How do you deal with ADD?

[herbavore]

Something that is really good to drink is ice tea made with green tea (four teabags) and peppermint(2 teabags) in a big pitcher of cold water. I set one of those out in the sun every day and it is ready in about an hour. You can just set it on a counter in your kitchen or even in the fridge overnight. It is a really good alternative to soda, juice, etc. (I use decaffinated green tea). It is really refreshing.

Also, EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids--especially fish oil) is highly recommended for ADD/ADHD. The only problem with those is that you have to get high quality brands that don't have mercury contamination and those are expensive.

@Ixchellian--that's a great recipe!

 

[Addyman]

When I don't take my Adderall

I actually managed to teach myself how to pay attention more (there really is no method but "focus" and induce a 'placebo effect' to somehow feel like you're on a weaker dose)
^^ Note: This doesn't work "wonders" but it works well enough

I sometimes have to tell myself (as a way of feeding my grandiose image of myself) that everything is a competition, and me doing my work or research will make me a better person (and by better person I mean superior)

 

[Ceramic_Cat]

I know this sounds weird, but I find that smoking pot drastically increases my attention span and that's one of the main reasons I continue to smoke it. That being said, most people find that pot makes them lazier; I'm the exact opposite in that it gives me motivation to to do schoolwork.

same. it slows everything down for me and allows me to focus and think way more.

with adderall it slowed me down to the point i would fall asleep. I would take adderall in the middle of the night if i couldn't sleep. Nothing has ever helped my ADD as much as smoking pot.

 

[soundsystem00]

^ seem pretty fast paced to me

 

[Ceramic_Cat]

^ seem pretty fast paced to me

when I'm sober

 

[Help?!?!]

Noids are probably the greatest medicine i've tried for it(the dose has to be set though, it obviously don't work if I smoke 50 bongs)though I doubt its the same for most everyone else. I was just given huge doses of Adderall and Concerta as a child/teen which would get me wired as fuck(fucking PDs obviously not understanding individual pharmacology just because someones larger you shouldn't immediately toss them huge doses of chems8)). Hated that shit as I am not a stimulant man. Finally chucked all the meds a few years ago and I either grew into things more or just learned to live with the ADD. Sometimes I zone out but its fairly rare and over the years I learned a million different tricks to keep my mind in place. IMO its just about finding out the things that trigger it and the main problems and finding adequate real life solutions to them. Unless you have very serve ADD it won't be the hardest thing in the world and most will just take time to perfect techniques and the like.

 

[adhd1921]

Favorite Pharm for ADHD is Selegiline which is an old ass MAO-B inhibitor that is nootropic "like". It really does give you a rediculous amount of motivation, almost to the point where you feel "too motivated". It also greatly potentiates normal stimulants.

Best Prescription Stimulant: definitely Dexedrine. It's old as fuck and it works fantastically without giving you the same edge that Adderall gives you. Dexedrine does not have as much side effects as Adderall and does not take away your hunger as much. With adderall you won't want to see food all day and you'll just feel like shit throughout the whole day.

Dexedrine also has more recreational effects, but I do not recommend taking Amphetamine for recreation...though I god know I have done a couple lines of Dexies. Also Dexedrine = Good for sex.

Best RC: 4-FMA (FluroMethAmphetamine). FMA isn't nearly as fun as 4-FA or 4-FMC but it gives you very good focus and is fantastic for finals week. I took 10mg-20mg doses of 4-fma for research papers that I had been putting off and I got it done lickity split. It honestly works even better than prescription ADD Meds. That and it has a very mild comedown. I just felt a little tired afterwards but I was too happy about getting my shit done to care.

Piracetam is bullshit, I went through 300g of piracetam and I just ended taking piracetam every 5 seconds and getting worn out. Piracetam is WAYYY overhyped. Aniracetam however, is quite nice. It definitely focuses you.

Also you can combine nicotine patches with Selegiline and it will give you really nice focus. Selegiline greatly potentiates nicotine.

