Can I have some quick advice? (ADD related)

[snowflake8]

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I've recently been diagnosed with ADD. I'm somewhat relieved because I'd say I'm very intelligent, but I've been having problems with succeeding in classes and have a little over a 3.0 gpa. My BCPM gpa is slightly lower. I am positive that I want to pursue a career in medicine and I've just completed my 2nd year of college. I'm not planning on applying to med school until the spring of my senior year.

If I can drastically improve my grades over the next two years, will my past poor performance be less of an issue? Should I mention the ADD to explain my grades in my application?

 

[apnea]

First thing you HAVE to do before you even think about med school is get your ADD under control.

i have it too 🙁 It can be a total grade killer...you really have to figure out how you're going to cope with it before you decide on anything else.

 

[MT2117]

I'm in the same boat as you. I was diagnosed with ADD after my 3rd semester in college when I had a 2.7 GPA. After that, I was able to get my studying under control and ended college with a 3.2. I knew that those grades were not good enough so i worked a couple years before entering a post-bacc program which I just finished with a 3.95GPA.

I'm also wondering how to handle the situation. I don't want to make excuses for poor academic performance, and I'm a little uneasy about adcom's individual perceptions of ADD itself. However, it's also obvious that after being diagnosed, I had a much easier time in class, especially in my post bacc program.

So what's the best way to address these issues, and should it be included in my PS?

 

[apnea]

i don't think i'll include it in my PS simply because i was diagnosed when i was still in HS so i had it under control by the time i got to college and it hasn't really hurt my grades so far.

i definitely got lucky with it though. my "undivided attention" doesn't exist, so i don't try to force it. i HAVE to multitask or nothing gets done. i'll watch TV, study, and run on my treadmill or something. Or i'll print out my notes, turn on the music, and go through some basic barre work (ballet). Recitation also really helps me, i can fold laundry and talk to myself 😳

i never found a medication that didn't either make me completely loopy, turn my brain off, make me sleep all the time, or never let me sleep at all that would also control the symptoms.

 

[realitybias]

A medication many of you may want to ask your doctors about is Modafinil. It's getting great press over Ritalin and such. It's not an amphetamine, so it works in a completely different way... it really is a miracle drug. It's even been proven to boost your memory dramatically. Virtually no side effects (save for the occasional upset stomache).

 

[apnea]

Modafinil, really? i've heard about it being used to treat narcolepsy, but nothing about ADD, do you have any good links?

 

[jmart]

A medication many of you may want to ask your doctors about is Modafinil. It's getting great press over Ritalin and such. It's not an amphetamine, so it works in a completely different way... it really is a miracle drug. It's even been proven to boost your memory dramatically. Virtually no side effects (save for the occasional upset stomache).

wow, i've had so many problems and been on just about every medication

I was going to mention ADD in my interview if I get any, because it was my sophomore year that I got extended time on tests and that helped me immensely, I didn't get any C's but each year I have had minor set backs. My 3rd year, I got a D+ in class and retook it and got an A-. Then this year I got a W in class, and C+ in mol gen and I'm retaking the W class and chances are that I might get a C+/b-. Should you avoid talking about your add?

 

[realitybias]

http://www.modafinil.com/modafvamphet.html

" Our objective was to compare the efficacy of the new wake-promoting drug modafinil to that of dextroamphetamine for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults. Twenty-two adults who met DSM-IV criteria for ADHD participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, three-phase crossover study comparing placebo, modafinil, and dextroamphetamine for the treatment of ADHD.

The twice-daily study medications were titrated to doses of optimum efficacy over 4-7 days and then held constant during the rest of each 2-week treatment phase. Measures of improvement included the DSM-IV ADHD Behavior Checklist for Adults, the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT, using the letters C, F, and L version), Stroop, and Digit Span (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale version). For the 21 (96%) completers, the mean (+/- SD) optimum doses of modafinil and dextroamphetamine were 206.8 mg/day +/- 84.9 and 21.8 mg/day +/- 8.9, respectively.

