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ADHD Update

Posted in Personal

As I briefly mentioned in my BWIPS 2023 post, I’ve adjusted my treatment for ADHD recently. Before I get into it, for those who haven’t read my ADHD journey post, allow me to give you a quick overview of what’s been going on.

When the massive Cicada Brood X emergence happened in 2021, my ADHD, which I’d always thought was under control, went haywire. I couldn’t deal with the sounds. I had significant issues with impulsive behaviors, mainly eating and shopping. I also learned that many behaviors I thought were unique to me were actually classic ADHD issues.

Jim suggested I try L-methylfolate (LMF) — a nutritional supplement containing the biologically active form of the B9 vitamin folate (cancer.gov) — as it is a big help to him. At the time, I was expecting a miracle cure, and didn’t get one, so I stopped taking it.

Instead, within a few months, I was on a non-stimulant medication, guanfacine, that helped a bit with focus, and gave me enough control over my impulsive behaviors that I at least didn’t feel like I was just a passenger in my own body.

Resisting impulses was still hard, but mostly doable. And that’s pretty much how life progressed for the next year. Athena’s illness upped the stress levels, and, in an attempt to mitigate the subsequent increase in symptoms, I decided to try LMF again.

This time, however, I did my research and wasn’t looking for a miracle cure. Methylfolate is a processable form of folate — AKA folic acid or B9. The methylfolate is converted into amino acids for a variety of the body’s functions, including the manufacture of serotonin and dopamine. (If you want to dive into how that this can tie into ADHD, I suggest reading ADDitude’s article MTHFR: Another Piece of the ADHD-Genetics Puzzle.)

My hope was that I would be less susceptive to impulsive actions/behaviors. After all, they are, in essentials, my brain wanting dopamine or serotonin. So, if that was better regulated, maybe it would help.

And, so far, I seem to be right. I started LMF of February 24. Here I am, about a month later, and I can fairly easily talk myself out of impulsive eating and purchases. I’m also more cognizant of when I’m full and can more easily stop eating. It will likely seem small to most readers, but I actually ate only half a piece of cake the other day, saving the rest for later, because I realized I was satisfied. For me, that’s huge!

I certainly don’t claim LMF is a miracle supplement. However, given the lack of risk — if your body doesn’t need it, you pee it out — easy of purchase — we get it on Amazon for less than 25 cents a day — and the potential gain, I’d advocate for any ADHD’er to at least try it. You’ve got nothing to lose, after all.


Thanks for reading to the end, I hope you enjoyed my post. Are you aware of LMF? Do you take it? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.

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4 Comments

  1. Chris
    Chris

    Hi Rachel – thank you for sharing about this supplement. It sounds like something that may help me a lot. I use intermittent fasting (with a specific/short eating window that seems to work well for me) to control for the most part my eating. But, purchasing of books and pens ++ has been so tough to manage here lately and now I’m facing some solo travel. I’m just looking for anything that will help some more. I really appreciate you sharing about ADHD … it’s very helpful!

    March 22, 2023
    |Reply
    • I’m happy to share. I hope it helps you. 😊

      March 22, 2023
      |Reply
  2. Kristy - needlegrrl
    Kristy - needlegrrl

    Thank you for sharing! I just ordered a bottle of the l-methylfolate to try! I was diagnosed with ADHD last year, after I started having a lot of trouble with, well, everything! Stimulants helped, but I can’t take them due to Raynaud’s.

    March 22, 2023
    |Reply

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