[ SECRET POST #1679 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #1679 ⌋


Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 06 pages, 136 secrets from Secret Submission Post #240.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 1 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - hit/ship/spiration ], [ 0 - omgiknowthem ], [ 0 - take it to comments ], [ 0 - repeats ]
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom.livejournal.com]

16. http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/9739/unledfo.png

[(Anonymous)]

You could discuss it with the doctor who's prescribing your medication. You don't have to mention fandom, but loss of creativity and motivation are valid concerns that ought to be discussed with your doctor.

[sarolynne.livejournal.com]

+1

[zoey-says.livejournal.com]

This kinda sounds like any rock musician talking about their high.

I dunno, have you "out grown" them yet? I mean, I don't know the situation and I'm not a doctor (lol), so there's not much I can say in terms whether I think you should keep taking them or not. Perhaps you just need to find inspiration elsewhere?

[kallanda-lee.livejournal.com]

If they actually do have a concentration problem that is persistent, this is a genuine issue (and not a "high").

[childings.livejournal.com]

This kinda sounds like any rock musician talking about their high.

Not really at all since OP has a real medical condition and any medical condition that affects the brain is going to affect things like creativity. I don't know OP personally but I'm sure ADHD medication probably helps a ton because people with ADHD often have trouble focusing on any one project long enough to complete it

[(Anonymous)]

No anon, don't feel bad. Sometimes people need those things to focus. Personally, while I grew up on them and they helped me have a semi-decent functionality during my school years, it was killer on my creativity. Everyone has to find what works, though. I stopped taking mine, and that was a personal choice, because I couldn't afford to stay on them and didn't want to depend on insurance or what would happen if I always had to take them. But with that came my body having to adjust to it and that was a lot of emotional ups and downs that I wish I had gone to a doctor for instead of just quitting. Maybe the reason your creativity dies is the rocky road that you have to adjust through before you find it again, or maybe you are simply a person who functions better with your meds. That is not anything to be ashamed of, nor is it not adult. That is something that only you and your doctor can decide.

[jump2narnia.livejournal.com]

Funny 'cause it's usually the other way around with ADHD folks. I personally am always in favor of medications because both my mom and my brother take meds for their ADHD and it's consistently helped them focus and relax many years now. Of course, I do understand if some people can't take meds because of allergies or something like that.

[kallanda-lee.livejournal.com]

If the pills you're talking about are Concentra or Ritalin, I can understand that. I mean, with me being non-medicated is cool when I just want to have all these thoughts in my head that are awesome but all over the place. On meds I can actually FOCUS and channel that creativity. If you are otherwise healthy (no heart issues, high blood pressure etc) I'm not sure if you should go off the meds, and I suggest finding a sympathetic doctor (which is what I did).

[flutingfrenzy.livejournal.com]

Don't feel like you need to rush to wean yourself off the medication, because you've got your whole life to do that. I agree with the above anon who said to tell your doctor what you just told us. More than likely they'll find that very useful to know. Actually, it's awesome that medication works and it helps you be more creative, because some people find that psych meds kill their creativity; that's one reason they often stop taking them.

[childings.livejournal.com]

I agree with the first poster in this thread, this is definitely something you should discuss with your doctor. And lots of people of different ages have ADHD, it's not just a condition that affects children and young people, so there's no shame in taking medication for it if it helps you function normally. It's not like the ability to create is something that should be regarded as a luxury, especially if writing or drawing is a big part of your life and something you spend a majority of your time doing.

[teal-deer.livejournal.com]

You absolutely should talk to your doctor about this, like everyone is saying.

Me, I have a similar issue. I actually find that I can generate more creative ideas when I'm off my meds... but I'm incapable of following through on them. I work best when I try to write down or gather ideas during the long break stretches when I'm off them (usually in the summer, as I have SAD comorbid with ADHD -- the mild manic high that comes with sunshine helps with sticking to things) and then when I'm back on my drugs I try to follow through. I. Still get nothing done, because I'm me and a bit of a miserable failure at everything I do.

But. The point is here, that ADHD as a condition does that to you. Because you can't focus, you can't generate and hold creative ideas as easily when you're off the meds in some cases, and when you're on them that focus helps you hold onto ideas better. It's all a matter of brain chemistry and who you are.

So yeah, talk to your doctor. Also? My dad is almost 60 years old, and he still takes ADHD meds (he went on them in his 30s, when he was diagnosed around the same time I was.) So you're not alone if you use them your whole life. Some people need that, ADHD is not a condition you just "grow out of" -- it's with you your whole life.

[(Anonymous)]

Barring other health issues, there's no reason that being an adult means you have to stop meds. Some people outgrow AD(H)D, but many don't, and it's actually underdiagnosed (and definitely undertreated) among adults, particularly women.

I was diagnosed as an adult, and my meds are the BEST FUCKING THING to ever happen to me in my entire life. Seriously. Anyone who thinks that the fact that meds enable me and others with ADHD to live productive, happy lives is somehow "cheating" needs to fuck off. Ahem. Anyway.

[(Anonymous)]

My advice?

If the person who's telling you that you should "outgrow" and quit the medication is an actual medical professional in that field of expertise, either the one who prescribed the pills or one who could issue such a prescription, take what they say seriously. You don't have to obey everything they say blindly, but you should make sure they know just what difference the medication makes for you.

