Will I always be on ADHD meds?

[Salah_09]

Hi All,

I tried a day without adhd meds and I only realised how bad my ADHD is and am shocked how I had to always live like this. I have put on my glasses so now when I take them off I know how bad it is.

I think there is an unfair stigma of choosing to be on adhd meds. Let me explain why I think it is a bit illogical to not be on them always. An exception is if the meds cause significant side effects that are not tolerable or make the situation worse (again keep searching till you find the right one).

(1) I cannot control or alter my neurobiology. Yes I can do all amazing things like exercise, eat well, develop good habits etc. But let's be honest I cannot balance my dopamine levels naturally.

(2) Not taking meds to balance my brain chemistry means that I will have to be close to a superhuman to function well. This takes away a lot of valuable time doing other things one enjoys. Let me be honest I have tried being a superhuman for the past 10 years of my life and it drained the hell out of me. I was never happy, always living on the edge. Even taking 10 minutes out of my sleep stressed the hell out of me as I felt it would screw my day up.

(3) Not taking meds destroys relationships. Yes I am honest, without meds my brain is all over the place. I can't focus on conversations, sound incredibly selfish as I am always overthinking and focused on myself, I always isolate to recover from draining conversations and the chaos, saying stupid or dumb things out of anxiety, always stressing out and being very cranky tc. All of this impacts my relationships.

There are a lot more but this comes to my mind right now.

[STEM_Dad]

After living my life until age 45 without an ADHD diagnosis and without meds, then living my life since with the diagnosis & meds & counseling & coaching & all the knowledge I've gained about ADHD...I wouldn't want to go back.

For me, life is so much better with having a true understanding of what I struggle with and why, and is also helped immensely by the medication that makes it so that I can function do much better overall.

-----

I believe it's Dr. Edward Hallowell who refers to ADHD as the "diabetes of the brain", because of the significant impact that it has on quality of life, especially when improperly treated.

I'm sure that I could come up with a long list of other chronic medical conditions which require daily medication, like high blood pressure, or seizure disorders like epilepsy, or cystic fibrosis. Life can be very difficult with any chronic condition, but made better with proper treatment.

There is no shame in getting the medical help that we need. (Or, at least, there shouldn't be any shame in it...but too often we or others might have an opinion that there is.)

What I'm ashamed of is that I held onto an incorrect assumption about Ritalin for over a decade, before I finally started to learn correctly about it. (I adopted someone else's faulty opinion at first, instead of learning for myself.) It took me almost twenty years between buying into a false narrative about ADHD and ADHD medication, until I actually sought my own diagnosis.

I like myself better this way.

[Jozlynn in reply to STEM_Dad]

Very well put!

[Tanuki-san]

I respect your thinking but think some things are based on the present hold that big pharma has over those adults suffering with ADHD and/or ASD. There are psychedelics and therapies being researched and coming online that will perform a major paradigm shift away from pills that allow us to live another day to medicines taken with intentions that heal us and cause neurogenesis of our brains.

IMHO, many have childhood trauma that they are not addressing that is the 800-pound gorilla in the room. These experiences must be reprocessed with modalities such as EMDR and/or Somatic Experiencing and the trauma attached to memories released from the body.

[Hidden in reply to Tanuki-san]

yes, all humans have alot of layers. the good news is that there are options n choices about how we want to approach n treat/ not treat our problems. EMDR n psychedelics are among those options. Some people treat their problems with means that are not even researched by our govt. there is no one size fits all but stimulant meds are definitely an option that works well for alot of people.

bottom line- feeling guilty for making ourselves feel better is a vicious beast

[ScienceAndTravel]

Good for you! I am happy that taking medication is working for you. I still haven't found medicine that works consistently for me. I'm doing well enough without but still looking for meds that work and I can tolerate.

[Jozlynn]

Why on earth should the fact that we need medication every day be something to be ashamed of? I really struggle with why this is even an issue for some people (usually non-ADHDers).

Would they harass someone who was diabetic for taking insulin every day? Of course not! Nor would they ever tell them to try skipping the weekend. I tried skipping the weekends with my ADHD meds, but it made me all but useless on the weekends and provided exactly zero benefit. It literally didn't make my tolerance for the meds any less. I was just recently reading in CHADD or ADDitude that there hasn't been any proven negative, long-term side effects of ADHD meds - as long as your body genuinely needs it. Obviously, if someone who is not ADHD takes it, there are negative consequences. Their brains don't need it.

For people who have issues related to the brain, I personally think it's better to be consistent with the meds that impact it.

I'm just personally at a loss as to why ADHD meds should be thought of as shameful in any way. People can't even say because they're amphetamines, because not all of them are! Just like when I was first put on an antidepressant, people told me "it's not good for you" to be on a medication every day and to "just" make all these changes in my life and my depression (which was really undiagnosed ADHD) would be solved. Well, when your brain chemistry is not "typical", not everything is fixed by a cold shower and meditation. Not to mention, the vast majority of people who have an opinion like this are NOT medical professionals.

Meds are not right for every ADHDer, but for those of us who they ARE right for, that's NO ONE else's business but our own, and if we need to take them for the rest of our lives - then so be it. I don't question people's need for caffeine every day (which some consider like a drug), nor do I question their need to take meds for chronic depression (or anything else, for that matter), or even ibuprofen every day for pain - so why on earth would I let them have a say/influence on what I take for my needs.

It's just so weird to me that people want to get on an anti-med bandwagon about this one particular thing - ADHD. I wish they would stop trying to behave as if they walk in my shoes and know what's best for me.

I fully expect to be taking my meds for the rest of my life, and I have exactly zero shame in that. If other options prove to be more effective someday, I'll consider them - but I've found something that works for me and plan to stick with it unless and until something new (proven) comes on the market that is shown to be better.

[samami in reply to Jozlynn]

So true. I think people just have no idea what it is like to have ADHD especially as you get older and how vital the medications are! The confusion and memory loss. I sometimes feel like I have dementia - but I know it is the ADHD.

[HalfwayGum]

So true.

I have been diagnosed with ADD only recently aged 60+. And am just under titration and counselling.

I would not want to go back.

[AdhdDiva1979]

It’s as if you published an exact replica of my thoughts & feelings! Amen, brother! 100% on ALL of it! xoxo