The lighter side of ADHD
Image not quite for ADHPeeps but I feel this sort of thing happens regularly for us as well.
I became a pothead because it made the cacophony of thoughts in my head stfu. I didn't realize that my thoughts were like that because of ADHD, since I was only diagnosed in my 30's (started smoking weed when I was 19).
Holy shit! This post gave me an epiphany.
I was a cartoonist for the student newspaper, and drawing a funny comic strip every day was grueling. But I did better when I drank a Coca Cola before I started to brainstorm. Later, guess what - diagnosed ADHD.
Anyway, I probably took 2-3 hours on each comic, and was paid $5 per strip. And spent some of that on soda. So, it was a labor of love and foolishness. Also, I was semi-famous on campus for edgy cartoons that were occasionally funny, most of which I am embarrassed about in middle age.
I'm in the middle of diagnosis. I do have Bipolar and have been medicated for 4 years or so. My shrink and I suspect that ADHD is there. It seems to be a common comorbidity. I was self-medicating with alcohol, until I got to a very bad place.
Both bipolar and ADHD have a frightening percentage of substance abuse, often as a form of self medication.
I went to the shrink around the time when I got sober. Quitting drinking and meds literally saved my life.
BTW, I got sober thanks to SMART Recovery. SMART is science based and behavior oriented, so even if you don't have an addiction problem (substances and/or behaviors), You can learn a lot of stuff applicable to behavioral problems. Much of the program is based on Cognitive Behavioral therapies, no higher power required. Confidential. Free.
Rockstar and pseudoephedrine Claritin with a fresh made breakfast burrito. Discovered I could focus easily for hours as the stimulants with a full stomach of food kept me from being overstimulated. Ironically cost me a lot more than Ritalin does as I didn’t have the time or money to pursue a diagnosis at that time.
I developed this unique tea leaf / tree bark mix over 20 years ago, and I could swear it changed my life. I studied for 14 hours per day sometimes and absorbed all my training within a few years. Then the effect was gone.
Looking at it objectively, maybe the trick was that it had just the right amount of caffeine, but unlike pure black tea, not too much at once and with a lot of water. Possibly also compensating a micro nutrient deficit. Could also be complex indirect effects, e. g.: ADHD related to gut biome, additional problems due to bad bacteria / yeast overrepresented, medicinal plants in the mix fighting that, to a mild degree.
Treating digestion problems with medicinal tea in combination with caffeine and love for black tea started the whole idea, IIRC, so it's not entirely impossible.
I think I got this from lemmy?
pseudoephedrine
my Adderall script is in USA insurance purgatory and pseudoephedrine is probably the only thing keeping me employed tbh
I was about to say same!
Accidentally, though.
The story is roughly like this: I had bad allergies and fucked up sinuses - I thought. Got sinus headaches every day during bad periods. Lots of sinus infections. Went on for like 10-15 years through periods of being intense and focused and stressed with sinus issues and periods of checking out, being aloof and dippy without sinus issues.
In 2019, sinus rinses, pseudoephedrine, nose sprays, and pain killers weren’t doing it. Resigned myself to having to get the sinus roto-rooter, where they scrape out your sinuses to make it easier for all that junk to drain off. So I went to my doctor to get that in motion. Doctor sent me to an immunologist, who sent me to an ENT, who sent me to a neurologist, who looked at my records for 30 seconds, declared that I had migraines, and sent me on my way with a preventative script.
I was so fucking mad. Didn’t think he could possibly be right. But he was. And then Covid hit and by the time things got normal again, I realized I wasn’t able to work like I was before. So I got got tested for ADHD, and… here I am, rambling.
o/
We got you.
I'm also from a family with low blood pressure. And sugar is a great trick when it falls down even further. It also help me to study longer but it is hard to strick the right balance with extra-energy and reduced concentration.
I’ve noticed when I eat mcdonalds my heart races afterward
Alcohol. Before getting formally diagnosed and medicated, drinking was the only thing that would quiet the inner restlessness. It worked but it's not a healthy lifestyle at all.
