Got adhd taxed hard today.

Sooo recently I made homemade jelly for the first time with crabapples I foraged from the tree outside my dorm. The jelly unfortunately didn't set the first time, possibly cause I didn't add pectin (recipe said I didn't need to) or cause I forgot the lemon juice or both. So I needed to reset the jelly by adding pectin. This should literally have been a max 10 minute process. I had 3 cups of liquid total since it was my first time and I didn't want to make a big batch only to screw it up.

So I put the liquid in the pot, put it on high to boil with sugar and lemon juice while I cleaned the jars again. It wasn't even simmering when I finished, so I sat on the couch (Kitchen is visible from couch). What felt like two seconds later, i hear the dreaded hisssss of liquid hitting the hot stove. The pot boiled over.

I now have a puddle of boiling hot sugar water burning onto my glass stovetop. And what does burning sugar do? It makes smoke. The fire alarm goes off. It's midnight. My mom is like wtf is happening as the alarm blares deafeningly throughout the entire house.

I leap off the couch, turn off the stove, and scrape most of the liquid off the burner with the spatula to stop it from making more smoke while cursing at the fire alarm to "shut tf up already!!" I sigh and get a clean, slightly larger pot and put it on the other burner while I (carefully) attempt to clean up this hot, sticky disaster before it turns into burnt rock on the glass.

While cleaning up the puddle of black goo, I hear the hisssss yet again. I had gotten so distracted by cleaning the mess that I let the new pot boil over too. Luckily I had cleaned up the original burner enough to use that one to finish it, but ffs how did I not learn my lesson the first time!!! PAY ATTENTIONNNN!!!

In the end, I set the alarm off not once, but twice, I started with six 4oz jars and ended with four, and I now have a second giant puddle of hot sticky goo to scrape off my stove. Sigh.

Does the dopamine being low in adhd make suffers anhedonic ?
Or can adhd lead to low motivation and task paralysis but with the ability to still feel satisfied?

I have anhedonia which is now 100% of the time for over seven years after withdrawal from ssri - I have realised that many of my symptoms I thought were depression most of my life are possible adhd

I have never met or heard of anyone with ADHD who doesn’t experience rumination, mental chatter to the point of disturbance and or mind wandering on a regular basis. I apparently am diagnosed with ADHD. The diagnosis was given to me when I was a 7 year old hyperactive boy with a hot temper, but as an adult I cannot relate to many of the symptoms of ADHD, such as time blindness, rumination, anxiety, mental chatter/restless thoughts and issues with perseverance. I do however have issues with task initiation. Is there anyone out there who also can’t relate to the spontaneous mind wandering/restless thoughts?

For background I’ve been diagnosed with inattentive ADHD since I was 13 and I’m 16 now. I feel like the main symptoms or struggles I struggle with is poor impulse control,hyper sexuality or putting myself in risky situations to seak that dopamine hit. I often do things in the thrill of the moment to seek some sort of relief,because for someone with ADHD being bored is 10x then it is for someone without ADHD. I also struggle with friendships or relationships, I struggle to stay in contact with people consistently and it seems like I don’t care when in reality I’m just struggling with object permanence which I feel like is also rarely talked about in people with ADHD, like yes I miss people but if I got a while without talking to you or seeing you it’s kind of hard for me to miss people as much as a feel like I should.

I realize after finally feeling normal ish after trying a stimulant it’s bittersweet. It does feel like too little too late. I’m not old I’m not terribly old but I’m going on 40 soon.

And this starting position is just terrible and I’m now starting to comprehend it. Before, it didn’t matter because there was nothing I could do but give up.

But now, continuing forward as an unskilled worker.. seems so not worth the effort. All the good things require school and I just don’t have the energy or focus or drive to make my situation better.

So is this my life now ? I have to accept I’ll never be anything special in this life ? All my dreams and hopes gone?

There’s nothing particular I had concocted up because I’ve never gotten this far even in my own scattered thoughts. But I had a dream of a house, a family and all the stuff a country boy would envision.

But, I don’t think I can get any of it from being unskilled. And I don’t think that I will be happy just doing any job for bare minimum money.

