6 ms·

As someone who is also battling ADHD, I feel super anxious reading the comments here all talking about X and Y medicine, which I am super not wanting to do. I

As someone who is also battling ADHD, I feel super anxious reading the comments here all talking about X and Y medicine, which I am super not wanting to do. I used to do therapy but I found my therapist was making videos on Facebook about a few things I told him (though I was never named but I felt this was a huge breach of trust). I exercise quite a bit. (lots of cardio and core exercises, I particularly enjoy barbell squats and sledgehammer workouts ). But since I have had an injury on my foot for the past couple of days I have been taking it easy by not going to the gym and I feel really low cause of this.This is one kind of super positive thing I do. I don't like the gym I go to cause the instructors mostly pay attention to the girls and only ever paid attention to me to sell me some protein powder or when the tim comes for me to renew my subscription. (But that's only a specific issue for my gym, as I am shifting to a new city in a couple of months, I think I can try out a bunch of places before choosing one) The other thing I do occasionally journal, most of the times,which I use it to vent out my thoughts. I also even more rarely do a workbook for CBT (which is for perfectionism which is another trait I found myself to have) Anyway, what I wanted to know was has anyone tried not using any fancy 100$ subscription based apps OR meds to do their work and found success? What did you do and how did you cope with life in general? Background info: I am 25, working in the IT field, I feel kind of directionless in life as I am still working on a plan to get into an MS degree abroad (though my parents really encourage me to do an MBA). /end vent

