AS with ADD

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I have both although I don't know much as much about ADHD as I should.

I have both ADD and Asperger's Syndrome. I was originally diagnosed as ADD/ADHD.

I have an ADD inattentive with my AS.

Cheers guys/gals. How do these stimulants work then? What's stopping you from just taking cocaine, caffine, etc? What would be the difference? It seems a bit counter intuitive giving them such especially the hyperactive type. Why is it they say no fizzy drinks then? Or is that old. Tell me what is going on in the molecular level, I hate it when doctors patronise with a dumbed down version.

Aaron,

I was mistakenly diagnosed as hyperactive in kindergarten. I was a very high energy child, but also had an unlimited concentration span when it came to reading. I also used to be quite athletic as a child, although I'm not that way today. I am still very much a reader, however.

Well, IMO cocaine is too expensive, it's illegal, and it'll rot your nose and possibly kill you. Supposedly presc. stimulants are like a small dose of cocaine in pill form. Caffeine is harder on your body (in large doses) than a presc. stimulant, and you'd have to drink a whole lot of it in order to get the same effect. Before I started taking Ritalin I was drinking so much espresso that it was making me really sick, and it still didn't work well. I have no idea why stimulants have a calming effect on hyperactive ADHD; I honestly don't think the doctors even know why. It's something to do with increasing our domaine levels; with ADHD you don't have enough dopamine, or either your brain doesn't utilize it properly. I figured I'd go through the roof the first time I took one, but it did the exact opposite! I'm told that they can still make some people very nervous, even if they have ADHD. But they make me feel less nervous because I'm able to get my thoughts in order and not get so easily overwhelmed out in public, or irritated when I'm interrupted, etc. As for the fizzy drinks, I have no idea what's up with that! Never heard of that theory!

Part of the net effect of ADHD regardless be it inattentive and /or hyperactivitiness is
a certain part of your brain will be slower. It can even be detected on a EEG scan as theta brain waves (much slower than focus beta waves for example). Now this is caused by some difference is the brain. It could be less receptor density , difference receptor protein structure , etc. But drugs that can speed that part of the brain up will
tend to counter the condition known as "ADHD". Speeding up that part of the brain does tend to calm hypereactive people. The hyperactive nature of a person maybe merely to
try to naturally stimulate ones self.

I recently read that a diagnosis of ADD should prompt doctors to screen for Asperger's, as a hugely disproportionate number of ADHD patients have Asperger's.

Ritalin has been a great benefit to me. I wish I'd been diagnosed during college.

Yeah ADHD is 3-5% percent of the population and 0.7 % is estimated on the autism spectrum in the population. And seems atleast half the people here have ADHD from polls on personality type which put *N*P types highly associated with ADHD.

So that means up to 1/8 people that meet the critera for ADHD could easily meet the critera for AS.

I have ADHD/AS/CAPD. When I take stimulants, I tend to focus too much on something to my detriment. When I'm just being myself, I am really interested in something, when on stimulants, I'm REALLY REALLY REALLY interested in it.

Sort of turns into OCD with me...

Thanks I've never had EEGs only static MRI. Should I push for an activity MRI and EEG?

I was also mistakenly diagnosed as hyperactive as a child. And given some medication - I don't know what - that I think screwed me up even worse.

But I am very attention deficit. So I'm thinking definitely ADD and AS go together.

I drink some tea, I rarely drink coffee but when I do I have it strong (espresso). I'm not sure it made much difference to me. When I was in uni before I quit I drank red bull it actually made me so tired I slept for 2 days. I was pretty tired anyway, I just don't think it can make me energised. I guess it must be more targeted than that.

Yep that sounds good

I think they often, but not always, go together.

Anyone been told they have low potasium on numerous occations. I have been told this several times when I got ill. I wonderd if this is more of a genral difienciy or rare potassium diabetes. Once they said it was dangerously low did and ECG and I when on the drip as usual. Just that potassium is one of the main conductors of electricity in the body especial important for the heart and brain. Maybe that is causing the problem.