I just started taking the new Selegiline that came out in 2007, Azilect and it is pretty decent. Definitely not as powerful as selegiline but it definitely "feels cleaner" and has a lot less side effects as it is a pure MAO-B inhibitor that does not break down into levoamphetamine (same thats in Vicks). However, I do feel like the levoamphetamine in Selegiline does give it an extra boost if taken in the morning.

Get some Somatomax for the comedown off ADD Meds. Somatomax can knock you the fuck out if you are really having trouble sleeping and gives you great sleep.

Don't jerk off so much, it will just make you feel like shit. Adderall really always made me want to jerk off and I would just spend hours jerking off and surfing.

Stay the fuck away from XR add meds, those shit are the devil. XR ADD meds don't make any sense at all. What is the point of being stimulated for 8 hours a days (especially with Vyvanse), those XRs build up tolerance HILARIOUSLY fast. I'm talking after a month of consistently taking Vyvanse you'll only get stimulation and none of the good effects.

 

[Ixchellian]

@Ixcheillian, thanks man! I appreciate your time and help. I've definitely done a decent job thus far of avoiding soda. I've only had it once in the last 60 hours or so. I have had some arizona tea which I enjoy for the taste. I might cut that out and just go for juices and water though.

Something that is really good to drink is ice tea made with green tea (four teabags) and peppermint(2 teabags) in a big pitcher of cold water. I set one of those out in the sun every day and it is ready in about an hour. You can just set it on a counter in your kitchen or even in the fridge overnight. It is a really good alternative to soda, juice, etc. (I use decaffinated green tea). It is really refreshing.

Also, EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids--especially fish oil) is highly recommended for ADD/ADHD. The only problem with those is that you have to get high quality brands that don't have mercury contamination and those are expensive.

@Ixchellian--that's a great recipe!

no problem, y'all. and thank you. B)
I don't see why fish couldn't be substituted for the chicken, other than making the marinade as a sauce for pan frying, while using a bit of coconut milk & much less oil in it.
I betcha mahimahi or tuna steaks would be bomb

I don't drink a lot of plain water myself.... really just juice, gatorade, and tea.

tea I'm a huge fan of; earl grey, darjeeling, and white or green tea, sweetend with honey. and if I have my way, there's normally a big ass pitcher roobios/red tea brewing in the sun.
.... there's few natural things that are as relaxing & focusing for me as a nice cup of tea, especially when things get hectic.

Afterthought: I highly doubt there's mercury contaminating fish-oil supplements from places like Walgreens/CVS, etc. Most fish-oil comes from manufacturers who use farmed fish or ocean whitefish to make livestock feed and fast-food. They then ship it bulk to the supplement folks in big plastic drums, who usually just encapsulate it with stabilizers & other inert additives (gelatin, etc), package it (using different brand labels, but same oil), and off it goes.

Those industries are very tightly regulated (unlike the supplements industry), and heavy-metal contamination is rare & promptly noticed.
Fish-oil is one of the few supps that I don't mind buying bargain..... but to be honest, eating fresh fish at least a few times a week provides enough of those good nutrients for us.
It's the fancy/complex herbal & vitamin supps that are all over the place as to what, and how much is is actually in them.

 

[adhd1921]

Beyond all the shit you can take though, exercise is the single most effective treatment for ADHD. Beyond just the fact that exercise and weight lifting makes everyone feel better it has an added effect on people with ADD. It raises one's levels of PEA which is the precursor to dopamine (motivation).

abnormally low concentrations of endogenous phenethylamine are found in those suffering from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)[9] and often in clinical depression[

MAO-B inhibitors such as selegiline and Azilect increase this effect because they prevent the oxidation of PEA. There is no better thing for someone with ADD than taking some Nootropic workout shake and working out in the morning. I personally recommend Focus XT by SNS. If you take something like Focus XT and an MAO-B you will have so much energy it will be overwhelming but once you have tired yourself out from exercise than you are just left with a shit load of motivation and just a little bit of physical energy.

I don't recommend taking any kind of Nootropic vitamins as you will just have to take fist full to feel anything and it will end up being ridiculous and you will get tired of taking so many damn pills. Just spend $30 on FocusXT or Neurostim and that will have every acetyl-Choline (aka nootropics) and PEA precursor.