bpicolo 4y ago
I'm 30. I have been unmedicated for 22 years, and finally went back to address it just a month ago. I had many fears as you with regards to medication. Is needing it a weakness? Is it going to change who I am? The first time I took one way scary. And you know what? I figured out, it's just not a big deal. You get a slightly increased heart rate, so you'll feel a little warm the first couple days. Other than that, though, the effect is that you are able to ignore distractions and adjust your focus at will a bit better. It doesn't turn you into someone else, and it doesn't turn you into what you imagine a neurotypical person abusing stimulants is like. If you're struggling in any way, and think it could help, it's worth a try. They're non-addictive (I don't have any particular desire to take them).
throwawaaarrgh 4y ago
(sorry, I feel I'm taking over this post, lol, but f it) my coping strategies have been: 1) carve out some time to do distractionless work. check calendar, put up away message, close email, turn on background music (cafe jazz, Bob Ross, or intelligent d&b) w/headphones, write down a small task to complete on sticky note next to monitor, set timer (maybe multiple). 2) have a routine. weekday: work 9-5, gym, cook, miscellaneous, sleep. sat: projects. sun: hike. 3) lists. shopping list, jira tickets, work journal, personal road map, calendar everything. you have 3/4 of your life ahead of you. directionless is fine. try lots of things, keep what sticks, throw away the rest. do what feels right for you. if you don't know what to do, welcome to the club :) just be healthy, have fun, pay your bills, be a good friend, and the rest will come. it gets easier.
- sogen 4y ago
  Apex Twin, or any industrial or death metal recommendations on Bandcamp
- anshumankmr 4y ago
  Thank you for the comment. It's good to hear from someone who has been able to cope without the use of medication. The most advice I've been able to find online is really buy XYZ drug OR buy ABC app. I've been trying to stay away from these sort of things.
  - throwawaaarrgh 4y ago
    I forgot another coping mechanism: I usually need to be drinking something constantly when focusing. Coffee got to be too much so I always have a pot of hot strong tea, like all the time. Sometimes I need snacks too. Something about it keeping my mouth busy relieves the urge to go do something temporarily. I've also abandoned social media due to doom scrolling. Still use HN way too much but whatever we all have our vices.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- sedivy94 4y ago
Doxin 4y ago
I'm not on meds anymore. Did try them for a month though. Worked great aside from giving me stress as it wore off. Really weird to feel stressed for literally actually no reason. What it did give me is a look into what functioning normally-ish would look like, Which has helped enormously. I'm not a huge fan of medication myself, but if I were you I'd definitely give it a shot. You can always stop if it's not your thing and there's a fair chance at lasting improvement even when you DO stop.
- anshumankmr 4y ago
  I take meds for unrelated things, for allopecia, like Finasteride, Minoxidil, Saw Palmetto. I am not sure how those would interact with the medicines I saw on this thread. I also take Algae based Omega 3 semi regularly (but that stuff tastes like crayons).
  - hypatiadotca 4y ago
    Oh jeez definitely look into the potential side effects of finasteride if you haven’t already. ADHD meds have nothing on it, side effect wise.
    - ChadNauseam 4y ago
      As someone on both this is not true ime. finasteride has had no side effects for me, while adderall makes me irritable and paranoid when it wears off, not to mention the insomnia it causes.
      - OkayPhysicist 4y ago
        For what it's worth, stimulants' effect on sleep varies a lot from person to person. I definitely know people who struggled with insomnia from amphetamines, especially when their dose was too high, but for me and others I've talked to, it let me lay down and choose to sleep, which as someone who had suffered from insomnia most of my life, was a godsend.
      - 4y ago
Jarwain 4y ago
Have you ever considered picking up a martial art? I did Taekwondo for some time before covid hit, and I loved the sense of community it had. Something that I've wanted to try is creating or joining a group of people who meet on a regular basis (at least weekly for me), talk about principles, projects, plans, progress, and in doing so, hold each other accountable.
- anshumankmr 4y ago
  I go for cycling with some people I found on Facebook. I had however stopped for the past month.
throwaway4932 4y ago
Hi, (First of all, that's some scheisse with your ex-therapist! What a narcissistic loser) I've managed without diagnosis, medication or specific therapy for most of my life and I've struggled but like many with a late diagnosis I was able to compensate with intelligence and wits. It is often said that ADHD treatment has three pillars, which don't always have to come together to work: Psychotherapy, Psychoeducation, Medical Treatment. Psychotherapy is the professional help you can get to identify your patterns of behavior that might make your situation worse and change them (and probably more). Psychoeducation is your own learning about the condition which can be supported by therapy session but consists a lot of reading books/articles, listening to podcasts etc. Support groups can be of great help, too. They exist online and offline and you should feel comfortable with the group you find. All of these are what helped me the most. Medication helped me, as well but only really after I properly started learning about the condition. Some people report revolutionary effects but it's moderate for me. I also had to try a few different medications and doses, which is quite common and very individual. It can also change. There are many that share your reluctance against taking meds and ultimately, all serious therapists and support groups will support that. However, they might want to talk to you about your reasons for not wanting to try the effect at least. A reason is, that they can often be a jump start for successful therapy because they can reduce the primary symptoms of ADHD (like inattentiveness) and let you work better on the secondary symptoms (e.g. low self-esteem), both of which differ from person to person. Even if you decide going without meds, it's a good step to know what's your concept of yourself and your mind and how meds would interact with that because it gives you a better understanding of your personal situation. I hope that helped a bit even though I didn't go into how I managed myself before the diagnosis in my late 20s. It's been rough, to say the least. It still is but I have learned a lot about myself that lets me accept myself more easily for who I am (a sentence I would have laughed about in the years before). And that in turn makes everything a bit easier.
FollowingTheDao 4y ago
Get you B6 levels tested: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24321736/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24321736/ Also, it is not about dopamine, it is about glutamate: https://www.brown.edu/news/2018-03-12/glutamate https://www.brown.edu/news/2018-03-12/glutamate
- ojkelly 4y ago
  While glutamate seems to play a significant role, it’s not enough evidence to discount dopamines role. This whole space is in need of more research, we’re not at stage where definitive statements can be made one way or the other.
  - FollowingTheDao 4y ago
    Sorry, I should have wrote Also, it is not about fundamentally about dopamine, but it is fundamentally about glutamate.
RHSman2 4y ago
Feel you. I have existed with ADHD all my life without knowing. I knew something was different though. I have a mini version of myself who has it a bit more severe which is where I finally worked it out and got a diagnosis. I am however only on the cusp and there are somethings that the Dr is 'confused' about. I haven't 'needed' meds however IF i was growing up now I probably would be prescribed. My personality (and if impulsive ADHD creates my personality, who knows) has led me down a tremendously exciting life. Curiosity kills the cat (but that is why a cat has nine lives). I would encourage everyone to not use their ADHD on ADHD. So meta. Get Hyper Focus on it. I would encourage those to use it to find what they are about. What they like and interest in life. Yes, its an absolute ball ache at times (procrastination) but there is magnificence out there and it unfolds when we look (in my opinion). So, balance it. Know what is going to be good for you (sleep, exercise, healthy living) but also know that you can fuck around in life. It is a perfectly acceptable pastime and your internal guide will show you the way. Do what you want in life. This is independent of ADHD. How is that for woooo-hoooy?

