Nurses with ADD/ADHD?

Agnes Anne · Mar 14, 2006

[without dex i can't think and focus. i read the same thing over and over and over again and i can't focus enough to comprehend what i'm reading. i become annoyed. that leads to frustration. that leads to temper, and there it ends. lol with dex my emotions are even and normal, like they should be. i can read, think, focus, and behave as i should.

this is my first post ever after reading for several months... i just wanted to toss in a few pennies.

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[color=#556b2f]ad/hd runs the gamut... an one med will not work for all folks equally. for eample dexadrine works well for you... but my experience was very different.

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i was diagnosed ad/hd while in 1st grade. i was given dexadrine which turned me into a zombie... slowed my blink rate and left me sitting and staring at the wall. it made life easier for my teachers and miserable for me. each summer i went on a med holiday to catch up on my weight and growth. once i hit jr high they took me off of it "'cause older kids and adults don't need it anymore."

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[color=#556b2f]as an adult i knew i still had the add tendencies but was afraid to try any meds becasue i dreaded the zombie effect. after a lot of discussion with my doctor i agreed to try the dexadrine.and entered zombie land again. i was so depressed i could barely move. next we tried ritalin and it was like night and day! i could stay focused! i could finish a task... and i still felt like me. how i wish i could ahve had that through out my childhood instead of being sedated and shut up.

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[color=#556b2f]later i tried adderall. i had the horribly dragging slow thoughts adn blue, but without the all out feeling of depresion. so for now i'll stick with ritalin.

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[color=#556b2f]i take when i need to focus, stay on task and juggle details. i go off it over breaks when i don't need to stay on task! like working in the gardena and putting around the house.

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[color=#556b2f]now that i'm in nursing school i've chnaged my meds to an xr plus one 5mg later in the day. it helps for the long days when i get up at 5am for clinicals and still need to study in the evening. again, i use the extra tablet only on the days when my schedule is stretched to the max.

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[color=#556b2f]and finally, two non-pharm approaches i use for studying. #1 is a timer. i set it for 15/30/45 minute increments while i read depending on how hard/boring the content is. when the timer goes off i set it for 5-10 inutes and do something physical with no brain work... something to work out the kinks and get my heart pumping... mabye vacuming, a quick tidy around the house whatever. the change of pace suits my add brain. on other days when even with meds my brain wants to drfit away... can you say midterm burnout??? i race my daughter. she'll pick a task that she's been avoiding and she'll work as fast as she can to finish while i read/work as fast as i can. for some reason my hyperfocus kicks in, i absorb it better and get done faster... and we feel like a team even though we're working on seperate stuff!

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STORK315 · Mar 19, 2006

Has anyone had experience with accommodations in the workplace? I am an RN working in a very busy Labor and Delivery unit. I've been a nurse for 20 years, but dx with AD/HD 1 yr ago. I'm on Adderall and it has corrected all of my clinical problems (missed meds, missed charting details, etc), but I'm really having a problem with tardy arrrival; something I've always had problems with and the meds don't kick in until around 9am. Mornings are still horribly disorganized for me despite all my attempts to be more organized. I was placed on Admin Leave (suspension) 1 week ago for excessive "occurences" (my employer counts any tardy as an absence). I've been upfront about my Ad/HD ever since my dx. I filed an ADA discrimination complaint and request for reasonable accomodations through my Union. My accomodation requests will be going to an "Accomodations Committee". In the meantime, I'm off work indef without pay, which really bites.

