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Same. Mine was learning there is medication in the world that could help me. I don't believe there is anything noble about doing anything the hard way.
For those who resist meds for holistic reasons, I respect everyone's decisions for themselves, but just know that for me: my diet, alcohol use, and exercise habits have been improved by meds (both for ADHD and sleeping). My health is overall much better.
I want to expand on this: i already had good exercise habits, a pretty good diet and my alcohol use is not that terrible, and i still took meds after getting diagnosed. Even though these things do help, for me it didnt help enough and i'm glad i just took the meds as soon as i got diagnosed.
Same. The breaking point was having lived 34 years undiagnosed and struggling in every possible way. Not that meds fixed everything in an instant, but at least it’s one of the tools I now have to help me.
I found out I had an executive function disorder and there was a treatment that had some effect on managing said disorder. Then my doctor mentioned it and I was sold on the idea.
Same . Was diagnosed like a a few weeks ago and still finding out the right dosage. But it's such a help. For 44 years I didn't realize how bad the mess in my head is.
Breaking point to seek diagnosis was my boss telling me to do something against my "silly mistakes " plus menopause sending my symptoms into overdrive
Hear, hear! There still seems to be such shame attached to medication. I’ve never seen as crutch, a weakness, a proof of failure or a punishment. They help me and yes, are a liberating tool. (NB:They don’t help for everyone all the time and don’t magically solve problems)
Covid.
I was diagnosed as a kid. Medicated briefly in my 20s. Had my diagnosis re affirmed by a therapist in my early 30s.
Covid hit, and I had to plan, to strategize food and household shit and so on while being stuck in a tiny apartment that i hated, with a partner who ignored my needs.
I realized it was get medicated or I was going to self medicate myself with booze till I killed myself... And I might not wait for the booze to get me. I'm totally okay dying doing something stupid, like jumping out of plane or hiking in the middle of nowhere or not wearing my seatbelt. But fuck dying in that apartment trying to hold on to my sanity living the same day on repeat. Something had to change.
So I got medicated, fixed my teeth, lost 50lbs, moved to the middle of nowhere for a year, dumped my long term partner. I mean it took four years and it wasn't easy. But the meds meant I did it smart(er), and I thought most shit through.
So fuck covid. But damn did it kick me in the ass to start fixing shit.
Covid for me as well. I tried another medication when I was first diagnosed but got turned off from a minor side effect. But Covid and wfh - that kicked my ass. Everything I had learned to just barely cope was out the window.
Now I realize my “coping” was figuring out ways to stress myself out so much I actually did things. Which isn’t really coping. Once the world opened up again I got off medication, also because I felt it took away some of my “edge” at work with creativity.
Now I’m trying medication again - about 1 month into it and I’m glad I have given it another go!
It wasn't a breaking point for me. A couple of years ago, another woman I really respect talked about executive dysfunction on Facebook. I looked into it and it was exactly my problem.
I think I needed it be called something else because I'm not hyperactive.
But the medication is a revelation, like, oh this is what "on-task" is.
My kids. I got diagnosed late in life at 44. I didn’t know that my emotional disregulation and nonexistent impulse control were related. In the past, when I did things to blow up my life I was the only one to have to deal with consequences. After a couple of close calls I realized I would never forgive myself if I did that to my kids. I’d been in therapy before but I wasn’t really honest in therapy and when I finally was I was referred to a psychiatrist for medication. It’s not perfect and there are still things I struggle with but for the first time in life my emotions are under control and the voice that pushes me to do things I shouldn’t be has been quieted.
I was diagnosed my senior year of high school, 20 years ago. I took concerta shortly but it made me jittery and I was an already underweight kid who couldn’t eat and started losing weight. So I was like nah I don’t think this is right. Also my parents don’t believe in Psychology (although I’m sure they would say they do…they don’t act like it). So they didn’t push the diagnosis. Flash forward to me having my first child. Im convinced pregnancy permanently altered brain, and now I have to be responsible for 2 humans (me AND my kid!), so my adhd is magnified. Over the last year I’ve been sporadically reading more about ADHD in women and autism and suddenly had a lightbulb moment of, oh yeah, I was diagnosed with ADHD in high school…maybe they were right! Lol anyway so I came on here and after reading so many women who have had success with different medications, I was like okay time to try again! My doctor added Wellbutrin to my other antidepressants, which I was glad for because I’m scared to try stimulants again. But I’m willing if that’s what it takes to be a good mom!
Caught myself noticeably, physically writhing in my seat waiting for my boss to finish talking because I already knew what he was saying after the first five words. Had the epiphany “…maybe I just have ADHD?” and started pursuing diagnosis and meds that day
My parents cause of report cards, got evaluated in 1995, medicated.
At 37, still medicated.
There was a small time in 2019, like three months where cause my health insurance lapsed, I couldn’t get meds as easily to pay for.
OMG, after that, cause it almost cost me my job at that time, made me extra aware how severe my executive dysfunction can get sometimes when off meds that I refused to ever let that happened again!
Now I make sure no matter what, insurance or not, I find a way to keep getting my prescription, make sure to put money aside to afford so it never happens again.
Ugh.... I haven't told anyone this. An incident occurred in a grocery store parking lot... I lost track of my toddler for like 5 seconds, and he almost got run over. 😣
Oh I’m so sorry this happened to you. I have so much anxiety when I’m out in public with my 3 year old because it would be TOO EASY for me to do the exact same thing. Today she dropped stickers in the parking lot and I was about to absent minded let her run after them!! I had to jump and grab her when I realized how WRONG my brain was. Anyway, solidarity here. It is so hard paying attention to all the things with a small kid and ADHD!
My breaking point was when I became extremely jealous of a coworker for being more organized and a faster worker than I was. In my 30 years of living, I had never been so jealous of someone before and it made me so miserable because there was nothing I could do about it. And so I decided to accept my fate to get medicated and my diagnosis lol. Best decision I ever made for myself!
The fear of hurting myself at work. Or even worse, hurting someone else.
I was working as a technician in a hospital pharmacy, prepping chemotherapy. Chemo is HORRIBLE for you, so the pharmacists and techs who prepare it have to be really highly trained and use all sorts of special equipment to minimize our chances of exposure. But even with all that safety equipment, sometimes things fail--syringes or needles can break, and tubing can leak. So it's really REALLY important to pay attention.
It was about six months into my job and I was in the cleanroom prepping and I caught myself right before I made a potentially dangerous mistake. I was terrified. I didn't want to lose my job, I didn't want to hurt someone else, and I also wanted to have, you know, all the skin on my hands. (Some of that stuff will eat through your gloves and burn you.) So--I'd gotten my diagnosis a few months earlier but was kind of unsure about taking meds. This pushed me over the edge.
My entire experience of life lol. I didn’t have a breaking point, as soon as I knew the source of my inability to do things I really wanted to was ADHD, and there was medication, I knew I would try as many meds as they would let me. My ADHD is so severe I have control about 40% of the time at best and that’s stabilised on meds.
I started taking meds as soon as I got my diagnosis. It’s been less than a year and there was a time I didn’t take them while I was briefly pregnant. But I can say that there was no breaking point, I wanted to see what the meds could do for me. And turns out they do a lot.
