BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Attention Deficit Disorder Why is taking ADD medicine a struggle?

I have to put my two words in here, living in Sweden in Northern Europe.

First: Europe is a continent with lots of countries with varying cultures, none of them very far from the one in US. Yes, USA is different in a few ways, but not nearly as many as you might think.

As European cultures are different I can only speak for Sweden, and we do medicate both children and adults with ADHD. People react different to drugs, so some use Concerta, others Ritalin and some cope fine with Dopamin or anti-depressants.
Personnally I use a drug that has effects on what in my language is called nor adrenalin.

Developing countries on the other hand usually have to do without, as they don't have the money or the medical expertise to diagnose ADHD.

I agree. My partner is an adult with ADHD and it is apparent that when she is not with her medication her behavior is very inattentive, distracted, and characteristically that of a person with symptomatic ADHD. She was diagnosed by a Psychiatrist about 5 years ago. She says that if she would have been treated much, much sooner in life it is possible she would have done better in school, been able to pay attention to teachers and complete her school work with better success. She is a former teacher who now runs an after-school program at the elementary level. Therefore, she sees firsthand that children of today, many children do show ADHD like behavior. Also, being an adult with ADHD she can identify with them easier. Medication is magic people. Taking medicine is okay. EVERY MEDICATION HAS SIDE EFFECTS, EVERY ONE!!! If you really read the number of people who had shown side effects in the the clinical trials that were conducted are very small in comparison to the people who benefited from them. I have always been a healthy eater, I don't even buy soda, chips or the like...Honestly, most of my foods come from the perimeter of the store where its refrigerated (Non preserved foods, no red meat or pork, no dried meats, you get the point.) It didn't stop her ADHD or my Bipolar disorder or migraines. We both take meds for those conditions and are able to focus, smile and live without throbbing pain. All of those drugs have scary side effect warnings. I also take a stimulant called Vyvanse when I am depressed that is prescribed by my doctor. It is an ADHD "pro-drug" which means that is absorbed in the GI tract and must be swallowed for the paitent to benefit from it. Also, it does not have to build up in your system over time so if you dont like it you can just stop. I know when I take it I can focus and do my tasks much better. I can only imagine an ADHD person and how they must benefit, what a relief that must be! Try to not look at the bad. It is okay if your child has a treatable medical condition. Please dont bombard yourself with too much medical jargon that may or may not be perfectly understood by you, in grounding a decision about your child's health. Be cool about it and open minded is what I would do. Well, good luck to ya! Best wishes. AMW

AMW

Thank you for sharing your words here.

I also take vyvanse and am more productive and focused when I take it and I try to take it daily so my energy is consistent. I also like vyvanse since it is one stimulant you can take later in the day and it does not effect sleeping.

People who do not take medicine to focus do not understand how VAST the difference is on and off medication for someone who is ADD.

Erika Lyn Smith

Ooo! Update Erika, they have switched Michaal from Adderall to Vyvanse, and he seems to be doing very well with it. He is not having as much trouble sleeping as he was with Adderall.

When you find the right medicine it is wonderful isn't it!

Erika Lyn Smith

Im a 54yr old woman who started Menapause 4 yrs ago and seemed to make my ADD much worse,so much so that I did try meds Ritalyn made me feel spacy and Aderal was good untill i started to roll my tongue. I have tried hard to not try meds again, My diet is not bad I stuggle with sugar. I stopped smoking 3yr ago gained 35 lb. Any thing out there about menapause and ADD.

I don't know, I've not read anything on the subject of menopause and ADD, but I'll look around. Now that you mention it, menopause made my ADD worse for awhile. Thanks for suggesting such a useful topic.

By the way, welcome to the forum. It's a pleasure to have such interesting ideas posted.

Doesn't menopause make everything worse for awhile?

I've gotten my very first hot flashes this month. It's kind of amusing.

As they become more persistent, they lose that initial charm. LOL

LOL. I bet. It's a weird sensation.