[TamRN2Be]

hello everyone!

i'm 22, in my 3rd semester of nursing school. i started my first semester of nursing school, not knowing my diagnosis. I studied my butt off, hour after hour after hour. I still failed by 2 points. I was DEVISTATED!!! I couldn't understand why something I wanted so bad and worked SO hard for couldn't be attained by ME!? I actually went through a pretty dark depression for a while....at 20 years old!!! The first few days was just constant crying, stomach pain, embarrassment....then I just layed on the couch everyday, with no desire to eat, bathe, or talk to ANYONE. (i have always been a pretty social person.) I remember telling my mom after about 2 weeks of the agony, "Mama, it literally hurts to breathe." That's when my parents talked me into going to a psychiatrist. My life was falling apart, and I at this point wasn't relating it to failing nursing school. After quite a few sessions and quite a few tests, they diagnosed me with ADHD. I started Adderall XR 5mg daily, and talked myself into re-applying---the scariest thing ever! I made it back in and here I am now...IN 3RD SEMESTER. Of course I still study by butt off and I'm NOT giving Adderall the credit for my improved grades, BUT my diagnosis and proper treatment helped me realize I wasn't an "idiot" and helped me actually benefit from studying.

Tam, SN

[bluegrassboy]

Originally Posted by HopeToBeANurseSoon

I agree...I am not yet a nurse...I am a senior in highschool who has ADD...Have had since sixth grade...my teachers who knew about it could tell when I did not take my meds...I will be following this thread very carefully because I want to be a nurse someday and this thread could help me if and when i do.

same with me, this is my last year of highschool and im really worryed about college and nursing school. Dont want to fail out .

[Cottage]

Originally Posted by Bipley

I sincerely know exactly what you are talking about. But I have to tell you, you are not on the correct meds. I can't even sit down and read a book without Dexedrine. I'm old school when it comes to AD/HD and I like plain old short acting Dexedrine. My NP lets me work with the dose in whatever way works for me. Sometimes I don't take any, sometimes I take 15mg. I never ever need more than that. Usually I take 5-10mg at a time. It works for 4 hours and then you need more.

Adderall is great for those who don't want that extra control I need. Sometimes I don't want it, sometimes I do. Sometimes I only need it for half the day.

When you are on the right meds and the correct dose, there won't be a doubt in your mind. I wouldn't wait for other meds to kick in, I'd keep trying different amphetamines. That is what works best for us. Tried and true.

I'm currently taking Adderall but am curious about what you mean by, "is great for those who don't want that extra control?" What kind of extra contol are you getting from Dexedrine?

[Cottage]

Originally Posted by PsychNurseWannaBe

Well here is my two cents. LOL

First I would say that there are different subsets of ADD/ADHD and some may be manageable without meds. However, many times medication is needed for the more severe cases. Also one should consider combining meds w/ appropriate counseling.

As far as emotions are concerned, I would have to respectfully disagree w/ Chris. Psychostimulants can have adverse reactions on mood/emotion; including depression, sadness and fatigue. So if someone is taking them and they don't feel creative or that their personality is a little "dull" it is quite possible that the meds have caused it. I am just saying that there is a correlation between the two.

Kids focusing on video games: 2 things... again the subset thing and another... it would be easier to focus on a video game because the scene/video graphics are constantly changing which is stimulating them. W/O my meds I can play a game but if I need to study/balance checkbook/etc... I will take my medication.

For some it would be more responsible to simply take their medication as it is prescribed than not to take them. Tips and tricks may work for some but not all. We are talking about a learning disability and how it impacts the mind. But that is where one should include counseling because they may find a trick that could work for them.

To simply say "self management" I find very grievous. It is placing blame onto the person and disregarding the fact that this is an actual medical problem. If someone is able to get by with just tips and tricks...they should consider themselves lucky; however, they should not be dismissive to others' who are afflicted. People are unique and react differently to the same disease, as well as, medications.

To imply that someone may be dangerous as a nurse I don't quite get as long as they are careful.

BUT I do agree that one should possibly look into a different nursing field such as education, legal nursing, forensics, etc... IF that would make that person more comfortable as a nurse. Regarding special accommodations... well... it is a learning disability and is covered under the ADA. The point to accommodations are to put the afflicted person back onto a level playing field with his/her peers.

All of the above again is meant in respect and I am open to hear thoughts/comments.

~ Psych

I agree with adding counseling. I hired an ADD coach. The best thing I ever did. I do also take meds, but my coach helped me recognize and figure out how to manage my specific symptoms. Do a search on the internet to find out more info.

[wannabemw]

Tam,
U CAN DO IT! I too failed & became depressed, but I had to move on & went into Health Ed. This degree helped me & 3yrs ago I was dx w/LDs (3 types) & then I gained the courage to ask my neuro about possible ADD (I didn't request dx of the pych w/my LD testing, but she suggested the possiblity when giving me my dx). He said "just a sec" went to his office & returned w/diagnotic criteria he asked me several q's, said, "your right" & then gave me a script for Adderall. I could not believe the difference! I could study for hrs, my GPA jumped .25 pts & my house got organized & my family was finally not afraid of my random outbursts! Oh yeah, and DH said how refreshing it was to not have me run around for 15m trying to leave, looking for all my stuff! I gained enough confidence (& was finally less depressed about my failure @ my 1st shot of NS) to apply again. This time I applied for an Accelerated BSN program & graduated in August with a 3.5! Oh what a difference dx & medication can make... oh yea & a study & learning coach!Who woulda thunk it? Me w/not 1 but 2 AA degrees & 2 BS degrees!

