red3215

I'm pretty sure I have ADD as I score very high on all the online tests I've taken.

Anyway, I'm wondering if THIS issue is related to it. I frequently feel like there's a "hampster wheel"in my head. Basically, my thoughts want to jump rapidly from one topic to another. If I don't fight it and make myself focus, I'll literally walk in circles or pace the floor back and forth, getting nothing done.

The typical rapid thought process goes something like this"I need to wash clothes!""I need to call my sister!" "my manager hates me!""Its a beautiful day for a walk!" changing drastically before one idea has time to settle.

The worst thing about this is my emotions change with my thoughts, taking me on a bit of a rollercoaster, and leaving me pretty unstable.

Even when I start to feel real joy and contentment, within just minutes I could get attacked by an anxious or sad thought and get low again.
Up and down, all around. It seems like a whole lot of energy is in my head while my body is calm.

I crave more stimulation than I can get, and it's frustrating. It's not this way 24/7 but for hours every day.
Anyone else out there with ADD? Does this sound like ADD?

Thanks for reading

biminiblue

Are you sober? How long? I found that my brain settled down a lot after several months of continuous sobriety. It was really jumpy like that when I was drinking, and in early sobriety.

tomsteve

i used to have terrible racing thoughts, memory sucked, moody, couldnt finish simple tasks as my mind was all over the place, frustrated over small things.
those were some of the reasons i drank.
then i got sober. a year in,lots of work on me, and it was still a problem, which warranted a visit to the doctor. i was a lil freaked,after quite a bit of digging, when the doctor told me everything was symptoms of depression.

teatreeoil007

I've been married to an ADD person for a few decades! And his entire family is also ADD except for maybe his dad, who is OCD with some Asperger (autism) type traits. He has two engineering degrees and still teaches computers at the ripe age of 80.

I love them all dearly. They are very bright people and fun to be around sometimes. Conversation is most usually lively!

But one thing that gets on my nerves is the way they "skip around" when they talk and ask questions. They will fire a question at you and then before you have a chance to answer, they move on the next question. I find that very frustrating and like they don't listen/partly because they don't slow down long enough to really listen....I would say overall, though they are very good people, they are some of the worst listeners I've ever met, much of it due to the ADD.

My husband will walk around the house "thinking out loud" as he goes through what all he's got planned to get done for the day. He starts ticking things off and I'm already overstimulated by it. Sometimes he gets all those things done, but not always. Sometimes I will, say, "Honey, don't you think you're taking on too much for one day?" His EMOTIONS, however are not up, down, all around.....

You could very well be ADD in a lot of ways....but what you describe about your emotions being labile is not so much an ADD trait.

red3215

Well my last drink was about 33 days ago and since then I've been drinking a TON of coffee and eating too much sugar. I think that was related to it. Also I'm getting anxious about some stuff. There's some awful and some great stuff going on in my life all at once, helping make me all over the place.
Thanks for the replies. Funny, after writing the post I've settled down a lot.
Sorry, I know we ADDers are hard to live with sometimes!

jt22

While i won't speak for a doctor, this is most definitely an ADD symptom IME (a lot of add symptoms are shared with other mental illnesses as well though!). I was diagnosed after being very depressed as a kid. The thing with ADD is, it's not always the traditional hyperactive person talking a lot and running around. The rollercoaster of emotions is my big thing, I've gotten pretty good at recognizing my own add symptoms when they are happening and i notice for me when my emotions are popping off i am usually stressing a task, loneliness, or boredom. We tend to not have the natural stimulation most people have so we try to make stimulation. This is why a lot of people with ADD abuse drugs, thrill seek, etc. I catch myself starting arguments, getting very sad, and also the amped up high feeling mood usually followed by a crash. Usually i get angry when i'm bored, sad when i'm lonely(don't we all lol), and amped up when people are around. These emotions can all happen within an hour of each other (or less). Most people experience these as well, i just get them a bit more extreme, but not out of hand. I also get racing thoughts about everything you could imagine and tend to get stuck in the hampster wheel you mentioned. What helps me a ton is having a giant list on my phone that i write off my plans, to do lists, thoughts, etc(anything youre obsessing over). This allows me to stop thinking about it because i know it's still there if i look in my phone, but i don't necessarily follow through with all of it, it just eases those racing thoughts.

