The Forums › Forums › Medication › Alternative Treatments › So you don't like Meds? What alternatives work best for you?
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February 23, 2012 at 12:15 pm #90548
So I don’t feel confident or comfortable with the meds and how they effect my body/mind. I don’t feel confident about their long term use either.
I’m wondering what is working best for people who don’t use medications in tasks such as listening, organizing, and following through.
REPORT ABUSEFebruary 23, 2012 at 1:24 pm #112677
AnonymousInactiveFebruary 23, 2012 at 1:24 pmPost count: 14413to be honest… for me in my life, medication and good counselling need to come hand in hand. I found that the more I was open with my specialist on how I felt about taking meds… the more comfortable I was with them. For so long I let myself think that my life was controlled by a little pill… but in reality it isn’t. A pill didn’t make me smarter… I was smart all along… the meds just help the neurones in my brain shoot properly so I can focus on life like everyone else.
I have also been on meds though where I did feel like it was messing with my body… and even with who I was. I found that again talking to a dr. about it helped me to see that maybe that particular medication wasn’t right for me.
I loved how my dr said it once when I was a bit upset about the idea of long term drug use… “You wouldn’t tell a diabetic to consider not carrying around their insulin shots”.
Now having said this… I do not at all want to come across as that person who makes it seem like you are wrong in feeling the way that you do… or to get over it. I hate people like that!!!! So please understand I mean no harm.
As I have grown up with my ADHD I have noticed that I have not needed to take my meds as often. No you can’t grow out of ADHD… but for me at least I have found that as I have gotten to know my ADHD I know my boundaries more and more. Where I am strong and where I am weak. For instance… I know that I don’t need my meds unless I am facing tasks that I have trouble focussing on or accomplishing… like cleaning my house. This is not the case for everyone, I am purely speaking out of my experiences.
There are for sure methods for getting tasks done… not needing meds. I find check box lists are really great because it keeps me on track and there is something rewarding about checking that little box when I have accomplished a task… even a small one. People with ADHD do great with rewards and acknowledgement. My mom is a social worker with a specialization in ADHD and substance abuse. So I grew up in a home where she would help us to better understand ourselves and how we best function. In her studies people with ADHD do well with making lists and giving themselves rewards when a task is complete… just the check beside a task on your sheet gives a sense of reward.
I also find that if I am accountable to someone it has helped me with follow through. My husband helps me with that one. He will call me in the day to ask me how…. such and such is going and how I my progress is going. That really helps a lot. I know he is going to call so it helps me to accomplish things.
I hope that in what I have written you can find some helpful suggestions.
I would recommend you talk to a specialist about medications or look up online to see what ADHD researchers have to say on that subject. For me it really helped. But it is important that counselling goes with it. The meds help to bring your body to a level where you can better focus… and the counselling helps to understand the ADHD. I know that some people just don’t feel good about medicating at all… and each to their own. But as someone who was diagnosed 17 years ago and has grown up most my life knowing about my ADHD, medications have helped so much. I just look at it like my dr said. A person with diabetes needs their in sullen to survive.
REPORT ABUSEFebruary 24, 2012 at 4:05 pm #112678I still don’t feel confident about the stimulants long term effects personally. The professionals tell you not to read stuff online, and it’s no wonder 95% of people are having a hard time with meds/have had long terms problems. There are also the more “reliable” sources that will admit negative effects of stimulants on the brain. I wish the professionals wouldn’t white wash it so much. A local adhd group leader her is a Dr/Psychologist…doesn’t take meds, Halliwell…doesn’t take meds.
REPORT ABUSEFebruary 24, 2012 at 5:06 pm #112679All I can say is what works for me. (This is me not giving advice).
I take meds because they help me pay attention long enough to absorb the information and techniques my doctor is teaching me. If the meds have side effects, I weigh the side effects against the benefits. I take the meds.
When I started, the meds were not working, or the side effects were worse than the ADD. Now I have a good balance. I am still waiting for the “Bart Simpson Focasin” moment.
What the meds do for me:
I don’t seem to take things as personally.
