ADD/Intense anxiety depression | ADHD Information

thx for your support, i really appreciate it

the problem is that i live in france, and here adhd is not officially recognized my doctors, so they dont give any meds, plus ritalin, straterra etc... arent allowed here, so the only solution i have from now is to smoke weed, but it has many side effects. I have a friend who lives in netherlands who is ready to send me some meds but he wont be able to send them for more than 1 month, so i'm kinda stuck.

i've been on the board for about a month, but i've just find the courage to write about myself.

peace, xavier

Hi Donny,

As we all well know, ADD causes all sorts of problems that interfere with life. The inattentiveness, lack of concentration, and memory loss all cause major problems with work and relationships. Many of us have tried self-medicating to feel better. But the only problem is that pot and many other drugs actually casue many of the problems that we are trying to overcome.

I know many people with no ADD or any other noticeable propblem. But after a couple of years of smoking pot they are unable to focus, their short-term memory is going, and they are experiencing many of the same problems caused by ADD.

So I do not mean to lecture (I did way more than my share of drugs in the 1970s), but I think smoking pot makes things worse.

If you do not have access to medication, the only thing I can think of are natural remedies. They may not work as well as medication, but they may help:

#1 - Eat a healthy diet. Avoid processed sugar and food addidtives as much as possible. try to limit extremly high carbohydrates (pastries, etc.).

#2 - Exercise very regularly. This stimulates the very chemicals that the ADD brain seems to lack.

#3 - Pray or meditate. Doing something to train your mind and relax your spirit is very important. Some people get this from Christian prayer, some from meditation, some from yoga, some from martial arts.

#4 - Attempt to structure your life in an ADD-friendly way when possible. Try to simplify the tasks that cause you problems, etc.

This may not resolve all your problems, but it may help.

To answer you "chicken or egg" question, I think both are correct.

ADD symptoms such as forgetfulness create ongoing stress-producing situations. And stress seems to create ADD-type symptoms (or make the ADD worse).

People without ADD exhibit very ADD-like symptoms if they have been under a lot of stress and missing sleep.

I am starting to get the attitude that the world is just going to have to deal with me the way I am.

(english isn't my native language, you've been warned...)

everyday when i wake up, i'm "happy", i just think the day will be a good one. at about 6pm, i start feeling bad, i just remind of all my problems (drugs, love, difficult relationship with my mother, etc...). when going to bed, i just can't sleep, my brain is full of bad thoughts, i'm feeling like the worse dude in the universe, sometimes i cry and it takes me hours to sleep.

my life has been like this for years, i know i have adhd for about 3 months but i can still can't deal with this daily depression/anxiety.

thanks for reading, xavier

I hear ya man,

It's like everyday is gonna be worse than the previous one. I have cried myself to sleep before as well. It's just such a frustrating lifestyle that I feel so emotionally drained. 

You are not alone Xavier

 

 

[QUOTE=xavier](english isn't my native language, you've been warned...) everyday when i wake up, i'm "happy", i just think the day will be a good one. at about 6pm, i start feeling bad, i just remind of all my problems (drugs, love, difficult relationship with my mother, etc...). when going to bed, i just can't sleep, my brain is full of bad thoughts, i'm feeling like the worse dude in the universe, sometimes i cry and it takes me hours to sleep.

my life has been like this for years, i know i have adhd for about 3 months but i can still can't deal with this daily depression/anxiety.

thanks for reading, xavier

[/QUOTE]

donny, I think Chazinmo answered the ADHD/stress question quite well!

xavier, Have you talked to your dr about meds to help you deal with your anxiety? There are co-morbid conditions which go along with ADHD quite often and anxiety is one of them. You may need to take an antdepressant /anti-anxiety medication. Welcome to the wonderful world of ADHD and welcome to these wonderful message boards!    We are here to support and encourage you as well as offer whatever advice we can!   Barb

I, too, like Lexapro for anxiety.  10 mg once a day.  Very few side effects.  My understanding is that Lexapro has the least possible side effects of all the SSRI's.  I was starting to gain weight with the Celexa, but after being on Lexapro I dropped the 10 pounds I had gained. 

They go hand and hand right?

For me they do. I was on paxil for a while and it made me gain a lot of weight.

I took myself off of paxil, i wasn't under a doctor's supervision, because I just changed jobs and my benefits kick in next month. I asked my psychiatrist (who i used while i was under coverage from my last job) to get me off paxil but he was too lazy to get in touch with my regular doctor. Anyways, I've off paxil for a few weeks, after going through some withdrawl, I have lost some weight but I do feel anxiety and "what-if" thinking again.Mostly because I'm usually worried about what I'm going to F!% up next. Maybe I needed the paxil, but I went off of it because i hated the side effects and I still felt anxiety. I'm just sick and tired of this stuff. I'm 28 but I feel like I'm 50. Anyways, I was wondering if anyone else ever wondered what came first the chicken or the egg. Do we feel anxious because we are so absent-minded? Or does our anxiety make us absent-minded? I have been trying to figure this for a long time. Paxil wasn't the answer. I wonder if there is medication that will help me think better and some medication to take the edge off a little bit. I plan to see my doctor about this as soon as my benefits start. But I just wanted to throw this out on the board and see what people think. I don't mind medication but I don't want to gain weight and I don't want sexual side effects. Those kind of side effects make me so anxious that it defeats the purpose of taking it in the first place. I do feel like I'm in and endless cycle of unfulfillment and despair.

Thanks for listening

 

 

I was given Lexapro to take along with Strattera and if I am to be put on adderall. I like Lexapro, it's only 10 mgs, the side effects that appear at first do wear off (but some of them take time) and it seems to have no effect on any other medication I have to take (which includes asthma and heart medication).

Many people like Wellbutrin for both anxiety and ADHD. That might be a good drug for you.

Cheekydeeky