ADHD

[HappyMind]

On moments where i need my concentration, then it's as good as always gone, or i can't keep my concentration long enough.

I can't control it.

 

[BrainEater]

well then ... meditate! just ignore the word medititation if you're unfamiliar with it and then just sit down when you have time. and then just watch your thoughts and try to consciously concentrate on anything ... maybe an object... or a thought ... maybe music??? well maybe you could train yourself to be able to concentrate longer or to be able to concentrate at all. if it gets too tiring or it doesn't feel right just take a break or stop.

peace.

 

[Psychoid]

Well now that you talk about meditation... I always had concentration problems, and in the past 6 months it got really better. The only thing I can see changed is I diminished my cannabis use and I started to meditate from time to time. Cannabis is not the main reason I believe,cause I had periods where I started smoking heavily everyday for 1-2 weeks and didn't see a change in my concentration. I believe meditation helped a lot on this.

When I meditate I just lie down or sit comfortably but in a correct position, close my eyes, and at the beginning I just let my thoughts pass by and concentrate on my breathing and then try to completely stop thinking. Once this is done I like to think about important things, I find it easier because I think to only one thing at once, and slowly. If I meditate for more than 30 minutes I find myself to be in a very interesting altered state of consciousness. Silence is the best for meditating, although I like listening to music too, but then it's a bit harder since the music can be distracting. Nowadays I can meditate anywhere, as long as I can have a good position. Even if I'm surrounded by people that talk very loudly, I'm able to ignore it and it just becomes a background sound that I'm not really aware of. Sometimes when I feel my brain is too full of distracting thoughts at the beginning of a class, I meditate for 5 minutes and then I'm clear-headed and have better concentration.

 

[Goran.Hrsak]

LISTEN HappyMind, if your problems involving ADD-ADHD are strong, fuck you up in learning&memory thing use meds. Do not be afraid of Ritalin. But also be afraid if Doc describe you dextroamphetamine (Desoxyn) or methamphetamine (Aderall) cause you will use them more and more, and little fine addiction will emerge! This is why Ritalin is best chose. OK, it is like cocaine with 30% of acting power but stimulating effect will die after 30-40 days. But please do not try to snort or shoot that shit! It fuck you up instantly!
I am saying all this cause I also "drink" Ritalin. 40mg per day. Also if you do not find it helpful stop taking it. But if you have solution for your problem, why do you not try to solve it?

Any questions bout Ritaline, ask me, send PM.

 

[HappyMind]

I will try meditation, but it's hard to to that, because it's very hard for me too concentrate.
It's not as simple as *just doing it* that's simply the problem.
If it was as simple as *just do it*, then i won't have soo much problems because of my lack of concentration :wink:

 

[Psychoid]

You don't need to have good concentration, just let you stream of thoughts pass by, and do your best to keep focussing on your breathing. When you feel really relaxed and when you feel your brain kinda slows down, then you can try emptying your mind. The first times you might feel like you're doing it wrong and have no result at all. Do it for a few minutes every evening just before you sleep, in your bed. With time you are gonna get better.

 

[JustinNed]

I don't meditate often, but when I do I find it is best done after smoking some high quality ganja.
Aderall is amphetamine, not methamphetamines.

 

[Goran.Hrsak]

OK, I am wrong. Desoxyn is methamphetamine and adderall is dextroamphetamine. In my country, Croatia, we do not have such "highly" defined addictive drugs, only prescript for Ritalin which are available only in Slovenia. This is why I do not know much bout names and generic names of meds. (this meds).
Meditation can help you but you will meditate two-three times per day. People doesn't understands what ADHD means! I presume that you are extraordinary in some fields but also bad in others. Ritalin will give you equilibrium peace but also it is going to kill your born given skills!
You need to chose what is better state for u!

