Posted by Viridis on June 5, 2003, at 2:53:29
In reply to am i ADD or just a big loser? » froggyanna, posted by bookgurl99 on June 5, 2003, at 1:45:29
You shouldn't be afraid to try meds for ADD -- I had the same mindset initially, but drugs (in my case Adderall, at a very low dose) really can help. I don't see it as "cheating", any more than taking a cholesterol-lowering drug is "cheating" if you have a good diet, yet are genetically predisposed to high cholesterol levels.
Of course, the other school of thought is that ADD (unless very severe) should be thought of as "attention difference disorder" -- i.e., a different way of looking at the world. I often wonder whether, if I didn't have such a detail-oriented job (I'm a research scientist), my somewhat nonlinear, often tangential, but sometimes insightful thinking would be an impediment. In many ways, it could be a plus in certain occupations.
I bounced this off my pdoc and he agreed that my ADD could well be context-dependent. He said that all he can do is provide appropriate pharmacological care for me according to the way in which I respond to my my current situation, which is fair enough. And for my life as it is, the meds definitely improve things, with essentially no side effects. A bonus is that Adderall has a strong antidepressant effect for me, whereas I can't tolerate "standard" ADs like SSRIs at all. My doc is also pleased with this, and well aware of the AD effects of stimulants -- he's just limited in his ability to prescribe them for depression alone, given the bureaucracy involved.
BTW, I am the classic "absent-minded professor" (quite literally), so I can totally relate.
poster:Viridis
thread:231443
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030604/msgs/231562.html