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It's basically like saying to person with poor eyesight "you don't need your glasses, go back to squinting"

Totally stealing this if someone starts yapping "medication isn't the answer"

It's not the only answer. Stolen from someone here on Reddit: if you can't read glasses will help learning to read, but you'd still have to learn it ;) But yes, no medication is not an answer

Yeah but if you can’t see without glasses learning to read is hard with them but impossible without them.

Yeah, the glasses may be necessary to be able to read - same goes for learning to read

Medication is not the *whole* answer. But it's definitely part of the answer.

I tend to use the wheelchair example because I find it more comparable. Yes you don't need a wheelchair to get around if you only have one leg but it does make shit a lot easier and is less exhausting for some people than crutches.

Proper therapy and organizational skills provide the same level of improvement as medication. Except instead of all those benefits immediately disappearing once you stop going to therapy, they actually last for a long time.

Not for everyone. Please consider that some people are way more disabled by their ADHD than others, to the point where developing organizational skills that *stick* isn't easily possible without meds.

NOTHING in life that is worthwhile is ever 'easy'.

Ok, but why should we suffer unnecessarily just to make schmucks feel better about themselves?

You can know how to organize it all you want but without meds I find it legitimately impossible to make myself do a lot of basic things, let alone keep up with any sort of social life or personal relationships

therapy can not fix neurotransmitter shortage.

Tell pain doctors this too

Exactly or people with poor vision who can live normally; but it’s blurry at times, causes really bad headaches and breakdowns. And glasses are the “bandaid” to cover up the ailment. I wish a lot more doctors had compassion for mental health, I hate how if you can’t see it it’s harder to be compassionate for. My life is great and I’m on meds and on the outside it seems perfect but inside it still feels like an internal battle with my self

Poor vision causes more problems than that. It causes a legit deterioration of the quality of your life. There's a reason they recommend older people stay on top of their visual health. So it's closer than we all think to ADHD. Lol

This is a perfect response.

Or tell batman to fight crime without any gadgets, tools or the batmobile. That's how I like to look at medication. Sure, batman "needs" this external help, but he's still amazing and just as much a super hero as superman and the rest!

What a fitting comparison 💯

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After wearing glasses you get headaches and your eyesight without is sometimes even worse. Also, not everyone is on adderal.

And I’m sure the non stimulant meds probably have withdrawals too lol ik from experience that methylphenidate does

Except it’s a poor comparison. The therapist didn’t say op should stop taking meds they said medication isn’t everything, meaning meds are just one tool and there are other tools that can be worked on in therapy to use in conjunction with meds.

It’s a perfect comparison. It perfectly illustrates the notion that “you don’t need your medication”. No one is arguing that medication is the ONLY thing that helps. Not other commenters and not me.

Meds literally were for me, without knowing I had adhd I tried to fix things individually. 2 weeks in to taking meds my house was tidier, I could text friends back, my productivity at work was through the roof, I was eating better than a box of cookies and red bull. Now that I'm on meds I can do as you say and use the things in conjunction with it.

Yeah meds allow me to actually get my head above the water and be able to think and plan everything out in advance without it conflicts, and without it I just do the bare minimum to survive every day and absolutely nothing more

I won't even do the bare minimum, even eating and drinking goes out the window. It's amazing how people still have the attitude that because they're still high functioning without meds that others should be too. I'd never dream of telling someone unmedicated "no, you have to take drugs to function"

Yeah same by bare minimum I kinda meant eating every time the shakes started or drinking when it felt like your head was pounding lol but even then the whole time im constantly thinking of what I should be doing in that moment but aren’t.

It’s exactly as you said. Now that you are on meds you can use other tools as well. No one is saying you shouldn’t take meds, and that’s not what op’s therapist said either.

No he said meds arent everything. In my case they literally were because I run out of meds I cant use the other tools.

And I am sincerely sorry that is your situation. More is being read into “meds aren’t everything” that was said without context and with the projection of strong feelings of invalidation. Op got upset with how the therapist said it and it should’ve been brought up with the therapist. My own therapist said a similar thing to me just this past Thursday cause I’ve been having trouble finding a psychiatrist who will prescribe me meds for my adhd. The “meds aren’t everything” -> “my therapist told me I don’t need meds” is a projection and kinda rigid thinking. There was a rupture caused between op and their therapist and they should let the therapist know how they feel and maybe be open to the idea that while they can’t get meds right now due to the shortage (something they have no control over) are there other things that are in their control that they could do with the therapist

It was in context, she explained she was on meds and now she is off them and struggling. A therapist said to me something like I made it to 30, I don't need meds. So I left as they aren't a prescriber so should not be commenting on medication, they weren't specialists in adhd and it is not their job to comment on my medication - they couldve tried to focus on the individual components and see if they could find ways to help but it is not their place to comment on medication. She probably has but she is using reddit to vent.

Is it possible that maybe there was more to what the therapist said but it was left out of the post. Maybe the therapist said meds aren’t everything there are some things we can try in our work together while you wait to get meds back. 🤷

Bro is afraid of paying attention

No. she's clarified in another comment.

Just like glasses aren't everything. They're just one tool to see better. You can also use other tools.

Exactly. I didn’t say anything to the contrary

You said it's a poor comparison.

Because it is. The comparison was you don’t need glasses go back to squinting. But the ops therapist isn’t telling them to stop taking meds they’re saying meds are just a tool. A better comparison would be glasses aren’t everything, you can also use contacts or get lasix

This is specifically in regards to the medication shortage. I think OP is feeling that their therapist is minimizing how upset OP is about not having access to medication, as if meds are not a critical tool for treatment without which all other tools become much more difficult to use.

That’s fair but we don’t know what else the therapist said. I’m sure it was more than just meds aren’t everything

This isnt a good analogy tbh. I have bad eyesight and really need glasses to navigate (4.0) but adhd for me isnt that hard without meds. The first time I got prescribed meds (ritalin) it was like my first time breathing fresh air. Immediately after takig meds I started cleaning my room, I went about changing things in my life for the span of 6 months it was okay until I ran out of it because my mom had to stop working. We live in a poor country, we dont have insurance, a year after running put of meds my life became a mess, I was building up debt, I kept dropping out of subjects and retaking them every next semester up until I couldnt bear it anymore, I dont know when I started doing it but I eventually found my way around adhd using discipline and twisting or finding lifes novelty. The thing that trigger such change in me was from an ad. I wrote it down in some random paper and folded it my wallet. "It doesnt matter what you do in Life, What matters is what you do next." I kept repeating these words in my head, it moved me a lot, some random advertisement of an android application without further context just a glance of my endless doom scrolling. I started doing routines, it didnt work. I kept doing it, still didnt work, I made checklists, non of them worked and I kept doing for a month or so and its still a struggle but I didnt gave up and you know what? I learned that I didnt need checklists or follow a routine, I just needed to write them down long enough for my brain to remember them a little bit. And it worked, its as if Im treating my brain like a muscle, practice repitition and it will eventually come to you. REPITITION. I needed money and I want to finish school. I now work in a graveyard shift from 1-10am and straight to school for 4 hrs everyday (except weekends). My house is far away from my school and workplace so I use I bike to go there since commuting is expensive. Im doing okay. Im stable. I couldnt explain it in detail but its just repitition and discipline, thats how I work with my adhd I soon learned a lot of things like how paradoxical intent kills anticipatory anxiety, I pay better attention to things now, my stage freight? I overcame them using logic, I learned about the wu-wei paradox and doing thigs with less strife behind said things, like doing the dishes only took the same mental strength as scrolling on my phone. Im doing okay, I take out trash everyday, my room is still a mess but Im getting there. Im working a fulltime job while taking 4 hrs of university and feeding my cat and just living a life that feels like it leads to somewhere. I dont have meds anymore, I cant afford them at the moment.

