By lifestyle I don't mean some of the things enthusiasts like to advocate--weight training, etc, although by all means if you're so inclined. But just small stuff--kick caffeine, habituate yourself to completing boring tasks as quickly as possible, exercise (if only a few pushups in the morning), etc. Maybe you were already doing those things, but if you were doing them cyclically (weeks, months, etc), now you can do them consistently.
1. Weight change, either bulking on muscle or fat can change your optimal dose for medication... And it's my opinion (and totally just my opinion) that starting to treat ADHD usually leads to a weight gain, either by getting you more able to exercise or increasing your activity and caloric intake.
2. Resistances, stimulants build up resistances pretty quickly for most people so if you're unlucky you'll likely be med hopping for several years until you run out of options or find a winner - if you're lucky and don't build up a resistance then you're probably set for life.
Both of these are addressable though, in the first path any significant weight changes should be monitored by your doctor (go to your doctor regularly, blood pressure should be monitored while on stimulants) and ideally the medication adjusted up... for the latter, well, it's a pile of poo but if you're able to stick with it your doctor will likely take you on a tour of different methyl*s until you find one that works - then, try your damnedest to never let your insurance force you off of it.
Stimulant medications are strong appetite suppressants, and if not specifically paid attention to, the usual concern is weight loss.
To the point that an actual medically approved use of certain stimulants is for weight loss. You can in fact be prescribed meth (Desoxyn in the US when it's coming from a pharmacy and not the backseat of a 1996 Chevy Caprice) by your doctor for obesity if nothing else is working for you.
Speaking to personal anecdotes, while unmedicated there's always been a certain quantity of accidentally skipped meals, with medication I could go the day without eating much of anything and not be particularly bothered.
On the other hand, I'm better at sticking to structure with medication and eating at normal mealtimes more often, even without a hunger impulse. I do still wind up having to mentally (or otherwise) tally what I've eaten in the evening and sometimes shoveling in a pile of extra calories because it obviously wasn't enough.
So there are pulls in both directions, but IMO I'd say the weight loss is more likely to accidentally happen.
> 2. Resistances, stimulants build up resistances pretty quickly for most people so if you're unlucky you'll likely be med hopping for several years until you run out of options or find a winner - if you're lucky and don't build up a resistance then you're probably set for life.
The usual advice I've always been told is to not take it if there's times you don't need it. If I'm going out to have fun for the day on a weekend, or taking an unstructured vacation for a week or the like, I typically don't take it.
I don't think it fully resets those resistances, but it's allowed me to continue to get a noticeable benefit out of a steady, middle of the road prescription.
Best thing one can do is take chelated magnesium. Choline and fish oil help as well, but definitely take chelated magnesium every morning.
It helps prevent a tolerance build up (in turn helps prevent one from getting an increase in dosage) and helps replenishes the magnesium depleted from ADHD medication. Magnesium deficiencies are also common in those with ADHD who do not take medication. So if you're taking medication, the deficiency is caused by two sources.
Idk. I never gained much weight and ate a lot but the rilatin i take makes my appetite plummet completely. I eat a lot less during the day.
>"2. Resistances, stimulants build up resistances pretty quickly for most people so if you're unlucky you'll likely be med hopping for several years until you run out of options or find a winner - if you're lucky and don't build up a resistance then you're probably set for life."
I hope this won't be me. I think i am already largely resistant but i hope i can lose it and will try to go back to taking breaks.
In my experience, it's totally the opposite. More exercise, more activity, and less caloric intake... leading to weight loss.
Also most people can get away with generics so even without insurance the meds are cheap. The psych visits will cost $300-400 a pop though....
That said, at some point it's going to be worth it to just pay out-of-pocket for five minutes of your old GP's time to write a new script if things are dire... but the fact that this barrier can exist is troubling to me since being in that ADHD hole makes it so much easier to get over these barriers.
I feel going to a GP to get a very restricted stimulant is a uphill battle. Go to a ADHD specialist psych. Despite having diagnosed ADHD since I was ~6, my GP looked at me like I was crazy when I explored getting back on meds. I went to see a specialist instead.
So... I guess I got pretty lucky on the whole.
After I moved and got a new GP and asked for a stimulant prescription, they wanted me to come in every single month and do a urine drug screen even if I provided info from my former providers. I switched to an ADHD specialist right after that. It's much more expensive but they treat me with respect.
