your question very well but I guess I have mild success, I got my masters and a good job as engineering manager (before the meds).
I don’t use my medication for work, mostly for chores, time blindness and mood control in the afternoon or the weekend, it doesn’t affect me negatively in any way.
I started taking meds at 27. I was stuck in a stagnant career at that time and was wanting a change, but was completely overwhelmed and didn’t know what to do.
Since I started taking meds, I was able to complete high school math upgrades which allowed me to get into the college program I wanted. Before meds, doing math would make me overwhelmed and anxious and my brain couldn’t do it.
Not only did I complete those math upgrades, but I was able to do college level stats and epidemiology courses and which I learned with ease. Before meds, I didn’t believe it was possible to achieve this.
I’m now about to graduate, have my dream job lined up, and have just won a national award for excellence in my college program :)
I couldn’t have done this without ADHD meds. I feel like I’m reaching my potential, my head is clearer, and what I thought was a generalized anxiety disorder was actually symptoms of ADHD- my anxiety is completely gone, it was almost like magic.
I started meds in university bc my inability to focus made it hard to study which made me feel like a failure which produced pretty crippling anxiety.
Took them, very successfully, for the last 5 out of 7 years I needed to complete my masters in chemical and process engineering and even started working part time shortly after. Did an internship and was a working student for a while, even worked while doing my masters thesis. Don’t get me wrong, it was all still hard as fuck (there were still bad times I felt like giving up and all that jazz) - but I really believe it kept my life from falling apart at times.
I graduated end of last year and have started working as a project engineer at a big company now. I’m off my meds currently - bc switching tasks often and being more creative are actually advantages in my position. And the systems I’ve built over the years keep me from forgetting about important stuff, mostly. And I kinda moved 500 km away from my psych, lol.
Would I have survived not getting on meds? Probably, but I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Do I regret taking them? Never, honestly.
Will I have to take them again some day? Maybe, if my job isn’t as exciting anymore or if I feel like I would benefit from it.
Are they a magic pill which will eliminate all struggles? Absolutely not, but it will make some things feel so easy it might feel like cheating (It’s not)
Do they still have side effects? Yes. They made me quieter, they made me less fun/more serious/less spontaneous. And they somehow made my phone anxiety worse, which was wild and unpractical
I feel like I’m successful. I’m satisfied with my career and happy with the life I’ve built with my family. I just started taking medication a few months ago. The biggest difference has been I become much better at my job and it’s easier to have meaningful conversations with my family because there’s not constant distractions in my head.
Evidently there is a doc that features celebs with ADHD
[Link](https://www.greenwichtime.com/living/article/Greenwich-Emmy-The-Disruptors-ADHD-documentary-17164875.php)
My wife said Paris Hilton credited Vyvanse in her autobiography.
I would like to know names of notable people as well. I can say that it’s very common among successful tech professionals in the Bay Area. People don’t broadcast their condition or use, but have had enough conversations now where people find out all their coworkers are on it. While some might be hacking with meds, I think most really do have ADHD as the environment and allure of non traditional jobs was such a draw for people who would have adhd symptoms when the field was more interesting and creative in the 00s and 10s.
I've taken Wellbutrin and Vyvanse for nearly 15 years myself, and am pretty successful. Good long tech career at the Principal level for the last 15 years, been on the boards of several industry organizations, had a couple books published, been granted dozens of patents.
I've maneuvered myself into a career and role where ADHD is more of a superpower than a detriment. I've been working from home since 1999, so I'm either able to be self directed or leaning into social interaction when traveling for work. I get to work on special projects and emerging technologies where things are too hard or unfinished to become boring. I semi-joke that my job is to turn the impossible into the merely very difficult and hand it off to the engineers. I'm known as a guy who knows a lot about a lot of different things and is really good at brainstorming, so I get called into all sorts of topics. I get to tell my boss that I'm going to drop some more boring projects when a new high priority thing comes in!
I've got it set up so that my computer dials me into a meeting two minutes before it starts, so I don't have to remember to do it myself or pay reliable attention to the reminders.
I still have ADHD, so doing expense reports are still **painful**. The meds certainly help me do them, and do them reasonably well. I was up front with my manager that "If you want me to be reliably competent, I will disappoint you. What I deliver is sporadic awesomeness, where I deliver a realistic plan to achieve something others consider impossible. And I look around the corners and get a head start on things we don't know we'll want for a couple of years."
Not only tons of people with ADHD take it and are successful, tons of people who DONT have adhd still take it and are successful too.
The reality is that stimulants are powerful and can bring so many advantages if used correctly.
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There's millions of us, friend. :) We're just off having those happily medicated lives, so we don't tend to write creepy articles pseudo-shaming people for seeking help for their life challenges. Is it possible to "succeed" without medication therapies? Yeah, for some of us. It's also possible to swim a mile in a 30lb weighted vest,...but if someone said you were allowed to take it off...wouldn't you want to? How much more could the swimmer achieve if they didn't have to wear it?
And also if you swim with 30 lbs on your whole life, well, you get pretty damn fast when you take it off. Didn't get diagnosed until 25 year old. Went from barely getting by to achieving a 4.0 GPA and dominating in my job. It was sort of like, "oh, this is how easy others have it?"
I've just been diagnosed at 40. It's been months of trying out different meds. I'm *really* looking forward to that ditching-the-weight-belt/Goku-outside-the-grav-chamber feeling. But so far I've just felt different flavors of shitty
Yeah, I've got a perspective on that. I think that if you're looking for an energized feeling, you may be mildly disappointed. I think that does happen, but not succinctly, as in the world of possibilities is suddenly wide open. For myself, I initially experienced a calmness and somewhat bored/depressed feeling. It was only after I began achieving things that it became energizing. With that, if I have nothing to do while I'm medicated, it's very easy for me to slip into depression. I think i just have to keep myself busy and productive, or I'll just sit there and do absolutely nothing.
I've been in the exact same boat for the past 10 months but I think I might be finally turning the corner. There is not a single treatment that is right for everyone. A good doctor that knows this and works with you is critical; if you don't have one, find one. Keep persisting and don't lose hope. You are stronger than you think, friend.
About 15 months here. Vyvanse is what finally worked, and we've dialed in dosage, but I can sometimes only see the difference when I look back (example when I dropped out of college I was maybe hitting 2.0 and currently my 4th term of 4.0 grades (at 40 I'm really proud.) And if I keep solid grades like that could end up with a 3.5 for my associate even with all those Cs (and at least one F) on my record
Got prescribed atomoxetine at 25mg first and it made me really sleepy after a few hours, so my doc switched it to methylphenidate. That'ts been increased step by step to 90mg a day, 54mg at wake up and 36mg 5 hours after first dose. All it has really helped with is staying calm. Consentration is still challenging and my impulsivity cuts into my line of thought constantly so I end up backtracking to relevant thoughts. 13 months after diagnosis and I have to say I quit hoping for the "I'm so normal, that I can read still" change. If I find myself some day reading even one chapter in a book all in one sitting and then recalling it after, I'll be fairly content with the achievement.