Scores on the DSM-IV ADHD Checklist (p < 0.001) were significantly improved over the placebo condition following treatment with both active medications. Performance on the COWAT (p < 0.05) reached trend levels of significance. Both medications were generally well tolerated. This preliminary study suggests that modafinil may be a viable alternative to conventional stimulants for the treatment of adults with ADHD."

The great thing about this medicine is not only its lack of side effects when compared to Dextroamphetamine, but the cognitive enhancement properties of the medication.

 

[jmart]

^^^I feel that for drugs used to treat ADHD, rather than ADD or ADHD inattentive type, it seems to really suppress my personality because it needs to suppress hyperactivity. That was my biggest side effect that lead me not to take meds anymore.

 

[realitybias]

^^^I feel that for drugs used to treat ADHD, rather than ADD or ADHD inattentive type, it seems to really suppress my personality because it needs to suppress hyperactivity. That was my biggest side effect that lead me not to take meds anymore.

That's too bad, and you certainly do not want drugs that suppress your personality. The thing about modafinil, from friends who are on the medication due to ADHD, is that it does not suppress hyperactivity, but instead allows you to control it and focus it on the task at hand.

 

[apnea]

http://www.modafinil.com/modafvamphet.html

" Our objective was to compare the efficacy of the new wake-promoting drug modafinil to that of dextroamphetamine for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults. Twenty-two adults who met DSM-IV criteria for ADHD participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, three-phase crossover study comparing placebo, modafinil, and dextroamphetamine for the treatment of ADHD.

The twice-daily study medications were titrated to doses of optimum efficacy over 4-7 days and then held constant during the rest of each 2-week treatment phase. Measures of improvement included the DSM-IV ADHD Behavior Checklist for Adults, the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT, using the letters C, F, and L version), Stroop, and Digit Span (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale version). For the 21 (96%) completers, the mean (+/- SD) optimum doses of modafinil and dextroamphetamine were 206.8 mg/day +/- 84.9 and 21.8 mg/day +/- 8.9, respectively.

Scores on the DSM-IV ADHD Checklist (p < 0.001) were significantly improved over the placebo condition following treatment with both active medications. Performance on the COWAT (p < 0.05) reached trend levels of significance. Both medications were generally well tolerated. This preliminary study suggests that modafinil may be a viable alternative to conventional stimulants for the treatment of adults with ADHD."

The great thing about this medicine is not only its lack of side effects when compared to Dextroamphetamine, but the cognitive enhancement properties of the medication.

...WOW. thank you sososo much...i'll try anything once 😉

 

[jmart]

That's too bad, and you certainly do not want drugs that suppress your personality. The thing about modafinil, from friends who are on the medication due to ADHD, is that it does not suppress hyperactivity, but instead allows you to control it and focus it on the task at hand.

thanks for the info I was menaing to go see my doctor to try new meds because I feel that not having any is not working out like I had planned

 

[Timmythemic22]

Hmm...interesting, but I see where this is going.

 

[realitybias]

Of course, don't take medical advice from me. See your doctors and talk to them about it. Nothing wrong with discussing new medication with other students and with your doctor 🙂.

 

[apnea]

it'd be really nice to not have to work so hard to be "normal." i can't take classes that are longer than an hour at a time unless it's a lab class where i'm up and running around. But i don't have ADHD. i just can't sit still for too long, i have to constantly find new stimuli or i start going completely out of my head.

 

[scrubsaresexy]

and go through some basic barre work (ballet).

I love using barre work as a study break, but the novelty of dorm ballet really wears off after you developpe into your roommate's dresser...I didn't even bother moving on to grand battements 🙄

 

[apnea]

I love using barre work as a study break, but the novelty of dorm ballet really wears off after you developpe into your roommate's dresser...I didn't even bother moving on to grand battements 🙄

EEEE BALLET BUDDIES!! 😀😀😀😀😀
i'm a nontrad, i have a 4 year old daughter so i have to live off campus, i lucked out with my apartment because i spent my first month's rent fixing it up a little (paint, retiling the bathroom floors, rehanging cabinet doors, etc.) and i got it pretty cheap, my kitchen is pretty enormous 😀 i sorta just shove the table into the corner and set up a portable barre. i was sorta out of commission for a couple weeks after i landed a grand jete badly and slid into the stove