Need advice-What to do? | ADHD Information

Does anyone else struggle daily with deciding wether or not to continue meds, treatment, etc? I am tired of the every two month visits to the psychiatrist for med checks, tired of the time and expense of it all. I have an 8mos old and a part-time working mom and dont know if it is worth the time and effort. Additionally, I struggle with taking meds. I have tried just about everything and have recently started on Ritalin LA and find I am very drowsy and it was nonformulary and very expensive! I go back and forth all the time about not going back to the doctor and stopping my meds although life is easier with the meds. Does anyone else go through this, has anyone else been drowsy from Ritalin La, this is the opposite of all the others,

 

Any help is appreciated,

Thanks        

I struggle with it too. I would love to find a supplement that does the job that Ritalin or Adderal do. I'm going to my Amen dr. tomorrow and will ask him what things have a similar effect. (He is appaently knowledgeable and positive about using supplements instead of meds.) I will let you know what I find out.

Omega 3 Fish Oil worked for my depression as well as a med, so...maybe I'll luck out and find a good supplement that has the calming but stimulant effect of the meds. I've tried a few, but so far no luck.

I don't get sleepy on Ritalin...just massively ornery and a huge headache when it wears off.

bb

Me to, I want to give up meds b/c of the cost! I have to take generic adderall. Name brand costs me as compared to . So gen. it is. Also theres klonopin (gen), ambian for sleep(no gen avail.) and Fioricet for headaches(gen sucks)!

I have to see my Doc every month and its financially draining. Sometimes I think in some cases, it's all about the money. Come on now, just to write scrips? Unless I really need to talk about something, I'm there for 15 mins. Unreal!Nothing natural has seemed to work for me so far. Adderall does give me headaches and makes me feel sh*ty when it's wearing off. I'm taking the max. dose, 20mg. three times a day. I'm 5'3 , 107 pds. Less of a dose, does nothing I agree, life is easier with meds.

To make matters worse, my husband also takes Ambian and Fioricet. Both non gen. Sometimes I just want to screem, WHY ME! If I have to have ADD, at least I could have been born rich!!!!!

Maybe if we all go off our meds and cause Chaos in the world, the governments may be forced to offer our meds free of charge just for some peace and control I don't take mind-altering prescription drugs.  I tend not to take
drugs for anything unless I feel a strong need for it.  OK, everybody
is the same way -- but I have a stricter standard than most as to how strong the
need has to be before I would take drugs.  I do occasionally take drugs
but have not felt any very strong need for mind-altering ones.
We're all individuals;  we all have different needs as well as different
values.

I use flax oil, walnuts and fish to supply omega-3 essential fatty
acids in my diet.  I take phosphatidylserine as a nutritional supplement.
I read somewhere that it had been included in a formulation to treat
ADD.  It's usually recommended for older people to help with memory.
I don't know what it does exactly, but I think it's a nutrient normally
needed by the brain. 

Anyway, when I started taking phosphatidylserine I found there was
less time per day when I felt too tired to concentrate on anything.

I use neurofeedback to learn to concentrate.  It seems to help.
When I'm actually using it, I tend to follow a list of things to do
on the computer;  without the neurofeedback I tend to get distracted
by email or something and not follow my list.  But I really think it
helps not only when I'm using it, but it helps me learn to concentrate
better any time I want to. 

Exercise is supposed to help.  A really vigorous aerobic workout is
supposed to raise dopamine levels (or something) lasting several
hours, so you can concentrate better.  I usually bicycle to work, and
occasionally if I'm having trouble concentrating I'll get up and walk
around a bit or something.

I keep inventing systems to keep myself organized.  I used to invent
a new system about every couple of weeks.  Maybe I'm still doing that.
I think I'm getting better at coming up with systems that work well
for me that I can keep using longer than a couple of weeks.  I think about
what it is about a system that makes it easy or difficult to use, and what the
characteristics are of the systems that last longer for me.  I use lots of
systems at once -- complementary ones, not usually redundant ones.

Novelty and excitement help.  Doing things that result in immediate
positive feedback.

I would worry about long-term side effects of drugs.
By the way, Teresa Gallagher has a good web page summarizing
alternative treatments for ADD:

http://borntoexplore.org/alternatives.htm

Hey Rosina,

I would love to not need medications, but for now I do. I tried a couple of times to stop taking them. I felt fine (no withdrawl or anything of that sort). I thought everything was going great. Then after about 4 weeks I suddenly realized that I had dozens of unreturned messages, several missed meetings, two late projects, a couple of overdue bills, and actually had to stay home form work one day because I had no clean clothes to wear. I was slipping right back to where I had been before my treatment. But perhaps one day I will find a combination of non-medication solutions. 

#1 - What type of neurofeedback are you doing? Do you go to a clinic? Did you buy a computer program of some sort? I understand the concept of neurofeedback, but I am not familiar with any actual practical applications other than very expensive clinics.

#2 - Do you have a holistic practioner who prescribes your regimen of supplements for you or do you do it yourself? if you do it yourself, how do you know what combinations and amount to take? Are there any good books you know of? ALSO.. do you just take the supplents (omga-3, etc), or do you also restrict certain foods like high-carb starches?

#3 - I don't think most of the ADD meds are what I would consider mind-altering. The stimulants certainly are not. They speed up the mind, but do not alter the chemical structure. Some of the ones that were originally developed as anti-depressants may be to some degree. I do not understand these quite as well. the long-term effects of the stimulants are pretty well understood since they have been around for a long time. Certainly they are not very good for you in the long run (as drinking a lot of coffee is not good for you). I am pretty sure that any stimulant has negative physical effects. But nothing too devestating. For me it is healthier than being unemployed and not having healthcare!

#4 - Yes, exercise is extremely helpful! It may be one of the single best things people can do on their own to help with almost any problem (it is great for depression, stress, and anxiety as well as ADD). I joined a gym this year (YMCA) and it is absolutely the best financial investment I have ever made in my life. I go every morning before work and the benefits vastly outweigh the expense and effort. A gym may not be for everyone, but exercise of some sort should be.