I’m so tired the caffeine no longer effects me. My ADHD issues are worse. It’s effecting work. I’m getting to work waiting to clock in and sleeping in the parking lot.
I get home and will be tired but by the time I get myself fed and everything cleaned up and the dog and cat cared for and in bed (skipping showers or washing my teeth or brushing my hair most nights) I can’t seem to fall asleep regardless of the exhaustion.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel but it’s two weeks away. And I used to work harder and longer hours. I worked in theatre and events and tech was some of the longest days for a week or two straight so I feel like I should be prepared for this. But apparently I’m out of practice or I’m no longer able to cope like I used to.
At this point whether it’s the ADHD or age making it harder no longer matters I just need tips for surviving until life lets up.
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Drink plenty of water too. We’re awful for not realising how little we’ve drank.
I am 99% sure I would either starve or die from dehydration, if I were alone
I’ve been eating less because of a new medication, and found out I was almost insufficient on vitamin B12. Since taking a supplement I’ve had much more energy. Same with vitamin D but that takes longer to bring up.
Get your thyroid checked if you can, and rule out anemia too. Might also be a good idea to check for low vitamin D levels, that can also cause pain, fatigue, burnout, brain fog.
It may be depression with ADHD, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome but get your thyroid checked and other things.
I just had full blood work done in August when the fatigue was starting to get very noticable. all levels considered normal.
Oh that’s good then, a lot of people get diagnosed with depression and other issues and metabolic problems get overlooked and not tested for. I hope you feel better it really sucks to have burnout and fatigue.
Did they check ferritin or just how much iron is in your blood?
When I was iron deficient from a medical issue, the initial blood tests showed “normal” iron levels. I had to advocate hard to get a ferritin test, because they weren’t convinced that I “needed” it. But lo and behold, the results came back as being incredibly low. Supplementing made me feel much better almost immediately.
Surprised to find nobody has suggested exercise yet. It helps you fall asleep and gives you more energy when you’re awake.
This is very true. It can be hard to get started but it makes a huge impact
Have you tried professional help? I mean, I’m all for us helping out each other but I suppose your issues are mental and not physical. And that is just an assumption so maybe start with a consultation with a GP.
Coffee can give you a little boost but it’s not something you can rely on in the long run.
I don’t want to scare you, but seriously, do NOT just try to push through the burnout by yourself “until life lets up” and leave it at that - I tried that, and all that happened was a break-down, and afterwards not being able to work, period, for several months. My life back then was not sustainable for my body, and it told me through burnout as a last measure to get me to stop living like that.
In recovery, I’ve also met people who went farther than me (often medication-assisted) and did themselves literal organ damage - one lady had a nearly complete shut-down of the adrenal glands, another had a series of mini-strokes due to elevated blood pressure… it gets bad.
You say there are only two weeks to go, and I wish you the best to get there in one piece. Do try exercising, avoiding screens for two hours before bed, listen to an audiobook to fall asleep, try lavender tea or something, use all the tips.
But please know that afterwards it will not necessarily be over, the exhaustion may stay or come back easily, and you really, really need to reach out to a professional, your GP or psychiatrist and look into treatment options, not just coping options.
Wish you all the best!
Thank you for the words of caution. Having been through burnout and recovery (+therapy, etc.) myself I can 100% second this. Burnout never fully leaves; I always compare it to permanent brain injury. NO JOB IS WORTH BURNING YOURSELF OUT OVER. I ended up selling my company and never regretted it. I’m in a much better place now, doing a job that is meaningful even if underpaid. And I’ve decided against working 100% again, despite the financial downside.
I know this sounds bonkers, but Lion’s Mane mushroom extract. I tried it after I was unable to get my Vyvanse for a few days, and it’s a very clean awake feeling, no jitters. I use it on the weekends so I can save Vyvanse for work days now that the supply is iffy.
I need to get more. It is legit. I don’t know how the quality of the supermarket stuff but I had some from a local farmers market and it was awesome. The guy grows all the mushrooms himself and sells them fresh and dried and the extracts. He also sells the stuff to grow your own. But the fresh stuff he had was really helpful to me before I knew I had ADHD. I just thought I had brainfog but that stuff really helped with focus for me.
