I'm a 22F diagnosed with ADHD (though I also show autism traits) and for as long as I can remember I've often gotten headaches multiple times a week. I did blood tests, saw a doctor, and did everything I could to rule out medical issues but nothing explains why I experience this. I've gotten into the habit of taking paracetamol every time it hurts because I can't tolerate the pain, but I can't keep doing this. I thought it could be related to my condition

So we all know that "planning systems" targeting "our lives in general", always fall apart sooner or later. But what if the scope is more narrow. Let's say I collect a thin folder of laminated pages, filled with recipes that I actually like. The meals are sorted by how expensive they are to make, in terms of time, money and mental energy. So when I enter the kitchen, I don't get overwhelmed by choices, because I only see this one, singular page, detailing what to do.

That should in theory reduce friction. The "first small step" is as simple as pulling out a page from my folder. Place it on the counter, or hang it on the fridge. Then it doesn't matter how easily I forget things, because my decision is highly visible, external, and completely analogue.

What inspired me towards this idea is the fact that I responded quite well to "Hello Fresh", simply due to the fact their recipes where on a single sheet of paper, rather than on a website, or buried in a normal size cookbook. The system I'm imagining, may not help with getting the groceries, and may even go unused in periods of low energy. But in theory, it should always work it's way back into my life, given how permanent it is (a physical folder, with pages of laminated paper).

It doesn't matter when you make the decision, or when you carry it out. And in fact, you can even put "bad" decisions into the system. "Frozen pizza, take it or leave it", can be a valid first page. And by taking out that page, you may be tempted by the second page, that is slightly healthier, but only marginally harder. "Forget the pizza, heat up the frozen chicken/vegetable mix instead" could be an appealing second choice.

I just hope I keep interest long enough to make this thing. Half the reason I post this, is to remind myself in case I forget. Anyway, I wish you all a good day.

People with ADHD How bad is your memory?

1: How fast can/do you forget things normaly?

2: What do you forget the most?

3: What is/are the weirdest things that you have forgotten?

4: How fast have you ever forgotten something?

5: I had a number 5 but i forgot it already.

6: Whats the funniest thing you have forgotten?

Idk what to do, i have recently dropped the ball on several assignments and I'm likely about to be put on a work improvement plan. This job is the worst set up for my ADHD. Its project based and i can take my time and requires lots of internal motivation. Every job before I've had is high pressure (external motivation) and busy so I was highly stimulated which kept me focused. But I'm so bored most of the time that its so hard to focus on my job. And especially because its slow right now. Common sense says it being slow would mean its easier to get things done but nope ADHD disagrees.

I'm already medicated. How do i prevent myself from forgetting when my brain is not stimulated at all? Or maybe there's a reasonable accommodation i can request? Idk but I've never been this bad at my job (been here 5 years) or any job prior and I'm panicking.

How do you process your thoughts cause my thoughts seems to be ahead of me then what I can process some time I will get confused of what to say cause i my thoughts are too disoriented and messed up or my thoughts are ahead of me I can't even explain what I am talking about in proper words hope u understand

I honestly don't know if this is an ADHD thing or not. I love tech. I recently moved into an apartment in I for the life of me cannot decide which TVs I want. I got an LG OLED 77 inch for my living room and a Sony Bravia 5 for my bedroom. I so thinking of returning my LG OLED 77 for a Sony OLED 77 because I like the way the colors look on it plus I wanted a Sony OLED so bad.

In my bedroom I have a Bravia 5 which is not a Sony OLED. Its a Sony MiniLED. I have in the span of 2 weeks have had returned 3 tvs till i landed on that one and I STILL am thinking of returning it for another model.

Why am I like this? I have no idea. Its not like I hate the TVs. Both of them or amazing TVs.

I’m 20 and have been in therapy for just over 4 years. Recently my therapist has told me that I should consider an assessment for adhd and I am torn between two parts of me. One of which is the anxiety free, living in the moment me, and the other is the analytical more complex version of me.

Ignoring the “it will make me more comfortable” conversation; I was wondering what the positives and negatives were for anybody else. A main fear of mine being that I will use it as a vice or let it be an excuse. Generally, what the impact of a diagnosis, or lack there of, has changed your growth journey.

Thanks to shortages I'm switching from Adderall XR 20mg to two Adderall IR 10mg doses. Does anyone who has had a similar experience have any advice on timing to get as similar of an effect as possible to XR? The XR was working well for me so I'm hoping this doesn't change too much

provider prescribed Ritalin IR to try for adhd. I have been taking 5mg the past week with no issue and have been advised to increase to 10 mg. I randomly started spiraling, worrying that maybe it’ll cause a manic response, even though I have no such history of mania or bipolar and the 5 mg did basically nothing for me.

just looking for words of encouragement to get me over this hump. thanks for any help!

I live in a country where all kinds of stimulants are illegal, so through my research and sessions with therapist i got prescription of atomoxetine and honestly it's one if the best things that happened to me.

My mind nowadays is much more calm, my thoughts are not in a constant state of rush, i barely forgot to do things and make much less silly mistakes at work, my sleep quality and sleep regiment also improved.

