I’m a 45-year-old dude who’s only now coming to grips with having probably lived my whole life with undiagnosed inattentive-type ADHD. My wife and online communities like this one (and formerly Reddit) have helped me see that I may have been playing life on hard mode by pretending I didn’t have ADHD.
My doctor had me try Strattera (atomoxetine) about a year ago, but all it did was make me feel like I was nervous.
Have any of you inattentive-types had any success with simulant meds? I know it would be a lot of trouble to get officially diagnosed and even more trouble to fill the prescription, so I wonder if it’s worth trying.
edit: Thank you everyone who shared their experience. It sounds like Adderall or Vyvanse are effective for focus and executive dysfunction. If anyone is still keeping tabs on this conversation, have you had any improvement in forgetfulness/distractedness with simulant meds?
I have. Years after my adult diagnosis, I finally caved in and got medication. You are definitely playing life on hard mode.
The path to the easier mode won’t be fast unless you are lucky. I first took Vivance because that was all my plan would cover, and I got the “sudden rages” side effect, which affected work.
Adderall works better for me, but I’m trying some other stuff too as I think it is not solving the problem as much as I initially thought. It gets me to the point where I can focus and be motivated to act until early afternoon, and I’m not sure the focus/attention part is as good as I need. For the moment, I have a supplemental low dose at 1pm.
What I still lack is good executive function: decicive decisions, with subsequent actions. It’s better, but I don’t see it as anywhere near “the norm” yet.