Grad Student recently diagnosed with ADHD 6 Replies

Hello Erin Brady,

“Does it get better?” Sorry, NO. You must take control of your life. Meds will not get you where you want to go.

“I have all the time in the world, yet still spend most of my time cruising the internet for mindless information, even though I have mounds of work around me.” This constant behavior is an attempt to lower the anxiety, but it will not work.

The only way to get rid of the ‘extra energy’ from ADHD is exercise and a very good diet.

Everyone is different but ADHD has some common characteristics. You can reduce them through exercise because of the neurotransmitters exercise creates (no pill can do the same) and you maybe reacting to foods that are not on any list. We have all heard of sugar and caffeine, but you can have a number of your own triggers. A ‘regular’ allergy test is not good enough to find them. Go to a doctor who studies diet and vitamins, do the mediation thing.

It can be a drag before you see any benefits, but you will live a life of knowing what to do when you feel ‘off’ so that you don’t waste your life and love.

Some triggers can be situational also. Stress is a killer! Get some good running shoes. Get a foot ‘bike’ that fits under the desk. When you start surfing without direction, watch to see how fast you are spinning those wheels!

When I can trace the feeling back to the last meal, sometimes an antihistamine helps. But it has to be the right antihistamine, too. I stumbled onto Distran (someone gave me for a cold) and my head can bad to reality. Now, I order the antihistamine at the pharmacy without the aspirin or Tylenol. It is really hard to always know what you are eating.

Your body will give you clues, but you must be listening. Learn all the techniques for listening and as may stress relievers as possible (exercise) and you will have a good chance of dealing with your ADHD.

This is far better than just coping with it, you will have a good chance at a normal life. Nobody has the answer, so do not keep hoping one more doctor will have a different and better answer. It is different for everyone, so there is no “best” treatment.

Tomorrow will be gone in 24 hours, you can start today or not – but in 24 hours another day will have gone by – it is YOUR choice!

Julie King BSN (BS in Nursing), ADHD, severe dyslexic, etc.

hello

hello 2 try
I do not have ADHD but will pass on the tips
that told to me witch was to find a sport to work
off the energy. Does it get better well..lets look
at it this way how many hyper 60 year olds do you see:)
Mark Dullnig
and good luck

Erin,

Julie is correct. It dose not get better with time. I am 47, ADD/Dyslexic. I work as a technologist at a major graduate school of medicine. I am surrounded by Doctors of all specialties from neurological to sociological disorders and none of them have a definitive answer. Julie’s recommendation of good diet and exercise is the single best advice. As for the smart but feeling dumb, the only advice I can give you there is compartmentalize. You know you have the ADHD but move your focus away from that and on to the things that you do well. I found that breathing and meditation exercises are extremely effective means of dealing with it as well.

You not alone, and you are probably aware that there are many examples of successful people from the past and present who were ADHD and or Dyslexic.

“Don’t let failures in the past prevent you from successes in the future”

Robert Noice Founder of Intel Corporation

Roger Santos

Hi all,

Thank you for your much desired responses. I know you are all right with the diet and exercise. I used to be a marathon runner and at that time in my life everything seemed much more manageable. I know I need to put my running shoes back on and eat healthy again. I also know that medicine is not the answer and I hate putting the horrible stuff in my body. I thank you for reminding me, again, what I need to do to take control. I know I will always be different, but that does not mean bad…I will learn to embrace my differences and utilize them in a way that is beneficial to me.

I am in school to be a special ed teacher and just hope I can become organized to run my own classroom. The organizational skills needed to teach is what frightens me the most.

Julie, I thank you for your up-front response. The past few days I was actually a little hurt with the way you responded. I thought it was abrupt and I was in an emotional state looking for someone to be emotional back to me. But after a few days, I can read it and be thankful that you are just telling me what I need to know and do in order to feel in control of my own life. I have felt out of control for a long time and it’s time to start doing something about it. Only I have the power to change myslef and that change is not going to happen on it’s own. Having ADHD is nothing to feel sorry for. I can use it to my advantage by eating healthy, exercising, and helping others (children) understand that they too can help themselves and not to be embarrassed.

Thank you all and I welcome any more opinions, advice, or insight into my new ways to help myslef as I feel this is a fresh start for me.

Take Care,
Erin

I was in college before I was diagnosed and it really became a problem in grad school. It was the hardest time of my life. I dealt with so much ignorance and I became so discouraged.

Eventually I got through. Find a support system, like us! Know that you are not wrong. Take time for yourself and it might help make your work time more productive. But above all, never loose faith in yourself or your Abilities!