Welcome to AdultADHD.net

Welcome to the definitive guide to adult ADHD on the internet. Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has a profound impact on peoples’ lives, and our website contains numerous educational articles to help people understand the condition and improve their lives. Whether you are dealing with inattention, impulsivity, or hyperactivity, you can find the help you need here.

Adult ADHD, Symptoms & Diagnosis
Knowledge is power and the more you know about adult ADHD, the better. Find out the basics of this condition, its symptoms and diagnosis:

basics

> What is Adult ADHD?
> What are the Differences between Childhood and Adult ADHD?
> What are the Symptoms?
> How is it Diagnosed?
> Controversy in Diagnosis
> Adult ADHD Test
> The misunderstood potential of people with this condition

Adult ADHD Medications
Medications can be very helpful in treating adult ADHD and reducing its symptoms. You can get an overview here of drug treatment options. Find out more about specific medications:

adult adhd medications

> Adderall
> Catapres (Clonidine)
> Cylert
> Dexedrine
> Desoxyn
> Focalin
> Ritalin
> Strattera
> Vyvanse
> Wellbutrin

Natural Remedies for Adult ADHD
There are a number of natural remedies that help people with adult ADHD. You can get an overview here of natural remedies. Find out more about specific remedies:

nondrug treatment

> Meditation
> Fish Oil
> Light Therapy
> Pycnogenol
> Eliminate Food Additives
> Coaching
> Self Help
> Mindfulness

Society
Learn about the history of adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

As Seen In

Comments

  1. Jessica L Hayes says

    I am having a more difficult time with my ADD/ADHD than I can remember having in the 20 years since I was diagnosed. Work is suffering because I almost never appropriate time correctly, and my house looks like a manger.

    Please share stories.
    Thank you so much,
    Jessie

  2. Charles Thomas says

    I am 26 years old, I was diagnosed with ADHD (inattentive) about 2 years ago. Turns out I’ve always had it quite bad, but back then the condition wasn’t as popular. Now that I’m an adult it’s really quite difficult to do the simplest things and often times quite frustrating because I know what I’m doing (or not doing) and I can’t help it. For instance; I’ve checked my Facebook twice since starting to write this. I’m honestly surprised at how much I’ve accomplished so far in life, but it hasn’t been easy. Now that I’ve recently gotten married and have a child on the way I’ve decided to really take this condition a lot more seriously. I’ve been diagnosed by 3 different Doctors because I really wanted to be sure. I’m about to start a medication for it, what I don’t know yet, but I’m thinking it’ll be Vyvance or Adderal. I’m really hoping the medication works out.

  3. I’m 39, school was hell but there was a light at the end of the tunnel i thought, work has been hell, relationships have been hell, friendships confusing, being ‘unfit for life’ has led me to social withdrawal. I have had 50+ jobs – none of which i have been consistent enough at for any of my employers to rate above ‘scraping by’. I speak two foreign languages, i am an excellent classical guitarist, i have qualifications coming out of my ears, i am funny, intuitive, kind, creative, inventive. My self esteem is rock bottom. Waiting for my girlfriend for 10 minutes in the car at the supermarket is more than i can stand. People think i am weird and mock me. I am hoping to get an ADHD diagnosis in the next few weeks so i can start to accept and get my life in order.

    ‘What a piece of work is a man?’

  4. I am a 39 yr old mom of 5, I was just diagnosed with ADHD . I’m so relieved that I finally know why I have what I call a thinking problem. I hope the medicine helps my life get straight. My house is a wreck, my kids get so upset with me because I forget everything. My boss said he can see now how I would have ADHD, I don’t know if that was a cutdown or a compliment. I’m not organized one bit, but I can’t sit still. Maybe when I’m walking all around constantly at work it looks like I’m really getting a ton of work done, I don’t know. I have always thought I was just so stupid. The thoughts never stop in my head, sometimes I just want to scream. I start my medicine on Wednesday, I am truly hoping that that will help!

