ADHD diagnosed here as well. I basically have to put myself in utter ruthless levels of social isolation in order to get any work done.

Which medication are you taking? The VA prescribes me 10mg Adderall, but I hate the side-effects (vasoconstriction etc). Changing up my diet a lot helped, mainly consuming tons of probiotics.

Yeah, same, adderall, regular sleeping pills and a bunch of vitamins. I can't tell if medication has any affect so far tho. Like, I definitely can tell when add kicks in, but a couple of days ago I had unproductive days, low mood and so on. And, I felt very frustrated that I don't **want to** to do anything. Which is unusual. Normaly, the day'll go along I'll suck it up and move on. Like rn I have a butt ton of productivity and actually decent mood. For the sides, I dunno if I felt any or if I could discretize them at all

Feels like not a thing is changing tbh
If I wanna work on something, I won't sleep even with pills. I'll just think about it as usual
Same if I do or do not want to work on something specific I still won't be able to change my mind, no way

In a few days I'm going to visit my doc for further instructions and what not

But I won't deny I look with ease just 'cuz family tension got a bit looser I'll take that any time

Also, holly cow I love your art man!

hey thank you!! Was enjoying your stuff too, really excellent work you've got. I just happened upon the journal entry and thought if I encountered some similar problems, perhaps I could be of some help.

Do you take your vitamins when taking Adderall? Reason I ask is cuz certain acids (orange juice, citrus, tomatoes, acidic fruit etc) and vitamin C can neutralize absorption of the drug for some people and diminish the effects, or cause a weird premature 'head crash' feeling. I definitely notice if I take my daily multivitamin I come out of the adderall 'zone' within an hour or 2. I usually try to save it for the evening.

Dunno what your routine is like, but I also exercise heavily (weightlifting mon/thurs, swimming tues/fri) which is pretty essential for being able to fall asleep. If I go a week without working out I start getting that same problem you described, where no matter how tired I am my mind just runs amok with ideas at bedtime. Even just a 3 times a week heavy workout makes a huge difference for me.

Interference is something I haven't thought of, thanks, taking notes live

I was working out and biking a ton a few years ago and I remember how tired I physically was yet I have had no sleep. I'm definitely buying a bike to move more, but what helps me to get any sleep at all is to make things done. Like making to-do list where I can check off something if I work tiny bit more instead of completing whole thing night through. Not a hundred percent reliable though

But yeah, thanks again

I used to do a lot of commute cycling too. It definitely got me in shape, but I noticed I needed to do strength-building workouts (weights, uphill sprinting, calisthenics, or swimming) to really get the mental benefits and deep sleep as well. On top of just generally eating higher amounts of animal protein and creatine, and taking a few other key supplements to where I can go most days without Adderall or just take a lower dose if I do need it. Creatine has a lot of cognitive benefits on top of the muscle-building ones.

I'm big on to-do lists as well. Used to never do them, now I make it a daily thing. Journaling at the end of the day helped me a lot too, just generally stepping outside of my head and analyzing everything that went on that day, what I'm feeling, is what I'm feeling rational or beneficial, etc.

I found that buying a nice quality little 'Oasis notebook' (nice Japanese paper brand) that I really like, and a pen or pencil that's pleasing to write with, makes a big difference for getting me incentivized to actually use them.

Yeah it's a few more dollars up front, but if it's stationery that feels nice in my hands and aesthetically pleasing to have around it's harder for me to forget to use it.

Also... Nicotine has helped me a lot buuuut I would advise caution there for obvious reasons. I use 3mg Zyn pouches if I need that hour or 2 of deep productivity but don't wanna get wired up all night. It's a low enough dose that I never have cravings on my off days and haven't developed a dependency, but some people with more chem-addictive tendencies (we all have em in some form) may wanna be careful.