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ADHD Recent ADD diagnosis added to PTSD and MDD

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frogthroat

MyPTSD Pro
Hi, I recently received a diagnosis of ADD besides already being diagnosed with PTSD and major depressive disorder. I don't want to take any medication for this as I'm already on lexapro and I don't want to be on anymore psych meds.
My T has things she wants me to start doing like doing one task at a time until it's completed, drawing for one hour a day, having a rigid sleep routine, and voice recording my worries or tasks for the next day into my phone before I go to bed so I can listen to it in the morning and not think about it at bedtime.
I've already changed my diet and cut out alcohol completely. I'm going to try to cut down on caffiene. Does anyone else here have any suggestions that has helped them?
 
cutting down on caffeine might worsen your symptoms. caffeine can (marginally) improve functioning for ADD sufferers.

ADD isn't psychological. we don't get over it by trying hard or developing coping skills. I would never, ever give up my Concerta. Give up coherent thought? Not ever.
 
My attentional abilities fall on a really low percentile range, and neuropsych testing for something else showed I had ADHD. but it was misdiagnosed as hypervigelence as part of PTSD.

Studies have shown therapy plus meds is the most effective route. New Meta-Analysis: Behavior Therapy + Medication May Be the Most Effective ADHD Treatment

But, therapy alone can help. Strategies are key, meds or not.

I go on and off meds. Stimulants sedate me in weird ways. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don’t. My doc and I are learning that getting treatment sorted out for the predictable daily ADHD helps management of the more unpredictable variable PTSD symptoms.
 
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I had neuropsych test recently and was told i have TBI acquired ADD.
Doc suggested stimulant for tthe WDD . From history i know i get sedated from stimulants...weird right? However, chocolateOpposite results just like how benzo kept me up instead of knocking me out.

Pdoc calls it the paradox effect.
 
(I'm not a doctor so don't take my advice as such) I also have CPTSD & ADD, I've been on ADD meds (dextroamphetamine) for nearly 20 years, when my CPTSD symptoms turned into an un-ignorable undeniable issue I had to take care of I started taking lexapro in addition to my ADD meds and 3+ cups of coffee.

ADD isn't usually fully manageable through habit changes alone, its a chemical issue: your brain has trouble moving dopamine &other chems to the right places for executive function, motivation, reward perception and motor functions. Stimulant medications help get the chems to the receptors. I've heard an argument that because dopamine doesn't reach the reward system of the brain, we keep changing tasks to produce more dopamine to push the initial task's dopamine into the receptor. (think when a snack is stuck in a vending machine, you add more money to get the initial item to the retrieval bin, stimulants are the coins/falling item that knocks the snack into the bin)

That being said, ADD meds are great but they won't do much good if you don't maintain a good schedule. Use timers etc to make your daily routines predictable, time out your meds and stick to a daily bedtime.

Having both these disorders means that you have both a dopamine issue and a serotonin issue, (plain terms serotonin is mood, dopamine is happy/reward). Neither is pleasant to have deficits in. I chose having good dopamine transmission like a lot of people commenting here.

What I can say from my experience since I chose to go off the Lexapro in favor of the ADD meds, since they had always helped my productivity in the past. Lexapro helped a lot with sleep regulation, but my CPTSD symptoms combined with ADD meds seemed to diminish the overall affect of the Lexapro. My anxiety was unmanageable, leading to less productivity on the meds, and my resting heart rate went through the roof during that period. Stimulants will most likely compound your overall PTSD symptoms unless you have a sufficient dosage of Lexapro, if you're going to forgo the ADD meds don't give up moderate caffeine usage. (again, seek real medical advice and be sure to communicate with your doctor about all changes you're noticing)
 
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