ADD without meds.... how?

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Hi everyone,

I have ADD (without H) and it affects every part of my life. I haven't been able to tolerate meds and was wondering if I could get some tips from someone who has successfully managed their ADD w/o meds.

I have explored the meds route thoroughly with doctors, so suggesting new meds won't really help me here. I need advice more along the lines of lifestyle. Too often I am becoming "frozen" and can't do anything, I'm so overwhelmed and riddled with anxiety, racing thoughts, etc. Those with ADD will know exactly what I'm talking about.

When I get medicaid, I will find a new doc, but that won't be for awhile as I've just applied.

Thank you in advance!

You mention experiencing anxiety. Anxiety can mimic ADD, and ADD meds tend to make anxiety worse. So I'm wondering if you've tried any medication for anxiety? Anti-depressants, for example, are often used to reduce anxiety. If it's anxiety impeding your ability to concentrate, that would explain you not responding to ADD meds.

I'm not diagnosed with ADHD yet, so I'm not on meds. But exercise helps. My good days are the days when I exercise.

Arrange your study/work according to how your brain functions.

Eg. work for 1 hour, run for 20 minutes, do the dishes for 15 minutes, work for another 30 minutes. Do everything in short bursts.

Diet, exercise, and consistently doing productive things in short bursts tend to play a big role in improving your symptoms. I think Nootropics have been a large factor in improving my abilities to cope with the symptoms of ADD/ADHD. I recommend Phenylpiracetam for its energizing, motivating, and focus driven qualities.

I am joining the local YMCA. I found out that they have arthritis classes every single week day and it's just what I need for my autoimmune problems. Every day I will have somewhere to go and not only get exercise, but exercise that it suited for my personal needs.

My doc and I decided to try Depakote. It is sometimes used to treat ADD and is the only psych med I could tolerate in the past. The reason I could tolerate it is because it's actually an anti seizure med and doesn't mess with serotonin levels in the brain. Until a few days ago, I had completely forgotten I was ever on Depakote. I didn't have a diagnosis of ADD back then (10 years ago), but I remember that "grounded" me in some way. I'm curious to find out if it actually helped with ADD symptoms. It's worth a try!

If anyone is interested, I'll let you know how this treatment goes for me. It will take a month or more for me to really know, of course.

Thanks everyone for your responses!

My primary diagnosis is ADHD along with AS traits. I went on Adderall, Ritalin, etc. when I was seven. I hated it. It made me feel zombified. Aside from stuff I'd buy off of my coworkers from time to time in the past, I've sworn off of them completely. As an adult, they were a little more helpful. Instead of getting distracted by every shiny thing, I would have all of my natural mental energy focused on whatever it was I was trying to accomplish, and accomplish I did, but mentally, it made me feel empty. Just workworkworkworkwork no thinking workworkworkmore.

I can't help but wonder what lunacy inspires doctor to give children speed.

Anyway, these days the main way I handle it is by not handling it, and guess what? I've accomplished quite a lot. I'll work for a bit, the go explore the street a mile up from house, come back, surf the net, work more, monologue the cat, make tea, work more. I'm a mental sprinter. In short bursts, I can produce a lot of good work, spread throughout the day. It's harder to maintain when I'm stuck at work for an eight hour shift, but while I'm in school, it's a great tactic.

One thing I will never do is what my psychologist recommended... excessive structure. Daily planners, adhering to a specific schedule, planning everything, never allowing room for randomness... this drives me insane. I feel like psychologists are trying to make people with ADHD conform to a world that was designed by people with the opposite mindset. They're trying to fit an abstract sculpture into a round hole. It's destined not to work. I've tried living a sedentary, hyperorganized life, and it's just made me fat, alcoholic and depressed.

In the long term, I think the most important thing is to pick a job with loose structure, varied tasks, and always something new going on. Medicine is one, or entrepreneurship, or journalism, or long-haul trucking, or embassy work. For me, what will help is to never be doing the same thing in the same place for very long.