Posted by shellie on July 14, 2000, at 20:26:17
In reply to Ritalin augmentation Shellie LONG RESPONSE!, posted by Libby on July 14, 2000, at 13:19:47
Hi Libby, I had followed your thread on the board about ritalin working--it worked so fast for you--and everything became so obvious. That is really great--it was like an amazing story.So far, I feel nothing from the ritalin-day 2, 10mg. I was very depressed this afternoon and wondered if the ritalin was making me worse. I don't know how long it takes to kick in for depression, if it's going to kick in.
It's interesting. I could tell the same story as you about losing keys and getting locked out of my car and totally freaking out. But I look at it through dissociation. When things happen and I get overwhelmed, kids inside start freaking out. They have different voices than me--well they sound like their age-- 3 1/2 to 10. They have been discribed as both ego states and alters; I am totally co-conscious with them, so that is why it is a judgment call.
And that's why I don't think I'm ADD, although my last therapist was sure I am (as well as dissociative). When I had to get my car fixed, both body work and brakes at two different places and rent a car, I just kept pushing it out of my mind, because it felt too confusing. Finally I broke it down into steps--- rent car, take car to brake place, bodywork place picks up car from brake place, etc., and then I was able to get it done, and it was actually quite simple. I feel like all my energy has to go into my work, because I am so easily distractable and so easily overwhelmed.
If my first two days of ritalin are any indication, I am not ADD, because I felt no difference. I was sent for testing from my pdoc, but it was very different than yours, no test on a stimulant. Mostly I had a huge scatter--I have no memory for names, or names of things, and I could not remember anything about a random drawing I had copied. But in other tests, I score very very high. The pscyhologist wrote up that the high scatter was due to test anxiety. That was really lame, since I have the same problem with what things are called, even when I'm by myself. She said she couldn't evaluate the ADD because I remember so little about my childhood.
Anyway, so far, I've been disappointed in stimulants--and I'm getting impatient. I like my pdoc a lot, but sometimes I'd just as well take over the whole process by myself, so it would go faster.
btw, did your pdoc ever apologize to you for his misdiagnosis? If you're still working, have you noticed the dramatic change with ritalin that you have a home? shellie
poster:shellie
thread:40375
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000708/msgs/40467.html