WxFisch

I never did great in school, I’d ace tests but just not do homework so my grades were middling at best. I did much better at my undergrad but mostly because I loved my major so much. It was like being able to dive into that ADHD rabbit hole every day and still be productive. It was hard so I didn’t do phenomenal, but I did well. All this to say I wasn’t “having trouble” so never got evaluated as a kid.

Fast forward though an online masters I got straight A’s in, and the beginnings of a successful career, I just assumed I was lazy and a bit apathetic. As I got into my early thirties though I started seeing more videos and blog posts about young adults getting diagnosed with ADHD and everyone sounded like how I experience the world. I just couldn’t really ignore it.

I started having trouble with work, I was missing due dates, forgetting to sign documents I’d reviewed, and just generally missing details and falling behind and I hated it! I ended up somehow aiming my rabbit hole cannon one day at finding a psychologist to get evaluated and scheduled an appointment for something like three months out.

Long story short I have moderate combined type ADHD which explains most of my struggles as a kid, am now on atomoxetine and things have gotten better. Took until my mid thirties but better late than never.

This is exactly how I describe being on atomoxetine to my friends and family. It’s not a magic moment of clarity, it just takes the edge off of my need to dive down every rabbit hole I see. I can still do that of course (and sometimes it still happens when I should be doing something else) but on the whole it’s easier to pull myself out of the distraction spiral before it becomes too bad.