For the ADD and non-ADD people... Question

[Groove]

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I've been reading a few posts lately on this whole topic of MCAT students who take adderol, caffeine and other meds to help concentrate and I was just curious about the symptoms. I'm pretty sure I'm a classic undiagnosed ADHD person, but I've always viewed medications for it as a crutch. I guess I've always operated on the premise that we ALL are ADD to some degree. It requires a great deal of energy and discipline for me to study or concentrate on things, but I guess I've just grown accustomed to exerting that amount of energy. I know this is wrong, but to be honest I've always kind of viewed it as a personal battle against some sort of character flaw. I've just been curious about all these medication debates, and I'm also curious as to whether non-ADD person's have a lot of the same problems? For instance, I typically have to re-read questions on a test multiple times before my brain locks in on what it's trying to ask, and it is very hard for me to concentrate to a lecturer in class. I simply can't concentrate on the teacher's train of thought( I can, but it requires a great deal of effort), and I typically learn the most through self-study afterwards. I can study for about 45 mins without a break, and then typically need a 15 min break before I can begin again. Are these types of symptoms common to everyone to some degree, ADD or non-ADD? I guess I've just been curious after reading all the posts and a bit paranoid, thinking "Damn, maybe I am ADD and would be 100% better student if I was medicated for it!" I just am such a skeptic when I read the med success stories about how it transformed someone, and a bit scared of medicating myself on a long term basis for something like that. It would be a harder issue for me if I didn't know what I was capable of when I really try. I can remember going from one semester with a 2.5 gpa to another semester of all Chemistry with a 4.0, with nothing more than a huge effort of willpower on my part to overcome some of these issues.

Can anyone relate to the symptoms? Common to some degree for everyone? Do you really need the drugs (for those of you that are on them) ?

Can most students relate to my problems with studying? I guess I've just always thought it's something we all struggle with, but maybe there's people out there that can flop open the book and burn for 5 hours straight with 100% concentration?

Sorry, it's just that all these posts got me obsessing over the issue. OCD alert! Someone medicate me! 😉

 

[LiNk]

😱 where do i start
ADD would affect many aspects of your life such as: socializing, reading for fun, driving, watching movies, staying organized, and of course, STUDYING.
How is it possible that you've done well in school without meds? There's no way you could have ADD! Wrong. You took notes religously. While you could hear what the prof was saying, you didn't comprehend any of it until you went home and re-read your notes over and over. It's an uphill battle, and in trying to overcome it yourself you develop some strong characteristics. It makes you a fighter. How 'bout reading and re-reading and re-reading a paragraph out of a science book not b/c you can't understand the text, but b/c it won't sink in. Some people give up; others spend the extra hourS studying b/c they want to learn it, they must learn it, and they won't give up.
I felt so stupid asking my brother 3x in 3 weeks how a turbocharger works. Why did I ask him over and over? Was it b/c I wasn't interested in engines? or maybe the concept was beyond my grasp. NO that wasn't it. I tried so hard to absorb every word but I'd forget almost right after he told me b/c my mind was wondering while he was talking.
I could go on and on but I'm sure you've heard/ read most of these ideas already. I think that everyone is a little ADD at times (forgetful, distracted), but for some people it's a much bigger problem. I recognize the fact that plenty of people take the meds illegally and it might help them whether they have ADD or not. For people with ADD, yes, it is their "crutch", but life's too short to be spending 3 hours to comprehend and absorb a bio chapter when it could/ should only take you 1. And you may be keeping up with your work now through perseverance, but imagine the workload in med school.

feel free to PM me. I have much to say on this topic and would be happy to answer you Q's.
-Molly

 

[LiNk]

Can most students relate to my problems with studying? I guess I've just always thought it's something we all struggle with, but maybe there's people out there that can flop open the book and burn for 5 hours straight with 100% concentration?

I'm sure some people can read for 5 hours straight, but I doubt that anyone could concentrate 100% for that long.
even if they were locked in a cell where there would be no distractions whatsoever 😀

 

[Anthropic]

You call for ADD/ADHD sufferers and you ramble on for half a page???

I don't have the patience or the attention span to wade throught that crap.