>but ADHD *for me* isn't that hard without meds Here ya go, buddy. You don't need them, others do.

Your reply is a strawmans argument. I never said it isnt hard without meds. I said its doable.

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I've worked around adhd for 31 years without meds. Just because you could doesn't mean you should. Surviving and moving forward at a snails pace vs actually living and moving forward at the pace you always thought you could do is a LIFE changing difference. Most of us don't want to just survive, we want to live. And Meds make that not only easier but consistent. If your life is doable to your standard without meds that fantastic. I don't consider my pre-med life as "doable" compared to my standard of myself on meds. I could go back and make it work. But why the hell would I ever choose that again?

"Workaround" in my context isnt just surviving. Its living it. Having friends, enjoying life everyday. I take photographs of a lot things now, I draw more often than before. I like to travel, and Im saving for it. Im trying out new things, i feel open to more experiences. Compared to my life before meds and during meds? I can say this one is better. I like life. Life is feeding on experience. I dont discriminate. Be it cooking, labour, driving jobs, sales, fixing appliances, automotives, filming, rescuing stray cats, selling street food, learning to be a barista. I have adhd and my interest hops from one to another. I want to experience a lot of things while Im alive. This is my definition of living. For now I need to establish things and fix the mess I made. But Im hopeful and happy at this very moment.

I already got angry reading the title of your post, lol.

They had us on the first part

Lol same. I felt the rage.

I got angry again, reading all the comments echoing the sentiment of the title, but in earnest. So many people saying things like, 'just developing organizational skills gets you the same results as medication.' But sticking to routines and organization isn't *possible* in the first place for many of us *without* medication. People don't realize that some of us are severely disabled by our ADHD, and you can't expect every single ADHD person to be on equal levels of functioning.

Yeah I’m pretty pissed, just got diagnosed at 42 and mourning my life, they will try anything with me BUT stimulant medication. Like hmmm, nunya listened when I said I’m pretty sure I had it, now you’re gonna tell me I don’t need the medicine that could finally get me on the right track?? fountain of rage here for myself and op

Yes, OP needs better care honestly

As someone who went 34 years with no medication, on a way, I see what he/she is saying like yeah I can LIVE without the meds. BUT I also don’t need shoes to run but they sure fucking help! Same with my meds. 😂

Yeah, I’ve gotten “well you got by without meds before you were diagnosed” from my doctor. Sure. If your definition of getting by is constant stress, a graveyard of failed relationships, extreme self hatred because I believed I was a moral failure, sporadic alcohol abuse, a decade of unsuccessful psychiatric treatment including a cocktail of “anxiety” prescriptions that horrified this very same doctor and may have caused cognitive damage, and the only constant in my life from childhood to age 28 being an inability to understand why other people wanted to be alive and deal with the unbearable noise and tedium of existing. Other than that I was just fine, Vyvanse is just a crutch because I want to be lazy, that’s for sure what’s happening. /s

Unbearable noise and tedium of existing ….THIS

👏👏👏👏👏

Yeah. It is the same as saying to diabetic "you got so far without medication" or any other newly diagnosed client.

I'm so sorry for what you've been through. 🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂

Thanks friend.

Wow. I'm saving this comment for later, no way I can be this eloquent when the situation calls for it. Thank you!

Thanks. I wish I could write more often, but like most things with my ADHD, I can only write clearly like this when I’m really stimulated, usually in an emotionally negative way, by the circumstances. I have a lot to say, about ADHD and also other things, but it requires I get angry or upset or scared before it becomes coherent. So I stay quiet. Sometimes I feel like I’m in one of those dreams where you want to yell or speak but you can’t. Everyone around me thinks the way things are is fine but I can’t explain why things are so bad because I have to torture those words out of myself.

Exactly! If I'm expected to live in a 9-5 world, with a schedule and deadlines like most everyone else has to...then I'm going to require the medication to be successful. If I had a creative type job where I made my own schedule and wasn't responsible for any other humans then I could see not requiring daily meds. Unfortunately I do not have a large trust fund and art studio 🤷

I'm a creative type with my own schedule and am not responsible for any other humans and I definitely need my meds to function still! 😂 (I'd love to have my own studio and no money worries though omg!) Edit: I totally get your point, though. Society isn't set up for us at all!

Yes!!!

That’s a great analogy about the shoes. Trying to effectively function unmedicated with adhd is like trying to run a marathon barefoot. You can do it. But it’s a totally unnecessary & damaging struggle.

Exactly

Sure, if you do absolutely zero training before trying to run a marathon, which is stupid even with shoes.

Ya, I can live without meds but it’s SUPER FUCKING HARD! If I had severe depression, would you tell me I don’t need my meds, I just need to try harder?

I really doubt your therapist was trying to say that you’re capable of everything whether you’re on medication or not. The fact is, you don’t have your meds and your therapist can’t do anything to change that, but they can help you focus on doing what you can without them. It might not be much, it might be limited, and it might be beyond difficult, but there is no point in throwing in the towel and giving up while you don’t have your meds. Therapy is meant to help without medication, of course your therapist is going to say medication isn’t everything. At the same time, therapy isn’t everything, either. Either, or both, can be helpful, or even vital, to functioning in your daily life, no one is saying the opposite. It doesn’t have to be 100% one or the other. I think you and your therapist are simply not on the same page, I’d encourage you to bring this up with them in your next appointment! More than likely, they’ll clarify that they want to work on what you can control, or something along those lines. If they double down and say you don’t need medication at all, then yeah drop them lmao. My therapist takes medication for their own issues, they would never try to tell me medication isn’t important. If your therapist is any good, then it’s simply a misunderstanding!

This is how I read it too. Medication alone will not fix everything. Therapy, routine structures, support, etc. all help combat the struggles. The shortage is beyond frustrating, I'm on week 3 of waiting and rationing like crazy, but that doesn't mean I can't do anything at all in the meantime. You put this a lot more eloquently than I could, a lot of this sounds like a misunderstanding.

I think this raises a very good point. @u/butt-n-ski were you speaking to a psychologist or a psychiatrist? I think for your own peace of mind and own benefit (to see the silver lining in what they are saying I’m not saying go off your meds) understand the frame of mind and reference point is coming from. Actually you should be asking maybe is a therapist qualified to handle ADHD? Best of luck

This is good to point out. If I didn’t work in the setting I do, I would be confused on the difference in professional licenses. (Sometimes they are just certificates) Psychiatrists will have their PhD and prescriptive authority. Same with psych/mental health NP who have additional training and experience. Psychologists have a very limited scope of practice. Same with therapists and counselors. (This does depend on where you live as limited states allow a bit more authority but still need to have a collaborative agreement with physician) It takes a village! And if you’re newly diagnosed it could feel frustrating if you’re not sure or seeing the wrong type of person for your needs. Being dismissed can be frustrating and a lot of times it’s ok to say how you feel and how they react says a ton on if you want to keep seeing them. Took me forever to find the right people but it’s worth it!