Anyone been in the same boat? Does anyone have an intermittent LOA going related to AD/HD?

nurse_clown · Mar 19, 2006

has anyone had experience with accommodations in the workplace? i am an rn working in a very busy labor and delivery unit. i've been a nurse for 20 years, but dx with ad/hd 1 yr ago. i'm on adderall and it has corrected all of my clinical problems (missed meds, missed charting details, etc), but i'm really having a problem with tardy arrrival; something i've always had problems with and the meds don't kick in until around 9am. mornings are still horribly disorganized for me despite all my attempts to be more organized. i was placed on admin leave (suspension) 1 week ago for excessive "occurences" (my employer counts any tardy as an absence). i've been upfront about my ad/hd ever since my dx. i filed an ada discrimination complaint and request for reasonable accomodations through my union. my accomodation requests will be going to an "accomodations committee". in the meantime, i'm off work indef without pay, which really bites.
anyone been in the same boat? does anyone have an intermittent loa going related to ad/hd?

no. but it's commong knowledge amongst my coworkers that i'll either be very early or pretty close to being late. i leave at the same time. i live about 3 km from my hospital job and i give myself 45 minutes to get there and i drive. i don't take any add meds. i never reacted well to them. both of my jobs make accomodations for me and understand me pretty well. not that i make excuses for myself and blame add. but sometimes we all have to face the facts. i have to work hard at making sure i don't screw myself and the my jobs shouldn't expect me to go above and beyond. i probably wont ever get a student. been there done that and what a disaster!!! :lol2: if we are short staffed, dont' ask me to do more than i'm barely capable of doing. sure i'll try my best but i'll forget about that. both my jobs know not to schedule me for day shifts and i am able to handle the odd evening shift. they know that i'm not on any meds. and i take responsibility. if something doesn't make sense, then i make sure i check with someone else. if that means calling another unit or calling the manager on call (because unfortunately, i'm usually "charge nurse") for procedural advice then so be it.

also, remind yourself of your talents. we're completly different people from the "norm" but we do have skills that the "norm" do not have. so, be proud of them. take this time to reflect and find ways to take responsibility for your add. tell them what you need and accept nothing less. we don't need too much extra. just "accomodations" to make our life a little easier. i was given four calendars from each of my jobs and unions. great. i chose the best one that was easy for me to recognize and not misplace. i use a lot of post it notes. i have an unlimited supply of pens. my coworkers know to give me a chance to sit down and get my paperwork done because i would rather "goof around" then do paperwork. my coworkers also know how to talk to me because apparently i think i'm always right. and they don't hassel me too much when i'm late. i don't make a big stink when others are late. but they also know that i can handle emergency situations very very well. and my "always right" attitude makes me a good advocate to the docs.

it's hard having add. it's harder knowing that things wont go my way. but that's my life and it's worked so far.

try not to let it get you down. you are a special person. you just got to find a way to make it work for you. i know that if they see you trying your best to perfect your skills, they'll understand you more and be more willing to help.

CrystalClear75, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2006

I've recently been having trouble in clinical about doing things without thinking that were stupid and if I had thought about them I would not have done them. I'm starting to wonder if this type of "impulsiveness" is part of my add and maybe my meds aren't working right? I was diagnosed when I was younger with ADHD and took ritaline throughout elementaryt school. Then I stopped during 7th and 8th grade but then in 9th grade had to get back on int because my grades were really suffering. So then I took ritaline the rest of high school and when I graduated in 2003 I stopepd taking it. Then I started again in sept 2004 because I knew i was going to be taking anatomy and physiology, microbiology and starting nursing school in aug 05. I first tried ritalin and it just made me way too hyper and focused and I could not sleep at all, then I tried something else and it didn't work and now I'm on stratterra which I don't know if its even working. I'm beginning to think maybe I should mention to my clinical instructor that I have add. Would this make her look down on me? Maybe she'll understand why I have these impulses that get me into a lot of trouble. I don't want her to look down on me though or think I'm crazy or stupid. I also don't want her to think I'm blaming my disorder for my impulses because really there is no excuse. What should I do? Has anyone been in this situation?I'm also going to talk to my doctor about maybe adjusting my meds.
I don't want to fail nursing school because of my stupid impulses that I have. Today I had a private meeting with my clinical instructor and she kept asking me why I do things without thinking and why I don't think before saying things. She says that it scares her and makes her think I could put patients in harm. I've never done anything to harm a patient or committed a med error. I did something stupid with a neele container, here is the thread I wrote about it in the general nursing student discussion:
https://allnurses.com/forums/f50/ok-i-made-mistake-but-am-i-danger-failing-clinical-now-146991.html I also had an incident where I ruined a patients 24 ho ur urine that was 6 hours from being finished. I accidentally flushed it down the toilet. Then we had to restart the 24 hour and keep the patient in thet hospital an extra day. My instructor is very concerned about me and shes worried about what I do when she's not looking because of what she's seen me do with the needle container and with the whole 24 urine thing. Should I explain to her that I have add or what? O and by the way I'm done with this clniical instructor after next week. I won't have her in clinical anymore because I'm on my OR rotation next week. But I will have her on Wed for final evaluation. Should I mention about the ADD? I'd hate to have her look at me as immature and incompetent because of my disorder. Maybe if I give her an explanation about why I've beeen acting liek this then she can help me with it and maybe b ea little more understand. Ahhh I'm so confused and stresssed out!!

