Feeling intense and tooth gritting , ... - CHADD's Adult ADH...

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Feeling intense and tooth gritting , both on and off my medicine

14 Replies

Hi, hope all are well. I am thankful that this community exists to help our specific brains. I can't remember if my doctor told me if I am the combined type, or the hyperactive type, or the inattentive type. Sometimes, I zone out and stare into space, and other times I can hyperfocus. So, I was wondering if any other add-er's have an issue like mine, such as when under a great amount of stress at work or school; do you find yourself gritting your teeth just to stay focused? This can happen at home, too. I have noticed it off of my meds , and on them. Thanks.

14 Replies

It just helps me focus better, but my dentist has told me that I am ruining my teeth, and may want to try a mouth guard, or night guard, but I also have tmj ,in my jaw. I once bought an over the counter mouth guard that did not help, even when I followed the instructions properly.

iBusyBrain profile image
iBusyBrain

I don't grit my teeth, but will sometimes chew my fingernails. But I now carry a fidget shoulder bag of toys. I have a fidget cube, fidget spinner, various balls, a kendama, begleri, and Monkey Knuckles. I also carry a pocket harmonica and ocarina!

in reply to iBusyBrain

Thank you for responding. I have tried bringing fidget spinners with me to work, but I don't bring them consistently.

iBusyBrain profile image
iBusyBrain in reply to

Go to the dollar store and grab a dozen or so toys in the toy isle--then leave them at your desk. Puffer toys are great fidget toys. There are even fidget pens now that spin, click, flip and more.

BusyMomTeacher profile image
BusyMomTeacher in reply to iBusyBrain

Maybe I should try that. I too, sometimes dont pay total attention to people, orrrr I think Im paying attention, then, when they leave, I start doing something and forget what they asked of me! And Im a special ed teacher by the way, and am always telling kids to use their figits!!! I guess I always associate those to young people. I should give it a shot. Although, Im always having to use the computer, make art stuff, hang stuff, copy stuff, write stuff, the list goes on...so my hands are almost NEVER free. Maybe that's why I dont use them. And Im always trying to instruct anx help kids use their own hands. I think the figits are great for those required to do a lot of listening.

iBusyBrain profile image
iBusyBrain in reply to BusyMomTeacher

You should see me at the grocery store! I always bring my red raqeutball. I bounce the ball off the shiny tile floor, and especially the frozen food glass doors--fun!

Tiggerakafidgity profile image
Tiggerakafidgity

Hi there.

I used to grind my teeth at night before I was diagnosed with adhd and also clench my jaw during the day time.this is usually due to lack of sleep which can cause stress on your body.As we all know,we keep going on and on,which then sends the adrenaline sky rocketing and more than the average person.

We then start to rush with perhaps our work project.we then get stressed disoriented and over focus which in turn causes the stress which in turn starts to stiffen our body including our jaw.

I’ve bitten through my tongue and also found my self clenching so hard during the day that my teeth have started to hurt.

Ive lost two teeth due to this.

So i saw my dentist last week to get another back tooth repaired.

She is a new dentist and takes much more care and spends more time than the other dentist.

Amazing when you manage to

Go private but paid by the nhs.

It’s like your scum.

I’ve had a tooth pulled out last week infected which means the anaesthetic doesn’t have so much affect.i asked for two teeth and two fillings to be repaired.

He did them so poorly that one filling fell out and as one tooth was left sharp I ripped half of my tongue.

Any as I was saying I had a wonderful chat with my new dentist and I asked her to take a little amount of tooth of the top of my back teeth.

Now when I bite down it’s now equal pressure so I’ve now no extreme pressure from clenching.

I’m also being fitted with a night guard also.

The other night guard was just chucked in my mouth and I used to almost chuck up.

When I was on Ritalin it used to make waking up in the morning gasping for Ritalin and then 45 mins later you would be ok.

So I’ve found being on Lisdexafetamin has helped reduce my jaw problems and now after 6 months I rarely get this problem.

Also having 70mg of Lisdexafetamin in the morning keeps me going all day with out the horrible hittng the wall drop of feeling like Ritalin.

You don’t wake up gasping for your meds which means you get a better sleep which in turn rests your body in a better way there for having no jaw ache

BusyMomTeacher profile image
BusyMomTeacher in reply to Tiggerakafidgity

Night guards make me feel like there is too much going on in my face area, like I can't breathe.

ADHDmom0528 profile image
ADHDmom0528

Omg yes. I wake up every morning with a terribly sore jaw. I know I'm overtired, but I can't get more than a few hours of sleep at night. Terrible insomnia

Tiggerakafidgity profile image
Tiggerakafidgity in reply to ADHDmom0528

So if you have adhd and your on meds ?

The meds slow your thinking right down which enables you to sleep for longer

ADHDmom0528 profile image
ADHDmom0528 in reply to Tiggerakafidgity

I'm in the testing fase with my meds. Right now, they have me taking instant release twice a day, so they wear off by 5PM. When I see my psych again I'm going to ask for 3 times a day so I can have them before bed. I've found that if I try to nap when I have the meds in my system I fall asleep very easily.

BusyMomTeacher profile image
BusyMomTeacher

I think most people with ADHD have insomnia, including myself. I pretty much run on adrenaline every day at work.

Ami00 profile image
Ami00 in reply to BusyMomTeacher

Yep, since last 40 years. Weed to sit still. But that stopped wotrking recently.

Rodster profile image
Rodster

Magnesium supplements help with clenched jaw.

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