As for amphetamine tolerance, take Magnesium (I recommend glycinate as it doesn't give you the shits), 4 DXM Gelcaps, L-Tyrosine (only if your not on an MAO-B) before you go to bed. Get memantine if your willing to spend the money to get it, as that is the absolute best thing for tolerance.

 

[severely etarded]

Basically, the amphs worked but I had horrible crashes and couldn't focus because of the anxiety.

I also took adderall from age 12-17 and then vyvanse from 17-19. Prescribed for ADD.

I also had the anxiety problems and the crash. I found benzos virtually canceled every single adverse side effect the amphs caused. Depression, anxiety (especially), and even the nasty 'hangover' feeling is almost non-existent when I take benzos.

Valium works best for me, but klonopin is good too. Both are long-acting and shouldn't require redosing.

They also help you fall asleep at night obviously. Perfect cocktail.

My biggest problem is my GP never wanted to prescribe me benzos

I had to aquire them illegally, even though they worked.

If you try it, I would stick to a low dose to offset the side effects. .5 mg klonopin or 5 mg valium.

You could try xanax my only problem is it seems to wear off too quickly in low doses. .25 will only really hit you 4 good hours and .5 is a little heavy without benzo tolerance unless you are on a higher dose of amph it wouldn't seem like so much

 

[severely etarded]

When I don't take my Adderall

I actually managed to teach myself how to pay attention more (there really is no method but "focus" and induce a 'placebo effect' to somehow feel like you're on a weaker dose)
^^ Note: This doesn't work "wonders" but it works well enough

I compare this to the feeling of driving down Houston, TX freeways at rush hour. The other day I did this and noticed how incredibly alert and wide-eyed I was, without any traces of stimulants inside me. My eyes were constantly keeping an eye on what felt like 100 vehicles in a close vicinity to mine. Eye noticed my eyes darting and definitely felt a rush. A rush, if I actually think I could produce with placebo effect and would still be stimulating.

It's amazing, because adderall and vyvanse & dex, just stimulate the CNS through chemical reactions, but the reactions aren't really so unnatural. The body has the potential to conditionally stimulate itself through the adrenal glands, and many other ways not quite fully understood. I think the 'placebo effect' could actually be a psycho-somatic response, no?

i.e. the mind can trick itself into making the body produce chemicals it wouldn't normally produce?

 

[Addyman]

I compare this to the feeling of driving down Houston, TX freeways at rush hour. The other day I did this and noticed how incredibly alert and wide-eyed I was, without any traces of stimulants inside me. My eyes were constantly keeping an eye on what felt like 100 vehicles in a close vicinity to mine. Eye noticed my eyes darting and definitely felt a rush. A rush, if I actually think I could produce with placebo effect and would still be stimulating.

It's amazing, because adderall and vyvanse & dex, just stimulate the CNS through chemical reactions, but the reactions aren't really so unnatural. The body has the potential to conditionally stimulate itself through the adrenal glands, and many other ways not quite fully understood. I think the 'placebo effect' could actually be a psycho-somatic response, no?

i.e. the mind can trick itself into making the body produce chemicals it wouldn't normally produce?

That seems to be the case for me

I do actually have a method that I can physically stimulate, on command, within seconds... heartrate increases dramatically and it feels like I can "feel" the blood rushing through my blood vessels

I haven't pinpointed what exactly my body is doing when I trigger the rush, and it takes no psychological thoughts at all... it's like crossing your eyes... you just do it O_O

Oh, but yeah, I believe the body can trigger releases of chemicals and such... I have various instances I can point out where I've done such things...
(even potentiated my own opiates by lying down and telling myself things... made the "muscle relaxant" effects I get from Oxycodone 10s happen during 5s)

 

[unsettled]

I've been there and done that, but I'm still very resentful toward my condition of having adhd (they're looking to do away with the inattention/hyperactivity distinction, because the thought is that they're both flip sides of the same coin). For those of you who don't have adhd and who wish to know more about it, I'd recommend watching http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3d1SwUXMc0 .

