r/ADHD

Hey, wondering out loud about that feeling of getting a nice new app/system, setting it up, feeling like this one might actually work… and then losing interest in it after a couple weeks.

I like having things organized, but I really hate organizing once it starts feeling like a damn chore.

For me, I think the upkeep is what kills it. The app/system slowly becomes another thing I have to check, and then I start avoiding it.

What usually kills a task system for you?

Forgetting it exists? Getting overwhelmed by it? Feeling guilty when it gets messy? Losing interest after the setup phase? Something else?

Not looking for recommendations — I’m more curious where these systems tend to break for people, because I can’t tell if this is an ADHD thing or just a me thing.

Does anyone else talk to themselves all the time? Not so much a matter of talking to myself as just thinking out loud. I feel like everything that comes into my brain comes out of my mouth? I know that I probably look like I'm crazy sometimes, but I can't seem to stop doing it.

Like, right now for instance, I can't just sit here and type this. I'm thinking about what I want to type and it's all coming right out of my mouth. For me, this is completely normal.

Of course, so is walking down the road and talking to myself. Or walking through the store and talking to myself.

I read something that said talking out loud forces my brain to slow down because I can't possibly talk as fast as my brain's going. Whether this is true, I don't know. But it seems reasonable.

I've tried to stop doing it so much, but most of the time I don't think I even notice I'm doing it. That is, until I'm standing in the middle of a store talking to myself and people are looking at me like I've lost it. Of course, then instead of thinking, "Quit talking to yourself," I say it out loud!

Anyone else do this all of the time?

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My doctor decided to try out Adderall, and I can't find anyone with stock. Most pharmacies said they haven't had any in stock for a month, one place said they've been out of stock since December! It's a generic drug and not a hard one to make, this feels ridiculous that supply is struggling so much. Don't want to get political here so all I'll finish with is this really sucks

I am so sick and tired of masking.

Recently diagnosed (m21) and finally understand why daily social interaction has always been a performance to me. Feigning interest, making all the right "I'm listening" noises or "I heard that" reactions...the worst? Constant. Fake. Laughter.

Oh, can't forget the phrases I picked up from TV or my charisma role models that I've been parroting for years to achieve what those around me consider an oh-so-easygoing social behavior...

That's just the social side, too. I didn't realize my "anti-chud checklist" was a personalized coping mechanism to all my ADHD symptoms. Can't believe I never questioned those days I needed to make a to-do list so specific is starts with "wake up."

How do you recover from the years of learning to mask? What are your own masking behaviors? Do you try to work through them and stop, or do you embrace it?

hello i just got recently diagnosed with adhd. i’m 24m and just recently started going to therapy and recently got diagnosed with adhd. i am in a loving relationship but constantly feel like i’m letting my partner down and disappointing them. during arguments she says “why can’t you just understand” or something along those lines and i don’t know what to say or do. i find myself lying about anything and everything small and i have no idea why or what to do to change it or catch it and correct it. been told i’m not considerate and i don’t do things that don’t benefit me or plan dates or anything. i am really bad at communication and i almost never know how i feel or how to express which causes a lot of miscommunication and frustration from her end. i really don’t know what to do or what i’m looking for just wasn’t feeling heard or understood. i know that i can be frustrating and i want to change it but not sure how or where to start. the diagnoses explains a lot in our relationship but i don’t want it to be an excuse. not sure where i was going with this also not sure if it’s different or anything but my therapist said i have “adhd with inattention and hyperactivity”

Hello out there!

I got my diagnosis two months ago at 37.

Honestly I don't really know if I want to try meds.

But may I ask what your reasons are to raw dog life.

I'm pretty curious if someone is thinking like me.

Sorry for my shitty English, I am not a native speaker.

I hope for some anwers.

Thank you!

Just wanted to put this somewhere. 47F here and I have my first ADHD assessment Thursday. I alternate between of course I have it and there’s no way I have it because I made it this far, have a good job, etc. Maybe I am just careless/making this all up. I don’t even care about getting medication - I just want to know why I am the way I am and if there’s a way to make my brain be quiet. That’s all. Thanks for listening.

(And yes I saw that there were posting rules but they were long and I gave up halfway through reading them.)

So for a little context I come from a background of very egotistical and prideful background where mental health issues are seen as a weakness and frowned upon. Looking at our family history, I can confidently say that almost every one in my bloodline self medicated with alcohol and other substances.

Anyways, I followed the same pattern to say the least. A few months ago I secretly went through a diagnosis and turns out I have both inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive ADHD. I’ve since been working with my doctor to find medication that works for me, we have had to increase the dosage for my aderrall extended release 3 times now and it’s genuinely don’t see a difference.

