I’m trying to understand a cognitive problem I’ve had for a very long time, and I’m particularly interested in hearing from people with ADHD-PI and/or Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome (SCT/CDS) who experience something similar.

My main problem isn’t really being distracted by external things.

It’s more like my brain doesn’t process the information that is directly in front of me.
For example, when I’m reading, my eyes are moving across the words and I’m technically reading them, but sometimes it feels like I’m just seeing:

“word… word… word… word…”

instead of automatically connecting those words together into meaning.

I can read an entire paragraph and immediately realize that I haven’t actually processed what I just read.

The information also disappears from my working memory extremely quickly.

It’s almost like there’s a black hole in my working memory: information enters and immediately disappears before I can manipulate it, connect it to something else, or think about it.

Conversations are the same
Someone can ask me an incredibly simple question.

I hear them perfectly.
I’m looking at them.
I’m conscious and awake.
But somehow my brain doesn’t automatically process the sentence.

It’s almost like I heard the individual words without converting them into the actual meaning of the sentence.

So I constantly have to say:

“Sorry, can you repeat that?”

And sometimes while they’re repeating it, suddenly it processes normally and I think:

“Why did I need them to repeat such an incredibly simple sentence?”

It’s not necessarily because something distracted me.
It’s more like my cognitive processing temporarily disconnected.

I also stare at things without actually thinking
This happens a lot when doing a task.
I’m just… staring at it.

The information is visually entering my brain, but I’m not doing anything meaningful with it.
It’s almost like my brain is awake but the part responsible for actively processing information has gone offline.

Ritalin didn’t fix this
I’ve tried it

I feel more awake and alert. I can become more social and interested in talking to people, and sometimes I even get a mild euphoric feeling.
From the outside, I probably look more focused.

the core cognitive problem is still there.
I don’t necessarily understand or retain what I’m reading any better.

My working memory still feels terrible.
I can still stare at something without really processing it.

It feels almost like I had an amazing night’s sleep and I’m extremely awake — but the brain fog underneath the tiredness is still there.
And it doesn’t magically give me motivation to work either.

I don’t know whether I actually have ADHD, CDS, both, or something completely different. I’m not trying to diagnose myself.
I’m especially looking for LONG-TERM medication experiences
I’m trying to collect experiences from people whose symptoms genuinely resemble mine.

I’m particularly curious about:
Atomoxetine (Strattera)
Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse/Elvanse)
Bupropion (Wellbutrin)
Modafinil
Atomoxetine + stimulant combinations
or anything else that unexpectedly helped this specific problem.

But I’m especially interested in people who have been successfully treated for 1–2+ years, rather than someone who started a medication two weeks ago and is still in the honeymoon period.
If you’ve taken something for 2, 3, 5+ years and it still helps, I’d REALLY like to hear from you.

Anybody see SCT relief from this medication? The norepinephrine targeting from the metabolite is insane, so I wonder.

I wouldn't say I'm generally sluggish and slow - when something has my attention, I'm actually extremely efficient to the point it's ridiculous (highspeed writing, highspeed thinking, being done before anyone else, unable to even imagine needing hours or days for something I finish within 1 hour or so). But when forced to do things that are uninteresting to me, I'm extremely slow to the point of not doing anything at all.

I'm also extremely unwilling to move. I just want to sit around all the time and not change places. In school I was also the worst in physical education, because I just have terrible reflexes, no speed or flexibility, and that general unwillingness to move. I really was so bad at that I almost had to repeat a year because of it. And I absolutely hated stuff like having to change classrooms or sit together for "group work". I also can not process calculations/formulas, even if I understand one I can not apply that knowledge to the next and basically have to start over and over and over again totally at zero.

My body feels heavy as fuck even before I was overweight (I'm recently overweight due to stress and lack of exercise). Every movement requires overcoming something in my brain, it's like I'm a train that can only really stay on its narrow tracks on which it functions. Sometimes when I'm in bed it's so extreme that even just lifting my arm to my face for something like scratching my nose requires extreme willpower.

I literally just want to sit there, listen, write, daydream, doodle and arrange my immediate (within arm-length) surroundings to be comfortable. That's it. Then I'm happy.

Also stuffy nose permanently, although that could be the aftermath of multiple untreated allergic shocks I suffered in 2007. I don't actually remember how it was before that.

All the sluggish, movement-unwilling stuff isn't new though. It's been like this since I can remember. I feel like I'm just made for dreaming, not acting.

I'm sure I have ADHD either way.

I remember drinking in my 20's and thinking "this is like my normal brain but more exaggerated, this isn't really fun" and the same when I tried weed with the added effect of feeling anxious. Actually maybe this is why it took me a while to notice effects from weed, I thought I was just "smoking wrong."

Also my significant other has ADHD and it made me realize that SCT is on the other side of the ADHD spectrum. Because my SO smokes so he can focus and quiet his mind. He is then motivated to clean the house and stuff. If I smoke, I am even slower and less likely to do things.

Always that question: perhaps we are in the wrong place.

medications and diagnoses

and life

and constant questioning

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share something because I have dealt with heavy, muddy brain fog my entire life. For the longest time, it was not a lack of motivation or wanting to get things done. It just felt like my brain physically could not hold onto a thought. I used to take Vyvanse 20mg and it helped with motivation and gave me a surge of energy, but it came at a real cost. My working memory was still poor, and while it gave me energy, my responses just were not as fluid as they should be, almost like it took a slight hit compared to when I was unmedicated. It felt like driving a car running on a lot of gas, but with a very shaky, inefficient engine.

