1. Get medicated

Stimulants are usually the first-line option in the guidelines of most countries, do not give up if a med doesn't work for you, coordinate with your prescriber and ask about the viability of other meds for your specific case, I only gave up on ADHD meds after trying 24 of them, both for ADHD and off-label meds (not kidding)

2. Correcting deficiencies

life changing, get a blood test, test for Vitamin D, B12, Serum Folate (B9), RBC Magnesium,Serum Zinc, and Ferritin especially.

optimal B12 range: 500-800 pg/ml in blood.

ideal ferritin range: 70-100 ng/ml in blood.

Ideal vitamin D range: 40-60 ng/ml

optimal magnesium range: 5.5–6.5 mg/dL

optimal zinc range: 80–120 mcg/dL.

optimal folate range: 13–15 ng/mL

The normal range in lab tests miss sub-clinical deficiency, you can be feeling shit yet technically not be deficient, most women especially are low in iron in my country.

3. Light therapy

morning, after waking up, look at the blue sky for 10-15 mins, basically 10k lux+ light, fo not look at the sun PLEASE IT'S DANGEROUS!

4. CBT (skills-based ADHD management)

Basically get an ADHD-aware therapist, or better, get an ADHD coach, they are usually cheaper and a more practical solution.

5. Wake up and sleep at the same time every day

wake and sleep time within 1-hour variation daily, check out my post on sleep for how to fix your sleep

6. Exercise

even 5 mins a day is enough! I started with 5 minutes a day, now I am at 30 minutes a day.

7. Meditation

mindfulness, basically close your eyes, sit still, and count your thoughts, each count of thought is one mental push-up rep, do it for 5 minutes a day, add 2-3 minutes every week.

8. Use Serial Diverse Imagining to sleep (SDI)

basically imagine random objects like dog, cat, pencil, ball, objects that aren't emotionally charged, only imagine one object for 1-3 seconds, the goal is to think about random objects while lying down on the bed so your brain cannot get the fuel it needs to overthink and keep you awake for hours. Do this 20-30 minutes before designated sleep time.

9. Join a library or go to a café to work and study

when you see other people being quiet and hustling, you feel bad for being the one scrolling and you start working/studying, also others can see the stuff you are watching...

10. use an app to lock your entire phone AUTOMATICALLY

for 1 hour after you wake up, apps like StayFocused, Keep Me Out, and Lock My Phone (Zen Mode) have this feature

11. Remove distractions

uninstsall youtube, use youtube revanced, you can disable reels and recommendations and ads and whatever you want.

Use distraction-free instagram, you can remove reels and posts unless you click on a link your friend sent to you.

Disable all ads and recommendations and notifications on reddit, go to settings, then account settings, and scroll down and disable everything related to 'alllow ads' 'personalise ads' and ' show recommendations', if you are still seeing subreddits, go and mute 3-4 of those subreddits, reddit will never show you any recommendations ever again.

disable Google News, it is garbage meant to make you angry and make your ADHD worse. Best advice: do not read news at all, become apolitical and believe only in ADHD-improvement

12. Blue Light Filter Automated

Use a blue light filter and set a schedule like it starts automatically at 6PM at 50% and becomes more red like 70% at 9PM, use the colour 'red' for the best effect! most blue light filter apps allow scheduling daily like this, don't do it manually because you will forget after one day and using a blue-light filter all day is counter-productive.

13. make cooking simpler!

cook for the entire week in batches on the weekends, cooking daily is very hard for ADHD people, just cook once on the weekends and eat all week, and cook a lot of quantity, keep only like 3-4 dishes for the entire week! and make dishes in which you don't have to cut tomatoes/onions, just pureé them, it's easier, if possible, get a crock-pot, it helps a lot.

14. Supplements for ADHD

best supplements with strong evidence: 1-2g EPA per day, caffeine + l-theanine pills. I use these two personally and EPA is actually my only real ADHD 'med' because it works amazingly for me!

best brands: Naturaltein, MyProtein, Sun Pharma, NowFoods, Nutricost, Nordic Naturals

Weak evidence but may be useful: Saffron extract, Panax Ginseng, Bacopa Monnieri, Panax Ginseng, L-tyrosine. no idea about these, only friends have tried these, some got benefit, some didn't

15. JUST STAND

literally, that's the entire tip, just stand, sit down = ADHD, task paralysis, executive dysfunction, All I do is, i tell myself to stand up, I stand up and walk around = in 30 seconds I am automatically doing the task I had been dreading for 5 hours

16. break everything down into small chunks

don't make a goal like 'bath', make a goal like 'remove clothes'

do not make a goal like 'brush', make a goal like, 'touch the brush'

every goal must be as small and simple as possible, you will end up doing more than the simple task you planned most of the time, and it is better than nothing

17. Five-Second Rule

Spot the moment you have an impulse to act on a goal or task before your brain starts making excuses.

Count backward specifically from 5-4-3-2-1 to interrupt your habit of overthinking and focus your mind.

Physically move the second you reach "1" to kickstart your momentum and break through task paralysis.

>HOW TO IMPLEMENT THESE TIPS:

> only add 1 tip from this list to your life in 2 WEEKS, if it is not automatic in 2 weeks, give it 1 month.

>only after the implementation of 1 tip feels easy, implement another tip.

>if you are wondering what tip helped me the most, it is 'same wake up time and light therapy for 10-15 minutes immediately after waking up', nothing comes close for me

# United States (🇺🇸)

# How to Get ADHD Mailed:

1. CVS Caremark Mail Order Pharmacy

CVS Caremark offers nationwide mail delivery of ADHD meds, including vyvanse, ritalin, and adderall. Patients can enroll through their service portal.

