i STOPPED ALL MY MEDICATION BECAUSE I DIDN'T FEEL AS INTUTUTIVE OR AS IF I HAD MY CREATIVITY THAT MY ADD PROVIDES. MEDICATION DID HELP ME FOCUS; BUT INTERFERED WITH SOME OF MY DAILY THING LIKE SLEEP. NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY I STILL FIND MY SELF SCATTERED; OR FIND I AM EASILY DISTRACTED. I CAN WILL TUNE OUT SOUNDS THAT OTHERS FIND ANNOYING;AND OCCASIONALLY FIND IT HARD TO FOCUS ON PEOPLE WHO STORIES SEEM DRONE. I LOVE TO READ; BUT CAN'T DO MATH TO SAVE MY LIFE. I NEED AMBIEN TO SLEEP; AND IN THE MORNING I HATE TO GET UP. I SEEM TO GET MY SECOND WIND SOMETIME AROUND 10 TO 11 O'CLOCK THAT IS PM. I FIND THAT EXERCISE DOES HELP. ADD FOR WOMEN IS DIFFERENT; I THINK BECAUSE OF OUR RESPONSIBILITIES TO ENTERTAIN ; AND ACT AS IF WE CAN DO IT ALL.MY ADVICE IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER HOW YOU REMEMBER THINGS JUST DO THINGS THAT WORK. SO GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR ADD. pS i'M NOT YELLING IT WAS JUST EASIER TO KEEP CAPITALS

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You indicate you have only tried Ritalin for your ADD. There are so many new drugs out there. Have you tried any of these? Even though they are the same class of meds they can behave differently. ADHD doesn't have a magic bullet fix. For many it is a combination of strategies and meds that do the trick. Don't give up. Many ADHD folks are very successful but are still frustrated within themselves. Maybe you need to accept that you are never going to be like the adult next door, play to your strengths,offset your weaknesses and try some of the new meds.Your wife can help you keep a log of your reactions and behaviors on meds to help you quantify the results as attention results can be the slowest and most subtle to detect. As for excercise use the great outdoors and bag the wellness center or go during off peak times or wear earplugs to dull down the ambient noise. What ever you try good luck to you.

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Stay in close contact with your doctor and tell him/her what you are feeling. You may need a med dose adjustment or to try something else. I got the right med on the first try but it took awhile to get it adjusted to the right dose. Try to be patient with yourself.

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Some people do not respond as well to the Ritalin-type medications but may do well on Adderall. And of course, it is important to get the dosage right and that may take time. Let your doctor know about the problems you are having with the medication. One medication does not work for everyone. There are also some newer medications out such as Focalin which don't have the same side effects. Elaine

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I've actually tried everything that my doc knew about over the course of several months: Ritalin, Concerta, Strattera, Adderall, etc, in various sizes, shapes, and doses, all with either no effect or some undesirable or even debilitating side effect.

I've heard/read that medication has positive effects in around 75% to 80% of cases (not sure of the exact number). That puts me in the remaining 20%. I just find it a little surprising that I have not heard stories or posts in this or other venues from others in the same situation.

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Highvoltage,

Were you formally diagnosed? I have a friend whos son spent 2 years going from one med to another, only to find out he wasn't ADHD at all he was bipolar. Just a thought.

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Wow, from your description you sound so much like my husband and my oldest son (15). They have both tried medication and felt that they could not tolerate it for various reasons. By the way, they both have Inattentive ADHD as opposed to Hyperactive. Both are very calm, my son to the extreme, and are wonderfully kind men.

My son has tried literally everything available including the new Daytrana patch, all with negative side effects. He did take Concerta and then Adderall for over a year with good academic success but he didn't feel like himself, it diminished his creativity and his 'spark'. As an artist and musician, this was too big of a compromise. His doctor suggested caffeine since nothing else was tolerable. As his doctor said, it's not as smooth and he feels the ups and downs more but it does help when he needs to focus.

We ended up enrolling my son in a school that suits his learning style better; smaller class sizes, very interesting teachers that use many different methods to teach (not just lecturing),more one on one support, and lots of art and music opportunities which keeps him motivated and engaged.

With my husband, he felt the benefits of the medication in that he was able to accomplish more and stay on task for a longer period of time but he felt jittery, his heart raced and he had a hard time slowing down and finally sleeping at night. He tried a few different types but finally quit. He has also been very successful in his job which fits his strengths very well so he just relies on caffeine now.

It has helped me tremendously to understand ADD so that I am coming from a place of being helpful and supportive instead of incredibly frustrated and angry about all the behaviors and habits.

I'm not sure if this helps at all, but I just wanted to share that you are not at all alone in not finding a good solution!

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lovemy2boys: I think both diagnoses were about as formal as it gets, sitting in a psychiatrist's office, complete with the framed certificates hanging on the wall, although the diagnoses, at least in my case, seemed to be more of a matching the way I am against a list of ADD "symptoms" and declaring that I had enough "symptoms" to be officially considered ADD. For all I know, however, it could be the same as your friend's son, where the "symptoms" actually pointed to something else. Thanks for the thoughts.

Hegego: My brand of ADD is definitely the Inattentive type; there is very little "H" here.

I have a 16-year-old son who shows many of the same symptoms as I do, the largest being he is maddeningly forgetful. We homeschool our children for various reasons, one of them being that formal school was not meeting their needs. For the most part, that has been going well, it allows us to tailor the subject matter, the schedule and the environment to their specific needs. One of the things we are trying to teach my son is a set of coping mechanisms; ways of remembering, for example, that can be used in his adult life.

One of the coping mechanisms that I have found extremely valuable for the last 21 years is my wife, without whom I would probably quite literally fall apart. She has learned a lot about ADD over the years and has been similarly helpful and supportive to me. I commend you on your seeking to understand ADD and all its foibles and to work with your family on that. I know it can be frustrating at times; my wife has expressed that to me on more than one occasion, but she is perhaps the most valuable asset I have. Thanks for your input.

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Hi ALL, using the wife as a tool. Good! I have realized I depend on mine too. But we also studied add to an extent and involved a counselor for close to a year. And it works. it got us to open up to each other and admit we both aint perfect. add or no add, we both want to succeed. No? So, the saga continues. We just set a deadline for the next 2 months together. She wants me to hit my deadline as much as me. And willing to help. So, stay tuned for Sept 07. Will let you know how we do with our deadlines and goals. kindest regards, Paul

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I am an adult with ADHD and on Concerta. My step-son has ADHD and is on Daytrana (the patch version of ADHD Meds). However, I am about to pull myself off my Concerta because I have found other options. I started cooking all my foods and seldomly eat out. When I cook, I took out all refrined sugar (not all sugars, just plain sugar. I still encourage fruit.) and anything that was bleached (no enriched or white flour or pasta) and lactose. I also removed as many artifical additives as possible. I cook with Splenda, whole wheat flour and real un-salted butter. In the process, I feel better and my ADHD symptons have decreased. My step-son is doing better as well. Another thing I do is to make sure him and I both get our Omega 3's and 6's. This helps greatly. Also, the vitamins we use have more "essential" minerals.

I am not saying that this will work for everyone, but I have done a lot of research about ADHD and nutrition and additives.

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