#i don't know if adderall would help but at this point this issue just has been making me feel so disappointed in myself

[roboyomo]

i did pretty good today ^_^ actually drew some solid artpieces for my art blog layout without having troubles focusing and without constantly standing up from my desk and pacing around the room,, , it still happened a Couple of times but not a lot so i'm pretty proud of myself for being able to do anything today :]

[copperbadge]

how did u psych urself up to go to therapy? my executive function has been awol for like 2 years and it's gotten to the point where it's wrecking my ability to do anything. i'm scared to waste a bunch of time and money going and getting told i'm just lazy or that the problem is just me

Happy to talk about that! But this is really two issues, so I gotta do a fly-by real first on "scared of getting told I'm just lazy". :D

It sounds to me like you're aware intellectually that laziness isn't the issue. You know this is an executive function issue and not a personal flaw, but I definitely get that it's hard to internalize that. So I'm going to drop links here to some discussion of "laziness":

How do you know you're not just lazy? (ask sent to me -- it's long, but you can skim for the laziness bits if you want.)

Lack of motivation means you are avoiding pain (second ask in response to the first)

Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price

These are essentially my proofs when I want to remind you that laziness is a label that stigmatizes an innate behavior -- inability to act is real, laziness is not. If a therapist tells you that you are lazy, and ESPECIALLY that you are the problem, you should fire that therapist. Don't even stay the rest of the session if you don't want to, just say "I see we are not compatible," and bounce. I don't think the odds are high that you'll encounter that, but on the off-chance that you do, that's a bright neon sign that they're a bad therapist.

In fact I would open with that pitch: "I'm struggling with executive function and the self-perception that I'm really just lazy. I need help with the actual executive function issues but also with how I view myself because of them." The therapist's response will tell you a lot about whether they'd be a good fit.

So with that out of the way...

I eased myself into therapy with the speed of a small child entering an extremely cold lake. It helped a lot that all of my therapy has been virtual via Zoom, so a lot of stuff that would have been a barrier, like going to the physical appointments, discomfort in a strange space, etc. were swept away.

I didn't even want to see a psychiatrist for my Adderall prescription, but I knew I needed help and medication seemed to be my best option, so with the assurances of several people that it wasn't therapy so much as mental health maintenance, I saw a psychiatrist. And he was lovely! (I just met with him yesterday to go over my next few months of scrip.) For a while that was all I did: talked every month to a kind person who asked specific and measurable questions about my mental health -- mood, sleep patterns, ability to work, hobbies -- without getting especially personal. I thought, okay, I can handle this, I can probably handle more, so I asked him for a recommendation for a therapist.

He looked at the network of independent practitioners he belonged to (Clarity Clinic Chicago, if you want an example of a good network) and found me a couple of options. I got extremely lucky to find someone I felt was appropriate for me right out of the gate, though some of that was also knowing what criteria I had: I wanted someone who explicitly stated they specialized in adult ADHD and disability, and who seemed like they were interested in addressing a whole person and not a single issue. When we met she seemed nice, wasn't pushy or judgey, was familiar with spoon theory and disability activism because she also has ADHD, and didn't blink (or ask overly invasive questions) when I said I was very uneasy about therapy because of past experience. She was comfortable with the ambiguity I brought -- I basically said "Look, I think this is something I need but I'm not entirely sure what my goals are yet, it's just I only recently found out I have ADHD and I am rethinking a lot of stuff," and she was like fine, let's rethink it together.

It still took me a long time to start talking about anything meaningful, but she handled the non-meaningful stuff as if it was serious and important, which helped. Admittedly I have really good insurance so I pay $20 a session for therapy, which also helps; it's pretty negligible in terms of health costs for me. I can afford to dawdle.

So, all that said...my path may not be an option for you, but I think it indicates the kinds of options you have. You don't have to jump into serious and heavily emotional processing first thing if you don't want to. You can shop around for therapists and you can drop any bad ones you encounter speedily, or if you find one you immediately like you can still spend time getting comfortable before dropping into the heavier stuff.

I would suggest that if you have a prescribing psych or doctor for any kind of mental health meds, ask them if they have a recommendation. If you don't have that, ask around people you know or believe have access to therapy and see what they think. If those aren't available to you or you're uncomfortable with that, I'd do a search for licensed therapist and your health insurance, or see if your workplace has an employee assistance program that can recommend you someone.

Good luck! I hope you get what you need. Lord knows I've been there.

[lustfangs]

Time to send another horny, horny anon ask story!

First things first: part 2 of the 'at work' story has already been written and sent in (unless by some awful connectivity issue it didn't make it to your inbox, which would be disheartening at least). In respect of that, this new tale will be a fun look at why sometimes, having a study partner can lead to unexpected places (dear heavens above I hope you get some rest from all that work you're having to do, vamp).

All in this month's smut fiction: It's Not Plagiarism If Your Brain Switches Off Around Me

---

So: another month, another thrice-damned assignment. Something or other about some guy who died 300 years ago and how this affects the modern application of whatever. In other words: potentially interesting in theory, horrendously boring and time-consuming in practice. 12,000 words, to be submitted by the 11th. Wonderful.

Now, this would be fine - easy, even - if not for the fact that the friends you normally do this sort of studying with are all off on a study trip (one they are very eager to share via social media). Huh, wonder who that tall guy in all the photos is? Nevermind.

Anyways. All you need to know is, you don't have a study partner to help you focus, and you're feeling unusually responsible enough to start the damn thing three weeks in advance.

Thank you, adderall.

Ah! But there is one person you could call on! A guy you haven't talked to in a while - you are majoring different things, afterall, but this seems like the sort of stuff he'd know about anyway. A few text messages and an extremely corny joke later, you've arranged to meet up at the library for a couple hours, seeing as he's not up to much anyway and is willing to help.

~

You meet up in the library for the first time in over a year and... boy, he must have been hitting the gym quite a lot since then. That is, if the strangely clinging shirt he's wearing is anything to go by. Sly dog, walking around with a too-small shirt just to show off... mmmm...

Of course, he says it's because he doesn't have any clean shirts right now (ha! as if) and had to pull out an old one from a year ago, but whatever the case you're soon settled down in a secluded corner of the library building, poring over a 100-and-something year old biography of Deadguy Whateverhisnameis, as your old/new/hot friend launches into an explanation of what's up with that dude and why anyone still cares.