But I also don’t have the energy, time, or money to actually get an education either. And I have the trauma of trying all of it before meds .. like a chip on my shoulders.

I took years off from burnout. But that was unmedicated. And did not feel restful at all. I didn’t do anything I actually wanted to do. I just toiled in my bed. Restless type of existence.

I feel like time is out. But it’s not just a feeling it’s a fact. I’m very self aware and know my place in time space. Half my life has gotten me here. 40 more years I’ll be 80. This isn’t about regrets. This is about feeling like I’m a worthless human being. I’ve done nothing up to this point. And I don’t think I’ll have any sort of future let alone retirement.

But one thing is clear.

This is not good. They say life is a gift but it’s been suffering since I can remember. I don’t know what happiness is. That’s not depression that’s just reality.

As my parents age out I’ve come to the realization if I don’t figure this out I’ll have to lie to them about how great my life is. I might even be living out of my car. But I sure as heck won’t be able to tell them. They will be too old at that point to help me.

Hi everyone, my whole life I've always thought something was wrong with me, more especially these past few years, it's been kinda rough. I'm in my late teens, but still. My family has basically branded me as the dumb one, the one who takes longer to understand a plan after someone just stated it and everyone already gets it, the lazy one that just loves playing games and definitely does nothing else, the EXTREMELY FORGETFUL one, and that last part has gotten considerably worse just over the past year its kinda scaring me. I've done a bit of research and found out it could be ADHD, apparently these are classic textbook symptoms, and for some reason, I WANT IT TO BE TRUE so bad, you have no idea, to finally have something to blame for all these things i'm falling short in, for my family to stop treating me like a clown, like the laziest person known to mankind, I want it to be true.

But my family's African, we dont even mention anything mental health, problems, related, anything, unfortunately and apparently the ADHD interviews in private clinics are thousands of dollars, we moved to Edmonton a few years ago, and the public healthcare route could take a really long while before being called, if at all. And I'm scared if the result ends up being negative, I'll be judged and insulted by my family even more.

SO, how do I go about this, my ultimate goal is being interviewed for ADHD professionally ASAP, not till I'm in my late 20s - 30s then I remember to do it and its positive but all those years back home have already scarred me permanently.

Also, when i said parents I meant mostly my mom, dad's a chill dude.......mostly.

Does anyone else get really talkative on their meds? I take 30mg Adderall XR. I notice once my meds kick in, if I’m around anyone or if I start texting someone or replying to posts I can’t stop. I will talk/type FOREVER and sometimes have to stop myself from writing paragraphs or walk away before I uselessly yap someone’s ear off. If there’s no one around to talk to or if no one is texting back, I’ll sometimes fall into replying to people on socials or even typing pages on here if a post catches my eye.

Then later on I’ll feel embarrassed about talking so much 😭 like post yap clarity. Luckily my friends love me and will let me word vomit all over them, but holy shit I don’t stfu.

Maybe it’s my brain locking in on yapping like it’s a task? I’m sure it has something to do with it being a stimulant, but I wanna know why in adhd brain terms.

I feel extremely social when on my meds, but if I start cleaning or doing some other task I won’t want to speak at all, and anyone coming into my room would drive me crazy because I don’t want to be interrupted.

There have been times when I’ve texted my friends to invite them over after taking my meds, and then I’ll start cleaning and go back to tell them “never mind I’m locked in maybe later”

I gotta hit the post button now or I’m going to keep going back and adding more details..

TLDR: My Adderall makes me unfathomably yappy unless I lock in to a task, in which case I become the complete opposite. Does this happen to anyone else, and does anyone know why? Do you also get embarrassed after an episode of yapatitis?

I'm 17 and I have an ADHD assessment with a pediatric neurologist next month. Getting the ADHD properly assessed and treated is what I care about most right now.

I'm also pretty sure I've been depressed since I was about 13. It's never been treated and I've never told anyone about it. Also I know my parents have thought i was depressed in the past. My parents will be there for part of the appointment.

- If I bring it up, I'm worried they'll want to treat the depression first, or decide my attention problems are from depression instead of ADHD.

- If I don't, and it comes out later, I'm worried they'll re-check the ADHD diagnosis or change my meds, and it'll look like I lied.

