I've noticed a couple of threads on the safety of AD/HD medications and it prompted me to ask a question i've been meaning to ask for a while.
Do you successfully manage your ADD without taking prescription drugs?
I have been considering this recently as i personally wish to be able to avoid taking them if i possibly can. This isn't because i'm some Body Is A Temple type as such, but the potential risks concern me a little, especially given the medications i am already on, plus being diabetic and a host of other issues such as illnesses within my family etc. If i add much more medication i'll end up feeling like a chemical dumping ground!
I am not saying this to pass judgement on medication as such as i feel that each person must weigh up the pro's and con's and come to their own conclusion.
I don't actually mind if i don't fit into what people in society expect i should be like, i'm not scared of being seen as weird in the slightest. However i do need to get certain things managed, if i can do this by therapy or whatever then that'd be great.

First, I think I should say that many of the concerns raised are alarmist at best. Some of them seem to be plants by Scientologists or other groups opposed to any type of medication for psychiatric disorders.

That said, I am not taking medications for my ADHD, and neither is my (ADHD) son. I am not opposed to either of us taking them, but I want to get by without them if possible.

I guess it depends on the nature and severity of your disorder that will be a major deciding factor. You have issues to manage (don't we all! :) ) -- how big those issues are, and how hard they are to improve with behavior mod/diet/exercise alone will probably determine your next step. :)

In my son's case, his big problem is that his inattention in class is causing him to fall behind in his studies. By hiring one-on-one tutors and implementing a behavior management program at home, we have managed to get his level up to around a squeak-by passing level.

In my case, my procrastination, inconsistent motivation, and difficulty staying on task are jeopardizing my career and giving my anxiety. I am working with my psychiatrist on some behavior modification. So far not much luck, but I'm ever hopeful.

This is not to say that I don't have other ADHD symptoms -- it's just that I don't feel impaired by them. I've either found workarounds or structured my life so that they don't cause problems. Same goes for my son -- we can deal with the other stuff as long as he keeps progressing in school.

I am 55 years old and have struggled all my life with SEVERE ADHD that I never knew I had.

In life, I did quite well at times, fantastic at others and TERRIBLE at other times. It was always a hard fight to overcome my problems.

I was lucky, I had a parent who took special interest and forced me to do my homework. She hired tutors and worked with me long and hard to get me through school. She monitored what I had to do and made me do it. She provided structure and that worked although it drove a rift between us that many not have had to happen. When I was in high school, I was sent away to a boarding school that provided me a structured environment.

When I got older, I developed strategies that let me get by and often to excel. As I am very intelligent, I graduated with high honors in college. However, for much of my life, I had to work far harder than most other students and workers. I suffered tremendously because of untreated AD(H)D.

I have to agree with Uminchu that many of the concerns raised against ADHD medications are alarmist at best. I think anyone should approach any medication with caution. However, if you need it you should try it.

To ChloeDharma I say:

Yes, one can manage or SURVIVE without medication but is it really worth it?

I have STRUGGLED all my life with many difficulties that disappeared or were tremendously reduced withing a few days after I started Ritalin.

I strongly urge you to give medication a try.

To Uminchu I say:

I think you are making a terrible mistake not at least giving medication a try for you and your son’s problems.

Do you really want to put your child through A LIFE TIME of UNNECESSARY AGONY?

I have been on Ritalin for less than 8 months and the results have been FANTASTIC.

Yes, you can use memory aids, training, behavior modification, exercise, structure and many other tools to help yourself and ADHD child instead of medications. You SHOULD use all of them. I have tried them ALL and nothing worked as well as that little pill.

It hurts me just to see you say that your "son’s big problem is that his inattention in class is causing him to fall behind in his studies.” THAT was MY BIG problem. However, that is just the tip of the iceberg. My life has been hell all because of ADHD.

It also hurts me to see you say that your that your procrastination, inconsistent motivation, and difficulty staying on task are jeopardizing your career and giving you anxiety. THOSE also were were my problems too.

It looks to me that you have not had an easy life. I know it must be rough from a social and a personal point of view for one from Japan to accept that you can’t do it all and need medication. Please give your son the chance for a better life.