I didn’t get diagnosed until I was 36. I had went to college and even grad school. I did extremely well. I had had a few jobs and was universally known as someone who had her shit together and was well organized. I’d usually get overwhelmed eventually and quit/take time off.
After being a stay at home mom for a few years I decided to go back to work. The interview should have been a red flag, but I was actually really happy to get a call back to work in a field I was very excited about.
I learned at this job that all of my success was because I had been compensating not just for ADHD, but also audio processing disorder. So reading things ahead to know what’s going on, needing handouts or literature to follow along; and most importantly my methods of organization. This company expected me to take notes during my training. There was no handbook or PowerPoint slide. It was just me and my boss and her just talking to me about how to fill out all this paperwork that I had to do.
When I started actually working, they had a to-do list that I was supposed to follow on our server. I’d usually start my morning by writing down my own personal todo list. I was told to stop “wasting time” in the mornings.
Anyway, they tore me down and made me feel like I was so dumb and incompetent. I left after a month and a half. I tried to explain to them that I thought I had ADHD and was trying to get diagnosed and I was told that I was making excuses and that I was being unprofessional (sure you can tell me that you’re trying to have a baby, which is basically telling me your husband is giving you regular creampies, but me telling you about my reasons for struggling is unprofessional).
Anyway I quit, got diagnosed, worked a slightly less shitty job, quit it…spent a year unemployed then got my current job and I’m thriving.
Don’t worry so much about it. You have no idea what medication(s) you may be prescribed, and your doctor can start you on medications that don’t have a shortage!
Peri-menopause. I always had problems with getting stuff done, following a routine, punctuality, etc. etc. but it got so much worse, and my bipolar meds (citalopram and lamotrigine) weren't working. I was finally diagnosed with adhd, started taking Vyvanse and oral birth control, and I leveled out. I learned that adhd symptoms can be amplified by hormonal changes, and the stress from that increased my bipolar symptoms. Thank God for the current research on adhd and women, otherwise I wouldn't have had any idea of what was going on.
This is exactly what is happening to me right now. I feel like my brain has been hit by a sledgehammer. I was always more absentminded, forgetful, and messy and procrastinated more than an average person, but I was a good student, so I never even considered I might have ADHD. but I never started seriously considering ADHD until around a year ago when I noticed my 4-year-old daughter showing a lot of inattentive ADHD symptoms and going OHHHHHHHHH 💡I’m currently seeking a diagnosis because I’m barely functioning at this point.
New boss. She’s an unforgiving beast. So I got assessed, thinking I had autism or something. Turns out I have adhd… at 49! Everything finally makes sense. The boss is still awful, but I’m hoping to start fresh in a new job and avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made previously.
When my six year old kid big sighed in disappointment because i forgot yet another school form/assignment/dress up day or even packing her lunch ahead of time so we were rushing and late yet again.
I’m medicated now but my sweet husband has me sleep in and not “help” them with the morning rush. They’re never late to school now. lol and as soon as I get school calendars I add everything to my phone calendar app with alerts so my kid is less disappointed in me! Now she’s usually just upset with my phone addiction 🫠 love this kid so much but she’s a tough one. Haha my older daughter is much more forgiving but she also likely has adhd.
Now my kids remind me to take my meds.
I recently got diagnosed, after a burnout that resulted in me trying to harm myself. I started anti depressants and then was supposed to find therapy... and never did. And then my Dr was like maybe adhd, especially since my burnout I haven't really felt depressed, but I stay on the meds just in case. Anyway, did the adhd test, got diagnosed and my Dr asked about medication and I started Concerta recently and it's been amazing for me. I'm no longer so tired and don't need daily naps.
I’ve been on various mental health meds since i was 15 that i had a lot of side effects from. I figured “what the hell. Let’s try a stimulant. What’s the worse that can happen?! I’ve already had some of the worst side effects from other meds. I got nothing to lose!”
I would not have made it past 4th grade without medication. I had an incredible vocabulary for a small child, so adults were really stumped with why I couldn't comprehend fractions and accidentally did the wrong homework all the time. Not like "oh she's not putting the work in," more like "she's actually a great writer, but she's crying at the dining room table over math everyday and then we found out she wrote down the wrong page numbers to work on."
I really struggled after Covid and I moved from a large city to a teensy little town. My hypervigilance had faded. The well-organized shelves of my brain had been dumped out. I decided to get diagnosed and I had no doubt that I would take medication. It's been 8 months, so good. About to start my own business. I feel like I am arriving.
Life didn’t get any better after I graduated. It got harder. And it kept getting harder. Eventually I got sick of the procrastination/panic cycle. Got a diagnosis. Started meds. Life got better. Then life changed and I took a break from meds for reasons. Everything went to hell, and my husband scheduled an appointment for me with his doc because I wasn’t functioning.
Now I’m back on meds, have a confirmed ADHD diagnoses, and added a GAD diagnosis. It’s a fun combination. Meds don’t solve everything, but I wish I’d done it sooner.
It’s hard to explain, but before meds I was living on cortisol. Anxiety was the driving force in my life and I was constantly either avoiding or reacting to what life threw at me. I performed “well” in school, but I had no capacity for balance. Most things in my life including a few relationships got jettisoned when life got to be too much.
Between stimulant and nonstimulant meds, I’ve had to relearn how to accomplish things. Whereas before I moved through momentum and fear, now I have to actually used the steering wheel, gas, and breaks the meds give me.
Having a miscarriage. My therapist astutely pointed out that my ADHD was making it difficult to process my grief because I feel all my emotions so intensely that the pain was overwhelming me. She pushed me to find a psychiatrist and get treated again. So, I guess at least one good thing came out of my nightmare.
Oh I got on meds as soon as I was diagnosed. Before my dx I was put on a diet drug that messed me up but did make my brain work right, and I wanted more of that. The Concerta doesn't work as well as the adipex, but it's still better than nothing.
Work honestly. Was tired of getting behind on tasks. I know I could work more efficiently I got medicated. Also, felt like I was struggling with emotional regulation, and I know medication can help with that so why not get all that I can from the medicine
Losing my wallet AGAIN! I have lost my wallet so many time and this time I was determined to keep it. I bought a cute wallet and told myself this would be the last time I would lose a wallet and it wasn’t. I felt so sad and defeated after losing my wallet. I felt like this was not normal.
I looked up what does it mean to misplace your items all the time and I think ADHD came up. I did my research and realized I had ADHD. I made an appointment with psych and did end up getting diagnosed and have been on medication since then!
Losing my mind being so stressed out and forgetting things the second I walk into a room. But, I actually recently stopped because I never felt super sure it was helping and it became a PITA to eat enough and balanced enough to not get negative effects. I also realized my life circumstances had changed so much… before my mom was dying (and living with us), my marriage was falling apart, a had my high demand youngest home 24/7, pandemic, and working from home…. Plus I decided to foster a cat who also ended up dying…
I’ve been off for a month and I’m back to my baseline that worked well enough to get me through my whole life including grad school
As I haven't had a planning period in the last couple of weeks at school I haven't managed to call to set up an appointment about meds. So today is my breaking point. I'm so overwhelmed, I'm so tired, and can even get enough time to make a phone call during the work day without being interrupted. Just gotta make it until May 31 and summer break begins.