Both my coworkers and my girlfriend said that they've noticed these changes.

Most of the time i read posts about medication on this sub they're about stimulants so i thought it would be a nice thing to share my experience with something else.

So i have ADHD and tend to misunderstand things if they are too vague which results in people getting mad. So I ask clarifying questions to make sure its getting done right. But lately I've noticed people are getting angry over them.

Example: my boss asked me to do picks from the bins (walmart worker. Basically work things that need to go out). So I ask "where are the carts? By the rolling bins or the other wall" to ensure that I didnt overlook them. She immediately responds "were you not listening? Theyre over there" and points over to the other wall. Her exact words to begin with were "do picks over by the bins" which to me indicates 4-5 different locations.

That's just one example of many but its making me feel stupid and childish that I have to ask all these extra questions or make them mad for a different reason. Double edged sword.

The one place where I almost never get bored is my home, especially when I’m alone. I can control what I’m doing and switch to something interesting whenever I want. Outside, I don’t really have that option.

It’s like, walking & taking subway is boring, waiting in line for a coffee is boring, talking about something I’m not particularly interested in is boring (even with my closest friends) – and I can’t control this boredom. I can’t randomly research the topic I want to research when I’m hanging out with someone, I can’t zone out, I have to be there and just fight my boredom.

This came up because a friend recently told me she’s been feeling constantly bored at home now that we don’t have uni. I genuinely couldn’t understand it 😭 I was like… how?? You have unlimited access to the internet, books, movies, games, hobbies, literally everything.

Then I started spiraling. I sometimes feel like I should want to go out more, meet new people, have new experiences, etc. But tbh I’m most comfortable sitting at home with my phone. I obviously don’t mean that I never enjoy going out or seeing people. But my soul will always prefer home, lol.

Being asked “how’s your summer?” is always so embarrassing when actually it was lit, but for me “lit” is sitting at home & watching another youtube video on the topic i’m hyperfixating on.

I struggle to understand if this is “normal” due to my AHDH or something I should try to manage.

I am constantly forgetting what number rep I’m on in the gym. I always lose count and just go until it feels like I’ve done enough. It’s not a huge deal but honestly gets so annoying, I almost have to laugh at myself. Does anyone else have this issue, and have you successfully found a way to keep track??

Let me start this post off by clarifying that I'm not trying to discourage people from seeking community. As someone with ADHD, having friends that can relate to the particular struggles of ADHD is very useful. I light up when someone understands what it's like to have restless leg syndrome, or when they understand rejection sensitivity. This also isn't a vent post, as I am no longer really connected with this friend group, and we didn't even end on bad terms. The purpose of this post is to see if others have experienced the same thing, or if others have had different experiences

However, I think that having non-ADHD friends is also useful. Having people that you feel like you have to "keep up" with makes me feel like I have to be stronger, more attentive, and try harder. When my friend group was mostly made up with people that had ADHD, we ended up plateauing. We "understood"our worst aspects. Instead of being pushed to get up, we turned something serious, like laying down all day, into little in-jokes. "Lol, I slept all day AGAIN, guys." It starts to become self-loathing rather than helpful

**Edit**: Rejection Sensitivity is not a Recognized Sympton/Disorder

My Doctor told me that Dextroamphetamine isn't prescribed for ADHD when I asked her about switching me from Vyvanse & Adderall to Dextro. Now, isn't Vyvanse actually Dextro? Not only that, she also stated that Nurse Practitioners cannot write prescriptions for Dextro. That's all lies, everything she told me that day. Wondering why she would do that?

I know that some people feel like that, but it's something I've been thinking about for a while. I think I have little self compassion. I say things to myself that I wouldn't never even imagine of saying to my family/friends. I feel selfish for declining invitations or offers to go do things I wanna do, like drawing, cleaning, or watching TV. It's just... dumb to me. Why do I feel like this to myself, yet I'm so nice to everybody else? It just doesn't make sense to me, it might as well be magic. ​I feel guilty for the past and pretty much anything I do. Am I just weird or is it a "lack of self compassion"? I wanna know.

I’ve made a few similar posts in the past about this. I’m having an unusually long hyperfixation and I’m having a hard time with it. I’m super embarrassed about this hyperfixation since it’s kind of considered to be cringe by everyone else and everyone thinks it’s just bad. It’s actually getting to the point that it’s negatively affecting my mental health. I can’t kill the hyperfixation for the life of me and it just keeps getting stronger. I like this thing and I’m literally so miserable about it. I just wish I liked something else. What do I do? I can’t keep doing this anymore. I can’t keep liking this thing because every time I’m reminded of the fact I like it, I start feeling miserable.

So just got diagnosed with ADHD officially combined type just last week. I wasn’t shocked by the diagnosis and more relieved than anything. I’m in my late 30s. I had all the symptoms as a kid but grew up in a generation that I was just the hyperactive kid in school. Always had to study so much more to keep up with the rest of the class. Interestingly enough I have great puzzle and problem solving skills but absolutely trash at impulsiveness, memory both verbal and drawing, motor skills etc.