 

[Forkbender]

I will try meditation, but it's hard to to that, because it's very hard for me too concentrate.
It's not as simple as *just doing it* that's simply the problem.
If it was as simple as *just do it*, then i won't have soo much problems because of my lack of concentration :wink:

Meditation is not concentration. Try to be aware of everything without making the step to judgment. Meditation is nothing. It is not concentration nor unconcentration. It is precisely being aware of your concentration or lack thereof WITHOUT JUDGMENT

I believe ADD/ADHD are imbalances in the human body and that one always has the ability to rebalance. Maybe you could try some tai chi or kung fu. I do chi kung (which is probably waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too slow for you), but I have noticed a growth in inner peace and self-knowledge/self-control.

 

[spice]

After reading everyones input, I want to try to refine what I said earlier.

Monochromatic Knight- An excellent point, concerning metacognition.

mysticwarrior- yes, it seems to involve a non-linear thought process, or, 'right-brain' type thinking, as you said.

MDA, I feel, would help in the metacognition area......and because it IS an amphetamine, it COULD allow one to focus, depending on prep, and the ever-important set and setting, on important, relevant things, like;

EXACTLY when it started, and the emotional circumstances surrounding the beginnings of it.....what kinds of situations does it happen in, are there classical 'triggers' that seem to set it off, etc

I've been around many people with add/adhd for a long time.

There seems to be an emotional component to it......which is going to BE RELATED to 'the way you think about thoughts' ........ this is essentially the whole 'secret' to re-programming any aspect of your awareness which is not affected by organic imbalance. In other words,
if all that is wrong with you is 'in your head'..... then figuring out 'how you think about thinking' can't do anything but help.

LSD may be of some value. I still intuitively feel MDA may have something to offer.


Have any of you ever watched someone with add/adhd watch a movie or tv show that they were interested in?

I have, several different people. They all show no symptoms if the show was their idea, and was something they were 'into'.

I think there is just a gradient, where some people exhibit these symptoms a lot stronger, and more often than others, and a few may actually have something wrong in the neurotransmitter area such as high or low levels of important chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, etc..

Someone made a point about shamanism and context, and I agree....this is why you need guidance from a different kind of shaman, a 21 st century one, who is familiar with different substances.

It is naive, as well as foolish to believe that a semi-synthetic substance such as MDA or LSD cannot offer one the antennae to tune in to the secret intelligence of our planet.....

I got to watch the development of a person who is said to be add/adhd...... they displayed ZERO symptoms until kindergarten and school began.....~ age 4 or 5.....it is entirely possible that this affliction is an elaborate defense mechanism, unconsciously learned from the environment around them. Remember, learning occurs other than classically, too.....AVOIDANCE is one of the very first things we teach ourselves.

Some have said to me, " well, I think it is hereditary, my dad has it "

OKAY, but did he teach it to you?

 

[Goran.Hrsak]

This is too much! I don't write book! Couple of announcements is enough.

 

[JustinNed]

I think this issue has been pretty well addressed I just wanted to add in that no prescription medication is actually Methamphetamines, I think there is just a language barrier.
Just postin that.

 

[Meduzz]

Ritalin is not an amphetamine, it's methylphenidate

Ritalin is not the answer, and speed definitly isn't...

But it's very the same in (side) effects.

I have experienced both ritalin and speed and they didn't feel alike at all. Methylphenidate in recreational doses tends to get more numbing.

Don't use your "ADHD" as an excuse to take drugs like ritalin and speed, they are BAD.

I stronly oppose to the use of ritalin.

"You have ADHD" means as much as "You don't have the mindset for the system that we use"

But don't worry, we have a pill that will make you a perfect civillian...
:roll:

 

[HappyMind]

"You have ADHD" means as much as "You don't have the mindset for the system that we use"

But don't worry, we have a pill that will make you a perfect civillian...
:roll:

This is my point.
I do want to be able to concentrate on a lot of things in this system.
I do want to follow and successfully end an education.
I do want to have a job.
I don't want to end a lot of things before i finished them.

Look, i start something, with 10000% effort, but the next day or next week my effort turned into -10000000% effort. And i quit with it.
I just can't help it, and i'm really tired of that.

