A possible non-stimulant therapy for ADD

[citruscommando]

Topic: Science
From the Attention department:

I originally summed this up in some comments to mokey4, who's worried that she might have ADD. I've compiled a considerable body of knowledge on the subject, being afflicted with ADD myself. After I made the comments, I thought the system was worthy of its own post.

For many people who suffer from ADD, the best remedy is prescribed stimulants. But, about 20% of people aren't helped by them, and a lot of people are uneasy about the idea of getting psych pills to fix their problem. So, I put together these tips I've accumulated for a non-stimulant treatment. Note that it takes a few weeks of disciplined adherence to see any effects. It's also not as potent as prescription stimulants, so the benefit may be limited for severe cases. And, of course, disciplined adherence isn't exactly our strong suit - hence the problem. But, this is do-able.

Disclaimer: I don't currently follow most of these things. Changing habits for me is always a real challenge. But, I may pick this system up again in the near future.

1. SLEEP. Get more sleep, and more consistent sleep. This is the hardest part. The rest of this course doesn't do anything if you're short on sleep, or sleeping irregularly. You should get at least 7 hours of sleep daily, 8 if you can manage it. Don't oversleep, and try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. For some people, their lifestyle may not make it possible. Try your best, though. And, don't try to make up lost sleep by extra sleep the next day. Just try to stick to schedule as much as you can.
2. Diet. Overall, try to eat meals that are higher in protein, and lower in carbs. The energy from carbs just runs out faster, and that can affect brain efficiency. This applies to everyone, but the effect is magnified for people with ADD. In particular, breakfast should be mostly high-protein foods. A good choice is smoked or preserved fish. Eggs and bacon are also good, if you don't mind the fat and calorie content. Also, try to get more fish into your diet, to boost your Omega-3 to Omega-5 ratio.
3. Beverages. Use some caffeine, but not to excess. Drink 1-2 cups of coffee in the morning, then switch to water. Also, try not to drink too many sugary soft drinks. If you load up on sugar, you will crash. Again, something that affects people with ADD with more amplitude than it does for others.
4. Supplements. The following regimen is, in my experience, both safe and helpful. That said, it can't hurt to run it by your doctor first. The Vitamin Shoppe and GNC should carry most of these products.
   • An "ordinary" multi-vitamin. One-A-Day, Centrum, or something similar. Once per day, before bed.
   • An antioxidant pill that includes extracts of grape seed and pine bark. Like Antioxidant Cocktail II. Twice per day, one pill in the morning, one before bed. (The bottle instructions for A.C. II call for both pills at once. Splitting them up promotes better absorption.)
   • Omega-3 lipid pills. Try to get 300+mg EPA and 200+mg DHA per pill. Usually this comes from (and, is thus marked as) Fish Oil, Cod Liver Oil, or Salmon Oil. Twice per day, once in the morning, once before bed. Be careful not to get pills that have a large amount of Vitamin E added. You can hurt yourself if you take too much Vitamin E, and you'll be getting that from your regular multi-vitamin.
   • L-Tyrosine and L-Glutamine amino acid pills, each 500mg. Once each in the morning.
   Note that a popular "brain pill" of late has been Gingko Biloba, something I used to take myself. However, recent studies have called into question its effectiveness, and there has been some talk about it possibly making some circulatory/pulmonary problems worse. I'd steer clear of the stuff.

Of course, anything like this that you do should have a sign-off from your doctor before you give it a try. After all, you might be allergic to pine bark or something. I hope that this helps a few people.