Personally I think that if you don’t try medication for your son, what you are NOT doing amounts to CHILD NEGLECT and CHILD ABUSE. That is my opinion and I could not say it in any more direct fashion.

From the description of your own problems, I think you are also being VERY FOOLISH for not trying medication for yourself too. What you are doing now is NOT working.

I have struggled all my life with untreated ADHD and now know that the majority of my problems could have been greatly reduced by getting a diagnosis and proper medication.

If the meds don’t work, you don’t have to continue them but to not even try is putting both of you through tremendous amounts of life hardship unnecessarily.

My life is not totally fixed by Ritalin but the improvement is simply UNBELIEVABLE.

Good luck and the best wishes,

Vic

No, I don't successfully manage without medication.

In fact, I have to take time off from work,either thru vacation days or by getting a letter from my doctor recommending short-term disability.

I've done both. Most recently, it was vacation time.

My (personal) opinion on the warnings regarding these meds is mixed.

I've read the FDA's position statement on Adderall from 2/11/05, as to why they didn't follow suit on Canada's banning the medication.

I haven't read any of the research that prompted the current concerns.

From a common sense perspective,taking a stimulant when there's a hx of congenital heart probs(as in my family) w/o monitioring the condition,(which I do) is simply risky.

Now,professionally speaking, the research on the Risk Factors for untreated ADHD, is long standing and unchanged with respect to the negative outcomes.

Some of the most commonly qouted figures have to do with the high rate of highschool dropouts among untreated (no meds) ADHD-Combined and Hyperactive-Impulsive types ( this does NOT apply to the Predominantly Inattentive type (formerly called ADD).

Of those adolescents, only 22% graduate from HS, while the other 77-78% drop out.

Of those 22% that do graduate, only 5-10% go on to achieve their higher education.

I'm part of that group, as I was diagnosed at age 22 (1972).

The Risk Factors extend into the workforce;not just in being unable to hold a job, but also in terms of lost salary/decreased wages due to no treatment.

There's more but it's easy to see the general idea.

My references are workshop presentations by Russell Barkley and also Sam Goldstein.

It's a very interesting question that takes on even more significance now.

ChloeDharma-

I have severe ADHD and my children suffer from it too. We've tried medication, but it didn't work for me (even 200mgs regular Adderall daily) and it had bad effects on my children.
My doctor told me that some people have such severe ADHD that meds can't touch it.
When my anxiety was very high my ADHD was much more severe. Now I am much less anxious and I can think clearly again.
So I think that if you can concentrate on managing the stress in your and your children's lives it will go a long way towards managing the AD/HD too.
Just a thought. Makes a big difference with us.

I was said to be the most obvoius case of ADHD when i was dx when i was 10. I was on medication for a 7 years, and then started to react negatively to the medication. It took me a while to start to get used to be w/out medicine and experienced a .7 drop in my GPA the semiester after i stopped taking my meds. I am lucky enough to have a very very high IQ (140's genius range), and this has helped me cope immensely with my ADHD, and is probably only one of the reasons im maintaining about a 3.0 gpa in a very very difficult undergrad university right now.

For me, being able to cope with my condition w/o meds has come from several things:

First, knowing what can and cannot be controlled. This means knowing what is within your power to do, and what you are prevented from doing because of our altered neurochemistry. Things that I know I cant do, at least right now, is always keep focused in my classes, keep 100% attention in conversations, forgetting things in the middle of talking, interrupting (This can be lessend, but as far as i know, will happen), ect. I have come up with stratiges for these, which include, probably overdoing too, being boisterous about my ADHD and letting people know what it encompasess- if they know what you do, and you keep doing it, they arent going to doubt you as much, and if they dont, they arent worth keeping around. Many of my friends understand that i forget where im going in conversations, and i rely on them to get me back to what we are talking about, or repeat what they were saying.


Next, i have gotten accomodations in school for it. Do what you can for this type of thing, and let people know how your condition affects you.

Lastly, the procrastination and motivation problems, i have and cant really do much of anything about besides trying to get myself interested in things. Depending on what you are doing, it may not be possible to do this. I really dont know much about your life, but if you can delegate the things that you just cant get motivated to do, it helps a lot, hyperfocusing on things you can do is amazing (but its really hard for me to do this in school).

