10 Things To Do For Adult ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be incredibly disruptive in everyday adult life.

Most people with ADHD respond well to medication, although there are other, nondrug options that may help too.

"Start with treatments we know are effective," says Ari Tuckman, Psy.D., the vice president of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association "Then, if you're interested, try some of the alternatives to see if it has any additional benefit."

Here are 10 behavioral interventions and lifestyle changes that won't necessarily eliminate ADHD but can help you feel more in control.

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Consider Medication

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Stimulant drugs such as Adderall, Dexedrine, Ritalin, Concerta, and Vyvanse affect key brain chemicals to calm and focus people who have ADHD. They are the most widely prescribed ADHD medications, and can have side effects such as appetite suppression, insomnia, headaches, dry mouth, and nausea. A non-stimulant drug called Strattera may be a better fit for people who have ADHD and who also suffer from anxiety, insomnia, or substance abuse. (However, the drug can cause nausea, dry mouth, and insomnia.) Discuss your treatment options with your doctor to determine if you really need medication. More from Health.com: Quiz: Do You Have Adult ADHD? Celebrities With ADHD 5 Reasons You Can't Concentrate

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Stimulant drugs such as Adderall, Dexedrine, Ritalin, Concerta, and Vyvanse affect key brain chemicals to calm and focus people who have ADHD.

They are the most widely prescribed ADHD medications, and can have side effects such as appetite suppression, insomnia, headaches, dry mouth, and nausea.

A non-stimulant drug called Strattera may be a better fit for people who have ADHD and who also suffer from anxiety, insomnia, or substance abuse. (However, the drug can cause nausea, dry mouth, and insomnia.)

Discuss your treatment options with your doctor to determine if you really need medication.

More from Health.com:
Quiz: Do You Have Adult ADHD?
Celebrities With ADHD
5 Reasons You Can't Concentrate

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Comments

[stevecaudill]

09:45 AM on 04/28/2011

I have ADHD, but I don't consider it a disorder. In fact, being impulsive is a good thing as compared to being indecisive, provided one can harness the impulsive decision-making process. In my case I've always had a good secretary who was details-oriented to keep me in line, so I could do the creative type of 'big picture' projects. Also, throughout my career I've been the guy my bosses came to when a solution required 'thinking outside the box.' I've noticed that every 2 or 3 weeks a high-adrenaline sport like white water kayaking or downhill skiing helps keep me calm. Finally, every day I meditate at least 10 minutes.

[Saijanai]

09:44 AM on 04/25/2011

Someone else mentioned meditation as a way to control ADHD. I don't know about the effects of all forms of meditation, but I have found that Transcendental Meditation does help me with ADHD symptoms. I've been prescribed adderol for my ADHD, which certainly helps, but its been my experience that missing a meditation session has far more effect on the acuteness of my condition than missing a dose of prescribed drugs. It seems paradoxical that simple relaxation would have this kind of effect on ADHD, but the published research indicates that TM can induce states that are more than simple relaxation, so your intuition about what effects it might have are likely wrong. Certainly, the preliminary results of teaching TM to ADHD students reported by the David Lynch Foundation support this.

[serendipindi]

11:17 AM on 04/14/2011

AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! ADHD/ADD is not a disease, it is a cognitive disorder. Article illustration fail.

[Curious0628]

07:21 PM on 03/30/2011

I have adult ADHD and I found the "getting organized" to be particularly helpful. Specifically, putting my keys and cellphone in the same place every day at home and writing priority lists when at work.

[donyaemilia]

11:20 AM on 03/24/2011

surprised cutting sugar out of the diet isn't on the list. a good first step to consider even before drugs.

[Curious0628]

07:19 PM on 03/30/2011

The "sugar" connection has been found to be a myth and is no longer recommended.

[donyaemilia]

07:23 PM on 04/18/2011

who funded that study?

