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trailerhippie t1_j1d4j0g wrote

As someone with ADHD who tried medication and decided not to... It might not work like you think. The key here, is patience. It takes patience to get a diagnosis, it takes patience to figure out the right med, it takes patience to figure out the right dose, it takes patience to give yourself the time to figure it out. Your brain has allowed itself to get distracted every day all the time. A med won't just rewire that. You have to set realistic goals for yourself, set timers, and read stuff you're really really interested in. Good luck, friend.

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pretenditscherrylube t1_j1duqxc wrote

I will say that 2 years on adderall in my 30s helped me learn how to organize myself in ways that I didn’t know before. I don’t take adderall most days anymore and see fundamental changes in my ability to control my attention when I’m not on stimulants. They can be beneficial.

That said, I don’t like reading for pleasure on stimulants. Stimulants make it harder to read for pleasure because stimulants change my brain’s reward drive. When I’m on a stimulant, I feel satisfaction and accomplishment for getting shit done. Reading isn’t conducive to “getting shit done” and therefore feels like a chore to complete on adderall.

I struggle to cook on adderall, too. Like, I can cook on adderall, but the aesthetic and creative pleasure of cooking is gone when I take adderall. It’s just another thing I had to get done and it’s tedious.

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KiwiTheKitty t1_j1digjl wrote

Yeah I have ADHD and meds have been incredibly helpful for me.... but they're no silver bullet.

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