Anyone know how to deal with A.D.D. without drugs.?

Question

I have a really bad attention disorder and I want to do something about it but I don't want to have to depend on pills to help me.

Answer 1

I have a best friend and about three other good friends of mine...ALL of them have A.D.D or A.D.H.D and take pills, lots of it.

Now, with my best friend. She took adult doses. One of the four medications she took practically calmed her hyperness down. But when she was depressed and down, the other drug would try to balance that. It just totally messed her up...from mood to physically looking at her. You could just see the drugs taking over her.

Then she tried stopping. She was her hyper self again, but when the doctor figured it out...and her parents. She had to get back on the meds, and it was harder for the meds to do what it's supposed to do. So they raised the dose a bit more....

.......but to answer your question. I'd try taking a paper. Writing what you need to do throughout your day with additional notes. An example:

you wake up, go to school, and the teacher's lecture is really making you fidgety, so:
>take notes of what your learning, it'll help you stay on track and not get so restless. My best friend always kept drawing in class, never paying attention to lectures, so if I were you-I'd be sitting in the front of the class as well.
additional notes:
Errands or goals you have to finish like:
>washing the dishes when you get home--this sounds like a to-do list but I am very forgetful but this helps alot

what I typed above is an example....hope this helps. But from what I was explaining about my best friend, she's not on the pills as we speak. And she's doing just fine.

my other friend, went through a rush of energy, getting suicidal, and depressed back and forth---he doesn't use pills now either.

Answer 2

Good for you! Drugs are NOT the answer especially since a lot of people who have been taking the ADD drugs have gotten even more psychotic and suicidal.

The most important thing to do is to clean up what you're putting in your body. Quit eating fast food, fried foods including chips, donuts. Eliminate sugar, artifical colors, flavors, and preservatives. Eliminate soda. Keep a food diary noteing how you feel after a meal. Their are some foods which you may be allergic to and not even know it. Eggs, milk, soy and wheat, shrimp, lobster, crab, and other shellfish; peanuts (one of the chief foods responsible for severe anaphylaxis); walnuts and other tree nuts; and fish are the biggest culprits.

There are many factors that contribute to ADD including diet and your environment. You can read all about it and how to get better at http://www.blockcenter.com/

You may also want to read Our Toxic World: A Wake Up Call by Doris Rapp. She's a leader in the allergy field; sometimes ADD can be due to food and/or environmental allergies, and she covers all this in her book. Probably available from your local library. Good luck to you.

Answer 3

I have ADD as well. What I do that helps is I have a small amount of caffeine every day. It actually helps people with ADD to concentrate better, which sounds strange, but its true. Also, I try to focus by actively listening to things going on. Try to find something that interests you about even the most boring topic. It is difficult, but I can pay attention to a long conversation or a movie for quite a while without distraction. (or minimal distraction) I hope this helps.

Answer 4

There are a lot of things you can do besides medication. For starters, pay attention to your diet, like sugar, caffeine, and artificial sweetners (these have been linked to attention problems too). Keep a journal, buy a digital watch, set the digital watch to beep every hour to remind you to journal. Do this for 2 weeks and look for patterns that might show times of day that are worse or better. Pay attention to the times you ARE able to focus and try to increase that time. Do things to refocus yourself during times you find the problem is worse, like take notes, or go for a brief walk shortly before you know you will need to focus.

Answer 5

Absolutely go to the doctor to get him tested. Even if they diagnose him with ADHD, they cannot force you to give him any medication. That being said, medication is the currently the most effective form of treatment for ADHD. Some therapies such as behavioural therapies, parent training and changes in classroom management can also be helpful, but particularly so when combined with medication. You are presumably not a doctor, so you are not more qualified to make decisions about your son's medical issues than a doctor is. It isn't in his best interests for you to rule out options for treatment without even seeing a doctor.

Answer 6

Stimulus sometimes helps as a joke in golfing circles is a cord with fishing hooks both ends, one in the nose and the other elsewhere can fix the problem of head lifting. But the message is clear that some trigger is needed to get you focussed. Any number of things can be used to train your mind to focus. Sometimes coffee helps, as it works in children with bad behavioral problems. But really you need to work out what triggers will help you, and use them. Rose coloured glasses are used to help dislexic sufferers, this may help you also, who knows until you try.

Answer 7

First of all, ADD is one of the most common "Mis-diagnosed" diseases. People throw around the term very loosely. ADD is very different from "simply not being able to focus."
Your first step should be realizing that you probably don't have ADD. Get it out of your head. It is all psychological.
Then, you need to start practicing by doing little tasks and trying to complete them in one shot. As you are doing the task, try to focus. Every minute, remind yourself that you need to focus on this one task only.
Next, take upon yourself bigger tasks and before you know it, your problem will leave you (your mind that is).

Answer 8

I have met kids who are suppossed to have ADD but they can concentrate when it is something they like. A good healthy diet will not only benefit your mind but your body. So rid your fridge of that junk! There must be one thing you love to do - get into it. If its fishing or painting whatever. Over time you will be less and less impulsive.

Answer 9

Eliminate all sugars..Drink some coffee when it is pronounced. Works pretty good on kids.You should derive the same degree of benefit.

Answer 10

Luk 18:27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

HERE'S YOUR ANSWER AND I'LL PRAY FOR YOU AS WELL!!
GOD BLESS