Now he’s is where the question comes in place— whenever I I take my medication and take 3 shots or drink 2 pints of beer and take the medication before my day starts, I feel so active, I get so much work done, almost all of the tabs in my head closes. But if I take the medication alone, I just feel nothing. Also when I take the 3 shots and don’t take the medication, I don’t feel anything either, I lazy, easily forgets, distracted and always cranky and easily triggered.

I’m now genuinely worried if this is normal or if this m doing something wrong. Maybe I might not have ADHD…. Maybe I might be an alcoholic (but that seems less like it since this year I went from 4months without drinking just to test if I can quit when I want and it wasn’t hard for me to do so)

But the medication seems to work if it’s incorporated with alcohol. Has anyone else had this issue? What do you think is going on? Am I missing something? Please help. I really want to take care of myself and get to know and understand my mental health state.

Monster energy (and sometimes redbull) are the only sources of caffeine that wake me up. Regular coffee just puts me to sleep. I struggle with energy already due to fibromyalgia and narcolepsy, I feel like a zombie without my daily drink (I drink it throughout the day and limit myself to one/day) I've been consistently taking my concerta so it no longer gives me that jolt of energy and focus (It still helps me focus but I need the energy first)

Is this the same for anyone else? Like, different types of energy drinks affect you differently? Anyone find a healthier source of energy? Or am I just a lifelong monster customer now 🥲

(also I've already been to a sleep specialist and do have sleep apnea. My CPAP definitely helps my energy levels but it's still not enough to get through the workday)

before my adhd diagnosis, i was already doin all these "coping strategies" but had zero clue that’s what they were. just thought i was weird lol.

i was constantly gamifying my entire life bc it was literally the only way to get my brain to do stuff. back in uni, i had these different "characters" in my head. there was the Math Twin for, well, math. the Programmer for coding/it stuff. and the Worker—basically the toxic boss forcing everyone else to actually do their jobs.

i remember imagining the Programmer refusing to work so the Worker would "put a gun to his head" to force him to start. (ik that sounds dramatic but my brain needed that level of fake urgency to function.)

i’d spend forever sitting in the bathroom thinking up these hyper-engineered systems to "optimize" my day, and if someone bullied me? i’d just mentally transform into "Jacked Jack"—someone stronger and more confident who could actually handle it.

everything i did was just to keep from falling apart. taping reminders to the door, putting all my stuff on a chair the night before a trip so i didn't leave my entire life behind... i thought it was just me being "extra" or whatever.

post-diagnosis, it’s wild realizing i wasn't just being weird, i was just building my own scaffolding. kinda funny how many "adhd tips" i’d already accidentally figured out on my own.

anyone else doin this? like creating weird little systems for yourself way before u even knew u had adhd?

I’m just curious as to how common this is. I know it’s a really common shared experience among people with ADHD to switch hobbies, and I’m not invaliding that common shared experience at all, it just isn’t my experience.

I have other issues that have made it harder to find hobbies, like my woeful motor skills and my vision issues, so I’m almost certain ADHD isn’t the only factor here.

But I cannot read properly, my motor skills make most sports really hard (I did run regularly for a couple of years but haven’t stuck at it), my slow reaction time makes most computer games difficult and I lose interest in them quickly, and I find it difficult to watch movies without getting distracted unless I am at the cinema.

I just spend most of my free time staring into space. I sometimes listen to podcasts while doing it, but most of the time even they are just background noise and I am not actively listening.

I've been having somewhat of a new ADHD problem, and not sure how to overcome it. I always get into a new hobby or work interest that I become really fixated on and most of the time I completely lose interest after a while.

My new problem is knowing that my new interest could just be a temporary hyper fixation, I end up not doing it at all and have kind of just been stuck not doing anything because I don't want to waste money or time on something I'm going to lose interest in.

this always happens with me after i´ve experienced long periods of insomnia, where i simply wake up and don´t want to do anything through the day, i don´t want to study, do house chores, watch tv, go out with my friends, do the things i like, literally NOTHING, i just end up just wasting my day away with meaningless activities while eating like an animal.

I didn´t do anything productive nor relaxing, only waste my time, the only thing that i truly wanted to do throughout the whole day was to sit in the corner and "deactivate my mind" like a robot or something like, that but my body refuses to rest/ slow down.

I try really hard to be disciplined (i used to be more a couple of years ago), i use to do lists, exercise, try to stick to a routine, study every single day, i allow myself to have a full day to rest on saturdays, and yet i feel like i can´t "escape" who i am, can´t push my limits.

I’ve been seeing a psychologist for a while now, because I’ve been diagnosed with dysthymia. Because the treatment isn’t working still, we’re exploring if there might be other reasons why that could be (aside from depression/dysthymia). We’re looking into AD(H)D right now, cause I have multiple symptoms of that (so I’m not diagnosed actually).