I’m on meds now that help too but I’d like to get some more lions main as well
Do you sleep soundly? Do you snore? I was borderline narcoleptic because of the methylphenidate before I was successfully diagnosed with sleep apnea. We ADHDers tend to be running with such high levels of stimulants (whether prescription, chugging coffee or just techno) that it can mask sleep disorders, thyroid issues, low iron anemia, or other fatigue issues. This can come on gradually so don’t be too quick to dismiss it as age alone.
I had similar issues, the also initially thought it was thyroid issues.
Do you have allergies? Take allergy meds if you’ve noticed issues. Wash your sheets if it’s been awhile, that can make your allergies way worse than you realize. If you snore because of allergies or other reasons and don’t know it it can really fatigue you during the day, speaking from experience. When I started taking a vested interest in dealing with my allergies my energy was better.
Caffeine never really worked for me, vitamin b drops in a flavored water worked decently, and energy drinks work well. Bang works pretty good but fucks up my stomach. Monster works ok and fucks up my stomach a little less, and Ghost is my go to these days if I need one. It’s like the taurine and vitamin b in them helps more than caffeine for some reason.
Additionally, I know it’s hard, but try to make goals for yourself, essentially a “why do I want to do this, what am I working towards?” If you have an answer to that, it’s a lot easier to get motivated
Have you seen a psychiatrist and are you taking any medication?
Chronic insomnia is a common symptom of ADHD. Your body doesn’t produce melatonin as quickly as it should. Another common problem is because we can’t sleep, we sit around doing things that make it even more difficult to fall asleep like staring at a screen. My nightly regemin is to to take 5 mg of Melatonin and put on blue light filter glasses (the ones that have an orange hue) 2 hours before bed time. Then I take diphenhydramine (aka Benadryl) at bed time. I also sleep with a weighted blanket which helps me stay asleep.
It’s not perfect but I sleep much better than I used to.
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That’s good to know. I haven’t experienced any negative side effects but I don’t doubt what you’re saying. I wonder why it gets marketed as a sleep aid (or put into sleep aids) so often with that many known side negative effects?
That’s a really high dose of melatonin. If you take that much, your body depends on it and stops producing it naturally. Most people only need about .25 mg.
My psych told me “your body can’t even process that much melatonin”. I figured out the dose that worked for me with trial and error so YMMV.
This is a lot of good advice, and if it doesn’t make a difference it’s definitely time to either see the doctor or the psych.
If 5 mg melatonin works for you then you should keep taking it, but for anyone else considering taking melatonin be aware that it’s a weird ass drug (technically a hormone) that typically works better on lower doses. They make it up to 10 or 15 mg and that’s excessive, 1-3 mg is good for most people. I take 2.5 mg and it works well.
Take medical leave by letting your dr know u need a break. Let drs help get you some time and space to recuperate.
This is exactly what those “disabillity insurancw premiums” exist for
I found a coping strategy that works for me:
When at work, a stimulating strain of cannabis does miracles. 2-3 breadths from the vapo (low temperature around 194 °C) and I can hyperfocus on my tasks. (side note: be careful not to overwork, and don’t do it every day. You may burn yourself out.)
Smoke a calmative strain within the last 3-4 hours before going to bed.
Honestly, I’m with you on the latter part at least. I’ve also found cannabis (usually a indica gummy for me) is a great sleep aide, and it’s at least said to be less habit forming that melatonin, which people take commonly. I now semi-regularly take a cannabis gummy on Sunday nights to get me ready for my early Monday meeting and the start of the week.
I don’t know about taking any during the day though, at least in my experience it leaves me a bit too scatterbrained and dyslexic to work with code/text. (I also haven’t being diagnosed with ADHD so I don’t know how it might affect people who have it.)
I’m not sure why people are voting you down, but I’d guess it’s because of the conservative, misguided and draconian pot laws in much of the world. Where I live cannabis has been legal for almost a decade, and it’s cheap and very easily available to any adult. It’s not for everyone and that’s perfectly fine, but in my opinion there’s absolutely nothing wrong with moderate and responsible drug use if it makes your life a little bit better.
Have you tried crack cocaine?
Indeed I have good sir, why else would you think I need help sleeping.