No wonder you only have one responder....😉

 

[velo]

This has been discussed ad nauseum in the Allo forum

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=132131

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=132852

 

[dukejen04]

hahaha- funny you should mention that anthrop- i was thinking the same thing.
i think i have ADD but my parents think it's a load of crap, so they would never let me get on meds. i know i have to put more effort in to concentrate- which is why i have always stayed up all night to get things done. if there is ANYTHING else going on, i can't focus. i will get up every 15 minutes to eat, get some water, check my email, watch my roommate study, but i can't concentrate until the whole world is asleep and i'm jacked up on caffeine.

is it illegal to order adderol online from canada and have it shipped to me? i feel like it's worth a try.

now is not the time to prove to myself that i can study and take this test without meds- i want every advantage i can get.

 

[myfavred]

Hi

I have the same problem of not being able to comprehend. I do have to re read the questions and study hard but also I miss some parts of the questions and I always thought it was may be because english wasn't my first language or because I wasn't studying hard enough. It is like my mind is always running in two directions and my attention span is very short. Could this be ADD. Please let me know.

Thank you

 

[waitman192]

Ok... So I have ADD (and a learning disability). I don't mean to put myself on a podium here, but it might seem like that for what I am going to say. For the one poster who said you couldn't have made it this far without diagnosis, that is completely wrong. (At least that's what my doctor said). I took a battery of tests - spent 5 hours testing one day for a learning disability and ADD. The doctor said that my intellect levels ranged in the 95-99 percentiles; however my mental processing speeds were in the 3rd percentile. (Obviously some discrepency there). I did not find out about this until my junior year of college, and what my doctor told me is that really smart people develop strong coping mechanisms throughout their lives in order to combat both their learning disability and ADD - in the ADD test he said I was borderline, but that was most likely due to my coping ability.

That being said, I feel like everyone has concentration problems to a certain extent, but it only becomes a medically diagnosed problem when it actually interferes with a lot of aspects of your life. One poster said that if you dont feel the same when you are interacting socially and just doing everyday normal things - such as listed above.

I do find myself reading, rereading questions and passages alllll the time, but that is just something that I have learned to deal with because that is the way I am. I am not on Rx medication - I dont exactly feel that i am bad enough... though before big tests I do take 2 excedrin to knock me up with some caffeine so I can concentrate - I found that helps a ton... I do it for tests and get so involved in the test - I am part of the test (kinda like cool runnings... feel the rythm, feel the rhyme, come on boys is bobsled time)

Maybe this helps, maybe it doesnt. I don't know. I like talking about this subject because I am interested. I understand if you didnt read the whole thing though, being that you may be ADD (i generally dont read long ones🙂)

 

[LiNk]

For the one poster who said you couldn't have made it this far without diagnosis, that is completely wrong.

Hi. 🙄 if you were referring to me I suggest you re-read the first line or 2 of my post. What I meant was that some people don't understand how it's possible to have ADD and still get good grades, and then I went on to say how it IS possible.
And waitman, I was in a situation identical to yours a few years ago. I've gotten help since but I still don't feel like I'm "part of the test!"

btw, I tend not to read the long posts either 😕

 

[Groove]

Well here, let me make it ADD friendly:

"I've been reading a few posts lately...KERRY PICKS EDWARDS!...on this whole topic of....CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM!!...MCAT students who take...I THINK I HEARD SOMEONE AT MY SLIDING DOOR....KNIVES! WHERE'S MY KNIVES!? O.J.!....adderol, caffeine and other meds to help concentrate...WHAT WAS THIS POST ABOUT AGAIN?...and I was just curious...CURIOUS LOOKS ODDLY LIKE "CHEERIOS"! I'M HUNGRY!...about the symptoms...SYMPTOMS LOOKS STRANGELY LIKE SYPHILIS! WHAT WAS THAT GIRLS NAME AGAIN?! THERE'S THAT SOUND AGAIN! I DON'T WANNA DIE!!...I'm pretty sure I'm...IN HELL TRYING TO READ THIS STUPID POST! I'VE GOT TO PEE! MORE COFFEE! I CAN'T CONCENTRATE!

