Adult ADHD treatment

[ConfusedOrient]

Hey folks - I have been recently ( okay a year back) diagnosed with adult ADHD and since then been put on a roller coaster of medicines. I understand that’sa necessary evil You need to face until you find something that works. But, what is troubling me is the insomnia associated with the journey. I am really not sure if the insomnia is due to the stimulant medication or due to the condition of ADHD itself. Added to this I have also been diagnosed with RLS. I keep tossing and turning to fall asleep but I can’t.

Finally, I sleep when I don’t want to and be awake when I want to be asleep. It’s affecting my life severely.

Has anyone faced this before? Is there anything that I should be doing ( or not doing) to help myself in this situation?

[El-Eektrified]

Hello, thanks for posting! I think most of us have been on a journey when it comes to meds…. But what kind of stimulants are you on? Have you tried sleep hygiene like no screen time before bed?

[STEM_Dad]

Did the insomnia and RLS begin after starting on ADHD medication (particularly stimulants)? Or, if you already experienced them, did they become more frequent after starting on ADHD medication?

If these issues started or worsened after starting on a new medication or after a dosage adjustment, then let your doctor know.

.....

If these are issues you've had since before your ADHD diagnosis, then I wonder, do you also experience any of the following regularly: intrusive thoughts, chronic pain, or migraines.

~~~~~

I'm certain that my own struggles with insomnia have always been due to stress and anxiety. The more stressful my life is at the time, the more likely I am to have insomnia. (Naturally, insomnia at night then makes me more likely to be tired and irritable during the day... which only adds to my anxiety, which can result in insomnia the next night, too.)

[STEM_Dad in reply to STEM_Dad]

I do not experience RLS, but I was married for a long time to someone who does.

She also was prone to insomnia throughout her life, intrusive thoughts, chronic pain, and migraines.

• After listening to a particular episode of the Huberman Lab podcast, I learned about a possible connection between these various issues she has: a neurotransmitter called glutemate (which Dr. Andrew Huberman said is released by the same nerves that release dopamine).

According to the NIH, "Glutamate is the main excitatory and GABA the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian cortex."

Based on that info, I recommended that my wife take that information to her doctor to ask if that could be her problem. (She didn't, and less than a year later, we were divorced.)

The divorce caused me anxiety, and I started having insomnia again. So, I took a GABA supplement that I bought at Walmart, and it really did seem help me to sleep better than melatonin did. (Melatonin supplements helps me to fall asleep, but I'll wake up in the middle of the night and not get back to sleep. GABA seems to make it easier to get back to sleep in the middle of the night.) It also seems to help me with intrusive thoughts, when I'm having a problem with them.

It might just be the placebo effect, but it really does seem to help me.

I've read product reviews for GABA supplements, and some people reported that it also helps them with insomnia, RLS, migraine (lower incidence, but not preventing completely or relieving one), and chronic pain.

[Salah_09]

Hey! I agree with STEM_Dad - depends on whether you had insomnia before. It is defs worth bringing it up with a doctor and he can advise on the steps forward because it is defs not a side-effect worth tolerating. But it does require patience.

I was initially on Vyvanse and it did impact my sleep cos it is long-lasting and a bit strong for me. I was tossing and just a bit agitated when I was on bed. But it did get a bit better with time.

But I did end up changing to ritalin and my sleep has not been impacted (only first day it did a bit) if not has actually gotten better because I don't think as much. Also it is short-acting so maybe that helps.

Also keep in mind that intense exercising, sleep hygiene and just healthy diet helps a lot.

[LifeAfterDiagnosis]

Hi,

I'm not knowledgable about RLS, but I have sleep disorders. The part about sleeping when you don't want to and being awake when you want to sleep ... have you ever had a sleep study? It could pinpoint if there's more going on, such as narcolepsy, or sleep apnea, and if so, maybe more treatment options are available. Here's an interesting article about RLS and OSA, for whatever it's worth: okoa.org/articles/restless-...

I hope you find some relief soon! 🙂