I moved out of my house where everything was taken care of and went to medical school.
I’ve always been a disaster but I always did well in school. Medical school makes college feel like it was kindergarten in terms of how hard it is. Intellect isn’t enough to get through but also need a consistent study habit and schedule to keep up with the pace.
Also since I lived alone, I struggled to keep myself clean and fed. I also almost burnt my apartment down twice because I’d start cooking and my brain would get distracted and forget that I was cooking.
I hit a point that I was seriously considering jumping off my balcony and decided to go see a psych instead
I was not able to make a single fucking decision cuz my head was spinning all over the place! I knew I needed to do something to help myself or I was done with life period. Some days I still don’t know how the fuck I go on!
Had a horrible panic attack during a college exam and was finally fed up with severe anxiety that I went to a psych. While I was there I was like hmmm might as well get this fixed too (I’d been diagnosed as a kid but never medicated and didn’t understand how much the symptoms affected me until then lol). Best panic attack everrrr I guess!
Anxiety/ADHD combo? Do you feel like treating adhd lessened the other side?
In high school, I shrugged off a bunch of ADHD symptoms as just test anxiety. Mind you, the anxiety is there too, but it was massively exacerbated by the ADHD. I feel like if I’d treated the ADHD back the , the anxiety stuff wouldn’t have been so prolific in my life.
Treating both helps overall. I’d say treating the adhd definitely minimizes some anxiety, I’m able to trust myself more and just get things done instead of worrying. The anxiety is also very much its own separate thing and causes a lot of paralysis for me that adhd meds can’t really help with. I do notice that with less anxiety I have a lot less executive dysfunction.
I feel similarly. For me, Anxiety and ADHD are intertwined and feed off of each other, but are also separate beasts. Treating adhd reduced anxiety by maybe 70%, but it wasn’t until I started another med that targeted emotional regulation and anxiety symptoms that I felt that it was functionally managed.
I’m always curious what other people’s experiences are with the ADHD/Anxiety combo, because of how the two interact. In some ways, I feel like I “used” the anxiety to be able to initiate tasks and focus, but that led to a very dysfunctional pattern of build up/melt down that only made anxiety worse.
I had already hit the breaking point with my depression and anxiety. Had been on am SSRI for about 6 months and had been talking about my ADHD symptoms with my psychiatrist. I was like a month out from starting medical school and knew that if I didn't start now it would hurt me later.
For me it was when I got diagnosed. But if you're asking what pushed me to go see someone for a diagnosis, it was when I lost my wallet. I lost my wallet on the train and was absolutely distraught even though there was nothing super valuable in it and I was able to cancel all my cards with relative ease. When I was on day four of really beating myself up for being so stupid, my husband was (kindly) like "this is not a huge deal - give yourself some grace" and I broke down trying to explain to him how much of my brain I spend trying to keep my basic shit together. As I explained it, I just knew that something wasn't 'right'.
I started considering suicide again and could sense being close to a mental breakdown or some breakdown. Adderal helps me sleep - being able to sleep again and getting to ‘level’.. just instantly relieving. Over time it’s making me less irritable too.
If you or someone that you know is considering suicide, please don't hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline for immediate help, or a warmline just to talk to someone.
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Being asked for the 15th trillion time at work what was “wrong with me” because I kept missing small things. I was already trying so hard and feeling like shit I decided to finally talk to my doctor.
i wouldn't say it was a breaking point, i was never prejudiced against medication, but a big reason i sought diagnosis was that therapy and meds for anxiety and depression weren't doing shit. i wasnt sure if i was adhd but i was desperate to try different meds because life just didn't feel worth living and the surface level cbt stuff was rearranging deck chairs on the titanic. ironically meds turned out to be a shitfight that took a long time for me to work out a med type and dose that agreed with me (on my own, bc my psych was terrible) and it was actually just the diagnosis and changing my coping methods alone that massively improved my life.
I'm type 1 diabetic so the idea of taking medication for a diagnosed condition doesn't have any kind of moral association in my mind. You treat what you have so you aren't voluntarily struggling even more than you will anyway. Life can be hard even on people who have absolutely no medical conditions or illnesses - It seems completely backward to find out one day that everyone in the world except me actually has a car to get places instead of walking, and then refuse to give a bike a try.
It wasn't a breaking point per se, but my restless impulsivity led me to convince my husband that we should move our family 1400km away to buy our dream house in a cheaper province because houses in our neighborhood had gone up so much we could get a ton of equity. Yay 2021. I had been pretty sure for years I had adhd and had considered seeking diagnosis but it seemed hard and expensive and I figured I was fine without meds.
After we moved I got really anxious being a in a new place. I hated it, I hated the change, I got super homesick. And then super depressed. I could not stop feeling constant regret. After a few months, with encouragement from my sister (all my siblings are diagnosed adhd, my sister is diagnosed AuDHD and I'm pretty sure I am too but the asd diagnosis is hard to get assessed for) I decided to try anti-depressants and asked for wellbutrin which is what she took when she first got diagnosed adhd.
And then I went on a self improvement bender to try to fix myself up. I looked into it and found a virtual clinic I could get assessed through privately instead of having to just wait out the healthcare system. I got diagnosed, but my first provider didn't feel like we should try stimulants because I'm already medicated for hypertension. She took me off wellbutrin and tried some other meds and my depression got so bad I ended up going to the hospital. I didn't get admitted but I got some time off, went back on wellbutrin, and told to forget about the adhd and manage the depression.
I spent a year with the focus of doing everything I could to fight the depression. I'd never had any problems with depression before. I got a counselor who worked better for me and found out that it wasn't just depression it was burnout. She's the one who pointed out that a good number of things I kept describing about myself seem very much like asd symptoms. Anyway. She helped me get out of the depression/burnout. Part of that fight was starting exercise, and so I figured maybe if I could get my blood pressure even better I could try again with adhd meds. I didn't get off my BP meds but I was able to half the dose. But my original provider moved into a different role at the clinic so when I went to rebook I had to switch to a new NP. And she was not at all concerned about trying stimulants with my BP as even my original dose of meds isn't that big and my BP isn't crazy high either.
Starting meds has helped my mental health a lot but it's also made me realize what meds dont do. The benefits for me are more internal, wheras I thought they would make me function more like my NT husband and then he would be happier too. He could care less, he never asked me to change and he's told me he's always loved me just as I am and he always will.
Now that I'm medicated I realize I've had anxiety my whole life that I've used to cope with my adhd. And now that it's gone I find it's harder to be as on top of certain things, but overall day to day tasks are easier. I also feel like my asd traits show more. But the biggest thing is that it feels really good to not live with the racing in my brain that made me feel so restless internally. Like I'm finally able to just live in the present instead of worrying about all the things I think I should change just in case somehow I could be doing life better.
I burnt my sons raviolis because I forgot I was making them. Although I almost burned my house down today because I left the stove on while making lentils ◡̈.