Wish my psych would do 3 month scripts.
It's kind of a chicken or the egg situation, do people have ADHD and because they have ADHD they are more susceptible to gaming addiction? or do they become addicted to these sites/games which then creates ADHD type symptoms.
Not saying ADHD isn't an actual thing, but I've noticed a reoccurring theme where people who have ADHD also were addicted to gaming or the internet.
I discovered this guy who has a youtube/twitch channel who is a harvard psychologist who explained how gaming/dopamine releasing web products can have a negative impact on our reward system. How gaming and these addicting products can paralyze you and prevents you from changing behavior.
It's an interesting question, because as I browse comments on sites like reddit and it feels like everyone has ADHD, and these comments about ADHD have massive amounts of upvotes. Which is weird because ADHD isn't supposed to be common, it's supposed to be like ~5% of the population, yet it feels like most people have it on these sites
Here's the links to the guy:
People ADHD are definitely more likely to overindulge when it comes to gaming/internet usage (hyperfocusing). The reason is because it's stimulating. Sites like reddit is an endless influx of information.
Since I have ADHD it's a struggle to do anything that is boring. Sure most people can relate to that but the difference here is that my school/work/relationships have suffered greatly because of that and the other ADHD symptoms.
Some people who say they have ADHD probably don't but are suffering from something else (stress, depression, anxiety, etc.). It's a disorder that's over diagnosed because avoiding to do boring things, losing focus, and/or hyperactivity is pretty common (especially among youth).
Kids who are obsessed with gaming/internet usage might develop bad habits and behavioral issues but not necessarily something permanent. I seriously doubt it can cause ADHD. Traumatic brain injury would make more sense.
Perhaps to turn your comment on its head, people like my wife don't get much out of a place like Reddit so they don't visit it, while the ADHD crowd is constantly on there trying to up their dopamine levels.
Kind of like how constant sugar can spike insulin and with weight gain over time can creates insulin resistance/diabetes. It's like type 1 vs type 2. So in this analogy Type 1 people with ADHD would be people who are born with it and it's lifelong, and type 2 ADHD people acquire it after indulging in these dopamine producing addicting web products for years and your reward system/executive function is messed up, impacting daily life similar to people who are born with ADHD.
My hypothesis: ADHD is defined as X out of Y listed symptoms, almost all of which people experience in some way at some points in their lives. The difference is between "I sometimes have problems with some of these things" vs. "I have significant problems with many of these to the point where it is a big and constant problem in my daily life and causes me great pain".
So people who sometimes have trouble focusing see that it's on the ADHD list and take up this soft position of "Maybe I have ADHD" or jokingly talk about probably having a little ADHD or something like that.
It's the same with OCD. How many people have you seen on Reddit confess to having OCD or OCD-lite or "probably OCD" etc.? A lot more than the official diagnosis statistics right.
I don't think it's because Reddit creates OCD symptoms though.
And everything is a spectrum, everything - nobody is immune to indecision fog, getting sidetracked, feeling helpless in front of a decision that feels bigger than it rationally is, etc... but those moments usually happen rarely, for some people it is a constant fight that actively lowers their quality of life.
The best way I can put it, was the first time I got a pair of glasses, I didn't know how bad my vision was (I was like 12)... when I put them on for the first time, I was shocked, I was in disbelief, "this is how everyone else sees?"
Glasses are a tool to help you see better if your eyes don't work correctly, a "stimulant" is a tool to help your brain if you can't focus. The world, in both cases, I was missing, was one I had no idea existed until I had a tool to do so.
There are a lot of non-stimulant and non-drug options to explore.
There are a lot of options a neurologist can explore and everyone's brain is different.
That said... if non-pharmaceutical coping mechanisms work to your satisfaction that's great to hear.
I would highly recommend see a doctor if the only thing holding you back is not wanting to do medicine. Mine was supportive and left the decision up to me. I went for around a year before starting and once I started I could def feel the difference -- it's not huge, but it's...a gentle nudge? If you find a doctor who isn't supportive of not using meds, find another doctor. It can be a bit like dating, where if something isn't working or priorities aren't aligned, then you move on.
Best of luck!
That said, stimulants at doses that affect ADHD don't necessarily to come with other physical side effects.
