Adhd?

[Markie]

Okay, so I was talking to a friend of mine last night, really depressed at how unnormal and impulsive I am and how hard of time I have fitting in. My teenage friend suggested I had ADHD (she herself has ADHD and is on Ritalin). I thought it was crazy, but I *was* diagnosed with ADHD as a kid (never put on drugs because my parents didn't believe in it, instead they home schooled me for two years and quit letting me eat sugar). But most people outgrow it by their late teenage years.

Still, I was tempted to research it. I found one guy whose story sounded *JUST* like me, including some odd things like a weird reaction to caffiene. He says he's on Ritalin (a treatment normally reserved for kids because of the risks to adults of taking stimulant drugs, but I'm in good shape) and it helped him to focus and be less impulsive a lot.

The next thing is, I can't afford to see a psychiatrist or whatever about this, so what I'm hearing online is that low-doses of caffiene (high doses make it worse and I know I can't handle caffiene) combined with an herb called ginko have a similar effect to Ritalin. I'm tempted to try it and see if it helps me to focus and have some semblence of normality.

What do y'all think?

[Fitzwilly]

I have no experience with this sort of thing, although more than one of my friends mentioned a few of those letters and my name in he same conversation before. There shoud be some sort of agency that would have someone more knowledgible that you could talk to. Gladman is an RN and some of the others have experience in the medical field they would know more that I do.

[Markie]

I'm sure more than one or two of us has had those letters mentioned along with our name - because most people see weird and crazy as ADHD, but I did study child psych remember and when I did the research again I realized I actually *do* have all the symptoms - basically a classic adult case.

If I went to a psychiatrist, I'd probably be prescribed stimulant drugs - likely something mild (given I'm an adult) and Ritalin if that didn't work (there are risks in giving adults stimulants that there aren't in giving them to kids - high blood pressure being the main one).

I don't have the money for modern medicine even if I did totally trust it because I don't have any decent health insurance. However, the basic idea of ADHD is stimulant drugs. Obviously I can't just go and buy Concerta (a more mild slow release form of the same basic stimulant as Ritalin) or Ritalin or any other amphetamine like drug (well, you COULD, but not legally and not from a trust worthy source...)

However, there are lots of herbal stimulants and stuff I want to experiment with and see if I can at least control my impulsiveness some. Ginko + low-dose caffeine (too much caffeine bothers me a LOT which is actually common in ADHD I've learned) sounds like the ticket to try first, but I was curious if any of y'all had any experience with herbal stimulants or anything for management of attention deficit and impulsiveness.

P.S. yes I know the idea of stimulant drugs sounds the opposite of what I need but the idea is that fairly low, steady doses of stimulants (as opposed to huge doses to get a "high") will improve concentration by raising dopamine levels in the brain, and thus will reduce behavior - like impulsiveness and hyperactivity - caused by the brain wandering off into another world.

[Fitzwilly]

I have heard of this approach and since it is not much different that someone addicted to coffee taking a multivitamin in the morning it might be worth a try. Again I defer to people with more knowledge in this area.

[Markie]

That's what I'm thinking since I can't afford doctors and don't want to be on drugs unless it would be a huge benefit to me emotionally/socially.

I can't handle large amounts of caffeine. What I'm talking is small doses (think a can of coke each day) and gingko supplements. Worth a try I'd think, if it might help...

Mark

[Calavera]

I don't know your whole story, so I can't really have an opinion but if you suspect that you do have ADHD and it is a bother to you, you will be able to find a psychiatrist who can help you despite the fact that may not be able to afford it.
Just throwing it out there, but cutting out sugar does nothing. Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a "sugar high" and if a person experiences one, it is purely psychological.
And herbal "alternative" medicines....they generally don't work. Cutting out caffeine, however, sounds reasonable to me.
All in all, just do what you think is best. If your condition bothers you, then you may want to search for a low-cost head shrink...they are out there, trust me.
If you're fine with it, then leave it alone. You don't need to shove pills down your throat because society thinks you should.

[Markie]

Cutting out caffeine? I don't drink anything with caffeine now because of the way large amounts make me feel (they (a latte or something) knock me out totally and make it hard for me to function).

However, I'm piecing puzzle pieces together, a small amount of caffeine really does help. As I think back I've always had caffeine to calm me down (before tests and stuff) without thinking of why. Today I was nuts and right now I feel the calmest I have in weeks. I had a can of Dr. Pepper first thing in the morning and a can of root beer about an hour ago when I was starting to lose my attention span and stuff.

[pixcoco]

root beer has no caffine

[Harpoetta]

Barques Root Beer does, I made sure of that before i started drinking it.

[Scruffy]

Originally Posted by pixcoco

root beer has no caffine

Some does, some doesn't. Barqs does, mug does not.