meds4life Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 Hey guys, I am starting to prepare for the MCAT, but I've been noticing it's taking me a tremendous amount of time to just focus/read chapters, let alone do passages/questions. I looked into adult ADHD/ADD profiles in the past and I match a significant amount of the symptoms. I am going to see my GP this week and I am going to bring it up. I was wondering what exactly, I can do I know I will probably get referred to a psychiatrist, but I want to fix this issue ASAP. Like I said earlier this isn't a recent thing, I've noticed in the past, I put in twice the amount of effort as normal people to just cover lectures/read textbooks, I feel like my mind wanders, when I study start thinking about friends, bad memories etc. etc. I try to stop doing it, I even made a list when I studied today, focusing as hard as a I could and in the span of 1 hour, I had written down 10 other things, I was thinking about while studying. Thanks for the input, it's much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 Your GP/psychiatric evaluation will probably give you better answers. I know muse knows something about this, but perhaps the Ritalin if prescribed will work. Sorry to hear about your troubles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meds4life Posted May 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 I appreciate the quick response, I don't know if this might help at all. But I've been told by friends, family and teachers, that I love negative attention, I don't know if that is a defining trait, by any chance? I also tend to get stressed/depressed really easily like now. I have periods of intense focus, especially when I am super stressed, I have the need to yell stuff out and do hand gestures when I study and fidget a lot too. I am also pretty impulsive. Haha the more I think about it the more confident I have something. On a side note; I've used ADHD drugs (adderall) in the past not-prescribed (25mg) to be exact, I know it's terrible, but I was naiive, I felt like I needed it to cram. It helped me focus a lot, but I knew that high of a dosage was not healthy for me, I would be up for extended periods of time, teeth grinding etc. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meds4life Posted May 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 I've been looking into some coaches etc. already some are covered by OSAP bursaries. In regards to the test you had performed, I know my parents have pretty good coverage from their companies so I'll run it by them. I am guessing the test you did was ran by a psychologist not a psychiatrist. Is this a better approach? I don't know if I'll have the funds to cover that regardless. If I do so see a psychiatrist through a referral, is it most likely he'll just make me do a questionnaire and diagnosis me based of that. I was looking at previous posts and you seem to have a really good grasp of this stuff and I would love to get your advice on medication vs. life style changes and other approaches. After you got the test done, did you switch to medication or did you do another approach to target the problem, if you don't mind sharing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meds4life Posted May 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 Haha you answered most of my questions before I even got a chance to ask them lol. In regards to balance diet, maybe 1 or 2 meals a day and they're definitely not balanced and no exercise what so ever. Can these life style changes really make a huge impact vs. medication? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 the study techniques, breaking up my studying into short intervals, especially breaking them up with exercise are fantastic. study environment also plays a crucial role, i make a point of not bringing my computer when i go to study, its just me and my i pod in a small booth, i do 15-20 min at a time, then might do 15-20 pushups, and chat with someone for 10 min, then go back at it, i'm not sure if you play an instrument but if you own a guitar or something but rocking out for 15-20 minutes between 20 minute intervals is uber therapeutic and makes me feel like reading. i also like to chunk what im doing into discrete goals, like finishing so and so lecture, instead of trying to go for as long as i can. once i get about an hour out of 2 studying done i do something completely unrelated. i try to study like this about 3 times a day, everyday. i always try and meet at least one or two friends a day to hang out for a couple hours. my diet now consists of a lot of sushi, a lot of veggies and fruits, lean meat pretty healthy stuff. these lifestyle changes, especially exercise make a huge difference, its also important to insure you're getting all of the vitamins and minerals you need, stuff like sam-e has been shown to increase concentration in adults, plus your brain needs lots of oxygen and glucose when you're studying, when you exercise you really improve your cardiovascular health and by eating lots of small meals you make sure you have the energy you need to concentrate. another important thing is to make sure you stay hydrated, not something i was ever explicitly told but i really notice a personal difference. the academic planner makes a huge difference too, she helps me plan my study schedule out when i get my schedule out so that i keep on track, of course you don't follow this exactly but it's a huge benefit, and only costs 20 dollars every other week. ritalin or adderall are plain cns stimulants, they'll make anyone concentrate better, but imo, i prefer to go the natural route because of the side effects of the medication, but that's something you and a doctor should discuss. Haha you answered most of my questions before I even got a chance to ask them lol. In regards to balance diet, maybe 1 or 2 meals a day and they're definitely not balanced and no exercise what so ever. Can these life style changes really make a huge impact vs. medication? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meds4life Posted May 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 So I saw my GP, today asked him for blood work etc. and brought up the topic. He said the symptoms I told him about could also be from anxiety nonetheless he said psychologists are better at handling this stuff and psychiatrist are generally in low #'s and hate dealing with this type of stuff. So he offered me both options, so I am going to start on 10mg capsules of adderall xr and see how that spans for a week before I see the psychologist. Anyways muse he noted some mild side effects of adderall, but I was wondering if you know any serious ones. Is this low of a dose to pose any serious health risks? What should I look for when I take it to know if it's not right for me? Thanks man really appreciate the help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meds4life Posted May 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 ? 10char..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meds4life Posted June 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 This is really funny, I took a print out of the second link you posted, with symtomns I highlighted that matched me when I met with my GP, I think he was pretty impressed in the amount of background research I did ahead of time and basically asked me what I wanted. Anyways the other day I got a call from his secretary saying my bloodwork came in and everything is fine except I am severly defficent in vitamin b12. I looked up the symtomns and a lot of them match me: Irritability, focus/concentration problems and depressive state with suicidal tendencies. At levels only slightly lower than normal, a range of symptoms such as fatigue, depression, and poor memory may be experienced.[2] However, these symptoms by themselves are too nonspecific to diagnose deficiency of the vitamin. Vitamin B12 deficiency can also cause symptoms of mania and psychosis, fatigue, memory impairment, irritability, depression and personality changes. So I am doing vitamin supplements like he asked, but going back to the adderall thing, I've been taking it (10 mg) and I am really worried if it right for me due to some symptomns, I've been experiencing: 1) An awkward feeling in my teeth 2) Some weird sensation/feeling near my heart 3) Periods of intense concentration like 5 hours straight studying if I want 4) Feelings of highs and lows, I guess when the drug is at it's optimal concentration in the body, I am really focused happy and understanding concepts/working hard etc. When it starts declining I get nervous/frustrated in my abilities. I am still waiting on an appointment with a psychologist and I would raise these concens to my GP but he's booked solid until end of June. I know a substance like this is an amphetamine and is therefore highly addictive, I just want to make sure if these symtomns are standard with taking a drug like this, if it is right for me and that I am not doing any potential damage to my body. Thanks again everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hking03 Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 call your doctor back and describe the situation... if he/she can't spare 10 minutes to talk to you... that's a problem. if you are experiencing side effects and YOU are uncomfortable... talk to your doctor. good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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