Hi, I just wanted to reply to this quote because I know EXACTLY how you feel. I don't remember which thread it was(the exact site) but I also was concerned or unsure about telling my instructor that I had add. One time, I forgot to give a 12pm med and my instructor flipped. And this one that I recently had made me so nervous that I screwed up so much in front of her. I lost a patient's nicotine patch, I gave a sub q shot wrong, it was a mess! At those times though, I wasn't taking my prescribed doseage of ritalin and when I do, It's like night and day. I practice healthy regimens by exercising, deep breathing, yoga, vitamins and not eating junk and I feel very clear headed. I'm trying AGAIN to decrease my doseage but use these activities that I just mentioned as an adjunct so I don't have to take this high of a dose 60mg. But, I'm afraid I may end up screwing up, but then again, I'm thinking that I may just stick with this dose and once I become a nurse, I'll have the money for alternative therapy. Anyhow, I would try switching meds(this is just an opinion, cause I know someone who took straterra and it didn't work at all) and just try to calm yourself down. I know it's hard at clinical but try to sit down for 20-30 minutes a day and listen to meditation music, it's known to REALLY help with anxiety and concentration. Again, this is just an opinion. As for telling the instructor, you may want to go to the Learning disabilty department at your school( I know, It's hard to do, so that's why i'm doing my OWN regimine's to stick this out). Good luck and remember, your not alone!

luv2shopp85 · Mar 20, 2006

I was on ritalin and i tried something else but both of them just made me not be able to sleep and reallllyy focused and made my heart beat extra fast. Now I'm on strattera, and I forget the exact mg, but when I first started taking it... it seemed like it worked good and I paid attention during class and all that.... it was really hard to pay attention during the 1hr 45 min lecture. But now that I'm in nursing school and we get 4 hour lectures it drives me nuts! I am always so antsy and I just play with my phone and stuff, I tap my foot constantly like I'm running a marathon. Should I go to my doctor and see if I should get on a new med, or try and get my dosage increased? Or am I just absolutely crazy and I dont need meds at all? I don't know if its all in my head or what. I was formallly diagnosed with ADHD when I was younger and I was really hyper and couldn't pay attention during class and was struggling... I went through all kinds of tests and things to get me diagnosed for it. After I started taking the meds things went back to normal. But then after high school i stopped taking ritalin and once I got back on it ...i t just seemed to make me not able to sleep and gave me an increased heart rate. Did I possibly buildi up a tolerance to the drug or something? I don't know... all this confuses me .... and my doctor is going to think I'm nuts probably if I go back there. I just dont want to be under medicated, or over medicated... I want it to be just right! Any suggestions?

