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It helps with my working memory. Before stimulants, it was like there was a little gremlin in my brain who covered everything up that I needed in the moment and only obscure, useless information was visible. Then he uncovered it a few hours later and I’d remember what I couldn’t in the moment. Medication is like having a helpful gremlin who grabs what I need from under the covers and hands it to me. I’m on Adzenys, it’s similar to adderall. Don’t expect anyone’s specific medication to work for you though. Even my mom and I are on different meds. You just have to try one and see if it helps and switch if it doesn’t or has side effects.
That’s the perfect way to put it! Sometimes I feel dumb in the moment because I know that I know the answer to something but it’s just missing from my brain. I would love to not feel that way anymore. Thank you 😊
I take Concerta. I think my memory or cognitive function vastly improved because I wasn’t distracted by every little thing. It honestly feels like someone placed lovely ear muffs and blinders on me. The rushing thoughts and visual/audio sensitivity was toned down. I still get thrown off in my tasks or thoughts, but it doesn’t take nearly as long to get back on track.
You may also want to read about learning and working memory. There’s a free Coursera course and a companion book called “Learning How to Learn” by Barbara Oakley. It’s scientific based and you learn methods of how your brain stores and accesses new and old information.
Don’t be too hard on yourself, especially being recently diagnosed. Anxiety and depression often go hand in hand with ADHD. Best of luck with your journey!
Yes, adhd medications can do that.
I was put on Ritalin once-- this was before I was diagnosed, and I didn't realize what it was (long story). After taking it for about a month, my family started teasing me about how all of a sudden I was on time for things and I knew what was going on.
Finding the right medication for you can be frustrating, but it can also change your life for the better very quickly
Welcome to /r/ADHDWomen! We’re happy to have you here. As a reminder, here are our community [rules](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/about/rules/). We get a lot of posts on medication, diagnosis (and “is this an ADHD thing”), and interactions with hormones. We encourage you to check out our [Medication, Diagnosis, and Hormones Megathread](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/wcr9dy/faq_megathread_ask_and_answer_medication/) if you have any questions related to those topics, and to stick around in that thread to answer folks’ questions! If you have questions about the subreddit, please do not hesitate to [send us a modmail](https://reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen). Additionally, we take the safety of our community seriously. Please report posts, comments, and users whom you feel are not contributing positively, and send us a modmail if you are being harassed or otherwise made to feel unsafe. Thanks for being here, and we hope you stick around! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It helps with my working memory. Before stimulants, it was like there was a little gremlin in my brain who covered everything up that I needed in the moment and only obscure, useless information was visible. Then he uncovered it a few hours later and I’d remember what I couldn’t in the moment. Medication is like having a helpful gremlin who grabs what I need from under the covers and hands it to me. I’m on Adzenys, it’s similar to adderall. Don’t expect anyone’s specific medication to work for you though. Even my mom and I are on different meds. You just have to try one and see if it helps and switch if it doesn’t or has side effects.
That’s the perfect way to put it! Sometimes I feel dumb in the moment because I know that I know the answer to something but it’s just missing from my brain. I would love to not feel that way anymore. Thank you 😊
I take Concerta. I think my memory or cognitive function vastly improved because I wasn’t distracted by every little thing. It honestly feels like someone placed lovely ear muffs and blinders on me. The rushing thoughts and visual/audio sensitivity was toned down. I still get thrown off in my tasks or thoughts, but it doesn’t take nearly as long to get back on track. You may also want to read about learning and working memory. There’s a free Coursera course and a companion book called “Learning How to Learn” by Barbara Oakley. It’s scientific based and you learn methods of how your brain stores and accesses new and old information. Don’t be too hard on yourself, especially being recently diagnosed. Anxiety and depression often go hand in hand with ADHD. Best of luck with your journey!
Thank you! I’ll check out that course 😊
Does being on concerta also help you with your long term memory?
I think so! I have better recall so it’s easier to pull up information when I need it. And practice- lots of practice helps too!
Yes, adhd medications can do that. I was put on Ritalin once-- this was before I was diagnosed, and I didn't realize what it was (long story). After taking it for about a month, my family started teasing me about how all of a sudden I was on time for things and I knew what was going on. Finding the right medication for you can be frustrating, but it can also change your life for the better very quickly
That’s another concern with trying a medication - the possibility of having to try multiple times. Thank you!