Any adults with anxiety and ADHD who learnt to cope without meds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the spouse of an ADD husband that has refused to medicate. His alternates and routines have been extremely disruptive to family. I’ve been in this 26 years and the kids are grown. He is getting worse as he gets older and is now leaving the gas stove on, leaving his stuff everywhere, and exercising to the point where it leaves NO room for anything else. Work-bike ride until 8:30 PM-shower-eat-bed.

If you live alone and plan to stay that way, this natural control works well for you. Otherwise, don’t think you aren’t impacting your family. You are

Sounds like you’re having a rough time and I’m sorry for that, but there is absolutely no need to dump your shit on OP.

It’s food for thought. ADD people tend to think about their issues and work-arounds but don’t really understand how that impacts those living with them. If OP is married, he/she needs to discuss things with spouse.

[Anonymous]

Kind of. I developed a lot of coping mechanisms and strategies through the years, while I was on ADHD meds. Then I wanted to get pregnant/got pregnant/breastfed, so had to go off meds and rely on a lot of behavioral strategies and scaffolding help. And it went okay! For a while. I got to the point that, for the most part, my executive functioning skills are passable. Enough to get by *most* of the time. But I actually went back on ADHD meds a couple of years ago to improve my anxiety-- because much of my anxiety is better-described as emotional overwhelm, stemming from ADHD. I've been working with a psychotherapist the last year as well, and have made major strides in this area, so... maybe someday I'll go off meds altogether? Especially when my work schedule and exercise habits become more stable.

[Anonymous]

Yes, exercise. Outside, in the sun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really like the YouTube Chanel “How to ADHD”. Lots of great tips.

For anxiety: have you by chance read The Discovery of Witches? This sounds silly but after reading that I decided to manage my anxiety the same way the main character did: working out as much as possible. A morning walk isn’t enough.

There is this amazing book called The Anxiety and Phobia work book that helped me a ton. I am also in therapy now and it is helpful but pricey. 😕

Oh, another thing that helps me is just looking at the ADHD tag on tiktok while I work out. I know it sounds like tiktok would be terrible for somebody with ADHD, but I only look at it while I am working out (or on the 🚽) and I have gotten so much great advice, learned some much, and been able to find a little more humor in it all.

Another thing is it might be worth paying out of pocket for the psychiatrist, especially if your insurance covers anything for out of network providers.

That sounds counterintuitive. LOL. ADHD on tik tok? How do you find helpful posts and not weird ones?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Me! Sleep hygiene is a huge priority.

Could you pls explain what you did to achieve this?

Sure! Well, first of all this was impossible when my kids were little. But once they hit 4 and 6 years old, it was easier to tackle.

One--no screens an hour before bed. Reading only or chatting with dh.
Two--find the right temperature for your room/sleeping clothes/blanket. Aim for a little cooler than you think.
Three--caffeine only before 10am, limit liquids after 5. So that means hydrate well early in the day.
Four--don't pass your sleep window, if possible. If you're yawning like crazy at 9:45 then you should aim to go to bed around that time, at least for awhile.
Five--don't stay up much much later on weekends, and don't sleep in too much. This one may seem painful, but helps so much in regulating sleep and anxiety and -as a result- adhd symptoms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have both diagnoses, and probably would have been on the meds, if I was able to find a psychiatrist who sees new patients and takes my insurance (I'm on my month 10 of attempts to find one), so coming to conclusion that psychiatric help cheaper than $300/hour doesn't exist in the US anymore.

I'm wondering if anyone has any tips that actually helped them maintain good quality of life without medication?
Morning walks definitely help me, but then sometimes my jitteriness and repetitive thoughts spiral down closer to the evening.
I prefer not to simply get my meds through primary care, because they speed at which they throw new diagnoses and medications on me (Adderall helps only partially, and sertraline doesn't help at all) is concerning.

For me, meditation is absolutely key. Once I was able to become aware of the million thoughts flying around my head, I could control how I'd listen to them. It took me a long time and constant practice, but now I can manage my ADHD very well, because I know when I'm getting distracted/hyperfocusing, etc, and can refocus myself on what I need to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really like the YouTube Chanel “How to ADHD”. Lots of great tips.

For anxiety: have you by chance read The Discovery of Witches? This sounds silly but after reading that I decided to manage my anxiety the same way the main character did: working out as much as possible. A morning walk isn’t enough.

There is this amazing book called The Anxiety and Phobia work book that helped me a ton. I am also in therapy now and it is helpful but pricey. 😕

Oh, another thing that helps me is just looking at the ADHD tag on tiktok while I work out. I know it sounds like tiktok would be terrible for somebody with ADHD, but I only look at it while I am working out (or on the 🚽) and I have gotten so much great advice, learned some much, and been able to find a little more humor in it all.

Another thing is it might be worth paying out of pocket for the psychiatrist, especially if your insurance covers anything for out of network providers.

That sounds counterintuitive. LOL. ADHD on tik tok? How do you find helpful posts and not weird ones?

I don’t know! I follow psychologists and LCSWs, a person with ADHD who is also a professional organizer, and people who have it who just make random posts about it. I haven’t seen anything that is just super weird, but there is a lot of inaccurate information and I just scroll post those.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the spouse of an ADD husband that has refused to medicate. His alternates and routines have been extremely disruptive to family. I’ve been in this 26 years and the kids are grown. He is getting worse as he gets older and is now leaving the gas stove on, leaving his stuff everywhere, and exercising to the point where it leaves NO room for anything else. Work-bike ride until 8:30 PM-shower-eat-bed.

