r/irlADHD

I take Vyvanse, and it definitely helps, but I’m interested in hearing from other people with ADHD about what else has made a noticeable difference for them.

I’m especially interested in things that help with focus, energy, not feeling constantly tired, better sleep, motivation, procrastination, executive dysfunction, staying organized, and avoiding distractions. (THE CLASSICS 😂)

I’d like to hear about supplements, vitamins, exercise, diet, sleep routines, productivity systems, apps, habits, or anything else that has helped you.

I’m not looking to replace medication. I’m interested in things that can work alongside Vyvanse and help me function better overall.

For supplements, I’d especially like to know what you take, what you feel it helps with, and whether you actually noticed a difference.

I know everyone is different, so I’m mainly interested in your personal experiences.

What has been your biggest non-medication ADHD game changer?

About 8 months ago, I met this guy online. He was cute, funny, and we really clicked. At some point he told me he had ADHD. Honestly, I didn’t know much about ADHD at the time.
A few months after we started talking, we made things official. A few months after that, he moved in with me. He had some things going on at home, and since he was my boyfriend, I felt like offering him a place to stay was the right thing to do.
The thing is, he moved over 14 hours away from home to be with me.
When we were long-distance, things were manageable. But now that we live together, his ADHD seems to be affecting our relationship a lot more. It feels like the smallest things can turn into arguments. I’m also someone who doesn’t like backing down when I genuinely believe I’m right, so that obviously makes things worse.
I’m not trying to insult my partner, but sometimes I feel like we just process things very differently. I’m 25 and he’s 24, and he is medicated for his ADHD. There are things he does that he attributes to ADHD, and sometimes I genuinely don’t understand how ADHD explains certain behaviors. I find myself wondering, “Is this actually ADHD, or is this just him?”
And that’s where I’m struggling.
Sometimes he’ll do something hurtful, frustrating, or irresponsible and blame it on his ADHD. I understand that ADHD can affect things like impulsivity, emotional regulation, forgetfulness, communication, etc., but at what point does an explanation become an excuse?
There are also moments where I genuinely wonder if some of his behavior is narcissistic or manipulative, and then I question myself because I don’t know enough about ADHD to know where the line is.
I love him. He’s genuinely a great person in many ways, and I don’t want to reduce him to his ADHD. But I’m extremely stressed in this relationship right now, and I can feel myself starting to lose who I am.
So I guess my question is for people who have ADHD themselves or have been in long-term relationships with someone who has ADHD:
What is it actually like? Can a healthy relationship work when one person has ADHD? How do you distinguish between ADHD-related behavior and someone simply refusing to take responsibility for their actions?
I’m not necessarily looking for people to tell me “leave him” or “stay with him.” I’d really like to hear from people who have actually lived this and can give me some perspective, because right now I’m genuinely struggling.

I’m currently not officially diagnosed or medicated yet, but I strongly identify with the predominantly inattentive ADHD pattern.
My main issues include:

- difficulty sustaining attention on boring or longer tasks

- frequently zoning out or drifting off mentally

- starting new tasks very quickly but struggling to actually finish them

- Constantly switching between different tasks
problems with organization, prioritization, and time management

- procrastinating on tasks that require sustained mental effort

- being very easily distracted

-forgetting tasks, obligations, or details
making careless mistakes

Despite this, I still function relatively well from the outside. I would describe myself as functionally compensated: I usually manage to get important things done somehow, but it requires a disproportionate amount of mental effort, pressure, and constant self-regulation.
The problem is not that I am completely unable to function. It feels more like my executive functions are constantly working against me, and I have developed ways to compensate for that.
Unfortunately, it may still take quite a while until I can get properly assessed and, if appropriate, receive medication.

So my question for people who have been in a similar situation is:

What actually helped you compensate for these problems while waiting for proper diagnosis and treatment?

I’m especially interested in strategies or non-prescription approaches that had a noticeable effect on task initiation, focus, prioritization, task switching, and actually finishing things.
I’m not looking for ways to obtain prescription medication without a diagnosis or for instructions on self-medicating. I’m mainly looking for a practical temporary solution that can help me function better until I can access proper treatment.

