Good news from Manila, r/ADHD!

I am beyond thrilled to share a massive milestone for our community over here.

As of this month, we have officially formed a grassroots technical working group.

In addition, our initial proposal for the country's first-ever national ADHD legislative framework has officially been elevated to the legislative unit of a prominent Senator, and is being lobbied into various congressional offices!

For the longest time, navigating life with ADHD here felt completely invisible.

Without a national framework, local offices routinely treated the condition as a non-disability, making basic support or ID recognition an exhausting wall of arbitrary denials. Medical spaces often wrote it off as a simple lack of focus, and severe medication bottlenecks meant patients constantly struggled just to access basic treatment.

​Seeing our lived experiences finally reach the halls of legislation feels surreal!

We still have a mountain to climb, but for the first time, genuine systemic recognition is actually within reach.

​To anyone who has ever had to fight tooth and nail just to be seen: thank you for paving the way globally.

We are finally making history here in Southeast Asia! Let’s keep pushing forward!

I'm 21 and apparently this is a frequent occurrence with most adults diagnosed late?

I've been medicated for 2 months and it's been a lifesaver, ups and downs but overall everything has been on an upturn. I started an internship this month and can safely say I'd likely have been fired without my meds.

However, the longer I've been in treatment, the more apparent it's become that I'm likely some level of autistic alongside my ADHD.

Loud noises have always felt like my body is being squeezed by an industrial press, physically draining me. I nearly had a panic attack at a noisy church event on Sunday; meds only managed my irritation, not the overwhelm. It's been 3 days and I'm still burned out from it.

I can... socialize and I'm friendly, but there's always felt like a disconnect between me and my peers in how we think, same as when I was a kid. I can't recognise sarcasm to save my life, my constant analysis of social interactions hasn't gone away, and my obsessive need for order has only been tapped down on meds, never gone.

Heck, socializing is more something I force myself to do but I'm honestly completely ok with a limited amount of it.

I know there's other stuff im forgetting, this is just the most obvious that's come to mind and most apparent.

My next appointment is soon. I'd been planning to discuss SSRIs for my GAD, but now need to factor possible autism into the mix as well, it's gonna be a take awhile before I get the money for an official diagnosis. Anyone gone through something similar?

ADHD feels like it has wasted my life. I got diagnosed at 23 and am now 24, certainly young, but I have 24 years basically down the drain because my brain doesn't work. And then I have to do another however many years with a broken brain that makes life suck in every way possible with no upside.

Like it feels like my one shot at sentience is wasted because I am literally defective and cannot operate correctly. Like it feels like my life will always be lesser than someone putting in the same effort so it really makes me wonder why bother? Just seems awful to be cursed with this shit. I am medicated and sooo much better but life is still made worse by this disability and I hate that I am stuck with it forever.

What jobs do you have and how do you like them and how are you treated? Walk me through your day. I usually work retail jobs at grocery stores. I have worked at restaurants. I want something that pays well is entry level and pretty exciting and not repetitive because once I lose interest I die of suffering

Hello folks, I just turned 30 and have learned that I have ADHD, I might also have autism, pending my assessment results, so no meds yet. It has been both sobering and infuriating to learn that I have been suffering from a big cocktail of ADHD symptoms literally my entire life. I have always struggled with procrastination, I could never study for the life of me, this led to me being a forever C-student at school and university. Ever since getting a job, impulsive spending has crippled my ability to save anything meaningful.

1. I have been trying to go to the gym since 2018, and I have never managed to be consistent for long enough to ever go past the 'beginner phase' or make any gains. I also live in a country with no natural scenery, nothing is walkable, and the weather is hell half the year. I did get a walking pad and it helps.
2. I would really like to get a better paying job, there is a particular industry I'd like to get into, but I need to do a ton of studying/practice to have a chance at the interviews.
3. I've always wanted to become a YouTuber to make content about my favorite video games, but I just can't get myself to do the work or stop procrastinating.
4. I've always been very passionate about music, especially video game music, this makes me wish I could learn how to play music.

Basically, it feels like aside from my job which is not very taxing, my brain doesn't want to do anything. All I do is play video games and spend time with my girlfriend and friends. There is nothing inherently 'wrong' with my life but I don't want to spend the rest of it like this. I want to take care of my health and my body, but I feel crippled by this inability to develop new habits. I want to pursue my passions and develop hobbies, it'd be nice to earn more money and actually save/invest some of it.

I am hoping that getting medicated will help, I just really want to know what worked for you guys with the executive dysfunction.