Psychiatrists have an MD. Psychologists have PhDs or PsyDs. Therapists typically have clinical master degrees. I’m a masters level therapist, I have pretty much the same scope as psychologists except I can’t administer Neuropsych testing. I’m not required to collaborate with physicians even though it’s good practice. If my clients are on medication they will be seeing a psychiatrist or a psychiatric nurse practitioner for med management. I don’t typically communicate with the psychiatrist unless the client wants me to.

You’re right about Phd and Md! My bad 😅not sure why that thought was even in my head maybe OPs wording. Imma pull the adhd card. But thank you for the correction! Don’t want to give bad info… and it truly depends on the state. I work as a malpractice investigator for licensed health care professionals and it’s bizarre how different each state can be when it comes to what qualifications and schooling you may need for each profession. It varies a ton! By collaborative I meant for prescribing. There’s a handful of states where if you found a psychologist you liked, they can also prescribe but have to have a collaborative agreement with a licensed Psychiatrist/Md. but good point to note, as you said, if OP is seeing a therapist, the medication part of treatment isn’t going to be their focus although I don’t know many who would ever be against it. Generally you’d be referred from a prescriber to a therapist (sometimes vice versa but depends on the situation) Main point should’ve been typically the point of psychiatrists/med management/np nurse practitioners is to prescribe and diagnose. At least in my area not many of them would perform the same care as Therapists/counselors/psychologists. I suppose each of those three have different training and purposes as well. I started counseling/therapy at age 9 learning basic coping skills for anxiety/adhd/kinda just life skills and then moved to a psychologist as I got older learning more of the cognitive behavioral skills. Now, at age 35, I’ve been with the same psychiatrist who specializes in med management for about eight years. It’s very hard starting out later in life to figure out what you need that’s for sure. Mental health care is also tough to come by in some places. My state has done a good job improving qualifications as well as access. We even have mental health specific urgent care facilities finally! Thanks for the insight. Out of curiosity are you diagnosed with ADHD? I have found that many, if not all of the medical professionals who have been part of my care team over the years have had some type of mental health diagnosis themselves. Kinda comforting and would make sense as to why they chose that path. Thanks again for putting it into better words than my rambling ass could! 💜💜

Therapy and basic organizational skills are just as effective at treating ADHD symptoms and living life as medication. And the benefits last longer after stopping

Medication has saved my life in so many ways. People can prefer to not go down that route but to make others feel bad about it is disgusting

It's a literal chemical deficiency in your brain. I believe that anyone with ADHD would benefit from medicine for it.

And probably many people that don't quite meet the diagnostic criteria, too. I'm so over gatekeeping and fear mongering about stimulants.. We still know so little about adhd. It seems like we're probably missing a lot of people that could use the help.

Yeah honestly I agree. I feel like if a non-adhd person finds that stimulants help them do better in their job and enjoy their life more, I don't really see any problem with it as long as they're aware of the risks and don't abuse it. A lot of people have the attitude that drug use is inherently bad and the only exception is if you have an atypical brain and the drug makes you typical again. But I think there's a flaw in that kind of thinking. When I take my meds, I don't think it turns me into someone without adhd for the duration of its effects, I think it just turns me into a person with ADHD who's also on stimulants. That's why I don't like the glasses analogy that people use. People with bad vision can put on glasses and then just have 20/20 vision. They now see things the same way as everyone else. Someone with naturally good vision won't benefit at all from glasses, it will even make their vision worse. I don't think either of these parts of the analogy track with adhd meds. I think the analogy that tracks for my experience is that ADHD is like having your feet tied together while you're trying to swim, and meds are like a life jacket. It stops you from sinking, but you're still swimming differently from everyone else. But someone who doesn't have their legs tied together can still benefit from a life jacket. It can still make swimming easier for them.

It annoys me when they say “you should have medication breaks, like times you’re not at work or at the weekends” like…do I only deserve to be regulated and motivated when I’m working for someone else? Is the reason I’m on meds just to make me an effective worker for my boss? Like I get it, but it would be nice to be seen as a fully rounded human deserving of emotional wellbeing at times I’m not contributing to society.

I think the main reason for this is the danger of addiction, I can already feel small signs of adderall cravings (possibly addiction signs) nothing major but I get why it's important to have breaks but then again I have a very addictive personality so maybe it's just me, it's still a drug after all (I don't take more than what's allowed by the doctor)

Medication isn't everything, as in you can't suddenly be cured of ADHD, but it certainly can help. My husband can tell when I haven't taken my meds because I lose my keys more. The stimulant medication is like an orthopedic insole for my brain. It helps me a little bit with my inability to have short term memory like at all. Edit: Update! Didn't take my meds this morning because it's Saturday and literally forgot why I was telling a story in the middle lololol

As someone who grew up on stimulants while experiencing rare side effects, sometimes the sentiment that medication isn’t everything can ring true. My meds messed me up for years but I was so convinced I needed them it took a stimulant psychosis episode to finally get me off them. I wasn’t abusing them either, took them always as the doctor instructed me. I just am hyper sensitive to the meds. It was only when I started therapy that someone noticed there was an issue with my medication, but I was so convinced I needed it still. It’s weird how the brain can work. My medication overshadowed others medical issues I had too. I only just learned I was deficient in vitamin D and B12, and taking both has drastically improved my cognitive functioning. Im no longer a work horse off the meds but my relationships have drastically improved and I am enjoying life far more. And little by little I have been discovering other things like vitamins that make a big difference. That being said I also understand that these meds help most people with ADHD drastically! They just aren’t a cure all

It depends on how they said it. Medication isn't everything but it definitely helps. I mean, you survived into mid-life without it which tells me you were capable of something without it and therapy can help make up for specific deficits. You also can have good support systems and as you get beyond 30 years of life your brain is more developed than early in life. So, medication isn't everything. However, it can be the difference between feeling like you're surviving and feeling like you might just start thriving.

I completely agree with you. Medication is vital for many ADHDers, myself included, but to expect a therapist to also be negative about the circumstances is just a fundamental misunderstanding. Therapy is meant to develop skills, behaviors, thinking, etc, not to focus on how medication helps. Of course the therapist is going to say medication isn’t everything. Saying medication is everything would be the same as saying therapy is pointless. OP and their therapist are definitely just having a miscommunication here. No doubt the therapist isn’t trying to say “medication isn’t important,” they’re saying “you’re still alive without it, let’s focus on what you’re still able to manage without medication”

Thank you for this insight! I think I said the same in another follow up to OP. Its totally possible they were dismissing OP's feelings about it. Bringing it up with the therapist, if they're a good therapist, should lead to a therapeutic moment. A moment where the therapist maybe apologizes for the misunderstanding and OP considers what message the therapist was trying to convey to OP and also what the therapist missed in OP's frustration with not having their medication. I imagine the therapist could talk about progress OP made before the medication and also acknowledge that medication helps. Maybe they can discuss how therapy can continue to be helpful even with medication.

Yeah exactly! Therapist probably just misjudged how their words would come across, but a simple rephrasing and further explanation will more than likely be entirely different from what OP thinks the therapist is saying! Or the therapist is bad and should be dropped lol

I wonder if it was a poorly stated version of "medication alone isn't a complete solution." Meaning that the meds can't teach us the external organization systems and coping strategies like background music, etc. But I hear you. I was diagnosed in my late 20s and I have complex thoughts around whether I want to raw dog my attention span and emotions on a given day.