I (F27) just got diagnosed with ADHD and in the report from the psychologists I’m at the 99th percentile for sorting puzzles in my age group, don’t know what good that is to me considering my working memory and everything else is pretty crap, is there such a thing as a puzzle tester? Trying to find a job id be good at and this new info has only made me realize I’m going to die working jobs I hate and my (in)abilities are just getting me by.

I don’t have the report yet so I don’t remember the actual name of the category I tested really well in but when we went through it they said they’d never seen anyone get that far in those areas as I did… so yay I guess?

TIA

TLDR fellow adhder from the Philippines with severe depression decides to stop adhd and depression meds due to rising costs of living and erratic supply in the country

Hi! ADHD medically diagnosed here. I have not been taking any stimulants for months already. Gave up this maintenance because its too expensive for me. I found natural ways for me to manage my adhd which i want to share. Workout, walking and HOT SAUNA, are ways which really helped me with overstimulation, burnout and unproductivity. The dopamine i get naturally from those activities does wonders. Especially after a hot sauna, my body and mind are so relaxed, it’s a good jumpstart before an actual work to be done. If theres no sauna available, you can boil water from a pot and cover yourself with a blanket. Also, OMEGA 3 Vitamins I take 2 after breakfast. Hydration also is key. Lastly, which is very important for me is MEDITATION. The act of sitting and letting my mind be focused on one singular thing (my breath), instead of letting my mind wander into a million direction which leads to overstimulation. Meditation is an exercise of control and authority to the monkey mind which likes to overthink different scenarios and overfeel all kinds of emotions. Mediation taught me how and when to turn off my brain so it doesnt get burnt out and when to turn it on only on actual work time. Stay away from doomscrolling which is a challenge everyday. Doomscrolling is like a DRUG. the cheap dopamine we get from screens are not worth it. Im OFF ritalin and antidepressants for 4 months now. The beginning was definitely a NIGHTMARE but with practice and dedication, it got easier. Ask me anything if you have any questions!

So I'm AuDHD (diagnosed adhd, undiagnosed but almost certain autism (my therapist and psych have both said that they're almost certain)) and my stims are absolutely awful. Picking scabs, scratching myself, but the worst of all (which is NOT helped by my intrusive thought) is biting my nails. Not only is the biting nails thing bad in general, but i want to bite EVERYTHING. sometimes i genuinely forget i have my jaw clenched because i want to bite so bad. I'm like 90% sure that i also have pica which certainly does not help things either.

An ex friend once reccomended me some chewlery but not only did we have a MASSIVE falling out (stress makes me want to bite things harder) but i cant remember for the life of me any of the things we talked about when it came to that. I REALLY need suggestions because i have been going through one of the most stressful periods of my life and i have NO CLUE WHAT THE HELL TO DO.

I suspect i might have either ADHD or AuDHD, haven't tried testing as of now due to many reasons (mainly due to moving out and bureaucracy being a pain in the ass where i live).

I am a 19yo guy and i have failed my driver's licence theory test five times.

the first time i just procrastinated until it was too late, then the second through fourth time i tried my best studying a subject i despise and barely didn't pass.

and then last time i didn't even bother and almost passed.

I don't care about cars, on the contrary, i find them boring and the people who love them to be annoying, but unfortunately they are vital to someone's autonomy and now that i live far away from anything i really would like that autonomy.

My main problems are 2:

1. The test itself is bullshit, idk about other countries, but here in Italy the test is made in such a way that it's trying to make you fail, in short words, it doesn't test your knowledge, it throws at you convoluted and trick questions made for the only purpose to make you fail (so that you have to spend money to do another test).

2. I just struggle to study it, at first it was manageable maybe due to the novelty of it, but with time it became just very hard for me, especially since i have been told to do the mock tests over and over and they just turn my brain off every time i try to do them, i get so bored and annoyed everytime, it makes studying 100 times slower.

For a bit i was watching some videos and it helped a little but still not enough to pass it.