Also, one thing that has helped me a bunch is to not let myself get worried over when I mess up something or procrastinate it and just let it try to get me to not do it the next time. This does not mean taking it out on yourself and constantly worry about it, accept it and learn from it, dont let it take up your conscousness, you will focus on what you did wrong and it will keep you off your game.

I am managing without medication right now because I am nursing and prefer not to take medications while nursing (not even coffee, which I used to drink gallons of every day), but I think that the hormones (prolactin, for one) associated with nursing are calming me down a lot. The other thing is that I am a stay at home mom, which, although it is demanding in many ways, is something that I feel I can do well enough without medication for the time being. If I had to have a job and raise my child, however, I highly doubt I would attempt it without medication.

I've done both. I graduated from college at the top of my class without medication (because that was 10 years ago and I didn't realize I had ADD), but I was able to control the types of classes I took, my schedule, and some other variables that ensured that I was motivated to do what I was presented with. Also I self-medicated with caffeine, beer, cigarettes (which helped me focus), and pot -- none of which I do any longer.

While I do really understand being wary about taking medications -- I've had bad reactions, took some of the wrong ones together and went a little batty, took one that made my hair fall out, etc -- I have a very balanced approach. First, I wouldn't start taking medication until you made all the positive changes you were able to in the areas of nutrition (trying an elimination diet, for example, reducing sugars, food additives, etc), supplements like fish oil, magnesium, and B vitamins, and regular exercise. Which all sounds well and good, but if you can't remember or plan to do all that regularly, how is it going to help?? :)

Sometimes even a low dose of medication can help profoundly -- or just having the short acting medications like Ritalin for times when high performance/functioning is necessary, like school, work, etc. It's a very personal and a highly subjective choice. But good luck with it!

I manage without ADD meds. (for about 4 or 5 years now) but my ADD isn't bad.

I'm managing without meds, but only because Ritalin raises my blood pressure. I'm going to start walking this spring and try Ritalin again. So far, the only way I'm able to function at home and at work is by keeping my stress levels down and imposing a lot of structure and routine (in hopes that I stick with some of it). For me, keeping stress levels at a manageable level has meant giving up on my chaotic marriage.

I manage without ADD meds. (for about 4 or 5 years now) but my ADD isn't bad.
that would be me, too. i tried ritalin once, when i was first diagnosed, and it seemed not to make any difference. i could stay on task a little better, perhaps, but not enough to warrant continuous use.

i manage to do what i need to do by using other methods: writing things down is the biggest help. i keep a calendar at work, and i tell my employees: if it doesn't get written in the calendar, it isn't happening.

works for me.

Wow, I couldn't help but respond when I read this post because sometimes I do feel I'm in the minority regarding taking medication. I, for the most part, have managed without meds but I can't say it's been easy. I've learned from the many mistakes I've made along the way. There have been a few times, however, that I have been on medication only temporarily. When there are crisis' in my life, like the loss of my Father. It's during those times that I have taken Prozac and Zoloft. They helped a great deal during times in my life that were so intense that I couldn't function. When I felt better I gradually went off of them under the direction of my doctor.

My daughter was just diagnosed about 2 years ago and also is not medicated. She has ADD characteristics but is still able to make A's and B's with a special plan in school. The best thing for her was when she was diagnosed and I sat down with the school and the doctor and we set up the plan for her. The school has been very cooperative and will help her when she needs it. I don't see the need to medicate her as of right now as she is doing well in school and also because she is going through puberty and doing some major growing. As for myself, over the years I have learned many ways to compensate and I have become pretty good at working around my weak areas. I am hyper sensitive to medications and I also get severe migraines so I prefer not to go on meds. unless I am in a real crisis situation. Like I've said in other posts, I am not closed minded though if it gets to the point where I can't function properly day to day. Everyone is different. So far my daughter and I are doing fine but we do have our ups and downs. Dee

I can manage without meds but my efficiency/productivity drops markedly.

Since I was a speed freak in a former existance, I deem it important to take at least 1 day off, preferably 2 days every week from Adderal. Emotionally I have no trouble coping. But like I said, my productivity drops noticeably.

I guess it comes down to, I can't compete in the real world with the med.

