Dear Felllow ADD/ADHD-ers,

I am a 28 year old adult diagnosed last year with ADHD. I am taking Concert and Strattera, still experimenting with time of day and dosage. I was given the 36 mg dosage (2 pills in AM) and 80 mg. of Strattera, both originally scheduled to be taken in the morning. This did not work. Now, I take ONE Concerta [o;; at 7 AM and ONE (40 mg) Strattera at 1 or 2 PM. It's getting better, but there are still many issues.

This leads me to the diabetic connection. I have been diabetic since age 11--insulin dependent. Before I decided to experiment with timing of dosage, I noticed around 6 or 7 PM consistent and uncontrollable hunger urges (not daily, but often enough). Therefore I would eat ridiculous amounts of food in a short time. I would run to the store for two or three 50 cent Little Debbie Cake Donuts or something stupid that i HAD to have. Consequently, I have been experiencing ridiculous problems with blood sugar control. I am on the pump and am at a normal weight (6'1 1/2", 176 lbs) and exercise regularly.

So, my point:
Can we discuss please: Any connections between ADHD / Focus level and diet / Diabetes and Blood Glucose Levels in relation to ADHD and focus and impulsivity control.

I am sorry if I am too broad, but I would REALLY like to hear from anyone that is knowledgeable on this because it's really starting to get to me and I want to get this under control.

Thank you SO much in advance for any replies and/or guidance!

Warmest Regards,
DB1975

I am not knowledgeable per se. However, my own experience from removing all carbs from my diet (for weight loss) is that my mental state is more stable, concentration more available, ups and downs are less frequent. No sugar, no fruit, no breads, no crackers, etc. Now I am in phase 2 (of the south beach diet) when I am allowed to start re-introducing the carbs, but when I was at the grocery store tonight I chose not to change anything, to leave the carbs out - because I feel better without them.

I'm sure you realize there is massive evidence that blood sugar levels can and do effect concentration and attention, as well as moods. Start with that research, and see if there is any frequency of co-morbidity between diabetes and ADD. I think you will really have to control the diabetes in order to determine whether you have additional symptoms that would fall under the diagnosis of ADD.

Again, no expert here, but it seems to me there is a connection in my life as well... I am addicted to carbs and
caffeine and it seems to result in mood swings and other problems. Too much caffeine disrupts your sleep patterns
as well, and lack of sleep has been shown to cause ADD like symptoms. (I know in me it causes extreme
silliness.) :D

Thanks for the advice! I just cannot imagine not having carbs in my diet, but I have modified caffeine intake to ONE caffeinated beverage before noon and nothing more, plus at least 8 cups of water.

As for the carbs...I am going to try to reduce, and will update shortly!

Thanks again!
DB1975

Loosing the bulk of my sugar/carb habits have been a very good thing for me. Way more energy available. Exercise helps allow me some carbs now. The higher energy level is helping me with many many aspects of my life that I was unhappy with.

I didn't exactly quit carbs. I just lost the rice, pasta, potatoes, bread and of course sugar. Sugar is still tough. But the exercise helps with the odd cheat.

There are no doubt more than a couple keys to the increased energy, but carbs are a big factor for me. It levels out enough emotional stuff to notice.

I take lots of clean water. Probably three litres a day on average if I'm not working up a sweat. One step at a time.

Hope you get some teeth into the changes WC.

Cheers! Ian.

I began the South Beach diet on the advice of my personal trainer. I knew nothing about it. I just joined online and began. Well, no carbs is the main point of phase 1, for 2 weeks. I lost my craving for carbs by going through phase 1. Now that I think about it in retrospect, I have spent many years addicted to carbs, eating icecream daily, sometimes more than once a day, and I mean huge gigantic servings, sometimes one serving after another. I ate pretzels like crazy. Fudgsicles. Cookies. I mean I ate my fiull of carbs daily. When I stopped eating the carbs, my moods leveled, my energy increased, my concentration improved. So for me, removal of carbs is a key ingredient now to my ADD treatment.

Well said healthwiz.
Cheers! Ian.

Thanks Ian. cheers to you too!

I wonder why this carb/ADD connection has not come up before, or maybe I did not notice any posts on it until now.

Since the changes are significant, it something us ADDers should share more about our experience, discuss more. This might be a potential first choice approach, a non-med way to reduce some symptoms quickly. Then after seeing how symptoms abate, go the next step in treatment if necessary. Since carbs and kids are married to each other, this might be more realistic for adults.

Jon

Well my experience is I did well on ATkins felt better lost weight but its not realistic to cut out your carbs and sugar forever. I have found that everyone I know has put on the weight again including myself and feel worse. The key is to eat your fruit and veggies and low fat bread and low fat meat is the best way and to keep it off cause you can live this way forever but with low carb diets you cant live that way forever!

Not to sound mean but I think I can live without sugar, wheat, potatoes, and rice without a problem :) It helps my ADD alot. I find I'm more alert and less day dreamy.

Well I must try the South beach then cause I need as much help as I can get! Im usually 50 pounds lighter and I feel like crap! Im going in today to get on my concerta so that should help with my appetite. I cant seem to just have a little carbs its A ALOT! Im sick of meat with ATkins and maybe South Beach would be a little healthier for me! What exactly do you guys eat on South Beach give me a sample menu of your day for the first 2 weeks! Thanks!

When I went to a seminar by Dr Amen he said that he recommends the Zone diet (Barry Sears book) for ADD. Of course I did nothing about it, except that I bought lots of Zone bars over the last couple of years...

