100 Days of Writing – Day Twenty

Adventures in Living: Trying to treat ADD with meds, while at the same time, quit smoking – Day Three

Yesterday was my third day of taking stimulant medication to try to get a better handle on my ADD. I would also like to say I still have in mind to quit smoking, but didn’t take much effort on that front. Honesty is the best policy.

I took my meds at 9 a.m. yesterday morning. I’ve been trying to pay attention to what time I take it to see if any particular time works best. I am able to say I saw better focus a short while after taking the dose. I also noticed a dry mouth throughout the day and have read that’s one of the expected side effects.

I did start getting somewhat tired mid-afternoon, but fought the urge to take a nap. My wife and I did spend quite a bit of time on the go for most of the day and the heat I think took a toll on my energy level as well.

The biggest difference I saw on this day as compared to the first two days on meds was the tiredness I experienced at the end of the day. It was difficult to stay awake until my usual bedtime and when I did finally go to bed, getting to sleep occurred quickly. I woke up this morning at 5 a.m. and found it difficult to get back to sleep. That’s pretty much par for the course for me though. My mind starts to spinning with 1001 thoughts and it’s hard to get that from continuing.

My wife did find a program about ADHD and its treatments on Amazon video and we watched that. It was interesting to see how people, mainly children, had started on meds and how it affected their daily lives. It was also enlightening to see how many public figures there are who have had much success in life who also either have ADD or ADHD.

So the journey continues today. Smoking cessation has not occurred today and I’m contemplating when to take my medication today. I’m on my second cup of coffee and I know it acts as a stimulant and that has helped me get a bit more organized with my thoughts.