I don't agree with everything in the video, but I agree with most of the current understanding that is summarized in the video. Long story short, the crux of it is that people with adhd have deficits in working memory. For a practical demonstration, check out: http://cognitivefun.net/test/4

Other than that, or perhaps related to that, people with adhd have a very bad time with time management, planning, organizing, coordinating, completing tasks, sustaining behavior, avoiding distractions, getting back on task, and other associated responsibilities. People who have adhd have trouble projecting into the future. They have trouble dealing with matters that are not urgent and compelling; they live in the moment and go with whatever takes up their attention at a given time. I have learned all these things through personal experience. I am pretty perceptual to my own level of intelligence, and while it's above average, that merely concealed the difficulties that I would face in adult life. I never took a drug to treat adhd until I was 17-18, at which point I had began noticing that I had a harder time of "simple" things than ordinary people. But if I was less intelligent, others would have probably made the determination that I had adhd much earlier on. I could write about my findings with regard to adhd for a long time, but suffice it to say, my general advice to those who have not yet been able to learn about it for those who have it:

You will have a tough time dealing with abstract math, chemistry, biology, physics, engineering and so on. Don't get me wrong, it's not that you can't learn these things, but it's much harder to assimilate the way of thinking. Drugs can help in the short term, but they won't help develop a talent/affinity for these things. At best, they'll level the playing field. You might have a much tougher time of stability in life, and this extends to all aspects including relationships, career, etc.

At the end of the day, people with adhd will not be as effective in implementing their knowledge and putting it into practice, as they would have been able if they didn't have adhd. Adhd is a performance problem, simply put, which is fucking sad.

Drugs that I have found useful include the amphetamines (as needed... take this very seriously, because they can fuck with your life), modafinil (mood-brightening and uplifting effects and modest improvement in some symptoms), weed (to fall asleep or shift mentality). I take modafinil on half of days when I'm not taking amphetamines for study purposes and I smoke weed most days. One rule I have is never take amphetamine on the weekend or more than twice a week and avoid benzos at all costs. I might add more later.

To me this post sums up the real life problems of having ADD in the most direct way, or at least in the way that I have experienced it.

I wasn't diagnosed with ADD until I was 30, I was and am like most of the people in this post. I did have the benefit of figuring out how my mind worked before I was put on stimulants, I'm still not sure if this is completely a good thing, though it probably is. The problem I found was that in the real world I struggle too much with scheduling and time management, taking the time to do things that I don't see as having immediate importance...impulsivity,...etc.

I agree that AD(h)D is a performance disorder, I get by by using my strengths and talents to my advantage, I've made a living as a musician for my entire adult life. However I always feel I could do better if it wasn't for certain ADD parts of my personality that seem to get in my way. But it is what it is.

I used to smoke weed every day for years and years but stopped when I was put on Ritalin. Weed started to make me paranoid where it used to help me focus and relax me too. The truth is I probably did better before I was diagnosed but I can see more clearly after being diagnosed. The problem with ADD is that it effects your whole life and shit really had to hit the fan before I was actually diagnosed.

As far as how I deal with ADD I don't know yet, I'm still figuring it out. I have a need for intense stimulation and spontaneity that has to be met. I also need to make a living and not always be living in a state of chaos. I take my Ritalin on days that I need to get things done, I also take my Klonopin at night as rx'd. Trying to cut down on the Klonopin though and drugs in general. I've done them all and I love them but they aren't a good option for the long term for me. At least not most of them .... anyway, yeah, still trying to deal with ADD!

AS a sidenote, since being rx'd ritalin I've actually been able to continue taking some college classes and focus on them (only the ones I'm interested in though) and I realize education is what you make of it and is not the demon I had always made it out to be. So I guess through treatment I've realized that life is much broader than what I had made it out to be but that may just be life. Anyway, one day at a time, I really see life very differently as a result of my ADD diagnosis but I'm still in the process of digesting it all.

 

[LogicSoDeveloped]

How do you guys think psychedelics affect ADD?

They are my drugs of choice and as a result, the only chemicals I enjoy regularly.

 

[severely etarded]

What sort of food do you like to cook? I just wondered if you had an example of a dish that you enjoy as I'm not really much of a cook yet though I'd like to start.

