Quote:
Originally Posted by Sansy11
Dear Livingwithhope,
I also am new to the ADD Board, and I am rather shocked that no one has made an attempt to answer you.
Sansy
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shocked??? it's an ADD board! we probably meant to answer, but.... oh look something shiny!!!
just kidding.....
for me, being diagnosed with ADD as an adult was like the greatest thing ever because once i started taking adderall for it, everything changed for me. i got better organized, started focusing more on things other than eating, reading and watching tv, did better at my job, and oddly enough, my pms symptoms got a lot tamer too! "hormonal" mood swings suddenly got under control, and my favorite, i lost about 50 pounds....
i've been on adderall for around 10 years-ish now and i love it. i go off when i am pregnant (currently on baby number three) with no side effects whatsoever, and each time i have been off, i've been able to maintain more self control and self discipline than i had previously done. my first doctor who had prescribed adderall told me that eventually my brain would learn how to function properly and that the goal was to wean off the adderall slowly throughout the years until i don't need it anymore. i start with 20 mgs twice a day and eventually have gotten to 10 mgs twice a day.... i think after i'm all finished having kids and am on adderall more consistently, i might actually be able to go off completely. so there is hope for the ADD brain!!!
one thing i am learning is that diet, exercise, and sleep are some key elements in controlling ADD! it doesn't matter what medication you are on, if you don't maintain those three elements in your life, you will never be able to properly control your ADD or retrain your brain (that's just my own humble opinion talking). i try to stick to natural foods.... no artificial colors or preservatives (the dyes that are reds, blues, and yellows are especially bad for ADD), and high fructose corn syrup is AWFUL!!! i try to make sure to get outside and do some form of exercise at least three times a week.... and nothing hard core, usually i just take my two girls (ages 4 and 2) for a thirty minute walk around the block and at their age, we don't go fast! if the weather is bad, i have a total gym that i like to play with and an exercise bike that i really like because i can watch tv guilt free for at least half an hour!!!
sleep is something i have really had to force myself to do. there are a hundred million things on my list of "chores" to do each day and it's hard to do with two kids. i've had to reorganize my time and how i spend my day and really have had to learn how to work those chores into the day so that i can go to bed at a decent hour.... and i'm talking by midnight here, not much earlier than that! and by chores, i mean the regular stuff like housework and laundry, but also making sure i spend quality time with my girls doing "school work," coloring, playing playdough, playing outside, shopping.... stuff like that.
anyway, that's my story.... it's constantly evolving and changing, and somewhat scattered because i am currently off my medication.... but there definitely is hope for anyone with ADD! if i can do it, anybody can!
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