#like it's the main place where i have ocd symptoms like the food safety obsessions and compulsions make every day so hard..

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The One & Only Cure-All

Adderall saved my life. But after nearly 5 years, I began to worry it was taking years off of it. About a year and a half ago, I began weaning myself off because I was experiencing some health issues that I thought might be related to taking Adderall. 

I developed symptoms early on that I had never experienced before. There was the anxiety that made taking even a 5-minute car ride feel like an eternity and restless leg syndrome that made even sitting feel like jogging. After about four years of Adderall, anti-anxieties, and mood stabilizers, I also developed asthma. I've never had allergies or asthma in my life, so I didn't know that's what it was, but my ability to breathe was progressively getting worse and I was afraid that one day I would just stop being able to breathe altogether. I did a ton of research and had lots of tests done to try and figure it out. One doctor even told me I was just stressed, which is usually what they say when they just don't know how to diagnose something. 

Eventually, I began taking a $350 steroid inhaler which had to be replenished every month and was not covered by insurance. In addition to the unreasonable cost, my breathing was only about 70% better and if I didn’t closely follow the directions, I could get a yeast infection in my mouth from the inhaler. I just couldn’t accept that out of the blue all of the sudden I had developed asthma for seemingly no reason at all. Doctors would only provide a prescription for symptoms, so I went on a quest to solve the problem myself. 

Adderall Detox 

After researching forums with comments from people who were taking the same medications and experiencing similar symptoms, I was convinced the development was due to all the medication I was on. I also learned that the way Adderall and many other mood stabilizers work is by blocking your brain from receiving aminos (what your brain is made of) and your body from receiving sodium. This can wreak havoc on your system. 

I immediately stopped taking all the medication except for the Adderall which I began slowly reducing my dose of each month to avoid having unmanageable withdrawals. 

Separately, an exceptionally talented pharmacologist suggested my asthma was due to a build up in my system of all the medication I was taking and recommended a 3-month detox regimen that included replenishing my body of its amino’s, as well as naturally treating my ADD symptoms. This helped a ton and I could finally actually breathe on my own without any issues.

Finding The Root Of The Problem

Once I completed the 3-month program, I had some additional tests done and learned I have gluten, dairy, and soy allergies, as well as a common genetic mutation called MTHFR, which means my body can't methylize (turn it into a usable form) folic acid (an important nutrient responsible for brain development). Folate (or folic acid) is such an important nutrient that doctors prescribe it to pregnant women to prevent potential birth defects caused by a deficiency of it. 

In relation to the food allergies, studies have shown an 80% correlation between people with celiac disease and autism, and autistic people who stop eating gluten stop showing autistic behavior even before their digestive system begins improving. If a gluten allergy could be related to autism, could it also be related to other neurological disorders, like ADD? 

The Trade-Off

After changing my diet and detoxing for about a year, I have had much improvement with the help of plenty of special supplements designed for my genetic mutation and food allergies. However, after being off Adderall completely for 6 months and reducing my dose for even longer, my energy level, motivation, and ability to focus have all been exhausted for over a year now. Perhaps the winter months are just extending the symptoms, but I’m unable to absorb all of the vitamin-D I take in supplement form, and without dairy, I just don't get enough. 

Without Adderall, the majority of my day is spent sleeping or trying to find the energy to work, only to squeeze out a mere 2 hours of work. I struggle with the fact that I am so unproductive and so now I've decided to take the smallest dose of Adderall (extended release only) every day for the remainder of the winter and will try going off it again once I can get my vitamin D from the sun again. I have been experiencing some asthma; could be from the Adderall, could be from the really poor air quality where I live right, could be both. But for now, it's worth the trade-off. 

I make sure I'm consistent with my dose- I take the same amount every day whether I feel like I need it or not because skipping a day here and there is dangerous and can make you really unstable. I don't take fast-acting Adderall for the same reasons. I have enough going on in my head- I don't need suicidal thoughts, too. 

Addressing It From All Angles

Just about all of us have some sort of ailment or another. What I’ve learned is that there is just no simple cure or resolution most of the time. We are all complex individuals with a variety of problems that, when combined, are unique to only ourselves and require a custom solution designed by a whole list of experts. Our physical, mental, and emotional issues have to be addressed from all angles (mind, body, spirit). You may come across something like Adderall that seems to be the answer to all your problems at first, but soon you discover that there is more to it than that, and even more still after that. Much of it is trial and error, and there is always a trade-off: If I don't want to break out into a rash, then I shouldn't eat pizza, but if the only food I enjoy is pizza, then I'll take the occasional rash just to enjoy my meal once in a while (don’t get me started on gluten-free vegan alternatives). I don't like not being able to breathe, but I can at least treat the symptoms for now so I can get myself back to work and have money to bring in until I can create a better solution. 