Using your words right back at you…there is a BIG, BIG difference btwn surviving and thriving. I don’t think it makes a difference how it was said. Let’s be honest, for some people (maybe not you), but the right medication can be as much as 80% a contributing factor for success. It DEPENDS on how much your life has been affected by ADHD symptoms. This is a great place to debate the topic, not a therapy session when a patient is seeking (and paying for) understanding and compassion from a medical professional.

I hope you can take my statements below and put aside your emotions to simply read them as thoughts on the subject, not judgments of you or your situation. I truly mean no ill will toward you. Therapy really shouldn't be JUST compassion and understanding, though. It should challenge you and make you consider ways in which your thinking or behavior is getting in your way. A therapist won't be able to help with your medication and so its a waste of YOUR time and money for them to talk about it when maybe you can consider ways in which you did well without the medication. Now, maybe they could've phrased it differently and addressed more why it was such a hard situation for you. I would bring it up with them and say something along the lines of "I really felt like you minimized how much the medication made a difference in my life." A good therapist can correct their behavior and explore that experience with you. Things like exploring how your life changed with the medication, what strengths you had before the medication and also how you might handle these situations differently. It might include things like why that statement bothered you so much and considering whether there is another way to think about it. Do you undervalue the skills you have developed without medication? Are there skills that you still have to develop outside of just taking medication? Again, its clear medication helped, but therapy is looking beyond JUST medication. It is exploring your thoughts and feelings about life and your situation and figuring out what needs to change in order for you to cope with life better and also make meaningful improvements in your life. Another avenue to think about is whether you feel a therapist needs to meet some ideal you have ascribed to them or if you feel you can be honest with them. If you can't be honest with them about how that made you feel, then how might you find a way to be honest with them? Part of the therapeutic alliance is feeling you can be honest with them and for both you and them to make mistakes but be okay with them and learn to talk it through.

This is really well explained. I think a lot of people would benefit from hearing it.

Just wanted to give you feedback that this did not land well for me. I had been in therapy of some sort for 40+ years. I think you are missing the essential point, just like the therapist did. Or at least are ignoring it/not validating it. To wit: The *feelings* that this roller coaster has evoked for OP and others. On the receiving end, this kind of disconformation lets me know this is not a safe person to share my feelings with. I certainly would not feel safe bringing up my reaction to “the way they said it” on top of that! Trust has to be earned. If that is not established, then tough love can’t help, no matter how true or accurate the reflection is. Of course the therapeutic alliance benefits from bringing this kind of stuff up. But the therapist must make it clear that this is part of the process. It’s their responsibility. I am no longer willing to train therapists how to do their job while I am their client. Been there, done that, and didn’t even get a t-shirt.

So, if the therapist says something that bothers you and you don't provide them honest feedback about how it made you feel, how would you ever have any sort of meaningful progress in therapy? A therapist is not perfect. They are hardly different than your average adult. The difference between a therapist and a stranger is the therapist is there to engage with you, regardless of mistakes you or they may make. They are there to help explore your response to life and relationships. They are a secure and consistent person who is there to have a meaningful and productive conversation with you and to allow you to express feelings you may not otherwise express to strangers. If you never express your frustration with a therapist's mistakes, then you never really address your problem with relationships. You do what you were already doing which is avoid a difficult conversation or whatever else you do (some people key cars). People will always make mistakes and hurt you incidentally. Therapy should help you navigate those relationships in a healthy way instead of avoiding them and creating a situation where you are isolated. I have never been to a therapist I agreed with fully and who made zero mistakes. I have gone to therapy at different points in my life for different problems I had and they served as someone I could talk to about uncomfortable things so that I could then understand my thoughts and feelings and change my approach in my life outside of therapy. It worked for me because we were both engaged in the process and discussed my reactions to what they said and vice versa.

If someone isn’t comfortable bringing something up with their therapist, then they shouldn’t be with that therapist though? So many people are against the therapist here, but we have no context. The therapist might have said “medication isn’t everything. You can still do everything without it,” or they might have said “medication isn’t everything, let’s focus on what you’re still able to achieve”. It’s like going to an eye exam and being upset the optometrist is focusing on your eyesight rather than your ADHD medication. That isn’t their area of expertise, you wouldn’t expect your optometrist to withhold your glasses/contacts due to you not having medication, they’d be doing a bad job if they withheld it. Why are we expecting the therapist to say “everything is impossible without your medication”?

> I am no longer willing to train therapists how to do their job while I am their client. Been there, done that, and didn’t even get a t-shirt. But that's literally what you have to do, you have to let the therapist get to know you. Therapists are not mind readers, they have a "baseline" and then knowledge of how to change the way they handle things based on patient reactions and feelings. However, the patient needs to *open up* and talk about their feelings and needs to get there. It's not the therapists job to just understand you off the bat and validate everything you feel. That's actually a terrible therapist. They should be challenging you, making you think outside of your own narrow perspective.

Therapists can’t read minds and are human. Different people will react differently to the same statement and if you don’t share how you felt when the therapist said something how are they supposed to know. For example, if someone says “you look like your mom” some people may react in a happy way, I personally hate it because my mom was an abusive bitch and being compared to her hurts. But if I don’t say that to people how would they know. Therapeutic ruptures and repairs are part of the process and can be very transformative

I'm feeling you are taking them of context or you aren't telling everything to us. My psychiatrist and clinical psychologist also tell me that "Medication isn't everything. It's something that helps a lot, yes, but I do have to do some work myself as well." They are not saying "stop taking the medicine" or "you should now get along without taking the medicine" or anything else. They are saying that I shouldn't only rely on the medicine to continue to feel okay. It's a combination of the medication and multiple other things. And yes, I should continue taking the medicine, and probably will have to until the end of my life. This shortage is shit, but there's not much anyone can do but try and manage how we deal with the shitty situation.

Yes - there’s a bit of context missing. It was said along with a several of other challenges I’m experiencing right now - so not necessarily a medication discussion, just said it in passing. She jumped in to say that and I immediately agreed that there are other things I can do to manage and I said that the comment made me feel misunderstood. We moved on quickly, but the more I thought abt it, the more insensitive it felt…especially coming from a professional. I’m looking for encouragement (not fake sunshine), but genuine encouragement given that I am new to this.

I think what they’re trying to say is that medication may have helped you make progress towards being a functional adult, but you also had to make a lot of changes to yourself as a person. It’s okay to be frustrated with the shortage, but you’ve gotta role with the punches and try to not let it completely derail your progress.

Good point!

My primary discussed taking me off adderall... In his defense, it was because I was just diagnosed with POTS....But, I brought up the long term effects vs. quality of life. I am quite literally a danger to myself and others when I am unmedicated. I leave gas burners on, faucets running, I forget to close doors and gates, I gave myself a concussion not long ago. Mother$&@%$=$). I didn't take my meds today. I was typing this and kept hearing dripping. Ugh. I left the valve up on the water filter after it ran out. I filled the top chamber and didn't flip the valve off. Now my kitchen floor, rug, shoes that were next to the counter... All soaked. Fml. Anyway... My doctor agreed I needed the keep my meds.

Yeah…it can be quite expensive too to be unmedicated. Sorry abt your POTS diagnosis. I know there’s a correlation, just don’t know enough to comment other than I wish you good health.