bpicolo 4y ago

I'm 30. I have been unmedicated for 22 years, and finally went back to address it just a month ago. I had many fears as you with regards to medication. Is needing it a weakness? Is it going to change who I am? The first time I took one way scary. And you know what? I figured out, it's just not a big deal. You get a slightly increased heart rate, so you'll feel a little warm the first couple days. Other than that, though, the effect is that you are able to ignore distractions and adjust your focus at will a bit better. It doesn't turn you into someone else, and it doesn't turn you into what you imagine a neurotypical person abusing stimulants is like. If you're struggling in any way, and think it could help, it's worth a try. They're non-addictive (I don't have any particular desire to take them).

throwawaaarrgh 4y ago

(sorry, I feel I'm taking over this post, lol, but f it) my coping strategies have been: 1) carve out some time to do distractionless work. check calendar, put up away message, close email, turn on background music (cafe jazz, Bob Ross, or intelligent d&b) w/headphones, write down a small task to complete on sticky note next to monitor, set timer (maybe multiple). 2) have a routine. weekday: work 9-5, gym, cook, miscellaneous, sleep. sat: projects. sun: hike. 3) lists. shopping list, jira tickets, work journal, personal road map, calendar everything. you have 3/4 of your life ahead of you. directionless is fine. try lots of things, keep what sticks, throw away the rest. do what feels right for you. if you don't know what to do, welcome to the club :) just be healthy, have fun, pay your bills, be a good friend, and the rest will come. it gets easier.

sogen 4y ago
Apex Twin, or any industrial or death metal recommendations on Bandcamp
anshumankmr 4y ago
Thank you for the comment. It's good to hear from someone who has been able to cope without the use of medication. The most advice I've been able to find online is really buy XYZ drug OR buy ABC app. I've been trying to stay away from these sort of things.
- throwawaaarrgh 4y ago
  I forgot another coping mechanism: I usually need to be drinking something constantly when focusing. Coffee got to be too much so I always have a pot of hot strong tea, like all the time. Sometimes I need snacks too. Something about it keeping my mouth busy relieves the urge to go do something temporarily. I've also abandoned social media due to doom scrolling. Still use HN way too much but whatever we all have our vices.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
sedivy94 4y ago

Doxin 4y ago

I'm not on meds anymore. Did try them for a month though. Worked great aside from giving me stress as it wore off. Really weird to feel stressed for literally actually no reason. What it did give me is a look into what functioning normally-ish would look like, Which has helped enormously. I'm not a huge fan of medication myself, but if I were you I'd definitely give it a shot. You can always stop if it's not your thing and there's a fair chance at lasting improvement even when you DO stop.

anshumankmr 4y ago
I take meds for unrelated things, for allopecia, like Finasteride, Minoxidil, Saw Palmetto. I am not sure how those would interact with the medicines I saw on this thread. I also take Algae based Omega 3 semi regularly (but that stuff tastes like crayons).
- hypatiadotca 4y ago
  Oh jeez definitely look into the potential side effects of finasteride if you haven’t already. ADHD meds have nothing on it, side effect wise.
  - ChadNauseam 4y ago
    As someone on both this is not true ime. finasteride has had no side effects for me, while adderall makes me irritable and paranoid when it wears off, not to mention the insomnia it causes.
    - OkayPhysicist 4y ago
      For what it's worth, stimulants' effect on sleep varies a lot from person to person. I definitely know people who struggled with insomnia from amphetamines, especially when their dose was too high, but for me and others I've talked to, it let me lay down and choose to sleep, which as someone who had suffered from insomnia most of my life, was a godsend.
    - 4y ago

