I’m not a doctor, so I obviously won’t be suggesting any medical advice on ADHD medications. However, instead of talking about specific ADHD medications, I’d like to give you my experience.
From my research, the 1960s through the 1970s had a lot of growth in both research and medication trials in ADHD medication. Specifically, the National Institute of Health became involved in the late ’60s through approving grants for ADHD medication efficacy research. At this early point in ADHD medication research, the emphasis was primarily on children. The idea that it may be genetic, or persist into adulthood, had not been seriously considered.
After this initial attention to ADHD medication, there was a backlash in publications that promoted the idea that ADHD was not a legitimate diagnosis. This started a movement towards the belief that ADHD was not real, and the diagnosis and ADHD medications were just a marketing campaign by drug manufacturers to drive sales. Keep in mind that before this research emerged, ADHD was primarily referred to as “Minimal Brain Dysfunction Syndrome” or “Hyperkinetic Emotionally Disturbed Children.”
For me, it was the late 1970s and early 1980s when I began treatment as a child. My primary doctor didn’t have much of a clue about ADHD symptoms or ADHD medication. However, at one particular visit, we met a doctor filling in for my regular pediatric doctor. He happened to have some early experience in the emerging field of ADHD medication.
So, I began taking ADHD medication. Since ADHD symptoms varied greatly, the early development of research grouped all Attention Deficit Disorder diagnoses. My particular ADHD symptoms did not include hyperactivity, so many of the medications had adverse effects for me. My parents and I went through a slow process of trial and error, looking for a medication that was effective for me.
For about two years in the mid-’80s, I attended a special school that was part of a research grant. The research grant was written to study different ADHD medications with varying ADHD symptoms for drug efficacy. The research school was called the Child Development Center at the University of California in Irvine. Each classroom had one-sided windows where the researchers could see us, but we couldn’t see them.
They conducted various ADHD tests and experiments. I remember one ADHD test that still annoys me just in discussion. The researcher would give me a nickel every time I answer her question correctly. However, randomly, she would take away nickels for correct answers. The research program eventually deviated from its original grant proposal, and my father had me removed to return to my regular elementary school.
My parents and I eventually found an effective medication. Many of the earlier medications had adverse effects, such as loss of appetite, which alarmed my parents with my sudden weight loss. Others had made me hyper and gave me horrible headaches. In the end, we had found a successful medication when I was just beginning high school.
I was acing my classes with this new medication with half the effort that I had needed before. I had done so well in school that I was soon enrolled in Honor’s classes. I excelled without much effort. However, I soon developed a bit of a rebellious attitude and wanted to stop taking ADHD medication.
My mother made me a deal; if I got all A’s for one semester, I could stop taking the ADHD medication. This was, of course, against her adamant wishes. I did get all A’s and then stopped taking the ADHD medication. Consequently, schoolwork became considerably more challenging, and I lost all concentration in class. I was close to failing my junior and senior years, and I am still surprised that I somehow graduated from high school.
In line with current popular opinions of ADHD in adults, I thought that I had outgrown ADHD. Unfortunately, the ADHD symptoms in adults were becoming evident to me as I went through my undergraduate degree. I did graduate with my Bachelor’s Degree with a 3.8 GPA, but it was a lot harder than it should have been. The silver lining was that I had developed some successful tricks for excelling with adult ADHD. I’ll post another article about some of my methods that helped me exceed despite ADHD symptoms in adults.
After graduating with my Master’s Degree, I entered the workforce. After several years of my professional career, I began thinking about returning to ADHD medication. My father gave me an analogy that helped me cement my commitment to go back to taking ADHD medication. He said, “If you have a headache, you take an ibuprofen. If you have high blood pressure, you go see your doctor and discuss medications that might help lowering your blood pressure. So why wouldn’t you do the same thing with ADHD?”
So, I went to my doctor and began looking for an ADHD medication that would be effective. Unfortunately, they hadn’t made the medication I took earlier in life for at least 15 years. However, I did find an ADHD medication that I take now, which has given me back an edge with far better concentration and focus.
I probably shouldn’t have taken that detour away from ADHD medication for all those years since High School. Unfortunately, I had the attitude that I could succeed without medication. I didn’t consider that I would have succeeded the same, but with far less effort with ADHD medication. Maybe I would have achieved more ambitious goals.
An important lesson I learned when taking ADHD medication as an adult and as a child is that it’s essential to find the medication that effectively works for you. Since I was a child, there are considerably more choices today. However, they didn’t all work the same or have similar mechanisms. Some work very differently than others.
It is well worth your time to experiment with different medications with the guidance and approval of your doctor. Once you and your doctor find an ADHD medication that works, it will do wonders for your life and relationships.
Again, I’m not a doctor. This article was written from the perspective of an adult living with a life-long ADHD diagnosis. For a specific medical disclaimer, please see the site privacy policy linked here.