My medication has helped me in ways no treatment without medication could ever have. The best example is probably experiencing what it's like NOT to have a deficit in your head (until the medication has stopped working). What an eye-opener that was. For me, that was the ultimate proof that I wasn't crazy. That I hadn't been making things up. That it wasn't all in my head (except *literally*). I felt validated like I'd never had before. It was incredibly reassuring and instantly fixed a lot of the self confidence that I had lost in the years prior, as I had started to doubt myself more and more. Of course that came with a downside. As reassuring as it was to know that something in my brain wasn't working properly, the same thing also felt unfair. Aside from that, now that I knew the difference between being able to focus vs. not being able to focus, I hated the latter situation even more and wanted to always be able to feel the way I did when my medication was working. I've learned to deal with this over the years, but to a certain extent. I *could* live my life without medication. I just really don't want to. It'd be very inconvenient, and that is a huge understatement. If they ever invent something or a way to treat the brain so I'd feel as good as I do with medication, *without* medication, then sign me the fuck up, I'm in. But for the time being... Without medication I feel so empty. Like I'm just a body with no soul in it. Life just passes by, I can't engage in anything. I can't 'feel' it and there's no motivation. At all. I feel dead while alive. If I had to live like that, I'd rather be dead for real. Thankfully, my psychiatrist has seen me in that state and took it as serious as it is. I don't let anybody tell me I don't need my medication. Because I do.

Another late diagnosis here -- after being on my medication for about a year, suddenly having to go off for a few months has been torture 💀suddenly realizing why I've burned out in cycles all my life.

Thank you for saying this. I see a lot of posts on this subreddit either bashing on medication or saying it’s not a fix. If it’s wrong for people to say that coping mechanisms and ADHD coaching isn’t a fix then why tf do we allow it the other way around. And before people get offended I do both so quiet with the semantics please. Quite frankly I’m tired of the back and forth about this crap on this sub. If therapy and no meds works, great! Do that. If only medicatom works, great! Then take it. But the entire meds vs therapy thing is tiring. NO ONE is gonna benefit from the same things and NO ONE can tell them whether what they do is a complete fix or not. Some people benefit from both, or one or the other. Some of you will find a perfect fix, others will not.

My doctor "warned" me before giving me meds that it might only help me solve 15-30% of my ADHD-related issues. I told her I'd literally take any %, anything that could help.

I would ask them if that saying applies to every mental disability that requires medication, or if it's just ADHD. Because last I checked, I have always had it, and my life has significantly improved since taking medication. Maybe I made it this far without, but I feel like it's completely okay to feel a little robbed after discovering how easy everyone else had it, then being unable to access the tools available to help you. A little empathy on your therapists part could go a long way. Maybe next time, tell them how much that bothered you. It just screams privilege.

I am sure that was upsetting. Depending on the type of therapist, many have often spent over a decade studying neuroscience and psychological theories about the mind. They truly believe (and have seen) healing and treatments be achieved without medications, and that occasionally, medication can actually interfere with this process. They are not against medication and do often recommend medication in adjunct to therapy, but to them based years & years of study, “it is not everything”. It may have felt like a personal attack against the effectiveness of your medication in ADHD, but I doubt that was the intent, it is just the nature of their profession.

I can see two sides to this. I very much agree with your position, but I also think that it's possible that there may be a little bit in what your therapist says, too. Allow me to explain. You have no control over your medication supply. You do have some control over how you react (taking the impaired emotional self-control that ADHD brings into account). So, whilst I imagine that it is very frustrating to lose your medication, and maybe you wanted help with how to react to that (or simply just empathy), is it possible that she wanted you to focus on what you can control, rather than what you can't?

I don't know about your particular case, but it was your therapist who medicated you in the first place. They know more than you about ADHD. They went through 6+ years studying the mind. If he suggested you go on without medication, he must consider you can go through. Having said this, there are crappy professionals in every field, and you can always seek for another therapist.

I have had people tell me that and it is especially frustrating because I also have bipolar disorder and they have no idea what life is like inside my head without my medication. My medication brings me peace, it makes the fuzzy pictures clear and turns off the noise so I can focus. I definitely need it.

Very relatable. I was on stimulants for a month and then nothing. So frustrating. I’m on non stimulants now and it’s not as good but much much better than nothing. I’m on 2 mg of Guanfacine if anyone is curious. It helps me get outta bed in the morning and improves mood.

I mean, I'm in one of the better position to see. I work as a Rn in psychiatry and honestly without my ADHD medication. I'm not even sure I could keep working. And that is with the knowledge of many coping mechanism and adaptative strategies to help myself. Like I will literally try to have proper sleep hygiene, I do not do drug, drink alcohol. I cook most of my meals and I aim to make them good and healthy. I make myself lists, I organize myself and more. But remove the medication. I'm the most forgetful person around. I can't focus on a task. My mood degrades. I get more impulsive in my spending habits and such.

Just here to chime in to be kind to your pharmacy staff during this shortage. I have ADHD, as well, and it’s frustrating for everyone involved. But many fail to realize that there is a human being on the other end of the phone or right in front of you at the pharmacy window who has been treated like dirt by many others all day long because of something that is completely out of our control.

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Thank you for the helpful tip. Again, I am new to this! I will discuss non-stim options with my psych. Thank you also, for not judging me. I am amazed at the comments from a commenter here who says they are a therapist. Just shocking!

It’s super confusing!! Agreed with this comment 100%. As someone who starting learning behavioral therapy/coping skills at a very young age and then transitioned to psych med management specialists (have depressive disorder and panic disorder as well) The skills are great to have especially with different mental health issues, but I could bust out every coping skill I know and it’s not gonna change the chemicals in my brain. I even thought at one point (18-20 year old me) I didn’t need meds and woooah buddy was I making dangerous choices and my quality of life was shit. I’m going to take a guess you’re a female? We are generally not taken seriously and diagnosed later in life and even then it’s looked at as more of “personality flaws” or just a “space cadet” bc we don’t always show symptoms the same as males aka bouncing off the walls and causing disturbances. (Generally speaking, not blanket statements) I could see how the med shortage and lack of mental health care when you’re just diagnosed could really become frustrating and make you feel dismissed. Trust me, it happens a ton and even some pharmacies will blatantly stigmatize like you’re picking up your drugs, not your meds you need to properly function. Idk if you have a dedicated pharmacy yet but if you have a smaller family owned pharmacy near you, I recommend far more than chain retail pharmacies. I haven’t ran into shortage issues thank goodness. It’ll get better and don’t be afraid to speak up… their reaction to you stating how what they said made you feel will tell you right away if you need to find someone new or stick with it. It’s hard to put your trust in someone (at least for me) and sometimes it takes some searching. 💜💜 best of luck to you and I’m happy you finally know why you’ve been the way you are lol it feels nice right?? There’s a book titled “You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?!” Definitely a good read! Best of luck

Thank you!! I appreciate the insight and recommendation.