  5. Hi I’m 37 and have a six year old daughter that has ADHD she was diagnosed at 4 and I got diagnosis this past week. My life feels like chaos if it’s not my house looking a mess to me quitting my hundredth job it’s finally feel good that I can put a name to it and know I am not alone. I decided this past year to go back to school but my problem is studying. Please help me if someone has tricks to studying better, please let me know,I suppose to be studying now but you see what I’m doing instead:)

  6. I’m not a doctor but I would assume that if you were diagnosed, wouldn’t he or she have given you a RX for an ADHD medication? You may want to try one to help you focus. I take Adderall and it helps me at work. I hope you find the help you need. Housework is a problem because it’s hard to have a routine. I printed off weekly chore lists to help me, of course I don’t always remember to look at it! Lol

  7. Jean MacLeod says

    To All of you in your 20’s and 30’s—congrats for seeking solutions/coping mechanisms for the adhd you live with. now. I am in my late 60’s and just figuring what the problem has been. I figure I have to get to Heaven because I’m sure Hell for me will be eternally living in a room with endless piles of paper to sort. Can anyone relate? WAIT —-I already HAVE that room in my house!! I’m afraid to try meds.

  8. I have always said its my adhd but when people would say I have adhd I would get mad… now after being married 3x the first for two years ended in divorce the second suicide my 3rd wife has complained for 10 yrs plus about my inatentivness now after reading about adult adhd i know I have it. My wife wife is so put out she does not want me around anymore i am seeking medical help but do not think it will help me soon enough to save my marrage. This is all so overwhelming and I do not even know what to tell the dr

  9. Elaine Garcia says

    To Stephanie, studying is hard, especially if you have adhd. I don’t know if I have it, but community college is hard and I only go part time. I also work in a job that is a lot of footwork (active) i like that. I have recently noticed that I get distracted in things and have a lot of the symptoms that they use on adhd tests. I was also fussy in my childhood though most didn’t pay attention to it, exept to say “pick up your grades”. I suck at both science and math. I want to be a lawyer cause that is mostly writing. But that is hard too, I don’t pick up on the teacher too much and now I am thinking I might actually have adhd. I took the tests online but I am somewhere in between “normal” and “adhd”. By that I mean I am very organized, there are some things I can sit thru that require concentration (at least a little), I can do other people’s taxes. But I am also very active, on the go, fidgety, forgetful of names, I avoid tasks (unless I know there is a reward at the end, which is so for tax prep). Sometimes I lose track of time.

    The tests also ask about personal romantic relationships, and they ask if I have hard time meeting/keeping intimate relationships. Well, I do have a hard time, but that might also be because it is harder for those who have same sex preference to find partners

    By that I mean, how can you tell if a lesbian also has adhd?

    Thanks for reading this

  10. I was diagnosed with what’s now called combined type adhd as a child about 7 i think . i was on meds for years till i quit them i still don’t trust meds cause i have permanent side affects from them but plan to research new options since i am a adult with adhd and it affects my daily life . its hard to hold down jobs and maintain a relationship with any girl i go with

  11. Hi there, I’m 26 yr old male with ADHD and find myself in the same place over and over again. Trouble with the law, drugs (mostly meth), and truly want this cycle to end so i can reach my goals! Have had this disorder since a kid and was put in behavior dissorder classes, and put on adderall. I hated taking the drug because it made me so dull and boring. nobody wanted to talk to me because i was like a “Zombie” all day so i would often spit the pill out so i could be myself. Didnt like being doped up but sure helped me focus alot better. I always looked at my condition as a kind of a good thing, but needed i need to channel that energy in a way to be counter productive and do something really great for myself or the world!! Despite my constant failures to stay focused, I try and stay positive but also have developed a drug abuse problem with meth which is weird because i hated it as a kid( adderall)!!! I’m working on my abuse problem with a strong desire and will to get off, stay off, and overcome the challenges. I DO NOT want to loose focus a few months down the road like I always seem to do, start “self medicating”, and be right back to where i am now. Any suggestions please would be helpful! Don’t really want to be reliant on any substance so medication is not an option. I just want to reach my goals in life which I’m prepared to work hard for but some coaching and organic treatments might be needed to stop my cycle.