Tomorrow i will start to try alternative ways, like meditation, now i have the time for it.

 

[Adder]

This is my point.
I do want to be able to concentrate on a lot of things in this system.
I do want to follow and successfully end an education.
I do want to have a job.
I don't want to end a lot of things before i finished them.

If you want to concentrate on a lot of things ADHD is just what you need. :lol:

The term "attention deficit" is wrong. What a person with ADD has is really a surplus of attention. You pay attention to EVERYTHING. The problem comes where you pay attention to what you don't want/need to and miss the information that you do need.

I have ADHD also. I had a lot of trouble in school and then was put on ritalin. It helped a lot but at 14 my doctor took me off the ritalin since it was believed at the time that ADHD disappeared at puberty. In reality only about 50% of people with ADHD experience remission at puberty. Of those who still retain symptoms about 50% find they loose the hyperactivity but retain the attention problems. My guess is that almost everyone with ADHD retains it into adulthood but those who seem to experience a remission just learn to deal with it better than others or end up in a career that actually benefits from the ADD.

The medications for ADHD help a lot but they aren't the magical cure. You need to train your mind to sort your attention to what you need to pay attention to.

The best results have usually been found when combining medication and therapy. (Note: I use the term "therapy" in it's widest sense). Meditation is helpful but sometimes the person with ADHD has trouble staying in the meditative mind set. What I find that helps most is activities that require concentration along with movement. Martial arts is good. You get into a state where you are fully concentrating on what you are doing and it involves enough movement that your mind and body are working as one. Tai Chi is also good but more meditative. Another thing that works for me is archery. It's not highly active but the concentration and relaxation combined with repetitive movement also brings the mind and body into a single state. These activities have a lasting effect. You don't need to be doing this constantly to derive benefit but a regular schedule does help.

One thing I would like to point out is that you will never "end" an education. If you do then it won't matter since you will be dead. I think you mean complete a course of instruction which is much different. Personally I didn't learn much in school and what I did was rather traumatic. I've learned however to educate myself. Sure you need the credentials for many careers. That's probably going to be the hardest thing you attempt in life especially with ADHD and maybe medication will be necessary to do so but don't stop learning just because you aren't in a formal school or don't have the medication. School is just a guide and a damned good resource for learning but overall your education is in your own hands whether you have ADHD or not. Learn every day and learn how you learn best and instruct yourself in that manner. As long as you keep the grades up then the formal time in class is secondary.

The job for someone with ADHD is often fraught with difficulty. I forget the book but the explanation I like is the Farmer vs Hunter theory. According to this some jobs are better for farmers and others better for hunters. The person with ADHD is a hunter. They like making quick decisions and a lot of stimulation. I've always found I work best in "crisis mode". When something is wrong I can quickly find the best solution and often it's a creative solution when others are just running around with their hands in the air saying. "Whatta we gonna do?"

On the other hand I'd be little good in a job that requires a long commitment and repetitive every day work without immediate reward. The field I chose is IT work. I find it's easy for me to chase down where a malfunction is in a computer system or network and find a solution for the problem. On the other hand I'm not a coder. I'd go crazy looking through a million lines of code to find the one misplaced decimal point. Again it's "hunter" vs "farmer". Chasing down a malfunction as opposed to weeding a million lines of program code to find a minuscule mistake.

These are only "for instances". What works for you will depend on your own natural abilities and strengths. I've always been good with machines and technical stuff. For the ADDer with a more introspective nature (you know the kid who sits daydreaming) a creative pursuit may be better. Many famous artists have shown symptoms of ADD. One good for instance is Robin Williams. He freely admits to having ADHD and has made a fortune out of it.

So before starting medication look at yourself. Find what you are good at and like to do. Learn the way your personal learning style works and plan a future based on that. If it includes education where you will need to concentrate beyond what is possible without medication then look into the medication but whatever you do don't let one or two obstacles deter you from your future.

Interesting that I chose my screen name for this forum before I saw this post.