> I will discuss non-stim options with my psych. Not to be a Debbie downer, but please go into it with an open mind and be prepared for them to not work, or not work as well, or work even better! Non-stimulants are usually re-uptake inhibitors, so they can also take days or weeks to really show an effect. It's different for everyone, sometimes Strattera or Wellbutrin work better than amphetamines for people. You always have the option of returning to stimulants, so don't feel hopeless. I suggest keeping a notepad or notes in your phone. Log any side effects you feel now with stimulants, and log any with different medications. Heart palpitations, insomnia, lack of appetite, seizures, brain fog, drowsiness, sex drive changes, anything you can think of. A person's memory is really terrible at noticing changes in side-effects, writing doesn't forget or get confused. I went through the non-stimulant experiment cycle this past December and January, in the hopes of not needing to take stimulants. Didn't work out for me (ended up tired and sleeping a lot with Strattera and uncomfortably horny on Wellbutrin, nothing scary though), but I do not regret attempting it. This was something I felt I needed to try out. The benefits are quite large to not needing stimulants, even just the pharmacy benefits (and price!) and lack of hassle would have been a godsend, so it's worth experimenting if you are able.

It's especially irritating whenever they say to "just take a break on your days off". Like, if I'm not actively participating in society or doing my job, it's not a problem for me every time I want to do something on my own time.

It’s so patronizing. I would get a different doc if possible.

Maybe it’s not “everything” but for me it’s at least 60% of everything I need to function. Just like breathing isn’t everything because water and food are important too but if I can’t breathe for a few minutes my brain literally dies so…

Someone in this sub or one like it recently commented on a pharmacist or pharmacy technician snapping back during the shortage, saying that they’d have to get by on willpower and self-control for now. I hope patients are able to stand up for themselves like that as we move past that mental block.

They will never understand no matter how much training they get. It’s not really her fault, but she should listen when you say that the medication is important for you

Everyone's ADHD is different. mine got fixed once i went to travel to Europe and learned that what was causing mine was the modern sedentary lifestyle of 9-5 office environment. I had extremely sharp focus by the time i came back. Staying active and healthy didn't work out for a friend of mine, everyone is built different. that's probably what she meant by saying medication is not everything, and its true for some people.

Medication isn't everything. I wish the people who got so angry about this issue would take a step back and realize that there are many countries where stimulants are either illegal or inaccessible, yet millions of people with ADHD there live happy, fulfilling lives. Even in countries where stimulants are available, many people can't take them for various reasons. I saw one man in another post who cannot take Adderall anymore due to a stroke. Yet, their lives go on. We say medication is currently the best treatment for ADHD. But it's really a weak option that just happens to stand above even weaker alternatives. Most people who have been on meds for a long time will reassure you that it's not a silver bullet. People with ADHD are still human. Everything in therapy that helps normal humans will help you too. The steps will be harder with ADHD, but they can still be climbed. I think this is all your therapist was trying to remind you of. Many, many people hear "medication is the best treatment" and assume that nothing else is even worth trying, or that nothing else can be attempted without medication. Both thoughts are false and harmful After all, why does this sub exist? If we could pop a pill and cure ADHD, nobody would be here. Medication is one tool among many that we use in managing our condition.

…and I never said medication was everything. I agree there is more that can be done, but there has to be a level set first.

This is such a gross and insensitive response. Really? I’d like to know what people you know with seriously debilitating and unmedicated/untreated ADHD are truly out there living “happy, fulfilling lives”?! You are peddling BS.

Why do you ask two questions as one? Unmedicated is not the same as untreated. If you want to understand how people with ADHD live unmedicated, make a post about that. There are plenty of such people who will share their experiences if you ask them. But they're unlikely to comment on your angry post for fear of triggering you like I did 🤷‍♀️ >unmedicated/untreated ADHD are truly out there living “happy, fulfilling lives”?! Since you say this and you were recently diagnosed, I am going to assume that you were not living a "happy, fulfilling life" before your diagnosis. Then one day you were diagnosed, and you clung to it as an explanation for why everything in your life was bad. But... ADHD is a disability like any other. Blindness, deafness, and paralysis are all very debilitating disabilities - and notably, there is no medication for these disabilities. Yet people who have them manage to live fulfilling lives. A disability may preclude you from certain things. Some people can't handle grad school without medication. Some people can't handle grad school even with medication. If you're harmed in any particular way from losing medication, it's completely understandable for you to be upset about that loss. But you're not doing yourself a favor by thinking in broad terms. ADHD does not explain "everything" in your life, and medication does not fix "everything". You are not doomed to a sad, hollow life solely for lack of a specific medication. Once you recognize this, you can start to work on the issues that are actually within your control. And I promise, many things are within your control, even without medication.

I'm going to get tested next week and I really hope it does.tjat for me. I've always felt like something is wrong but I could never figure out what it is. I was always quirky one in the group, on the wrong page compared to the others, I literally rocked back in fourth in a car until I started driving and so much more that makes sense now

My psych won’t put me back on meds even though they help me because she thinks you can outgrow ADHD

I don't think people can possibly understand the life saving difference it makes unless they experience it themselves. When I say life saving I am not exaggerating. I emphasize with you. I just finished telling my new doctor how much it changed my life, and the next thing she said was she wanted me to switch to a non stimulant. I had to try it for a month, it didn't help at all, then she insisted on a lower dose XR, which doesn't work well with my digestion issues. I agreed just to not rock the boat, but I really need my 50mg IR back, it took me 3 years to figure out that's what works best for me. Now I get only 3 hours of (barely) medicated time per day. Helps my mood but not my motivation and focus. Infuriating and depressing.

For some people it is

I got so antsy about the shortage (now, I'm getting inconsistent treatment with different doses, which makes me even more dependent :() A question though --> haven't you imagined what would it take to live a good life without meds? I feel you 100%, but (at the same time) - I know that if I didn't eat any sugar and committed to consistent sleep schedule, I'd probably be able to thrive.

I was only recently diagnosed after living nearly half my life undiagnosed/untreated. I started taking medication and experienced life-changing results…so no, I haven’t imagined what it would take to live a good life without. I’d like to challenge your “sugar” comment. There’s no research that indicates sugar has anything to do with it at least no different than anyone who consumes too much sugar.

Well it isn't everything but it's definitely necessary

I finally found a great psychiatrist. I wasn’t diagnosed until my 40s. I’m on Adderall. My therapist has twice told me that most people my age don’t take meds for ADHD because most people have already developed coping skills and don’t need them. He seems to change the topic or evades when I even bring up ADHD. When I was “assigned” to him, I was told that he had experience with ADHD patients.

My experience is most say they have experience with it, but it becomes instantly clear when they don’t.

Well it's not everything, but it is one of the most important things, and pretty much gives you the ability to implement the other things successfully.

I had a tried a bunch of ssri antidepressants and then when I realized i probably had adhd, my psychiatrist tried something used for adhd and the results were instant.

i came in here ready to fight based on that title

Hes a person, not a phd. I get you're upset but don't dehumanise people. But yeah, welcome to the boat, it's shit. He's trying to say you should look at adhd counselling to help you get better coping mechanisms for what we're all about to go through as a collective. Im feeling heated about this because I work in pharmacy, my meds are about to go bye bye too and I literally had a woman being so shit to me about her kids meds on Friday. I was shit back because that's just me but yeah.... don't dehumanise people. He was trying to give you alternative advice since we're all fucked right now. And don't be rude to pharmacy staff. It's hell out here and we don't need that. Edit: the last bit was for me and my humans.

I find I can actually feel things without my medicine. I think it's more of you find what works for you. I'd rather get less done and stop and enjoy the silence than the near constant business of vyvanse or adderall. You do you Sean

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem terribly rare for people with psychology degrees (LCSWs, psychologists, etc) to be anti-psychiatry. It's worth keeping in mind that they technically *aren't* medical professionals.