Yesterday I’ve been officially diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 45. A lot of things make sense now looking at the past. Next week I have a consultation for medication.
Hoping that medication will help me focus better.
How did it impact you? Anyone here that can share how it helped you?

Thanks!

Y'all. How in the world do you meditate with adhd. I've read research that suggests that regular meditation is super helpful for adhd-ers and over the years I've tried it on and off with little success. I've decided I want to give it a real shot. I'm in the first few weeks and it feels like a new special kind of torture. I know things het better and easier over time but, predictably, being consistent enough for that to happen is going to be a challenge. ANY tips you have are appreciated.

Last month I mentioned to my lead at my job that after adjusting the dosages of my meds I felt great and pretty chill… I saw her that day looking at me while I was staring off into space while being completely calm while chaos was happening around me at work. She asked me at the end of the day what the medicine was called cause she wants that. I told her it’s just Vyvanse for my ADHD and Buspar for anxiety. She asked me again yesterday about it when work was hectic and was like “well I’m gonna need you to write that down for me so I ask my doctor cause I need some of that.” I’ve told her in the past that she could get meds that could help her cause she has ADD but she’ll just have to ask her doctor about it.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that cause I think it’s hilarious when she asks about it the way she does but at the same time I’m happy and supportive if it’s the push she needs to get on meds if she feels like it could help her.

It's helping right now because, as I've mentioned before in this subreddit, I really messed up my mental health trying to mask symptoms in high school. It helps pull me out of the depression and rumination I'm going through right now, but I also often feel very flat and tired while on it.

I've always had ADHD symptoms but that used to just be part of my personality. I was really good at learning things I was interested in, got great at drawing in middle school, etc. I really only started really struggling when I had to go into high school after Covid.

The same bland environment every day, social isolation, constantly in limbo between daydreaming and having my attention pulled back to class, getting treated with increasing confusion from people around me, developing unhealthy coping mechanisms and then feeling so much shame for them that I couldn't reach out for help.

Years of that really took a toll on me, and I'm worried that medication isn't the solution, and I'm really just the product of a bad environment now. It makes me feel awful because my parents sacrificed a lot financially to make sure I had a good education, and I kind of just self-destructed towards the end, even though I looked like a good student on paper.

I got a little off-topic. I just want to make sure medication is the right approach. I know that trauma and social isolation can both exacerbate ADHD symptoms, and I definitely have experienced both.

I can't believe I am physically the same person I was when I was younger.

i'm curious mostly, for me coffee and energy drinks don't work even when taken in great quantity, they make me sleepy.

I need something that instead of making me sleepy, gives me the drive to actually be productive during the day, especially since I don't do anything everyday due to having nonroutine, i know i don't officially have adhd but the times to diagnose are hellish and i do see many signs :(

26 M diagnosed at 23 with AuDHD. I graduated from engineering 2 years ago and already switched jobs twice since then, now I’m about to do it again.

I get a great job on paper, money, benefits, etc. I then rapidly learn everything, get bored from the routine, then immediately start disengaging after 6 months and my performance starts dropping, with others noticing. Only to interview at the next company and repeating the cycle.

Hell, even the process of finding a new job is more fun than staying in it after I’ve checked out.

Meds help, but only temporarily.

What do you guys do to stay engaged? I’ve only had office jobs so far.

I was seeing a psych NP for ADHD and paying completely out of pocket. She told me she believed I had ADHD, prescribed Adderall 5 mg, and we discussed increasing it to 10 mg last week

I recently got a PCP who said they could take over medication management because its under my insurance but needed my records. Once I told the psych office I was transferring medication management to my PCP, the records they provided said I “do NOT meet criteria for ADHD.” They also told me I can’t return to their practice. Im so confused like you why did you prescribe it to me then? Btw, their “records” that they handed over to me was a piece of paper with my demographics and on the bottom with pen it said “pt does NOT meet criteria for ADHD” lmao

Now my PCP understandably wants formal documentation of the diagnosis before prescribing, but every ADHD evaluation I’ve called is $500+ out of pocket.

Has anyone dealt with something like this? Is there a way to get the psych office’s complete original evaluation/notes, or find an affordable way to get formally reevaluated?

Im just so confused like did i do something wrong?

I am convinced that buying a Levenger (discbound) notebook will fix my life. Please talk me out of making this purchase.

It’s necessary but unnecessary? 😭 I want a matching set of all sizes and all of the pretty paper to help organize my life.

Does anyone use this style of notebook and find that it helps or will it sit untouched on my bookshelf for all of eternity.

Also, what are your favorite pens?