Jarwain 4y ago

Have you ever considered picking up a martial art? I did Taekwondo for some time before covid hit, and I loved the sense of community it had. Something that I've wanted to try is creating or joining a group of people who meet on a regular basis (at least weekly for me), talk about principles, projects, plans, progress, and in doing so, hold each other accountable.

anshumankmr 4y ago
I go for cycling with some people I found on Facebook. I had however stopped for the past month.

throwaway4932 4y ago

Hi, (First of all, that's some scheisse with your ex-therapist! What a narcissistic loser) I've managed without diagnosis, medication or specific therapy for most of my life and I've struggled but like many with a late diagnosis I was able to compensate with intelligence and wits. It is often said that ADHD treatment has three pillars, which don't always have to come together to work: Psychotherapy, Psychoeducation, Medical Treatment. Psychotherapy is the professional help you can get to identify your patterns of behavior that might make your situation worse and change them (and probably more). Psychoeducation is your own learning about the condition which can be supported by therapy session but consists a lot of reading books/articles, listening to podcasts etc. Support groups can be of great help, too. They exist online and offline and you should feel comfortable with the group you find. All of these are what helped me the most. Medication helped me, as well but only really after I properly started learning about the condition. Some people report revolutionary effects but it's moderate for me. I also had to try a few different medications and doses, which is quite common and very individual. It can also change. There are many that share your reluctance against taking meds and ultimately, all serious therapists and support groups will support that. However, they might want to talk to you about your reasons for not wanting to try the effect at least. A reason is, that they can often be a jump start for successful therapy because they can reduce the primary symptoms of ADHD (like inattentiveness) and let you work better on the secondary symptoms (e.g. low self-esteem), both of which differ from person to person. Even if you decide going without meds, it's a good step to know what's your concept of yourself and your mind and how meds would interact with that because it gives you a better understanding of your personal situation. I hope that helped a bit even though I didn't go into how I managed myself before the diagnosis in my late 20s. It's been rough, to say the least. It still is but I have learned a lot about myself that lets me accept myself more easily for who I am (a sentence I would have laughed about in the years before). And that in turn makes everything a bit easier.

FollowingTheDao 4y ago

Get you B6 levels tested: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24321736/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24321736/ Also, it is not about dopamine, it is about glutamate: https://www.brown.edu/news/2018-03-12/glutamate https://www.brown.edu/news/2018-03-12/glutamate

ojkelly 4y ago
While glutamate seems to play a significant role, it’s not enough evidence to discount dopamines role. This whole space is in need of more research, we’re not at stage where definitive statements can be made one way or the other.
- FollowingTheDao 4y ago
  Sorry, I should have wrote Also, it is not about fundamentally about dopamine, but it is fundamentally about glutamate.

RHSman2 4y ago

Feel you. I have existed with ADHD all my life without knowing. I knew something was different though. I have a mini version of myself who has it a bit more severe which is where I finally worked it out and got a diagnosis. I am however only on the cusp and there are somethings that the Dr is 'confused' about. I haven't 'needed' meds however IF i was growing up now I probably would be prescribed. My personality (and if impulsive ADHD creates my personality, who knows) has led me down a tremendously exciting life. Curiosity kills the cat (but that is why a cat has nine lives). I would encourage everyone to not use their ADHD on ADHD. So meta. Get Hyper Focus on it. I would encourage those to use it to find what they are about. What they like and interest in life. Yes, its an absolute ball ache at times (procrastination) but there is magnificence out there and it unfolds when we look (in my opinion). So, balance it. Know what is going to be good for you (sleep, exercise, healthy living) but also know that you can fuck around in life. It is a perfectly acceptable pastime and your internal guide will show you the way. Do what you want in life. This is independent of ADHD. How is that for woooo-hoooy?