It's long and meandering and you're pretty interested, actually, the way he says it - deep voice, slow and steady and yet still enthused enough to keep you awake. Well, it's that or the fact your eyes keep sliding off his face and down to his bulging cock. It's not even hard, and yet you can see the thick bump under his pants, set against his leg. A glance up reveals he's noticed-- and a blush flashes hot across your cheeks, before awkwardly stuttering that he should continue.

With a knowing smile, he obliges, keeping the words as short and interesting as he can, to maintain your attention on what he's saying.

Oh my god he's hard now. It's pulsing, throbbing through his pants. It must be... what? As thick as your wrist? Oh my god...

He says something, and you wrench your eyes up again, hoping ever so hard you're not red as a beet. He just smiles, and asks if you're feeling hot or something. What? Oh, you took off your sweater; just a tank top now, and nothing else. His eyes remain firmly fixed on yours, that so-sweet look on his face as if he can't see your nipples begging to be taken out in the open, stiff points feeling so sensitive against the suddenly-rough cotton.

"Go on, sugar. Take your time."

Oh god. He's just looking at you, and you've gotten so horny you're humping the desk, pussy soaked enough to sound wet even through two layers of clothes, seeping into the chair's pillow. Why are you this bad? Is it because you didn't have any sex lately? Or because you're pretty sure you know why your friends are hanging around that tall guy in their pictures? So many thoughts, so much that's making you so horny, and him all big and aloof and seemingly ignorant of how fucking horny he's making you--

The hand on your neck is almost a relief. Tightening grip, your head starts getting hazy, and your tongue lolls out on its own.

"God, you really are a slut, huh~"

Your eyes slowly drift to his face - or they try to, at least, before you're pulled from your chair and half carried, half dragged, by the neck, to a dark little room in the corner, just behind the bookshelves. A light click announces the lock, but all you can focus on is getting your breath back.

Not like it matters, since the moment you finally take a good gasp of air again, he's there to stuff something in your gaping maw. The taste jolts you awake, and you try to get away - say something, scream, just make sure you can escape- but you can't. You're mouth's full, and he's bucking his hips, fucking into your sloppy mouth.

Wait a second.

He's not moving his hips anymore.

Why are you still gagging on his cock? You can get away - you could run, push past him and-- And what? He's locked the door. Maybe you could pretend to run instead, then present your pussy and... the thought's made you so horny, so sopping wet, that the moment you feel hot cum shoot against the roof of your mouth, you just start swallowing.

Tongue working round and around, you clean off his fat meat, and give it a kiss as he slowly pulls out. You... can't believe you just did that.

A sudden rush, and you're against the door, desperately scrabbling for a way out. It's locked. You knew that already.

Your jeans hit the floor with a thump, and you bend over further to look at the lock, hoping it's just a latch or something easy... like you.

His tip punches your womb. Your eyes widen. Everything slows down, as the pleasure... and the beautiful pain hit your brain at once. Ragged gasps. Why does everything feel so sensitive?

What's that inside you? Oh! It's deeper! That slapping noi-- He's gripping your throat again, firm hands clenching around your windpipe, as he pummels your weeping pussy, stretching you out so much you're crying. Blubbering, sobbing, you taste his seed on your tongue, and feel him so deep, inside. You're his toy now, his to ruin and fuck into total submission.

Your knees knock together, dropping you a little further down onto his huge shaft with a gasp - and the hot spurt of virile, ruinous cum, right up into your begging womb, breaks something inside you.

-

You're still on the floor, in that dark little room. He's cum in you so many times you've lost count. He's started talking about that assignment you've got again.

Why?

"So every time you think of studying, you'll call me over to help."

Then he fucks you so hard you scream, and pass out.

-

He comes to your place the next day, stack of books in hand.

You get about two sentences done before he's dragged you, begging and weeping, into the bathroom, so he can fuck you loud enough for all the neighbours to hear. You don't care what they can hear. You just worship and fall apart as he uses your body, again and again.

He leads you out of the bathroom, coated in cum, and sits you down to study again.

You're sucking his cock again before you know it, hot tears welling up as you realise what's happening

-

By the next week, all he has to do is come by your house, and you're stripped naked for him, fingerfucking yourself on the kitchen counter so he can watch you mewl his name as you cum.

He's brought some friends over, is that okay? They're here to make sure you're studying just right as well. You don't even make it up the stairs before they start breaking you in. The house reeks of sex, and you've fallen in love with him.

-

You finish the assignment on time, and rush to him to show off, like a good little pet. He gives you a present - a camera.

He sends a video of what you do for him, to your friends.

You get a video just like it back, from that tall handsome guy you saw before.

When your friends get back, you introduce them to your new boyfriend. You wake up on your cum-soaked bed, and share a sloppy kiss with your boyfriend's dick, then another with all your other broken-bitch friends.

Suffice it to say, you suddenly just love studying.

xxxxxxx

Heyyy vamp! Hope you like this new installment of "slutty shit I send you because I feel like writing a story we'll both cum to"

Well do I know the drudgery of academic endeavours, so I wish you every amount of rest you can manage to get in the coming months. Also, if you'd be interested, I could write you a significantly longer piece (for a small fee)

-𝄞

Haven’t logged on here in nearly a month because my finals are right around the corner and when I tell you this made my eyes roll back with how good it was …. Definitely one of my favorites you’ve written so far anon

[alexanderdanner]