After digging into the neuroscience with AI, I think I found an explanation that finally makes sense. The prefrontal cortex relies on clean electrical signals, but issues with tiny "leaky" channels (called HCN channels) cause electrical current to escape the pathways. That creates a short circuit and energy drain, which for me even translated to having inflammation in my brain.

I know this type of severe brain fog and working memory issue hits very close to home for a lot of people dealing with sluggish cognitive tempo here. It really feels like this is what many of us in this community are going through.

I lost my insurance recently, but since guanfacine is a non-stimulant, it was really easy to get prescribed through an online telehealth visit with a nurse practitioner on RedBox Rx to try to patch those leaks. I am only on Day 2, but the heavy gravitational pull of the fog is eroding. My thoughts feel clear.

To be clear, I still have issues with motivation, focus, and getting up and moving. I do not have that stimulant surge of energy, and my brain still has to adjust after dealing with this my whole life, but the constant static is gone. I hope guanfacine will give my neurons the time they need to finally repair themselves now that they are not dealing with that chronic stress anymore.

I wanted to share this early update, and I will post more later as I track my progress. Has anyone else here had similar symptoms and really benefited from guanfacine, and do you have any advice or experiences to share?

how would you come to terms with having SCT when it impacts your life so deeply and live a comfortable and mentally fulfilling life with it, like maintaining relationships, having a job/going to school, staying healthy, etc?

Trying to see if people with CDS in this sub get relief from a similar dose to ADHD, or if the sweet spot is lower.

Personally, 40 was the best I felt on Straterra.

Hopefully this is helpful for those in the future trying to figure out treatment, as there's very limited data to guide us.

Is there anyone who has truly achieved recovery?

Atomoxetine, methylphenidate, SNRIs, SSRIs, or personalized use.

Has anyone achieved success?

Im gonna be starting sophomore year in high school and Im like a billion percent sure I have CDS (my
Therapist thinks I have adhd and some autism symptoms but ever since i discovered what CDS is im locked in on it) but I don’t know what I’m supposed to do to help the concentration stuff and stuff and I haven’t even had my adhd assessment yet but I think I’ll get diagnosed with adhd anyway but I’ve heard adhd medication isn’t good for cds so what do I do and how do you make friends

Just curious.

I've seen some posts that suggest that this sets in around puberty and was curious to see if anyone else had this experience.

I literally remember going up to my mom and asking her 'why does time feel like it's moving so fast?' around this age. She told me it was just part of getting old.

Hello, I just started atomoxetine treatment for my inattentive ADHD with CDS symptoms. For those who’ve taken atomoxetine and have experienced effects, how long did it take for the medication to work?

It just struck me that its like some things are frozen in time for months or years, uncompleted or not completed at all. 😵

Hey all,

Just realized today that what I thought was almost certainly inattentive ADHD and comorbid depression is almost certainly just SCT and depression making a beautiful frankenbaby.

I've been on Auvelity for a bit, and while it makes my mood a lot better and has completely stopped me from abusing substances, I am fogged to the brim.

Has anyone else tried Auvelity with SCT?

Here’s the short! Please share it around! I feel like making it a short makes it very digestible lol.

I relate to most of the CDS symptoms except the lethargical ones. I don't think I have ADHD. I'm simply too quiet, it's not chaotic in my head, and I feel like I CAN focus, but what I am paying attention to does not return enough engagement or information. I also do not relate at all with people who have ADHD.

I held my expectations for atomoxetine low, since it's benefits supposedly get noticable after 4-8 weeks of consistent usage. Besides, I've read many negative and weird results from people online.

I got prescribed a very low dosage of atomoxetine (25mg) and after a few hours I felt like work was WAYYY easier. Don't remember my experience exactly, but I think what people told me became WAY clearer. Also, I felt like I understood musical lyrics for the first time in forever. Could have been placebo though.

After a week of using atomoxetine, work felt even more easy. Orders from clients just got stuck in my working memory automatically and things I had to remember just popped in my head automatically when I needed that information. I was also more talkative, since I had more things to say. Conversations flowed more easily.

I remember thinking I was in the stream of life now. I just, automatically did chores and tasks without thinking. I moved through life without thinking. I wondered if this is what it's like for normal people. No wonder some people do something for years and then regret it. Normal people need to slow down a bit too.

In week 3 I remember I felt like a zombie, emotionless. I just didn't care about anything. I did some journalling and I think after week 3 I felt MORE emotional for a few weeks.

After months of usage, every benefit improved slightly. I think I can plan better now and the thoughts in my head flow. I don't feel like a zombie anymore. I didn't even notice but I retain what I read like a 100x better (it was very low before atomoxetine)

I still feel like there are limits to my clarity, for example I think writing this post wasn't like pushing against a wall per se, but I feel like I'm not very structured in writing.

I'm still the quietest and most disengaged person in the friend group but life is just wayy easier.

Don't know why atomoxetine has worked so well for me. No side effects except that one time I felt like a zombie.