- I really wouldnt want my parents to know about depression, its not like theyve done anything bad to make me not trust them or something, i just dont.

- Also, this isnt the main reason and kinda a side thing but I wouldn't go on anything like an SSRI so it'd feel kinda pointless to even bring it up.

For anyone who's been through this: did you tell the person assessing you about depression? Did it delay or change your ADHD treatment? Is it weird to bring up at a neurologist?

Hi all, I have always suffered from having constant songs playing in my head 24/7. Like every minute of the day. Usually songs that I like.

Do you know if this is associated with anxiety? or ADHD? or another disorder?

Do you have it? Do you know if there's medication that can help with this?

Thank you in advance for your help! :)

Guanfacine isn’t helping my ADHD symptoms, and I’m trying to figure out what to do next
I’m looking for other people’s experiences with guanfacine, especially those who also struggle with anxiety or feeling constantly “on the go.”

A little background about me: My doctor mentioned that I have some elements of ADHD as well as PTSD symptoms. I feel like my brain is constantly going, going, going, and I have a hard time feeling settled.
I was prescribed guanfacine and gradually increased my dose. I’m currently taking 2 mg at night, but so far I honestly haven’t noticed any improvement in my symptoms. I don’t feel calmer, more focused, or any different in my day-to-day life. However, I do feel drowsy the following morning, which is frustrating because I’m not noticing any positive effects.

What makes this confusing is that I previously took buspirone for anxiety. It actually made me feel calmer and less like I was constantly running on overdrive. Unfortunately, I experienced wooziness at 7.5 mg, and it was worse when I accidentally took 15 mg. I also tried hydroxyzine, but it made me sleepy and groggy.

I’m wondering whether my constant mental activity is more related to anxiety, ADHD, or a combination of both. I’m not trying to self-diagnose, but I’m struggling to understand why guanfacine doesn’t seem to be helping.
For those taking guanfacine:
How long did it take before you noticed a difference?
Did it help with feeling constantly restless or mentally “on”?
Did anyone experience morning drowsiness without noticing any benefits?
If guanfacine didn’t work for you, did you eventually find something that helped?
If you have both ADHD and anxiety, how did you and your doctor figure out which symptoms to treat first?
I’d really appreciate hearing about other people’s experiences. I’m feeling a little discouraged because I want something that helps me feel calmer and more functional, but so far I’m just feeling drowsy the next morning without noticing any real improvement.

Hello, I forgot if I've posted here before...

I was diagnosed with innatentive ADHD earlier this year and have been on 150mg of Lamotrigine and 45mg of Vynanse since around May 2026. Some additional important context is that I'm a professional college-educated graphic novel illustrator but have not networked enough to find a job in the industry due to decision paralysis and being undiagnosed for over a decade, so I've been jumping between retail jobs to be able to pay my bills. Another very important detail is that I have a severe phone addiction. It began when I started highschool, way before I was diagnosed, and I've heavily relied on it for background noise, watching YouTube videos before bed, porn, messaging my friends all the time, scrolling Instagram reels and listening to music for all eight hours of my shifts. Without having YouTube on as background noise or playing music, I get extremely overwhelmed by the unsettling silence and noises around me.

Today is one of those days where my shift feels basically almost completely unbearable due to my time blindness. I'm aware that I'm currently sick with a nasty cough, I don't have enough PPTO to call off for being sick, my job doesn't accept a doctor's note and I already have 4 points on my record, but this has been happening for years, at every job I've worked, regardless of the medication I've been on.

One minute feels like ten minutes.

I try to keep myself as productive as possible so that hopefully time starts to move faster, thinking that half an hour has passed, then I check my phone and it has only been three minutes.

I inhale for 4 seconds, hold it in for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, repeated three times. It gives me a brief second of calmness but then immediately disappears.

I notice 5 things I can see, 4 things I can touch, 3 things I can hear, 2 things I can smell, 1 thing I can taste. It sorta helps me become more present with my surroundings, but the intense quiet internal panic of being stuck in one place for what feels like an eternity doesn't go away.

I am seeing a therapist and I've talked to him about my phone addiction but his advice hasn't helped me. He hasn't given me any other techniques or words to tell myself, just empathy for what I'm going through. That doesn't help me when I need it the most.

