For a brief background; I went to a private Montessori school from 1st to 6th grade where I excelled, was placed in a gifted and talented program and didn't have any serious issues. Once I entered the 7th grade I had to start going to the local public school. I managed that first year but soon after started to "rebel". I got increasingly bad grades, got in trouble (not physical), and in my 11th grade got into legal trouble for marijuana. Upon being placed on probation I made the decision that I should graduate so started taking night school courses. My senior year I completed 32 of the required 52 credits to graduate and walked with my class (something nobody thought was possible). I graduated with a GPA of 1.7 but with the help of my ACT score (30) I was able to get into the state university.

This is my the real story begins.

Upon going to my freshman year I immediately noticed that I was not able to manage myself. Within 3 weeks I had irreparably damaged my grades and continued to decline. During this time I also got a good job working in the school kitchen and managed to "quit" (not show up) within a month, and was arrested a second time for marijuana and MIC. In November I decided the semester was a complete blowout so I went back home to live with my parents. My parents, particularly my Mom, at this point had started looking into the possibility of me having ADD. I'll be honest I never did 1/10 of the research she did so I couldn't tell you all of the reasons why they decided I should see a psychiatrist.

Upon going to the psychiatrist I was given a preliminary diagnosis for ADD and was prescribed with Straterra. A few things to note are that I was 18 at the time of diagnosis and I am and was never hyperactive so this is an ADD diagnosis not ADHD. Which probably played a big role in nobody noticing throughout my childhood, along with my intelligence. I took the Strattera with a few hickups through August where I decided to go back to school.

Upon getting here I immediately noticed that the Straterra was not having the effects I needed it to. I was still daydreaming in class, I was still tardy, I forgot to do my homework. So I stopped taking it. During this time period I flunked out of all of my classes (again) and totalled my car. Soon after I started taking it again reluctantly due to an inability to talk with my mother and a few other things.

So I guess this is where I am. Thank you very much if you have made it this far. I don't really know where to go from here. While Strattera doesn't help me with school it does provide many things that I enjoy, like helping me interrupt people less, be more calm in conversations, and more cleanly and organized. But I resent that I am taking it for those reasons, before the diagnosis I had come to terms with many things in my life, all of those included with many others, I was learning to manage and had really started to etch out who I was as a person. This diagnosis threw me for a loop, not only is the likely hood of another mental condition high but I don't particularly enjoy identifying traits of my personality and being, and identifying them as bad or "fixable" especially with medication.

Another issue is my complete distaste for stimulants. I don't like them, I don't want them, but I fear they may be my only option for was I truly need in school.

So does anyone have any advice on how to cope with an adult diagnosis? Any medication ideas? I don't work out enough but am in decent shape. I also still regularly use marijuana. I am now 2 weeks into a new Strattera regime and can feel it helping already. Like I stated above though I am not very happy about taking it. Guess I am just not a pharmaceutical guy.

Thanks everyone.