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.