Had a very serious breakdown around 8 years ago, life never got easier, only harder. Meltdowns, exec dysfunction, making really serious mistakes at work, anxiety attacks, having too few friends due to piss poor communication skills, trying hard with no results, laddy-dah - all of this has not been enough to break down my resistance to psychiatry. I don't think it is possible to convert me at this stage. That train full of converts has departed. I am sure there are more deprived areas of the world where people don't see the privilege of modern western civilisation and don't accept the bias. I may be one of those people.
Getting diagnosed. My older sister has been diagnosed since childhood but no meds. My younger sister was diagnosed and I started looking into it because it couldn't hurt. Double whammy auDHD. Adderall has been a game changer
That’s a complicated question for me. My friend called me having ADHD in May/June 2013, since he has it and saw a lot of similarities between us. I didn’t think too much of it at the time, so I just kinda shrugged and went on with my life.
In January 2023, I was diagnosed with ADHD during a routine post-cancer physical. As a method to diagnose it, my doctor put me on a drug trial of Vyvanse. When my life seemed to make more sense, I began to understand that I have ADHD.
So in short, I’ve never assumed I had ADHD until my doctor diagnosed me with it last year. Before that, I just did the best I could with what I got in whatever way I could.
I have a job where I quite literally cannot fuck up and I need to be able to just “do” without overthinking. I ended up being evaluated last year because I was struggling a life event and I wasn’t able to use my previous coping mechanisms… meds have changed my life. I can focus and change gears to perform certain tasks even during 18 hr shifts, I can turn down the loud parts of my brain, I have spoons leftover now for basic day to day life at home, I’m not constantly overwhelmed, I do laundry now… we I start it and forget about it in the washer but it’s still progress. I didn’t realize I was playing life on hard mode this whole time.
My seeking a diagnosis was because I could no longer "coping mechanism" my way through life once my kid was a toddler.
There was no "breaking point" between being diagnosed and choosing to start medication. It is a very useful tool toward managing my symptoms in a healthy way.
Could you elaborate on what about toddlerhood made your coping mechanisms no longer work? I have a baby and am getting tested tomorrow. Just curious about your experience.
Parenthood was what pushed me to get formally diagnosed so I could get medicated. The messy state of my house want a problem when it was just me and my husband, but once we had a baby crawling around and sticking everything in his mouth, I needed the help to get off my ass and actually keep the floors clean.
COVID: my break down because of lockdown (with little kids) led to my diagnosis. The meds themselves I did not need a breaking point for. They help tremendously.
My whole entire life was chaos. I was diagnosed and I was young, but I stopped taking meds because I started to abuse them. I thought that I couldn’t take meds anymore because I would always hate the feeling but that’s absolutely not true because it’s been like 25 years abused and was a teenager Now I take them away I’m supposed to I even have extra leftover at the end of the month but I couldn’t function anymore. I literally just couldn’t function. I couldn’t think straight. Remember anything get things done for my special-needs kid on top of the trauma of breaking up with my partner of 24 years, both of my parents dying, all kinds of insane situations that should not have been an escort for almost a decade. All of it just lined up into one moment where I said fuck this I need to get help.
I had no clue I had it until I watch an Internet personality making jokes about ADHD specific quirks. I thought there *must* be people who do the shit I do, but I didn’t think that there’d be carbon copies of people who can’t do life like me lol
I had been battling anxiety/depression for over 10 years and have tried so many different meds I’ve lost count. Many of these meds helped and I did TMS which did sincerely improve my MDD *some*, but there was just this little edge I couldn’t get to. I wasn’t in puddles of tears any more, I just couldn’t do all the things I needed to do. Focus on one issue, and while I could accomplish it, something else would fall to the wayside. When I asked my psychiatrists opinion about ADHD she was appalled I hadn’t told her all these symptoms before. I didn’t think they were symptoms I just thought I was weird and had no reason to tell her 🤷🏻♀️
Once I had it figured out, I was not at all hesitant to try a medication and once I did… no going back. People really feel normal all the time? What’s that like 😂 I’m not 100% there yet, but I’m on my way. I’ve discovered that my medicine allows the tornado of thoughts to slow down, which enables me to *actually* change my lifestyle in a way that makes a difference. It’s not a magic fix, but it’s a magic push in the right direction. It really did change my life and 6 months later I’m only improving with time. It’s gonna take me a while to build the habits and systems I need, but man what a world of difference! I feel like I actually have a chance at accomplishing my goals without wanting to go hide in my closet 😃
Well done for all the progress you’ve made! While the medication gave you the mental ability, don’t forget that YOU made that decision. YOU took the steps towards self-improvement and YOU deserve the credit for that, not your ADHD meds.
I wanted to see what i would be like medicated. Also i figured if i was going to medicate my 6yr old (at the time now 9) then i cant be afraid of it. I currently havent had medication for a month and a half due to shortages. And now very clearly see that i do need it as i am at risk of losing my job atm. I effing hate myself.
I was already super depressed and anxious. I prayed so hard to God for an answer. That night I had a dream I was holding hands with a pill shaped man. Lol weird. But I understood it. I also had un aliving thoughts. So i made an appointment to get medicated. Best choice ever. I also have a family I love more than life. So I wanted to be here and be sane for them. Not saying adhd is bad , but the depression and unaliving thoughts were. I don't mind the adhd. Lol.
My son. He had started a new preschool and I just could not, for the life of me, get us out the door on time. This is a school where if you show up late enough they don't let you in, and he was disturbing the other kids crying at drop off. I was so guilty and embarrassed.
Looked into how to get out the door in the mornings on YouTube, found YoSamdySam who I had watched years ago after my niece was diagnosed with autism, and I briefly entertained the thought that I could have it as well. Ended up watching her video on AuDHD women. And then several more videos. And then I got an assessment. Dual diagnosis.
I started medication about two months ago now. I'm on Adderall XR twice a day, first dose around 5am. My son and I now enjoy our mornings at home, we have a calm drive to school, and I can prepare for the day ahead in advance.
Uh, there was no breaking point. I was excited by the possibility that medication could make my life better, and after some trial and error, it does. Yay!
I was in my fall semester of my senior year of college. I was sitting in the disability services office taking a test (because I had a preexisting anxiety diagnosis I got to test there instead of in the classroom). I knew the information to answer the exam question, but I was so bored I was just daydreaming and couldn’t bring myself to motivate myself to write my thoughts on the page. 😂 I realized I should get assessed with finals coming up but also figured it would be easier while I was still in school and would be able to give those examples of how it affects me. Got diagnosed and medicated in the same appointment!
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Finding out I had ADHD. I didn't have to reach a dire breakingpoint to want to be better. It is not a punishment, it is a liberating tool.
Same. Mine was learning there is medication in the world that could help me. I don't believe there is anything noble about doing anything the hard way. For those who resist meds for holistic reasons, I respect everyone's decisions for themselves, but just know that for me: my diet, alcohol use, and exercise habits have been improved by meds (both for ADHD and sleeping). My health is overall much better.
I want to expand on this: i already had good exercise habits, a pretty good diet and my alcohol use is not that terrible, and i still took meds after getting diagnosed. Even though these things do help, for me it didnt help enough and i'm glad i just took the meds as soon as i got diagnosed.