The most recent mini-episode of @greaterblogston was a particularly personal one for me. In the past, we've acknowledged that both Dimitri and Michael have ADHD, but it hadn't come up directly in the text of the show until now. I had the script brewing in the back of my head for a couple of years before I actually wrote it, but I knew it was one that had to happen--if not for the sake of the show, then because I simply needed to write it. We started Greater Boston and completed the whole first season before I got my own diagnosis and started treatment. But finally recognizing that part of myself, and finding ways to finally begin working *with* that part of myself has been a huge part of gaining a better understanding of myself--how I work, how I live, how I manage relationships, how I make the choices I make--my ADHD plays a role in all of it. And recognizing it in the patterns of these two characters and how I was writing them was a very real part of that journey. Bringing them to the point of actually talking about it directly was important. Although the two characters experience their ADHD differently, there are aspect of my own experience in both. There's more of me in Dimitri (I'm excitable, and impulsive when I get excited about something. Like...starting a full-cast fiction podcast even though I had no experiences whatsoever in audio production) than Michael (I fortunately don't tend toward harmful or self-destructive impulses), but Michael's fears about using medication were my own. I don't personally have a history of substance abuse, but I've certainly seen enough of it in my family. My biological father was a lifelong heroin addict, and he died as a consequence of his addiction. The shadow of his addiction has loomed large over my relationship to just about anything potentially habit-forming, especially knowing my own tendency toward both impulsive and compulsive behaviors. I worried what turning to a controlled narcotic for help would mean for me. The conclusion I ultimately came to was that worrying over an addiction to a medication that I *needed to take anyway* was incoherent, especially considering that my presentation has never led me to substance abuse issues in the first place. (In fact, I've been very relieved to realize that one of the signs that I'm heading toward a bout of depression is that I *lose* interest in the cocktails that I usually enjoy.) I started on Adderall, and it has made a major positive difference in my life. My fears were not just unfounded--I have better control over my behaviors than without it. Which is not to say medication is the right choice for everyone, or that the fears I had aren't valid for others. It's complicated. But for me, it was the right decision. It was unintended that this episode would come out during the current Adderall shortage, but is nonetheless fitting. My access to medication has been unreliable, and I've had to go weeks at a time without. This has meant revisiting the ways I used to struggle, and seeing much more starkly what a difference treatment has made for me. But man, it sure is frustrating.

[bunnygirl678]

I feel like doing a silly interview of myself so I'm just going to straight up answer these lmao

Fanfic Writer Emoji Ask

😅 What's a story or scene you've created that you're a smidge embarrassed exists?

i wrote mpreg, it's Red, it's bad, i mean the writing is great, lots of emotions but holy shit i don't even like mpreg but i did it for an omegaverse, it just fit, for the record he has twins

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

idk usually when green is upset about his parents, or when they finally work out their issues

🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

Anytime Green/Rai/Leon get together and drink

😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?

literally all the time, in ode to my soulmate, it was originally going to end after they got together, none of the angst (or the failed attempt at a cliffhanger lmao)

✍ Do you have a beta reader?

I typically don't have use one, but occasionally will ask my homies to take a look, there are a couple i'm working on that i'm worried are too technical so those will need betas to make sure it's understandable by a layman

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

Green is rich, Red can't cook, there are certain phrases i use a lot, almost always have some kind of star gazing trope (at least in the longer fics)

🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

skfdhsdfhj blood bank or under the alolan sun, but the wild parts aren't published yet?? Or maybe the ones i haven't published idk

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉

i have a nice ass, i'm great at world building, compliment for me and my writing ^_^

💋 First kiss fics. Love em or hate em?

Love them, but love first time fics more

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

most of the time, christmas music,

🛠What tools/programs/apps do you use to write?

docs, i switch between my phone and computer a lot,

⛔ Do you have a fic you started, but scrapped?

Only one, i was trying to do too much, my writing skills weren't back up to par yet, i think it helped me get to where i am now, the plot was too much, idk, i might steal a scene or two for other fics, but i'm not going to spend any time trying to improve the writing or plot. There are a bunch that i started a while ago and haven't touched in months, but i'll head back to them eventually, i have to be in the ~mood~ to work on a fic

🙋‍♀️ Do any irl people know you write fanfic?

Yeah, multiple people know, but they don't know my username

🍦 What's the sweetest fic you've created so far?

ummm that's published, under the alolan sun maybe? or maybe Lost, that's not published, single riders will be paired (coming sometime next year lmao it's a high school au super cute i'm really nice to green in it, red is a shy mute kid with no friends who ends up getting stuck on a roller coaster ride with green who is the most popular boy in school, green's actually super nice and the rest of the day kinda turns into a date, they go to school and red's like oh he's gonna be mean but he's not and it's really cute and sweet, and red gets accepted into the group and lajfdl;sjdf)

🍷 Do you drink and write?

yeah and then end up scrapping everything lol,

🍆 Do you write the spicy stuffs? If so, what's your most popular nsfw fic?

yes, i'm still working on improving my skills, but most hits/kudos ratio (let's be honest someone can do kudos once and read 15 times so not the best metric but what else do we have), is make you feel my love, but i'm working on one that will be published by valentines day where green gives red head in his neochamp outfit

🌞 Do you have a preferred time of day to write?

all day? When the adderall hits? idk it's really just when i have time, when i have my kid i really only get to at night when she goes to bed, but on her dad's weeks i write after work.

💖 What made you start writing?

i wanted to read stories that weren't written, i have lots of aus bouncing around in my head

💌 How do you feel about comments and feedback?

dopamine hit

❌ What's a trope you will never write?

ummmmm idk, used to be mpreg, but that ship sailed, i don't really love poly romance, i like the smut but am not really interested in writing it as a romance

💲 Would you ever open commissions?

no, i found that i do my best writing when i want to, which is why wips take forever for me to finish because i bounce from idea to idea as i feel like it

🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories?

not really...I'll google a fact or two, i mean unless you count game time or reading the manga, but like googling little details not so much.

🏆 What's your most popular fic?

gonna do for reguri, when the wind stole my walls, i never felt less alone; it's my longest finished fic

🎃 Do you write fics for certain holidays? Which is your favorite holiday inspired fic?

yesh, i really liked Lost, and Auld Lang Syne, but also i threw in a couple Christmas themed chapters to Under the Alolan Sun, which was fun

🎯 Have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? Care to share which?

ugh yes, lmao, blood bank, they didn't guess the exact details but the general idea, i was like oh shit i'm glad they picked up on the crumbs i threw lmao

🎨 How do you feel about fan art of your stories?

Always an honor! I might even make some one day, if my art ever improves enough for me to feel comfortable tagging it lmao

📈 How many fics do you have?

37 on ao3! I'm not going to include the ones on ff.net cause i can't remember my username, i have 50 open works (some as basic as an outline, some have 20k+ words) sitting in my docs that haven't been published

🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants?