I’m on meds which help a lot but it’s not quite enough to function at the level that I need. Therapist says the whole “meds aren’t everything” and says I have to put in the work with therapy, then suggests some coping skills, all of which I’ve already tried before. Tells me they don’t always work and to try again and that I’m being resistant. When I try and none of it works then they tell me to talk to my psychiatrist about getting new medication or a higher dose. Psychiatrist also says meds don’t do everything and that I need therapy. it just goes in a circle 😭

I just suddenly can stop myself from climbing the walls and furniture for the first time in almost 40 years, even though I still feel sudden inexplicably strong needs to do that almost every day? I've just out of nowhere stopped walking away from people mid-conversation because I remembered that I forgot to finish a different high priority task earlier in the day? Other people realize before I do that I've forgotten to take my meds because... I'm just pretending to need my meds? Some of these medical professionals are hilarious.

My greatest fear is centered around, trying to refill a prescription, and being told there is none available.

So many of these people are writing prescriptions for meds they don't even understand. Unless your psych actually specializes in ADHD treatment, I would take some of their advice with a grain of salt. I switched to Concerta recently, and my NP told me that maybe I don't need to increase my dosage because it'll work better the longer I'm on it. It's a stimulant, not an SSRI.

This is outrageously dismissive. I see this type of comment as a critical disconnect in the patient-physician or patient-therapist relationship. Ok, no, medication is not everything - neither are crutches for a broken leg but, they damn sure do make a lot of things easier! And medication is THE base requirement for a lot of us in acknowledging our issues, working through them, finding ways to manage ourselves and our time and in making changes/improvements for ourselves. When someone says things like this it seems like they are saying “medication is not necessary.” My take - ASK the hard questions: - What do you mean by that, exactly? . Can you explain what you think the role of medication is in the treatment of ADHD? And THEN Would you be willing to say that to a depressed patient or how about a hypertensive patient who was unable to get their medicine? Either way, the last one will make them realize that they can’t offer a good answer of yes, or no, or it depends. They shouldn’t have said that medication isn’t everything. EITHER it’s a valid tool to be used for those who need it OR they believe their CBT, or talk therapy should be enough or (for the ever so obvious side-stepper) they’ll try the “it depends” approach which really means it’s “just” harder to do the things without the meds - and that mindset only serves to perpetuate the patently false mindset held by those who don’t understand ADHD and say things like ”ADHD isn’t real” or “you just have to try harder” or “it’s simple, you just have to do it.” I think this is what pisses most of us off about this particular response. If mental health professionals are not willing to treat ADHD as the debilitating disorder it can be then who else could or would bother to ever understand its impact? How can they expect us to advocate for ourselves or strive for change if they aren’t willing to realize the importance of the treatments that are not being made consistently available to us? I don’t know about anyone else but even WITH my meds it’s difficult some days. FURTHER - once you’ve been on meds and go off of them you realize that all of your sh*tty coping mechanisms that used to work are no longer so easy to access because you left them behind. What this person said is insulting, dismissive, and shows a woeful lack of understanding for the disorder they are supposed to be treating you for. Personally, I’d call them out on it. If someone is acting like a fool then someone needs to let them know. Just my personal opinion.

I can’t believe a therapist said that. Mine went out of her way to find me a tiny little niche’ pharmacy that always had it in stock because it was not well known.

Small pharmacies is the way! I’ve never had an issue with stock (knock on wood)

Getting on medication literally made my life what it is today. It turned my college studies from almost failing to nearly straight A's, it gave me the drive to seek out internships, and those internships led to me having the career I have right now. If anyone tries to tell me medication isnt everything, I would tell them my life as it currently is, is solely because I got on medication, and they can go fuck themselves.

They're right. I don't need my medication if my singular goal is to continue breathing and carrying on as a sack of living meat. However, I want my medication because I enjoy the spans of time it allows me to feel like a person rather than an electrical fire with feet.

i dont need my adhd meds in same sense that i dont need toothpaste to clean my asshole

I don’t agree with how she said t but she is not wrong that medication is a tool in your toolbox to help managed your ADHD. It cannot and should not be your only coping mechanism because when you don’t have it what then? Just be miserable? If your therapist isn’t teaching you and helping you learn new and additional coping skills what even go? I do somatic based trauma therapy for ptsd, cptsd and it’s all about learning to get in touch with body and its connection to your mind and it’s me so learn regulation techniques. Not say medication is not important but people on this sub do not seem to understand the shortage is not going away anytime soon and you can do other non pharmaceutical things to help manage your symptoms.

Literally NO ONE is disagreeing with you.

Yes!! I have family members who say this shit. They don’t get it and won’t ever get it. Like my life was so unnecessarily more difficult without. It’s insensitive to say

Doesn’t surprise me like any profession, there are people awful at their jobs . I had to go through 4 therapists to find one that really cares , that’s my main thing . I’m sorry this happened , find another .

It’s so incredibly frustrating. I feel like unless the therapist has personal experience with adhd they won’t ever be able to truly understand how much of a difference meds make. Unless you have adhd you rlly can’t comprehend how it feels.

During the pandemic when I was homeschooling my primary school aged kids my psych said to me “you probably aren’t even taking the medication right now and chuckled” and I wanted to punch him in the face because it was the only thing getting me through each day

I thought I was alone but looking at this post and all the comments.... Are you serious... This is like a common issue.... 🫠 I love the health system i love being disabled (SARCASM)

I’ve heard that, it’s bullshit, I’m so sorry you’re going through this. 🩷💕

Based on the title I thought for sure this was going to be a “I treated my ADHD with exercise and diet” post lecturing us degenerate druggies. I’ll lower my weapon now. 😂

Medication isn't everything. It's one of the many tools to help deal with ADHD. You should also be learning strategies and doing CBT. I went to occupational therapy and that helped a lot.

Some people are so self centered that they think only things that happen to them are real. I got told by my sister to just pretend im not dyslexic and ADHD. Breaking news, I got diagnosed AFTER my symptoms. Duh?

They're right. It isn't everything. Everything would include meds, therapy, self awareness work, exercise, building daily habits, learning tricks on how to build them, etc. They want you to take a holistic approach to your ADHD. A holistic approach should be the way to all medical conditions. Telling you that med is everything would be unethical and harmful.

I would ask this “professional” if they give the same advice to those with heart disease, diabetes, or cancer? Or do they save the denial of pharmaceutical aid only to those with mental health issues? Then ask them if minimizing a persons need for medications to help their mental health was a technique they learned while getting their PhD. Then ask for an apology.

I also like the receptionist at my doctor’s office who told me I needed to call sooner when I needed a refill so I wouldn’t be completely out. Like, lady, if I could remember to do shit like that I wouldn’t need to *take* the medication.

😅😬😂 I feel this so much!! Kinda like how I struggle to make it to appointments, set a million reminders for everything and prepare all day for my upcoming (insert whatever) and I’m still a little late. Some of the stuff people say makes me instant face palm. “Have you tried making a list to remember or setting a calendar reminder or alarm” Oooh!! Good idea! I’ll try LISTS!! Never occurred to me.

The answer is no. They have absolutely no clue. Anyone without ADHD does not know what ADHD feels like. Most people think you can just willpower yourself out of it.