dadty · Mar 20, 2006

I have been a nurse for nine years. I was a firefighter prior to that and in the military, prior to that. I have ADD. I was diagnosed in nursing school about ten and a half years ago. I also have PTSD, and depression. I work in the SICU, and I love it. I think it is due to its pace being fast and busy. I worked on the surgical floor as charge nurse before going to the ICU. I have worked in the MICU as well but I did not find it as fast paced. I use to take Concerta, and at low doses it worked well, but I was switched to methylphenidate(which Concerta is but in a timed release form). The methylphenidate would wire me out. I was almost zombie like at times. Then when it was time to go to sleep I could not and would end up taking something for sleep. I was not pleased with this. It also makes me irritable, and quick to anger, so I stopped taking the methylphenidate. I took Adderall prior to the Concerta and it worked better then Concerta, in low dosages, but would also make it hard for me to go to sleep. I have asked for Strattera, but the physicians seem to not be willing to give it to me. I take Effexor for the PTSD and depression which works well, but I struggle with the ADD everyday as I can not get the physicians to medicate me right. I am in school to get my BSN and I have hit a wall with it and can not focus on the course work. I have Moved to a new state and now the physicians want proof of the ADD before they will address it.

mama_llama · Mar 20, 2006

hi! i have been diagnosed with add for ...i forget how many yrs now but like almost 10. i have found that taking any of these meds too late in your day can cause sleep problems. i suggest taking them an hour or two earlier. and i have mainly been on methylphenidate but recently swithed to methylin e.r.; and noticed that when i was taking too much of the med. when it 'ran out' of my system, i would crash and be really tired. the doc said this was because i was needing a lower dosage. when i was originally on methylphenidate, i was very irritable but acclimated over time. i know what it's like wanting instant results, but try giving it some time maybe?? and keep talking to the docs, you can always request your paperwork from old doc too.

i hope this info helps. it can be very frustrating trying to get your meds just right. hang in there!

JstS0phrs8id · Apr 4, 2006

hello all,

i just joined tonight as i ran accross the nurses with add topic doing a google search. i've had this all my life as i look back. no one even knew this was a 'real' thing. i was diagnosed about 10 years ago with

[color=deepskyblue]a 'mild' case???? :uhoh3:

my life is a nightmare.:uhoh21: :chair: i take my adderral and stratterra. the only way i know they work is because when they wear off i'm really loony toons. i have no concept of time and cannot get things in order. i know that this condition has gotten worse!!

i had attempted to do some staff relief. i was so scattered.:imbar i cannot see how others can accomplish their work in a timely manner and i don't have a clue. :eek: self esteem? :stone it's a kafkesque nightmare.:sofahider i truly don't know what to do with myself. my life is quickly deteriorating.

i am not stupid. i have the ability to do so many things but i cannot get my world in order long enough to accomplish anything.:redlight: :banghead: :confused: :sniff: :crying2: just me?

firstaiddave907 · Apr 4, 2006

I started this thread because I wanted to talk to nurses with ADD. Please save the "overabused" or "it doesn't exist" argument for another thread. I deal with these myths enough in everyday life.

I agree with you i have had ADD since i was in elemtery school and i know what you mean with the myths it seems like some peopple do not under stand ADD i am going to college to become a medical assistant before i go for my lpn and i explain it to my proffesser and they look at me like what is he talking about. I hate how peopple are like do abuse your disabilty and iam like i am not i am trying to explain it to u so you can beetter understand.

nurse_clown · Apr 4, 2006

I agree with you i have had ADD since i was in elemtery school and i know what you mean with the myths it seems like some peopple do not under stand ADD i am going to college to become a medical assistant before i go for my lpn and i explain it to my proffesser and they look at me like what is he talking about. I hate how peopple are like do abuse your disabilty and iam like i am not i am trying to explain it to u so you can beetter understand.

i hurt my back at work about six weeks ago. before that, no one had a problem with my ADD. but now since i'm on "modified" duties the occupational health nurse has told me that i will do my hours on the day shift so, she can monitor me. i said no because I have ADD and the dayshift is too distracting to me. so at the last meeting at the occupational health department she tells me that i need to get a doctors note specifying that i cannot work the day shift because of my ADD. it's not a requirement of my doc. i chose to work nights only because the day shift is too distracting and i've made a couple of med errors and have decided that i don't want to make errors. she also said i was not "forthcoming" about my medical condition.

