Highschool with ADHD

I finally was diagnosed with ADD about 2 months ago. I also have depression but I take Lexapro for that so it's basically out of the picture. Now I'm just stuck with the ADD.

Without Vyvanse, I'm a very talkative, friendly, hyper, impulsive person. I'm very creative. I always have to be "on-the-go". I'm hyper 24/7. The downside is I get out of control. I get so restless to the point where I'll do dangerous--usually illegal--dumb stuff for the sake of not being bored(drugs, stealing, etc) without even pausing to consider the consequences. Afterwards I'll sit back and think, "Oh my god what was I thinking?!" My mind will race to the point where I'll turn to alcohol or something just to calm down cause I can't take it. I get bored of everything/everyone so quickly. I can't make decisions about the simplest things. I can't even go to church because I just can't sit still or concentrate on the pastor for that long! I can't keep the same best friend for more than 2 months just because I get bored of them(Yes, I know that sounds horrible ). I start so many things & set so many goals and I can never follow through. I'm always the last person to turn in work because I'll spend so much time trying to re-read the question to understand it or because I get distracted. I can't remember when things are due, what my homework is, when the next test is, etc.

School is horrible for me. I will sit in class and just stare at the clock the entire day. It seems like I've been sitting in that desk forevery and like it never ends! By the time I get home I'm in such a bad mood and I'll snap at anyone over anything just because simply going to school will stress me out so much!
All of my teachers hate me because I can't shut up no matter what and I feel so bad about it. My teachers are always yelling at me over one thing or another and I feel horrible; I'm sensitive enough as it is because of the depression. If I'm not talking to someone around me, I HAVE to move, which means getting up for any reason at all or using a pass to go to the "bathroom"...which really means just wandering the school cause I can't sit still for that long. I drive them crazy and I really try not to! I really try to just be a good kid and sit there quietly and do my work but I just can't! School is so hard because of it. My teacher's think I purposely act like that just to piss them off or that I just CHOOSE not to do my work because I'm too lazy! I don't! They don't understand. I just get so frustrated to the point where I'll come home and break down crying.

Up until this year, I never knew what was wrong with me. I'm in 10th grade now and I was prescribed 40 mg of Vyvanse. It's a miracle for me. When I take it, all of those symptoms I listed just now disappear. I can actually focus, think clearly, and get my work done for once.
It's just that I don't WANT to take my medicine everyday because I'm different when I take it, ya know? I'm not the spontaneous, friendly, outgoing person everyone knows me to be, and I just don't want to be "boring" if that makes any sense. :/

I'm mainly just venting here.
If you have ADHD, was highschool this bad for you?! If you've been in my place, can you tell me how you got through it or what your experience was?

Hi,

You have great potential, but your current situation/environment just suppresses your true ability. i know this becauise I am the exact same as you. Well, I WAS exactly like you when I was in school. I very much had an ADHD-like personality and it realy affected many aspects of my schooling years. I didn't know about ADHD then though, and the Internet wasn't even really big by the time I had left school. I didn't hang aroumnd with anyone and I couldn't hold a conversation with anyone. Anyway, I'm certain that you have great potential and you really need to explore what this potential is. School is never a good place for true talent to shine, because everything in school is just so general. Tell me, what are your interests in life?

Kevin

Well, I just want to help people. That's basically my interest.

& I still have no idea what I want to do job-wise. It seems like I would get bored of everything! I was thinking of a counselor, but I'm not sure cause you'd have to be sitting there for so long the whole day. I'm also really creative, so I wanted to do something where I could express that, but I don't know what that would be?

I think that too many people in our situation believe that art is the way to be happy, but this is innow way the true case. What do you think about Biology?

I like it. It was one of the only classes I could even barely pay attention in last year. Sometimes. Haha, but I'm almost positive I'm gonna go into the medical field whatever I decide to do, so that would probably be my major...unless I decide to go the counselor route. Gah, this is so confusing.

I graduated high school in 07, but the whole time I was there I kept trying to get help for my ADHD and they just kept telling me if I was diagnosed with it, I'd have to be put into "special education" classes.

It was so frustrating because it's not like I wasn't capable of doing the work, it just was difficult for me to focus. All the people I dealt with were really rude and sarcastic and said because I wasn't doing badly in school (but I CERTAINLY wasn't achieving my potential) that I was fine and just looking for an excuse. They even told that to my mother!

Anyway, I'm in college now and the people here are much nicer and understanding. I'm glad you were able to find people who helped you with it in high school, now you can start achieving your potential earlier... lucky

I say that you shouldn't go into the medical field if you have ADD. You will not just be studying biology, but other sciences as well as math. It's extremely academic and you will need to be able to concentrate well. Unless you are good at math, which then shouldn't be a problem. Have you considered nursing? It's not as demanding as being a doctor. One classmate of mine at school wanted to be a doctor, but she is struggling in chemistry and math, so she decided to go into nursing instead.

Since you've found the right medication, the academic demands should be easier for you to fulfill now, anyway...

Good luck!

I had an orchestra teacher who said learning how to play the violin, can help hose with ADHD, be able to deal with their condition better,

Smoking helps with ADHD.