Depends, usually outline, i typically start writing then add an outline later,

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

This one i stared on a while ago, the actual writing needs a lot of edits but i'm obsessed with the plot, after Green loses he flees to Kalos, changes his name to Blue and becomes the champion there, everything is great until Red randomly shows up to learn how to mega evolve his charizard, Red obvs knows who he is, they deal with things, red can't mega evolve at first, it's fun orrrr my hs au that i mentioned earlier, or the ones where green becomes a coordinator, either after losing or instead of battling, in 2024 i'm releasing more pokespe works and branching out on some of the ship stuff, gonna publish a few silver/gold, lance/cynthia, and a few others,

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

Just keep writing, not everything will be amazing, but everything can be edited and rewriten

💞 Who's your comfort character?

Green oak i like to see him cry <3

🧠 Pick a character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them.

Red: He can't cook to save his life

🤩 Who is your favorite character to write?

Green, duh

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

Green loses his memories after an accident during a battle

Red felt a tap on his shoulder, who would be bothering him this late? He turned to none other than the person he had been avoiding.

Green smiled up at Red. Red looked around for an exit.

“You’ve been avoiding me.” He stated flatly, a finger poking Red’s chest.

“Maybe.” Red said, looking away. He attempted to make eye contact with any of his pokemon to get them to create a distraction.

“It’s okay, I know why.” Green said, Red stuck his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ground. 

Instead of retreating, Green got closer right inside of Red’s personal space. He placed his hands on Red’s chest. Red was suddenly worried Green was going to push him. Was he angry? He wouldn’t have had any memories of the championship would he? Maybe he read up on it? Red knew he was physically stronger than Green, but Green had been hurt recently, and he really didn’t want to have to get into a fight with him tonight.

“I may not remember all of the events that took place to get us here, but there’s no way I could forget these feelings.” And with that Green crossed the short distance and pressed his lips to Red’s. 

Wait, what?!

Green pulled away and looked up at Red through his long eyelashes. He leaned up and pressed another chaste kiss to Red’s lips. 

“Sorry Red, I don’t remember anything about you except for how much I love you. I look at you and I get the warmest most wonderful feeling in my chest. I feel like I’m flying on the clouds when I think about you. I love you Red.” Green wrapped his arms around Red’s waist and laid his head against his chest. 

😬 Which of your fics would you be most horrified for friends, family, or coworkers to stumble upon?

My omegaverse mpreg red one, that's not even published lol (may not ever be published hahaa)

🎉 What leads you to consider a fic a success?

probably kudos and hits, but really it's if i go back and reread it over and over again, everything i write is self indulgent so

✅ What's something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don't mean to?

i can't think if it, but there's little phrases or hcs that pop up in a ton of them

📚 Would you ever want to turn writing into a career?

nope i do it for fun, if it became a job it wouldn't be fun anymore, although i am published it's technical accounting writing, and i do eventually plan on getting my phd once princess is older, so maybe? But that writing is research not fiction lol

⌛ How long does it take you to write a fic, or a chapter?

I'm a ridiculously fast typer, 34 words per minute is my average, 10k is a typical length, but my achilles heel is that i skip around a ton from fic to fic, so it may take months to get a fic done even though it's only 12k words

🤯 What's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)?

I suck at writing battles, working on improving my smut skills though!

💔 Is there a fic of yours that broke your heart?

Yes, cried writing ode to my soulmate, Lost (cried a bunch on that one and ended up calling my cousin and we talked for a few hours because i miss him), then this one break up fic called RIP that i'm not sure how it's going to end, i usually write a happy ending but i might leave them broken up idk

💥 How do you feel about criticism?

I don't handle it well, i don't like it, it makes me not want to write even if it has good intentions, sometimes i'll read wips that stopped posting years ago, and i'll check out the comments on the last chapter and i'll see criticism and it pisses me off cause i think, 'hm did the author give up because of this shitty comment??'

🤭 Do you have a favorite tag to use when posting your works?

I am so bad at tagging, like minimal tagging, i tag triggers but the rest i suck at, i don't do any of the cutesy ones

🥰 How do you feel about reader interaction? Are you open to receiving questions about your fics?

Friends, romans, countrymen, lend me your ear, please do this. i will happily write out a writers commentary of my fics, or maybe if my voice wasn't so annoying i'd make a video with a dramatic reading and a dvd style commentary

[grim-echoes]

addictions being treated as quirky or not a big deal for certain things is how I got balls deep addicted to adderall before I realized it was fucking destroying my body and I had to wrench myself out of it 🫠 I was stupid, young, naive, not experienced with heavier substances and I just internalized how casual everyone is about it. It’s so dangerous fr

adderall/prescription medication addiction also kinda goes hand in hand with a thing i omitted from my post to keep it relatively short which is certain addictions being sensationalized as a usually right-wing fearmongering tactic for the purpose of demonizing the source--i have friends with adhd who use prescription adderall to manage their symptoms who have found it harder in some cases to access refills due to its stock being limited to only certain locations as an attempt to combat adderall addiction out of a belief that the medication itself is bad, despite the fact that 1. most people who pop adderall like candy do not need it for medication and are not getting it through a prescription, they're getting it through a dealer and 2. you can be prescribed too much and need a lowered dosage. i'm not sure how you got hooked, so i won't jump to conclusions--but the fact remains is that the medication itself is not the issue, but the US in particular has consistently been fucking terrible about effectively tackling drug addiction so it really tracks that the throughline here is "medication bad" which makes it much harder for people with adhd to access it, and doesn't stop people who are addicted from accessing it elsewhere and continuing to be addicted. anything taken in excess is bad--it's just that adderall is the current hot button topic, and not for any good reason.

video games are in the same category where gaming addiction only exists in the public consciousness because of its association with "video games turn you into a violent mass shooter", which has and always will be a right wing facade alongside demonizing mental illness to ignore the issue of gun accessibility and the rise of fascism contributing to a culture of gun violence, but i digress. it's not that video game addiction is its own issue and that a lot of mobile-oriented and AAA companies employ practices that are intentionally designed to cultivate a dependent relationship between the player and the game that needs continued attention--it's that it's convenient to know is a thing because it suits a conservative agenda and because addictions like this aren't very well heavily talked about outside of these very narrow, unhelpful contexts, a lot of people both don't realize they're addicted and can't get help, and don't even know that you can be addicted to anything that isn't a hard substance.

this might have been a bit of an aside from the point of your ask anon, i definitely went on a huge tangent, so i will add to loop back around that for addictions being treated casually it was part of the reason i never realized i had a caffeine addiction until my first sudden, unprompted panic attack and subsequent discovery that dependency can cause literally every single symptom i would go on to experience and more. there's a very casual, nonchalant attitude about coffee in our culture and having actually experienced the worst of it and continuing to see so many people around me (immediate family included) who are completely unaware they're addicted and don't link their health issues to their overconsumption, i get more than a little upset about the idea of being a "coffee fiend" or needing coffee just to maintain basic alertness being portrayed as a quirky character trait rather than an actually fucking horrifying sign that your health is in jeopardy and you won't ever know because NOBODY talks about it.

