[nivekastoreth]

I went through this myself a couple of years ago. I had managed to make it all the way through school but once I entered professional life, I realized that people actually had conversations that I couldn't keep focused for. Using urgency to complete projects no longer worked with the time frames I was looking at.

The best thing in the world I ever did was go see a psychiatrist to get tested to see if I was ADD. After the test came back positive, he prescribed meds, and after finding one that worked for me, I was simply blown away.

I never knew that you could actually think about one thing at a time before. I never really understood what it was to have a conversation and not be thinking about a billion things. I never, ever, knew what it meant to focus on something. It's entirely changed my world.

Wish you well my friend. At least go get tested. If you decide to take meds or follow some other avenue, it's better to know what you're working with.

[rtpg]

There's a stigma about the meds in a lot of places, but I still remember how much they helped me through middle school. I literally got math-related work done 10 times faster that way.

Unfortunately the stuff that worked for me (Adderall) is basically just meth, and I can't get a hold of it in Japan on account of it being illegal. I think it's not even very possible to get a hold of ADD-related meds outside of the US (France classifies it as a children's disorder, so after 18 tough luck).

[marshray]

Can we quit perpetuating this idea that prescription stimulant meds are "basically just meth"?

Different molecules, different delivery systems, different dosages, different therapeutic goals (euphoria not being one of them).

[GHFigs]

The extant differences are not universally thought to be so great as to warrant the dramatically greater public acceptance and promotion that prescription drugs receive in the US. This is not aided by the fact that methamphetamine is itself an FDA-approved treatment for ADHD (http://www.drugs.com/pro/desoxyn.html).

I would agree that "basically just meth" may not be the best way to say describe this, though, as it's only as true as saying they're entirely unlike meth.

[rtpg]

but adderall is meth

[marshray]

They are different drugs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adderall https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methamphetamine

[avenger123]

++plus for this.

I definitely agree that you should see a specialist. Please don't be reluctant about it.

The tests that are done to determine whether someone has these disorders are non-trivial and are accurate.

At your age, you decide what kind of treatment is best. You can definitely start with diet and move on to medication.