ADD self help and coping mechanisms have limits. Need help?

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My time management is incredibly bad and falling behind at university, dedicating all my spare time and ending up doing no work.
Make a plan but end up drifting away, just seems hopeless all the time.

Can't go on the internet (so have to block it) - as I get distracted too easily. (Can't seem to block internet on my tablet which is causing problems lately ).

Cannot read or study as my mind shifts all the time, I'm always thinking about the past as well as past social situations.
Sometimes I think about whats just happened on that day to all the way back to when I was a small child.
Anyone else have this problem by any chance ?

As I strongly suspect I have autism and anxiety, making social situations impossible, hence making life more difficult.

Seems no one wants to help, not even the doctors who put me on some never ending waiting list. I have proof of bad language disabilities and special needs throughout my childhood ad still haven't coped.

Seems without medication - there is no hope Am I just going to have to accept a dead end low paid job ? Or is there any successful ways to cope

Also I will mention, I haven't been able to even hold a job, even at McDonalds

Stimulants work miraculously for me.

I don't know the situation or which country you're in, but you may be able to get around the waiting lists with a little effort. When I was uninsured I was once placed on a two year waiting list. I prepared a sob story to feed to the receptionist and the power of guilt got me an appointment the next week.

O̶r̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶s̶t̶r̶e̶e̶t̶ ̶m̶e̶t̶h̶.̶

I hope by 2 years I get a reply. ... that's only another year for me.

First time I went on a awaiting list, was for my "primary mental health", I am still waiting to this day nearly 4 years for a reply.
I think the queue for that just keeps growing and some people because there younger or have a more urgent case are allowed to skip ahead.

Unless social interaction is a special interest for you, this sounds like it could be due at least partly to anxiety. Finding better ways to cope with anxiety could be one way to help with this.

I have big problems with paying attention and get distracted by the internet also (that's what's happening now). I won't lie, ADD meds help tremendously, but they are a double edged sword. Generic Adderall is simply called "amphetamine salts" and many scientists will argue that Ritalin is effectively synthetic cocaine. It's very difficult to take either of these regularly without at least some negative effects, and for many people, they develop clear signs of physical dependence. Most people I have known who have taken these as recommended by their doctor eventually developed mood and fatigue problems. Some gave up the meds and toughed it out, and others are basically addicts now. It's also very easy to develop a psychological dependence on the meds because they are so effective. If you decide to take meds, just be prepared to deal with this.

Other options to look into are SSRI type meds like Strattera, lots of exercise, strict diet, and lots and lots of caffeine. I don't tolerate SSRI's, but for some people Strattera seems to be pretty wonderful. Exercise, diet, and good sleep patterns help me quite a bit too, but I still take meds when I feel like I need more help. It is my goal to eventually control my ADD entirely without medication, but since I can't put life on hold to figure out how, I still take them sparingly.

I already have mood and fatigue problems, do you mean it makes it worse?



SSRI meds might try.

Caffeine, especially coffee, gives me alertness but only in the short-term plus it often makes my anxiety worse, and later on makes me more tired and unfocused than usual. But tea does appear to work as it has lower caffeine levels (I can gradually balance my caffeine over the day) and some herbal element, which really chills me out so I can focus.

I'm starting to exercise more without over doing it and already have a strict schedule which ensures I get the sleep I need.

ADD meds can absolutely make mood and fatigue problems worse. They cause the brain to release more dopamine, and when they wear off, there is less free dopamine in your brain than you had to begin with. Basically, you either deal with the negative side effects when it wears off, or you keep taking more to put off these effects (this is how most people get addicted, especially because of the fatigue associated with long-term Adderall use). They can also make anxiety worse, and cause panic attacks in some people. Extended release tends to have lesser effects on anxiety, mood, and fatigue, however.

The effects of caffeine use that you describe are likely what you will experience with Adderall or Ritalin, but since these drugs are stronger stimulants than caffeine, the effects will probably be stronger. Adderall definitely makes me more tired when it wears off, and my focus is worse than before I took it. The way I see it, ADD meds give you all the energy and focus of the next 6-8 hours in the next 4, and you're paying the price for the 2-4 hours after that. Some people take small doses of extended release in the morning and just go to bed when it wears off, but it's a far from ideal way to go through life. There really is no easy way of dealing with ADD. The pharmaceutical industry relies on consumerism, and the meds that make them billions are not the angels they claim them to be.

Honestly, 8 hours of intense physical activity in a remote wilderness setting pretty much obliterates any ADD, anxiety, mood, or fatigue problems I might have. I think we are just living out of our element and there is no perfect way to cope--we did not evolve in front of computers.