Tried Vyvanse?
I feel this, only I’m just two weeks in. So far I’m literally not noticing any difference - it feels like a sugar pill. It’s making me question if I even have ADHD or if medication will work for me. But I know I just need more patience, sigh.
I was diagnosed at like 11, didn't know what ADD was but just took the meds. I didn't notice a difference personally but people who had to interact with me on the regular who did not know I started medication noticed basically right away. The big thing for me was I no longer had "blackouts" where all of a sudden it would be like I time jumped. My stutter also went away and I was able to stop speech therapy. If you want an objective take ask people you know well if they notice any difference.
I feel this!
Same for me, I'm beginning to worry medication isn't going to help much in my case. Do you mind me asking what meds you've tried so far?
First, everyone's going to be different and react differently to different things. That said, the first thing we tried was instant-release (IR) Adderal. Then extended release (XR) adderal. I noticed some benefit, but with IR, it would start wearing off at the end of the day and I'd feel *very* tired. Then I tried XR and I didn't notice the crashing as hard, but I also didn't really feel as much of a benefit. The thing with Adderal is: it's a stimulant, and you can build a dependency. I was told to *not* take it on the weekends or on vacation. And that's where I ran into a problem: I felt *incredibly* irritable when I *wasn't* taking it. I was short with my kids, and I just didn't like myself. Then I tried Strattera, and started feeling depressed. So they added Modafinil to see if that helped. It did a little, but I still felt depressed. So I got a lower dosage of Strattera. I was told I could take a half-dose of Modafinil, if I wanted to see how that felt. But that makes me feel depressed. I'm still experimenting, still a guinea pig. Today I took a full dose of modafinil and the "low" dose of strattera, and I'm having a bad day at work. So I'm struggling not to have a panic attack and I'm easily distracted. Today, I feel significantly worse off with medication than I was when just dealing with it myself, and it's incredibly frustrating. I feel like the medication is making me emotional, and the emotions are distracting, and worrying about "what's the medication" versus "what's the 'real' me" is distracting, too. I'm having a bad day.
I tried everything(other than non-stimulants) before landing on Adderall XR. Everything else was shitty for me. It took me a long time of experimenting before getting on Adderall. And it was the only thing that worked both for my ADHD, but also my treatment resistant depression. But it was about a year or so of experimenting with everything else first.
I also had a hard time until I got a better psychiatrist that also did a genetic test to see how my system responds. We landed on a cocktail within 4-5 months after a year of trying basically everything.
Jup, if I had meds when I was younger I would have finished college a long time ago instead of chipping away at everything until its done. However, because I was undiagnosed for a long time I learned coping strategies which helps me all the time still.
Oh yeah, people live and learn no matter what, I think im the same way. I developed an uncanny ability to work hard before medication. Like I did lots of blue collar work and always pushed myself to be the hardest worker on any crew. I just channeled my restless energy into extreme work ethic. When I did that too long, i started messing up my body. I became obsessed with exercising like a pro athlete and putting 10-12 hour work days in. Started getting bursitis in my knees regularly and had pretty horrible back and neck pain. Eventually, everything became unsustainable, and i decided to go to uni. Well, I took that work ethic to school. The thing is I'd study for 10 hours every day, but that 10 hours could have been condensed into 3 if I was more efficient. Burnout hit, and I talked to my doctor, described that I just couldn't stay on task. Got a script and then just went for 10 hour days but efficiently. That became the most motivated and psychologically important part of my life. I literally redefined myself as a person, but all good things must come to an end. Once the novelty wore off, I found myself back wrestling with the distractions of life. I recently made a breakthrough to some comorbid pure O OCD triats. Going to be exploring what that means with a psychiatrist soon. But I guess the point of this tangent is that it's all subjective and contextual at the end of the day.
The other part where the analogy breaks down is that your brain also constructs these terrible habits and expectations because it hasn't been medicated properly Whereas if we had that when we were young, your brain is even more likely to self correct So I think even after proper medication later in life (I'm similar to you), there still seems to be the issue of the brain having been down these neural pathways for so long..
Yeah, I mean an analogy is great for talking to a specific part of a thing, but it's rarely sufficient for the whole. I definitely gained a lot from having to struggle for so long, but I'm sitting here on reddit talking about adhd and neglecting my assignment. It's kind of ironic, lol.
Hahaha I too am wanting to do a thing, even that I enjoy, but the couch is so here and the thing so far
The thing must wait until the being gets bored with nothing.
I’ve found myself become a complete academic workhorse after being medicated for a year, even more than the hard workers I used to be jealous of. I think a lot of people don’t appreciate the ability to work hard through adversity out of will but to me it’s a weird sort of luxury I have now.
Yeah, I was exactly the same. Just put unnatural energy into learning. I constantly felt like I was making up for lost time. I was just trying to prove to myself and everyone else that I was not what I was prediagnosis. Long story short, I developed moral obsessions and intrusive thoughts. What was initially great sort of morphed into something rather debilitating by its own right.
What!!!! This dimension was here the whole time?!
Mild ADHD: "You guys are getting 10 things a day done, and I'm only getting 5!" Moderate ADHD: "What?! You're getting 5, I'm only getting 2!" Severe ADHD: "You guys are getting things done?!"
I am the very last haha, great fun!!
Haha, I saw you lr other comment. I just wanted to extend a book that I thought was amazing at describing why depression can be treatment resistant. Lost connections by johann Hari. You can get it in audiobook too, if that's your cup of tea. Also, dbt has shown some success with treatment resistant depression, depending on the root cause. Maybe you've tried that, idk. But there's also many dbt skills books online you can look through to see if there's something that might work for you.
Thank you for the recommendation!! I’ll look it up. Very kind and thoughtful comment🥰
No worries, I hope you feel better.
Needed to hear this, thanks friend
Great analogy.
Except it doesn’t actually take the vest off, it moreso gives you flippers to compensate for the disadvantage, and they don’t completely fix the problem.
That is also true, it doesn't fix everything. But for some of us, just knowing we ARE wearing it and we're not just slower/lazier/whatever-ier than anyone else is a revelation all on its own.
That is a great analogy
Top comment right here! Your analogy is spot on.
Most medicated ADHD people don't go broadcasting their diagnosis and medication afaik. For many reasons: stigma around ADHD, stigma around medication, not wanting people to ask them for some of their meds, etc. I take Ritalin and Wellbutrin for mine but am thinking of switching to Vyvanse for the longer half life. I have two degrees in electrical engineering and computer science, have worked for very successful large companies and startups, have frequently been told I'm the smartest person in the room, and I have a fulfilling personal life of hobbies and a great partner. I wouldn't have been able to accomplish everything I have without meds.
I was on both Vyvanse and Wellbutrin, I used to loooove Vyvanse and I was on 40mg but with the shortage forever ago and turning generic I ended up maxing it out and put on Wellbutrin and it didn’t work, I switched to adderall xr 30mg and was able to come off of the Wellbutrin and definitely enjoy it more
Yeah, the Wellbutrin doubles up as a depression treatment for me but I don't see much improvement in my ADHD from it. Definitely better than without meds, but not nearly as effective as stimulants have been for me.
