-
ADD/ADHD treatment?
So...I've got ADD. Despite fighting it for almost a decade because I hate the idea of taking pills or doing any treatment that's not homeopathic...I've decided to see about getting some form of medication. It's impacted my life so severely for ~10 years that I now think it would be worth it to make an exception to my no-meds rule. Actually getting things done in life and being able to focus would be wonderful. I can't adequately describe how much leaving this totally un-treated has screwed up my life, but I want to do something about it now...better late than never.
But...I don't want to be on meds forever. I know this is something to discuss with my future psych, but I just want to get some rough ideas. Is there any sort of behavioral therapy or non-med type of treatment for ADD, that you can also do along with the meds?
Is it possible to eventually wean yourself off of the meds, and get to a point where you don't need to take them anymore? If so...how?
And...how do you choose a psychiatrist? Do you just go through the phone book or what? The other part of why I've never gotten treatment is that I'm afraid that a doctor would just think I'm another adderall abuser or "faking it" to get high, since that seems to be big these days. :-[
Also...I don't have health insurance, so I'd be paying for the appointment and meds out of pocket. Which is fine, but...when I try to get health insurance in the future, could they deny me coverage because of a history of ADD? :O
And finally...I'm also afraid of taking meds because a lot of meds have weight gain as a side effect. Are there any ADD meds I should avoid if it's important to me to not gain weight? See, this is why I'm afraid the doctor will think I'm just trying to score. I know a lot of people use adderall that they don't need just for weight loss/appetite control...and I'm afraid that if I say it's important to me not to gain weight, they'll look at me suspiciously. :-[ I'm a textbook example of ADD, and I really do think that meds would help treat it. I just don't want the treatment to make me fat.
Sorry this was so long. If anyone can tell me anything, I'd be eternally grateful.
-
Re: ADD/ADHD treatment?
in my experience, you actually lose weight on the meds because it decreases your appetite to much.
that's the main reason i had to get off, i dropped to about 105lbs (i'm 5 ft 6), and didn't realize it cause i don't own a scale. my husband and friends finally told me they were scared of how thin i got.
of course, now that i'm off, my add is not under control anymore.
i have an rx for wellbutrin which is not meant for add, but apparently works for many, but without the sexual side effects (another problem i had was REALLY low libido when i was on meds) i haven't filled it yet, i'm still debating.
one thing i've been wanting to try is the add treatment centers that retrain the brain, vs altering with drugs..here's a few
http://www.addtreatmentcenters.com/
http://www.mpccares.com/add.htm
http://www.sharpermindcenter.com/
i haven't tried them, but i so want to
-
Re: ADD/ADHD treatment?
Good luck, Sveta! ;D
Hopefully you will come to recognize that your "deficit" is also a gift! Here are some excellent resources:
1. Thom Hartmann's ADHD Education Page
2. "Answers To Distraction" & "Driven To Distraction" are pioneering modern self-help for adults with ADD
3. Healing ADD : Simple Exercises That Will Change Your Daily Life
-
Re: ADD/ADHD treatment?
Thanks for all the links you two :)
-
Re: ADD/ADHD treatment?
^^ interesting! Would flax seed oil have the same effect? I wouldn't use fish oil b/c I'm vegan, but flax oil is supposed to be the vegan equivalent for omega-3's...I wonder if it would work as well.
-
Re: ADD/ADHD treatment?
flax is an excellent source of omega-3's......so are goji berries.
-
Re: ADD/ADHD treatment?
My 10-year-old son and I take 1000mg flax seed gelcaps daily. He calls them "my focus pills"... ;D
-
Re: ADD/ADHD treatment?
Just got my salmon oil in the mail!! Hopefully it will improve my focus and depression *prays*
-
Re: ADD/ADHD treatment?
I have dealt with ADD my whole life. I also have always been a no meds for me type of person, even when I was nine and my parents said I had to because of school, I refused.
My cousin who was also diagnosed with add at around high school started taking meds, she was let's say to be nice, quite chubby, she started taking the meds and lost so much weight in like a year, I don't think the weight loss was an unnatural side effect of the medication as much as the meds just keeping her from overeating as much as she used to.
I have recently consulted with a Dr. about what I could do besides taking meds. and he suggested the usual, eat well, exercise and all that but also gave me a list of over the counter vitamins and amino acids that I could substitute instead and so far I can say that they have been working quite well as long as I remember to take them.
If you want to research this, the vitamins I'm taking are GABA(Gamma Aminobutyric Acid), DL-Phenylalanine, and L-Tyrosine. Now remember different people have different types of ADD and how it affects them so those might not be the ones that work for YOU, so you might still want to see a dr. and bring them up to see what he suggests. Sry this was so long, hope it helps.
-
Re: ADD/ADHD treatment?
^^ it does help; thanks so much :)
-
Re: ADD/ADHD treatment?
What about health insurance?? Im trying to get new insurance and was diagnosed with add a year ago...Im looking for something that covers my prescription for vyvanse...any ideas?
-
Re: ADD/ADHD treatment?
^^look up all of the different health plans in your state online, check to see how much they will cost you, call them and randomly ask them if they will cover that Rx, and also ask them about any other related things like the dr. visits and such and then you will have a good idea of what you will be getting from the insurance and choose which one you want from there.