Living simply, with ADHD.

[u/Impermanentlyhere]

How does one shift towards a more simple life with dopamine seeking behaviours/habits caused by ADHD? Can anyone relate? I hyperfixate on the next expensive skin product or gym class or influencer or kitchen appliance that I think will make my life better and it all adds up to mental and physical clutter. I have too many possessions and it never feels like enough- I really want to minimise but then I’ll go through a low season and impulse buy more. My brain feels like it wasn’t built in way that’s conducive to a slow, grateful life. It’s always, “what’s next” can anyone relate?

[u/charumbem]

Vyvanse + Ozempic

[u/UntossableSaladTV → u/charumbem]

Ozempic for adhd?

[u/charumbem → u/UntossableSaladTV]

Well, more so for craving in general. It has been linked to reduced craving in opioid addicts for instance.

"Among 20 patients for opioid use disorder, those on liraglutide experienced a 40% reduction in opioid cravings over the three-week study, with this effect evident at even the lowest liraglutide dose, according to data presented here at the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference.

Among patients already on buprenorphine, a medication approved by the FDA to treat opioid use disorder, those also on liraglutide were more likely to report zero cravings than the placebo group. This effect became statistically significant from the tenth day of the study onward, as patients were titrated to increasingly higher doses of liraglutide. “It suggests there’s an additive effect of these two medications,” said Andrew Saxon, an addiction psychiatrist at the University of Washington who was not involved with this study, potentially because liraglutide and buprenorphine target different mechanisms." (Simar Bajaj, Feb. 17, 2024 writing in STAT)

Liraglutide is a very similar drug to semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic) which works the same way. A follow-up study is due soon, which would use semaglutide instead of liraglutide:

"Grigson and Bunce similarly emphasize the preliminary nature of their findings and the need for follow-up studies. They are planning a randomized controlled trial in 200 people on methadone or buprenorphine, half receiving semaglutide and half receiving placebo — across three outpatient sites in Pennsylvania, New York, and Maryland." (Simar Bajaj, 2/17/24, STAT)

As a personal anecdote, I am on both drugs and have found all of my cravings across a wide spectrum of detrimental behaviors significantly reduced (over eating, porn, overspending caused by wanting new video games and other junk all the time, etc.).

Vyvanse has helped my ability to focus -- provided that I still apply appropriate skills in an intentional way (made much easier by the drug of course). I believe the combination helps me sort of just avoid that kind of craving driven behavior all together since I am too busy enjoying doing what I actually want to do instead of looking for the "next thing" to give me a tiny dopamine hit.

[ Of course, everyone is different, and this isn't medical advice. Talk to your doctor or psychiatrist before starting or stopping any medication or other treatment. ]

[u/UntossableSaladTV → u/charumbem]

Very interesting! Didn’t know about that, appreciate all the info!

When you mentioned the Vyvanse works, as long as you apply certain skills in a certain way, what were you referring to? I took medication for a while but had to stop due to side effects, losing the focus kind of sucks

[u/charumbem → u/UntossableSaladTV]

So, the way that I understand it from my providers is that ADHD drugs essentially help you restore a capacity to focus but don't help you decide what to focus on, if that makes sense.

This is basically where ADHD coaching, full therapy, and general organizational tools come into play. One thing I learned in ADHD coaching was that if an organizational system isn't working anymore, it's okay and normal to need to change to a new system. The novelty really does help with focus for people with ADHD, so I had to learn to not feel bad about abandoning a system that had worked for a long time if it stopped working. That said, finding new systems can itself become a bit of an obsession -- so there's a balance to be struck there.

Right now, I am using a pretty simple system that consists of two main things:

1. A pomedoro-based technique:

a. Post-it notes (in a few different random colors) that I write in permanent marker (also different colors) where I write down what I want to focus on for the next 25-50 minutes. I keep the backlog of what I need to do organized into a Trello board with columns for Backlog, Next, Doing, Done.

b. Set a physical kitchen timer set (this varies depending on various factors such as how excited I already am amount the project -- if higher then I set a longer timer). My wife got me a "TIME TIMER" which I really like.

c. Take a 5 minute walk around the house/office after each work period ends.

d. Repeat for at least 4 hours a day to ensure I am productive with whatever I've decided to do.

1. A simple notebook (I like the Mead Five Star ones with poly overs and sheet pockets on the inside for keeping random papers and mail). I write in this essentially following bullet / dot journaling, sort of. Basically I just write in it all the time, so that I can externalize my thoughts and so that I have things to talk about during therapy sessions. This is also where I write out software and game design ideas and drawings.

I also have a largish paper-binder clip that I use to clip things to this notebook and to clip it folded open onto a particular page for the day so that it's easier to move it around without getting frustrated, and so that I can still see the papers I have clipped to it (such as DBT homework).

This really is just an example; it won't work for everyone.

But the point is that, without something like this, Vyvanse wouldn't do much more than just make me feel good about whatever I landed on to waste time with. It makes whatever you're doing at the moment feel pretty good, essentially, so that it is easier to stay focused and keep doing it.

You just have to make sure you know what to do, using some sort of organizational method.

As far as side effects go, the medication really matters, and is different for each person for sure.

For instance, I did okay on a lower dose of Concerta but then at a higher dose my doctor prescribed to me, due to waning effects over time, I had a pretty bad reaction with paranoid elements. No fun!

Vyvanse is, according to my psychiatrist, gentler on many people than Concerta. So, if you haven't done well on other medications, it might be a good option. You do have to be careful what you take it with because of serotonin syndrome -- and I'm sure there are tons of other interactions, so only a doctor / psychiatrist can really tell you if it would be safe.

[u/UntossableSaladTV → u/charumbem]

Ahh, the bit you mentioned about novelty in systems makes a lot of sense. I tend to beat myself up when I start slipping up in my habits. I’ve accepted that my interests are cyclical; not sure why I hadn’t considered the techniques I use for focus could be the same 🤔

Thanks again for the info! You seem very on top of things haha

Game development is one of the hobbies I seem to return to yearly, I hope yours is going well :)