I am really worried to be honest, not only do i have the exam in 10 days and i barely studied anything, but i am supposed to go to university this year, and i feel like i am so behind in terms of studying method and even concentration in general that i might as well give up now.

I feel useless already but the way people treat me for failing such a "simple" thing as the driver's licence makes me feel even worse.

I just need tips i guess, sorry for the rant-like text, it's 4am and i should be sleeping.

Hey im 17 and I reckon ive got ADHD and i don't do anything related to school work until the very last minute, it's screwed it before but i can't seem to bring myself up to change , please help.

I’ve never had a strong image of the future. I can barely look into the following week from now. As a teen I struggled with mental health related issues, and at 30 I was diagnosed with ADHD. Still have my ups and downs, but in a much better place 100%.

However, I feel like the lack of future thoughts are not normal? As often people have huge life goals and I’m still content with managing my daily existence haha!

Is this specifically an issue within ADHD and do other people here have similar experiences?

To further elaborate..
I’ve never fully been convinced by the concept of marriage. It sounds like a day that involves a lot of planning, stress.. and huge public appearances. Plus worst of all public speaking.

Having kids is the same thought to a degree as well. Just way too much to think about.

Besides, I literally can’t get my head around the thought process anyway. Even if I wanted to.. I just don’t get it.

It’s difficult to explain unless your processes are similar to my own. Perhaps this is an ADHD thing, but I’d like to know what other people have in regards to this experience.

Let me know! Thanks :)

I’ve been a long time lingerer on this subreddit. Posted a few times, once under a different user. Tried to help some with my thoughts/advice. Never really took anyone else’s because none of what anyone says matters until something matters enough to stop.
Sure, everyone has their own experiences, their own genetics.. so many things factor into what/how you function with drugs in general, let alone THC. I come from a family of addicts on both sides and have seen the struggle to quit - even inside my own house. When my brother failed to quit alcohol multiple times, I remember what made him truly stop was hitting absolute rock bottom.
I believe that to be true for all forms of addiction. Rock bottom can look different for everyone but it is to truly look around and realize that your dependency has stripped away everything you once knew and held close to you.
My first post on here was when I was 28 and I had been struggling for years at that point. I knew what I was doing, the money I was spending, the damage I was doing to my body, was bad. I’ll be 30 this month and I’m just now 30 something days clean.
I can say without a doubt now, that I will never touch it ever again. Which is why I refuse to keep count of days clean at this point.
What was once a haven for me when I lived with my parents, way past my welcome and early COVID, became a literal paranoia hellscape that I couldn’t get out of for years.
There is no moderation. The marijuana our parents grew up with, the marijuana we were buying from our plugs in high school even, is no longer what’s being sold to us.
It is not a safe alternative to drinking especially when you partake weekly, then daily.. More than that, we no longer live in a world where community and recreation pull us back to reality.

Heed the warnings from the people here. It is a drug like any other. You need to treat it as such.
Don’t be like me where it took missing out on what could have truly been, the love of my life, because I was too focused on being high to get through the day.
On the bright side, my 30s will be amazing. I am back on medication to treat my ADHD and I will live each day for the days I’ve lost in my 20s. I know this to be true and I believe in all of you that are hovering here because you too were fooled into believing marijuana was safe.
Much love to all. It’s not easy. Don’t let anyone make you believe this is not something to be taken seriously just because it’s leaf.

🫶🏻

Don't get me wrong, I love that more people (especially women and people of colour are being diagnosed with ADHD, I myself am a South Asian who got diagnosed at 22 in uni.)

But I hate hate HATE how people casually say they have adhd or they have OCD if they like to organize things right or they're 'overstimulated' when they're just slightly overwhelmed.

I hate how much social media deteriorating attention spans have people claim they have ADHD (I literally heard a classmate say 'everyone has ADHD now because of tiktok🙄).