Jen

well i went on the south beach and man I couldnt handle the way is was feeling and meat is not my favorite!

I know Hypoglycemia is on the opposite end of the insulin spectrum from diabetes, but this is still relavent -- I promise. :-)

I have Reactive Hypoglycemia. Basically, when I eat something, my pancreas way overreacts and pumps out way too much insulin into my body, and burns any bit of energy I've ingested before I even get a chance to use it. Then, since there's too much insulin, it gobbles up any leftover sugar in my blood. I don't need to tell all the diabetics this, but this makes me very, very ill.

As one might imagine, taking a stimulant like Adderall (60mg per day) only encourages my spastic demon of a pancreas' delinquence. I ended up in the emergency room 3 times within the last 6 months, and was sent home every time with the non-descript diagnoses of "possible virus" and "dehydration."

After minimizing carbs in my diet, and eating primarily protein and 'raw' fats (think "bacon"), I've felt fantastically better.

I also wonder why nothing is ever said of this???

-Julie

I've mentioned this diet in a couple other threads - I've found the glycemic index diet a godsend for both my weight control and my ADD. I do not do well with anything that requires me to measure, count calories, plan menus, or is overly restrictive - a) I get bored after the novelty wears off, no surprise there! and b) I started struggling with anorexia in high school, and neither my diet nor my exercise can be too restrictive or 'obsession-forming'.

The GI diet was created by Canadian scientists (and nutritionists, I think - I've lent my book to friends, who have been amazed at how healthy I feel after the last few years of struggling), encourages you to eat all kinds of foods which are slow to raise your blood sugar, including 'good' carbs. You feel full for MUCH longer, decreasing your appetite and increasing your long term energy levels. There are three categorizations of food - green light foods while you're losing, yellow light foods to add when you don't want to lose any more, and red light foods which are for once-in-a-while eating. Included in the green light foods are things you wouldn't normally expect to find - dark chocolate, avocadoes, oatmeal...along with more 'traditional' stuff like a gazillion kinds of vegetables, and ample types of low fat protein. Very few dairy products, however. Skim milk, low-fat Swiss cheese, ricotta...

In my whole life I have never felt better. Usually when I've restricted my food intake in any way, I feel exhausted and shaky after only a few days. But now my energy levels are much more consistent.

Some of the reading I did on ADD discussed the technical aspects of how our brains work in the thinking process and how carbs and sugars affect the system. I can't quote the exact processes, but was so amazed at what I read that I cut out probably 90%-95% of the carbs I was taking in on a daily basis and boosted my protein intake substantially. Over the years I had fine tuned a diet that my digestive system enjoyed, but never thought that there were other affects. Almost overnight I began to think more clearly. It could possibly be many other things, maybe one of the positive mental cycles that I go through periodically, but I am very enthusiastic about what I have been experiencing so far.

I am an MBA student in my final year of studies and have been taking some fairly difficult classes over the past two years. I have noticed a substantial decrease in my performance over this same time frame also, and have been worried about it. Coincidently, 2-3 winters ago I suffered a mild concussion from a ski jumping accident. Over the past week I have been able to focus more on my course work and have experienced some mental accomplishments that I have not seen for a good while. I have also started exercising more regularly, which could be part of the solution. What ever it is I intend to keep on the same path and determine if I have found some solution to my problems.

I haven’t seen any professionals yet, but hope to this month. Getting the nerve up, and the right way to present things to my primary care physician is taking a while. I hope to be referred to a specialist, from her.

Anyone know a good ADD specialist in New Hampshire?

Can you post a link to the diet--and is it any GI diet or is there an especially good one for ADD?

I seem to function best at about 30g of carbs a day. If I go too much over, I get mood swings and really get scattered. If I go much under I can lose weight but I go into sort of a mental torpor. I get my carbs from vegetables, including peas and carrots and all the green and leafy stuff. Once and awhile I can have beans, but I avoid potatoes and regular carb bread. But carbs are only part of the picture. I get almost twice as much protein as carbs. Without the protein, I would have no brain.

My husband is 46, newly diagnosed ADHD, with Type 1 diabetes since age 15. He too is on the pump. I'm asking the same questions as you are. Certainly, from a casual but interested observers standpoint, carbs are both your friend and foe. Depending on the quality of the carb, you are going to have wide variance in sugar swings. High or low, that can't possibly do anything but magnify the ADD, especially the lows. To the extent that you can steer clear of refined carbs (esp. pizza, spaghetti pasta, white bread, etc., Little Debbie cakes and the like) and opt for whole grains, whole fruits and so forth, you may find that your sugars will stabilize more readily. My husband constantly over and under corrects on pizza and pasta nights and it ALWAYS throws him. I have noticed that anytime he eats carbs with a high-fat or heavy protein component (like meat-lovers pizza), he boluses for the carbs which sit in his stomach undigested until the "plug" of meat and cheese has been broken down for digestion and winds up low because the meat and cheese don't require insulin for digestion and block the sugars from entering his intestines for absorbtion much like a stopper in the sink prevents anything above it from going down the drain. Does that make sense? So, later, he'll notice that he's low, eat carbs to raise his levels, and then two hours later discover he 285! Why? Because once the carbs are finally broken down, pass the plug and enter the intestinal tract, suddenly the sugars he originally bolused for are present in his blood stream, PLUS the additional carbs he just ate to offset the low. Vicious cycle. But if you are aware of the digestive process and the order in which certain things enter your body, it certainly helps, diabetic or not.

Hope I'm not boring you with stuff you already know.