I don’t feel like it is me alone against the world.
I can listen and understand what people are telling me.
I don’t hear “Are you paying attention?” as much.
While I don’t have peace or tranquility in my life and I don’t think I ever will, I am much closer to quieting down my brain and my thoughts.
My brain is constantly “Chanel Surfing” and every once in a while I can get a hold of the remote.
Without the meds:
I don’t want to go back there.
REPORT ABUSEFebruary 24, 2012 at 5:47 pm #112680Dr. Ned Hallowell states very clearly that his kids have benefited tremendously from medication. See for yourself at 16:00 of this YouTube interview with him at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtU7wGn5PAE
Drugs are not the only solution, but they can be an effective tool that allows us to refine our coping mechanisms appropriately.
I have been on both methylphenidate and amphetamine salts. The latter has been better. Is it a cure-all. NO. I would argue that I don’t even need it all the time if I am having an easy day. The symptoms are worse without it though.
REPORT ABUSEFebruary 24, 2012 at 11:05 pm #112681Hi Bibliophile
In what way were the amphetimine salts better than methylphenidate? I was tempted to try them but my psych said the possoble cardiac effects were worse with them than methylphenidate so I thought I’d stick to that.
But I sometimes wonder if I am missing out?
REPORT ABUSEFebruary 25, 2012 at 12:28 am #112682
AnonymousInactiveFebruary 25, 2012 at 12:28 amPost count: 14413for what it s worth,
Dr. Barckley makes a fairly strong case from observations that meds alone do not often help, while drugs and
some sort of behavioral therapy work better than drugs alone, and more often in adults, there a a number of
people who get no benefit from meds at all.
Alternates such as excercise, good diet, meditation, deep breathing, yoga, etc can help a great deal
depending on the individual .
He and Mate say pretty much what we have said on the forums. Each of us has “our own adhd” and
the treatment for it seems as unique and variable as we are.
there is no way this is treated ‘just one way’ variety adds to the excitement does it not ??
REPORT ABUSEFebruary 26, 2012 at 5:30 am #112683
AnonymousInactiveFebruary 26, 2012 at 5:30 amPost count: 14413Hi..SugarS……there you have it. Some folks really benefit from meds, some don’t see the same degree of benefit….others nothing at all??? Other folks derive great results from healthy eating…..”really healthy eating”…..regular rigorous exercise (5 days a week maybe more), counseling, and some add meditation into their regime with good results too.
I guess it depends a lot on where you fall on the spectrum…..mild medium, severe…..how your ADD or ADHD presents……so much comes into play. I took meds for a bit in the past (a couple of years in my working days)……now nothing. I always was on the health road and that seems good for me, still am……but we are all different. Something to keep in mind is the health/exercise/meditation road results are at times a little slower to show results than meds …it may take a bit of time (maybe not) before you really notice results. But…..there is no downside….at all…….to eating healthy, exercise, meditation, and/or counseling. These things can only bring good stuff to your table….even if at some point you determine that you need the additional benefit meds can provide, the other route will still provide more than just meds alone.
Toofat.
REPORT ABUSEFebruary 26, 2012 at 7:30 pm #112684
AnonymousInactiveFebruary 26, 2012 at 7:30 pmPost count: 14413my coach was sent this and shared it with me …
TEDxBloomington – Shawn Achor – “The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance” – YouTube
meaning this as a compliment, Shawn and TooFat seem to be on a user friendly wave length
to para phrase my coach … i am free to change the story i am telling myself to one that is happier
REPORT ABUSEMay 13, 2012 at 5:50 am #112685Thanks for the video Tea !
I’m not sure about all that he said… but I’m pretty certain that putting ourselves in a more positive mode would certainly bring some benefits and help us cope with our difficulties. Seeing things more positively and taking some pleasurable time for ourselves could also boost our happiness and self-confidence, which might help us being more motivated and focused. Anyways… it’s probably too late for any articulated thinking, but thanks for the video… I’ll try to wake-up with a more optimistic view tomorrow…(in my case, that’s a real challenge these days… but at least, I will try to put my mind at it..).
Take care,
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