I have this one friend who says he has ADHD. Granted, I'm not a diagnostician and I don't know his life experiences, but a lot of what he calls ADHD just... doesn't seem like ADHD? He's not formally diagnosed (no hate to self-diagnosis), and when he went to get a formal diagnosis, the doctor said his symptoms seemed more like anxiety than ADHD. That struck me as more accurate too, but he keeps casually saying 'haha i'm so adhd' or 'i'm so overstimulated' and I keep thinking how 'overstimulation' for me is something that makes me wanna rip my skin off with my bare hands.

This is one of my best friends who's really close to me, so I don't wanna police his language or make assumptions that I know his mental state better than him.

Any ideas on how to handle/think about this situation?

i’m a very fortunate and privileged teenager who has never been given a reason to make these decisions or go down this path. i have been diagnosed with autism, depression ( chronic), severe panic disorder, ocd, adhd, and dyslexia dysgraphia and dyscalculia. i was prescribed adhd medication May 2025. i was very cautious about it and i grew up being paranoid about becoming a addicted, clearly i had every reason to be! i would only take it for school and i would always take atleast one day off the medication. but slowly i think i became more reliant on it than before, i stopped having days off but still never using above my dose. i was prescribed a higher dosage and i had that much, and very quickly i started having more. it was small at first but it completely derailed my life and mental state. i became very depressed and very ashamed but i also felt i could fix the addiction by taking more. i started getting better grades, losing weight, making more friends, and being more likeable. but i lost my relationship with my mother, and that is what really made it harder. i was disgusted by my actions and the pain i was causing her after all my life she’s been my biggest supporter and my best friend. i was eventually caught. i promised to stop and that i would never do it again, but very quickly i went back to it, i don’t know why but i did. i am so ashamed of myself for it. i was caught again, my mother was distraught and i was too. i went through the whole process of withdrawing and mania and then i got better. it took 4 days the longest days of my life but i did it! i was so proud of myself and i was healing from it and the mistakes i made and also healing my relationships, with my mum and my friends who i pushed away doing it. i am unable to do school without the medication and i was going to be completely uninvolved with the medication, mom would give me one in the morning i would study, and i would get another every 4 hours. my mum made me go to bed at night and she’d lock the door that had the medication. i was getting so good, i went 12 days on my prescribed dose, but it was slowly starting to get higher and higher until it hit my maximum dose. i was able to go 3-7 hours on one pill. now i am not trying to make excuses for my decisions because its always a choice to do it and i always choose to hurt myself and the people who love me, for a reason i am not able to find. i am desperate to do better and to stop relapsing, i can do it i just don’t know how. also my mom wants to trust me so she slowly started letting me have my medicine not all of it but a daily dose, and id take more than half and have nothing else to get through the day so i found the hiding spots that she always used for my christmas present when i was younger. and took more. its not obvious ive been taking it because i was taking a much lower dose for the majority of the time ive had it. i will be happy with any advice or anything i just need to get better

I had a bit of a realisation today about how invisible ADHD can be, because from anyone else's perspective I just went to the chemist and picked up a prescription.

That is absolutely not what happened from my perspective. 

For context, I was having one of my medication break weekends. I sometimes skip my ADHD medication on weekends when I don't have much I need to accomplish. It also means I have some breathing room with refills because I travel to regional areas for work where getting a Schedule 8 prescription filled isn't always easy.

This isn't medication advice and I'm not suggesting anyone else do the same. It's just relevant context because I was unmedicated today.

In fact, this refill was already about a week overdue because I'd stretched my supply by not taking it on days I didn't need it.

Which, in retrospect, may provide some context for everything that follows.

Anyway, I needed to do one thing today:

Go to the chemist and refill my Vyvanse.

That's it.

That was the task.

Except I was sitting in my room knowing I needed to leave and just... wasn't leaving.

I needed to go to the toilet first, but then I thought I should clean some of my room before I left.

I wanted to use these huge rubbish bags I get through work because I can basically fit a whole room worth of shit into one instead of using multiple normal bags.

Couldn't find them.

I looked for them for ages.

Eventually thought fuck it, I'll use normal rubbish bags.

Then I couldn't find my car keys.

Whenever this happens I try to retrace my steps, except that usually results in me standing completely still somewhere trying to reconstruct my own movements.

Eventually I found them.

They were in the fridge.