If it's anyone else, fuck 'em. People these days, even when they're generally well-meaning, are duped into thinking they're smart on issues where they really have no fucking clue. ADHD in particular is an issue where people think the only qualifications they need to have to judge the "correct" medication course for another person to follow is vague perceptions that "we're tranquilizing our children into submission with Ritalin!" and chances are that isn't even their own thought, it's something they heard somewhere and decided to believe even though they have no first-hand knowledge of the subject. They don't know what it's like to have every element you need to do things - maybe great things - every single element of the equation except focus. They don't know what it's like to struggle miserably through days of mental fog, trying to get the clouds to clear so that you can achieve something. If they don't understand, fuck 'em.

[seiberwing.livejournal.com]

Definitely talk to your psychiatrist about this. The entire goal is to get to a point where you're happy, with or without pills.

[(Anonymous)]

Anyone who thinks you "outgrow" ADHD is hideously uninformed. My grandpa had it well into his 80s, and I inherited it from him. My grandma, thankfully, was the most organized person on earth and handled business matters for him.

That being said, I am much more creative outside of the meds, though I focus much better WITH the meds. I am also much more personable without the meds.

[dragonimp.livejournal.com]

We don't "outgrow" ADHD. We can develop better ways to cope and compensate and techniques for living with it, but it isn't something that goes away. The view that ADHD is something that kids "outgrow" is old wisdom that has proven inaccurate. I wasn't diagnosed until I was an adult. My mom was diagnosed in her 60s, well past the time when she should've "outgrown" it. We both take medication and it helps in many ways.

But pills can't give you creativity. They may let your brain calm down or focus long enough for the creativity to come to the surface, but the creativity is coming from you. What you experienced may have been from withdrawal. Either way, you should talk to your prescribing physician about it and also about why you want to get off the medication. If it helps, why are you against it?

[childings.livejournal.com]

I'm jealous of everyone in this thread who was ever able to be consistently creative either on or off meds. I'm bipolar when I was on meds I was unable to be creative a lot of the time, and now that I'm off the meds, I'm still unable to be creative a lot of the time. I have literally no control over my ability to draw or get things done, the urge just comes and goes. Just about the only time I seemed to be able to be consistently creative is when I was on Adderall, but that was back in college when I was misdiagnosed with ADHD by the campus psychiatrist and the Adderall made me horribly manic, so I'm pretty sure I can't go back on it.

I wish I could find another hobby or something else to do that would make me happy but I've been drawing pretty much my whole life so I don't know what else to do now

[citrinesunset.livejournal.com]

I'm nthing the suggestion to tell your doctor about this.

Being more productive when you're on the pills is nothing to be ashamed of. And while I'm hardly an expert, it seems like an indication that the medication really is helpful for you. It's not like we're talking about a non-important but pleasant side-effect of the meds. The ability of some medications to help people with ADHD focus and do the things that are important to them is a big reason why people use them.

Yet another +1 for doctor...

[(Anonymous)]

Chiming in to say talk with a doctor about it. I know for a fact that not everyone "outgrows" ADHD - without stratera, my baby brother (now in his twenties) would not be able to hold a conversation, let alone a job.

[(Anonymous)]

I didn't start being able to finish fanfic until I was diagnosed with adult ADHD and started taking meds for it. It's not the only thing that improved in my life by a long shot, but it's definitely a sign that the drugs are still doing something for you, which probably means you haven't "outgrown" them.

I'd definitely talk to your doctor about this as an indication (I always refer to "creative writing" when I'm referencing fic to my meds doctor)

[carolpent.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I don't think you should go off your pills just because other people say that they're a bad idea. Some people do well on medication, others not so much. And others have no idea what they're talking about and like being snobby. Speaking as someone whose creativity and life in general really improved after she was put on meds, I'd say that if your pills work for you, keep taking them.

Unless there's a medical reason...

[tackdriver56.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't stop taking the ADHD meds. I can't take Stratera or its relatives due to prostate side effects, and I can't take stimulants for other medical reasons. Stratera enabled me to be much more productive at work, until I couldn't take it any more. And I'm no Spring Chicken.

If you are still benefiting from the meds, and they aren't causing health problems, why stop, especially if they help your career?

[beandelphiki.livejournal.com]

ADHD is a LIFESPAN DISORDER, OP. Anyone still telling you that you will outgrow it doesn't have a fucking clue. I'm sorry they've told you the wrong thing; if people keep telling you this, look for some resources on ADHD in adults to show them.

Some people have enough symptom reduction by adulthood that they can manage without meds, but most of us do not and cannot.

You're going to be medicated your whole life, bb, just like a diabetic. Your brain not working normally is a perfectly legit reason for this to be the case.

Unless you want said life to fall apart, that is, because I get the sense from your secret that you don't have a Plan B (like massive diet changes, herbal supplements, lifestyle changes and a life coach, for example).

(And can I just say I'm fucking relieved this thread did not become a clusterfuck of people telling you it's not a real disorder.)

[(Anonymous)]

I have it, used to take generic-ritalin then whatever that once-a-day version was, but stopped once I left school and super-concentration wasn't as important, and gradually got over it. But this secret does help reinforce something I've noticed, that back when I was in school and on my meds, I drew and wrote ALOT. Now, I don't have the motivation to do so anymore, I get distracted by games or browsing the web.

I guess this secret and this thread make me realize that I really haven't outgrown it all that much after all.

But I do find that sugary food/drinks help, which makes sense considering that all the meds really are are a stimulant to help compensate for what our brains produce, or don't produce (I forget how it all works out exactly, chemically, but the end result is that stimulants actually help level us out and help us focus)

(Also, awesome capcha for this secret; concepts flow)