Posted by Ritch on March 10, 2002, at 22:13:06
In reply to Re: ADD experience w/bipolar w/o, posted by JohnX2 on March 10, 2002, at 19:42:06
> > ....People with ADD have smaller working memory RAM & my mind would drop extra bits while I was working on problems. (Like having tiny hands trying to hold the same amount in them as someone with big hands - don't know if that makes sense to you.)
> >
> >
> > Wow, you just explained that to a "tee"! It is like only having a limited amount of temporary storage space. I remember trying to manipulate complex equations and always "dropping" or "flipping" something and winding up with the wrong answer over and over again-just wanted to scream. It was literally like needing to *juggle* four balls in the air at the same time. I could get two or three going, and then someone would toss me the 3rd or 4th ball and I would drop all of them.
>
>
> Hmm that kinda looka like me. Stims don't solve this smaller working RAM problem though for me.
> This has confounded me my whole life.
>
> Do these mean anything:
>
> - caffeine junky.
> - hate classwork requiring rote memorization, but will ace it.
> - never use hot-keys on complicated computer programs;
> must use the crummy menus and buttons. Will resort to
> memorizing the hot-keys when it seems reasonable (I know
> people who use hot-keys for everything; don't get it).
> - can't for the life of me read a long fictional book. By page 10 I get all the
> characters confused and find myself flipping back and forth. It drives
> me nuts. Thank heaven for Cliff's Notes; I'd never had graduated high school.
> I'm OK with magazine articles. OK with technical journals and books.
> - forgetting how to spell simple words (don't do much formal writing).
> Yet I have an extensive vocabulary.
> - can hyperfocus on tasks
> - seem to be 3 or 4 thoughts ahead of other people
> - don't have problems with outburts (hyperactivity)
> - Use a calculator at work for a lot of my simple math (don't like
> to do/remember it in my head, even though i'm an engineer).
> - great at thinking deductively,analytically.
> - remember directions by visual cues instead of street names.
> - I'd rather focus on completing a task all together before
> moving on to the next task. (otherwise I'll never finish anything).
> - I lean towards being pretty disorganized.
> - I don't balance my checkbook.
> - I always procrastinate.
>
> I was given ADD tests by two pdocs (these q's):
>
> name the months backwards - passed
> count backwards from 100 subtracting 7 - passed
> listed fruits, changes subject, asked me to list fruits. I named the fruits - passed
>
> I still got the stim (adderall) from the 1st doc.
> It made me hypomanic.
>
> What do you think?
>
> -JohnJohn, I would try the nortripytline. Really. Desipramine worked the best of *anything* for my attentional probs, but it triggered argumentativeness and hypomania. I have this problem with exotropia. Well, it has to do with my left *or* my right eye wandering off to the side while my other eye looks straight ahead. I have noticed that my attentional troubles are directly correlated with my ability to keep both of my eyes focused "dead-ahead". Maybe it is "seizure-related" I don't know. But meds that "snap" my eyes "together" are the ones that fix the ADHD probs, and if I take a 10mg cap of nortrip. despite anything else I am taking it always "snaps" my eyes together and I can focus without being uptight.
hope this helps anybody,Mitch
poster:Ritch
thread:97292
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020307/msgs/97408.html