  12. I think I have ADHD as for my son (which I think he got it from me) who is eleven year old son was just diagnose with ADHD. I kind of suspected he had it for years. I knew I did not want to give him medication because I do not trust the pharmaceutical companies. I thought there should be another way to treat his symptoms naturally. I cam across this program that I got from this website that helped my son. It taught me what to do to make spelling words easier for him, to sit still and stop all that fidgeting, and to help him keep from zoning out when I’m talking to him. I gave his teacher a few of these tips too. As if she actually uses them. It had some more things in this program but I would be writing forever. It’s called 100 Ways To Help Your Child Pay Attention. It had a questionnaire to see your child may have ADHD. It helped me. Maybe it can help you. But please use medication as a last result. Please. Also there is a link to help adults too called How To Conquer ADD/ADHD. Cool site.

  13. I’m 42 and was diagnosed at 26 and I’m still a mess. I’ve done many amazing things like starting a magazine for the military, being published in the Smithsonian magazine for my photography, owning a store, and all on my own, just to end up back at the bottom, barely making it, at odds with my family and children and feeling depressed and alone.. I feel crazy..

  14. I am 36 and was diagnosed with ADHD 3 years ago while looking up symptoms for my daughter, who has it too. It is nice to finally have a name to whatever it was that made me feel different, alone and not able to run with the “in crowd” in school for my whole life. As far as jobs, ha!! I’ve had more than 30 since I was 15, more than 20 cars since age 16, tried to get 3 different degrees but only finished the first semester each time because I was already bored and uninterested. Marriage? Ha!! I’ve been engaged but

  15. I’m 27 years old. I got diagnosed about 4 years ago now but I’ve been struggling with it my whole life. I can’t tell if my adhd has become worse since I’m more aware of it, or if it’s just gotten worse. Meds definitely help but I still have this insatiable restlessness that, if I don’t act on it, I become depressed and self-destructive. I get bored easily and my longest romantic relationship, in my entire life, lasted only a month. I’m happiest when I’m in motion whether it’s skydiving, mountain biking, dancing at concerts, or simply traveling. Thankfully, I have understanding bosses and a retail job that allows me to roam the sales floor. I need to travel more to make me happy but I don’t make enough money to do so. I’m terrified of dating because the chances of finding a man who can “keep up with me” are so dang slim.

  16. JoRaye Lands says

    I am a 46-year-old female, and suspect that I have ADHD. I am wondering: Has there been any success with the Kapvay brand of Clonidine in treating adults?? Also: I have read that the ADHD stimulant meds and Staterra can cause rises in blood pressure. How common a side effect is that with these meds??

  17. Brian McMillen says

    I am 50yrs old, and I just found out last week that I have ADHD, and though I’m relieved to know, I am scared to death on where I go from here, is there support groups for ADHD? Where do we go for encouragement.

  18. I have been diagnosed with ADHD a year ago. (i’m 33 years of age) i have a four year old, and I am told i will have to use medication indefinite. Im on ritilen, welbitrin and eppilim. All no-no’s to have kids. How can I plan a second child without loosing my mind… I own and run a very successful business and i was “caught out” due to overload…. I have an anxiety attach, and that’s when I got diagnosed. Right for the first time. I’ve always been told i have depression,
    although i’m the person that brings the fun into a room. I have had ADHD since school, I did the test and no wonder my poor mother had to stay on her knees. I have two questions, the meds i’m on, will it have bad effect on long run??? And do I stand a chance of a second child and if so, how?

