My reluctance to engage with the health service has led me to experiment with a few things like exercise, vitamin D and better sleep, which all had positive out

My reluctance to engage with the health service has led me to experiment with a few things like exercise, vitamin D and better sleep, which all had positive outcomes even if they didn't fix the problem. Your description of ritalin is similar to what I found when I took my experiments further and tried modafinil for about 18 months. It was just about effective enough to justify the (legal but awkward) way of obtaining it. Speaking to a doctor would of course be the sensible next step if I wasn't so bloody stubborn.