[glitchkilldelphinixdj]

Mild Discourse: Of All the Things (Thesis of Anger)

Foreward: This is usually to point out discrepancies of what some things were called out to me by a different individual whose name shall not be stated upon this. This was nearly a month ago when this shit ass "barring" happened to me on three places on a famous app which I will never mention also. I had cried in frustration upon after this shit issue.

I will only mention what the discrepancies are, since I have been noticing after screenshotting of the reasons I saw, were either a bit correct at some parts or incorrect. I'm not gonna show the screenshot either since it's best to not get any criticism. I will point out my own truth in reaction to the statements seen in the screenshot privately. Each one quoted sentence is of the said problematic thing about me, and the paragraph is how I am actually answering and reacting to the said problem as honest and fair as possible.

1 "My family is on the spectrum and doesn't act like you."

That's one thing that infuriated me the most because I am a high func autie with ADHD, but each individual with autism with and/or without comorbidities has a different personality and family background, depending on where they're from. I came from a family who had a military background, specifically the Greek Navy from my dad, plus my maternal grandfather worked as a naval CB in Korea during the Cold War for the United States, prior to his death in Janurary 2019. This sometimes explain my rough, coarse, militaristic personality (henceforth why Heavenly/Monster Triangle Sciences exist and Hellspire Sciences exist, two different military factions) a bit. Plus, being in a rural community in the Southeast United States, there's not much opportunity to socialize in real life, so I pretty much veer to the Internet for socialization since there's not many local individuals who I trust.

2 "You are self-serving and arrogant"

The only times I get into self-reliance is when stuff goes into dire situations. The arrogance is from all the bullies I had encountered in the past in school times when I was a kid. I had tried to play nice with others at least and try to thicken the plot of the HTS and HSS factions during my times here, henceforth a little of the militaristic behavior I have involving order. I also pretty much had faked some of my happiness or empathy because I am trying not to put in any facade of sadness within. I somehow come up obnoxious and rude at times because I'm trying to be nice, but it goes the opposite direction of what is intended.

3 "You need to see a therapist."

Not when the 'Rona is around. The only last time I ever saw a therapist was in Georgetown of last year in Spring once over to see what I have: Autism with ADHD and some instances of paranoia. Only people who have very serious problems would usually seek therapeutic help and interventions to improve themselves and I am not one of those individuals. I've only been to speech and occupational therapy in school as a kid until I was 12, so don't assume things out of the blue that I haven't even been to a therapist. I've taken Adderall to relieve of my ADHD issues before in school, but it made my mentality so fucked up and losing my creativity, so post-school, I had to find ways to regain my creativity where I lost it in school. That's why I made a lot more OCs than what others usually made because my creativity levels amped up after I graduated from high school, away from the bad chaos, some of them were remakes of my old OCs I did in middle school (Jamine being one of my bare examples), but the Adderall overtook me of my creativity.

4 "Why would a couple of characters do self-harm on a budding f/f relationship?" (trigger warning)

Do you mean that budding m/m relationship of two different male characters, the self destructive behavior clinged by it involving with the use my two female OCs, Munphine and Jamine (pronounced Juh-mine, Jamie for short)? Listen here, I already had pretty much stopped that shit a few weeks prior to the barring and several weeks after the barring cos it was getting a bit too boring and a bit out of context, so that shit is quitted out. Both these characters had bits of dark backgrounds, pretty much involving both of their families (Jamie, involved with the death of her father and also her mother Ryuke being buried alive in a metal coffin, Munphine, whose parents whose faces were beautiful had shamed her for having an ugly facial appearance and kicked her from her town, so to cover her mouth from others to see, she uses bandages to cope that.), in general. Or do you mean the one involving my stable B8 Ghost Variant Yellow Missingno OC, Vesparada, and some other female character a few months ago? If it's already stopped weeks and/or months ago, it's already stopped. Period.

5 "You bragged about treatment of a physical problem I had."

What I was meant to say was that a medicine is suppose to help the problem, not actually treat it altogether, though with some side effects. It was an unintentionally misspoken statement, because my mind was in dire thought mode and accidentally typed too fast. I shouldn't have stated about a said medicine in the first place. I wished I thought and knew better about that. I'll leave that behind.

6 "You had guilt tripped in someone's place multiple times."

Most of the guilt tripping was unintentional at most because it's either me trying to come up with at least a statement/sentence and/or if it was a dire situation involving a decision. Some auties, like me, do have some problems making decisions, and at times, I unintentionally chose the wrong decision without thinking twice, though I do mostly think twice before I speak at some non-dire times. Sometimes I usually am impatient to my peers because I'm just excited over certain fun things coming up within my sight. I mostly never intentionally guilt tripped, lest if it's anyone I hate to be fair. I do have occasional preconditions that sometimes come in also.

7 "You had shrugged shoulders on a relationship with two different individuals."

This is me after being told at to stop and the mild shrugging of my shoulders is usually saying a way of, "Okay, I will stop digging into the nitty gritty of a certain relationship and let them do their thing." , as per se. By the words of ebony and ivory, that means I drop my guard of thought and accept it. It's been hard and rough for me to have at least a bit of attention during an RP story. I know that was nearly a couple months ago and it's best not to bring that up, since that is just an old thing. I'm a person whom does go by the cross a bit, being Greek Orthodox and all, but I'm trying my best not to scare anyone from advancing their creativity.

8 "You have been playing around with a victim."

Could you at least please elaborate this said victim and who it was? I didn't know I ever even played around with a victim nor I would recall it. It would be better for me to acknowledge who it is. I cannot fully understand certain things sometimes, lest if it's fully elaborated and stated to me. Who was this victim and how long? That's one thing that I am asking of.