2. Express Scripts

Express Scripts also provides home delivery services of ADHD stimulants. However, users have reported issues with automatic refills and billing if payment information is stored.

How to Obtain ADHD meds at the Lowest Cost:

1. GoodRx

GoodRx compares prices across pharmacies and provides discount coupons that may reduce costs by 70–80%. It cannot be combined with Medicare Part D for the same prescription.

2. NeedyMeds

Provides access to patient assistance programs (PAPs), Copay Cards, manufacturer coupon codes, manufacturer discounts, and financial aid resources. Using this, you can get a month of vyvanse for as little as 10 bucks

3. Manufacturer Assistance

Patients may email pharmaceutical companies directly and state financial hardship to access additional discounts. This actually works in the US, just try it, not all manufacturer discounts are made public, you have to approach the manufacturer directly

4. Manufacturer Websites

Many manufacturers provide online forms for affordability-based discounts on their website, check them.

5. Costco Pharmacy

Often offers lower prices than other pharmacies. Membership is not required to use pharmacy services.

6. Amazon RxPass (requires Amazon Prime)

Subscription service ($5/month) covering select generic medications, including:

Sertraline, Escitalopram, Bupropion, Venlafaxine

7. Canadian Pharmacies

Some patients in the US obtain medications at lower prices through licensed Canadian pharmacies.

8. Walmart Prescription Program

Offers medications for $4–$15 per month. Some Covered drugs:

Buspirone, Fluoxetine, Paroxetine, Duloxetine, Mirtazapine, Trazodone, Risperidone, Lithium carbonate

How to Locate ADHD meds During Shortages:

1. FindURMeds ($30 fee; refund policy unclear)

2. MedFinder ($50 fee; refund if not found within 72 hours)

3.USMedicineFinder ($30 fee; no refunds)

4. FindNeedle

Pay-as-you-go: $1 per pharmacy call; first three calls free

Concierge plan: $59; 14-day refund window

5. Local Pharmacy Inquiry

ask your pharmacist at CVS, Walgreens, or any other big chain retailer to check inventory across nearby branches, employees can do this, they have access to live-databases that you don't.

6. Distributor Checks

Ask your pharmacist to query wholesalers such as McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen. The wholesalers can tell you to whom they ship their stimulants.

7. Hospital Pharmacies

Large hospital chains may have better stock availability (anecdotal), this is usually true for other countries too.

8. Alternative Formulations

Extended-release (XR): higher shortage rates

Immediate-release (IR): more available

Availability trends:

High shortage: Adderall XR, Adderall IR, Vyvanse, Concerta

Moderate shortage: Ritalin, Zenzedi, Dexedrine

Readily available: Atomoxetine, Bupropion, Guanfacine, Clonidine

─────────────────────

Pakistan (🇵🇰)

Methylphenidate, Vyvanse, atomoxetine, and bupropion are available but often expensive and difficult to obtain locally.

Online sources:

medspot

Pink Pakistan (CW: this is a sex toy site that apparently also sells Ritalin and Vyvanse)

These platforms provide home delivery.

─────────────────────

India (🇮🇳)

Common Medications:

Methylphenidate

Brand: Inspiral (₹200–₹400 per strip of 10 tablets)

Alternatives: Concerta (expensive), Addwize OD (high quality but less available)

Atomoxetine

Recommended brand: Attentrol (Sun Pharma)

Available online (e.g., MedPlusMart)

Bupropion

Available at low cost via Zeelab Pharmacy or Jan Aushadhi Kendras

Availability can be checked via the Jan Aushadhi mobile application

Note: Purchasing certain medications offline may involve stigma or additional scrutiny.

─────────────────────

Bangladesh (🇧🇩)

Stimulant medications are not available domestically.

Recommended approach:

Consult an Indian psychiatrist

Obtain a long-duration prescription (4–6 months)

Import medications from India

Estimated import cost: approximately 2,000 BDT + cost of meds + cost of prescription from an INDIAN DOCTOR

─────────────────────

Sri Lanka (🇱🇰)

Atomoxetine and bupropion are widely available.

Methylphenidate availability is limited to:

Kandy Pharmacy (Colombo)

Baurs Pharmacy (Colombo)

─────────────────────

Nepal (🇳🇵)

Atomoxeine and Bupropion are widely available locally, online or offline.

for methylphenidate, you have to import from India

estimated import cost: 1000 Nepalese Rupees + meds cost + prescription from INDIAN doctor

─────────────────────

South Asia Common Resources (🇮🇳🇵🇰🇱🇰🇧🇩🇳🇵)

General Directory of Pharmacies in South Asia

Directory of ADHD-aware doctors in South Asia

─────────────────────

Closing Note:

>Availability, pricing, and legal frameworks for ADHD medications vary significantly by country. Patients should always verify local regulations and consult licensed medical professionals before obtaining prescriptions

​

Saffron Extract seems like it would be super super expensive but actually...saffron extract is not that expensive? on Amazon and other online retailers, you can get 1 month's supply for 10-20 dollars. most studies use about 20-30 mg saffron extract per day, saw a post about this in great detail on r/ADHDerTips, posting a short summary here

over the past few years, it has been studied for ADHD with surprisingly decent results, however, these studies have been pretty small

What’s the logic behind saffron for ADHD?

Saffron contains active compounds that influence dopamine and serotonin.

Some trials show saffron performing comparable to Ritalin for ADHD with Improvements seen in attention, impulsivity, and even better sleep in some users.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This isn't a replacement for ADHD meds, it's an adjunct, and there's no guarantee it will actually work for you.