Again.

Then I realised I wasn't completely sure how much my prescription was going to cost and I only had $29.

So now I was searching my disaster of a room for loose change.

Found about $4.

Counted everything properly.

$32.10.

Great.

Then I remembered I still hadn't gone to the toilet.

Eventually I actually made it into the car.

Then I noticed that a little chip in the windscreen from a few weeks ago had turned into a massive fucking crack.

I'd completely forgotten I was supposed to report the chip until the crack was suddenly just THERE.

My brain immediately wanted to deal with that.

Managed to convince myself that was a problem for later.

Then I started thinking about the prescription price again.

I found an old Chemist Warehouse transaction for $31.99.

Perfect.

Except the date didn't seem to line up with my Vyvanse.

Maybe it was another medication?

Then I realised I might have paid cash for the Vyvanse last time because it was a few days before payday.

Then I found another Chemist Warehouse transaction for $75, but that must have had other stuff bundled into it.

Then I started wondering whether the prescription token I had was my PBS script or my private one.

Could I tell from the token?

Not really.

Could I use the private script if the other repeat wasn't due yet?

What if the prescription was $35 and I was $2.90 short?

Could Chemist Warehouse split a transaction between cash and my Zip card?

Checked Zip.

About $22 available.

Okay. Great. We have contingencies.

At some point during all of this I also became fascinated by the giant SOS button in the car and had to resist pressing it because apparently putting a giant forbidden button above my head is a challenge specifically designed for me.

Anyway, I finally got to the chemist.

I always park as far away from the entrance as possible because I cannot understand why everyone fights over the closest parks when there are perfectly good empty ones further away.

But I still didn't go inside.

I had my thinking putty with me, so I decided I'd knead it for two minutes first and then go in.

Except the putty changes colour when you knead it.

So obviously that became interesting.

Then I started watching all the people moving around the shopfront like ants.

That reminded me of the ending monologue from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

So now excerpts from Rocky Horror were playing in my head while I sat in the car kneading colour-changing putty and watching humanity scurry around Chemist Warehouse.

Somehow this was all still part of "going to the chemist" in my head.

Eventually I decided okay, I'm going in now.

Then I realised I'd left my wallet at home.

Fuck.

I thought about calling Mum, except she'd literally asked me before I left if I needed money and I'd said no.

I didn't want her to realise I'd basically run out of money, so within seconds my brain had constructed this completely unnecessary explanation involving leaving my personal phone at home, only having my work phone, which bank cards were attached to which phone, an empty bills account and a new card I hadn't activated yet.

It was an entire fucking backstory that did not need to exist.

I called her.

No answer.

She called me back a few minutes later.

Her opening words were:

"How much do you need?"

💀

I tried to launch into my elaborate explanation.

She basically went "yep okay, I've got to cook dinner, see you soon."

I asked for $30.

She transferred me $40.

She did not require the lore.

Cool.

Now I could FINALLY go inside.

Except there were cars between me and the shop entrance and I hate making drivers stop for me when I'm walking because I feel like I'm inconveniencing them.

So instead of crossing in front of them like a normal pedestrian, I walked all the way around so nobody would have to wait for me.

Finally got inside.

Handed over my prescription.

Sat down.

Done.

Except while I was waiting I remembered something else.

I've been meaning to get the pharmacy code so I can use their app to get my scripts ready instead of sorting everything out when I arrive.

I always mean to ask and then flake out, so I thought fuck it, I'm already here, I'll finally do it.

But obviously I needed to know exactly how it worked before asking.

Looked it up.

You need ID.

My ID was in my wallet.

My wallet was at home.

And that's when I started thinking about the entire sequence of events that had somehow led to me sitting peacefully in this chair waiting for my prescription.

The weirdest part?

This entire fucking ordeal genuinely felt like maybe 20 minutes to me.

That's the part I don't think people understand about ADHD.

I wasn't sitting around thinking "I don't want to go to the chemist."

I wanted to go.

I knew I needed to go.

I was actively trying to go.

At one point I literally remember thinking:

"Why am I still just sitting here?"

