13th March 2008
[QUOTE=bepersistent;3481505]Questions...
Do the affects of the medication continue to improve? Does the brain learn to heal and rewire itself; does it produce those chemicals with regularity overtime on its own?
bepersistent,
I have heard different stories about whether the brain can learn to heal and rewire itself. My feeling is that, with practice (lots and lots of practice!), we cartainly can learn new habits, including thinking patterns. Here in Germany, where I live, the general assumption is that with a lot of help and guidance and sometimes with meds, most children outgrow their ADD, and no longer need meds as adults. Or so they say. As I didn't figure out that I have ADD until middle age, and I didn't grow up in Germany, I certainly didn't have the benefit of the German school and medical system. So when I presented to the medical establishment that I wanted to try Ritalin, as it had helped me when I lived in the U.S., they mostly just looked blankly at me and had no idea what to do. It took a long time for me to find a doctor who was willing to prescribe (generic) Ritalin for me, and I am amazed that he has simply left me to my own devices for the last 8 months or so that I have been taking it.
In short, I am left to myself to learn new patterns while I am on the meds. But even as I know that the meds all by themselves don't make me start and finish tasks and organize my life, I also know that without them I haven't a chance right now. So what I am trying to do is learn at least a few organizational skills (hahahaha!!!) and hope that with practice these skills become easier even on days when I don't take my meds. As lots of people here post, I would love to say that someday I can do without the meds. Addprogrammer alludes to finding that sometimes on some days when the wind is blowing right and the stars are in allignment and mercury is not in retrograde, he can function easier for a day without the meds than he was able to do before he got diagnosed and prescribed.
Yes, I think that the brain can be rewired. But it takes a lot of work on our part. The meds are not a magical solution.
--Rheanna
Do the affects of the medication continue to improve? Does the brain learn to heal and rewire itself; does it produce those chemicals with regularity overtime on its own?
bepersistent,
I have heard different stories about whether the brain can learn to heal and rewire itself. My feeling is that, with practice (lots and lots of practice!), we cartainly can learn new habits, including thinking patterns. Here in Germany, where I live, the general assumption is that with a lot of help and guidance and sometimes with meds, most children outgrow their ADD, and no longer need meds as adults. Or so they say. As I didn't figure out that I have ADD until middle age, and I didn't grow up in Germany, I certainly didn't have the benefit of the German school and medical system. So when I presented to the medical establishment that I wanted to try Ritalin, as it had helped me when I lived in the U.S., they mostly just looked blankly at me and had no idea what to do. It took a long time for me to find a doctor who was willing to prescribe (generic) Ritalin for me, and I am amazed that he has simply left me to my own devices for the last 8 months or so that I have been taking it.
In short, I am left to myself to learn new patterns while I am on the meds. But even as I know that the meds all by themselves don't make me start and finish tasks and organize my life, I also know that without them I haven't a chance right now. So what I am trying to do is learn at least a few organizational skills (hahahaha!!!) and hope that with practice these skills become easier even on days when I don't take my meds. As lots of people here post, I would love to say that someday I can do without the meds. Addprogrammer alludes to finding that sometimes on some days when the wind is blowing right and the stars are in allignment and mercury is not in retrograde, he can function easier for a day without the meds than he was able to do before he got diagnosed and prescribed.
Yes, I think that the brain can be rewired. But it takes a lot of work on our part. The meds are not a magical solution.
--Rheanna