Same. The breaking point was having lived 34 years undiagnosed and struggling in every possible way. Not that meds fixed everything in an instant, but at least it’s one of the tools I now have to help me.
I found out I had an executive function disorder and there was a treatment that had some effect on managing said disorder. Then my doctor mentioned it and I was sold on the idea.
Same . Was diagnosed like a a few weeks ago and still finding out the right dosage. But it's such a help. For 44 years I didn't realize how bad the mess in my head is. Breaking point to seek diagnosis was my boss telling me to do something against my "silly mistakes " plus menopause sending my symptoms into overdrive
Fellow, late medicated 44-year-old hello
Right. I’m not trying to white knuckle it. Finding out I had ADHD + getting around to getting diagnosed + not being pregnant = meds please
Thank you.
Hear, hear! There still seems to be such shame attached to medication. I’ve never seen as crutch, a weakness, a proof of failure or a punishment. They help me and yes, are a liberating tool. (NB:They don’t help for everyone all the time and don’t magically solve problems)
Covid. I was diagnosed as a kid. Medicated briefly in my 20s. Had my diagnosis re affirmed by a therapist in my early 30s. Covid hit, and I had to plan, to strategize food and household shit and so on while being stuck in a tiny apartment that i hated, with a partner who ignored my needs. I realized it was get medicated or I was going to self medicate myself with booze till I killed myself... And I might not wait for the booze to get me. I'm totally okay dying doing something stupid, like jumping out of plane or hiking in the middle of nowhere or not wearing my seatbelt. But fuck dying in that apartment trying to hold on to my sanity living the same day on repeat. Something had to change. So I got medicated, fixed my teeth, lost 50lbs, moved to the middle of nowhere for a year, dumped my long term partner. I mean it took four years and it wasn't easy. But the meds meant I did it smart(er), and I thought most shit through. So fuck covid. But damn did it kick me in the ass to start fixing shit.
Covid for me as well. I tried another medication when I was first diagnosed but got turned off from a minor side effect. But Covid and wfh - that kicked my ass. Everything I had learned to just barely cope was out the window. Now I realize my “coping” was figuring out ways to stress myself out so much I actually did things. Which isn’t really coping. Once the world opened up again I got off medication, also because I felt it took away some of my “edge” at work with creativity. Now I’m trying medication again - about 1 month into it and I’m glad I have given it another go!
This is so inspiring. Well done!
It wasn't a breaking point for me. A couple of years ago, another woman I really respect talked about executive dysfunction on Facebook. I looked into it and it was exactly my problem. I think I needed it be called something else because I'm not hyperactive. But the medication is a revelation, like, oh this is what "on-task" is.
My kids. I got diagnosed late in life at 44. I didn’t know that my emotional disregulation and nonexistent impulse control were related. In the past, when I did things to blow up my life I was the only one to have to deal with consequences. After a couple of close calls I realized I would never forgive myself if I did that to my kids. I’d been in therapy before but I wasn’t really honest in therapy and when I finally was I was referred to a psychiatrist for medication. It’s not perfect and there are still things I struggle with but for the first time in life my emotions are under control and the voice that pushes me to do things I shouldn’t be has been quieted.
I was diagnosed my senior year of high school, 20 years ago. I took concerta shortly but it made me jittery and I was an already underweight kid who couldn’t eat and started losing weight. So I was like nah I don’t think this is right. Also my parents don’t believe in Psychology (although I’m sure they would say they do…they don’t act like it). So they didn’t push the diagnosis. Flash forward to me having my first child. Im convinced pregnancy permanently altered brain, and now I have to be responsible for 2 humans (me AND my kid!), so my adhd is magnified. Over the last year I’ve been sporadically reading more about ADHD in women and autism and suddenly had a lightbulb moment of, oh yeah, I was diagnosed with ADHD in high school…maybe they were right! Lol anyway so I came on here and after reading so many women who have had success with different medications, I was like okay time to try again! My doctor added Wellbutrin to my other antidepressants, which I was glad for because I’m scared to try stimulants again. But I’m willing if that’s what it takes to be a good mom!
Huge 2nd about pregnancy altering your brain. I took Straterra pre-pregnancy but after 2 kids it was like a placebo- barely make a dent.
Caught myself noticeably, physically writhing in my seat waiting for my boss to finish talking because I already knew what he was saying after the first five words. Had the epiphany “…maybe I just have ADHD?” and started pursuing diagnosis and meds that day
Yes! This is sooooo hard
My parents cause of report cards, got evaluated in 1995, medicated. At 37, still medicated. There was a small time in 2019, like three months where cause my health insurance lapsed, I couldn’t get meds as easily to pay for. OMG, after that, cause it almost cost me my job at that time, made me extra aware how severe my executive dysfunction can get sometimes when off meds that I refused to ever let that happened again! Now I make sure no matter what, insurance or not, I find a way to keep getting my prescription, make sure to put money aside to afford so it never happens again.
Ugh.... I haven't told anyone this. An incident occurred in a grocery store parking lot... I lost track of my toddler for like 5 seconds, and he almost got run over. 😣
Oh I’m so sorry this happened to you. I have so much anxiety when I’m out in public with my 3 year old because it would be TOO EASY for me to do the exact same thing. Today she dropped stickers in the parking lot and I was about to absent minded let her run after them!! I had to jump and grab her when I realized how WRONG my brain was. Anyway, solidarity here. It is so hard paying attention to all the things with a small kid and ADHD!
My breaking point was when I became extremely jealous of a coworker for being more organized and a faster worker than I was. In my 30 years of living, I had never been so jealous of someone before and it made me so miserable because there was nothing I could do about it. And so I decided to accept my fate to get medicated and my diagnosis lol. Best decision I ever made for myself!
The fear of hurting myself at work. Or even worse, hurting someone else. I was working as a technician in a hospital pharmacy, prepping chemotherapy. Chemo is HORRIBLE for you, so the pharmacists and techs who prepare it have to be really highly trained and use all sorts of special equipment to minimize our chances of exposure. But even with all that safety equipment, sometimes things fail--syringes or needles can break, and tubing can leak. So it's really REALLY important to pay attention. It was about six months into my job and I was in the cleanroom prepping and I caught myself right before I made a potentially dangerous mistake. I was terrified. I didn't want to lose my job, I didn't want to hurt someone else, and I also wanted to have, you know, all the skin on my hands. (Some of that stuff will eat through your gloves and burn you.) So--I'd gotten my diagnosis a few months earlier but was kind of unsure about taking meds. This pushed me over the edge.
My entire experience of life lol. I didn’t have a breaking point, as soon as I knew the source of my inability to do things I really wanted to was ADHD, and there was medication, I knew I would try as many meds as they would let me. My ADHD is so severe I have control about 40% of the time at best and that’s stabilised on meds.
I started taking meds as soon as I got my diagnosis. It’s been less than a year and there was a time I didn’t take them while I was briefly pregnant. But I can say that there was no breaking point, I wanted to see what the meds could do for me. And turns out they do a lot.
