My worst symptom of ADHD which is often under-looked is chronic fatigue, brain fog and just feeling mentally tired all the time.
Yes, ADHD medication makes that go away and I feel this cold breeze where I want to do stuff and feel calm.
For me this is the main one and this barely goes away with all the other wonderful things I have tried such as exercise, meditation etc.
Other symptoms like occasionally forgetting, being a bit fidgety is not that bad or the end of the world.
Because interesting thing, when my brain fog goes away I feel like talking to others, doing interesting stuff, pursuing my hobbies. Everything becomes better.
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Salah_09
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im dealing with this exact thing this very second, i feel like such a horrible failure... i really WANT to do these things, i want to do my hobbies, i want to keep my house clean, i want to play with my cat.... i just feel so bogged down and exhausted all the time... i could sleep all day, all MONTH and never feel fully rested.
I can't say for your case, and I'm not officially diagnosed...yet, but you might want to ask for a sleep study. I've read that sleep apnea is co-morbid with ADHD in 1/4-1/3 of cases, depending on who you ask, and that can disrupt sleep, and it's just impossible to be anything but exhausted. I was assigned a sleep study and I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea and prescribed a CPAP device, which I am waiting to hear from my DME. I've heard that that CPAP can help you get the air that might be blocked. Apnea keeps you from staying long enough in any stage of sleep so you wake up more tired than when you went to bed. At least ask about it. No reason why you should be walking around tired all the time. I've had this for 20 years, and when I think about the time I wasted, I just cringe. That doesn';t discount ADHD, which makes us tired enough, but Sleep Apnea just makes it worse.
I've felt the same thing for most of my life, from my teens onwards. I'm now 48.
Over the years, I thought the chronic brain fog and fatigue could be due to a number of things...from nutritional deficiency, to metabolic issues, to mild fibromyalgia (which both my mom and grandma have been diagnosed with), and a whole lot of other things.
I remember that my first ADHD medication, Adderall XR, only treated half my brain fog. I don't remember what it did for the fatigue.
My current medication is atomoxetine, a non-stimulant. It relieves all of the brain fog almost all the time. (I realize that it still appears when I'm very short on sleep, or my mind is very work out from too many hours of mental strain... burnout.)
The fatigue seems to me noticeably less since starting on ADHD meds. It doesn't stay away, and it comes back in full when I get depressed.
that feeling you’re describing I always called brain burnout. Interesting it’s something different. Is it also what gives us aphasia (having trouble remembering a word)?
I must say regular exercise does help. Best is walking in hilly terrain and gradually increasing it. Healthy weight helps. Little alc only. Not too much coffee and hydration. Slightly salty food in the morning if your morning BP allows it. And going outside as early as possible after getting up.
i agree that the worst symptom of ADHD is definitely not distraction in and of itself.
rather a person has adhd or not- brain fog can often be addressed by long term lifestyle changes( not just trying them out for a few months).
Hominid made this same point in response to this post. he said walking in hilly terrain worked well for him personally.
i believe that the most impt thing is exercise that you personally find enjoyable n tolerable, good diet without all the added crap that is in American Standard diet, fresh air, good sleep, n limited mindless social media n screen time during free time. all that is free lifestyle habits except the food part, but we gotta eat anyway so just eat less and eat higher quality food.
all that may not completely cure the brain fog but guaranteed it never made anyone feel worse.
i think us ADHD’ers generally feel so freaking misunderstood and invalidated that we tend to think there is a magic medical test, a new pill, or elaborate scientifically developed program that “ should” fix us. thats a very low vibe outlook that will most certainly lead to feeling powerless, defeated, foggy n probable depressed. ☀️
For the past month I have chosen to eat very low carb. Mostly protein /healthy fat. This is an experiment for various health reasons I won't go into but one reason was that such a strict elimination diet would kill the sugar /carb cravings & impulsive snacking due to fatigue, bordom, stress etc.
One unexpected benefit i wasn't expecting was the brain fog lifted. Now my brain is very zippy (lol) & I'm having to now manage the 1000 ideas & focus on staying focussed.
I'm sure I won't stay on this strict diet long term but it's got me thinking about carbs from vegetables vs carbs from grains like wheat & whether my brain fog is linked to either or both. Because what I eat is so limited I can test & see & I will definitely experiment with this.
Also if you drink a lot of caffeine" try quitting for a few weeks to reset. For me I can burn out on caffeine because I can drink a lot during the day & I need to do a reset by abstaining about once a year. First couple of days are a bit rough - headaches etc. Stay well hydrated if you decide to do this. When you reintroduce coffee you will be more sensitive to caffeine again.
Currently on this restricted diet i have 2 cups AM & no more - a big change from drinking about 5-6 strong big cups daily.
if all these awesome changes clear the brain fog… why would you choose not to continue?? lol lol lol you wrote that u prob wont stay on this diet that is working so well. 🤓
yes, caffeine has the immediate feeling we are desperately seeking but it drains the body of magnesium which creates a storm of other probs like brain fog, crappy sleep, low energy, fatigue, etc etc.
i struggle with limiting my coffee. i drink about 16 oz a day and take magnesium supplement.
thanks for sharing! its inspirational to hear that other adhd’ers are also examining their diets as medicine
Well i am doing a 2nd month of the diet. trying to not put too much pressure & expectations on myself. Just do 30 days - see how I feel & decide another 30 days etc. I didn't know that about magnesium & caffeine. Thx for that info. Best wishes figuring out what works for you.
Thanks for the replies. I do take magnesium and zinc supplements and they have helped with calming me down further like I feel less anxious and sleep better too. The brain fog I think goes away 70% if I take the medication and also supplement that with zinc/magnesium and also have rested well. I also need to fix my diet because at times I tend to drink a lot of fruit juice and have a high carb diet such as eating pasta, fries etc. I will replace it with a high protein diet and healthy fats. Will give this a go for the next week or so and check the results.
I have this issue too - I hate it. I take a stimulant, an antidepressant, vitamin D3 supplements, vitamin B12 along with a multi vitamin. I use a light box and try to walk my dog twice a day. I’m pretty good about fruits and veggies and getting enough water and sleep - and honestly, I still crash out at around 4p 😩 I also stopped drinking (was so disappointed, I thought I’d be like those before and after pix where the person stops drinking and their skin looks great and they lose 10 lbs 🙃) It really really helped with the brain fog though. Weirdly, adding a can of Diet Coke in the afternoon has also helped. Why Diet Coke is better for me than coffee or tea, I have no idea. I went to the gym this week for the first time in like 5 years and was super energized after. But honestly, I’m still so so freaking tired. I finally went back into therapy and the therapist mentioned that masking is exhausting so I’m curious to understand that better. I’m following along to see what other folks say because it’s a huge issue for me and it’s seriously awful.
Thank you for your post. It might be cliche but I needed to hear I'm not alone in this. The constant fatigue has been so depressing. I've got so much to get done--stuff I want to do.
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