Outsider without adhd here… Is this really a thing? If the medication makes you feel better how would you forget to take it?
Poor memory is one of the symptoms of ADHD. We get easily distracted and often have time blindness, meaning it’s hard for us to tell how much time has passed and estimate what time it is. I have to take my meds 3 times daily roughly 4 hours apart. If I don’t set alarms, I’m screwed.
It’s my first time hearing of the term “time blindness” and it fits so well.
One of my favorite sayings is people with ADHD have two time settings, “Now” and “Later.” When you come to us with a request, we think it must be done NOW unless you explain otherwise. Then, it gets puts into the “Later” pile, which ranges anywhere from 5 minutes to 5 years.
Sounds like you’re on Ritalin? You might try name brand Concerta (NO GENERICS!!). It’s just extended release Ritalin in a fancy patented delivery mechanism that all the generics can’t copy. It lasts all day and I just have to remember to take it before noon once per day.
I’m on generic right now and it’s been alright for me. Maybe name brand would work better but it’s just unaffordable, for me it would have been almost 500$/mo
Same as Vyvanse (lisdexamphetamine, IIRC?)? There will likely be some generics in the US in a few months since their patent/exclusive rights are about to expire. Not sure if it might be similar in other parts of the world, but it may be worth looking into if you’re paying much out of pocket. With some pretty decent insurance I’m paying $50 each time I get a refill, without insurance here it’s something like $400
I wonder what other mental issues/ deficit disorders have the “time blindness” as a symptom? I have that and it is a very specific thing to have, and I’m currently trying to figure out if I have ADHD or what I have because there are definitely things about my behavior my whole life that have kept me behind everyone else, noticeably to myself anyway. Stuff I’ve had to just cope with, but still puts me at a disadvantage. Mathematics for instance. I can barely do algebra and I’m talking high-school level, no matter how hard I try, and my memory is shit, and it takes effort to stay on topic, or to stick with the same thing I’m doing. I hate routine and crave novelty but lack of routine ushers the chaos back in.
I’m not sure what else has time blindness as such a prevalent issue. What you are describing could be ADHD (especially the “I hate routine and crave novelty but lack of routine ushers the chaos back in”), a learning disability, a something else. Only a professional can tell.
I think mood disorders can affect sense of time, for one, though it sounds like you have good reasons to wonder about having ADHD.
But don’t forget, it’s not necessarily “ADHD or what,” it could be “ADHD and what.” Some ADHD treatments are relevant to other conditions, and vice versa, but there are some overlaps that require a different approach from straight ADHD, so it’s best to keep an open mind.
Have you asked your doc for slow delivery pill? I switched to 2 pills per day to a single one in the morning and it’s so much better. Plus I don’t feel the spike like the regular one but more a steady feeling of clear brain throughout the day.
Part of ADHD. You forget things, beneficial or not. I usually realize when I’m on the way to work, then do the math of turning around for it, and how late I’ll be if I do.
Don’t forget to factor in the anxiety of being late versus the anxiety of work without the meds.
One of the downsides of adhd is, if left untreated, it can lead to substance abuse. One of the upsides is it’s easier to “forget” that you’re addicted to something. I once forget to drink caffeine for a few weeks. Just slipped my mind. I still had the withdrawal symptoms. Headaches, low energy etc., but my brain would not connect the withdrawal to the substance, because from my perspective caffeine did not exist. It was a weird experience.
I’ve done that a few times. I also quit smoking that way when I ran out of cigs, didn’t buy more right away, then forgot to ever buy more. I started back up months later, switched to vaping, then forgot about that too when I moved the vape from it’s designated spot to an area of the house I don’t frequent.
I’ll just add that routine is in itself a major challenge - for me, I don’t have routines as much as I have laying things out in a way that reminds me to do things regularly. For my meds, I just take it once in the morning, but the one routine I try my best to maintain is flipping the pill bottle upside down. If it’s upside down, there’s a high chance I either took it, or forgot to flip it before bed, but it’s a visual reminder so that I don’t need to actively remember to take them on routine, but if I see the pill bottle in a state, I know what action to take.
That’s probably one of the hardest things I’ve seen family members try to understand. I’m not trying to imply anything about you, this is just a related example, but I’ve had family members see my ADHD family members as just being lazy or intentionally ignoring things, or thinking they’re just selfish or whatever. The problem is, even if it’s beneficial, a part of ADHD is not having control over where your memory and focus is being put. You may want something, but that doesn’t mean you’ll sustain attention or effort to achieve it, and conversely you may place it in places you really don’t care about to a very consuming degree…
Imagine a pull that if you don’t take it you forget things. So if you forget it once, you may forget the next and so on. Also, the medication is not a miracle cure. Things are easier to think about and remember, but it’s still a process and sometimes you just forget.
The way ADHD works is that things that others would just instinctively do or remember to do, you have to actively think about. Its like if I ask you how do you breathe, or walk, you think of it and it happens, then ADHD analogue would have to think, use this muscle, contract, hold release, okay, next one, and so on. It’s draining, and when you forget to do it and others realize it, they’re dumbfounded why you didn’t walk or breathed, you must be so lazy to not even want to walk or breathe…. The medication allows you to think okay walk now, instead of each action separately, but it’s not just think and it happens still.
I often forget mine.
That, or I cannot, for the life of me, remember whether or not I actually took my medication. Or locked the door of my apartment, or my car.
Both patterns are a fairly classical presentation of ADHD.
I have a phone app (MediSafe IIRC) that has both reminders and tracking.
Though it’s not 100% perfect. It’s still easy sometimes to get distracted for too long.
I bought these things on amazon and they’ve been super helpful, just push the button in for the day as you take it. doesn’t help me remember to take my meds but at least I can easily tell if I have taken my meds
It’s so much easier to be distracted and completely lose track of time with ADHD. Your mind doesn’t necessarily think about things that are “boring” like taking medicine. Or even eating. So you forget to do it. I literally have reminders on my phone to make sure I eat because I have gone days without eating until someone noticed me looking all fucked up.
It is absolutely a thing. Forgetfulness, absent-mindedness, short attention span, etc. are common symptoms of ADHD. The meds generally wear off at the end of the day, so by the time the next day rolls around, you’re back at baseline, which includes the forgetfulness.
ADHD can be incredibly debilitating and I think it’s something that most people don’t really grasp despite how well-known the disorder is.
Autistic person jumping in - we too may have issues remembering to do beneficial things like take meds, eat and drink, and even use the bathroom (thankfully usually the body gives a stern reminder before it’s too late with that one lol).
Routine is important to many autistics, but personally to me, it isn’t really time dependant, so I have the same breakfast every day but it might not be at the same time every day (don’t sleep well, sleep patter varies widely), so taking pills at the same time each day is asking me to use a system I don’t usually (go by body signals as best I can tell and order of actions, not by time). I hope that makes some sort of sense?
You can’t take it past a certain time or you won’t sleep. It’s not like antidepressants where you can take it at any time. If it’s 11am and I remember why I’m so spacey, I gotta wait until tomorrow.
My brain relaxes so much on ritalin I’d almost say it’s easier to sleep. My extended release only lasts around 5 hours anyway.