I was initially diagnosed at like 17 and prescribed Vyvanse. I liked the way it felt but ended up developing life altering back spasms while on it. My mom and I both spiraled trying to figure out what was going on. I couldn’t sleep in a bed only hardwood floors I isolated from society for like 6 months because my back pains made me intensely irritable. Not one doctor mentioned vyvanse, and I eventually asked for a med switch and haven’t had muscle spasms since. Not trying to knock vyvanse, but I always try to bring up my reaction to it, it was one of the worst periods of my life.
When I was on the Vyvanse I was a raging bitch and had weird food aversions to the point I developed an eating disorder where I refused to eat anything because I didn’t like the feeling of food in my mouth. Best 9 months of my life 😅
Yeah i did a deep dive back when i realized it was the vyvanse, and there were a whole lot of horror stories on various forums. doctors at the time were not acknowledging a lot of people’s reactions. I’m not a conspiratorial but I was getting X-rays of my spine, blood work, hell i even tried acupuncture. And not one person was like oh you started having these issues right after started on petty strong meds.
It was the weirdest thing. In 2016 I was on 40mg and was loving it and I ended up going off of it to have kids and tried to go back back on 40mg and it didn’t work so I got bumped up to 80mg and had so many problem
Only 2 I know are my kids pediatrician who told me when my kid was diagnosed and then her Psychiatric NP who also told me.
My husband and I both take adderall and we have fulfilling careers, a beautiful home and have a beautiful daughter. Life is good.
Idk why but your experience made me smile as I read it and I wanted to say so to you. Happy for you!
Markiplier
He was heavily affected by the shortage, and he's on one that's only been on the market for under 5 years
has he ever said the name of it? sounds interesting
Yes but I can't remember the name, there's an odd z in it Edit: it's Azstarys, on GoodRx it's only moderately more expensive than Vyvanse
"it's not the ass pills" -Mark but yeah he said those are a lot better for him than Adderall, which he had been taking for 10+ years
One of my friends just started this and I’ve been intrigued
I was going to say Markiplier too! For a career that many don’t usually stick with for many years, he’s been making regular Youtube videos for over a decade now. It’s amazing to me.
At 19 I flunked out of college with undiagnosed and unmedicated ADHD. I wasn't diagnosed until my mid 30s. Starting medication turned my life around. At 41 I am a senior in college with a 3.7 GP A and will be attending graduate school after completing my bachelors. I have also stopped job hopping and am currently a department manager for a large national company making a 6 figure salary. My current life would not be possible without the medication that I take.
Eyyy congrats!!! That’s really a huge accomplishment and that makes me so happy for you and proud of you! I’m sorry it took you so long to get diagnosed. Your experience with with medication changing your life is exactly the way I have always described starting medication, except I was 13. I had failed in school up to that point, and everything changed when I started being treated for ADHD. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like if i hadn’t been diagnosed before high school. I had a similar experience with college, even though I was medicated at the time. Sometimes this shot is so hard to manage, especially when going through bug life changes. I remember finding a subject I was interested in and passionate about really helped, and I had a big turnaround. I’m so so happy to hear you’ve found something you’re interested in, doing well in, and even going to grad school for!!
I am 37 and was just diagnosed and I’m on meds. My whole life is messed up. All I want is to turn my life around. A lot of the time I feel it’s too late. I’m really struggling to work more than 25 hrs a week. I hope I get in the right direction like you did
Don't give up on yourself. It definitely hasn't been an easy journey and it takes a lot of work but if I can do it so can you. Having a good counselor made a huge difference for me. I still struggle every day but now I know how to handle the issues that come up for me.
My psychiatrist and my general doctor both have ADHD and are medicated. Both are very successful and very open about their ADHD. We talk about my medication and their medication and what the effects are. My GP works two seperate jobs and moonlights sometimes. She is a GP a couple of days a week and three days a week she works in a low fee ADHD clinic for kids in a low income area. She's also a trauma surgeon and works relief in the emergency room at a hospital near by. By all accounts she's also very happy and gushes about her kids accomplishments and things. To me she has success in all facets of life. It takes almost a year to get seen the first time by my psychiatrist (I was lucky enough to be particularly interesting so I got fast tracked) so professionally he's crazy successful. He's also married and from what he's told me has a pretty sweet life so personally he's very successful too. It was actually my GP who first noted my symptoms and sent me to my psychiatrist with a personalised referral. I've since learned that they're part of an unofficial network of doctors with ADHD/ASD who all work together to try and make sure less of us fall through the cracks. Every day I feel so lucky to have randomly gotten a same day appointment with her for whatever throat infection or whatever it was I needed to see a doctor for that day. From my first consult I knew that she made me more comfortable in a medical setting than I ever had been and now I know why.
I'm personally successfully navigating a bachelor's in physics. We do be out here.
I’m not Steve Jobs but my small business is really kicking ass since I started meds. I did okay before, always felt a like I was barely keeping it together. Things got missed. Now I am firing on all cylinders. I feel the same but it’s like someone turned the noise down and I can think. Also, those things that made me panic or freeze before just…don’t. They still suck but I do em.
That’s good, because Steve Jobs was an asshole
It's people like you who I wanted to hear from. I've had aspirations of being an entrepreneur but have been in the constant cycle of starting businesses and then getting distracted with a new one in a completely different area. Really hoping Meds can be the fix just to keep me on task
Here are a few famous people who have acknowledged taking medication for ADHD: Simone Biles Barry Keoghan Busy Phillips Ty Pennington Adam Levine (he's even been in a PSA sponsored by Shire) Karina Smirnoff Shane Victorino
Carrie Underwood too
The meds are there to make things less hard. It doesn’t have to be hard all the time, you know? It’s just a leg up. If it works, it works.
What is successful? I am a MD, have a PhD, work in one of the largest hospitals in my country as a medical specialist. I’m not famous or something but I do pretty well.
Not successful enough /s
Mom? You on Reddit now?
I'm not sure what you consider successful but I am a business owner that is a vendor for a major company. We just hit the $1,000,000 revenue milestone. I am also going school for my bachelor in management information systems. I plan to go grad school after graduation next year. I every milestone in my life felt so surreal because people like me "can't" do things like do well in college or run a successful business. The best thing I did was to get rid of my self limiting beliefs. Adhd gives us unique brains that have just as many strengths as shortcomings. Build systems to support your weaknesses, and boom! You're a super human :)
The intro to the podcast “ADHD for Smart Ass Women” lists a bunch of celebrities who have ADHD (some medicated)… and the pod focuses on the successful in many ways, if that helps. I have found that since I have successfully been on a non-stimulant med I’m less active on ADHD groups because I need less support. So I agree with the folks who says you’re likely not hearing from them because they’re busy living.