Bob

Managing without meds is tough, but I've been through just about all the ADD meds around, and they either don't work or make me sick (or a combination of the two), so I just try not to be too hard on myself and just do one thing every day to help my situation. Like this morning, I made a list of a few things to do and stuck it in my pocket. As I think of things, I write them down.

I have never been diagnosed ADD, but I know I am, not bad though. My 17 yo son is ADD, and we went the without meds route up until Dec. His grades have always been mostly C's, sometimes D's. Maybe a B. But this past semester, his junior year, he started failing. Failed two classes. We have now opted to have him on meds, and it is helping him greatly. He is now holding A's, B's and a C. His self-esteem has also gone up. We tried doing the consistant thing, working with him, keeping in touch with teachers, but didn't help. So for him, this works.

ADHD has been linked to brain volume abnormalities. Individuals with ADHD have a 3-4% decrease in brain volumes in the cerebrum, cerebellum, grey and white matter for the four major lobes and the caudate nucleaus compared to healthy subjects. The reduction in white matter volumes, responsible for transmitting information within the brain, is only noted in unmedicated individuals while those receiving stimulant medications have white matter volumes similar to those of healthy individuals. The use of medications may act to protect against the loss of brain volume in some areas.
I'm not saying that medication is THE ONLY ANSWER or anything but I think it's important to note that it's not just medication that has risks!

One risk I could see with my son without medication was his self-esteem continueing to go down and failing school with the possibility of dropping out. I refuse to allow that to happen, so medication was how we decided to go after trying other options first.

I worry about the ADHD label and medication. The FDA has issued strong alerts about the ADHD medication.

I am not a Scientologist. I have never read any books about Scientology.

I am Roman Catholic and I attended Catholic Grade School, Catholic High School andCatholic College. I am a Mom. I am a mom who watches her son's friends struggle while taking these medicines. These kids are not getting any better. They are getting worse. They need real solutions.

The worst part of this is that almost none of these kids have ever visited a developmental optometrist for a comprehensive vison exam. Some of these kids might have vision issues. Some of these kids might be helped! Go to google.com and type in "Parents Active for Vision Education". Every child in the United States should have a comprehensive vision exam at regular intervals. Every child!My son had three vison issues! He completed Vision Thearpy and he is doing fine!

I created a thread at this site about the "strong FDA Alerts about ADHD Medication" and then I talked about our success at treating our son's inattentive and overly impulsive behavior by correcting his vision problems and by addressing allergy issues and by enriching his environment. I put my soul into my posts here!

I know, it seems preposterous that there could be a possible solution to inattention and impulsivity that does not involve medication. I am here to tell you that this is absolutely TRUE.

My previous thread was omitted. This is curious and offensive. Who sponsors this site?

I don't think it's preposterous TCMG that a child can get better without medication. Medication is not the only remedy. I do think the most important thing for everyone to remember is that different things work for different people.

For instance, I was diagnosed at a young age with ADD and in Canada we are checked in the school system regularly for visuon. I have been recently to the optometrist and I have better than 20/20 vision (I didn't know that was possible!!).

So while I'm very impressed at your ability to discover your son's problems and find ways to treat him that work for HIM...I think it would be jumping the gun to presume that all children being treated for ADD have vision problems. I definately agree with your point about the vision tests though!! That definately would benefit all children.

Either way I've been taking ritalin since I was 11 or 12 and I'm now in University and I can tell you that I may have been able to get myself to this point without it but I have pretty severe difficulties with attention and I doubt that I would have nor would I have beat my struggles with self-esteem and depression. I can't know that for sure but I have gone on and off the medications since I was that age and when I was off ....well it was not a productive time for me. All I want to say is that medication works for ME.

My previous thread was omitted. This is curious and offensive. Who sponsors this site?

None of your contibutions have been omitted, though they may have been moved to more appropriate sections of the forums: http://www.addforums.com/forums/search.php?searchid=257222

Also, in response to your question about sponsors...we have none. This site is privately funded* and run.

*There was one private member who donated money to assist in offsetting expenses.

...and now back to the thread topic. :)

I worry about the ADHD label and medication. The FDA has issued strong alerts about the ADHD medication.

