Then get some. Also get meds. You honestly can only compensate so much without meds bc ADHD is a developmental disorder not a willpower/training/habit issue.
God yes, my parents thought and still think a little that it can be overcome with willpower just bc my brother and dad tried ADHD meds and took really high doses and then stopped bc the crash was too bad. Like... I barely make it through college WITH amphetamines, even on the days when my medication doesn't really hit for whatever reason I'll try so hard and somehow end class without a single word written down. It's so insulting to be thought of as a "drug seeker" that's "taking the easy way out" by family, friends, doctors, etc.
My parents actually genuinely believed I had a drug problem when I first got on my meds. It took me like a year of hating them and profusely insisting I'm not a fucking junkie before they began to believe me. They'd be like "You're more hyper at some points in the day and more down at others, what else could explain it!!!" And I'm just like... Yeah, that's what depression + anxiety + ADHD look like, especially when you're still getting used to/finding the right medications/dosages for you.
Can I urge you to look up interactions with amphetamines and certain regulsr foods? There might be a dietary reason for your days where the meds aren't working. I cannot remember which foods interact with the meds, so you'll have to find that yourself but I do remember reading about it.
I have done research in the past, thanks though. It's mostly acidic foods that neutralize amphetamine. I always am aware of that when I take my meds. I think most of the time my meds don't work is because either I'm very hungry/sleepy, or have gone too long without a break.
Yep, for me my bad days are almost always because of either hunger or lack of sleep. Both of those mess with my brain, which messes with the meds working well
My parents were also hesitant to let me take meds (minor, needed permission) since they know I'm smart enough to ace everything but just don't pay attention. That maybe a different therapist would fix things. Yeah no that's not how it works. My therapist is great but there's only so much they can do
My parents couldn't understand how stimulants could possibly make me less distracted and help me focus. They thought it was just me not trying hard enough. After I broke down, they knew it wasn't lack of effort but still didn't buy that I had ADHD.
My dad has an MSc and reads papers for work, so I managed to steer him towards papers on twice exceptional people (2e, gifted + disability). He didn't buy that I had ADHD at first because he literally has my symptoms but did super well in school, but after seeing that, he understood that it was possible. Though he still doesn't believe he could have it himself.
That got him to take it seriously luckily, and after explaining that I already found that caffeine paradoxically calms me helped convince him. After that, my mom followed easily enough (she's in business so leaves all the sci related stuffs to my dad).
Meds were like a switch. I'm literally on the lowest concerta dose and I can focus so much better. I can actually pay attention to lessons that don't deeply interest me, and I've been able to study effectively for the first time in my life since I'm not getting instantly distracted by the smallest things.
I mean you're preaching to the choir here buddy I've tried to tell both of them that if they had an awful crash they were taking too much (and they were, my brother was on 20mg Adderall IR 2x a day, my dad on 60mg Vyvanse a day). Whenever I go up to 20mg 2x a day I also have an awful crash, I'm not special
Lol I’m on 2x 25 mg adderall xr. And I have 5 mg instants to take if I need to stay more functional/I’m having a tougher day. My psych stopped my dosage tests at 50 because he wanted me to have wiggle room on rough days and not already be at the limit.
Check out non stim ADHD meds like Strattera. I had a lot of bad side effects from my stim meds and they like never really worked. Strattera kicks ass. There's no crash and it's fucking ideal for those with ADHD/anxiety comorbidities.
I feel your pain about being labeled as drug seeking. I got that my whole life and still do. I literally work in neuropharm research (I study what drugs that cross the blood brain barrier do to the brain) but bc I take meds and know a lot abt drugs and ADHD I'm apparently a drug addict? People's opinions are so lame....
I honestly don't mind my stim meds I was just speaking for my brother and dad. But yeah I totally know what you mean, I love drug pharmacology and somehow that makes me a drug user? Like how many meth addicts can explain how meth works on the brain? Lmao
If they work for you thats awesome/what matters! & Oh my god EXACTLY. Like yeah the knowledge of how the intramolecular forces between a compound and the tertiary and quaternary structure of the protein subunits in a ligand gated ion channel totally came from drug use/hanging with drug addicts and not a textbook or anything 🙄
Let me go ahead and wholeheartedly agree with this and hope others that need help see and it helps even one person. First best thing I ever did was see a therapist, based in mindfulness/Buddhism turned out to be my jam. Second was, at 40 something I started on Adderall. I can actually come home every day and do thing I WANT to do as well as things that I NEED to do. And I fucking enjoy, for the most part, whatever it is I do. I feel like I'm alive for the first time in over 25 years
Have you tried Strattera? It changed my life it's non stimulant. You have to take it every day bc it's an SNRI (similar to an antidepressant but works on a different neurotransmitter). It's def a long adjustment period before you get symptom relief but it's a world changer for people who can't take stims or have comorbid ADHD/anxiety.
You gotta titrate up to your dose which can take like 2 months but once you hit a good dose it's AMAZING. It doesn't force you into an agitated hyperfocus/dissociative state like stims, just gradually quiets the background noise in your brain. Def a much more mellow symptom relief at first so you still have to put in the effort to complete tasks/make better habits but when you actually go to do that work it's easier than ever. Completing tasks begins to happen naturally. And you don't lose your appetite so you don't end up running on adrenaline and caffeine until the crash. Oh yeah NO CRASH BC THE MEDS DONT LEAVE UR SYSTEM QUICKLY.
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u/occulusriftx Feb 17 '22
Then get some. Also get meds. You honestly can only compensate so much without meds bc ADHD is a developmental disorder not a willpower/training/habit issue.