HACKER Q&A
📣 collegeburner

ADHD is ruining my life. Please help


I'm a college senior who historically did well. Straight As in high school while holding down internships. That changed starting in college. Grades gradually slipped. My motivation got worse. I'd always procrastinated but behavior deteriorated to the point that I got Cs in some classes and have little motivation to attend classes.

I should be able to handle the work. My focus isn't even bad. But task initiation is killing me. E.g. I did fine at my internship this summer but only cause I was baseline that much better that I could put off the work and complete it very quickly.

Similarly, I don't reach out to network/maintain relationships like I should. And small tasks tend to slip through the cracks.

Here's the issue:

1. I live in a smaller southern college town where no good or even semi-decent therapists have openings for approximately the next forever.

2. I am deathly scared of the side effects of amphetamines. They really don't look like long-term solutions.

Some other options I've thought about: PPAP/BPAP (catacholaminergic modulators, i.e. instead of raising dopamine baseline they increase the amount released upon stimulation), NDMA antagonists (improve dopamine sensitivity short- or medium-term), and bromantane (increases tyrosine hydroxylase expression -> downstream more dopamine).

Anyway anything y'all can suggest would be hugely appreciated and might help keep me from spiraling nto total failure :/

Edit: re amphetamines, clarifying comment on why I'm so wary: The biggest reason isn't even sides, it's longevity. Tolerance builds pretty quickly and it seems like everyone I know on them is taking a solidly higher dose than at the outset. Almost smacks of the "pseudo-addiction" rhetoric out of purdue.


  👤 navjack27 Accepted Answer ✓
That sounds like you actually might have the executive function problems that I consider ADHD. I would really reconsider being deathly afraid of amphetamines. Taking 15 mg of instant released mixed amphetamine salts is going to affect your body most likely less than a cup of coffee but it will affect your brain positively in a pretty strong manner. I'm not a doctor I'm just a person with really debilitating ADHD that mainly has issues with motivation and symptoms one might consider more depression than ADHD but I assure you it's my ADHD and it's not depression, it's a chicken and egg kind of thing, if I could stick with getting things done and being motivated then I wouldn't appear to be so withdrawn and down.


👤 Bostonian
Regarding the "smaller southern college town" problem, note that many psychiatrists and therapists do Zoom appointments nowadays, so you could widen your search for providers.

👤 dzwa
Honestly… consult with your physician and acquire it through a legal channel, but a small dose of an extended release amphetamine salt (say 10 mg) goes a long way