I am not a Scientologist. I have never read any books about Scientology.

I am Roman Catholic and I attended Catholic Grade School, Catholic High School andCatholic College. I am a Mom. I am a mom who watches her son's friends struggle while taking these medicines. These kids are not getting any better. They are getting worse. They need real solutions.

The worst part of this is that almost none of these kids have ever visited a developmental optometrist for a comprehensive vison exam. Some of these kids might have vision issues. Some of these kids might be helped! Go to google.com and type in "Parents Active for Vision Education". Every child in the United States should have a comprehensive vision exam at regular intervals. Every child!My son had three vison issues! He completed Vision Thearpy and he is doing fine!

I know, it seems preposterous that there could be a possible solution to inattention and impulsivity that does not involve medication. I am here to tell you that this is absolutely TRUE.

My previous thread was omitted. This is curious and offensive. Who sponsors this site?
If ate beeswax which I believed cured my ADHD, then I should never jump to the conclusion that everyone else's ADHD will be cured by beeswax, or even that it will help many people....that is, unless the issue was studied scientifically. There are MANY reasons for this. Ask further if you would like to know why.

The effectiveness of meds for ADHD is one of the most studied issues in all of the scientific literature. Meds have been proven to clinically help a very significant amount of folks with ADHD. Does that mean it helps everyone? No. But you shouldn't come on here bashing meds with ungrounded and anecdotal information.

By the way, I'm Catholic also and my daughter takes meds willingly for her ADHD. She gets mad at me if her script runs out. Off meds both her and her teachers notice a difference. Hows that for my anecdotal "proof"? :)

As for myself, I do not take meds. Why....because at middle age most folks would say that I am living a good life. I do feel that I could perform better and my life would be richer with meds but I have never met a prescribing Dr. who knows enough about the topic to instill confidence in me. Actually I do take a drug at set times and always at a given dosage. I don't know what I would do without my stimulant of choice, coffee.

But to each his own. Meds can be a real need for people. We should never judge that need, especially over the internet.

hey everybody, I'm new here, this is my first post. Just kind of randomly jumping in the pool I guess.

i've always debated on whether i am really more "free" being dependent on the medication.

the conclusion i've come to is that when i don't take my medication, i am less independent than i am when i do take the medication, because i have so much less control over my impulses and the actions i make throughout the day.

i would rather be dependent on medication to become fully independent than to be independent from medication and dependent in everything else that matters in my life.

i believe it really depends on the severity of a persons ADD, and for some it doesn't give enough of a benefit to be worth the hassle, cost and possible side effects that come with medication.

I've been off meds for 6 years now and I want to go back on them, I don't manage that well without them.

The fact that I managed high school and was able to go to law school all without knowing I had ADD proves to me that it is possible. I am on concerta 36m and, even though it helps me a great deal, I like being without it a couple of days in a row. I don't really mind having ADD anymore and I do think it is possible to go without. But I have to admit that if one wants to get a law degree or any other (academic) degree meds do make a difference. Now that I know that I have ADD (since a year or so) I decided to finish law school and when I finish I might actually try without. So to make a long story short; yes and no; it just depends on what you want to do in life I guess...

re:ADDrift

Don't leave us hanging QueensU.......:eyebrow:

Thankyou so much everyone who has contributed!
I must stress that i never intended this thread to be about judgment on the issue of medication. I personally would prefer not to take them and am happy to adjust my life to fit that decision if needs be. However at some point there is a degree that i really want to do, and if that will be too hard without medication then i will consoder them as an option for that period of time.
I have been very inspired by some of the posts here from people not taking medication. And i take my hat off to you for being able to do that. That said i also respect those who do take the meds to make their lives easier, i mean, if you are comfortable doing that and it means you don't have to put up with stuff then good on you!
Anyway, thankyou again everybody, this has given me lots of food for thought!

Someone else mentioned the problem of allergies to some medications and the use of supplements such as Omega 3 and Magnesium and a few others. This is my problem and how I am handling it. So far the Omega 3 (fish oil) has proven to be the most helpful. However, I've been learning skills over the last 15 years that been helpful as well. Sometimes it takes a combination of pills and skills.

As an adult with no impulse control... life without dexedrine usually winds me up in the court system