[Dawn Barnes]

08:43 AM on 03/23/2011

I used to abuse drugs and alcohol. I always had trouble in school.Now that I free of drugs life is rough. I also have PTSD . I get stressed and frustrated and irriated so easy. I have improve on adderall 20 mg aday. Sometimes I can feel my brain , and it feels like its turning , it's almost like when it makes its 360 mark I hear a wmmm . I can take a small problem in make it into a life crisis. I can't spell good I can rad a book , I try. But I think Dr SEUSE is more my comprehension level. I have a 5th grader and to help her stay on the Honor Roll is so hard and stressful. I never yell at her but I will tell her please go to you room or I will go to the porch.I am starting to cry right know , I am hurting her. She thinks she causes my irratations and frustations and stress. I always tell her .NO ITS NOT YOU IF ANYTHING YOU HELP> but I can say it but i can also see her and she is taking my problems and thinking she is causing them. Like one comment ' well if i did;nt want to be on the honor roll than it would'nt take so much out of you. But it's my problem because it's easier for me to do her chores. so now it is back firing. fireing

[serendipindi]

11:19 AM on 04/14/2011

Just a thought....but perhaps instead of asking her to go away you could give her a huuuuuuuge hug and just hold tight while those feelings wash over you and eventually pass. (Fellow PTSD sufferer.)

[Dawn Barnes]

09:39 AM on 03/19/2011

I never knew I was adhd until 35. I also have PTSD from the military . The VA always wanted to put me on anti pychoic drugs , depakote that made me hyper even more. It was always hard for me to sit still ,always bouncing my legs.And was an addict. I didnt want to be. I was craving cocaine bad and I was so tired of the end result that I went to and ER . He asked me if I had ever been dx adhd , I explained that while in the VA rehab they dx me with PTSD, BI POLAR , DEPRESSION , ANIEXTY R/O adhd . Well the DR said I am gonna try something . adderall 20 . Well at first I was like a zombie , but then I felt normal . I have an 11 yr old who is very understanding. I never yell at her . I tend to be a loner. to much noise stresses me . I don't get anger like I used to. I can only do a few task aday outside the house and get home. I seem a little paranoid lately and that could just be because now I am aware of things. My 5th grader has to read thing to me and then I will say slow down .Because I have to think about each think before I get it .I can write poetry like crazy , if you can read it .

[Jeanne Ball]

09:18 PM on 03/14/2011

As a teacher of meditation, I have had several students with ADHD report that their symptoms were reduced, and their memory, focus and behavior improved. There is some promising research on the benefits of the Transcendental Meditation technique for helping people with ADHD. Current Issues in Education [On-line], 10(2)

[drashley]

11:32 AM on 03/13/2011

How sad that the first suggestion is medication. How sad too, that the drive to medicate has saturated the child market, so now we have a push to medicate the parents. I would like to see more skills and less pills. Parents will find a wealth of "what to do" information in The ADD & ADHD Answer Book: Professional Answers to the Top 275 Questions Parents Ask, by Susan Ashley Ph.D

[Toonguy]

03:47 PM on 03/13/2011

Please sell your books elsewhere.

[onwisconsin]

03:52 PM on 03/13/2011

I didn't read that list as being in order. It was just a set of suggestions. Many adults with ADHD do not even consider medication and it's to their detriment. They should work with a competent psychatrist to get a diagnosis and then they should discuss whether or not medication is warranted. In many cases it is not. In many cases it is. No one knows until he/she sees a competent psychiatrist, preferrably one who specializes in adult ADHD/ADD. This is complicated and medication is a tool. If you approach it like that, the tool might be useful to you and it might not.

I hope that helps.

[Toonguy]

08:55 AM on 03/14/2011

I am always leery of people on these forums that tout books with "alternative" forms of treatment.

[CynthiaBerben]

09:37 PM on 03/30/2011

Psychiatrist or psychotherapist. Someone competent. Someone who keeps up on research and education. I've seen gross incompetence with both types of practioners. Finally there has been a DNA sequence specific for ADD. No more denying it exists. It's a focusing problem, both over and under focusing. Yes, it is complicated and the experienced person who understands the complexities and ranges of the disorder can make all the difference in healthy functioning. Thanks Wisconsin!

[AdmireBucs]

03:40 AM on 03/13/2011

I was diagnosed at the age of four but didn't receive medication for ADHD until I was 19, and it has really changed my life for the better. But then again, I have a pretty severe case of ADHD. My brain even produces far more stress hormone than normal.

[GraniteSkyline]

11:33 PM on 03/12/2011

This is a really great thread. Just ADDers exchanging advice and support.

Usually when ADD is the topic 5,000 non-ADDers chime in to blather about how its all a scam and if their parents had just given them a good old-fashioned whooping, they wouldn't have a problem blah blah blah.