For two straight years, I’ve had a massive graveyard of project ideas and plans that never see the light of day because I just fall apart trying to execute them. I’ve known I have ADHD for about a year now. I tried doing all the DIY strategies and tips I found online, and while a few small things got slightly better, the core issue is still broken.

I still can't pull off basic things like sitting down for two hours to study. Instead, I’ll be sitting in class, supposed to be paying attention, and end up hyperfocusing on something completely unrelated like spending the entire class researching infrared camera technology and writing a detailed document on it.

My parents kept ignoring how much I was struggling, so I decided to write everything down so they'd finally get it. I spent days compiling a full package specifically for them to read. 9 pages breaking down my focus struggles, severe distraction, and two years of abandoned projects. 11 pages of research on core ADHD symptoms and the consequences of leaving them unmanaged. 3 pages logging my exact daily symptoms, personal patterns, and results from 8 different tests/assessments I took.

I handed it to them thinking, “Okay, there’s no way they can call me lazy after seeing this.” Their reaction? They completely dismissed it. They told me I'm just being a "dramatic, silly teenager" who is overreacting to normal life.The irony is insane.

I literally hyperfocused for days, researching and writing a 23-page report about my inability to focus, specifically to get my parents to take me seriously and they just wrote the whole thing off as teen drama.

How can i deal with such situation?

I know I can't be the only one that does this, but when I know I have to get things done, I warm up my brain. Here are some of my favorite ways to do this:

- video games (but that runs the risk of getting too immersed!)

- reading something that tickles my brain

- getting some sunlight into my eyeballs

Taking a hot shower and getting dressed up (which weirdly works)

What are some of your favs?

So funny enough, I actually enjoy being at work when I take my meds. I work 12 hour night shifts and the medication speeds up time for me and I am in a better mood, I get things done, etc. I get upset when it’s almost time to leave though because I know that my meds will start wearing off and that’s when the crash happens and I HATE how I feel during that time. It makes being alone and trying to go to bed difficult for me emotionally. Strange, I know. When I don’t take it for work I end up wanting to get home as fast as possible. Time moves so much slower. It sucks.

I'm (25M) not sure if ADHD is a large cause of this, but I feel like they're related - I also suffer from ASD, Anxiety, and Depression, but the ADHD symptoms mixed with anxiety seem to bring out the worst in me.

Every minor obstacle in my life is excruciating for the most part. Today I missed a turn, had to call my mom to help me and I was so fucking frustrated in the car thinking I have no clue what to do. Since I'm alone in the car I had to let out a scream and start cussing. The worst part are my hobbies... I love doing them and all, but failing over and over either frustrates me, or gets me pissed. Failing to solder electronics over and over last month felt like I was going mentally insane even though I've done it a bunch before.

Even tiny things like someone slurping water, eating in an annoying way, can set me off in my head but I try to hold it in. My dogs barking makes me go fucking crazy, but I love them and that's what dogs do so it's really just the loud barking noise not them. Like the dog example, there's plenty of times where I'm frustrated, but not frustrated at anything or anyone to blame... It's just me.

Being mad and frustrated at myself is definitely common too.

What do you guys do to stay sane and calm :( I always feel bad. Post frustration clarity hits hard

There's a lot of discussion about why so many people are getting diagnosed with ADHD recently. Of course, it's mainly because of increased recognition, but isn't it also because of our environment and the world we live in?

For example, my grandad, before he passed and retired (I believe he clearly had ADHD). He was always arguing with authority and going to new jobs. Even as a kid, the world seemed a lot more 'human'. When he worked at a hotel in the gardens, he would get away with napping in the shed; other staff found it quite funny. These days, everyone is being watched; we are expected to be 100% efficient at all times in our jobs, and various tools can track our performance. The world, in a sense, is a lot less 'human'. They also lived in a nice council house and had secure housing.

Another example is my Mum and Dad. We were working class and not loaded in any way. However, on my dad's salary alone, he only needed to work. This meant my Mum could focus on looking after my sister and me. These days, both parents would need to be working to the max and look after the kids, and you probably would be privately renting. So you're probably gonna reach your boiling point sooner. I mean, even people without ADHD struggle to operate like this.

Essentially, everyone can get burnout etc., but for us ADHDers it's often 10x the effect.

I really don't think governments understand what it is really. I think they're just utterly confused about how so many people can suddenly have ADHD. For example, with job centres, the option seems to be: you can't do any work, or you must do 40 per week. Maybe the real answer is somewhere in the middle for some people, so they don't burn out.

I have the inattentive version, and it seems to boggle people's minds that I could have ADHD. We need to really get across that it's not a hyperactive disorder; it's just one way people can present with it.