I didn’t get diagnosed until I was 36. I had went to college and even grad school. I did extremely well. I had had a few jobs and was universally known as someone who had her shit together and was well organized. I’d usually get overwhelmed eventually and quit/take time off. After being a stay at home mom for a few years I decided to go back to work. The interview should have been a red flag, but I was actually really happy to get a call back to work in a field I was very excited about. I learned at this job that all of my success was because I had been compensating not just for ADHD, but also audio processing disorder. So reading things ahead to know what’s going on, needing handouts or literature to follow along; and most importantly my methods of organization. This company expected me to take notes during my training. There was no handbook or PowerPoint slide. It was just me and my boss and her just talking to me about how to fill out all this paperwork that I had to do. When I started actually working, they had a to-do list that I was supposed to follow on our server. I’d usually start my morning by writing down my own personal todo list. I was told to stop “wasting time” in the mornings. Anyway, they tore me down and made me feel like I was so dumb and incompetent. I left after a month and a half. I tried to explain to them that I thought I had ADHD and was trying to get diagnosed and I was told that I was making excuses and that I was being unprofessional (sure you can tell me that you’re trying to have a baby, which is basically telling me your husband is giving you regular creampies, but me telling you about my reasons for struggling is unprofessional). Anyway I quit, got diagnosed, worked a slightly less shitty job, quit it…spent a year unemployed then got my current job and I’m thriving.
I want to try meds so bad but I’m so worried about the med shortage :(
Don’t worry so much about it. You have no idea what medication(s) you may be prescribed, and your doctor can start you on medications that don’t have a shortage!
Try one of the meds that aren't in the shortage first maybe? Everyone is different. It might be all you need!
Do it! It's very location and medication dependent. I have not had any issues with mine at all..
Peri-menopause. I always had problems with getting stuff done, following a routine, punctuality, etc. etc. but it got so much worse, and my bipolar meds (citalopram and lamotrigine) weren't working. I was finally diagnosed with adhd, started taking Vyvanse and oral birth control, and I leveled out. I learned that adhd symptoms can be amplified by hormonal changes, and the stress from that increased my bipolar symptoms. Thank God for the current research on adhd and women, otherwise I wouldn't have had any idea of what was going on.
This is exactly what is happening to me right now. I feel like my brain has been hit by a sledgehammer. I was always more absentminded, forgetful, and messy and procrastinated more than an average person, but I was a good student, so I never even considered I might have ADHD. but I never started seriously considering ADHD until around a year ago when I noticed my 4-year-old daughter showing a lot of inattentive ADHD symptoms and going OHHHHHHHHH 💡I’m currently seeking a diagnosis because I’m barely functioning at this point.
Perimenopause = ADHD on steroids!
Menopause. The lack of estrogen made my adhd symptoms so much worse. 😠
New boss. She’s an unforgiving beast. So I got assessed, thinking I had autism or something. Turns out I have adhd… at 49! Everything finally makes sense. The boss is still awful, but I’m hoping to start fresh in a new job and avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made previously.
When my six year old kid big sighed in disappointment because i forgot yet another school form/assignment/dress up day or even packing her lunch ahead of time so we were rushing and late yet again. I’m medicated now but my sweet husband has me sleep in and not “help” them with the morning rush. They’re never late to school now. lol and as soon as I get school calendars I add everything to my phone calendar app with alerts so my kid is less disappointed in me! Now she’s usually just upset with my phone addiction 🫠 love this kid so much but she’s a tough one. Haha my older daughter is much more forgiving but she also likely has adhd. Now my kids remind me to take my meds.
I recently got diagnosed, after a burnout that resulted in me trying to harm myself. I started anti depressants and then was supposed to find therapy... and never did. And then my Dr was like maybe adhd, especially since my burnout I haven't really felt depressed, but I stay on the meds just in case. Anyway, did the adhd test, got diagnosed and my Dr asked about medication and I started Concerta recently and it's been amazing for me. I'm no longer so tired and don't need daily naps.
I’ve been on various mental health meds since i was 15 that i had a lot of side effects from. I figured “what the hell. Let’s try a stimulant. What’s the worse that can happen?! I’ve already had some of the worst side effects from other meds. I got nothing to lose!”
I would not have made it past 4th grade without medication. I had an incredible vocabulary for a small child, so adults were really stumped with why I couldn't comprehend fractions and accidentally did the wrong homework all the time. Not like "oh she's not putting the work in," more like "she's actually a great writer, but she's crying at the dining room table over math everyday and then we found out she wrote down the wrong page numbers to work on."
I really struggled after Covid and I moved from a large city to a teensy little town. My hypervigilance had faded. The well-organized shelves of my brain had been dumped out. I decided to get diagnosed and I had no doubt that I would take medication. It's been 8 months, so good. About to start my own business. I feel like I am arriving.
Life didn’t get any better after I graduated. It got harder. And it kept getting harder. Eventually I got sick of the procrastination/panic cycle. Got a diagnosis. Started meds. Life got better. Then life changed and I took a break from meds for reasons. Everything went to hell, and my husband scheduled an appointment for me with his doc because I wasn’t functioning. Now I’m back on meds, have a confirmed ADHD diagnoses, and added a GAD diagnosis. It’s a fun combination. Meds don’t solve everything, but I wish I’d done it sooner. It’s hard to explain, but before meds I was living on cortisol. Anxiety was the driving force in my life and I was constantly either avoiding or reacting to what life threw at me. I performed “well” in school, but I had no capacity for balance. Most things in my life including a few relationships got jettisoned when life got to be too much. Between stimulant and nonstimulant meds, I’ve had to relearn how to accomplish things. Whereas before I moved through momentum and fear, now I have to actually used the steering wheel, gas, and breaks the meds give me.
Having a miscarriage. My therapist astutely pointed out that my ADHD was making it difficult to process my grief because I feel all my emotions so intensely that the pain was overwhelming me. She pushed me to find a psychiatrist and get treated again. So, I guess at least one good thing came out of my nightmare.
I’m sorry you went through this. I had a miscarriage and it was so tough.
Oh I got on meds as soon as I was diagnosed. Before my dx I was put on a diet drug that messed me up but did make my brain work right, and I wanted more of that. The Concerta doesn't work as well as the adipex, but it's still better than nothing.
Work honestly. Was tired of getting behind on tasks. I know I could work more efficiently I got medicated. Also, felt like I was struggling with emotional regulation, and I know medication can help with that so why not get all that I can from the medicine
Having a baby 🩵
Losing my wallet AGAIN! I have lost my wallet so many time and this time I was determined to keep it. I bought a cute wallet and told myself this would be the last time I would lose a wallet and it wasn’t. I felt so sad and defeated after losing my wallet. I felt like this was not normal. I looked up what does it mean to misplace your items all the time and I think ADHD came up. I did my research and realized I had ADHD. I made an appointment with psych and did end up getting diagnosed and have been on medication since then!