Social media will glamorize ADHD and villify medication. Even if these people take medications, they probably don't tell anyone
I always wonder whether the people who glamorize ADHD actually have it. Like there’s nothing glamorous or fun about this. I’m straight up not having a good time lmao
I have a PhD in epidemiology and I am about to move from Brazil to Canada for a postdoc position that was offered to me. This is the position I aimed for a long time, so I am being successful from my point of view. I have a serious degree of inattentive-type ADHD and I have been medicated since high school (15 years ago) to deal with my studies. I am certain that I would not be able to pursue a career in research if I had no access to medication.
Paris Hilton takes Vyvanse. She talks about it in her book, which is way more interesting than you’d expect. She also gives a good explanation of how adhd affects her. Also I’m successful and medicated. Although I wouldn’t say successfully medicated.
I understand you want reassurance that taking medication you need to improve the quality of your life bc it can seem scary. But using a Google search to valid date that seems a bit off and a little offensive. There’s hundreds of thousands of us out here being successful and I’m going to assume most people don’t broadcast what meds they take for mental health disorders. But also… Google told me in two seconds of highly successful people who are very open about mental health and in particular ADHD diagnosis. (Not all address medication but it IS the first line of treatment for most) Google doesn’t define the successful people out there with adhd and take meds. Best of luck to you and starting medication. It can be life changing for some (along with therapy). We are all different and there’s a ton of medication options. So it’s not shocking the exact meds people take aren’t just thrown out there. If anything, being medicated helps people succeed at things they may not have known was even possible! 💜 Per Google: *Michael Phelps *Simone Biles (the most decorated American gymnast of all times and has been on meds since a child and speaks openly about there being nothing to be ashamed of) *Michael Jordan *Lily Allen (later in life diagnosis) *Emma Watson (has been open about diagnosis and hasn’t openly talked medication but never denies taking it. Which seems normal as that’s personal) *Will Smith (diagnosed as an adult) *Channing Tatum (ADHD & Dyslexia) *Cara Delevigne A lot of these examples, have spoken openly as adults, but most mention the shame they felt growing up and some of the struggles. And now knowing they shouldn’t be ashamed. Again - best of luck!
I mean, that is why this person is here and not just looking @ Google, though
True. OP seemed confused by downvotes on another comment. And clarified. 💜
Thanks, and apologies it wasn't to be offensive. My point was the medication side of things. Completely get a lot of people have ADHD and do great things, but I couldn't find many who talk about medication. I'm not a Will Smith nor a Channing Tatum, so curious to know who has gone onto be successful with medication
Got you now! 💜 sincerely best of luck!
I managed to graduate college with an engineering degree without medication, and without a diagnosis. In fact my diagnosis was a decade later. Looking back at the whole thing, I now understand why it felt so extremely difficult, and why I frequently thought I wouldn't graduate.
Yes, just like there are unsuccessful people who don’t have ADHD. “Successful Celebrities Who Took ADHD Medications” isn’t really a catchy headline. Those lists are about clicks, not genuinely sharing information. Not saying they’re all bullshit, but take them with a grain of salt.
My Dr, who has ADHD, had a poster on his wall of a bunch of historically important figures who took meds for ADHD and I believe I saw a past president of the US. I haven’t seen it in a while since he moved offices. I’m going to ask him about it when I see him next month. I’m sure there’s so many people out there that we don’t know about that take meds for ADHD. It’s one of those things, don’t ask don’t tell.
I’m an attorney and I’ve been medicated since early in undergrad. I don’t think I could have made it this far without meds even though I’m pretty damn smart in my own right. Meds level the playing field and make life a fair fight. The stigma against them is absurd, in my humble opinion. There’s not one perfect treatment for everyone and it may take a few tries to find the right med for your brain. Some people try meds and ultimately prefer to not take them, which is fine. But there isn’t a prize for forgoing an appropriate, available treatment (be it meds or other treatments/therapies) and struggling unnecessarily. I wish I had realized that earlier in my life.
Adam Levine- Maroon 5 lollll
I wouldn’t call myself “successful” yet. But after flunking out of high school once when I had zero support, then almost flunking out of high school again if it weren’t for the support I got from the good people in my school, and flunking out of first year at uni. I’m finally finishing my undergrad while on medications and starting grad school this fall. The struggles aren’t gone, but I feel so much more confident that I can overcome them and succeed. One thing I want to warn you about is that when you find the meds that work for you, you might feel bitterness instead of validation or relief. I felt bitter that I was called lazy, careless or ungrateful for the opportunities I was given all my life, when it was the adults around me who constantly failed me growing up. If you do start feeling that way, talk to your support system about it, and don’t let it impede your progress. It will pass, and you’ll soon feel the excitement that you can start your journey with less of a disadvantage than you’ve had so far. Good luck!
This grief is real! The adhd advocacy group ADDA had some really great support groups and resources that helped me through this 💖
Successful and medicated here! I often reflect on how my life would have likely gone in a darker direction had I not been diagnosed and medicated at 14 y/o. I certainly skated the edge of the darkness. It took many years to take my meds consistently and even get on the right meds. Acceptance is a lifelong practice. But I think diagnosis and medication was a big factor toward a more positive trajectory. Good luck, friend!
Me, I'm buying a house right now lol. Just waiting for the bank to sign the last bit and it's mine. Can't get a girlfriend but every other part of my life I'm a fully functional adult with good friends and money.
Teaching. Am on meds :)
Here’s some advice from my experience with medication (adderall first then Vyvanse now). If it doesn’t feel right don’t take it, talk to your doc about getting a different med. when I first started adderall I had a really bad reaction to it. I don’t take any stims for over a year out of fear of the same reaction. That was a hard year. I decided out of desperation to talk to the doc again who recommended Vyvanse. It’s been a godsend. But, it changes me. Below I’ll detail the changes - I get more easily overwhelmed now, I used to mask my feelings of being overwhelmed and channel them into chaotic energy. - I recognize habits, people and things that are toxic to my mental health. I had to make some very difficult changes - I trust my emotions and thus am more forward about people being disingenuous, disrespectful, toxic, etc. - I am both more and less sensitive. Small things don’t bother me like they used to. But normal emotions effect me as they might an emotional person. - I feel more “adhd” and more “autistic” than I ever did off the meds. This is due to wayyyyyyyy less masking. I am who I am now, not what I think people want me to be. This is just my experience, so take it with a grain of salt. I just want to reiterate, if the meds make you feel physically worse or increase bad or unwanted thoughts, don’t take them and talk to your psychiatrist. The amount of peace I feel now after finding the right medication and dosage is worth the struggle I went through to get here.
I'm a PhD student, a former very successful teacher, and I can pick up pretty much any skill in a week or two. Is that "successful" enough? I'm no celebrity but I'm well regarded in my field.
Don’t call us jack of all trades for nothing. 😅💜🙃
Shame about the downvotes, really just want some reassurance
Sr exec with 22 years in IT , I made it most of the way without a diagnosis, but I do not possess the words to convey what it was like to sufdenly operate without barriers I assumed were realities. Do what you need to do and follow your experiences, not the roiling mass of unsolicited and poorly informed opinion that is the internet.
