OK, I don't have a classical case of ADD (I actually believe most cases of "ADD" are kids and their parents not doing their best, and falling prey to a hungry drug industry), but I do need to be studying, and have been procrastinating for a long time. I start, then stop and surf the net, and so get very little done in a day.

I have never taken anything for this ever, and I refuse to take any prescription drugs.

Went to GNC today, and bought a multivitamin-multimineral, zinc, magnesium, and fish oil. This is what I plan on taking daily:

50 mg Zn
500 mg Mg
1 multi
2 gr fish oil: 240 mg DHA + 360 mg EPA

Studies with ADD kids have shown great benefit from Zn, Mg, Fe (if a deficiency), and fish oil. Some studies have also shown benefit from ginkgo biloba, ginseng, and pycnogenol, but I decided not to get those this time. As most here know, I have a good diet consisting of good amounts of fresh produce and unprocessed grains (actual grains). I don't eat fast food, junk food, cookies/cakes/chips/etc, and neither do I drink any sugary and/or carbonated drinks, nor alcohol.

I know there are some gurus on here regarding this stuff. What else do you recommend?

Thanks.

7/7/2007 6:12:19 PM

Ritalin.

7/7/2007 6:57:41 PM

a good spanking, but you are likely too old for that.

7/7/2007 6:58:49 PM

^^ as i said, NO.

^ no one to spank me... my gf is travelling and i won't see her for 2 months.

7/7/2007 7:08:01 PM

I would recommend those further herbs. You can also get them in some multi's (like centrum performance (ha )). I would recommend atleast doubling the fish oil (I take triple that).


The biggest aide is in planning your day/week/month, organization, and establishing a routine.

[Edited on July 7, 2007 at 7:11 PM. Reason : I know you already excersize, too...so that doesn't need to be said]

7/7/2007 7:11:18 PM

Quote :

"I would recommend atleast doubling the fish oil (I take triple that). "

how long have you been taking that much, what for, and what effect(s) has it had?

also, the tip about planning is excellent... it is one of those things most people don't pay attention to thinking it is not that important (myself included), but apparently it has a big impact on how much one can get done on a daily basis. and yes, routine is good, very good (good for the body/brain as well).

thanks.

7/7/2007 7:17:49 PM

make yourself do the shit and quit being a little ADD kid, or maybe you actually have ADD and a small dose of some medicine would help you..god forbid something designed to do that actually work

7/7/2007 7:26:17 PM

I have for a little more than a year. I originally started taking it for nutritional reasons (to get healthy oils in a clean bulking diet), soreness, and fitness reasons. My basis for this was john beardi's writings. Over that time period, I changed a lot. I quit drinking (except for an occasional glass of wine), completely changed my diet, and got serious about my physical training.

I knew that the planning was good, but my new emphasis on training gave me a reason to plan (so that I had time). I ended up anally organizing my life as a result. I would be lost with out my planner. I am much more productive. I have noticed more concentration and clarity, but who knows what is the reason (my guess is all of the above). This doesn't mean that my life is now butterflies, flowers, and puppy dogs....but, it's better.

[Edited on July 7, 2007 at 7:33 PM. Reason : ^add is far from well understood, and the drugs are terrible]

7/7/2007 7:31:42 PM

On the fish oil, many take more. The liquid form is more concentrated, I beleive. With the pills, space them out during the day with food (unless you like fish burps).

7/7/2007 7:45:27 PM

i doubt you need to do anything other than lighten up on yourself in other areas so you can motivate yourself to stay on task instead of piddling your time away on the internet. it only takes a minute to say "no" to posting on tww, searching for all possible versions of the dramatic chipmunk or playing desktop tower defense.

if you just get distracted when you are doing work that requires the internet, keep some post its handy to write down stuff you want to check out later.

and arcgreek's suggestion of planning is excellent. sometimes it helps if you have your plans posted in more than one place, maybe write them in a planner and post them beside your computer screen so you'll be reminded if you start getting off track.

[Edited on July 7, 2007 at 9:21 PM. Reason : x]

7/7/2007 9:17:15 PM

Hide your computer and study somewhere without distractions. If you have to have your computer, disable the wireless internet (at home) or turn it off.

I also have to have a very clean work environment. I change study places every semester and that helps with motivation.

Also set study time goals and rewards. Study for an hour and then have some fruit. Study another hour and then go for a walk. It helps me stay on task and keep my brain refreshed.

7/9/2007 10:50:50 AM

^all of these, plus one more: be prepared to do any important work at any given moment.