 

[mysticwarrior]

It's not a disorder, and i`m sure you can get alot of positive things out of AD(H)D , but it's hard. You need to design a life style, so you can save yourself a lot of problems. Add is having a pentium 4 processor in you mind, with a memory from an old computer from 10 years ago.

But i have found a new therapy for people with ADD, since it's a problem in the brain. You can try neurofeedback, which seems to work fine with people who have ad(h)d. I`m gonna meet a psychiater about these treatment, because it sounds really interesting. First they gonna scan your brain, and after that they can see from the scans the made, which brains are not used correctly. After they know this, they gonna place small electrons on your head where the brains do not function correctly. Then you need to watch to a screen, where you see a movie, but only when you think correctly this movie will play. In these way people seem to have succes after 10 to 20 sessions.

I like this treatment more then spending the rest of my life at ritalin, whiche i believe cannot be that healthy.

You also have biofeedback, which is almost the same therapy, but then they gonna change your diet for a while instead of training your brain with electrons.

Here you have a link on wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurofeedback

And for the dutch people like happymind, here is a dutch website about it: http://www.neurofeedback.nl/

Groetjes,
Mysticwarrior.

 

[BrainEater]

that's some useful replies!!! really good stuff!!

i think you got to find an activity where you can relax and at the same time concentrate, but it maybe should be an activity where there is not all the time needed concentration, instead it is needed when you put it into it.
i mean maybe like building something, where you are on your own and finish using your own speed and you can make breaks whenever you want. it could be sports sure for too or maybe drawing is good.. i have no idea.

peace

 

[Adder]

Quite correct that ADHD isn't a disorder. That's why I like the "hunter/farmer" explanation so much. Some people are farmers and others hunters and their brains are wired for those. In the one that you fit into you are perfectly normal but the problems arise when you need to cross over.

In hunter gatherer societies ADHD is/was (those societies are rapidly disappearing) almost unknown. Not that it isn't present but the lifestyle and mind fit so well that there is no disability. In fact in societies like that the farmer mind is a disability.

Unfortunately our society places a lot of emphasis on the farmer and people with a differently wired mind are at a disadvantage and in some cases medication is the easiest and most direct method but it should never be considered the only solution and some psychiatrists say it should only be used as a last resort and even then only temporarily. Usually however there are few risks to the medication if the proper dosage is used and followed carefully and you have a thorough exam before starting the medication. A normal dose of Ritalin is about the same as a few cups of coffee.

Actually many doctors overdose people with ADHD. They use a saturation model more suitable to patients with an illness where ADHD uses a replacement model where the medication is used to supplement neurotransmitters that are in short supply. That's why it's necessary to find a doctor experienced in treating ADHD. You want the lowest dose that works for you not a dose designed to saturate the body with the chemical.

I've read some info on neurofeedback. So far it's mostly anecdotal so I'm waiting for some more subjective work to be done but it's basically training your brain to work in a different pattern. The only real reservation I have is does this restructure the brain? If so you may loose the advantages associated with ADHD.

I've tried the medication and still use it for some things where I need to concentrate. It only changes the brain temporarily so I can pick and chose when I need it or not.

Some experts have said, "ADHD is just a difference in brain structure and it's often a very gifted brain structure. If you change the brain so you can learn better you loose the gifts". So does neurofeedback change the structure? Nobody knows and I'm not changing my brain until I find out for sure.

 

[HappyMind]

Thanks for the above information.
I will think about some stuff. I reply later.

If you want to concentrate on a lot of things ADHD is just what you need. :lol:

The term "attention deficit" is wrong. What a person with ADD has is really a surplus of attention. You pay attention to EVERYTHING. The problem comes where you pay attention to what you don't want/need to and miss the information that you do need.

Exactly!

 

[silv]

I think this issue has been pretty well addressed I just wanted to add in that no prescription medication is actually Methamphetamines, I think there is just a language barrier.
Just postin that.

Erowid disagrees

http://www.erowid.org/ask/ask.php?ID=2846

Says Desoxyn is in fact methamphetamine?