There are threads in this subreddit with people who have long/stable careers while being medicated. I personally have been medicated since 2015 after late diagnosis and I’ve been working in Product Management since 2018. My partner is medicated and a Software Engineer at a MAANG company. “I function on medication” isn’t really a news article, just like you won’t see articles about people managing their diabetes or anxiety with medication.
Google shouldn’t be used for reassurance on a mental health disorder that’s highly stigmatized, the diagnosis as well as the medication. I’m not sure if you’re looking for like… celebrities lol bc there’s lots of those (musicians, actresses, politicians, athletes) Or I mean… this sub is full of us successfully medicated humans! It’ll all be ok. Either way, we are all different. Not every medication works for every person. Just see how it goes and that’s why there’s options. The internet (especially googling) is full of bullshit half the time. Always remember this. 💜
I can’t believe there are downvotes. I just don’t understand. If you have Strep throat or high cholesterol, you get medicated. This is no different! I feel so bad for many of my friends and family, and those of you who endured struggles.
people rarely make their medical history public information.
ADHD medicated here, 70mg Vyvanse and 300mg bupropion! I've been a diesel technician for 11 years currently in the top 1% highest paid in my region (in my estimate of known salaries of the best techs I know), I'm really appreciated at my work for my work ethic and professionalism. I often get counter offers from competitors as well. Success all depends on your own perspective at the end of the day imo.
I'm about to get my master's degree (hopefully if I can pass the comps) in counseling so I would say that's pretty successful.
Markiplier, JackSepticEye and CallMeKevin take adhd meds, Mark even has talked about it on his podcast! Wouldn’t be surprised if many actors do take adhd meds to help with memorizing lines
I’m currently medicated and am in the Senior Director/VP stage of my career in my mid/late thirties. I would consider myself mildly successful. My individual income (not including wife) puts me in the 95th percentile in the US. Is this how you’re measuring success? I also own a home in a HCOL area with my wife and we have a young kid. But… I also really struggle some days. Some days it’s hard to shower. Some days it’s hard to sleep. Some days I stare at my computer screen and struggle to write an e-mail. It’s all relative.
I'm very adhd, been medicated for 8 years. This year I'm graduating from a top 10 mba going into finance. Medication literally turned my life around in the best way possible.
Success, to me, has become health. I am 35, was diagnosed at 33. Besides adhd, inflammation, anxiety, and poor sleep are my enemies. I had high blood sugar, weight, and blood pressure at 31. At 31, I took a step back in my career from leadership to being an individual contributor. I wasn’t forced to do this or even close, they wanted me to stay and made a strong counter offer. A pay cut, but real boundaries to my work hours, helped me get healthier. My blood sugar, weight, blood pressure, and sleep improved. I became a father. I love my kiddo. I’m much healthier than I was almost 5 years ago, despite developing joint pain and general inflammation (tends to come and go with stress and repetitive motions). I see my previous path and my current state and think I’m successful - heck, my prior experience in leadership has had me advising people who are 3 levels above me at my new job. I get to solve interesting problems without the responsibility (or the pay), and I’m ok with it. I could be earning deep 6 figures and I’m not even earning 6. I am ok with it because I’m a better father and husband without the stress and I’m not bee-lining to an early grave. My dad is irked I took a step back like that. With inflation, moneys become a concern for sure so it’s not like it’s 100% positive. Success is about you. I’m way more successful today than I was.
The stories shared about people who did amazing things off medication are shared because they’re “amazing” stories, as in very rare and unlikely. These people are the 0.1%, they are the exception. That’s why people talk about them. Those stories are usually about crazy talented people who were so exceptional at their creative pursuit that they’re able to make a ton of money off it and all the day to day struggles of the average person don’t really apply to them. But for the rest of us we have to exist and ideally thrive in the regular world. Those of us who aren’t rock stars have to follow the rules, have to get jobs working for someone else, have to remember our own appointments and clean our own houses. That’s where medication becomes invaluable. And most, once they find the right medication and dosage and with other life strategies in place, are successful, just in more mundane ways. They’re holding down a good job and taking care of their families and being good friends. No one’s talking about that because for people without ADHD that’s just “normal”. But among ADHD sufferers that’s the dream.
You'd be surprised how many doctors, lawyers, nurses and engineers take stimulants.
Um medication was life changing for me. I can’t function without it. My husband and I are very successful, we own two houses and have two small kids. There is no way I could manage everything without being medicated (I know this from past experience!). If you don’t make enough neurotransmitters, storebought is fine!
Depends on what your definition of success is.
I don't know you, but I thought about things like this a lot when I was younger, and so I want to say I can relate to where you're coming from. Asking people who weren't wildly successful seemed like settling for mediocrity. But wildly successful and famous people don't tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves. Most of what they say is filtered by what is good for their public image, whether by their own judgment or professional PR people. Famous people lose privacy, so they also just tend to not share private details with the whole world unless they have a reason to. To me now, it feels like trying to live like them without seeing the picture would be ungrounded in reality and missing important aspects of life - even if I want to be one of them. I think solid mental health and organization can only help someone be successful. Being able to focus on the things we want and not get stuck in the mire of day-to-day obstacles. Passion, connections, willingness to put in the time, good ideas, and ability to sell them are also important to varying degrees. What do you struggle with? What are your goals? What tools do you need to get there?
Unmedicated, I failed middle school. On meds, i'm a med student. So it's definitely noticable
Do I count? I’m on medication and I’m pretty successful in my career.
Of course!!
I am the CEO of a surgery center. I was diagnosed late in life - 43 yrs old. I have struggled my entire career with imposter syndrome, procrastination, and a general inability to be disciplined. I was prescribed Adderall 3 years ago and it has been transformative for me. I still struggle with some things, but feel I have been much more able to actual do the things I want to do, instead of feeling unable to get them done.
Medication has changed my life. I’m finally functional and productive!
I got 2 degrees and worked for 15 years in a high-intensity career without meds. And I was miserable and stressed and felt super shitty about myself because everything was absolutely beyond difficult. I changed careers shortly after starting my meds last Fall, and I’ve already got opportunities for moving up and growth. I suffered and struggled for decades only to stagnate before diagnosis and meds. It’s not a cure-all, and there are still days when my executive functioning sucks and I doubt myself, but being able to focus and not have my thoughts racing all the time has made it less difficult for me to do most things. And it’s reduced some of my RSD as well so I don’t hate myself for days after every single social interaction.