Conclusion: Here on out, after the barring, I have been playing about in my garden, taking care of my own pets and whatnot to live my fullest life. It's been a bit of zen away of what happened. At least I am honestly covering what had been said and stated to me why have I been nixed from these places to others, and telling my actual side to what they had said with my utmost, undivided attention. I pretty much rest my case what I am telling my side of the actual allegations against me. There is no cover-ups or lies whatsoever of what had I said. I am literally straight-up speaking this in my own words. This ends the conclusion.

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

oh gosh. oh gosh. I've been thinking about getting evaluated for ADD/ADHD myself recently but I'm scared & anxious. I don't know who to go to - is any regular psychiatrist/psychologist ok or would I need to find one who specializes?? What if I'm diagnosed but they can't do anything about it?? What if I'm MISdiagnosed so they can make money?? What if they tell me I'm just an attention-seeking narcissist and there's nothing wrong with me at all?? 1/2

All I can share is my experience, which is unique to a) me, b) my area, and c) my country’s healthcare system. I mentioned my frustrations with my concentration/focus (or lack thereof) with my primary care physician-- the person who does my annual check ups. They should be your first stop, if you’re in the American healthcare system, as insurance companies often require referrals for specialist appointments, and even if you aren’t in the American healthcare system, your PCP should be able to point you in the right direction of where to go next. 

I have a really great relationship with mine-- she’s been treating me for my entire adult life. She referred me to a neurologist for ADD/ADHD evaluation. When I arrived, the cute intake girl asked me a shit ton of questions about my symptoms. And in talking to her it really hit home how much and how long I’ve been struggling. 

And the neurologist took one look at my intake form and said “you definitely hit the markers for ADD.” (and maybe adhd? It kinda blurred at that point, because ha-hey guess who’s having focus/attention issues?)

Next step? Medication.

Medication is where the stigma kicks in again. Picture this: I am at the neurologist looking for help. There is literally no other reason for me to be there. I am struggling, I need help, and still-- STILL-- when he mentioned Aderall my brain and my heart immediately wanted to bolt. Like, what the hell else did you think he was going to suggest, numbskull? 

So next steps are getting a brain scan/EEG, to make sure I don’t have any other brain issues they need to worry about, and then I’m starting a low dose of Adderall, which is faster acting than some of the other options. By the neurologist’s words, I could be seeing improvement by the end of next week.

Your questions in your first ask are all anxiety, plain and simple (and guess how ADD can sometimes present in adult women? Ding ding ding! Anxiety). 

A specialist will be the best person to help you, so even if they can’t a) they may at least be able to tell you what it isn’t, b) can point you in a new direction, and c) at least you’re taking steps to help yourself-- which is huge. 

Lately I’ve come to suspect that the school fear about “overmedication” is an early split from what eventually became the anti-vaxxer movement, and fuck those guys. And keep in mind-- our conversation here is not about the virtues of forcing kids to sit still in a classroom for 7-8 hours a day, and the need for medication to help them do so. We are adults, struggling to exist as adults. If there is a tool out there to help us function more easily, we are entitled to use it, just as we are entitled to use anti-depressants or pain-relief.

(And PS if you’re wondering if you’re an attention-seeking narcissist, you’re not a narcissist, because narcissists don’t think about that sort of thing. I’ve had similar concerns seeking therapy and that came straight from my therapist’s mouth, so)

If you do seek help for it, I can warn you right now that it’s going to be a mixed bag of emotions. Yes, it’s a relief, to have a name and reason for why you/your brain does X, but at the same time? I had a cry session last night because if the diagnosis is correct, then-- I’ve been fighting it for twenty-plus years. Twenty years where my potential has been throttled by a condition I wasn’t aware of. Twenty years I’ll never get back.

 And that’s heartbreaking.

The one thing about my appointment with the neurologist that sticks in my craw is something he asked me towards the end as we were wrapping up. He asked me “Why did you wait so long to get help?”

He meant it good-naturedly, and I was still reeling and dealing with the anxiety of everything suddenly happening quickly, so I didn’t claw his eyes out right then and there. But it still rankles even now. 

I’m sorry, how in the world was I supposed to know that my wandering brain and hyperfixation on writing and skating (the only two activities in my life I can focus on with zero distraction), wasn’t NORMAL? My doctor asks for my weight every goddamn visit but at no point has she ever asked me how my focus is. No one ever asked me how many times I need to go back to my apartment in the morning to get the keys/sunglasses/breakfast I keep forgetting. 

No one ever asked me how many times a week I forget my wallet in my other bag. Until my visit yesterday, no one ever asked me how often I talk over someone before they’re finished speaking, or finish their sentences for them. No one ever asked whether I fidget in meetings or if I can hold a goddamn conversation without my brain spooling out to think about that one story/movie/figure skating program/”if I have my protein bar early and skip the late session at the rink I can go to that one place I like for dinner tonight I think I’ll get the fish”.

So, someone please tell me how I was supposed to recognize any of this as not normal.

Long story short, here’s my takeaway: If you are struggling with anything that impairs your ability to function on a basic level, you deserve to seek treatment. If you read something online about a condition that rings true to you and your experience, you have every right to mention it to your doctor.

You deserve to live at your full potential.

[vantasticmess]

thanks for your post about adhd. it got me thinking, especially the last bullet point about feeling like you don't have adhd and shouldn't take pills for laziness. i used to take meds but stopped bc of that reason, but it would be good for me to look into.

I’m glad it helped you!

I’m still not fully diagnosed - I have a ‘likely has ADHD’ assessment from a psychiatry office and they allowed me to go on meds as a result. now I take a combination of IR and XR Adderall.

Before I went for an assessment and medical help, what I kept telling everyone - my boss, myself, my friends - was ‘I just need to try harder.’ But trying harder wasn’t doing anything for me. I wasn’t getting any better at doing my work or completing tasks at home. What finally pushed me to go was getting in probationary trouble with my job for not getting my work done, because what hit me was that I wasn’t lazy. I wanted to be doing my work while at work! But I struggled to do my work because my brain found literally anything else more engaging, and I couldn’t stop it no matter how hard I tried.

