Very glad you found something that helped, but this is a good place to warn people that everyone is different. In some people, stimulant treatment can actually kindle problematic behaviors like the one you escaped. For some, they enhance focus but that results in more focusing on the hobbies, distractions, and side projects.
I bring this up because while ADHD medication is great for some, there's a growing problem of people reading positive anecdotes and assuming it's quick fix for all things lifestyle related. In clinic practice there's a growing number of people showing up with everything from stimulant-exacerbated Dermatillomania (skin picking disorders) to problematic behaviors with porn consumption after seeking out stimulant treatment based on internet advice. Stimulants are powerful drugs, and there's an entire other conversation to be had about the excessive prescribing practices of some of the providers out there (my pharmacist friends are in disbelief at the size of some of the doses they're handing out to people these days).
Thank you for bringing this up. I have PTSD, and that compounds with OCD and ADHD, and for years I was just sort of a slave to compulsions and trauma responses and a whole host of other things. More often than not had bad reactions to SSRIs, and generally avoided any medications for a long long time.
When I finally did start taking stimulants for the ADHD, it was magical. I was really really worried that it would cause me to get locked into obsessive compulsive cycles I was already in, and talked to my doctor quite a bit about what would work for me.
I started taking methylphenidate in 2022 and it was life changing. It was the first time that I felt I had some amount of control over my focus, whereas before I would just get stuck on whatever anxiety inducing thought I've had.
Now, I've never been more regulated, and it's never been easier to pull my attention to something else. That isn't to say that it's solved all my problems, it hasn't. I still have bad days and triggers and can still spiral out in different ways, but I'm managed to hold down a job for an entire year now.
Currently, I'm still struggling with trying to figure out what I need (in an emotional sense) at any given time. Should I have a cry? Reach out to a friend? Do yoga? Eat some food? Etc, and I'm working with my therapist to try to figure out that intuition a little.
> Very glad you found something that helped, but this is a good place to warn people that everyone is different. In some people, stimulant treatment can actually kindle problematic behaviors like the one you escaped. For some, they enhance focus but that results in more focusing on the hobbies, distractions, and side projects.
Certainly. On dexamfetamine, focus has a distinctive sticky quality to it. I need to be very careful where I direct it. Opening HN mid-morning means a productive session of commenting and getting into Internet arguments.
It's a negative side effect that can be overcome with a good routine and schedule. I take my meds, sit at my desk and open Emacs at 9am every day, 7 days a week. Distractions are blocked, so the path of least-resistance is just doing work. But then again, good routine and schedule are relatively easy to set up once medicated.
> But then again, good routine and schedule are relatively easy to set up once medicated.
Much easier to set up, yes, but many people learn about ADHD and medication from the internet lately (TikTok especially) and assume it's a complete fix in a pill.
You're a perfect example of doing it right: Setting up routines, setting up guardrails, maintaining the old techniques for discipline. Unfortunately that's not what happens with a lot of people who skim internet comments and then get a prescription from their doctor.
This problem isn't unique to ADHD. There's a similar problem with depression where people get SSRIs and assume they don't have to make any efforts any more, then wonder why they're still somewhat depressed. It's a difficult problem to solve when people only see their doctors for a small window of time but then consume hours and hours of low-quality internet advice from Reddit and TikTok every day.
It has become increasingly clear to me is the dangerous under-prescription of ADHD medication is the real problem, and we need to stop with this propaganda.
Very glad you found something that helped, but this is a good place to warn people that everyone is different. In some people, stimulant treatment can actually kindle problematic behaviors like the one you escaped. For some, they enhance focus but that results in more focusing on the hobbies, distractions, and side projects.
I bring this up because while ADHD medication is great for some, there's a growing problem of people reading positive anecdotes and assuming it's quick fix for all things lifestyle related. In clinic practice there's a growing number of people showing up with everything from stimulant-exacerbated Dermatillomania (skin picking disorders) to problematic behaviors with porn consumption after seeking out stimulant treatment based on internet advice. Stimulants are powerful drugs, and there's an entire other conversation to be had about the excessive prescribing practices of some of the providers out there (my pharmacist friends are in disbelief at the size of some of the doses they're handing out to people these days).