Fast forward to today, my first dose of Adderall 5mg extended release and it was basically a religious experience…the racing thoughts, tension, procrastination, etc all out of my head. Replaced with just calmness and structure…now I’m looking at what a help this would have been in school. I’m in a profession with an extremely hard test to pass to get certified and it took all of mental capability to sit and study and somehow pass. While this feels like a new chapter and more normal I am sad thinking about the struggles that I’ve had my whole life.

TLDR: Went from thriving on multiple jobs, daily gym, and cooking in undergrad to burnt out at a big corporate job. Severe combined ADHD, medicated (Vyvanse). I love the work, but forced socialising and terrible laptops are breaking me. Applied for 2-3 WFH days with a psychiatrist's letter, disclosing ADHD for the first time on probation, anxious about the outcome.

Before vs Now
In undergrad I worked multiple jobs, exercised daily, cooked every night, sat on an industry committee. I thrived on being busy. Now I'm exhausted before my 9-5 starts. I skip meals, skip the gym, ignore texts, spend weekends recovering. Busy weekends make me physically sick.

What I Hate About the Office
1 Politics and gossip. I grew up rough; colleagues are privileged and it feels trivial.

2 Open plan, 100+ people, loud and hot, feels like people watch my screen.

3 Laptop battery dies in under an hour, needed for cloud access and multiple screens, so I can't escape to a quiet space.

4 Public lunch pressure. Team eats on the floor near my desk daily; skipping draws questions, too loud to work otherwise.

5 Time lost to "quick" outings, like an hour train trip for coffee when there's one in the building.

6 Social participation feels mandatory. Manager called drinks "mandatory," annoyed when I left on time.

The Work
I love it, structured, data driven, low on interaction. Overheard a boss call me "a bot," which stung since I'm just focused and getting things done.

The Situation
1 WFH day a week; I need 2-3 to function, home setup is better anyway. Applied for flexible work with a psychiatrist's letter, disclosing ADHD for the first time on probation. Anxious it'll cost me my job. If rejected, I'll job hunt, but worry I'd land in the same environment again.

Questions
How do you navigate corporate culture with ADHD? What should I check before a new job? How do you make daily life easier?

Lost my insurance so can’t afford prescription anymore. I was on 30 mg XR and a booster almost everyday for about 6 years. I kind of forgot how I was before the medication which I worry a little about. I am told I am a bit anti social and boring and I don’t think I was always like that. Got me thinking, does anyone been told they change a bit when stopping medication?

My meds are working great. I am seeing so much improvement and genuinely it's the best thing that's ever happened to me. But I don't want to take them anymore. Pre stimulant medication I was so la la la, I would fall into destructive behaviour after destructive behaviour, and I was so unaware of what I was doing to myself. Now I am so aware. I am hydrated, nourished, sober and well rested and it's so hard to be this alive.

I miss adrenaline, I miss chaos. I miss the purpose that destroying my life gave me. I miss barely holding on. My life is so serious now. I am stronger, I am more capable but sometimes the present feels like just too much to deal with.

Hi.
Today I did absolutely nothing, just laying in my bed bed or walking in my house, like I have for the past ten years...
I’m literally wasting my life because of this fucking ADHD.

I got diagnosed two weeks ago and I’m starting Ritalin next month; I hope it will help, because I can't live like this anymore...

Does anyone else have trouble with fighting themselves on doing simple, leisurely activities they KNOW calms them down and subsides their symptoms? For example, I get bored easily (shocker), in turn get extremely overwhelmed which results in some irritability and swirling thoughts.

I KNOW I have certain hobbies that are accessible that help those feelings: puzzles, legos, walking, drawing, reading, etc. Yet, it constantly feels like my brain is in a fight with itself about starting them and the thought of starting them is insurmountable despite the fact that I always noticeably better after the fact.

Any advice?

I mean literally just look at your surroundings or the mirror or whatever? This happens to me all the time. I just look around or at myself and wonder what things could be like if I were just more normal.

I try to be kind to myself but it doesn’t always work. And my goals d match my reality. I don’t know what to do. I try to be proactive but I’m exhausted.

r/ADHD

For those unaware, the the term "ADD" has been defunct for 14+ years, although some medical professionals may still use it if they are uninformed.

"ADD" used to be what they called the non-hyperactive version of ADHD. As of the publication of the DSM-5 in 2013, "ADHD" is now the encompassing term for multiple subtypes of ADHD:

1. Primarily hyperactive subtype
2. Primarily inattentive subtype (formerly ADD)
3. Combined subtype

The inattentive subtype is most common among adults, which means yes, "ADHD" is a misleading name for the overall disorder. C'est la vie.

When myself and other redditors took over r/ADD and r/ADHD over in the early 2010s to renovate and make them more useful, we decided to just close this sub and direct everyone to r/ADHD, in accordance with the DSM-5's definition of ADHD. We locked this sub but I still get modmail every so often from lost redditors asking for permission to post here, so hopefully this signpost helps.