This is something I like to bring up to people who are hesitant to medicate their kids. Yeah, I know you think Timmy is fine because he's not completely failing in school, but you should at least show Timmy that he has options and that it's OK to talk to a doctor and take medication if he needs it. He doesn't have to rely on Jack Daniels and Folgers to eek his way through life.
This one surprised me, too.
I had a nasty habit of waiting until the evening to do my papers in college, because that was when it was acceptable to have some wine or whiskey while I wrote. But it was amazing just how much easier it was to stay on task after having a drink, and during finals - or after college when i was on deadline - i would alternate between liters of coffee in the morning and several drinks in the evening.
Now that I'm medicated both coffee and alcohol are just occasional indulgences... well, alcohol is at least. But I didn't expect it to help curb my impulsive consumption habits like it has- it's been a game-changer.
suprised nobody said smoking weed, i smoke like 10 times a day minimum
Weed can be very helpful for focus. Not necessarily very helpful for clear thinking, but it can be very good for getting started on something so that you can come back to it later when you're sober.
That sounds a bit concerning, ngl >_<
It's used as a treatment in some places. I believe it's a qualifier for UK medical cannabis.
People that "smoke 10x a day" usually take half a day to go through a single joint. Still a lot of weed but not at the level you're thinking.
You would be surprised. When I am tolerant for a high dose I can vape 6 or 7 times a day which equates to around 3g of strong weed. And that would be every day. About 90g per month.
Yes I have a problem.
Gotcha. I am not that familiar with the lingo :)
i normally use a flower vape, it uses little refillable capsules that hold about .1 gram, so if i smoke ten times i know i have only smoked 1 gram, but yeah thats still a decent amount imo.
Apparently videogames are a "medication" for my adhd because since i started adderol they don't "pull me in" like they used to.
I miss it a little bit, it's also kinda weird but its also nice to not be compelled to play like before
Your brain is dopamine deprived, video games are designed to get our dumb monkey brains to squeeze out all the happy juice. Adderall floods your brain with dopamine so the video games just don't hit like they used to.
Reminds me of when people find out I do cocaine and Adderall.
"Oh Michael likes to get high"
No, Michael doesn't have health insurance and has very severe adhd. I can't live a normal life without stimulants and drug dealers are cheaper than doctors. welcome to America.
Cocaine bad for mental health. Even with ADHD cocaine is so cut and stepped on its not reliable enough to get anything done.
It falls into the "better than nothing" category for me. I'm aware it's absolutely not a good idea.
I'm sorry your government failed you so badly. That's a tough place to be in.
Thank you Mr poopybutthole
Damn mate, that's really rough. I did see recently how US companies are taking advantage of the made-up scarcity to scalp people with ADHD to the point where the black market is more affordable. I only you know what you're doing vis-a-vis risks from tainted batches.
I do worry about getting a hot batch and dying but that's just the state of America today. Women will be getting dangerous back ally abortions as well soon.
Nicotine. I started smoking at 16. Vaping now but nicotine and caffeine are carrying me through my unmedicated life
I would hazard that's less unmedicated and more self medicated.
You're not wrong haha. Can't wait to be able to afford proper medicine
looks awkwardly at the next administration
All I need is one prescription bottle with my name on it and then it's all onions from there
Drinking a litre (~32oz) of espresso every day... ETA: I also have narcolepsy. its rough out here
✨ alcohol✨
Tea. Extremely strong tea, the kind russian convicts drink.
Wow people that drank redbull have kids in college already, I guess it does make you move quicker
Red bull was invented in ’87…
Big if true! Would've never thought red bull was older than me!
Wait what, I have below average blood pressure and have always leaned on caffeine to focus better. I never had any idea the two might be connected.
Chewing gum almost every waking moment of the day. People used to assume I was trying to quit smoking, I would joke that I was actually trying to build my way up to starting.
A friend of mine chews nicotine gum. I have another friend that vapes and drinks like 12 energy drinks a day.