Asperger's and ADHD

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I've wondered about my procrastination, and what drives it. For some things, it's a matter of not committing to an option until I absolutely have to, like paying a large bill. This leaves my options open as long as possible. When it comes to work, though, I really think that my stalling isn't so much a lazy avoidance of effort, but an inability to do the job. For whatever reason, I have a lot of days where my brain just isn't working. Perhaps it's the ADD. On bad days, I truly can't seem to form a coherent thought, which obviates working. I feel locked out of my brain.

I have both ADHD and AS myself.

Then it's going to be a Molotov cocktail.

I have Asperger's and ADD (without the 'H'). Ritalin works fine for me. There's just one 'but': I think I'm beginning to develop tolerance to the effects of Ritalin. Having used it for several months, the effects really aren't that intense anymore as they were when I just started taking Ritalin. If I want the same effects, I have to take a double dose. Which is probably not a wise thing to do.

Have any of you, who are also prescribed Ritalin, noticed the same thing? Does anyone know if something can be done about this tolerance thing? According to my doctor, it's not really tolerance but simply that I am getting "used" to the effects and therefore don't notice it anymore, but frankly I don't really believe that to be true. I think she might be saying that to make me believe the effects are still as intense, so as to cause a "placebo effect" (if I believe it works, it works).

I've been on it for about 2 years. I started at 10mg/day, and now take 30mg. I know what you mean about not feeling the same effects, but I think that it's more the side effects which you come to tolerate - the noticeable things like heart rate, euphoria, anxiety. The cognitive effects seem to remain the same. I was worried about becoming tolerant to it when I started, so I didn't take it unless I was at work. My doctor told me (and loads of online medical reports agree) that ritalin is a drug that most people don't build up a tolerance to, aside from perhaps one's liver becoming more efficient at clearing it from the blood. Whatever works for you after several months should work for quite a while longer, provided you don't gain or lose a lot of weight. YMMV.

^Yeah, I was told the same thing. I've been on it for about 15 months, and it still works fine. I've not noticed any changes in the effects.

Thanks both!
I guess it's maybe the euphoric side-effect that I miss. When I started taking Ritalin, it gave me a Hulk-like feeling, and that has gone now. I don't feel any more euphoric when I've just taken my Ritalin than without it. Maybe that is what causes me to think that Ritalin doesn't do anything for me anymore. My concentration is still a lot better than before I started taking it... (I am to see my doctor on Monday anyway, so I'll tell her all this and listen to what she makes of it).

I die often:
Asperger's, hyperkinetic, mood swings, 3 past psychotic episodes, past anorexia, past cutter LMAO I AM FULL OF S***. Not to mention I wear -4 glasses and have astigmatism, and I was born 60% deaf with kidney problems, and am now possibly inheriting a stomach ulcer. Oh yeah, and I was 2 weeks premature, and weighed 3lbs at birth. LOL and back curvature was never good either.

Are these all related??? Do I have some sort of systemic generalised body disorder? LOL.

I had hyperactivity as a child, but never ADD. I thought ADD was the inability to focus even on things you ENJOY. If you're hyperactive its going to be hard to perform uninteresting tasks but this isn't the same as ADD.

Actually I'm often the opposite of ADD. I focus on things to such a degree that I tune everything else out. I feel I need to have complete focus on whatever I'm doing. I have an unusually long attention span and I hate interruptions. Once I'm interrupted I find it difficult to get started again. I thought most aspies were like this (and thus not ADD).

It's really very unlikely that you have both. VERY unlikely. ADD symptoms are part of AS.

I'm confused with all the labels really... I read somewhere the symptoms of ADHD and ADD compared to each other, and I actually fit the inattentive kind better, but then again I'm also hyperactive (I don't have an ASD though, so my case is different)! Consider that there can be 100s of "neurodiversity" genes that each create slightly different varieties of different mental conditions...

I would never take any medication myself, but if the ADD stuff is really annoying you, then you can always try stimulants...

ADD isn't uniformly a disorder of inattention, but rather one of screwed up attention. A lot of ADD literature mentions the fact that people with ADD have problems focusing, but also that they can hyperfocus on things. The main problem is that attention isn't reliable or volitional.

Here's two comparisons I found:

http://aane.org/articles/news_10.html

http://www.addconsults.com/articles/exc ... 3?cat=1043 (click on ASD and ADHD: a Comparison).

I totally get this. In fact I'm doing it right now. I know I should be doing something constructive right now, but....but.....um....hmmm.....clouds.......

As for my friggen list; OCD, ADHD, SID, PAD, GAD, Agoraphobia, ASD, Clinical/Major depression, numerical dyslexia, and my favourite, which I don't even really count as a disorder, Syneasthesia.

And thems just the mental issues. Still, most of those are under control by medicine and therapy, and none of them are killing me (at the moment) so....meh.

Yeah you can focus on things you enjoy with ADD. The problem is what you need to focus on and what you want to focus on are rarely the same thing.

Wow... combination of Aspergers and ADHD. I found out slightly before deleting her sources that my ex had ADHD... that was a painful breakup of relationship and I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did looking back... nothing to be ashamed of for the progress at all.
I was on one side with Aspergers... my ex was on the other with ADHD.

But a combo of both... wow. lol hope things are good for you mate.

Well Sam, you know theres always a million people worse off than yourself!

For anyones info I've just started to take (as per info from local health food shop and web) Zinc, Magnesium, Calcium, Vitamin B12 and will continue Omega 3, for ADHD. So..