So the meds help me get back some measure of that control.  But the psychiatry office also requires that I take a cognitive behavior therapy course because while the meds alone lessen the mental work involved in choosing where my attention is focused, I need mental discipline to help me get the rest of the way to where I want to be, you know? (I’ve only recently realized that I lack that discipline because after failing out of college, I largely gave up trying to concentrate on things against my brain’s inclinations. I learned to be helpless in the face of my attention issues. And that’s not lazy either - that’s fatigue.)

I still use techniques like setting timers, but where I used to ignore the the timer going off, I can switch tasks and pick up where I left off more easily.  For me, the meds are a useful tool in combination with therapy improving how I think.

All that said: I know there’s lots of people who have ADHD who don’t use meds at all for a lot of reasons and do just fine. It’s all a matter of what’s best for you, imho! But I’m glad my post could help you stop feeling like taking adhd meds is just medicating laziness.

[copperbadge]

I'm here! Well, I mean, I've been here for several hours at this point, but I've reached my lodgings and settled in. I hung up the next few days' worth of clothes, put my toiletries in the bathroom, took a shower, and am now running today's (which are also yesterday's) clothes through the small washer-dryer. We'll see if it actually dries them; if not at least I'm not doing this the hour before packing for Paris.

Went to Sainsbury's. You guys are not gonna believe the shit I found, but it's going to have to wait until my phone charges.

There have been a few hiccups on the road; the main one is that due to a complicated series of events, I have two USB ports I can charge all my gear from when I really could use four, and I'm not sure if I'll even have those two available once I leave London. I'm just going to have to be a little measured with my power use until I have more intel. In any case, most trains these days seem to have USB ports, so I'll just plug in whenever I can. As long as the phone stays charged I should be fine, and I can charge it like four times on my backup battery before the backup bites it.

Overall, despite Heathrow being a nightmare, it was a pleasant day -- I checked my luggage at the Tate Modern, did a loop of it, then went off to Pick & Cheese, the conveyor belt restaurant. I wanted one of everything but I know me, so I limited myself to three plates, which was enough to fill me up, although I imagine I'm going to have a snack before bed. (Hence Sainsbury's.) It was really, really good cheese and pairings, but I'm sure part of it was also that I hadn't had a real meal in roughly eighteen hours. The dinner they served on the flight was absolutely inedible; I had three or four protein/granola bars and a cup of Chobani, but that was pretty much it. It's fine -- Adderall is an appetite suppressant and normally it doesn't affect me because I'm home all day and like to eat, but actual hunger isn't an issue and as long as I make sure I get some calories in my face every few hours, blood sugar wasn't either. This is why I brought a literal dozen protein bars.

Still nice to sit somewhere and eat what amounted to a big plate of protein and sugar.

Everyone I've interacted with has been super nice, too -- people don't know how to walk on the sidewalk, which my midwestern-transplant soul found almost actively rude, but I chalked it up to tourists the same way we do back home. All the "staff" I've dealt with -- airport attendants, train officials, waitstaff, museum staff, the guy at Sainsbury's -- have been super nice. It reminds me that some cities actually want to be tourist cities, unlike Chicago, which begrudgingly admits we need tourists but really would rather they all die horribly. There's being a good customer service staffer and then there's actually being a nice person and I think most of the folks I dealt with are the latter.

Tomorrow I go to the British Museum, and I'm kind of glad that mudlarking fell through, because I feel like I definitely am going to need the morning to do a little recovering from all the walking. I'm going to ice my feet tonight and that should help.

So yes, here I am, in the new time zone, plotting a heist getting ready for tomorrow. I've successfully taken several different trains and a bus, and I know at least two of my payment cards work overseas plus my phone, so all of the major problems I anticipated are non-problems in the end.

I'm hoping tomorrow morning to go back over my posts and add anything that's needed and maybe post a few more photos from today, but we'll see. I have no idea what time I'll wake up tomorrow if I go to bed in the next half hour. Exciting to find out!

[theshakespeareandragon]

I'm not really a mutual but I follow the ADHD tag on here so Tumblr recommended the post. Hope it's okay if I chime in. I'm a woman and just got diagnosed with ADHD at 25. I was previously diagnosed with depression, which likely was in part a result of the whole undiagnosed ADHD thing.

For me what was the most noticeable thing was that I would want to do things, and just...couldn't. I'd sit for hours thinking about how I need to get up and do this really important thing and I just couldn't force myself to move. I'd spend hours scrolling through social media, being consciously aware that it wasn't bringing me any enjoyment and still unable to stop. It got really obvious when it started impacting my work after 2020 removed all structure from my life.

A lot of the other symptoms I didn't recognize until my bf (who I was telling to go get assessed for ADHD) pointed out half a dozen things I do that are very ADHD. And I didn't really realize how much it affected my life and how many areas of my life it did affect until I got on medication. Once I got a glimpse of what everyone else's brains are apparently doing I started to notice things like the time blindness, working memory issues, etc.

Part of why I wanted to chime in is also because of what you said about medication. I also come from a family with a long history of addiction. It's part of why I did so much research on ADHD meds when I started taking them. And I'm hoping some of the info I found might be helpful.

First thing that's good to be aware of is that having ADHD puts you at a greater risk of developing substance abuse issues. However, this applies mainly to people whose ADHD is undiagnosed and/or untreated. It has a lot to do with the fact that we - people with ADHD that is - have brains that are honestly kinda shit at figuring out how to handle dopamine as well as the whole reduced/nonexistent impulse control thing that comes with ADHD. It also makes me wonder how many of my relatives who developed addiction issues may have been unwittingly self medicating for ADHD, but that's a question I'll likely never get answered.

The other important thing to note is that while adderall and other stimulant meds are frequently spoken about in very scary ways (calling it legal speed, treating it like it's as addictive as meth or something) the reality is almost the opposite. Adderall has actually proven to reduce an ADHD person's chances of developing an addiction. This isn't just one study either, it's many many studies. It's also been shown in some studies to reduce the risk even after the participants stopped taking the medication. Multiple studies also show that if you're taking adderall at the prescribed dose and via the method you're supposed to (aka not snorting it and just taking it orally like a normal person) it's actually very unlikely that you'll become addicted.

Also adderall just doesn't do shit for you if you don't have ADHD idk who started this study drug nonsense but science says you're wrong

So yeah, idk I hope that might help in some way. Brain exe has stopped working and I don't know how to end this little info dump. I just hope it's of some use and also that I'm not just telling you stuff you already know.

