I don't think you should start any medications until you
a) exercise regularly
b) eat right
c) make sure you're getting enough sleep
d) don't drink or use drugs for at least 6 months
e) take a break from poker/gambling for a least 6 months
and see where you're at

^d should be get as involved in social groups as possible. Social interaction is vital for mental health

I've got a degree in psychology and you pretty much echoed exactly what I think about over the counter psychoactives. I hate seeing people take all these hardcore mind altering drugs thinking there is something inherently wrong with them, most of the time there isn't. Obviously some people can't cope no matter what, but these people are in the vast minority.

You mean I'm not lazy, stupid or crazy. Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo

Fwiw there are alternatives to the amphetamines.

http://tnation.t-nation.com/free_onl...BD-mcd02.hydra

You could try DMAE/centrophenoxine combined with a racetam. No side-effects as far as I know.

The link I refer to are 3 huge threads that will keep you busy for the next few weeks.

hit upswing or change game(s), forget bs.

This reminds me of my Hypothyroidism. I took a blood test and asked them to test my thyroid levels and the next thing I know I'm prescribed to take this stuff called Levothyroxine (a pill that artificially supplies me what my thyroid isn't producing enough of), but it doesn't heal my thyroid. IT MASKS THE REAL ISSUES GOING ON IN MY THYROID.

Adderall is a one-size-fits-all drug that masks your real issues too, like Levothyroxine.

p.s. I don't take my Levothyroxine. It's completely ILLOGICAL and is going to HURT YOU LONG TERM. There are natural solutions that make your body work the way it should

I wonder if the pharmaceutical company who sells the ADD meds made that list?

No such thing as ADD or 95%+ of so called "mental illnesses".
Time to man up and admit to yourself that you wanna be a drugy.
Don't make excuses.

It was mentioned itt that if you start reading about symptoms you'll recognize yourself in a huge amount of "disorders" heh.
Don't level yourself.

Lazyness happens when you lose motivation to better yourself or the lifes of people you care about.
That's where you need to look.
Motivate yourself by making a goal with clear plan and steps to get it done and start it up first thing in the morning.

Or you can go on a search for a miracle drug and become a junky while screwing your life even more, like most people.
Your choice.

I was diagnosed with ADD about 8 years ago. At first I was given many different pills and none of them worked well. Ritalin was okay, but gave me headaches, Adderall is just too powerful (it was also originally made as a diet pill, so it makes you ignore hunger and you wind up losing a ton of weight/muscle. There were also a ton of other undesirable side effects), and I was also given a pill called Stratera which takes about a month to work and actually made me go crazy for a week (I was not able to sleep at all, but instead I would lie in bed staring at the roof and have mild hallucinations). So after trying these pills I decided to try and tough it out and deal with being ADD on my own terms. After about 3 years of not taking pills I had decided to try them out again, but I would be much more wary of it all, and much less trusting of my therapist; I have been to about 4 or 5 different therapists/psychologists and they all try throwing drugs at the problem instead of looking for other possible solutions.

After trying different drugs I have settled upon Vyvanse. I like it a lot because while it gives me drive and focus, I can also take a nap while on the drug. I dont get headaches at the end of long sessions online, and I can actually remain still and quiet while on it (unlike many other pills where you just cant stfu when on them). This drug may not work out best for you, but if you do decide to take medication for ADD, I suggest trying this one out; Concerta is very similar to this pill as well. Also, I recomend not taking medication for too long of periods of time. Your body will build up immunities to it and eventually you will need to take more and more.

Hope this helps OP. FWIW I am similar to you in that I am NEVER late, and I manage my time very well, and I know how long things will take to do them...my problem is actually starting them, which the meds help with. For me, this pills arent causing me to focus more, they just give me a bit of extra energy to actually be more productive and hands on.

+1. I take Vyvanse for ADHD.

Just because someone has a particular mental illness does not mean there are not varying degrees. Mild to severe. Mental illness is very misunderstood & scrutinized in society. I should know as I have been diagnosed with ADHD & Bipolar Disorder. Just my thoughts.

Tried strattera, gave me awful stomach pains and just wasn't worth it. It is the only non-stimulant add med that I know of. adderall xr seems to work nice...
fwiw, I think the online poker population has a large percentage of ppl with add. Poker is the only job that could ever keep my interest ,dunno how i ever managed to finish college.

This subject is really fascinating, i am trying to discover a few things about what causes mania, and how to avoid these triggers, or deal with them better. Is it possible that a mental illness could make you play better poker, i really want to speak to those of you that have had the "best" of both worlds, and see this for what it is, how emotionally are you tied to poker? Need to really talk to someone that has experience with any of this, recognises the signs within themselves and how they go about dealing with this in a real sense.

Its been written by many academics that due to the "medicalisation of society" today that many people want to put down the things that make them different or suceed/fail down to an illness, disease, disorder etc so that it can be treated or so that it is just something inherent within them. It may be that you have an illness or it may just be that is the way you are.

For instance my friend is in some ways intelligent, but in some ways also very stupid like if he did an IQ test split into sections he would have very polarised scores in the different areas. This means that despite being clever enough to be at med school he does not pick certain things up quickly and is way behind many of his classmates in certain areas. Instead of accepting it was down to his intelligence he has tried to convince himself he is dyslexic and taken the test with (despite what he says) the intention of trying to fail. This is to convince both himself and other people that it is not because he is less clever than the other people, it is because he has a "condition"

Now im not saying that this is the case with you im not a doctor, only medical help can truly tell you if you have it. But just because we all have little differences or similarities and habits down to out environment and dna does not mean that they are all attributable to conditions.

"Delivered From Distraction" is great book. Checkout audiobook version.

This is ignorance. I've never had an official diagnosis of ADD. I'm not an expert. ADD as stated may not "exist" or be over diagnosed. What I do know is my brain does not function like others. People have called me stupid, lazy, "scatter-brained" (favorite of the folks), etc etc.

My reading comprehension is in the top three percentile. I have an above average aptitude.

I'm lazy at day-to-day "life" task.....at work I've been tested repeatedly for crack and meth due to hyper behavior. I'm not lazy when I work, until I exhaust my self. (I've never done illegal drugs and hardly take regular medication such as pain relievers)

I know at some point most people who are afflicted with this "condition" lack the will power to maintain and develop normal life skills. However, it seems to me it is 10 times harder for me to operate than the average person and eventually my will power gives out, just too overwhelming.....and it normally does not take long. Am I weak? Maybe, but I challenge anyone to live inside my head for even a week and see how they do before calling me "lazy" or to "man up".