  19. John Gravallese says

    I have struggled with ADHD my whole life. I was a C, D student growing up. Because I had such a poor time in school I never thought I would amount to anything. As I got older I realized that I was actually intelligent, but lacked the ability to concentrate. It wasn’t until I was 29 years old that I was officially diagnosed with ADHD. I finished college, got an Associates degree and then a Bachelor’s. When i was finally tested, i realized how bad i actually was. Even though it got better as i got older. The doctor put me on Ritalin. It has improved my quality of life greatly. My nickname is actually Johnny Ritalin. I feel semi-retarded because i need to take it. At the same time i realize i need it. At first it accelerated my anxiety problems but that has went away. It helps me be productived. Before i started taking it i used to stand up from the moment i woke up until the i went to bed. I would stand up even when i was watchinb t.v. or playing video games. Now i can relax. Some people just need it. I embrace it now.

  20. I’m 23 years old and I have been treated for ADD/ADHD my whole life. I was always in Special Ed. and always needed assistance when I was growing up. The only thing that kept me from shutting myself away like Boo Radley, was that I knew I was not alone. My brother has the same diagnoses as me and we both have led the same path. He is more ADHD, where I am more ADD. In some ways we used our disabilities to our advantage. For him his crazed behavior made him popular, he had a lot of friends and still lives a very social life. However both of us have anxiety and tend to become depressed under social pressure. Today he is successful, living in NYC with an amazing girlfriend who is understanding of his needs and is very happy. Now that I am on my own I am trying to create my own success story. I only graduated from my major in college and never received my diploma because I failed one gen ed class, which I blame my failure on my ADD. I failed my first job because the people I worked with were cruel to me and expected perfection, which for someone like us isn’t easy. But everything really changed when my mom was diagnosed with cancer, my whole world became very dark and I kept to myself for months. All of these things made having ADD/ADHD harder, I lacked focus because I was focused on all the negative things in my life. I began smoking pot to kill pain and take me away. Now its been almost a year since that horrible summer and I am ready to take my life back. I am tired of small mistakes becoming big problems and having a mind that moves in 30 places at once. I have tried every medication and have never been satisfied with any, I just get horrible stomach pains, jaw twitches and worst of all no sense of humor. The real truth behind having ADD/ADHD is about your routine. You have to accept that you need structure down to the littlest detail. You have to wake up at a certain time, take your meds, eat and go to bed at a certain time. If you lose your routine you lose yourself. For those of you posting here wondering how to take your life back, know you’re not alone and once you get your grove back you will be a success story too. The other most important thing to being successful with ADD/ADHD is surrounding yourself with positivity, don’t let the fact that you get distracted, distract you from being happy. If you are surrounded by people who care about you, they will help you in your routine and understand that you live a different life. If they don’t, then don’t bother with them. Be the daydream you find yourself thinking about 300 times a day, put your life together piece by piece. People who have ADD/ADHD have created some of the worlds most beloved masterpieces but even they needed to find their structure.

  21. I was a child with adhd and now a adult, I never took any rx for it and was so messed up off and on as a child and adult I thought I was half retarded and simply got on peoples nerves I thought I was always going to be a screw up until 2009 I finally took action and went to the dr for help, I was prescribed Adderall xr and seen my life become more organized and less of a weirdo..don’t get me wrong I do love how untique and different I am but didn’t like the unorganized bills,house and scatter thoughts..but with my medication I can now control it some what

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  23. I am 48 and I experienced ADHD is useful in old age Pakistan talk shows

  24. I’m a 30 years old and recently has been diagnosed by ADD. In advance I apologize if I’d have a mistake because I’m not native in English. like all of you I have trouble in focusing and seeing details. I have two problems: 1.my doctor prescribed Bupropion , but I doubt about its affection on me. 2.my second problem is the stereotype about ADHD by people surrounding me.Unfortunately,they think adhd is just hyperactivity. so since I am calm they blame me: “no you aren’t hyperactive … , don’t label yourself ,don’t indoctrinate….” 🙁

  25. I just started Focalin yesterday and was wondering how long before I start to see a difference in my behavior I don’t know if it has to get into your system or if you should see a difference right away.
    Thanks

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