[jsonne]

Speaking from personal experience I tried every trick, strategy, and everything else under the sun and it never worked which led to a lot of personal shame and anxiety that over time became so tiring and demoralizing it led to short term the occasional bought of depression. Talk therapy helped but wasn't enough. Saw a doctor in my early 30s, got diagnosed with adhd, and started adderall which gave me the ability to focus and get my life in order enough I had the space and energy to do the long term compounding things like exercise, getting my diet in order (I'm on a paleo-ish diet now), have time to meditate/journal etc. etc. The hyper focus on short term mood before I recognize now was really an attempt to get in the right head space to get work done but that process is exhausting and leaves little energy to do the long term right things. Maybe if I had the wealth to step away from work for months and purely focus on that I could have gotten to the place without medication to let the long term things compound but I don't think thats a realistic option for 99% of people at least in the US and especially with families to support. We can argue about the structure of society and if thats right or not but for my own life frustration at the general state of the world does little to improve my life.

Stimulant meds are not a silver bullet but for some % of folks no amount of strategizing is going to help without medication and/or therapy. I use both and it's been enough of a push to see dramatic improvement. My biggest piece of advice if you're struggling with this generally is drop the shame. The shame that you struggle with it, the shame that you might need medication, etc. Then when the shame is gone you can be objective to do get what you need and stack the long term habits that make things easier.

[chrisjc]

> The hyper focus on short term mood before I recognize now was really an attempt to get in the right head space to get work done but that process is exhausting and leaves little energy to do the long term right things

Apologies, but I can't quite parse this statement. Can you explain what you mean bc there's something about it that resonates with me but I'm not exactly sure what or why.

[jsonne]

If you're feeling like your emotions and physical state aren't well regulated you can't do meaningful deep dive work. Large swaths of your energy is spent simply trying to feel balanced enough to then get the things you want to get done accomplished. Many of these tactics are short term fixes that end up making things worse off later on. Think like drinking too much coffee to try and focus but you end up getting anxiety from said caffeine. You can barely keep up with the things you need to do today and you don't have the energy to do the things that will long term help. It creates a negative feedback loop where you're stuck in a purely short term mindset.

[gibquaaludes]

Thank you for sharing your experience. Weirdly enough, it's liberating to know that this could be a cure-proof terminal state.

[jsonne]

Well so for what its worth and I guess I wasn't explicit about is that at this point (just shy of 1 year medicated) my days I am not medicated (I take medication 4 days a week) are much easier to get things done now because of the other work I've been doing. As they continue to compound I'm hoping that in another year I can largely discontinue meds or switch to a less often as needed basis. So there is long term hope but for me and folks like me medication can break the short term cycle to get there. That said plenty of folks can't function with medication and there is no shame in that either.

[mkaic]

As someone who's also in their first year on Adderall after being diagnosed as an adult, this is really encouraging to read. I currently take it weekdays and take weekends off, and really don't want to take it forever because I don't like the idea of being dependent on it or building a tolerance. It's not so much shame as it is fear—I'm scared that I'll screw up my brain if I take it for too long, y'know?

Anyhow, thanks for posting your perspective, it's nice to know there are other people in similar situations to my own. Have a nice day!

[jsonne]

I similarly have that fear hence why I take 3 days a week in a row off and twice now I've taken 3 week+ breaks when I know that I can. Also there's a whole rabbit hole of supplements that can help supposedly and I've found some to be useful but the biggest thing is just intense cardiovascular exercise (and specifically cardio versus resistance training). That said yes a year on I take a longer term break and I feel exactly like I used to pre medication by day 5 so not worried at this point. Most of the long term dependence issue I've seen from folks is many multi year users 5+ so doing what I can to avoid that situation. Keep dose as low as possible, take holidays, and long term I'm working to use it less and less so its infrequent or only during stressful work / life times in the future.

[hirvi74]

> I currently take it weekdays and take weekends off

I am not a medical professional, but my unsolicited advice is that this a good idea.

I have been on various ADHD treatments for 8 years, and I honestly I am experiencing everything you mentioned and more -- tolerance, dependence, etc.. The medication barely works anymore (not taking it makes me literally useless, so taking it alter makes me normal), but basically every symptom I have tried to treat has slowly worked its way back into my life.

I am in the process of taking trying to take more days off, and all I have to say is: even therapeutic dosages can cause a nasty withdrawal if taken consistently over long periods of time.

I'm even considering taking a non-stimulant, but I need more convincing that said medications are actually effective.

[balfirevic]

> I'm even considering taking a non-stimulant, but I need more convincing that said medications are actually effective.

There is no way to convince you that it will be effective for you because no one knows that. You will know when you try it, it works for some but not for others.