Knowing what I needed to do didn't translate into actually doing it.

But I also wasn't experiencing all these things as separate distractions.

In my head I was still "going to the chemist" the entire time.

Every new thing just felt like another small thing I needed to resolve as part of doing the original thing.

I didn't feel like I'd been doing nothing.

I felt fucking BUSY.

And I was busy.

That's the problem.

My brain had expended an absurd amount of effort while making remarkably little progress towards the one thing all that effort was supposedly for.

From inside my head it was basically one continuous activity:

Go to chemist → toilet → clean room → find special rubbish bags → give up on special rubbish bags → find keys → keys are in fridge → find money → forget toilet → windscreen → prescription price → old bank transactions → PBS or private → repeat timing → Zip → SOS button → chemist → thinking putty → putty changes colour → people look like ants → Rocky Horror → wallet → Mum → unnecessary elaborate explanation → money → avoid inconveniencing cars → pharmacy → app → ID → ID is in wallet.

Meanwhile imagine being another person sitting in that chemist.

All you would have seen was some guy walk in, hand over a prescription and quietly sit down waiting.

I probably looked completely calm and collected.

You wouldn't know that getting me into that chair had required whatever the fuck all of the above was.

And tomorrow I'll go to work and probably look completely normal and functional again.

People see the outcome:

"He went to the chemist and got his prescription."

They don't see how much cognitive effort can sometimes be required to produce an outcome that mundane.

That's the invisible part of ADHD for me.

And there's something particularly ridiculous about being unmedicated making it this difficult to complete the task of obtaining the medication that helps me do tasks.

Anyway, after all that forensic investigation into whether I could afford it, they finally called my name.

$31.99.

I originally had $32.10.

So I actually had enough money the entire fucking time.

By 11 cents.

Except the $32.10 was in the wallet I'd left at home.

Thank fuck Mum transferred me $40.

I got a ad for “today is the day app” but all the reviews say it’s a scam. Does anyone have recs or apps or methods that have actually helped them with executive dysfunction?

So i have problems with getting distracted easily, especially when I'm trying to study or starting something new and Maladaptive daydreaming.

I'm not diagnosed so im not sure but I think I may have adhd , i live in a small town and there are literally no psychiatrist or anyone that deals with or can diagnose adhd.

This problem had literally turned my life upside town.

My grades keep on flunking, habit of procrastination and unable to even sit at a place and focus for even 2 hours I have courses that I joined and abandoned them after attending just 5-6 lectures.

Can someone help me and give me advice on how to deal with this.

need to figure out a system to stay on top of things in college because in high school i would procrastinate horrible on assignments, miss deadlines, routinely pull all-nighters, etc. My main problem with school is procrastination and bad time management (bad time blindness/will feel zero sense of urgency to do something until 12am on the day it's due), and on top of that smaller tasks (setting up appointments, sending emails) are literally impossible for me to keep track of because I forget to do them. I've tried writing things down in a physical planner, apps, notes, etc. but will completely forget to check said apps/straight up lose the planner. Unless something is literally in my face I will forget to do it (I've literally had to cover my phone with sticky notes with tasks written down on them because out of sight out of mind. any (free) apps/tips? I want to run literally everything from one app that I can access from multiple devices that will also give me reminders/be in my face about stuff to do. I also have an iPad if that makes any difference

I swear I wake up with a new personality every week. 😂 One minute I’m focused on fitness, then I’m starting a podcast, learning something new, planning a business… like girl, PICK A LANE.

Does anyone else genuinely enjoy doing 47 things at once, or is my brain just running a group project with no manager?

Finally at 34 yrs old I learn that I may have inattentive ADHD or at least it makes sense of everything. Looking back on life it definitely makes sense in seeing how it has affected a lot of aspects in life especially the current relationship. I know I should get an official diagnosis, but it’s not in the heart of the cards right now until I can get some insurance or extra money. When looking online for advice I feel overwhelmed. The biggest thing I want to address is my executive dysfunction. I’ll take any advice to get going in the right direction. I fear it’s causing a strain on a relationship I don’t want to lose.