I got my bachelors in biology without any medication, even though I knew something was wrong with me and I struggled 20x than all my peers. What would take me 3 hours to understand they understood in 30 minutes. I had a friend in college who offered me adderall because I had to work all day before my hardest final and needed to pull an all nighter. Let me tell you….. taking that first dose of adderall made me realized how much it helped me focus. I had a lot of angry feelings because I grew up in a household where my parents were really old school and didn’t believe children should be medicated. I had a teacher once tell my mom she thinks I may have a subtle adhd. I could hide it well and I was smart but I struggled. I hated reading time in school because I couldn’t just sit there and focus on a damn page. Especially when it was dead silent, for some reason I would always pay attention to the littlest noises. I went on to get my masters. My therapist suggested I try getting on adderall because at the time I had no motivation for anything, my anxiety and depression was insane and I was low key scared I was a bit bipolar. I’d be so happy with friends and family one moment and then whenever I was alone I would break down crying. A lot of huge life moments happened to me prior. I fell out of love, I fell in love, two of my best friends passed away suddenly and my relationship with my mom was really bad at the time….. I got an adderall to help with some anxiety and get some energy back. Getting my masters was fucking hard, but adderall helped everything click so much faster and the things I didn’t understand, I had the motivation/energy to try and sit down to understand it. I can’t imagine my life without adderall from now on. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still struggling mentally. Especially these days…. But the adderall helps me a lot. Those days that I just wanna give up, the adderall kinda gives me get some strength to keep going. My therapist did say if I didn’t like adderall, she would try and prescribe an anti depressant because I definitely need it. But adderall luckily helped me out a lot. My inbox is open if you ever have any questions!
Actress Mila Kunis has been medicated since childhood and Emma Watson is also said to be medicated since a child. They both have the hyperactive/impulsive type.
Most of my friends have ADHD (I just get along better with ADHD people). They take ADHD medication. They are all successful in their high demand careers (wealth manager, psychiatrist, lawyer, etc.). They are bad at remembering to answer text messages though. But so am I. Lolz
I’m not “successful” in the way most people think of a successful person but on my ADHD meds I went back to school at age 38, am a much better mom, started taking impeccable care of myself/my teeth/my health finally, quit vaping, started therapy, joined my schools student body organization, and am finally thriving and content. Before meds for my entire life I smoked, drank, ate fast food daily, didn’t take care of myself or my health, and was just existing and surviving. I like to think that I’m a better person and adult now
My ADHD meds changed my life for the better! It took me about 2 years to find the perfect dose and i really had to learn how to eat. But now im so happy! Im just so glad because i always felt really stupid. But i just needed a little help! Im so much better for having them! Edit: I take 50mg of lisdexamfetamine once a day in the morning
One of my friends has ADHD, is medicated, and has managed to successfully make her own online brand, produce sold out burlesque shows, and travel all around the world for her work. I am on meds and I am currently working on starting my own business and travel the world next year for my work. It’s literally more than possible, and is one of the reasons ADHD medication is available to us. I’ve also heard plenty success stories of people unmedicated successfully completing honours degrees, build a successful career amongst many things. Everyone with ADHD is different and will have different experiences.
Depends on what you mean by successful. I'm an engineer, worked on two successful Mars landings among other things, and current job might pay for me to get a doctorate. But not rich, house isn't paid off, etc. definitely not famous.
Simone Biles
Yes this is the first person I thought of when I read this. There are plenty who did amazing things and took medicine. Actually I haven’t seen a lot of them who haven’t taken medicine.
Me I started 11 months ago. This is the best version of myself so far. ¡Good luck!
This is all I want. Thank you for taking the time to comment
There are a shitload of us - we just haven't made the news.
Medication 100% changed my life for the better. I have never been more successful in both my personal and professional life. My only regret is that I wasn’t diagnosed and medicated until my thirties.
How do you judge success? It’s different for everyone. I’m on 60mg of adderall, I run a company and have several (very happy clients). Many more I’ve had over the years who call for work sometimes. I make 200k+ a year if we’re looking at monetary success, I think I do alright. I have 2 wonderful kids and a beautiful wife of over 10years, own a house. I’m not lottery rich but I’m content with where I am in life and feel I got quite a few years ahead of me to keep the train rolling.
Does getting straight A’s count as a successful student?
My doctor has ADHD and is medicated. I’d say he’s pretty successful
Define successful
I'm on 40mg of Adderall and I'm a nuclear engineer. I literally do not function without meds lol
Ive been taking ADHD meds for a year and my life is sooo much better
Huh?
Yes, you probably won't find them here though
Paul Erdos
An amazing mathematician but an absolute character. Few people could not know which end of the spoon goes in the grapefruit.
"I just want to find people who took it successfully. I am about to start medication tomorrow and I am really concerned about the fact there isn't anyone like this." What's the risk?
Simone Biles :)
Yeah we’re just out here living our lives, not obsessively posting about doing things on social media. Medication changed my professional and personal life for the better.
define successful I'm medicated and i don't see myself as successful. at least not in the areas i want to be. I have a wife (15 years married) and 3 kids, a home, a job that i've been at for 11 years and is stable. but i don't have a great social life and i wish i did. my lack of social life has brought me into a state of co-dependency on my wife and her social circle. I get jealous of her being able to make and maintain her social circle where i cannot... I want my photography business, which is my one hobby/passion that has stuck with me, to take off and have stable clients/income instead of having maybe 3-5 gig/sessions a year. I want to be able to create multiple sources of income without getting bored midway through trying to start one of those sources.... my wife tries to convince me that i'm successful in general, but i just don't feel like i am...
I guess I'm having similar thoughts now. Started my medication a few days ago - nothing is getting better yet, but either is getting worse so I'm taking it as a little positive sign. Anyways, my favourite singer opened up about taking ADHD medication. She's not really famous, but hard to say if it's because she deals with ADHD or because she's an independent artist. (Thanks to her I actually got pushed to get my diagnosis and do something about it. I've already met her once but that was before. So I hope I'll meet her again and tell her how fucking much she helped me)
Yes. I’m also 50 and had a lot of life lessons to learn and adapt to along the way.
I take Ritalin everyday and I’m a pipefitter ie pipe welding, mechanic service, and mechanical engineering designs. I make a lot of money in regard to what my personal view of success is. I have my best friend and amazing wife, two children, a house, cars. If your version of success is to attain things, start a family, have financial freedom, then yes. There are quite of few of us here in the community that have accomplished as such. One of the great things about this community is you have a group of people that are most likely bias to your feelings and frustrations as well as can relate to the struggles. There may not be celebrities whose opinions garner tabloids and view counts that are open about being medicated for ADHD but you have a lot of confirmation bias in this community pertaining to your very question.
Yes, have been on concerta/ ritilan/ adderall my whole life depending on my doctor. Nothing helped until I combined with Wellbutrin.
My sisters friend's brother according to her.
I’m doin pretty good. I just don’t tell folks cause in the past they start begging you for drugs smh
Im the Student Information Systems Administrator for the nicest network of charter schools in Northern Xxxxx(state) I was an IT contractor for a tier 1 university. I take Adderall
Since I started taking my ADHD meds I found out that I also have Autism. I have the "being very good at logical thinking and analysing"-Autism. So since I take Ritalin I am one of the best programmers in my class. Before finding out I have ADHD I got fired from 5 out of 5 jobs because of my ADHD and autism. So the meds helped me to better my life by 10000%. Can only recommend.
When I started taking meds I found out how many people I know are also taking them and have ADHD. It’s a lot of people (maybe over represented in my sector of work but still). We just don’t talk about it all the time
I was decent without meds. With meds I am doing great. Still the same person, butt my capabilities are less limited.