i'm real irritated with this occupational health nurse. i don't need to disclose my ADD specifically for that reason that i think the hospital will hold that against me. i didn't disclose it because i knew the hospital would be ignorant about it. and i was right. this occupational health nurse is being a real jerk about it.

you know, i wish i cared about what people think of me. but i don't. sorry about the attitude, but i'm sick of stupid people thinking they know about my condition and thinking i'm stupid because of it. i'm not stupid. i'm far from it. they don't realize that i'm always ten steps ahead of them and their "pokey" attitude irritates me.

do people who don't have ADD irritate people with ADD like me?

Chaya, ASN, RN · Apr 9, 2006

hello all,
i just joined tonight as i ran accross the nurses with add topic doing a google search. i've had this all my life as i look back. no one even knew this was a 'real' thing. i was diagnosed about 10 years ago with
[color=deepskyblue]a 'mild' case????
my life is a nightmare.:uhoh21: :chair: i take my adderral and stratterra. the only way i know they work is because when they wear off i'm really loony toons. i have no concept of time and cannot get things in order. i know that this condition has gotten worse!!
i had attempted to do some staff relief. i was so scattered.:imbar i cannot see how others can accomplish their work in a timely manner and i don't have a clue. self esteem? :stone it's a kafkesque nightmare.:sofahider i truly don't know what to do with myself. my life is quickly deteriorating.
i am not stupid. i have the ability to do so many things but i cannot get my world in order long enough to accomplish anything.:redlight: just me?

i can relate to so much you are describing. i've never been formally diagnosed but when i was doing my psych rotation in school i read the description for adult add the inattentive part fit me on all points (6 out of 6). i almost wish i had the hyperactive component so i could get something constructive done. i almost cried; all my life in school the teacher's said i didn't apply myself like it was deliberate or a character defect; in nursing school i drove my instructors to distraction because i was so scattered-especially under the stress of their scrutiny! i never sought treatment as i have evolved my own compensatory strategies; also i've been reluctant to try to get on medication since i am on meds s/p breast cancer and i don't think much is known about the long-term interactions between my med and those used for add. in retrospect i wonder what would have happened if i has gotten formal dx and tx and challenged my nursing school under the americans with disability act. i never did because in the end i felt it might get me "labeled" and in the end they still might say i was not fit for nursing.

in actuality i have been working in a sub-acute facility since i graduated. i have my "system" down and function fairly well, if slowly in this setting. however, i recently took a position on a busy med-surg floor just for the challenge and now i am questioning if that was wise. i just haven't managed to get a system down that works for me in this new setting. i'm still on orientation but i can see my preceptors/ mentors beginning to lose patience with me because i just can't seem to get it all together at the same time.

keeping my fingers crossed...:uhoh21:

JMCM · Apr 9, 2006

O.K. I'm new here so sorry if I post in the wrong place-

I tried to tell the counselor during my divorce I had ADD and he asked me if I GOT GOOD GRADES IN SCHOOL( I did )he told me I could'nt have it-

now he admits I do and I have tried concerta-

seems to work only when I took it every other day-

or maybe I was just noticing the difference when I skipped a day and returned to it?

Then went to ritalin and it worked great for about three weeks and then nothing-

I went to a higher dose but it made me too nervous the next dose down isn't enough-

my old lethargic self and unorganization comes back-

it was a real struggle to get through the last few months of nursing school now I am trying for my RN-

I can't even figure out this study material confusion- which is best- where to get it-etc.

I'm afraid at 55 I won;t make it and this is why I think it took this long to make the decision- any suggestions??

MY i.q TESTS INDICATE 0VER 130 HIGHLY INTELLIGENT TO GIFTED but sometimes I feel so lost and dumb:uhoh3:

THANKS

JMCM