If you’ve found yourself on an endless search for a cure, my advice to you is to do the best you can with what you’ve got and try not to take yourself or your condition too seriously. I developed an eating disorder called Orthorexia after obsessing over my health too much and creating too many rules for myself. If you suffer from ADD or OCD, try your best to do things in moderation and create a balanced life where you work and play every day. Don’t over-complicate your life by adding things to it that you know you can’t manage. Focus on you first so that you're strong enough to also contribute to others and have meaning and purpose, and are building healthy relationships. Relationships are key to our happiness. 

Things You Can Try

Naturopathic Doctors: If you want something tangible to try, you could talk to a naturopathic doctor- just make sure you see one that is highly credible, because, like anything, there are good ones and not so good ones. The main job of a naturopathic doctor is to get to the root of the problem, not just provide a band-aid to treat symptoms. They can help you find natural ways to treat ADHD and can test you for any food allergies, immune or genetic disorders, see if you're nutrient deficient, etc.- if you're concerned about any of that. The one I see is www.natmedlogan.com. 

Health & DNA Testing: If you want a cost-effective way to test a lot of things all at once, you can go to www.23andme.com and do their Health+Ancetry test. It's $199 and will tell you nearly everything you'd want to know about your health and DNA. If you give the test results to a naturopathic doctor, they can interpret them for you, or there are sites you can upload them to for free that will do the same. 

Supplements: I don't recommend taking supplements manufactured by brands you don't know you can trust. Supplements are not regulated enough in the U.S. so many are filled with things they don't put on the label and sometimes they don't even include the supplement listed on the label at all. If you don’t believe me, watch PBS’ Frontline episode on Supplements and Safety. The brands I use and trust (recommended by my doctor) are Priority One, Vital Nutrients, Gaia, Pure Encapsulations, and Thorne Research. 

Binaural Beats: Another thing you can try is listening to binaural beats. They're meant to retrain your brain waves similar to how you might burn a CD and then burn over it again with something else (maybe you’re too young to remember burning CD’s but hopefully you get the point). They pattern-interrupt your brain when it gets stuck- like when we get stuck in a pattern of negativity so much we can't stop, and then one day something different happens and we just snap out of it and are fine. I know that when I’m up or down, I can’t make any logical sense of how I got to that place- there’s no single clear cause that I can pinpoint and use to get me back to my happy-go-lucky self or to steer clear of waking up on the wrong side of the bed and ending up in a funk again. Binaural beats help break the pattern our brains waves get stuck in and re-route them to the desired frequency. There are many different ones for just about anything you can think of- ADD, sleep, depression, anxiety, energy, immune system, etc. You can find them on YouTube or Spotify and listen to them while you sleep or while you're awake, for a long time or short. For best results, use headphones when you play them. I listen to them every day- how often you need to will depend on you and your environment. 

Plan A Good Strategy

Once you get into finding a cure, it can consume your life, and if you have ADD, you're prone to allow it to do so. Set up some rules and boundaries for yourself before you begin to keep things in check once you start, and make sure you have a good support system for when it gets to be too much. Here are some rules you might consider adopting: 

Daily Balance- 15-30 min of exercise; sleep 9-10 hours; 15 min of sunshine; personal time; challenge your brain; contribute to society; socialize; laugh; eat a balanced diet with healthy carbs, fats (for the brain), fiber, and rich nutrients; stay hydrated; reward yourself; etc.

Don't do anything for more than 2 hours at a time without taking a break.

Play music that makes you want to sing or dance. Dance. 

Create Pinterest boards, video, music (and binaural beats), and reading playlists that you can refer to when you need help getting out of a funk. I have a "pull your head out of your ass" playlist that reminds me to not take everything so serious. 

Remove anything toxic from your life. 

If you get stuck in a negative pattern, swear off anything but comedy in your life for several months. 

Don't be too hard on yourself and don't be too hard on others.

Meditate. I recently came across Yoga Nidra, which can be done in any quiet place where you can lay down and put headphones on for up to 30 minutes. It stimulates creativity, energy, mental clarity and focus, and reduces stress, anxiety, and depression. 

Make a clear list of your goals, limitations, expectations and exceptions. If I find myself obsessing about something new, I know it will lead to burn out, and I must find a way to address it in moderation.

This is not an exhaustive list of things I’ve tried or come across. There’s also the problem with fluoride and chlorine in our water, mercury poisoning from dental work, good and bad bacteria, a whole library of necessary nutrients, micronutrients, phytonutrients, and nano-nutrients that will all make your head spin, the problem with our food supply, electromagnetic fields, red and blue light therapy, SDD light therapy, aromatherapy, a variety of different types of psychotherapists, a variety of different types of diets, infrared saunas, regular saunas, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, massage therapists, kundalini yoga, Buddhism, enlightenment....the list goes on and on and on. They all claim to be the cure-all but again- you should address it from all angles, and with ADD, take things in moderation.