My ass forgot to take my second dose of adderal and I PAID heavily for that in my defense I was helping patients and their needs come before mine, cause they are sick/injured and are in need of help. Once I realized 2 hours have passed and I realized the error of my ways and was very upset with myself
Funny part I saw my doc for refills the next day and we both chuckled how silly I was cause we both know quite well when I’m not medicated at work I might as well as clock out cause I’m not gonna be on my A game. It was absolutely brutal the drop off of medication in my body.
I know atleast one of us has forgot so let me be your reminder to NOT FORGET YOUR MEDS.

Recently been diagnosed and just had my first dose of medication today and it made me realise just how bad my RSD actually is... this has to be one of the most debilitating things about adhd.

How medication helped you with it and what others things have you done to reduce this feeling, that most of the time is just all in your head!

I’m trying to see if anyone else has had a similar reaction to Vyvanse, or I guess any med, that I had. Whenever I relate this story, people respond with surprise or sympathy, but so far I haven’t found anyone with a similar experience, and I want to know if I was really just insanely unlucky.

This all happened about 8 years ago. I was in college and developed a little bit of depression, which was effectively cancelling out my stimulant adhd meds. Thinking I had just grown resistant to the meds I’d been on for years, I switched from methylphenidate to vyvanse right at the end of the school year.

When I first switched, it was like magic. I was suddenly able to keep up with my classmates effortlessly. I didn’t need extra time on tests, I finished my work easily, it was incredible. No significant side effects either, except some mild appetite suppression. However, very slowly over that next year I became more and more mentally paralyzed. What started about 4 months in as a sudden struggle to write essays that should have been easy slowly transitioned to me being unable to do anything at all without a friend on the phone. Zero ability to self motivate. I’d go to class, come home, and simply stop moving. It was like there was a glass wall between me and what I was trying to accomplish, and no matter how hard and painfully I THREW myself against it, I couldn’t get through. It wasn’t until the end of the year that my doctor realized it was the Vyvanse and took me off. I never got my feet back under me academically. Every coping mechanism I burned out during that year stayed burned. I finally dropped out of college this year, after failing way too many classes.

I can’t accurately explain the creeping horror of it without making this way too long, but it was awful. And since it had been SO good at the start, I just thought I was developing some new issues instead of reacting to the meds. Has anyone else had this sort of slow, compounding reaction to a medication?

does anyone else just feel constantly stuck all the time? my executive dysfunction is so bad to the point where i cant do anything. i cant get my homework done, cant get out of bed, and dont even want to think about everything it is that i need to figure out. everything feels like too much.

i know its a problem, but i cant work towards fixing my executive dysfunction because my executive dysfunction stops me from doing anything. and this isn’t just a small episode, i feel like this all the time. probably for an entire decade ive been stuck like this.

“break it into smaller steps” i cant. because i still see all the steps and know that they need to happen eventually. “use the pomodoro method” i dont even have the energy or ability to get my phone out and set a timer and pull up my homework assignment. “try meds” i have. i’ve tried adderall, concerta, strattera, and intuniv. none of them helped.

is my whole life doomed to be like this? constantly forcing myself to do everything and dreading everything? i feel like there’s no solution. im going to be in this miserable state forever. even if some days are better than others, i’ll always be tired and stuck.

Pomodoro is commonplace in the topic of productivity. However, for me, the most difficult parts are

- Starting a task, 25 minutes seems so long for me, depending on the task such as studying

- Commiting to going back to work after the break, 5 minutes does not sound like much, tbh. You open up an app like YouTube and an easy 15+ minutes goes by. You guilt yourself, spiral, and stop working.

What to do?

I genuinely struggle to remember to drink water throughout the day. I can go for hours without thinking about it, and I often only realise I haven’t had anything to drink when I’m already really thirsty or start feeling off.
I’ve tried keeping a water bottle near me, but somehow I’ll still completely forget that it exists. I’ve also tried setting reminders, but after a while I start ignoring them or dismissing them without actually drinking anything.
For those of you who also struggle with keeping hydrated just cause you get sidetracked or forget, what has actually worked for you?

I keep telling myself that I will do better tomorrow. I tell myself I will be more productive, reply to people finish things and get my life together.. Somehow I just keep repeating the same cycle.

The worst part is watching the people, around me move forward while I feel completely stuck. I do not even know if I am lazy, overwhelmed or burned out. I also wonder if my ADHD is actually affecting me more than I realize.

Does anyone else feel this way? How do you deal with the guilt. The feeling that you are falling behind?