For five years you're on Adderall XR, the most controlled prescribed medication in the country (Oxycontin is easier to get), and then after spending a lot of time on the Internet, you diagnose yourself with autoimmune thyroiditis rather than unexplained adult ADHD with inattention and start medicating yourself. Then you finally go to the doctor and tell him you've successfully put yourself on thyroid replacement for a month instead of Adderall, he takes your TSH, and you were right.
Five years on amphetamines! Five years!
Sorry to hear you had this experience, but I wonder if "medical science" is to blame.
ReplyDeleteInstead, it sounds like the physician misdiagnosed -- or at least did not do a comprehensive diagnosis. Sadly, that's a too-common occurrence, especially with metabolic issues. And it seems that late-diagnosis adults with ADHD have more than their fair share of metabolic issues.
For one thing, over the years, untreated ADHD can take a toll on the body, creating sleep loss and often causing a person to "self-medicate" with sugar, caffeine, and an otherwise unhealthy diet. Not to mention the toll that constant stress and frustration takes on the hormonal system, including adrenals.
For another, sometimes people with ADHD from birth have a particularly reactive nervous system that causes problems with allergies, including food sensitivities.
It takes a careful physician to tease apart these factors. And, unfortunately, many physicians these days just aren't that careful or comprehensive in their approach.
Moreover, Adderall can create its own stress on the nervous system, especially if the person taking it is not eating well, including getting enough B vitamins and the dietary precursors of important neurotransmitters.
I hope you are on the road to recovery!
Gina Pera, author
Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.?
You're probably right. I've never really doubted that I probably had ADHD my whole life even though I was diagnosed at 18, but the Adderall really only helped with the inattention part of it. Thyroid medication does pretty much the same thing as Adderall for me except more smoothly. The reason I even looked into thyroiditis was because my very disorganized and space-out prone father suddenly mentioned that not only did he have untreated autoimmune thyroiditis, but his sister, mother, and father were also diagnosed with the same thing. I also have celiac disease and horrible allergies, so it all suddenly fit together.
ReplyDelete