I was just wondering if anyone out there is experiencing the same; multiple layers of brain-noise is the best way to put it I guess. I have this constant and NEVER ENDING radio in my head and whenever im awake there’s playing music, on another layer there’s this beep tinnitus-like. And on top of that there’s this stream of thoughts that won’t shut up.
Can anybody (diagnosed or not) that can relate? Please tell me about it!

My husband has been on Concerta daily for 9 years, all with the same prescriber. He started on 54mg and made his first and only adjustment down to 36mg on day 29 of his 30 day prescription. That was the first month and since then he’s never done anything but pick his prescription up on time.

He keeps some of his medication in his toolbox at work since he doesn’t typically take it until around the time he gets there. Friday was his old coworker’s last day, and the next day he noticed that his meds were gone. Out of a 90-day prescription, 16 pills are missing.

He suspects that she took them because she knew he kept some at work, and she happens to really dislike him because she tried to throw him under the bus and it backfired and cost her job. He can’t prove it though.

IMO his prescriber would see that he had a track record of being responsible and would help him out but my husband is afraid to even ask.

Any advice/personal experiences would be appreciated.

I'm 16 HS student learning to drive, but I wanted to know how some of you were able to pass the test or how driving is actually like, I've been thinking that I might have to get medicated for driving because it almost feels impossible to remember the entire handbook/quizzes or actually be able to focus on driving and constantly checking your mirrors. I was also thinking maybe being able to try to take the drivers test first without the medication and then after maybe? I'm lost here and any advice is appreciated.

I feel this is a very specific thing im dealing with rn but I figure someone one here will be able to understand and maybe give advice?

I'm currently on a calorie deficit and I bring my breakfast, lunch, and a snack to work. problem is, there is constantly sweets/snacks that I'm really struggling to resist. I try eating filling lunches and breakfasts but I want the sweets, the hot chips, I swear its like someone else driving my body whilst I grab the sweet bread my boss brings🥲

my stomach always ends up hurting too b/c I've mostly cut out sugars, breads, and anything processed outside of work (or the occasional dinner out).

how do I fight the impulse? I basically do nothing all day so I have nothing to hyper focus on to ignore the craving. I can't avoid the kitchen bc I keep my lunch in the fridge, and I have to keep it organized as part of my duties.

office workers, how do you do it?? I can't quit bc it makes great, reliable money, but I'd like to see my abs at least once before the summer is over😭

(I'm not currently medicated, got a new insurance and I'm dragging my feet to contact the psychiatrist my primary recommended, ellohell)

I have been thinking about this a lot lately.

Sometimes I tell myself that I should be studying, working, or learning something useful. Because of that, I don't go out, meet friends, watch a movie, or do anything that would actually help me relax.

But the strange part is that I don't end up being productive either.

Instead, I spend hours scrolling on my phone or doing random things that don't matter. The whole time, my mind keeps reminding me that I should be doing something important. So I can't enjoy wasting time, and I also don't get any real work done.

It feels like I am stuck between wanting to be productive and being unable to start.

When I look back, I feel sad thinking about how many days, months, and even years disappeared like this. If I had at least enjoyed that time with friends, hobbies, or family, I wouldn't regret it as much.

What hurts the most is knowing how much time and potential I have lost. I really want to break this cycle because I don't want more years to pass in the same way.

Does anyone else feel like this?

Sooooo, in an effort to help get my ADHD ass off of my phone (especially Reddit, damnit!) I started using my Digital Wellbeing option on my phone. I can set timers, and when I'm close to the limit, my phone warns me with a 5min warning, then the screen goes greyscale with a one minute warning.

And instead of stopping, I go in and adjust my timer, giving myself another hour.

And when POOF that time flies by, and the warning happens again, I again go in and adjust the timer.

I'm currently sitting here, shaking my head, wondering *why* I'm doing this to myself! Twice I've gone in, adjusting the timer.

I just gave up and deleted it for today lol

Just like I did yesterday, then set it again this AM! Ha!

Omfg my behaviour is soooo laughable at times! I drive me crazy!

Might anyone else relate!?!?

Anyone else experience this? I'm at 40mg vyvanse and it still makes me anxious and gives me an uncomfortable feeling in my chest (warm, faster heart rate and breathing, nothing dangerous) and it still makes me anxious. But chronic fatigue is getting worse, I'm too exhausted to do anything by the time I get home from work and on my weekends I only manage to accomplish one or two chores. But because of the negative feelings vyvanse still gives me, I dont want to increase my dosage. Nor will my psych prescribe anything else to try and I'll lose my job if I take a tolerance break. Adding caffeine worsens all the negative side effects too. Not sure what to do.