Current Events > Anyone here deal with their ADHD without meds?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I'm 29 and was diagnosed last year but have apparently struggled with it since middle school. For a number of reasons, I'm not comfortable taking prescription medication but holy fuck, I'm strongly considering it because my ability to focus and function has taken a massive nosedive. It's probably worse than ever and all my tricks to cope are not helping at all.

I tried a google search but came up with a bunch of those sketchy health blogs and didn't want to wade through all that shit.
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I've been on Vyvanse for about 7 years and it's been pretty much nothing but helpful. No negative side effects aside from reduced appetite (which is only a negative now because I'm trying to gain muscle).

Though in recent years I've started questioning if some negative aspects of my behaviors and thoughts are due to the medication. It's hard to tell because I was severely depressed before taking it so I don't know what my normal self is. It's a pretty complex issue that's very subtle if it's there. I feel like it may have exacerbated my anxiety due to its tendency to make me overthink anything I deem important, and it may have heightened my introversion and asociality in general because I already mostly live in my head. And something I've taken note of most recently, it may be making me anhedonic (lacking pleasure in things) and experiencing avolition (lacking motivation/initiative to achieve goals). Like depression without the sadness or fatigue.



I would highly suggest it for any short term goals (as in a handful of years), but it might not be something to use for life.
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i appreciate looking for more organic support, but please talk to a professional about your concerns and don't rely on CE
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shockthemonkey posted...

Consistent low dose of edibles has kept me functional and focused before but it ain't great for learning.

I would love to give that a try but it's not really an option.

fenderbender321 posted...

Lots and lots and lots of exercise.

That has stopped helping me as much.



weapon_d00d816 posted...

I've been on Vyvanse for about 7 years and it's been pretty much nothing but helpful. No negative side effects aside from reduced appetite (which is only a negative now because I'm trying to gain muscle).

Though in recent years I've started questioning if some negative aspects of my behaviors and thoughts are due to the medication. It's hard to tell because I was severely depressed before taking it so I don't know what my normal self is. It's a pretty complex issue that's very subtle if it's there. I feel like it may have exacerbated my anxiety due to its tendency to make me overthink anything I deem important, and it may have heightened my introversion and asociality in general because I already mostly live in my head. And something I've taken note of most recently, it may be making me anhedonic (lacking pleasure in things) and experiencing avolition (lacking motivation/initiative to achieve goals). Like depression without the sadness or fatigue.



I would highly suggest it for any short term goals (as in a handful of years), but it might not be something to use for life.

The middle part is what I'm concerned about with the medication. I also suffer from depression and anxiety, more lifelong struggles that I was only recently officially diagnosed with, so I don't have any baseline to aspire to. I don't know what to expect from them or even what it is I'm hoping to achieve other than "anything but this surely is better" but I know that's not true and that there are side effects, both physical and mental, that I feel I cannot risk. The ADHD sucks and it's negatively affecting my life but shit, I can deal with it if it means I have a life.


LotrMorgoth posted...

i appreciate looking for more organic support, but please talk to a professional about your concerns and don't rely on CE

I have been and today's visit is what prompted this topic because she's adamant about medication being the answer and has suggested some supplements and reinforced exercise but other than that she wasn't any use. This is also the second therapist I've been to and she said the same as the last, leaving me feeling like they're not really interested in anything other than prescribing medication. I'm not one to undermine the efficacy of medication for some people in these situations but as far as I go, I'm really not seeing it. Figured it wouldn't hurt to ask anyone here.
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Two separate therapists tell you the same thing and you think they are forcing medication on you huh.
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I don't feel like they're forcing it on me but it does seem like a one trick pony kind of thing. I know it's their preferred treatment but I've made it clear to them that I will not take the meds and why and it seems like they're lost after that. I don't expect them to pull a rabbit out of their asses and magic up an alternative but I also can't accept the paltry amount of information about any alternatives is all they have. If it is, I'd much rather prefer to be told, "hey, the meds are all there is and if you can't accept that, gtfo" than continue wasting time and money to go there and hear everything come back to "well the meds would really help that."
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I have ADHD. Took meds all the way until High school. They do work but you will have 0 appetite while on them. You will most likely be forcing yourself to eat even when you don't feel hungry. But they 100% help with concentration issues.

If you do start them, and the Dr will tell you this too, you'll want to start them slowly. Jumping right into twice a day Adderall will give your body a crash towards the end of the day and you'll feel depressed for a few hours until it's completely out of your system.
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fenderbender321 posted...

That shouldn't happen unless they overprescribed the dosage

http://www.rxlist.com/adderall-xr-capsules-side-effects-drug-center.htm

Common side effects of Adderall: Loss of Appetite. I was on the lowest dose. It's extremely common unless you take one of the newer ADHD meds like Vyvanse
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Yeah, loss of appetite, while not universal, is extremely common and entirely unrelated to the effective desirable dose for treatment.

Anyways, I've probably been dealing with ADHD Inattentive for more than a decade, but when I started on Ritalin a year ago it made a tremendous difference. Even the smallest things, like talking to other people, has improved now that I don't feel like finishing everybody's sentences.
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I started methylphenidate in like 2014/2015, went off it in 2016, then got back on it this year.

I got by okay without it all through high school and undergrad because, for one, I just thought everything was normal and, for two, I always found ways to work around the symptoms in school (SparkNotes, pulling all-nighters to write papers, studying while walking to class, etc.). I also drank all the time to cope with the social aspects of it. The ADHD first came up when I started failing out of law school and saw a counselor for the first time. I avoided ADHD meds though because I was afraid they'd be harmful or something.

About a year later, I had an anxiety attack at my new job and saw a psychiatrist. He also brought up the possibility of ADHD and eventually suggested the meds, which I definitely took up that time. I noticed a huge improvement at work, being more a lot more relaxed and never really hitting that point of being intensely exhausted after only a few hours. I also became much more productive with my music hobby and found I was better able to get involved with games, TV, and movies instead of getting bored all the time. Even found it easier to make friends and get out of the house because I wasn't overprocessing all kinds of social/physical cues from people.

I stopped when my doctor retired and never bothered to look for another doctor. I noticed my motivation to work on music drop drastically, practically giving it up for a whole year. I couldn't really stay interested in games unless I had the TV going at the same time (hell, I bought an Xbox One just for the Snap feature). I also cut contact with most friends, avoided leaving the house, got depressed at work, and eventually quit to move back home.

Was a huge pain getting my prescription back this year, since most doctors and insurance companies won't issue it to a 28 year old, but I got it and have been improving.

Honestly. I think I have it, not diagnosed but I try to deal, and self medicate.
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