Seriously though, I've always found this topic fascinating. I'm more of the opinion that we all have ADD to some degree but I certainly don't want to slight those who have had some serious problems with it. Hell, maybe I'm one of those people with strong coping mechanisms, who knows. I've always assumed that others have just as much trouble sitting down to study as I do, and we all have different ways of disciplining ourselves. It's hard for me to imagine a drug (stimulant for that matter) affecting my mental state in a profound way, but I don't doubt the experiences of people who claim this to be the case. Ah well, for now I'll just stick to my 15 minute breaks and occassional coffee. (Though coffee doesn't typically help me study any better other than keeping me awake)

 

[eltrebor]

hahaha....i guess everyone has a similar problem to ADD but to a certain extent. I know i can never listen to a lecturer in class (thus the many many songs ive written in the past years), i feel the same as dukejen04, i cant stay in one place for more than 10-15 minutes. when i study i get up and do other things but study. and it takes me an hour to get started on a 100 minute section, thus 160 minutes just to do a section. BUT, if im gunna be a doctor, i have to learn to fight it, or it might juss take me 2 hours to checkup a patient (while i go to the bathroom, play with the stethoscope, organize the cabinets, take my own blood pressure yadayadaya)

 

[Keberson]

I would say stay away from stimulants unless the ADD symptoms are ruining your life. For example:
1) you lose your keys/lock them in your car at least once a day
2) you leave your wallet in food places, at school...even ontop of your car as you drive off
3)you zone out when people are speaking directly to you and you just nod your head and smile as if you are actually paying attention
4) you live in a nasty, dirty apartment because everytime you start to clean you get distracted by the old chem test from three years ago you found
5) you have been in more than two accidents (fenderbedners) in the past year
6)you never study, always procrastinate, can't think in a library, zone out after five minutes of lecture and thus never go because it is useless

if this stuff (distraction, hyperactivity, inattention) is affecting you at work, school and your social life then maybe you could try the meds but they are no good otherwise
they make your pulse spike to scary levels
your blood pressure spikes
you get all nervous and anxious (or you'll fall asleep, depending on how it effects you)
yes..you can study for five hours straight without a break and total concentration
but do you really want to get hooked on "speed" like drugs 👎 unless your life is falling apart without them. Not me

 

[N-toxicologist]

Well here, let me make it ADD friendly:

"I've been reading a few posts lately...KERRY PICKS EDWARDS!...on this whole topic of....CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM!!...MCAT students who take...I THINK I HEARD SOMEONE AT MY SLIDING DOOR....KNIVES! WHERE'S MY KNIVES!? O.J.!....adderol, caffeine and other meds to help concentrate...WHAT WAS THIS POST ABOUT AGAIN?...and I was just curious...CURIOUS LOOKS ODDLY LIKE "CHEERIOS"! I'M HUNGRY!...about the symptoms...SYMPTOMS LOOKS STRANGELY LIKE SYPHILIS! WHAT WAS THAT GIRLS NAME AGAIN?! THERE'S THAT SOUND AGAIN! I DON'T WANNA DIE!!...I'm pretty sure I'm...IN HELL TRYING TO READ THIS STUPID POST! I'VE GOT TO PEE! MORE COFFEE! I CAN'T CONCENTRATE!.....

Um, what was the question...? 😳

 

[waitman192]

Hi. 🙄 if you were referring to me I suggest you re-read the first line or 2 of my post. What I meant was that some people don't understand how it's possible to have ADD and still get good grades, and then I went on to say how it IS possible.
And waitman, I was in a situation identical to yours a few years ago. I've gotten help since but I still don't feel like I'm "part of the test!"

btw, I tend not to read the long posts either 😕

haha sorry - that must have been part of my selective reading i tend to do as ADD. I went and reread. And I feel dumb. But thats because I am! HA not really. My apologies.

Hope this was short enough 😀

 

[IndyZX]

use the meds if they help you out. thats what medication is there for.

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

You call for ADD/ADHD sufferers and you ramble on for half a page???

I don't have the patience or the attention span to wade throught that crap.

No wonder you only have one responder....😉

LOL
right on the nail
...diagnose me : i read the 1st and last line of the OP and was like..ohh i see a fly outside..what many colour eyes ...PITY POST? na...
seriously though no one can pay ATTENTION for more than 40-50 mins (my dads a neuro and hes actually said 15-20 mins is the max for key concentration on any one topic -- he has this order of breaking all his lectures for ms and residents into segments interjected by discussion ...all this over his theory that we cant pay attention for more than 15-20 mins..WE ALL HAVE ADD! AHHAHHA!)

