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Ask HN: How to deal with ADHD without meds?

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Re: Ask HN: How to deal with ADHD without meds?

#31

Post by risedotmoe »

austhrow743 wrote: post #15

You could try self medicating with nicotine. Everything else I would write is covered by annie_muss, particularly acceptance and being realistic. I wasted years torturing myself with a cycle of thinking I should be able to push through it and focus if only I tried hard enough, failing and getting depressed, bludging, repeat. Now that I’m medicated I’ve still got a strong aversion to trying that I have to deal with.

Trouble staying awake? Try meth!

Please don’t recommend people develop expensive habits to dangerous addictive chemicals.

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with ADHD without meds?

#33

Post by cweagans »

I spent a large part of my adult life thus far avoiding treatment even though I live in the US where ADD treatment is readily available. I viewed it as a mind-over-matter kind of thing and it was ultimately a harmful view of maintaining my own mental health. The world shutting down last year really exacerbated my (in hindsight) very obvious ADD symptoms to the point where I found it difficult to do much of anything and I finally talked to a doctor about it. I was given a prescription for a low dose of adderall xr and it changed my life.

Knowing what I know now, I would honestly look at moving to a different country if professional/pharmaceutical treatment weren't available to me in my country. Alternatively, if an adjacent country to you has something available and you have the means to go get it, I would highly recommend pursuing it. Trying to manage symptoms with all the normal "exercise, eat well, supplements, etc" advice can work with focused attention, but the difference when you find the right combination/dose of medications in combination with those things is incredible.

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with ADHD without meds?

#34

Post by Scipio_Afri »

For supplements that might help: L-theanine combined with caffeine, Vitamin b12, l-tyrosine. Lacking energy? Get your vitamin D checked and take vitamin D (and take D with vitamine K2).

I can only really speak to the effectiveness of vitamins on focus, outside of supplements, meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy are on my list of things to do to try and help.

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with ADHD without meds?

#35

Post by jldl805 »

risedotmoe wrote: post #31
austhrow743 wrote: post #15

You could try self medicating with nicotine. Everything else I would write is covered by annie_muss, particularly acceptance and being realistic. I wasted years torturing myself with a cycle of thinking I should be able to push through it and focus if only I tried hard enough, failing and getting depressed, bludging, repeat. Now that I’m medicated I’ve still got a strong aversion to trying that I have to deal with.

Trouble staying awake? Try meth! Please don’t recommend people develop expensive habits to dangerous addictive chemicals.

We're just problem solving here - the moral assessment of any given solution is each individual's choice to make, pal.

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with ADHD without meds?

#36

Post by ianai »

annie_muss wrote: post #10

I was diagnosed as a 30 year-old. Here are some things that might help. * Accept it and be realistic about it. ADHD is a disorder. There is no cure. Don't expect it to go away or for you some system, drug or technique to reduce it to zero. There are no silver bullets * Forgive yourself. Getting worked up about the disorder only causes more pain, anger and stress. You are not lazy. * Address any other mental health pr…

Does cutting back on caffeine help you? Or does caffeine help?

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with ADHD without meds?

#37

Post by ianai »

gravstar wrote: post #14

1. Go run. Start with short distances, then build up. Exercise daily. 2. Eat healthy food - think plant-based. Stay away from sugar. Don't lean on caffeine. 3. Control your environment: sound, light, temperature adjust these until it feels right. 4. Stay away from toxic people who will take advantage of you. This might mean "family & friends". 5. Foster your own curiosity. 6. Your ability to focus, aptitude for patte…

For me, it’s walking that I can do. My joints scream too loudly with any amount of running. Long cardio is excellent for obliterating sideline thoughts though. (Probably any amount of cardio, but an hour and a half walk or more really zaps the mind.)

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with ADHD without meds?

#38

Post by risedotmoe »

jldl805 wrote: post #35
risedotmoe wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trouble staying awake? Try meth! Please don’t recommend people develop expensive habits to dangerous addictive chemicals.

We're just problem solving here - the moral assessment of any given solution is each individual's choice to make, pal.

This mindset is awful. You don’t fix a problem by creating 5 more. This mindset creates bad code, kills people, and rots the planet.

I really can’t wrap my mind around someone suggesting a drug addiction (that leads to cancer) to remedy a mental disorder. It’s just plain malicious.

If somebody is opening their mind to help, you have a responsibility as someone of greater knowledge to steer them in the right direction, not take advantage of them.

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with ADHD without meds?

#39

Post by gytdau »

risedotmoe wrote: post #38
jldl805 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're just problem solving here - the moral assessment of any given solution is each individual's choice to make, pal.

This mindset is awful. You don’t fix a problem by creating 5 more. This mindset creates bad code, kills people, and rots the planet. I really can’t wrap my mind around someone suggesting a drug addiction (that leads to cancer) to remedy a mental disorder. It’s just plain malicious. If somebody is opening their mind to help, you have a responsibility as someone of greater knowledge to steer them in the right direction…

Here's something that might be interesting to you: you can consume nicotine without smoking cigarettes or even inhalation, and in that context, the harms of nicotine are negligible.

Check out this cool write-up: https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with ADHD without meds?

#40

Post by austhrow743 »

risedotmoe wrote: post #31
austhrow743 wrote: post #15

You could try self medicating with nicotine. Everything else I would write is covered by annie_muss, particularly acceptance and being realistic. I wasted years torturing myself with a cycle of thinking I should be able to push through it and focus if only I tried hard enough, failing and getting depressed, bludging, repeat. Now that I’m medicated I’ve still got a strong aversion to trying that I have to deal with.

Trouble staying awake? Try meth! Please don’t recommend people develop expensive habits to dangerous addictive chemicals.

- Funny you should bring it up, meth is actually a rarely prescribed but very effective adhd medication. There are genuinely doctors and patients deciding that meth is preferable to untreated adhd. I didn’t recommend it because my experience with countries lacking adhd meds is they’re strict on drugs with harsh drug laws, which now that I’m thinking more about it isn’t necessarily OPs situation. OP if nicotine doesn’t do it for you and you’re not risking life in prison, maybe look in to meth. If it works out you’ve got risedotmoe to thank.

- Your analogy does nothing but trivialise adhd. Replace trouble staying awake with horrid sleeping disorder, put someone in OPs shoes where other medications aren’t available, and somehow meth can help? That person should absolutely do meth.

- Would be interested to see this info that’s convinced you that nicotine is so terrible that I’m “plain malicious” to recommend someone look in to it.

- the non nicotine and non meth ADHD medication that would be prescribed by OPs psychiatrist if it was an option in their country is addictive. Amphetamines are addictive. ADHD can make it near impossible to function in modern society. You can have some pretty severe down downsides to treatment before it isn’t worth it. If there was an effective downsideless treatment then that’s what we’d be using in countries with options. There isn’t so we make do.

- Expensive?

- Just to be clear, ADHD in the modern deep work rewarding economy is like missing a foot back when everyone was a subsistence farmer. Hell just basic existence things like keeping your car rego in date is rough. If god appeared and was all "I feel like being a dick today. I'm going to wave my wand and you either lose a foot or adhd meds never work for you again" I'd choose to lose the foot. I think most people who have experienced treated and untreated ADHD would. If OP posted saying "hey guys im going to lose my foot unless I do nicotine (or meth) what should I do?" would you call people saying to take the nicotine malicious?

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