[LizzyB]

Self-employed, and have trouble regulating my activity. I seem to have the trouble that I can't do small things a little at a time. Either I have to hyperfocus and do a huge amount of stuff and exhaust myself, or get almost nothing done. Do others have trouble with this, and if so, does it bother you as much as it bothers me? Lizzy B

[MyHeadHurts]

Lizzy, I am EXACTLY the same way.

Right now I have no focus (and I desperately need it as I'm trying to complete a big job).

When I'm in hyper-focus, I go for days straight and accomplish tons, then crash and burn. I think I'd rather have the focus and exhaustion than this "I can't get anything done" mode.

On top of that, my pDoc last week decided to take me off Prozac and Wellbutrin for a month to see what my 'natural' state is these days. The Prozac I don't mind, because it was making me a zombie, but I'm really noticing the absence of Wellbutrin for my ADHD. :-(

I have an appointment with my therapist tomorrow, and I'm going to see if she can help me convince my pDoc to give me back at least that med before next month. I don't know how I'm going to make it otherwise.

Why do people like us decide on self-employment? I think for me it's because I don't do well working in the real world either, but dang! This one isn't much better... :-(

Hugs to you...

MHH

[LizzyB]

Dear MHH,
I'm sorry to hear you have the same problem as I do, but I'm glad there's someone else like me. You asked:

"Why do people like us decide on self-employment? I think for me it's because I don't do well working in the real world either"

Yes, I think you answered it correctly.

What do you do for self-employment?

Lucky you have a medication that works at least somewhat for you. I have not yet found one. Never tried Wellbutrin, though. I also have not tried Strattera, but it seems to work well for my daughter, so I might try it.

ADD is very frustrating. Thank goodness it also has its rewards. Sometimes it's just hard to remember there ARE good aspects of the disorder. (lol)

GOOD LUCK !!!!!!!

Let me know how it goes.

Hugs right backatcha.

Lizzy B

[MyHeadHurts]

Hey Lizzy,

I do web and graphic design, as well as provide administrative services (secretarial kind of stuff). The artsy stuff is great when I'm 'on' and the secretarial stuff is usually good if I need targetted, structured tasks. But this week, it doesn't matter what I try -- I can't do any of it.

What do you do for self-employment?

What med's have you tried? My daughter was on Strattera, too (not anymore), and some of her pills are still kicking around here somewhere. I've been tempted this week to go hunt them down and take them to see if it helps, but I know that would defeat the purpose of my pDoc's experiment. And that's one of the things he wants to determine -- whether Wellbutrin has been really working for my ADHD, or whether Strattera might be a better choice. All I know is I need SOMETHING... fast! :-)

ADHD definitely has its rewards, but it would be nice if we could pick and choose when to receive them, don't you think? LOL...

Hugs,

MHH

[MyHeadHurts]

Hi Lizzy, how have things been going for you the past few days?

My therapist agreed that I need the Wellbutrin back, and my pDoc agreed. (Yay!) So I picked up my prescription today and just took my first two pills. I'm hoping it doesn't take long to kick back in...

Now I'm going to go and see whether I can find some focus to get a few tasks done... Have a wonderful weekend! :-)

MHH

[thelionkinglives]

LOL!! Hey BC, this doesn't sound like me at all does it?
I can get lost in a project for DAYS!! sometimes & do work ahead even...other times I can't bring myself to start something until 2 days after I was suppose to...

I do this in my classes sometime. For example, if I'm learning a new method in math...I will get distracted on how to apply it to my own life in some random way & do that for hours or even days ...
but never actually do the original problem for the class

But yeah, I tend to be an all or nothing person...

LK

[Mandocello]

I used up approximately one-third of a notebook recently trying to figure how many times I would need to do something (details not necessary) before the desired result would occur if all my attempts had normally distributed results.

I didn't get to the end (yet?) AND I didn't leave time to actually do the project.

I also have a history of spending more time figuring out how to do something than getting it done (no comments from you, LizzyB!)

That is why self-employment wouldn't work for me. But my ADD does prevent me from working someplace where I can be fired for being late or turning in things like reports on time.

Concerta-less (not by choice) for 6 days now,
Mandocello

PS: It is likely to take 7-14 days for one to return to "normal" after stopping Wellbutrin. Another week and you might feel a bit less desperate.

[leep1001]

Hi all,

I am new to this site, and new to ADHD, diagnosed ('mild' adhd) three weeks ago and am now taking 27 mg daily of Concerta. I had lightbulbs going off all over the place as I read this thread and wanted to just weigh in with some of my own experiences. Like some of you, I am very much an all or nothing person. I have even used that term for years without knowing I had ADHD, and wondered why so many friends seemed somewhat worried about the lack of balance in my life. I hate to even type this because it seems like such a failure, but I have become one of those eternal PhD students who can't seem to finish her dissertation. I am ABD, all but diss, and have a child with life-threatening food allergies whose condition really threw me off track for a number of years. I started this degree at 35, after a 10yr. career in journalism (during which I filed stories that were uniformly well-received by my editors but which were almost *always* either just in time or slightly late, frustrating my editors to no end and causing me to lose one great gig at a major national newspaper). I am now 44 and struggling to get back on track with academic life with a six-year-old daughter whose allergies continue to be a major challenge. Whatever I'm doing, it seems like I'm either overdoing it or not doing it at all. Right now I'm on a huge fitness kick and although this is helping get me back into my old clothes and seems to also be boosting my ability to concentrate, I can't seem to get to many of the other pressing tasks that are facing me right now. I do too little work on the dissertation every day, and there are some looming paperwork issues that need to be addressed -- getting my daughter US citizenship, filing late taxes, etc. etc....things are fairly out of control, and I seem to be pouring all of my energy into eating right and exercising -- after a long period of inactivity. When I am working toward a conference presentation I pull multiple all-nighters and am always able to present good material, but after it's over I go into a major slump, losing all of my momentum and allowing me to get disconnected from the project.

Oh goodness, this is a long post. This is my first attempt to write about my ADHD, and I appreciate your patience. Can anyone relate to any of this? Is anyone else out there trying to write something huge like a dissertation and finding it impossible? Every day I'm so convinced that I'll get a lot done, and I start out with the best of intentions, but by the end of the day I have precious little to show for my efforts. Just a lot of re-writing passages that were probably fine in the first place.

Thanks for listening. I guess I'm just throwing this out there in hopes that someone else understands what I'm going through and can offer some insight. I don't know if the Concerta is working yet. I guess I feel a bit more focused, but not remarkably so.

See ya, have good days.
L

[bluebird2]

I too have this very same problem. When I'm excited about a project, it's all I think about, and I have this almost disturbing level of energy. But when it gets boring, when the details have to be done, there's almost anything else I'd rather do than the project.

[TwiceBitten]

Interesting...I have never known Wellbutrin to work as an ADD medication and I had been on it for a very long time. I have tried many medications and so has my son and I have to say that Vyvanse was my saving grace - you may want to check into it.

[bluebird2]

Wellbutrin may help with ADHD. It also may cause extreme anxiety. Be careful!