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

I would say stay away from stimulants unless the ADD symptoms are ruining your life. For example:
1) you lose your keys/lock them in your car at least once a day
2) you leave your wallet in food places, at school...even ontop of your car as you drive off
3)you zone out when people are speaking directly to you and you just nod your head and smile as if you are actually paying attention
4) you live in a nasty, dirty apartment because everytime you start to clean you get distracted by the old chem test from three years ago you found
5) you have been in more than two accidents (fenderbedners) in the past year
6)you never study, always procrastinate, can't think in a library, zone out after five minutes of lecture and thus never go because it is useless

if this stuff (distraction, hyperactivity, inattention) is affecting you at work, school and your social life then maybe you could try the meds but they are no good otherwise
they make your pulse spike to scary levels
your blood pressure spikes
you get all nervous and anxious (or you'll fall asleep, depending on how it effects you)
yes..you can study for five hours straight without a break and total concentration
but do you really want to get hooked on "speed" like drugs 👎 unless your life is falling apart without them. Not me

i do #3 but its because i find some people boring - i paste a **** eating smile on my face and space out and think about monkeys and cookies... only my bestfriend knows when i do this / knows about this tactic of dipomacy i possess....i avoid #1 by giving the keys to the person i am the minuite i pull them out of the ignition or i keep one end of the necktie style keyholder around my wrist (its long enough so i can still put the keys in the ignition and drive)...#4 can be avoided by only window shopping and doing "checklists" when you clean ..ie:tomorrow is saturday..every saturday IS laundry day..no exceptions ...laundry is at 9 am ..its been like that 7+yrs .....#2) i only carry one visa credit card-- if they dont take visa i dont eat -- thus i eat mostly subway or wendys...#5) that means nothing..they were in my way ..again and again..b@$T@RDS!...#^) compromise...go to 50% of classes use tutoring and make checklists ..use the MWF class system and give urself tuesdays thursdays off and use those mornings (the time u would be in class) to do reading hall.
...btw i dont have ADD..i just need structure and i have motivational issues..but not ADD

 

[Keberson]

I guess my point is that stimulants are no good if they are not totally necessary for living a normal life. Maybe a very,very low dose is okay but too much is just bad for you. If you're pulse spikes above 120 i say get off the stuff or lower the dose. It's just not a good idea unless you have to take it. That's all I was trying to say.

 

[N-toxicologist]

So sufferers:

When you register for classes, do you pay particular attention to how long the class is?

For instance, I'd rather register for MWF classes b/c they're only 50 min., as opposed to TTh classes (1hr. 20 min.) and I can't do 3 TTh classes back-to-back-to-back. I have to have a break.

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

So sufferers:

When you register for classes, do you pay particular attention to how long the class is?

For instance, I'd rather register for MWF classes b/c they're only 50 min., as opposed to TTh classes (1hr. 20 min.) and I can't do 3 TTh classes back-to-back-to-back. I have to have a break.

yes..is that funny to you
also because i am constantly sucking on drugged water/some sort of juice/fluids i cant go without bathroom breaks on the hour

 

[EMDream]

I would say stay away from stimulants unless the ADD symptoms are ruining your life. For example:
1) you lose your keys/lock them in your car at least once a day
2) you leave your wallet in food places, at school...even ontop of your car as you drive off
3)you zone out when people are speaking directly to you and you just nod your head and smile as if you are actually paying attention
4) you live in a nasty, dirty apartment because everytime you start to clean you get distracted by the old chem test from three years ago you found
5) you have been in more than two accidents (fenderbedners) in the past year
6)you never study, always procrastinate, can't think in a library, zone out after five minutes of lecture and thus never go because it is useless

if this stuff (distraction, hyperactivity, inattention) is affecting you at work, school and your social life then maybe you could try the meds but they are no good otherwise
they make your pulse spike to scary levels
your blood pressure spikes
you get all nervous and anxious (or you'll fall asleep, depending on how it effects you)
yes..you can study for five hours straight without a break and total concentration
but do you really want to get hooked on "speed" like drugs 👎 unless your life is falling apart without them. Not me

Wow, almost ALL of those describe me. I thought I might have some sort of attention problem, but I didn't entertain the idea for long (gee wonder why? 🙄 ) I have so much difficulty studying it's terrible, I always end up cramming or pulling all nighters because I am forced to concentrate or do terrible. I thought maybe I was jsut a procrastinator. I constantly interupt people because I stop payinga ttention to the conversation my brain wanders off and I suddenly blurt osmething out unrelated. People are always snapping their fingers at me trying to getm y attention because I suddenly lost track of what they were saying and went off to la la land. I constantly get accused of just nto listening to people, but I jsut can't seem to concentrate on what they say for that long!