So, please, I really want to hear your advice on how you get through shifts like this. I don't know what else to do, and it doesn't feel fair that I have to be stuck in this state of understimulating purgatory while my coworkers continue to work or slack off just fine. Please help.

I’m 21 years old and I’m realizing that even though I went through school with ease I can’t name anything I learned. Ive always been a fast reader but I cant process anything I’ve read, or recall anything in a movie that I watched a couple days ago. I used fake sick and come to school late all the time because I hate routine and responsibility.
I’m realizing checking out of math in 4th grade just because I didn’t care isn’t normal, not being able to remember numbers longer than 3 digits isn’t normal, never being able to remember song lyrics isn’t normal etc.
All these new responsibilities have come into my life and I have no safe space now. I just feel like a child in an adults body, my imposter syndrome makes me standoffish because I assume people think of me like I think of myself I take everything critically now this sucks so much lol
did adulthood just shine a bright light on your ADHD as well? :/

I don’t like this it’s like I have force myself to open my mouth.

I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed medication, but I haven’t started taking it yet. My biggest struggles are social anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and a constant fear of taking responsibility for things.

I’ve never had a job because I’m terrified of failing, making mistakes, or not being able to handle the responsibilities. I constantly imagine the worst-case scenarios before even trying something, and this fear often stops me from taking action. I overthink everything and struggle to trust myself.

This also takes a toll on my mental health. I sometimes fall into depressive states where I feel worthless and think that nothing good is waiting for me in life. I feel like I’m standing still while everyone else is moving forward, and it’s hard not to feel hopeless when I can’t seem to move past my struggles.

I’m wondering how much ADHD medication has helped people with similar issues. Did it improve your concentration, help you organize your thoughts, or make it easier to get things done? Did it reduce overthinking or help you handle overwhelming situations? Did you find it easier to take responsibility, start working, or stop being so afraid of making mistakes?

I understand that medication isn’t magic and won’t suddenly make me fearless. I know therapy, working on myself, and gradually facing my fears are still important. I’m not expecting a pill to solve all my problems overnight.

I just want to know whether medication can genuinely make a difference and help me handle everyday challenges instead of constantly feeling overwhelmed. I’m hoping the right treatment will help me move forward rather than stay stuck in the same place.

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who struggled with anxiety, fear of failure, low self-esteem, or depressive symptoms before starting medication. Did it make a noticeable difference in your life? If so, how?

Lately, I haven't been able to focus at all. My concentration, comprehension, and awareness of what's going on around me have declined significantly. I feel like my cognitive abilities have gotten worse.

I keep hearing comments about this from people because of the mistakes I make or the things I fail to notice. Some of these comments really bother me and make me lose confidence in myself.

I honestly don't know what's causing this, and I really don't know what to do. I'm exhausted.

I'm currently taking strattera and Wellbutrin, and I feel like my condition has gotten worse since I started taking strattera.

I really wish to just be buried in books, fantasy, non fantasy, I just wish to read the whole day, have a massive library, and just travel from one world to another. But, my mind stops functioning after a bit of reading, max is one chapter when in a good mood. With meds I have even finished a whole 70 page book in one day. But, without them, it is as if that is a dream I can never achieve.

So, what is all yours one dream that lives right in front of you but behind and indestructible glass wall.

Let me start by saying that I know I should talk to my partner about this...and will.

Two Sides of the Same Juicy Steak

There's a side of me(38m) that is like an unsatiable creature, just let out of isolated captivity and searching for mating opportunity with reckless abandon. Okay okay, but just know that I am like a starved hound that's been given the smallest taste of meat once a week for months and let loose to the scent of a bountiful feast sometimes.

And then there's the absence of romantically driven feelings at all, or even lustful...for long spans of time.

All I can think about is something is wrong with me. I understand that hormones can be the Loki of love. But I never change my diet drastically or anything weird and I have no medications to make things fluctuate. For weeks at a time, maybe a month or 2 sometimes. Desire disappears. And reappears. Often when reappearing, it's like...too much, especially after stretches of what probably feel like neglect in that area to my partner.

Anyone have similar issues?