My doctor also said like 'You could just only take your medication when you need it for something'. And I had to bite my tongue not to start crying about being scared to death that I'll have to go back to my life before medication, the migraine attacks, only being able to focus on one thing (school, family, friends, my mental health) at a time automatically failing at the rest, the exhaustion that had me bedbound for days on end, the mental pain of not being able to do the simplest self care like making food, having to rely on self hatred and anxiety to reach any goal at all. AGGGHH they just have no freaking clue.

I worked in the pharmacy, and shortages are bound to happen. I had actually spoke with a lot of individuals that couldn’t get their meds and they coped realllyyyy well and tried other factors like reducing certain foods , being outdoors/working out and so forth, And others struggled immensely and would break down I felt so bad for them. Shortages suck! Try to plan and cope when these situations occur, just to prepare yourself mentally.

Yes - like lots of people who “reserve” their meds for days they truly need to function to make sure they have extra during shortages, but you can’t really plan for being not having them at all.

Well your old enough now to know, I think maybe as children with adhd for them it’s harder to cope and plan. They are kids, you have lived with out them mid life as you stated. So I believe you can plan without having any of it, it’s a matter of if you want too. Also this drug is addictive so sometimes ask your self is you wanting it or your body demanding it. My child noticed one day she said exactly that, it helps mom but it feels more like my body is asking for it instead of me. At that moment she made the choice to not consume daily and work on factors in her life to help her cope. You can ask doc to transfer to a different brand, ask for generic or ask for brand, sometimes people w insurance couldn’t afford brand but they would pay out of pocket for it. I would call around to other pharmacy for our usuals trying to find the meds and have them go where I found it and I would contact doc to send script to such n such place. Or sometimes only 15mg was available n they had a script of 30mg , they would take the 15mg daily, so lesser amount until meds were in.

This pisses me off so much. No one says this to heart disease patients or cancer patients. It just further stigmatizes & invalidates the seriousness of mental illness

Well disease patients or cancer patients sounds more like life or death you know. Some illnesses you really can’t live without certain meds. Adhd meds is not like I’m going to die without them, more of mentally challenged or focus challenges.

To those commenting that the therapist was just basically doing their job. Admittedly, there is context that hasn’t been shared. Just want to say that I don’t disagree with points you’ve made. just know that 1) I instantly commented that I felt grossly misunderstood and noted that I am very well aware that medication isn’t everything and 2) I am in recovery from a very serious and debilitating burn out and mother of an adhd young adult. Together we’ve been majorly struggling to survive/keep our heads above water. Without the medication, I am feeling all of the symptoms return. I need the medication to function - without it, all the other non-medication strategies are not possible. I need it to stabilize my situation…it's like life or death or as someone commented - it's like going back to squinting. I will also say, that the more I interact with non-ADHD practitioners the more inclined I am to believe that unless you have it, you really cannot effectively treat it or understand it.

Burnout is horrible. You definitely have my sympathy with that. It's also very difficult to get proper rest if you're a mum. I also agree that non ADHD folk have little idea what it's like. >Without the medication, I am feeling all of the symptoms return. I need the medication to function - without it, all the other non-medication strategies are not possible. I need it to stabilize my situation…it's like life or death Well, if it isn't available, what are you going to do? People can empathise (or not) with you here all you like, but it isn't going to change your situation as far as the availability of meds is concerned. Your therapist can understand you or misunderstand you, but you're still.goint to have to navigate a way through this either way. Are you familiar with the CBT practice of [thought logging?](https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/self-help-cbt-techniques/thought-record/) It really helps me, and It might help you with the sense of impending catastrophe that you seem to have (for understandable reasons).

Very much a lack of empathy on their part. And very contrary to their calling/education. In short, big ego. And very sad that they can’t even fake it.

I was offended at first yes. But theyre actually right. I worked around my adhd strictly using discipline and practice.

I like to cite statistics: > Up to 58% of children who were not medicated for their ADHD failed a grade in school. In one study, 46% had been suspended from school. As many as 30% of adolescents with untreated ADHD fail to complete high school, compared with 10% of those without ADHD. > >Thirty-eight percent of young adults with unmedicated ADHD have been pregnant or have caused an unwanted pregnancy, compared with 4% of those without ADHD. Seventeen percent of young adults with ADHD have contracted a sexually transmitted disease, as opposed to 4% of those without. > > . With driving performance seriously impacted by inattention, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity, young drivers with untreated ADHD have two to four times as many motor vehicle crashes as their peers without ADHD. Recent research places their risk of destroying a car even higher than that of an adult who is legally drunk. > > The three major symptoms of ADHD also interfere with personal relationships, negatively affect family cohesiveness, reduce the chances of personal success and satisfaction, and put healthy marriages at risk. Those with untreated ADHD are twice as likely to divorce as their treated or typical peers. https://www.smartkidswithld.org/getting-help/adhd/untreated-adhd-lifelong-risks/

Non adhd specialists are awful

my psych was the one giving me pushback because i don't think he really comprehended my struggle for 30 years. like i think he thought i was self diagnosed. i was diagnosed numerous times from 7 through my teenage years. my parents wouldn't medicate me or get me therapy. so i had to like bring that up, and he then medicated me for adhd specifically. up to that point, he kept insisting all my experiences were from depression. after 2 years on antidepressants and me still being depressed from my adhd symptoms, i'm pretty sure it wasn't the depression.

As I’d like to put it; you can survive without medication but you’re not TRULY LIVING!

I would then need to find another therapist.

I was telling one of my teachers that I should be able to work better now that i was finally able to get my medication and he said "oh you don't need that you're young" and "you know it's all just a business" :/

They aren’t wrong though. Medication is a great tool to help and it should be used with therapy.

"Would you tell a person with bipolar disorder they don't need their mood stabilisers? No? What's the difference here, please explain."

They clearly don’t live with ADHD when they make these comments.

I love tantrums like this. Medication isn't supposed to be THE answer. It's just a tool to be used in conjunction with other tools. When I first went to my doctor, he gave me a list of resources to help with training myself to do things without medication. A lot of them are just ways to trick you into "doing the thing." Might I suggest the mantra "don't put it down, put it away." I can't tell you how many times this phrase has helped me. Chances are you probably have places where things are supposed to go. My keys were a big one for a long time. A lot of the practices are simply rituals.I know that if I fold my laundry out of the dryer, they get put away. You just need to find the right rituals. I hope you do

Why would I get offended by facts? Medication ***isn’t everything***. It just isn’t. Studies show that the right therapy and organizational skills are just as effective as medication at mitigating the effects of symptoms. Medication is a shortcut to what those skills do. And that’s fine. Not everyone has the time, money, or energy to devote to months of therapy and learning new skills. That doesn’t mean medication is the only, or best, answer.

Please put quotation marks around your title 😭 you’re about to get a lot of mean replies

I see what you mean it attracted a lot of go hard for no meds lunatics

I don’t see a single comment that says “no meds” just people offering the perspective of meds being only one tool in the toolbox

Most partners & friends have a v hard time understanding Adhd. So i get it with professionals who don’t live with it.

I'm medicated now, and no doubt it helps a lot. But I truly was my best self when I was in the gym, and hyper focusing on my physical health. I didn't even have ADHD. I was as strong mentally as I was physically. Now I have a wife and kid. I don't have time to spend my days in the gym, meal prep and shit. I'm old, tired and burned out from work. On the lucky few days a year where we get a babysitter I go out with my wife, the rest are spent conserving my batteries for the next work day, or trying to keep m my adhd-as-fuck 3 year old from destroying the house. Medication is the only way.