And I always thought I was stupid!
WRONG!

Just HIGHLY distracted!

I'm & now! I'm a :mortarboard: now!!!!

NCLEX here I COME!
~MJ

[wannabemw]

Originally Posted by luv2shopp85

Okay for those of you who have Add and are nurses. I have add and I'm a nursing student and I'm trying to find the best way to get organized. Just bought a pda bc it seems that would help me a lot with that. Does anyone here use a PDA and find it helpful? Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

As no one has posted on this that I saw:
I went PDA & my life is now organized! I remember appts, & for school: class times, assignments, changes. {Note: MAKE SURE YOU BACK UP TO YOUR COMPUTER often (in my case hotsync to MS Outlook)}. It is ALWAYS good to have a hard copy & a PDA copy (my learning specialist told me this & she is SO RIGHT!). I love PDA books, having extra memory (1gig is great!), writing quick notes so I don't lose those sticky slips of papers & I have my assessment outlines on it. Make sure you delete ANY pt info b4 u leave clinical. I LOVE having my drug book on it. Additionally, if you get any books for it there are plenty of sites that offer "bundle packs." Ck the PDA sticky on this site. There are freebees you can get too. My personal fav: epocrates.com drug book. It gives you more then just drug listings too. I love the optional free trial I got for cking to see if drugs are compatible!

Good Luck! PM me if you want more info!
~MJ

[rjbryan]

Well, after the third job in less than three years, I found out my trouble: ADHD.
Just DXd with it, and just put on Aderall. Mine is a version of it I haven't seen discussed much, ADHD Inattentive Type. There seems to be at least six sub categories of this disease. I musat say, after having been on the stimulant medicines, I can say "WOW! So THIS is what everyone else knows that I don't!"
I was misdiagnosed long ago with depression and treated with a medicine that does keep SOME symptoms of ADHD under control. Now, the trick is to learn to live with the disease and try and pick up the crumbs of my life.

Randy

[wannabemw]

Congrats! It's amazing isn't it?
Personally, my DH couldn't believe the change. I would get ready to go & not be running around looking for things I needed at the last minute. LOL.

Adderall (I take xr-extended release) is a great medication.
I have noticed that I do tend to get some OCD on it though. Has anyone else has had this side effect?
e.g.; housework- once I start & can't stop; even if I have to study (NCLEX) {yeah I know like it's a bad thing to have a clean kitchen? lol}
e.g.; email- I can't send a letter until it's to my standards (sometimes it takes me up to an hr to write it!)
Good Luck!
~MJ
Okay, now that it has taken me 15m just to write this, I gotta stop...

[NurseEcho]

[quote=fayethlove;1749555]I am truly starting to think that I have ADD. I was thinking about it tonight and I can't keep my home or car organized no matter how hard I try and I never finish any task that I set out to complete. I will be starting nursing school this fall and I need to fix these things in order for me to be successful.

I'm not sure what I need to do though?


First, find a good health care professional (others have made valuable suggestions.) I went to my family doctor because she knows me well and respects the fact that I'm very much in tune with my own body.

Despite always getting very good grades, I had a terrible time functioning as an RN. I'd hit a critical mass of tasks to be done and it felt like my brain would just shut down. I had two bad performance reviews (two different jobs in 6 months) because of this.

I *know* I'm not stupid or incompetent, and slowly I began to suspect that I had ADD (this was at age 37). What I did was wrote out a timeline, going back to childhood, of red flags ... I actually found my report card from kindergarten in which the teacher noted that I was very fidgety (to the point that I was evaluated for epilepsy and/or Tourette's) and had trouble waiting my turn at snack time. That was the beginning of a long history of impulsivity, disorganization, and later career-changing, job-hopping, and erratic relationships. I've also struggled with depression since my teens and have a strong family history of mental illness.

I took my own documentation to my doctor, told her I was concerned that I may have ADD, and reviewed the "evidence" with her. She agreed that it was worth pursuing, and started me on Adderall as well as referring me to a psychologist.

The change was stunning. My husband noticed the change within days, and later admitted he'd feared for our marriage because I had become so hard to live with. I became more focused, more organized, and far less emotionally volatile. At work, I can now multitask without melting down, and actually enjoy doing a wide variety of things (I work in a cardiology office and do everything from phone triage to ultrasound to stress testing to teaching to labs, sometimes all in the same day ... and I love it!)

I just had another performance review last week, and my manager said she'd been worried at first that I was not up to the demands, but that I am now exceeding her expectations. I told her of my diagnosis, and also that my marriage (which was rocky for quite a while) was back on track. She was very supportive -- it turns out her child also has ADHD and they're still working on finding the best treatment.

I'd really, really recommend that you get evaluated before starting nursing school! It would have made life so much easier had I been diagnosed sooner -- I was almost kicked out a couple of times because of my impulsive behavior.

It's never too late ... all the best to you and thanks all for this thread :icon_razz:

[LZRN]

I was diagnised with dyslexia when I was a child and have learned to deal with it. I absolutly know I have ADHD but have never done anything about it. I plan on doing a masters/NP or PA program soon so I'm considering seeking help.

Originally Posted by jh479352

I not only have ADHD but dyslexia as well. It makes life much more difficult to the point, I want to leave. Does anyone else have this combo?