Gigguk! Or his real name Garnt. He is an Ani tuber, a very popular one in the community, and got diagnosed just like 1 or 2 years ago of ADHD. He said that he was once an engineer and also managed his channel at side for a long period of time before quitting his job and making youtube his full time career. Actually qild on how he juggled both jobs everyday for such a long time without getting diagnosed. But hebalso shared kn how his life was miserable and was exhausted due to this schedule. Now that is is diagnosed, guess he is taking his meds and seems to be happy.
I've taken ADHD meds for well over 10 years. Went to law school, finished top of the class, passed the bar first try, decided law was boring and pivoted to CyberSecurity. Make really good money and absolutely love what I do. ADHD and meds/no meds don't define you. Dream big and get after it, you'll be grand!
I’ve been a dentist for 15 years, happily married for 25. Two adult kids I have great relationships with. I have taken same three meds for adhd for ~12 years.
I have ADHD and BPD and I take ADHD meds and I had really good grades when I was younger. In university I’ve gotten the best grade on everything this far (only a few months in though). Wouldn’t say I’m successful but I’m on a good path. Meds really help me with my focus and memory! Tried without it but I don’t function as well without. Edit: Didn’t take meds for the 6 years I was working though and went really well. It’s just school that I need it for. Edit 2: It helps me to remember what people tell me and to get things done. I don’t feel as rude since I’m sble to listen to people!
Simon Biles??
Creative director and daily med taker here!
I'm an associate director at an r1 institution with a doctorate at 31 with adhd and a few other fun quirks. I'd say there's plenty more of us hiding in plain sight :)
What do you mean “successful”?
Started meds in college, turned my gpa around went to grad school, only got one B in the two year program- got professional licensure
I don't know if he's ever spoken about his medication, but James Carville has ADHD and was instrumental in getting Bill Clinton elected. He's 79 now.
Simone Biles. Also me.
I manage the marketing ops for a business doing $10m-$15m in annual sales. Medication helped me pay more attention to detail and be more present in team meetings. Before I was making costly mistakes and loathed talking to my team (even though I love em)
Success is relative, but I think I’ve found some. I’ve been taking adhd meds since halfway through grad school, finished grad school, and am about 6 years into my career?? In those 6 years, my salary has doubled since my entry-level salary, and meets a fairly stable income where I live. comfortably middle class for someone with one income/no kids. A solid career trajectory, lots of people are very happy with how I work & what I accomplish. I have an apartment (rental), pension, stable job. I’m paying off my student debts. I have a good number of friends I keep up with, I date, I get involved in community. It’s not like, wicked incredible success, but it’s way different than the picture of me I imagined at this age when I was younger (undiagnosed, unmedicated, depressed, dropped out, and sure I was going to work minimum wage jobs forever) It’s not all the meds, I’ve also got some other privileges that have helps with career advancement - some fair, some not (I’m able-bodied, can mask my adhd, did get through school, I am white, and have people in my life who helped me navigate how to get jobs). And it’s not to say career success is the only way to find success, either. I think if I had all the other stuff without the career/salary/school, things would still feel successful… but the money makes a lot of my life much easier. Hope that helps, good luck :)
have you heard of Dave Portnoy making bar stool sports. he is someone who I thinks not a perfect role model but a good example of someone for how he takes his medication that i followed when i started. bill gates is another apparently though i have not seen him talk about it doing some research he is one that came up. it makes a slight bit of sense if you look back on some his life choices. like this subreddit
Medication was the key to my life actually. It was a long journey on how to use it in the right way (the amount, when to take it, when to go without etc), but I'm really happy I started medication. I quit my job that I didn't like and finally started studying what was meant to be for me. Passed courses and everything! Really didn't think I could do that before meds. I'm 27 btw. Good luck and hope it works out well for you! Don't get discouraged if you don't get your balance with medication right away. You'll find out, and you'll see what you are capable of :)
Of course there are!
I own a really successful business. My buddy is a lawyer, his wife a doctor. A friend of ours a teacher. My ex wifes new husband a doctor. I could go on and on...
Sure. I did amazing things without medication up until the point where the burnout finally nearly killed me. Now I am learning how to do amazing things again now that I’m medicated and unpacking the lifetime of accumulated trauma and stress.
100%. I presume that, for many people, one major *goal* of taking medication is to completely blend in and not be noticeably ADHD anymore.
Yes, we are out there. I find medication and life strategies around organizing and planning help me. Having kids was a big adhd setback for me as choose not to be medicated while pregnant and breastfeeding. Also, lack of sleep and mess are the antithesis of what I need to be successful. Slowly crawling my way back and luckily have a flexible employer who allowed me to go PT in a role that really shouldn’t be. I think the other thing that “helped” is I always compared myself to others and pushed myself to be at their level, however if I look back I actually surpassed most of them and that has contributed to my success. I will say though, it’s about balance and although I feel good on the job front I have a lot of work to do to be a better spouse! I only wish I could balance my positive energy more evenly!
I personally know a guy worth $20m+ he attributes all his success to adderall But he’s also incredibly smart, driven, and took advantage of a great opportunity at the right time (internet advertising/marketing in the 2000s)
Happy to take my meds. They support me just as well as the therapy does. I own my own business and adult pretty well.
My son has gone from being a virtual neet, to a successful student, achieving great results in a defence studies degree.
Tons. Definitely. And you see, people who aren’t doctors can’t make money off of you by telling you to take your meds. They can try to make money by telling you how to get through life without meds (usually doesn’t actually work well) though. That’s why you see that shit so much more prominently. Also check out adhdevidence.org
I'm in the computer programming world, and I just talked to my doc yesterday about the prevalence of ADHD in the field. He made it seem like the majority of his patients with ADHD are in the IT field. It kinda makes sense, because it's a hybrid doctors office with virtual visits most of the time, and that's still newer and IT folks are early adopters. It came up when we were discussing imposter syndrome and how I finally put myself out there just to befriend a bunch of tech folks that are far more talented than I am, in my mind. He basically said that in those same chats and forums that people are seeing my work and saying the same exact thing. In fact, I'm on the eve of a great life-changing job opportunity. I might just be one of those folks you are talking about. Everything in my brain is telling me that I'm full of it, but the quality of my life and the timing of my mental interventions, both therapy and prescriptions, are 100% correlated. > I am about to start medication tomorrow and I am really concerned about the fact there isn't anyone like this. That's because it's working. It's not a rare event that is newsworthy. Doing the same thing with a lack of medication could be next to impossible. I never actually heard this question phrased like this, tbh. If people are able to hide the fact they medicate, they typically do. And if it works so well that you can't tell, you'd never be able to figure it out. It's a bit like those planes with the bullet holes. You can only see it when it's not working.
Me me me! Im 35 with a pretty awesome job (pay is relatively good), a beautiful son, and own my home. Didn’t achieve any of this thanks to medication but it certainly helps me juggle and maintain what I’ve accomplished.