If you live alone and plan to stay that way, this natural control works well for you. Otherwise, don’t think you aren’t impacting your family. You are

Sounds like you’re having a rough time and I’m sorry for that, but there is absolutely no need to dump your shit on OP.

It’s food for thought. ADD people tend to think about their issues and work-arounds but don’t really understand how that impacts those living with them. If OP is married, he/she needs to discuss things with spouse.

Yeah and lots of empty nesters in crumbling marriages have strong feelings they should save for their therapists but instead scold random people on the internet. Food for thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have both diagnoses, and probably would have been on the meds, if I was able to find a psychiatrist who sees new patients and takes my insurance (I'm on my month 10 of attempts to find one), so coming to conclusion that psychiatric help cheaper than $300/hour doesn't exist in the US anymore.

I'm wondering if anyone has any tips that actually helped them maintain good quality of life without medication?
Morning walks definitely help me, but then sometimes my jitteriness and repetitive thoughts spiral down closer to the evening.
I prefer not to simply get my meds through primary care, because they speed at which they throw new diagnoses and medications on me (Adderall helps only partially, and sertraline doesn't help at all) is concerning.

Three hundred an hour is outrageous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really like the YouTube Chanel “How to ADHD”. Lots of great tips.

For anxiety: have you by chance read The Discovery of Witches? This sounds silly but after reading that I decided to manage my anxiety the same way the main character did: working out as much as possible. A morning walk isn’t enough.

There is this amazing book called The Anxiety and Phobia work book that helped me a ton. I am also in therapy now and it is helpful but pricey. 😕

Oh, another thing that helps me is just looking at the ADHD tag on tiktok while I work out. I know it sounds like tiktok would be terrible for somebody with ADHD, but I only look at it while I am working out (or on the 🚽) and I have gotten so much great advice, learned some much, and been able to find a little more humor in it all.

Another thing is it might be worth paying out of pocket for the psychiatrist, especially if your insurance covers anything for out of network providers.

That sounds counterintuitive. LOL. ADHD on tik tok? How do you find helpful posts and not weird ones?

I don’t know! I follow psychologists and LCSWs, a person with ADHD who is also a professional organizer, and people who have it who just make random posts about it. I haven’t seen anything that is just super weird, but there is a lot of inaccurate information and I just scroll post those.

Names please? Or handles? I don’t know what they’re called

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have both diagnoses, and probably would have been on the meds, if I was able to find a psychiatrist who sees new patients and takes my insurance (I'm on my month 10 of attempts to find one), so coming to conclusion that psychiatric help cheaper than $300/hour doesn't exist in the US anymore.

I just pay the money. Now that I'm stable it's about $800 a year all together for unreimbursed appointments; I try not to have to make too many visits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really like the YouTube Chanel “How to ADHD”. Lots of great tips.

For anxiety: have you by chance read The Discovery of Witches? This sounds silly but after reading that I decided to manage my anxiety the same way the main character did: working out as much as possible. A morning walk isn’t enough.

There is this amazing book called The Anxiety and Phobia work book that helped me a ton. I am also in therapy now and it is helpful but pricey. 😕

Oh, another thing that helps me is just looking at the ADHD tag on tiktok while I work out. I know it sounds like tiktok would be terrible for somebody with ADHD, but I only look at it while I am working out (or on the 🚽) and I have gotten so much great advice, learned some much, and been able to find a little more humor in it all.

Another thing is it might be worth paying out of pocket for the psychiatrist, especially if your insurance covers anything for out of network providers.

That sounds counterintuitive. LOL. ADHD on tik tok? How do you find helpful posts and not weird ones?

I don’t know! I follow psychologists and LCSWs, a person with ADHD who is also a professional organizer, and people who have it who just make random posts about it. I haven’t seen anything that is just super weird, but there is a lot of inaccurate information and I just scroll post those.

Names please? Or handles? I don’t know what they’re called

Here’s the organizer: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdybVXUv/

I’ll get you other links tomorrow because I am actually going to bed, and speaking of bed, when I started giving myself good, fun, restorative breaks during the day, I no longer got this surge of energy after the kids went to bed. It was like my mind stopped needing that time to decompress. I didn’t do that on purpose, I just noticed that I no longer mind going to bed at 9:30. (I am 35 though so it could be age too)

[Anonymous]

Guafacine really helped me. Your pcp may prescribe that as it’s not a controlled substance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Me! Sleep hygiene is a huge priority.

Could you pls explain what you did to achieve this?

Sure! Well, first of all this was impossible when my kids were little. But once they hit 4 and 6 years old, it was easier to tackle.

One--no screens an hour before bed. Reading only or chatting with dh.
Two--find the right temperature for your room/sleeping clothes/blanket. Aim for a little cooler than you think.
Three--caffeine only before 10am, limit liquids after 5. So that means hydrate well early in the day.
Four--don't pass your sleep window, if possible. If you're yawning like crazy at 9:45 then you should aim to go to bed around that time, at least for awhile.
Five--don't stay up much much later on weekends, and don't sleep in too much. This one may seem painful, but helps so much in regulating sleep and anxiety and -as a result- adhd symptoms.

Caffeine is a stimulant and stimulants generally don’t affect people with ADHD the same way they do the general population (stimulant meds calm us down and focus us, instead of making us wired). Caffeine stopping at 10:00AM isn’t something most people with ADHD do or need to do.

[Anonymous]

I thought I was and then COVID happened and threw me into a tailspin. I have been extremely depressed and anxious lately and my ADHD has gone into overdrive. I am about to start Wellbutrin on the lowest dose for a reset. I have done a lot of work on myself over the years and am generally pretty self aware. However, it was pointed out to me that I have been isolating myself since last summer and when I realized my friend was right, I knew I needed to do something about it.