I don't want to get in to too much detail on a public board, but the short of it is that several major events in rapid succession (unexpected death of my father, lawsuits involving his estate, Covid just as I was re-growing my IT business, loss of several major clients/income security due to same, a sudden chronic health problem, etc, etc, etc, etc.) overwhelmed my ability to get things done in a timely manner. I sought help, and something in the way I was talking must have piqued my psychiatrist's attention, I got tested, and here we are.

It was a lot of shit, all at once, and it would be easy to shrug and say it would have been hard for anyone. But it was enough of a shock to my abilities that I was able to finally see that I just wasn't firing on all cylinders, even though I am otherwise intelligent and capable.

I have not lost my ability to focus. In fact, it's easier than ever. I've always been very distractible (another common symptom), and suddenly the kids making noise while playing next door, dogs barking, phones ringing no longer wreck the house of cards I'm holding in my mind while working on a problem. It's remarkable.

Appreciate your answer, thank you - really sorry for the loss of your dad, losing mine really changed a lot of things for me.

Thank you for your kind words. I am sorry for your loss as well. And yeah, it was rough.

Hey! I'm 21 and was diagnosed at 11 or 12. I've learned a LOT about myself just in the past couple years by reading up on additional ADHD symptoms that aren't just school-related (since the diagnoses really just focuses on how my disability impacts others, like teachers and parents). I have a 10mg Ritalin prescription that I was supposed to take twice a day in grade school, one in the morning and another at lunch. I've found that it lasts for about 5 hours. Recently, I started cutting them in half and only taking 5mg whenever I need to do work. Not sure if that sounds bad, but I don't have a problem with any of my symptoms when I'm not doing work I'm not passionate about (most homework). The point is, you don't have to always be on meds once you get them, and you can get a low enough dose to have control over it instead of being on it all day every day. Also, just like the other comments on here, I don't lose my hyperfocus at all when I'm on meds. It just helps me stay "on a roll" instead of wandering off to do other stuff or getting super spaced out. 10/10 would recommend getting diagnosed. Anything you can do to deepen your self understanding is going to be beneficial in the long run. I know I'm only 21, but please trust me on that last part, if nothing else. Best of luck:)

Do you have any experience with the extended-release versions? My doctor has suggested I give them a try as well, (started with the dose/type you mentioned) to see which form works best. Of course, treatment management for this is all pretty new to me, regardless of my age, so I'm interested in hearing other's experiences.

I don't have any experience with extended release, and honestly since I'm in college my doctor grills me more and more every time I go in to renew the prescription. I keep thinking I'm gonna go off of it and then I still need it and objectively that might look sketchy, since I some students sell their meds. I'm scared that if I bring up any other type that might look worse? Anyway, this thread has taught me more about extended release and I'll likely look into that when I start working after graduation.

Thanks for the response, and good luck with your studies.

Didn’t lose hyper focus.

More that I gained “longer” focus.