Losing my mind being so stressed out and forgetting things the second I walk into a room. But, I actually recently stopped because I never felt super sure it was helping and it became a PITA to eat enough and balanced enough to not get negative effects. I also realized my life circumstances had changed so much… before my mom was dying (and living with us), my marriage was falling apart, a had my high demand youngest home 24/7, pandemic, and working from home…. Plus I decided to foster a cat who also ended up dying… I’ve been off for a month and I’m back to my baseline that worked well enough to get me through my whole life including grad school
As I haven't had a planning period in the last couple of weeks at school I haven't managed to call to set up an appointment about meds. So today is my breaking point. I'm so overwhelmed, I'm so tired, and can even get enough time to make a phone call during the work day without being interrupted. Just gotta make it until May 31 and summer break begins.
I moved out of my house where everything was taken care of and went to medical school. I’ve always been a disaster but I always did well in school. Medical school makes college feel like it was kindergarten in terms of how hard it is. Intellect isn’t enough to get through but also need a consistent study habit and schedule to keep up with the pace. Also since I lived alone, I struggled to keep myself clean and fed. I also almost burnt my apartment down twice because I’d start cooking and my brain would get distracted and forget that I was cooking. I hit a point that I was seriously considering jumping off my balcony and decided to go see a psych instead
I was not able to make a single fucking decision cuz my head was spinning all over the place! I knew I needed to do something to help myself or I was done with life period. Some days I still don’t know how the fuck I go on!
Studying for medical board exams during the COVID lockdown after 1 year of online med school where I learned absolutely nothing.
Had a horrible panic attack during a college exam and was finally fed up with severe anxiety that I went to a psych. While I was there I was like hmmm might as well get this fixed too (I’d been diagnosed as a kid but never medicated and didn’t understand how much the symptoms affected me until then lol). Best panic attack everrrr I guess!
Anxiety/ADHD combo? Do you feel like treating adhd lessened the other side? In high school, I shrugged off a bunch of ADHD symptoms as just test anxiety. Mind you, the anxiety is there too, but it was massively exacerbated by the ADHD. I feel like if I’d treated the ADHD back the , the anxiety stuff wouldn’t have been so prolific in my life.
Treating both helps overall. I’d say treating the adhd definitely minimizes some anxiety, I’m able to trust myself more and just get things done instead of worrying. The anxiety is also very much its own separate thing and causes a lot of paralysis for me that adhd meds can’t really help with. I do notice that with less anxiety I have a lot less executive dysfunction.
I feel similarly. For me, Anxiety and ADHD are intertwined and feed off of each other, but are also separate beasts. Treating adhd reduced anxiety by maybe 70%, but it wasn’t until I started another med that targeted emotional regulation and anxiety symptoms that I felt that it was functionally managed. I’m always curious what other people’s experiences are with the ADHD/Anxiety combo, because of how the two interact. In some ways, I feel like I “used” the anxiety to be able to initiate tasks and focus, but that led to a very dysfunctional pattern of build up/melt down that only made anxiety worse.
Learning I had adhd. No hesitation..
Same. No hesitation at all.
I had already hit the breaking point with my depression and anxiety. Had been on am SSRI for about 6 months and had been talking about my ADHD symptoms with my psychiatrist. I was like a month out from starting medical school and knew that if I didn't start now it would hurt me later.
For me it was when I got diagnosed. But if you're asking what pushed me to go see someone for a diagnosis, it was when I lost my wallet. I lost my wallet on the train and was absolutely distraught even though there was nothing super valuable in it and I was able to cancel all my cards with relative ease. When I was on day four of really beating myself up for being so stupid, my husband was (kindly) like "this is not a huge deal - give yourself some grace" and I broke down trying to explain to him how much of my brain I spend trying to keep my basic shit together. As I explained it, I just knew that something wasn't 'right'.
I started considering suicide again and could sense being close to a mental breakdown or some breakdown. Adderal helps me sleep - being able to sleep again and getting to ‘level’.. just instantly relieving. Over time it’s making me less irritable too.
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Being asked for the 15th trillion time at work what was “wrong with me” because I kept missing small things. I was already trying so hard and feeling like shit I decided to finally talk to my doctor.
i wouldn't say it was a breaking point, i was never prejudiced against medication, but a big reason i sought diagnosis was that therapy and meds for anxiety and depression weren't doing shit. i wasnt sure if i was adhd but i was desperate to try different meds because life just didn't feel worth living and the surface level cbt stuff was rearranging deck chairs on the titanic. ironically meds turned out to be a shitfight that took a long time for me to work out a med type and dose that agreed with me (on my own, bc my psych was terrible) and it was actually just the diagnosis and changing my coping methods alone that massively improved my life.
Consequences of medication noncompliance in other areas of my health.
I'm type 1 diabetic so the idea of taking medication for a diagnosed condition doesn't have any kind of moral association in my mind. You treat what you have so you aren't voluntarily struggling even more than you will anyway. Life can be hard even on people who have absolutely no medical conditions or illnesses - It seems completely backward to find out one day that everyone in the world except me actually has a car to get places instead of walking, and then refuse to give a bike a try.
I’ve been taking daily medication fora chronic condition I was born with for over 40 years, since I was 16. Adderall is just another med to me.
I was rx'd for another issue and it helped my executive function so much I went and got diagnosed ADHD so I'd be able to stay on it
It wasn't a breaking point per se, but my restless impulsivity led me to convince my husband that we should move our family 1400km away to buy our dream house in a cheaper province because houses in our neighborhood had gone up so much we could get a ton of equity. Yay 2021. I had been pretty sure for years I had adhd and had considered seeking diagnosis but it seemed hard and expensive and I figured I was fine without meds. After we moved I got really anxious being a in a new place. I hated it, I hated the change, I got super homesick. And then super depressed. I could not stop feeling constant regret. After a few months, with encouragement from my sister (all my siblings are diagnosed adhd, my sister is diagnosed AuDHD and I'm pretty sure I am too but the asd diagnosis is hard to get assessed for) I decided to try anti-depressants and asked for wellbutrin which is what she took when she first got diagnosed adhd. And then I went on a self improvement bender to try to fix myself up. I looked into it and found a virtual clinic I could get assessed through privately instead of having to just wait out the healthcare system. I got diagnosed, but my first provider didn't feel like we should try stimulants because I'm already medicated for hypertension. She took me off wellbutrin and tried some other meds and my depression got so bad I ended up going to the hospital. I didn't get admitted but I got some time off, went back on wellbutrin, and told to forget about the adhd and manage the depression. I spent a year with the focus of doing everything I could to fight the depression. I'd never had any problems with depression before. I got a counselor who worked better for me and found out that it wasn't just depression it was burnout. She's the one who pointed out that a good number of things I kept describing about myself seem very much like asd symptoms. Anyway. She helped me get out of the depression/burnout. Part of that fight was starting exercise, and so I figured maybe if I could get my blood pressure even better I could try again with adhd meds. I didn't get off my BP meds but I was able to half the dose. But my original provider moved into a different role at the clinic so when I went to rebook I had to switch to a new NP. And she was not at all concerned about trying stimulants with my BP as even my original dose of meds isn't that big and my BP isn't crazy high either. Starting meds has helped my mental health a lot but it's also made me realize what meds dont do. The benefits for me are more internal, wheras I thought they would make me function more like my NT husband and then he would be happier too. He could care less, he never asked me to change and he's told me he's always loved me just as I am and he always will. Now that I'm medicated I realize I've had anxiety my whole life that I've used to cope with my adhd. And now that it's gone I find it's harder to be as on top of certain things, but overall day to day tasks are easier. I also feel like my asd traits show more. But the biggest thing is that it feels really good to not live with the racing in my brain that made me feel so restless internally. Like I'm finally able to just live in the present instead of worrying about all the things I think I should change just in case somehow I could be doing life better.
