[hiddencat]

I have not been officially diagnosed with ADD, but am finally being medicated for it (Dr. thinks it's just depression, I think my depression is triggered by under performing due to focus issues, so we compromised on wellbutrin and then ritalin prn. People complain about how easy it is to get ADD meds, but I've been trying to medication for 3 years).

Being engaged and wanting to be engaged makes a huge difference for me. I've also found that rebuilding my self esteem and sense of self-efficacy has also made a world of difference.

Still- sometimes I'm scared that I will go through nursing school, become a nurse, and then space out and not be able to keep things organized in my mind. Doing well this first semester of prerequisites has been really, really good for me, but I guess deep down there is still a kernel of belief that I'm just a spacey, lazy person who was really only ever good at one thing (singing) and even then wasn't able to see it through to a career. But I'm working on it.

[firstaiddave908]

I have ADD and I am looking into going to Nursing School and reading theses posts are very helpfuil. Thank you for posting them.

[henryswife]

I have ADD and I take strattera.I definitely can relate to quitting jobs and convincing my self that"I need experience to do this position or that position or I will never get promoted because of lack of experience." So I have a question do you think tape recording lectures will be benefitul?

[crunchymomx3]

Originally Posted by ThatGuyTom

I don't know if I have ADD/ADHD or not but I can relate to what all you guys are saying. Recently I've been getting really annoyed because I just can't seem to focus. I find that I am slower in getting my work done and I'm usually the last ones to finish exams. I space out a lot in lectures and I have trouble studying. Sometimes it takes me HOURS to study a chapter where it takes others hardly even one hour. I do noticed that I space out like every other paragraph when I read and sometimes I would have to read a paragraph multiple times before I can actually understand it. It feels like only some of the words are registering in my brain or maybe it's because I'm not completely focused (it's really tough for me to focus).

I've always thought that I was having some kind of thought blocking process. So what made you guys go in to check up with your physician? Do you guys think I should have this checked out to see if I really have ADD/ADHD? I'm actually doing pretty well in my nursing courses, but I truly feel that I am different from others and that I have a disadvantage sometimes .

Thanks for letting me share.

EDIT: I also want to mention that I CANNOT sit still during lectures or when I'm studying. I tend to move and reposition myself like literally every 5-10 minutes. ahhhhh!

I actually haven't been to a Dr for ADD since I was a child, but since I knew I did have ADHD as a child and I knew I was exhibiting symptoms of adult ADD, I started looking into things. I also knew I wouldn't take prescription meds for it, so I guess I didn't see the need for a Dr lol.

What I did personally is I did some research into non-medical treatment for ADD/ADHD and started with that. After about 2 months of supplements I started to notice a HUGE difference in how much stress I could handle and how much better I could focus.

Aside from the supplements I also do things like use my ability to hyper focus on things to be organized in some things (i'm generally pretty unorganized lol) like passing meds at clinical. During class I have a horrible time focusing so I do things like play with my cell phone (I can IM and go online from it). It keeps me alert enough that I can listen and not space out which is what use to happen if I was just trying to sit and take notes.