ADHD Premed students

[apat12]

I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 7, and since then I've been taking medication to counteract the disorder. Although it did help me in high school, where I could just use my natural intelligence to breeze by classes, I am having an extremely hard time adjusting to the workload that comes with being a chemistry major attempting to make it in an extremely competitive enviroment (pre-med).

In HS, I could just take my medication for school and not worry about it at home, because I didn't ever have to study. Now I have to be focused all the time, because of the workload. It sounds like an easy fix- take my medication all the time, right? Unfortunately, the effects that Adderall and other medications of that nature are the same - you don't eat, you don't sleep. So I have to balance being a student with being a normal human being, plus I've been having to adjust to not having nearly as much "me time" (just playing video games, browsing the internet, doing what i want to do) as I am used to having. I don't like living my life in 4 or 12 hour increments where I focus like a normal human being, and the rest of it where I am impulsive, unfocused and immature.

So my question to everyone here with ADHD is, how have you managed to cope with the disorder? Have you gone to therapy, or have you just used sheer willpower to barrel through it? How have you been able to plan studying, eating, and sleeping around the use of medication? I have the drive and the passion to be a doctor, I just have not been able to beat this thing. And it's not a case of "well he's just making excuses", trust me it's gotten to the point where if I go to class and I am unmedicated, no matter how hard I try to pay attention, I cannot. It is very difficult to explain and it is very frustrating to me when people think that I am faking it, or they just assume they have ADHD the first time they ever get distracted while doing something.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[bruceleehiiiyaa]

use the search function

 

[apat12]

use the search function

I did - I found a thread for medical students, that had not been posted in since April 19th, 2009. All of the threads like this for pre-med students had not been posted in for 6+ months.

I've been posting in forums for almost a decade, I know the deal.

 

[majahops]

If you have bonafide, legitimate ADD, then you've got a neurotransmitter imbalance and the only thing that will correct it is the appropriate medication. Sorry, true story.

I did - I found a thread for medical students, that had not been posted in since April 19th, 2009. All of the threads like this for pre-med students had not been posted in for 6+ months.

I've been posting in forums for almost a decade, I know the deal.

 

[metalgearHMN]

I agree with the poster above, if you have "ADHD" then it's a neurotransmitter disorder. However, you may not have ADHD

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

Listen to his talk, you might just be geared to learn differently and someone in our public schools just said ADHD, because they weren't willing to fully understand what was going on.

I still don't know how you can diagnose a 7 year old with a neurotransmitter disorder and then start pumping them with brain altering drugs. Who knows how different you would be right now if you hadn't been taking Adderall for the past 10 years, when your brain is still developing!!

Sorry about the rant, its just diagnosing ADHD is to subjective.

 

[apat12]

I agree with the poster above, if you have "ADHD" then it's a neurotransmitter disorder. However, you may not have ADHD

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

Listen to his talk, you might just be geared to learn differently and someone in our public schools just said ADHD, because they weren't willing to fully understand what was going on.

I still don't know how you can diagnose a 7 year old with a neurotransmitter disorder and then start pumping them with brain altering drugs. Who knows how different you would be right now if you hadn't been taking Adderall for the past 10 years, when your brain is still developing!!

Sorry about the rant, its just diagnosing ADHD is to subjective.

I wonder the same thing too sometimes... if maybe my condition was made worse because I've been taking amphetamines such as Ritalin for 13+ years, or if I am dependent on them. All I know is that when I did some research on ADHD a few weeks ago in preparation for taking on a much more difficult courseload, I looked at the symptoms on the wikipedia page and was surprised how I could give a specific example for every single one. It's not that I am geared to learn differently, its just that I literally do not have the mental capacity to focus on something without medication. Perfect example, I've been meaning to make a post on this topic here for over a week, but I would never remember to do it unless I was unmedicated, and every time I sat down to make the post, I'd see something else that grabbed my attention, like a bookmark, and subconciously (i won't even realize i am doing this) I am three pages into whatever interests me before I even realize what the hell I am doing.

If the only way to counteract it is through medication, that sucks, but at least it makes it manageable.