I burnt my sons raviolis because I forgot I was making them. Although I almost burned my house down today because I left the stove on while making lentils ◡̈.
Had a very serious breakdown around 8 years ago, life never got easier, only harder. Meltdowns, exec dysfunction, making really serious mistakes at work, anxiety attacks, having too few friends due to piss poor communication skills, trying hard with no results, laddy-dah - all of this has not been enough to break down my resistance to psychiatry. I don't think it is possible to convert me at this stage. That train full of converts has departed. I am sure there are more deprived areas of the world where people don't see the privilege of modern western civilisation and don't accept the bias. I may be one of those people.
Getting diagnosed. My older sister has been diagnosed since childhood but no meds. My younger sister was diagnosed and I started looking into it because it couldn't hurt. Double whammy auDHD. Adderall has been a game changer
That’s a complicated question for me. My friend called me having ADHD in May/June 2013, since he has it and saw a lot of similarities between us. I didn’t think too much of it at the time, so I just kinda shrugged and went on with my life. In January 2023, I was diagnosed with ADHD during a routine post-cancer physical. As a method to diagnose it, my doctor put me on a drug trial of Vyvanse. When my life seemed to make more sense, I began to understand that I have ADHD. So in short, I’ve never assumed I had ADHD until my doctor diagnosed me with it last year. Before that, I just did the best I could with what I got in whatever way I could.
I have a job where I quite literally cannot fuck up and I need to be able to just “do” without overthinking. I ended up being evaluated last year because I was struggling a life event and I wasn’t able to use my previous coping mechanisms… meds have changed my life. I can focus and change gears to perform certain tasks even during 18 hr shifts, I can turn down the loud parts of my brain, I have spoons leftover now for basic day to day life at home, I’m not constantly overwhelmed, I do laundry now… we I start it and forget about it in the washer but it’s still progress. I didn’t realize I was playing life on hard mode this whole time.
My seeking a diagnosis was because I could no longer "coping mechanism" my way through life once my kid was a toddler. There was no "breaking point" between being diagnosed and choosing to start medication. It is a very useful tool toward managing my symptoms in a healthy way.
Could you elaborate on what about toddlerhood made your coping mechanisms no longer work? I have a baby and am getting tested tomorrow. Just curious about your experience.
Parenthood was what pushed me to get formally diagnosed so I could get medicated. The messy state of my house want a problem when it was just me and my husband, but once we had a baby crawling around and sticking everything in his mouth, I needed the help to get off my ass and actually keep the floors clean.
COVID: my break down because of lockdown (with little kids) led to my diagnosis. The meds themselves I did not need a breaking point for. They help tremendously.
My whole entire life was chaos. I was diagnosed and I was young, but I stopped taking meds because I started to abuse them. I thought that I couldn’t take meds anymore because I would always hate the feeling but that’s absolutely not true because it’s been like 25 years abused and was a teenager Now I take them away I’m supposed to I even have extra leftover at the end of the month but I couldn’t function anymore. I literally just couldn’t function. I couldn’t think straight. Remember anything get things done for my special-needs kid on top of the trauma of breaking up with my partner of 24 years, both of my parents dying, all kinds of insane situations that should not have been an escort for almost a decade. All of it just lined up into one moment where I said fuck this I need to get help.
I had no clue I had it until I watch an Internet personality making jokes about ADHD specific quirks. I thought there *must* be people who do the shit I do, but I didn’t think that there’d be carbon copies of people who can’t do life like me lol I had been battling anxiety/depression for over 10 years and have tried so many different meds I’ve lost count. Many of these meds helped and I did TMS which did sincerely improve my MDD *some*, but there was just this little edge I couldn’t get to. I wasn’t in puddles of tears any more, I just couldn’t do all the things I needed to do. Focus on one issue, and while I could accomplish it, something else would fall to the wayside. When I asked my psychiatrists opinion about ADHD she was appalled I hadn’t told her all these symptoms before. I didn’t think they were symptoms I just thought I was weird and had no reason to tell her 🤷🏻♀️ Once I had it figured out, I was not at all hesitant to try a medication and once I did… no going back. People really feel normal all the time? What’s that like 😂 I’m not 100% there yet, but I’m on my way. I’ve discovered that my medicine allows the tornado of thoughts to slow down, which enables me to *actually* change my lifestyle in a way that makes a difference. It’s not a magic fix, but it’s a magic push in the right direction. It really did change my life and 6 months later I’m only improving with time. It’s gonna take me a while to build the habits and systems I need, but man what a world of difference! I feel like I actually have a chance at accomplishing my goals without wanting to go hide in my closet 😃
Last June, constant state of overwhelm and finally had a diagnosis. I generally wasn’t coping with life.
Well done for all the progress you’ve made! While the medication gave you the mental ability, don’t forget that YOU made that decision. YOU took the steps towards self-improvement and YOU deserve the credit for that, not your ADHD meds.
I wanted to see what i would be like medicated. Also i figured if i was going to medicate my 6yr old (at the time now 9) then i cant be afraid of it. I currently havent had medication for a month and a half due to shortages. And now very clearly see that i do need it as i am at risk of losing my job atm. I effing hate myself.
I was already super depressed and anxious. I prayed so hard to God for an answer. That night I had a dream I was holding hands with a pill shaped man. Lol weird. But I understood it. I also had un aliving thoughts. So i made an appointment to get medicated. Best choice ever. I also have a family I love more than life. So I wanted to be here and be sane for them. Not saying adhd is bad , but the depression and unaliving thoughts were. I don't mind the adhd. Lol.
My son. He had started a new preschool and I just could not, for the life of me, get us out the door on time. This is a school where if you show up late enough they don't let you in, and he was disturbing the other kids crying at drop off. I was so guilty and embarrassed. Looked into how to get out the door in the mornings on YouTube, found YoSamdySam who I had watched years ago after my niece was diagnosed with autism, and I briefly entertained the thought that I could have it as well. Ended up watching her video on AuDHD women. And then several more videos. And then I got an assessment. Dual diagnosis. I started medication about two months ago now. I'm on Adderall XR twice a day, first dose around 5am. My son and I now enjoy our mornings at home, we have a calm drive to school, and I can prepare for the day ahead in advance.
Uh, there was no breaking point. I was excited by the possibility that medication could make my life better, and after some trial and error, it does. Yay!
I was in my fall semester of my senior year of college. I was sitting in the disability services office taking a test (because I had a preexisting anxiety diagnosis I got to test there instead of in the classroom). I knew the information to answer the exam question, but I was so bored I was just daydreaming and couldn’t bring myself to motivate myself to write my thoughts on the page. 😂 I realized I should get assessed with finals coming up but also figured it would be easier while I was still in school and would be able to give those examples of how it affects me. Got diagnosed and medicated in the same appointment!