I’m so tired the caffeine no longer effects me. My ADHD issues are worse. It’s effecting work. I’m getting to work waiting to clock in and sleeping in the parking lot.
I get home and will be tired but by the time I get myself fed and everything cleaned up and the dog and cat cared for and in bed (skipping showers or washing my teeth or brushing my hair most nights) I can’t seem to fall asleep regardless of the exhaustion.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel but it’s two weeks away. And I used to work harder and longer hours. I worked in theatre and events and tech was some of the longest days for a week or two straight so I feel like I should be prepared for this. But apparently I’m out of practice or I’m no longer able to cope like I used to.
At this point whether it’s the ADHD or age making it harder no longer matters I just need tips for surviving until life lets up.
Get your thyroid checked if you can, and rule out anemia too. Might also be a good idea to check for low vitamin D levels, that can also cause pain, fatigue, burnout, brain fog.
It may be depression with ADHD, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome but get your thyroid checked and other things.
I just had full blood work done in August when the fatigue was starting to get very noticable. all levels considered normal.
Did they check ferritin or just how much iron is in your blood?
When I was iron deficient from a medical issue, the initial blood tests showed “normal” iron levels. I had to advocate hard to get a ferritin test, because they weren’t convinced that I “needed” it. But lo and behold, the results came back as being incredibly low. Supplementing made me feel much better almost immediately.
I had similar issues, the also initially thought it was thyroid issues.
Do you have allergies? Take allergy meds if you’ve noticed issues. Wash your sheets if it’s been awhile, that can make your allergies way worse than you realize. If you snore because of allergies or other reasons and don’t know it it can really fatigue you during the day, speaking from experience. When I started taking a vested interest in dealing with my allergies my energy was better.
Caffeine never really worked for me, vitamin b drops in a flavored water worked decently, and energy drinks work well. Bang works pretty good but fucks up my stomach. Monster works ok and fucks up my stomach a little less, and Ghost is my go to these days if I need one. It’s like the taurine and vitamin b in them helps more than caffeine for some reason.
Additionally, I know it’s hard, but try to make goals for yourself, essentially a “why do I want to do this, what am I working towards?” If you have an answer to that, it’s a lot easier to get motivated
Have you seen a psychiatrist and are you taking any medication?
Chronic insomnia is a common symptom of ADHD. Your body doesn’t produce melatonin as quickly as it should. Another common problem is because we can’t sleep, we sit around doing things that make it even more difficult to fall asleep like staring at a screen. My nightly regemin is to to take 5 mg of Melatonin and put on blue light filter glasses (the ones that have an orange hue) 2 hours before bed time. Then I take diphenhydramine (aka Benadryl) at bed time. I also sleep with a weighted blanket which helps me stay asleep.
It’s not perfect but I sleep much better than I used to.
That’s a really high dose of melatonin. If you take that much, your body depends on it and stops producing it naturally. Most people only need about .25 mg.
This is a lot of good advice, and if it doesn’t make a difference it’s definitely time to either see the doctor or the psych.
If 5 mg melatonin works for you then you should keep taking it, but for anyone else considering taking melatonin be aware that it’s a weird ass drug (technically a hormone) that typically works better on lower doses. They make it up to 10 or 15 mg and that’s excessive, 1-3 mg is good for most people. I take 2.5 mg and it works well.
Do you sleep soundly? Do you snore? I was borderline narcoleptic because of the methylphenidate before I was successfully diagnosed with sleep apnea. We ADHDers tend to be running with such high levels of stimulants (whether prescription, chugging coffee or just techno) that it can mask sleep disorders, thyroid issues, low iron anemia, or other fatigue issues. This can come on gradually so don’t be too quick to dismiss it as age alone.
I know this sounds bonkers, but Lion’s Mane mushroom extract. I tried it after I was unable to get my Vyvanse for a few days, and it’s a very clean awake feeling, no jitters. I use it on the weekends so I can save Vyvanse for work days now that the supply is iffy.
I need to get more. It is legit. I don’t know how the quality of the supermarket stuff but I had some from a local farmers market and it was awesome. The guy grows all the mushrooms himself and sells them fresh and dried and the extracts. He also sells the stuff to grow your own. But the fresh stuff he had was really helpful to me before I knew I had ADHD. I just thought I had brainfog but that stuff really helped with focus for me.
I’m on meds now that help too but I’d like to get some more lions main as well