Thanks everyone!

[onwisconsin]

03:53 PM on 03/13/2011

There are a few nay-sayers here but most of us just want to support one another.

I'm glad you've found what you need.

[GraniteSkyline]

04:12 PM on 03/13/2011

You were very helpful. The site you recommended was a goldmine! Thanks again!

[Widespread Panic]

10:13 PM on 03/12/2011

Absolutely none of these work for me except maybe planning ahead and exercise. I can't take meds cause they make me either really antsy or fatigued (or both). My short attention span and tendency to easily get distracted affects my work performance and any hobbies or interest I may have. Nothing works for me, so I'm just dealing with it the best I can for now.

[CDSmith]

12:34 AM on 04/16/2011

Don't give up!

This was my experience, too--until I found the right medication. A low dose of Vyvanse (20 mg.) has made an enormous difference in my life. The effect is subtle, but when I miss it, boy does my family let me know!

Best of luck!

[Joseph Burgo PhD]

10:12 AM on 03/12/2011

For those of you who are recommending everyone to get educated on this subject, I suggest you read Robert Whitaker's excellent book THE ANATOMY OF AN EPIDEMIC. In a very scholarly fashion, he destroys the myth that psychiatric science has in any way proven that demonstrable differences in brain chemistry are responsible for major depression, bipolar disorder or ADHD; even worse, he shows how the widespread use of psychiatric medication actually increases the incidence of mental illness and disability and leads to a WORSE prognosis than doing nothing.

Joseph Burgo PhD
http://www.afterpsychotherapy.com

[onwisconsin]

07:57 PM on 03/12/2011

I'll put my PhD next to yours any day. And I have ADHD.

[himaui]

01:35 AM on 03/13/2011

Amen!

[Toonguy]

03:32 PM on 03/13/2011

I could do with far less of these people with their so-called cures that seem to creep into every thread on the HP health forums.

[CynthiaBerben]

09:40 PM on 03/30/2011

Have to disagree. This is as much whooie as the idea that all can be treated with a pill. All or nothing really doesn't adequately address problems. Is the brain not a body organ? Should the heart all be whooie with it's diseases? Why should the brain be different? Is this confusing mind and brain here? Just asking . . .

[Joseph Burgo PhD]

06:03 AM on 03/31/2011

I'm unclear why so many people are getting agitated. I'm not expressing an opinion, to begin with; I'm referring to a book which, in a very scientific and scholarly manner, examines all the evidence and comes up with verifiable conclusions that speak for themselves. I'm suggesting it might be worthwhile for people to read this book. I'm certainly not suggesting ADHD doesn't exist, only that there is no evidence it is a chemical disorder. It might, in fact, turn out to be a chemical disorder but so far, there is no evidence to prove that it is.

My view is that all mental events are chemical in some fashion, but highly complex ones. To believe you can "fix" something as magnificent and intricate as the brain with a drug is wishful thinking. The scientific evidence of the long-term damage done by these medications is there for anyone who wishes to inform him- or herself on the subject.

BTW, I'm a psychotherapist in private practice who no longer accepts new patients. I don't do Internet or phone therapy. I sell nothing on my own site, nor do I accept advertising. If you're interested, I recently completed a three-part discussion of the major findings in Whitaker's book.

http;//www.afterpsychotherapy.com/like-insulin-for-diabetes

[DaphnesDad]

09:10 AM on 03/12/2011

These "10 things" list is pretty useless, generic advice that wouldn't really help anyone who suffers from ADD...Also, Dr. Hallowell, despite him being the preminent expert on ADD in the country, doesn't really offer any solid solutions for anyone suffering from ADD...just more bland, generic advice...

[Travis Jonquil]

11:34 PM on 03/11/2011

STAY AWAY FROM MEDS! Meditate people, its really simple. You can choose to slow down and get your life back. Meditate, meditate, meditate. Do it seriously and consistently, and don't make excuses that you don't have time. That's the whole point. By making time for meditation, you will find that you have plenty of time and attention. I promise. Have I said meditate enough times? One more... MEDITATE!

[saskatoonie]

02:17 AM on 03/12/2011

You do not understand ADHD, it's not about slowing down it's about speeding up a part of the brain that governs executive function. Please do some reading before you post useless things!

[Toonguy]

08:56 AM on 03/12/2011

You might as well teach a frog to fly.