Trying to decide on treatment

[Anonymous]

I 38, but never been treated for ADHD. Now I feel the great need to get help. Need some info about works best.

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[Ivriniel]

Well, “what works best” tends to be a highly personal thing, based on your symptoms and own personal circumstances.

That being said, the research indicates that in general, medication gives you the biggest bang for your buck. It’s even better when it is accompanied with counselling around lifestyle changes.

I’m 37, and I just started taking meds last week. So far, it does seem to be helping a bit.

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[Buz]

I agree with Ivriniel. After 4 months I’m just beginning to get the meds ‘right’, but the real nut to crack is lifestyle changes, including extricating oneself from the chaos! I get my meds covered and the psyciatrist is covered under our provincial medical services plan. So it is a good investment for me to pay to see a counselor, who can help with lifestyle changes, stress management, weird thinking etc. But it is a very personal thing as Ivrinel says. You will find yourself building your own team.

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[Rick Green – Founder of TotallyADD]

As everyone will agree, ADHD looks different in different people.

So lvriniel is right, your ‘treatment’ will be specific for you.

By adulthood some of us have found ways to cope with some symptoms. (Whether they’re good coping mechanisms is another discussion altogether.) As well, we all have different circumstances. When I’m working on a television production organization and time management are crucial for me.

So part of this process is figuring out what you want, where you are struggling and what you’d like to transform.

If I were a painter, working alone, then time management may not be as crucial as procrastination.

So the to ‘treatment’ is to figure out which symptoms are the most impairing, and target those. And you won’t really know what’s impairing you unless you know where you are going, and are clear what you want to achieve. To use an analogy, it doesn’t matter to me if the road between here and Ottawa is washed out, if I’m going to Windsor. Depends where you want to go. Of course, most of us, by time we seek treatment only have a goal of ‘ending the suffering’ and ‘surviving’.

That’s where a therapist or coach can make a big difference.

There are lots of suggestions for strategies and tools on the website, and in our store there’s a DVD that offers dozens of small and large strategies. Be open to any ideas, and keep the ones that work for you. Until they stop working.

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[Anonymous]

I also have generalized anxiety, now been diognoised with depression, with med’s seem scary. I fear the weight the most. I have been small my whole life and love this. Has anyone really gained weight with these med’s?

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[Ivriniel]

I’m not sure which meds you are talking about, ADHD medications or medications for Anxiety/Depression.

As I understand it, weight gain is not really associated with ADHD medication. Most ADHD medications are psychostimulants, and at least some of the drugs in this class have actually been used for weight loss.

Some anxiety/depression meds on the other hand, are associated with weight gain. The best people to talk to about this would be your Doctor and/or your Pharmacist.

As far as the weight gain question goes, you really need to ask yourself what’s more important, dealing with your anxiety or staying small? I don’t want to seem harsh, but to my mind making sure you are able to function at your best seems way more important than staying small.

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