Today, I picked up the following foods: Smoked salmon, onion, cream cheese, french bread, pears, strawberries, caramel apples-I know probably not the best selection but I'm not sure that I would want to do a drastic change overnight though I feel like I'm making some good steps, Orange Juice. I believe that is all that I got this evening.

I instinctively went for frozen stuff and soda but walked away from them without making any purchases of that sort of stuff.

By electrolyte drinks, do you mean gatorade? Or something else, just making sure as this is very important to me.

By the way, I don't have a weight issue but I don't eat healthy either. I'm not saying this as an excuse but I figured that it would be important to note that my unhealthy diet affects my ADD more than my weight. I weight around 130lbs. but my height is 5 foot 9 inches.

I also ordered a book on ADD to learn more about it.

I would try dark greens and fish, beans, bananas, skim/1-2% milk, nuts, eggs, potatoes, grains/oats etc. I bolded potatoes because the carbs seem to be very filling, nutritious, and keep my mind alert. very important. A mixture of these provides a damn good nutrition

 

[severely etarded]

How do you guys think psychedelics affect ADD?

They are my drugs of choice and as a result, the only chemicals I enjoy regularly.

I don't think they've been really been studied much, but I'd imagine it would be subjective from person to person. And then a variety of factors would come into play such as lifestyle (diet and exercise), poly-substance abuse, and I would imagine the particular psychadelic(s) being used would cause this to vary. I highly doubt LSD and mushrooms and 2C-B would all have exact the same long-term effects as eachother.

The frequency of use would also be a giant factor.

 

[LogicSoDeveloped]

I experience them on average around once a week, a little more or a little less but thats about average. Would you think they make it worse? I just find them crucial to working through my issues. I had a recent 2c-i experience that allowed me to continue understanding why I had a huge problem with marijuana. I had to stop for legal reasons but was craving all the time without realizing what I had done. Obviously marijuana isn't the worst drug or nearly the worst to abuse but for me, it had near catastrophic effects on me in a lot of different ways I understand more and more everyday.

One of the main things was that it was the only thing I did, day in and day out. My life revolved around it. Depression, Anxiety, Apathy, and others were other parts to it. It also made my ADD worse from the amount I was smoking.

 

[laCster]

by b-complex, i mean vitamin b-complex. thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, ect... i take a multivitamin and b-complex vitamin daily after diner with a couple tokes of marijuana. vitamins are especially important if you plan on going the amphetamine/stimulant route to aid with recuperation.

i personally cannot tolerate the ups and downs with dosing amphetamines daily. i usually take adderall 2-3 times a week, or when i need to buckle-down and study. otherwise, i stick with 60mgs DXM, exercise, vitamins, diet, and marijuana

 

[Ixchellian]

not too long ago I finished up a longish, regular low-dose/sub-threshold course of 2c-i, and it positively affected my daily focus & mood.

while it wasn't something I could or would want to do normally as it did have some icky side-effects, it certainly raised interesting questions...... ones far beyond my ability to answer. 8)

 

[severely etarded]

I experience them on average around once a week, a little more or a little less but thats about average. Would you think they make it worse? I just find them crucial to working through my issues. I had a recent 2c-i experience that allowed me to continue understanding why I had a huge problem with marijuana. I had to stop for legal reasons but was craving all the time without realizing what I had done. Obviously marijuana isn't the worst drug or nearly the worst to abuse but for me, it had near catastrophic effects on me in a lot of different ways I understand more and more everyday.

One of the main things was that it was the only thing I did, day in and day out. My life revolved around it. Depression, Anxiety, Apathy, and others were other parts to it. It also made my ADD worse from the amount I was smoking.

I'm with you. I started smoking a lot (daily) as a young teen. In retrospect I think a lot of my intense desire to smoke started because it made my adderall comedowns much smoother. They helped a lot with the

I have ADD too, and nothing seems to help besides stimulants, but the price is huge. I eat a good diet, exercise, etc. It helps to an extent, but I can't honestly say it does wonders like stimulants.

The effects of rolling make ADD much worse too BTW. Idk how much you like to roll, but I would limit it to 2x a year if you want to improve it. Maybe even once