I was dx'ed with ADHD years and years before it became 'fashionable' and a handy excuse for poor parenting (if ADD/ADHD really were caused by lack of beatings and parenting, I'd have the best attention span you'll ever find ).

I fucking hate taking the meds, and until last semester, squeaked by without them. And the single most effective workaround I found was to always have work with. I never knew when I'd find a reserve of concentration and be able to insulate myself enough to get shit done, or where, so I developed a habit of always having work to do with me. Yes, that's meant carrying extra notes, textbooks, or whatever, but it's worth it.

7/9/2007 12:15:45 PM

The fish oil is probably a good idea in general, and you should be taking about 6 grams a day if you don't eat a lot of fish or organic beef. 2 grams really won't do much for brain function or blood pressure and lipid profile. take it with meals unless you want to burp up that horrible taste for a couple of hours straight.

zinc and magnesium are rarely deficient in people who eat some similance of a balanced diet. There were a bunch of biased reports that came out a while back from Victor Conte and BALCO indicating that physically active people had reduced zinc and magnesium levels, but this was later determined to be caused by uptake of the minerals after exercise and not by a deficiency. Unfortunately, this resulted in a surge in the sales of supplemental Zinc and Magnesium. Keep in mind that excess zinc intake is toxic to the body and induces iron and copper deficiencies.

7/9/2007 1:00:50 PM

All of this was recommended to me by my psychiatrist, ADHD counselor, and books I've read about people with ADHD.

I take a multi-vitamin as well as 1000mg of Fish Oil w/ Omega-3 a day. Easier to concentrate, body felt less sluggish and more responsive throughout the day. My short-term memory also seemed a little better too.

Very consistent sleep schedule. For the past few years as I've been trying to get out of college, I've never had what professionals call good 'sleep hygiene'. I'd never goto bed at the same time every night, and I'd only get 5-6 hrs of sleep before I had to get up. This is really bad for a normal person, and worse for someone like me who has ADHD. My doc had me try going to bed at the same time every night for a month, and getting 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Hol-E-Shit did it make a difference. The first week didn't seem that different, as my body got adjusted to the consistency, but after that I felt like a different person.

Eat well. On top of the vitamin and supplement, just make sure you're giving your body enough every day. Even if they're small, 3 meals a day is your target. Have 2 containers of fruit yogurt in the morning, or a bowl of cereal and milk. Have a sammich at lunch. Make some pasta, or some stir-fry for dinner. Don't eat fast food, don't drink soda, stay away from sugar and caffeine.

Keep your environment organized, clean, tidy, etc. Seriously! I can't overstate how important this is. If you're in a dorm room, keep the bitch spotless and organized. If it's an apartment, take a day and clean the whole place head to toe. And don't just clean it and then let it go back to shit. You've got to keep up the tidiness. Something about putting order to the chaos around you helps your mind focus. There's less messy clutter surrounding you to distract from the tasks at hand. This is one of the big principles in Fung Shui, the chinese 'art'/'science' of arranging the house to get the most out of the positive energy or whatever.. If your closet, bedroom, house, etc is clean, neat and orderly, so will be your mind.

As for the internet... ugh. Possibly the worst thing for someone with attention problems. This is where the medication helped me the most. W/o it, it's way too easy for me to get distracted, and as simple as it is for people on here to respond with "just turn it off, hide your computer, etc." it's not that easy. A suggestion I've read in a couple of books is to take your work and break it into chunks. Accomplish one chunk over an hour or hour and a half.. then take 5-10 minutes to reward yourself with doing something not work related. At the end of that break come back and do another chunk. Unless you're on the meds tho, it'll be basically up to you to FORCE yourself to get back on task. Yeah, it sucks, and it's really tough, but it's better than forcing yourself to sit and work for a longass time.

---

Most of this stuff is just good advice to anyone, either with attention problems or without. However, for those of us with issues, it seems these steps are even more crucial for success than for those without problems.

Good luck. Lemme know if I can give you any other pointers. I've been figuring this crap out for the past couple months, so I'm ripe with advice and experience.

7/9/2007 5:01:18 PM

yoga helps too

7/9/2007 5:10:02 PM

you need to remove distractions, I've had the same problem, and it really helps. Don't turn on the radio, tv, etc. Go to a quiet area, the stacks at DH are great. If you don't bring a computer with you, then you have to go downstairs to a computer lab which is a lot of effort and you might not get a computer. It sounds more like a problem with self discipline than ADD.

7/10/2007 1:24:09 PM

The originator is not a student. And, I'm not sure what warrants the last statement--unless you are referring to yourself.

[Edited on July 10, 2007 at 4:12 PM. Reason : ]

7/10/2007 4:11:20 PM