{"id":9942,"date":"2023-03-22T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/?p=9942"},"modified":"2023-03-21T21:50:02","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T01:50:02","slug":"adhd-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/adhd-update\/","title":{"rendered":"ADHD Update"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div>\n<p>As I briefly mentioned in my <a href=\"\/blog\/bwips-2023\/\" data-type=\"post\">BWIPS 2023<\/a> post, I&#8217;ve adjusted my treatment for ADHD recently. Before I get into it, for those who haven&#8217;t read my <a href=\"\/blog\/adhd-journey\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"7786\">ADHD journey post<\/a>, allow me to give you a quick overview of what&#8217;s been going on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>When the massive Cicada Brood X emergence happened in 2021, my ADHD, which I&#8217;d always <em>thought<\/em> was under control, went haywire. I couldn&#8217;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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jim suggested I try L-methylfolate (LMF) \u2014 a nutritional supplement containing the biologically active form of the B9 vitamin folate (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/publications\/dictionaries\/cancer-drug\/def\/l-methylfolate\">cancer.gov<\/a>) \u2014 as it is a big help to him. At the time, I was expecting a miracle cure, and didn&#8217;t get one, so I stopped taking it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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&#8217;t feel like I was just a passenger in my own body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Resisting impulses was still hard, but mostly doable. And that&#8217;s pretty much how life progressed for the next year. Athena&#8217;s illness upped the stress levels, and, in an attempt to mitigate the subsequent increase in symptoms, I decided to try LMF again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This time, however, I did my research and wasn&#8217;t looking for a miracle cure. Methylfolate is a processable form of folate \u2014 AKA folic acid or B9. The methylfolate is converted into amino acids for a variety of the body\u2019s functions, including the manufacture of serotonin and dopamine. (<em>If you want to dive into how that this can tie into ADHD, I suggest reading ADDitude&#8217;s article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.additudemag.com\/mthfr-adhd-genetics-puzzle\/\">MTHFR: Another Piece of the ADHD-Genetics Puzzle<\/a>.<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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&#8217;m also more cognizant of when I&#8217;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&#8217;s huge!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I certainly don&#8217;t claim LMF is a miracle supplement. However, given the lack of risk \u2014 if your body doesn&#8217;t need it, you pee it out \u2014 easy of purchase \u2014 we <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Opti-Folate-L-Methylfolate-Capsules-Optimized-Activated\/dp\/B07KPJ5PXS\">get it on Amazon<\/a> for less than 25 cents a day \u2014 and the potential gain, I&#8217;d advocate for any ADHD&#8217;er to at least try it. You&#8217;ve got nothing to lose, after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>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&#8217;d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Make sure to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.us16.list-manage.com\/subscribe?u=d9c28d9c11226013eb8c0544e&amp;id=fb56c60d55\">subscribe to my blog<\/a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/randomly_._rachel\/\">follow me on Instagram<\/a>&nbsp;so you don\u2019t miss any posts. I generally post at least once a week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I&#8217;ve recently adjusted my ADHD treatment to include l-methylfolate, and I&#8217;m sharing the differences it&#8217;s made. <\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/adhd-update\/\">Keep Reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">ADHD Update<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9951,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[107],"tags":[353],"class_list":["post-9942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-about-me","tag-adhd","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/adhI-featured.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Z77k-2Am","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8575,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/its-an-adhd-thing\/","url_meta":{"origin":9942,"position":0},"title":"It&#8217;s An ADHD Thing?!","author":"Rachel","date":"November 29, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I've recently learned that something I do quite often is likely an ADHD thing, and it's made me a bit self-conscious. Do you do this, too?","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Personal&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Personal","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/about-me\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Twitter post: When people with ADHD bring personal anecdotes into conversations, we aren't trying to \"make everything about us.\" We just listen to what you're saying and get excited by the instant connections we're making to things we've experienced","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/2b6d902a6cf7b11b5a75c98104e78cb4.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/2b6d902a6cf7b11b5a75c98104e78cb4.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/2b6d902a6cf7b11b5a75c98104e78cb4.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/2b6d902a6cf7b11b5a75c98104e78cb4.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/2b6d902a6cf7b11b5a75c98104e78cb4.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7786,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/adhd-journey\/","url_meta":{"origin":9942,"position":1},"title":"My AD(H)D Journey","author":"Rachel","date":"July 8, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm sharing my journey with AD(H)D, especially recent struggles. I hope this post will inspire at least one person to seek assistance.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Personal&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Personal","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/about-me\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/adhd-IGSm.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15896,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/hyperfixation-hobby\/","url_meta":{"origin":9942,"position":2},"title":"Hyperfixation Hobby","author":"Rachel","date":"October 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"My ADHD is flaring with a new hobby that has become a hyperfixation. Find out what's going on and how it's affecting my blog.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Personal&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Personal","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/about-me\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Close up of beginner yarn","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/beginnerYarn.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/beginnerYarn.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/beginnerYarn.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/beginnerYarn.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/beginnerYarn.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/beginnerYarn.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8602,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/slowing-the-shopping\/","url_meta":{"origin":9942,"position":3},"title":"Slowing the Shopping","author":"Rachel","date":"November 23, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I have problems with impulse purchases. But I've found little reminders that give me a few extra seconds to control my shopping. I'm sharing them with you.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Fountain Pens&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Fountain Pens","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/fountain-pens\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/slowingShopping-IGSm.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10341,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/genetic-testing-for-mental-health\/","url_meta":{"origin":9942,"position":4},"title":"Genetic Testing for Mental Health","author":"Rachel","date":"June 13, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"If you haven't heard of uses for genetic testing in treating mental illness, or if you aren't happy with your current treatment, I suggest you read this post.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Personal&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Personal","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/about-me\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/genetic-featured.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14697,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/2024-reading-challenge\/","url_meta":{"origin":9942,"position":5},"title":"2024 Goodreads Reading Challenge","author":"Rachel","date":"January 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Another year gone means another Goodreads reading challenge complete. I'm sharing my results with you because data. *grin*","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Blogger&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/goodreads_featured.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9942"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9952,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9942\/revisions\/9952"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}