Hi – I’m also new to the forum, recently diagnosed (approx 1.5 years ago), and list the same issues above as concerns (memory, the dance of sorting out the house, finances needing work – ah the list goes on!). One point I wanted to raise from my own experience is that it takes time to work out what is needed for medication. I have been on medication approx 1 year, and we are still “tweaking” it. My partner has ADHD, (diagnosed 2-3 years back) and we experienced this with him also. Before I took medication, I joined an adult ADD group through my doctor’s office that ran for several weeks. I was the only one in the group who wasn’t taking medication. It was through the group that I found the motivation to jump in and try meds. I remember clearly one of the group members encouraging me to get going on trying meds and also saying that it would take at least 1 year to figure out what the right meds picture is. At that time I thought that seemed like a long time to work it out, but 1 year later, I understand and appreciate his comment.

If after 6 months you feel you have reached a plateau, it could be that you need to tweak your medication. I would encourage you to discuss it with the doctor prescribing the medication, and the counselor if they are different people. Also, from our experience, some doctors are better at working out the nuances of what medication is right for you. My partner started with another doctor, hit a plateau and struggled to move forward. He then switched doctors and has had more success with gaining some momentum to change after a change in medication – and he is still “tweaking” his medication also.

Additionally, it takes much more than medication to move things forward. In our household, we’ve found the hardest work is putting into place the behavioral and organizational tools we need to move the different areas of our lives forward. Progress is not linear –ADD/ADHD people just aren’t liner people in our processes. The facilitator of the group I took really emphasized this – it’s a cycle – you pick up some new behaviours, try them out, falter in using them, they fall by the wayside, you may feel crappy for a while – then you need to pick them up again and give it another go.

It’s an adventure (or I guess an ADDventure – ha,ha!). Reading websites like this one, connecting with others with ADD helps me to be inspired to dust myself off and come at things again.

Cheers - keep up the good work!

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While I have had ADHD most of my life, I understand what you are going through, as I haven't been on medication for the last 2 years, and getting back on it is going to be tricky. I wanted to suggest a book that I have found REALLY helpful with organization and time management skills for us with ADD/ADHD. And it's even written for people like us, with larger print and bullet points, etc. It's called "ADD-friendly ways to Organize your Life" and it's by Judith Kolberg and Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.d. I highly recommend it to anyone that has a family and home to organize.. it helped me tremendously. Hope you get back into "normal" soon.. :)

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Thanks for the replies. I have actually been thinking this weekend about looking for another dr. to handle my meds. My therapist is great! Wouldn't leave her for the world. But my psych is another subject. She's good and she's very nice, but I'm not sure I feel really comfortable with her. "Okay" but not "great," ya know? As for the meds, my biggest problem there is that all the meds that the doctor has wanted to try me on are the more expensive ones that have no generics. We are financially strapped as it is without adding another $60 a month to the mix. Sort of a catch 22 - right now I can't afford the meds because I'm not working as much as I should be, but if I took the meds then it could very likely increase my motivation so that I could work and therefore could afford them. Makes me dizzy thinking about it. Anyway, because of that my meds haven't changed at all in the last year. I suppose that could be a huge reason for the way I feel, but I just don't know what to do.

Speaking of work, I am feeling motivated right now so I am going to go get some work done! Thanks for listening! That in itself means the world. 8)

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