Lately, it seems that social media is informing everyone of what it is like to have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Whether it be from videos or articles, people are becoming aware of this disorder. There is a lot of information about ADHD, but what about ADD? Though ADD people are not as active as those with ADHD, it does not make the disorder insignificant in comparison; it is just as important for everyone to be aware of. If you do research on ADD, you might read that it is Attention Deficit Disorder and all the other symptoms, signs of it, and medications to help control it. As a person who does have ADD, I am here to give you an insight of what it is really like to have ADD.
As a child it is not as noticeable until the teen years roll around. In junior high school, you sit in class and the teacher tells everyone that you have five minutes to read a section of the textbook and to come up with a question to discuss when you are done. You start reading, finish the section then realize that you have no idea what you just read. You read it again, and again, and again, and the words don't make sense until the fifth time that you read it. By this point, you don't have a question to discuss, homework starts to become difficult, grades start to drop, the teacher starts to notice how you have been struggling, your parents find out from your teacher, multiple tests at the doctors are done and pretty soon you are on medications for your mental disorder.
Mental disorder. Something that you cannot change about yourself. Something in which you have to take a prescription to be normal. When you first find out, you realize that you are different and start to accept that you would never be looked at the same. Now, people will associate you with Adderall and when they think of Adderall they will assume that it just helps you with getting good grades and nothing else, which is completely wrong.
Adderall is nothing like everyone thinks it is. It can be used for both ADHD and ADD as well as for people with sleeping problems. This is a narcotic that causes major changes in behavior, body shape, appetite, and heart function. After being on the medication for so many years, if you do not take it the day becomes a blur. Yes, Adderall helps make you focus but it also makes you sweat — a lot. It increases the heart rate, which increases metabolism: therefore, weight loss is normal. Since your heart rate is already up, any type of caffeine is frowned upon because the caffeine would increase the heart rate even more, making you feel like you just ran a mile even though you have been sitting — so coffee is a big no-no. As for appetite, it goes away; but if you don't eat you feel like you are on the verge of passing out. Not a great feeling.
Those reading this that know me may already know all of this. Some of you know how this has affected my life and some of you may not. Certain things to know about ADD are that it creates social anxiety and it makes you feel like everything you say is taken the wrong way. Meeting new people or being in big groups is nerve wracking. Last week I tried on a prom dress from sophomore year of high school. I was a size six back then. When I tried the dress on, the dress was too big. Usually people would say that is great because I have lost weight and I am still "in shape." What people don't know is that since I am smaller, people will also tell me, "You are so tiny," "Are you eating enough," and "You need to eat more." The weight loss effect of Adderall has made me self-conscious of my body image because it is not something that I control, but it is something that the prescription controls.
I am not trying to create pity toward myself or anyone else who has ADD because Adderall affects everyone differently. The goal of this article is to inform people of ADD and the possible effects that Adderall could have. Hopefully this has given you an insight into the life of a person who lives with ADD and what uncontrollable life changes it comes with.