With untreated ADHD, I was not aware of my attention issues and had trouble understanding the way my mind and the world around me worked, even though I could have fantastic focus and attention to detail when excited about things.
With atomoxetine, I feel that my attention still drifts, but I am able to notice it and respond to it without stress and turmoil. I get distracted often, but it’s actually EASY to just put myself back on task. It still sucks to get distracted, of course :-)
For me personally, it’s been fantastic. I have basically no negative side effects and no physical dependence (if I were to stop taking it, I would miss the benefits, but there would be no extra downsides.) It’s significantly less invasive than stimulants in that way.
A psychiatrist is always the right person to make the call, of course!
At first, I was given anti-depressants, because if you're very depressed sometimes things like starting/stopping projects is difficult (looks like ADD/ADHD). Also, most ADD medicine is heavily regulated; so, they pretty much put you through a gamut to make sure it's what's actually yer problem. At first this sort of felt like they weren't listening to me, but I do appreciate it now reflecting back (mostly because most health care professionals do want to help you, if you're in a bad place mentally though, it can be hard to realize).
I was at the time suffering pretty horrible depression due to a very bad couple of years; so, it made sense, and it helped my mood-- I didn't feel hopeless but it didn't really resolve my underlying stress of never being able to focus or finish anything (which was pretty deeply affecting me because I wanted to contribute more to my team, or rather more steadily).
After two or three months on anti-depressants, and checking in monthly, I was prescribed a pretty small dosage of Adderall; though, if my insurance was better for mental health I would have tried Vyvanse (I think is what its called). Since the dosage was low after about the first week or so, it would kind of wear off after like four hours... So, after the first month I asked to have it doubled and have been at that dosage since with no issues or complaints been about eight months now.
I've read and hear about a lot of people who sort of have enhanced ADD on drugs like Adderall and I haven't really experienced that at all, with the exception of a couple of days I was battling a lot of sadness. Which is why I think my mental healthcare provider did a really great job addressing it (my depression) first; so, that my ADD could actually be treated.
[1] It's really shitty to have mental health issues because almost everyone tells you to: try "diet X," that you have some bad habit, or that you don't do "Y or Z." If you had a physical injury though, no one is going to say "stop eating sugar to fix it." It's not that some diet, exercise , etc might be helpful, just like it would be to prevent a physical injury), sure... thanks hindsight-man.
By doing that what you're telling someone is: that their problems are completely within their control, that they are to blame, and it's their fault because they're choosing this for themselves. When in truth they cannot control it and should not feel blame or inadequacy for it.
Over the years to treat my ADD I tried:
1. Gluten free
2. Exercise
3. Keto
4. Smoking Weed
5. Not Smoking Weed (went a year without it, didn't help, actually made my ADD worse and I got fat(ter))
6. Vitamins of all fucking kinds
7. Cutting coffee/caffeine out
8. Steady sleep schedule
9. Various other weird "natural" shit too I'm sure
None of it helped but each thing on that list prolonged me from getting help [2].
[2] Having never suffered from that kind of depression before I can honestly say it was a heavy fog, that slowly rolled over my life, that was impossible for me to recognize until I was treated for it. If anyone else out there finds themselves angry or upset in ways that don't reflect who they feel they once were, get help, friend. Depression isn't just about being sad.
For years when I would sit down to work I would go into an endless loop consisting of roughly three-four websites, almost back to back, where it was driven by muscle memory anytime something distracted me. I would almost like "wake up" finding myself in this endless loop.
On good days, I would look like an insanely talented and driven engineer, on bad days, I would look like the laziest piece of shit folks could know. It wasn't by choice, it wasn't because I was trying to "cowboy" or "rockstar" a single fucking thing, it's because that's how my attention span worked (or didn't rather).
"Smart and lazy" is almost an insult to me now, because its a moniker put on folks who are probably having trouble with something and "lazy" is rarely positive (even when its supposed to be). It kept me from believing I might have ADD for years despite tons of signs.
The downsides are of course that people don't believe you, or judge you for it (I switched pharmacies because they were treating my like shit when I would go to pickup my ADD meds)... but the upside, as the author said, is you have a life back you didn't know you were missing. You can choose to read a book, watch a movie, program, etc. you're not longer just forced into a vapid reflexivity of the world around you.