Hi Keith,

The paralysis can be from the medication lack of. Or it could just be from
getting overwhelmed, But the overwhelmed state should diminish as you get
your balance back. I can be at the checkout counter and the clerk is talking
to me and people are talking behind me, and there is a baby crying, and I
keep asking the clerk what she said. After the 3rd time, I stop, rethink,
and realize that my meds just wore off and I am getting overwhelmed because
I have lost my filters. The filters reside in the Amygdala and they are
activated my ADD medication. Once active, they quiet things down because the
meds are bringing you filters on line, so to speak. The short acting stuff
last 3 to 5 hours, depending on you. It last 3 hours for me and a lot of
people I know. The longer acting ones 6 - 8 hours Adderall or Ritalin LA for
example.

Drugs that do not work, but, inexperienced physicians will try them be cause
they are easier to prescribe, Strattera and Wellbutrin. The ADD meds are an
administrative hassle for the physician because they can only write on 30
day supply, hard copy, per month. There are no refills. This has to do with
our society abusing this area of medication. I do not wish to create
nightmares for you, but you should have a heads up on what is affecting some
of the recommendations.

I got overwhelmed working this last weekend because the TV was on, people
were talking and all of a sudden my meds ran out. I either had to stop what
I was doing, because I could not figure anything out at that point, or I
would take a short acting med (3hours). I chose to take the 3 hour med. I
sleep quite well if I take my meds. It does not give me a boost at all. Many
I talk to sometimes have to take an occasional med to sleep, because their
mind is going 2,000 miles and hour and it shuts up their brain if they take
a med.

Sleep problems are routine with ADD. Whether medicated or not. Be careful to
be clear to your Dr which is causing it. There is a good book out there,
Delivered from Distraction, by Dr Hallowell, where he describes the ADD
brain as many times faster than a normal brain. The only problem is, the
thoughts are too quick and too many to be able to use them some of the time.
"Maserati brain with Chevrolet brakes". I would highly recommend the book.

Hallowell also recommends to quit trying to shore up your weaknesses and
concentrate on your strengths and/or what you truly want. This is a tough
one because our society indoctrinates people into focusing on their
weaknesses and correcting them. If you fix, or slightly alter your
weaknesses, so what! Now what? If you play to your strengths and look for
opportunities to do so, you catapult to your strengths and what you want. A
good book on this one is "Go put your strengths to work", by Marcus
Buckingham.

That is it, 2 books. And get the matching CDs for both.

Hallowell will point out that ADDers have a hard time finishing books. I do.
And he recommends the books on tape to help with that. I own both these
books on tape and on CD. I use both. And it has helped me move forward and
get through the material more quickly.

Final word, ADD, don't ask, don't tell. The misconceptions on what ADD is,
out there, is infinite. You do not have the time to educate the world on
what it is. But, if you tell someone that you are dependent on for a job or
for networking, you will never know when you have just shot yourself in your
foot. ADD is actually a gift of creative free thinking. But, we live in a
linear world. School are based on linear models. Bosses are usually linear.
If you get reviewed, what gets the most time, your accomplishments or your
deficits? What did your parents and school focus on, you As or your Fs.

Ok this is too much for one email. I hope it helps. Strive to be happy.
Screw people that want you to be down or who want to tear you down because
any part of your character. Everyone is different.

Good Luck,

Tom P

-----Original Message-----
From: Keith Halverson [mailto:halve31@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 9:03 AM
To: tjp@ameritech.net
Subject: Re:New memeber

Hey Tom,
Thanks for your advice and all your help. Yes , I am
already in the process of medication evaluation and
therapy. It will take time to get it all right
however. I admit everything has started to come to me
as to how ADD has affected me thoughout my life! I
have also started to look at and blame evrything on
ADD and I can see what you mean.

Question, How do you deal with times where you are
paralyzed with all the task at work and therefore get
nothing done or do something totally unrelated? I am
sure the meds will help me through this.

Thanks again!

Keith