Thank you for great insights. Gives me pause about... possible mixed-blessing that ADHD (at least if mild) can be - or the drawback of being too focused (beyond what real discrimination would want).
One issue for me: I find that caffeine makes me physically jittery and muscularly tense. I wonder what smaller doses of ritalin might have done for you (or might do for me)?
Yeah good question. My suggestion would be to talk to the doctor about side effects and request the option of trying each of the pharmaceutical treatments (perhaps for a month each) before making a decision about which you ought to be on.
I do recommend trying them, at least to satisfy your curiosity... and some people really find them helpful.
One thing I should also mention is that I've found that other aspects of diet seem to correlate with ADD symptoms. Getting plenty of exercise, taking an omega 3 supplement, drastically reducing sugar, and eating a fair bit of leafy green veggies are all things that I attribute to helping me focus more quickly. There are probably some websites/books dedicated to this topic, and it might be worth exploring.
If you drink coffee, switch to tea. I find the tea bags detestable but Chai made at home, the Indian way [1] or, in a pinch, from Starbucks works well.
One issue for me: I find that caffeine makes me physically jittery and muscularly tense. I wonder what smaller doses of ritalin might have done for you (or might do for me)?