Comment by alecco
4 months ago
I strongly disagree.
First line is a reasonable very rigid schedule where you sleep 8hs, exercise/walk in the morning, and contain your distractions to a specific time in the day. A strict healthy diet. Plan when to interact with people and when to go to nature. Do a lot of visualization of what you want the day to be like (be reasonable). Time-blocking is very good (see Cal Newport)
IMO, only when you mastered the basic of a routine like that you should try prescription drugs. And even when you do, figure out how to need the least possible dosage. For example, eating a high-protein breakfast 1 hour before taking the medication and zero/low carb until evening. Then taking vitamin C foods with dinner to clear it out and prevent crashing or insomnia. Try well-timed over-the-counter supplements to improve how the medication works (magnesium, tyrosine, etc). IF YOU DON'T DO IT THIS WAY YOU WILL GET LESS DESIRABLE EFFECTS AND MORE SIDE EFFECTS. And you will risk spiraling into more and more mg and addiction. Remember: if you have ADHD you are very, very prone to addiction!
Ask your psychiatrist for a slow-release medication (Lisdexamfetamine or XR). And time how you react to it so it matches your ideal schedule. Have detox and reset days where you don't take the medication and don't study/work. (e.g. weekends or at least Sunday)
Cool, how do you propose people who _notoriously_ have trouble adhering to schedules, start and _stick to_ a "very rigid schedule"?
If only there was something, like, some kind of pill that could help with it...
Turn your ADHD obsession into doing the perfect schedule. Turn off your phone and computer. Add reminders of your schedule everywhere. Hang it on your walls. Post-it notes on things you have to avoid. BE BORED for hours without social media, music, podcasts. Use strategic fasting and breakfast to stick to bedtime (same trick used to adjust for jetlag). Get out of your house and walk in silence for an hour. Write with pen and paper everything that keeps you mind over-excited. Add drawings to engage your whole mind.
You have to train your brain. If you always walk with a crutch you will never walk properly. IMO, you should only try drugs once you can sort of stick to the schedule and you are still not reasonably productive.
If you start with drugs you'll become dependent and will need more and more. There is no magic pill.
Your comment show a lack of understanding of the condition. With ADHD, we suffer from difficulties with executive functions, like adhering to a planning, being able to chose to work on something... I have obsession: I can't decide on what. I can work at length on complex subjects, again, probably not the one you expect.
It's not a choice.
Medication is not a silver bullet, but it allows, as explained in the parent article to do those things.
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Your point about the drugs, that's not true unless you're chasing a high
It's not always possible for someone to just tell themselves to start obsessing over a perfect schedule and just do things perfectly
the whole problem is the inability to do those things.
Yes, you can do it to a degree, but a kind of "follow the instructions" rarely works for me in any way.
You saying you should only "try drugs" if this schedule doesn't work just makes no sense to me.
You can't treat ADHD with just a schedule
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