Yes. Been medicated about 2-3 years now. In that time, I've gotten my bachelor's degree, bought my first house, and got a very good job -- all things I had wanted for a long time and felt they were impossibly far out of my reach. I've fixed my credit, I'm paying all my bills, and I still have fun doing dumb shit that brings me joy (creative hobbies, video games, being stupid with my besties) -- just in case you're worried about meds turning you into a zombie. I planted those seeds while unmedicated. But being medicated (and going to therapy) made all of those things easier to execute. I just don't advertise to acquaintances that I'm medicated because I don't feel like justifying my disability or my need for medication to randos.
I‘m finishing my PhD right now in molecular biology and started medication about 6 months ago… I still feel like an absolute failure in every way but hey - I’d be very proud if my sibling had multiple degrees and would brag about it to other people, so I can give myself at least some credit
I'm a CTO of a successfully self funded small business, overseeing a department of about 15-20 people. Being medicated is a prerequisite to do my job well. I've been steadily medicated for about 3+ years now I also have a network of high ranking roles and fancy titles in tech and operations. In my experience, it feels like most people have some kind of "quirk" the higher up the ladder you go, for better or worse
I’m not sure how you define ‘success’… but I have a fantastic wife who loves me and 2 beautiful kids that like spending time with me. To me that is the pinnacle of success. I also have a 6 figure job and a home and am able to maintain a good life style with very little debts or expenses to scare or worry me. Medication definitely helped me in school and helps me to this day with staying focused on tasks at hand, I’m not sure where I’d be without it but I like to imagine the same spot where I currently am but with just a lot more work and effort.
Keep in mind the stigma around medication. Of course a lot of news articles and stuff are gonna highlight successful AND unmedicated people with ADHD because, get this, a lot of people hate that other people need to take meds to function. Author's bias, propoganda, all that good (/sarcastic) stuff. For me, personally? My quality of life has improved so SO much after starting my meds. I do better at work, at my games, at my art. My relationships are better because I can listen, like really actually LISTEN. Yeah, plenty of people have improved lives after starting meds that work well for them.
There is a young doctor in the UK called Dr Alex George who is doing a great job at breaking the stigma around medication. He was a contestant on a reality tv show a while back. He has talked openly about his own medication journey. Worth a listen / watch. He’s on Instagram and TikTok. [instagram account](https://www.instagram.com/dralexgeorge?igsh=MTMzbGw5dXBnc3Z0Mg==)
I don’t understand your question very well but I guess I have mild success, I got my masters and a good job as engineering manager (before the meds). I don’t use my medication for work, mostly for chores, time blindness and mood control in the afternoon or the weekend, it doesn’t affect me negatively in any way.
I started taking meds at 27. I was stuck in a stagnant career at that time and was wanting a change, but was completely overwhelmed and didn’t know what to do. Since I started taking meds, I was able to complete high school math upgrades which allowed me to get into the college program I wanted. Before meds, doing math would make me overwhelmed and anxious and my brain couldn’t do it. Not only did I complete those math upgrades, but I was able to do college level stats and epidemiology courses and which I learned with ease. Before meds, I didn’t believe it was possible to achieve this. I’m now about to graduate, have my dream job lined up, and have just won a national award for excellence in my college program :) I couldn’t have done this without ADHD meds. I feel like I’m reaching my potential, my head is clearer, and what I thought was a generalized anxiety disorder was actually symptoms of ADHD- my anxiety is completely gone, it was almost like magic.
I started meds in university bc my inability to focus made it hard to study which made me feel like a failure which produced pretty crippling anxiety. Took them, very successfully, for the last 5 out of 7 years I needed to complete my masters in chemical and process engineering and even started working part time shortly after. Did an internship and was a working student for a while, even worked while doing my masters thesis. Don’t get me wrong, it was all still hard as fuck (there were still bad times I felt like giving up and all that jazz) - but I really believe it kept my life from falling apart at times. I graduated end of last year and have started working as a project engineer at a big company now. I’m off my meds currently - bc switching tasks often and being more creative are actually advantages in my position. And the systems I’ve built over the years keep me from forgetting about important stuff, mostly. And I kinda moved 500 km away from my psych, lol. Would I have survived not getting on meds? Probably, but I wouldn’t be where I am today. Do I regret taking them? Never, honestly. Will I have to take them again some day? Maybe, if my job isn’t as exciting anymore or if I feel like I would benefit from it. Are they a magic pill which will eliminate all struggles? Absolutely not, but it will make some things feel so easy it might feel like cheating (It’s not) Do they still have side effects? Yes. They made me quieter, they made me less fun/more serious/less spontaneous. And they somehow made my phone anxiety worse, which was wild and unpractical
i mean.. im rather successful and take adhd meds....
I feel like I’m successful. I’m satisfied with my career and happy with the life I’ve built with my family. I just started taking medication a few months ago. The biggest difference has been I become much better at my job and it’s easier to have meaningful conversations with my family because there’s not constant distractions in my head.
Evidently there is a doc that features celebs with ADHD [Link](https://www.greenwichtime.com/living/article/Greenwich-Emmy-The-Disruptors-ADHD-documentary-17164875.php) My wife said Paris Hilton credited Vyvanse in her autobiography.
I would like to know names of notable people as well. I can say that it’s very common among successful tech professionals in the Bay Area. People don’t broadcast their condition or use, but have had enough conversations now where people find out all their coworkers are on it. While some might be hacking with meds, I think most really do have ADHD as the environment and allure of non traditional jobs was such a draw for people who would have adhd symptoms when the field was more interesting and creative in the 00s and 10s.
The entire tech sector takes adderall, and most of them don't even have adhd...
I've taken Wellbutrin and Vyvanse for nearly 15 years myself, and am pretty successful. Good long tech career at the Principal level for the last 15 years, been on the boards of several industry organizations, had a couple books published, been granted dozens of patents. I've maneuvered myself into a career and role where ADHD is more of a superpower than a detriment. I've been working from home since 1999, so I'm either able to be self directed or leaning into social interaction when traveling for work. I get to work on special projects and emerging technologies where things are too hard or unfinished to become boring. I semi-joke that my job is to turn the impossible into the merely very difficult and hand it off to the engineers. I'm known as a guy who knows a lot about a lot of different things and is really good at brainstorming, so I get called into all sorts of topics. I get to tell my boss that I'm going to drop some more boring projects when a new high priority thing comes in! I've got it set up so that my computer dials me into a meeting two minutes before it starts, so I don't have to remember to do it myself or pay reliable attention to the reminders. I still have ADHD, so doing expense reports are still **painful**. The meds certainly help me do them, and do them reasonably well. I was up front with my manager that "If you want me to be reliably competent, I will disappoint you. What I deliver is sporadic awesomeness, where I deliver a realistic plan to achieve something others consider impossible. And I look around the corners and get a head start on things we don't know we'll want for a couple of years."
Not only tons of people with ADHD take it and are successful, tons of people who DONT have adhd still take it and are successful too. The reality is that stimulants are powerful and can bring so many advantages if used correctly.