what is your opinion and have you ever?? Deb's "getting neked"

Well, you know... ritalin or ataral is nothing to mess with. I know med students that try to take it for enhanced performance in school. You'd think they'd know that it hurts your kidneys to take those drugs. I think everyone has a bit of ADD. I certainly do. I cannot stand to read as I think much faster than I can read... and on top of that, I am always thinking about other things. To be honest, caffeine helps me concentrate (but not too much caffeine). I would be very careful with those drugs. They can be very dangerous. I know that people with eating disorders do well with Welbutrin and binge eaters do well with Topamax. If you are hungry all the time, neither drug will work (those did nothing for me). I couldn't bring myself to try ADD drugs. They are too drastic to mess with. I wish I could get something to help me focus more on my studies. I can barely go 15 minutes of reading before needing a break, but I get by and I will continue to do so! Good luck with your decision!

Hi Deb - I know a bit about ADD. My husband and son are there. If you can, there are an amazing bunch of books by Edward Hallowell about Adult ADD: Driven To Distraction and especially Delivered from Distraction. Ritalin does reduce appetite. My friend's son is on it and he's a really skinny kid and it is a concern for her and her husband. My son is actually taking Straterra and it seems to help quite a bit and he doesn't have any side effects. My husband isn't taking any meds though and we manage. Hallowell really helped me a lot though. I always say that if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have married my husband 12 years ago. He helped me understand my husband in a way that I could figure out how to commit my life to him. (Ned's local - in Sudbury - and I saw him a few times.)

Rose, I need to read those books. My husband is also ADD and he takes Adderall. Medicine management is a daily thing - it is always part of our lives. We were married in 1996, and it has been a learning experience. But I still adore him!

I have driven to distraction.... but I only read the 1st chapter..LOL.. did I mention I hate to read? I need books on tape...LOL My son's have all taken it at one time or another... my middle son is not now, he became too withdrawn and serious, he really lost his creative edge... my youngest is daydreamy, content, doesn't want his little world disrupted with homework... he hasn't lost anything because he buys reg coke and drinks his calories.... But like I said, my oldest, he dropped weight like crazy. They all said they don't have an appetite on it. I would make sure to make a good breakfast, because they would be skipping lunch. My doc's office left a message on my phone and will contact me on Monday, part of me is affraid to try something, and the other... is kind of hopeful.

yes, I made a mistake, it is Adderal that he is on. I'm reading up on bits and pieces everywhere... how trigger foods like white flour and sugar can cause allergic reactions... I am going into this butt-backwards Rose, I want the weightloss... then if something else gets fixed, well okay.... I am content in my life, except these #@$@ tight jeans!!! I told my Dr. office that, so I don't know what they will respond with, heck I will go into couselling at this point, found one for eating disorders right here in town. I'll try it if they let me, the moment I feel "freaky", it's over. According to my 18 yo, it isn't remarkable at all, except he can concentrate, he actually has become much happier since because he likes himself more.

I hate that tight jeans feeling. The behavioral stuff I'm working lately is another book called "The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person", by Judith S. Beck. (I love good books.) It's a cogitive approach and it's awesome stuff. She describes a six week program and you learn a new skill each day. I've been discussing them with a girlfriend (we are each other's 'diet coach") each day and writing and reading my response cards. It's easy reading and very managable, even for those who have the 'unique brains' of ADD persons, as my son's shrink says. I'm not one to discount the value of counseling but this book might be a good supplement and certainly more cost effective. I'd be happy to work with you to be your "diet coach" too. Let me know. Maybe it's the social worker in me, but I kind of think you need to treat the real problem, not hope for some possible side effects of something else to maybe help.

yes, I agree whole heartedly that this is not the ultimate solution, actually, like the band was for me, this is yet another temperary solution... I am not absolute on it either because although I am not afraid of death, I don't want to die, not yet at least! LOL I will actually consider couseling for binge addiction. The book sounds interesting, if I am interested, I will actually read and fini**** :oD Rose, you are awesome and I hope you are very successful with it! You and your friend, I just might take you up on your offer!

As I was reading down through the posts I was trying to think of what my friend is taking and then Rose said it, that one that starts with an S (maybe I'm ADD too cuz I already forgot what she said!) He's in his late 30s, was talking to his wife's aunt about all his distractions and struggles and she looked at him and said, "You have ADD, call your Dr." And he did. He got tested, was given that S drug and his whole world changed...for the better. So I encourage you to look into it.

In brief - All drugs have their advantages and disadvantages. We researched it quite a bit and were very very reluctant to put my son on anything. (My FIL is a world reknowned shrink whose whole career is based on treating psychotics without meds!!) Ritalin is a stimulant and has been around for many many years. It's been the standard med for ADD for a long time and is very effective. The side effects can be of concern over a long period of time. If kids take too much they can become zombie like. Strattera is actually a mild anti depressant and also seems to work with ADD kids. There have been some (very few) reports of it being the cause for suicidal attempts if the kid already has those kinds of tendencies. Other side effects you need to be concerned with are tics and who knows what else. Adderal is also one of the newer drugs used to treat ADD.. I guess you need to try different ones to see which ones work.. There are lots of non-med ways to treat ADD too. The one that is of interest to me but we haven't pursued yet is the DORE center. It's about Cerebellular stimulation. Very cool stuff. Mucho dineros.. Welcome to my world...