 

[majahops]

Perfect example, I've been meaning to make a post on this topic here for over a week, but I would never remember to do it unless I was unmedicated, and every time I sat down to make the post, I'd see something else that grabbed my attention, like a bookmark, and subconciously (i won't even realize i am doing this) I am three pages into whatever interests me before I even realize what the hell I am doing.

If the only way to counteract it is through medication, that sucks, but at least it makes it manageable.

This is the struggle we go through. But, on the other hand, we are EXTREMELY lucky to have a medication out there which is so effective. Before I found the right medication, I wasn't expected to graduate high school (in fact, I had already been kicked out of two of them for being too disruptive in class EVERY DAY). Now I've been accepted to 7 medical schools. This type of response is really only found in a few disease-medication pairings. We're just very lucky, is all.

 

[Shaman11]

Hi,

I was diagnosed w/ ADHD and have been taking Adderall. I was diagnosed when I was 19. I used it in college, law school, studying for the NY Bar. I discontinued use while working. When I decided to change careers, and pursue medicine, I used it during my pre-med classes and studying for the MCAT. I plan on taking it when I begin medical school in August. I know your frustrations all to well, so here are my thoughts on our situation.

The main issue with ADHD is that we do better with routines. Since repition alleviates the need to concentrate, having portions of our day to day be the same helps us to conserve our limited concentration resources. For instance, you should try to exercise at roughly the same time, every day. A good one hour, morning workout will give you great benefits.

Avoid video games, and excessively exciting/dramatic TV. I know this sounds sucky, but these things really scramble my mind, and make it harder for me to read and concentrate. The internet, is likewise problematic, because going from one subject matter, to another (i.e. reading the news to shopping online) too rapidly makes it tougher to concentrate later on during the day. If you do have to watch tv, play video games, use the internet, then get it out of the way as early as you can during the day. Trying to sleep after surfing the net is very hard.

Read a boring book before going to sleep, these really slows down our brain. I recommend "Team of Rivals". A solid chapter of that can really slow me down and help me sleep without fail. Think about taking yoga, or a martial art like Karate that has elements of meditation.

Now, as for the medication issue, here is my advice. You should try to avoid using it during class, and save it for study time. There are several things you can do to make class more engaging, and your time there more successful.

1.) Sit in the front - being close to the professor makes it easier to concentrate

2.) Show up to class w/ the material pre-read, and have a goal of trying to have a harder concept understood. If all of the material is easy for you, then have a goal of having everything you learned the first time through confirmed. You need to actively seek to get something from the information presented. This will help you concentrate during class. Trying to pay attention to new material is problematic, because it requires a greater level of concentration. Whereas, if you already know some of the material then you can be on autopilot for some of the lecture, and perk up when a tougher subject comes up.

3.) write out class notes. Working with your hands will likewise force you to pay attention, without relying on your medication

Hopefully these things will help you be a bit more successful in class, with a lesser (or no) amount of medication.

As for the study period, practice questions are your best friend. If you pre-read before class, get something out of the lecture, then when you sit down to study a subject indepth, then you will have an easier time with the work, as it will be your third exposure to the material. When the time comes for practice questions, turn it into a sort of game, where you try to see how many you can answer correctly. Flash cards likewise work very well. Do not rely on merely asking yourself whether you know the material. Actively test yourself, by writing out what you think the correct questions to test questions are and compare the answers to the answer key. If there is any difference, then reread the material (you're 4th exposure to it) and try again.

Finally, try to avoid being in a situation where you have to cram. Having the adrenaline of cramming is not conducive to concentration, so avoid being in a situation where you are jammed up for time. Obviously you will likely have to do it at some point, but work hard to avoid being in that position on a regular basis.

If you need any further advice, PM me, and Ill answer whatever questions you have.

Do NOT allow ADHD to get in your way. One thing that you will get from effectively treating your own ADHD is an understanding of the environmental factors that can aggravate a given medical ailment. While a medication is often necessary (in our case Adderall) there are many behavioral changes you can make to your life to minimize the severity of your condition.

Good luck