I need some help

Have any of my female mutuals been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD after the age of 18?

If so, how did it present for you?

I’m learning some things, thanks to TikTok and internet searches and I’m starting to wonder if I might not be neurodivergent on top of my rampant anxiety…so I’d be interested in hearing your experiences.

Please feel free to private message me if you aren’t comfortable sharing in this post. I have a follow up doctors visit coming up in a few weeks and I’m debating whether or not I need to have a conversation with her about getting tested.

I have a lot of the hallmarks and symptoms I’m reading/hearing about…(hyperfixation, emotional regulation, inability to stick to a routine, lack of motivation, feeling easily overwhelmed, etc.) but I’m scared of being on medication. I’ve never wanted to be reliant on any kind of medication because I have fears surrounding addiction, coming from a family of addicts.

But I think it might help me to hear from some of my tribe.

Thanks in advance.

[copperbadge]

hi, I just came across your grocery post on how your ADHD task coping mechanisms don’t align with performing the task while medicated. Do you have any thoughts/advice for adjusting to doing work/job tasks when your previous coping mechanisms don’t work while medicated? As someone who was diagnosed after I finished undergrad, my coping mechanisms for finishing schoolwork tasks are to intentionally trigger RSD to trick my brain into making the consequence of failing the task greater than my executive dysfunction. This is 1) not healthy for me and 2) difficult because Adderall softens my RSD and emotional dysregulation. So where unmedicated I would panic and make an entire presentation the night before it was due, my medicated self sits there anxious the night before my work presentation but still incapable of starting the work. I’d love to hear your ideas on this if you have a moment (no worries if not, have a great day either way)

I hope it's okay I posted this! My readership may also be able to offer suggestions. (Readers, remember to comment or reblog, as I don't post asks sent in response to other asks!)

So, as the kids say there's a bit to unpack here...I do have some coping mechanisms to offer, although I have a strong policy of "do what works for you" so if these aren't helpful, please don't feel as if you've somehow failed -- these are just what works for me. If they don't work for you, that may be a good jumping-off point for thinking about what would, but they simply won’t work for everyone. 

First, I want to say that while I'm not a psychiatrist or a doctor, it sounds like it's possibly an issue with the medication. If it's working well enough to help with your RSD but not well enough to help with the action paralysis you're describing, it could be you're on the wrong medication or the wrong dosage of it. So above all I would strongly recommend talking about this with your prescriber to see what they say. This may be as simple as a tweak to your prescription. My psych has me on 10mg immediate release at 8am and 1pm, but after discussing the rhythm of my day he has also given me permission to occasionally take 20mg at 8 and no second dose. 20mg is an option if I’m tired or struggling and gives me a little extra push to get stuff started and/or completed, and it helps a great deal, but it’s not always needed. 

As for solutions to the actual issue...so, I know that with ADHD it's often the case that once you start something, you may be able to focus deeply on it and bang it out very quickly, like you have been doing. Also can I say, using the RSD to kickstart the executive function is a wonderfully imaginative workaround but sounds super unpleasant to do, so I'm sorry you've had to do that. Anyway, I think people who are capable of doing this, of kicking into action and completing a very complicated task all at once, tend to think that's the only possible way to do it, because it’s the only way that has worked in the past. So I have two suggestions.

The first is to try and reframe the project as something you can work on before the last minute, now that you have medication helping your executive function along. You can try, for example, saying “I’d like to get some work done on this thing that’s due a week from now” and just see how far you get. This can be tricky and can lead to a lot of guilt if you can’t manage it, which I want to stress a lot of people can’t. But if you are capable of saying to yourself “I’m just going to work on this a little”, every time you do that, it gets slightly easier because you know you’re not starting from the beginning. I have sometimes set alarms to be like “Okay, I’ll take my meds at 9:30. At 10am, as they’re kicking in, the alarm will go off and I’ll work on the project a bit.” It could be that you are now capable of spreading the work out over time, but you haven’t been doing that simply because you’re so accustomed to being unable to. 

In some sense it’s a matter of identifying what the medication does for you and adjusting that to help you in your life. ADHD meds can have varying effects -- they can help you start stuff, they can help you focus, they can keep you from running around full of excess energy, but they don’t always do everything for every person. So if you know that your meds help you focus but don’t necessarily help you start on something, maybe you need someone to body-mirror you to help get started. If the meds calm you down, maybe use the calm time to set up your workspace and arrange everything so that it’s easier to get started later. Identify the changes the meds make and try to strategize around those changes. Like how without meds at the grocery store I have trouble finding things, whereas with meds I tend to get stalled out taking in all the information. So maybe I need to be at the tail end of a dosage period when I go, or maybe I need to make a list that includes BRANDS so that I’m not label-comparing, and tell myself I will not browse. Or give myself extra time so I can do those things! 

The second suggestion may be more helpful, but it too involves doing preliminary work early on. This is one I do when I have something I’m not feeling confident about, but you can do it about anything even if you WANT to do it but can’t seem to get going. 

As early as you can, set up some time to sit down and make a list of all the granular parts of a project, rather than doing the project itself. This isn't universal, some people stress out about lists, but it can ease the path towards starting if you think you don't have to do "a project" all at once. If you're making a power point presentation, your list may be something like

Open Powerpoint. Open prompt for presentation. Open research website or get out research books. Read research (just one!). Read research (another). Repeat until finished. Review and develop ideas for the presentation. Make an outline for what the presentation should be. Pick out a template for the slides. Begin entering text into slides.

Et cetera. I've found, and you may too, that once you've started making the list, or once you've gotten to step 3 or 4 of actually doing the list, you're on a roll and the rest comes naturally. Like, I can't do this fucking project! But....well, okay, I am capable of just....opening powerpoint. And once I've done that I can start knocking down the rest, a little at a time. I think it is very hard for people with ADHD to learn how to segment out work that they feel “goes together” over time, like we are always under the impression we have to do The Whole Thing Right Now. Learning to orchestrate smaller steps, with the help of medication, is one way to spread the work out. 

But yeah -- all of this is predicated on the idea that the medication can help you get started and focus enough to keep going. If it can’t do that, then the problem is not with you but with your meds. Learning how to observe your medications’ effects, and learning how to use those to your advantage, will be more helpful than any tips or tricks I can provide, in any case, but making sure they’re actually doing the job is first and foremost.