If you do happen to go to a doctor and are diagnosed with ADD don't panic, many people with it are successful, fun, and interesting people. In my case I can hyperfocus on things of interest like a madman and remember almost every detail. Also medication helps a lot for certain things, but i don't take it unless i have something that needs doing because it dulls my personality, but you'll have to talk to a doctor about all that. Just be aware of the negative symptoms, see a doctor and read up on the best ways for you to tackle them.

Being sober, cutting caffiene and sugar, and eating healthy help a TON with my add symptoms. Some people have success with caffeine, but it's not for me personally.

Goodluck!

teatreeoil007

Wow. Thx jim for describing all that. It helps to understand. I think many ADD/ADHD folks are misunderstood as well as labeled in a negative way! My husband also has the hyperactivity component. My son doesn't have the hyperactivity component, but does have ADD to an extent; in no way severe. His manifests in losing track when going about tasks and having a difficult time staying on task.

For myself, I never considered myself ADD, but I seriously wonder if that is something that can start in middle age as the older I get the harder it seems to stay on task. And I get distracted fairly easily.

teatreeoil007

Lots of coffee and sugar no doubt have an impact of mood and energy levels. If I eat sweets, the initial energy boost comes, followed by a lag in energy or just downright BLAH! Last year I cut sweets down to very little and it has made a big difference in not feeling as sluggish at times, not to mention other benefits.

jt22

Problem is a lot of people have ADD symptoms for a million different reasons, so it leads to improper treatment and such. My sister seemed to have the traditional adhd and no one ever guessed I did, people thought i was bi polar or depressed. Turned out I had ADD and my sister had depression (after lots of testing/therapy). i'm thankful all i have is ADD because i can control my symptoms pretty easily compared to what i've seen some people deal with. That said it can still be a pain in the ass at times hah. My sense of time is almost non existent lol.

teatreeoil007

Thx jim. Yeah, totally agree. In psyche many symptoms seem to overlap one another. There are no definitive lab tests. Like how do you measure dopamine levels in the brain...And are people more likely to become an addict if they simply do not have enough dopamine? And, how much dopamine would be considered a "normal range"? Wouldn't want TOO much dopamine because it's theorized that could cause schizophrenia or mania. . Mind boggling....

jt22

Yeah wouldn't it be nice if they could answer those questions..... Would make life too easy though lol, we can't have that.

red3215

There's a popular book called "Change your brain, change your life". I haven't read it so I can't recommend it but I saw some youtube videos from the author, and it's pretty fascinating to think that some day brain scans could be inexpensive and everyone could get them and know exactly what meds, habits or nutrition is needed to improve themselves.

Wastinglife

I have ADD but was only diagnosed at age 34 while in rehab. Unfortunately, my life was already ruined by this point. The earlier you get diagnosed the better. my drinking came about as a way to self-medicate ADD.

red3215

Wastinglife, t's amazing how many people that happens, too. It's easier to spot people with hyperactivity and ADD but if you've only got ADD, it might never be suspected.

Kata

Redladyslipper, I've been diagnosed with ADHD 3 years ago at age 30.

Yes, your symptoms do look a lot like ADD or ADHD, but so do a lot of people. It is easy to regognize some personality traits while reading lists of symptoms and taking tests online. That being said, it doesn't mean you don't have it.

I don't know where you live, but here in Canada, most doctors, psychologists/psychiatrists and neuro-psycholigist won't diagnose someone who is actively drinking or recently sober as it will influence the results. Also, ADD/ADHD doesn't just appears in adulthood, so the chilhood experience has to be evaluated.

To give you an example, my evaluation was done in 3 sessions with a neuro-psychologists. She had me fill out the questionnaire from my perspective has an adult, my mother had to fill one out regarding how I was as a child, and my partner at the time had to fill one out about his perspective of me at the time. Then, she looked at all my reports cards from primary through high school. She read the comments the teachers had left, studied my grades, the patterns, etc. On top of that, I had to take tests...All that before she diagnosed me.

It is a pretty comprehensive process, but if you suspect you might have it, I suggest you do your research and find someone specialized in Adult ADHD. Then, ask if you can begin the process now or if you need to be sober for longer.

The most important advice I can give you if you are indeed diagnosed with ADHD is to never go down the "what if" route. Nothing good came come from it. Yes, you may wish you had know before, think about how your life could've been different/better, but it won't change a thing. It's in the past. An ADHD diagnosis is a tool. It helps you make the changes you need to move forward.

Good luck to you!