I think I'd better investigate this some more!

 

[Keberson]

Wow, almost ALL of those describe me. I thought I might have some sort of attention problem, but I didn't entertain the idea for long (gee wonder why? 🙄 ) I have so much difficulty studying it's terrible, I always end up cramming or pulling all nighters because I am forced to concentrate or do terrible. I thought maybe I was jsut a procrastinator. I constantly interupt people because I stop payinga ttention to the conversation my brain wanders off and I suddenly blurt osmething out unrelated. People are always snapping their fingers at me trying to getm y attention because I suddenly lost track of what they were saying and went off to la la land. I constantly get accused of just nto listening to people, but I jsut can't seem to concentrate on what they say for that long!

I think I'd better investigate this some more!

Well...I guess it sounds like you might possibly have ADD but I'd reccomend you see a psychologists or psychiatrists (usually the psychologists is better with diagnosing and the psychiatrists is better at giving you well..drugs) and see about getting tested. Its kind of expensive but maybe your college will do it for cheaper.
I guess you missed the point of my post though. I was saying that unless these things are ruining your life I would caution you about trying the speed-like amphetamines. I guess if you are bent on getting straight A's and studying like a mad man you could walk down that road but using the drugs consistantly is not good for your body...esp your brain and heart. I.e one kid who had been on ritalin for manyyears fell down dead one day at the playground. They opened him up and realized that the years of irregular, rapid heart rate had caused his heart to enlarge because it had to "work against itself" so to speak. Just something you should know.
That's why I posted..so people who truly believe that they may have ADD can get help and those that maybe have a less serious form of it (like most of America) or don't have it all will be cautioned when considering jumping to the stimulants.
oh ...and straterra...a new NON STIMULANT drug is out now and it is said to HELP alot without all the nasty stimulant side effects. If you do get diagonsed with ADD (if you go to the psych you invariably will cuz they want your money for the drugs for the rest of your life. Hopefully this won't be the case though and you'll get an honest guy as your doctor)
anyway...lost my train of thought...if you DO get diagnosed with ADD then you should definatly ask about other methods for treatment besides medication and then if that doesn't work then try strattera (or an anti-depressant which is known to help with ADD) and as a LAST resort...stimulants (ritalin, adderall, concerta) at the LOWEST possible dose then build up if needed
just my .02 cents as sombody's that's "been there, done that"
thanks

 

[ken37]

I would say stay away from stimulants unless the ADD symptoms are ruining your life. For example:
1) you lose your keys/lock them in your car at least once a day
2) you leave your wallet in food places, at school...even ontop of your car as you drive off
3)you zone out when people are speaking directly to you and you just nod your head and smile as if you are actually paying attention
4) you live in a nasty, dirty apartment because everytime you start to clean you get distracted by the old chem test from three years ago you found
5) you have been in more than two accidents (fenderbedners) in the past year
6)you never study, always procrastinate, can't think in a library, zone out after five minutes of lecture and thus never go because it is useless

if this stuff (distraction, hyperactivity, inattention) is affecting you at work, school and your social life then maybe you could try the meds but they are no good otherwise
they make your pulse spike to scary levels
your blood pressure spikes
you get all nervous and anxious (or you'll fall asleep, depending on how it effects you)
yes..you can study for five hours straight without a break and total concentration
but do you really want to get hooked on "speed" like drugs 👎 unless your life is falling apart without them. Not me

1) Yes... Everyon from work fully expects me to walk back in at least once a day after leaving in order to get something I forgot.
2) Yes
3) Yes
4) Kind of... I do actually finish cleaning, 3 weeks later.
5) No, but I did get in 2 accidents in a month a couple of years ago, due to inattention.
6) Yes

Hmm, I never thought I was ADD. I thought this is all normal stuff. Now you've got me thinking.

 

[Keberson]

1) Yes... Everyon from work fully expects me to walk back in at least once a day after leaving in order to get something I forgot.
2) Yes
3) Yes
4) Kind of... I do actually finish cleaning, 3 weeks later.
5) No, but I did get in 2 accidents in a month a couple of years ago, due to inattention.
6) Yes

Hmm, I never thought I was ADD. I thought this is all normal stuff. Now you've got me thinking.

oh great, now i've got everybody thinking that they have ADD
I doubt you all have ADD.

 

[Ross434]

who the hell's pulse spikes when they're taking add meds? I have like 60bpm when im on them, and low blood pressure to boot.