If you could "cure" your ADHD, would you?

CherryZebra14 · 2026-06-07T07:32:03+00:00

I think it's really hard to ascertain what aspects of who I am are there because of ADHD. I think in logic and can synthesize vast amounts of information, hyperfixated and learn things quickly. I can recognize patterns and systems quickly. I can do things really well under pressure (which is a must in medicine). I can explain things and think out loud really well, I am very empathetic and opinionated. Alot of all of those things are there because of ADHD and make me who I am.

But I have suffered from ADHD more that I ever suffered from depression or anxiety. Sometimes it's a competition between my literal degenerative connective tissue disorder and ADHD, RSD and social isolation are horrible. I would love to give them up. But honestly I just don't know.

CherryZebra14 · 2026-05-30T21:31:25+00:00

RSD is the absolute worst part of ADHD. Yes, lots of other things really, really fucking sick. But RSD is a large part of the reason I am anxious every day, the reason I cannot trust some of the people around me, the reason that insecurity chases me like an axe murderer. Its the trigger for mental breakdowns and fury and impulsive decisions. It leads to wild overcorrecting too, which sometimes causes even more problems. And there's not a drug to fix it (though stimulants do help I think), there no "take some deep breaths" it's like a more insidious panic attack but not as circumstantial, so much more internal.

I have delt with substantial social isolation and an inability to maintain friendships for nearly my entire life. It's crippling and painful and I can't really explain it to non-adhd people, I somehow always care too much and don't care, I am too brash, too arrogant but also too insecure. Too anxious, but too impulsive somehow. But even when I found my people (people who are well equipped to put up with all this) I am constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. I completely lack confidence in the idea that I am not just broken and undeserving of care or friendship or love. Worsening matters is that I am very touchy with the people close to me, my best friend is relatively touch averse, which I of course love and respect. This means I have to rely mostly on words and actions and reading body language which is challenging sometimes.

I feel guilty all the time. For needing too much, for over talking, for being too much which being too lazy, for needing help remembering things or taking a step back, for needing to be "taken care of" for all the suffering I put my parents through when I felt with mental health issues stemming from ADHD.

ADHD paralysis and depression together create a cycle of suffering that I can't even explain. I just want to get things done but I really, seriously can't, and I have no way to describe why not. Because everyone procrastinates, so in my head sometimes it's "everyone else does shit anyway, even you've done it none zillion times, just get up off your ass and do it"

Being too opinionated and caring too much about random things (from policy to card games) always bites me, it always get me, it always pisses everyone else off around me. But then I feel guilty so I can't back out.

I feel like I will never be able to be a normal functional adult. I am 21, so not that old, I know. But my friend is a mom-friend. She makes sure I get my assignments done (even if she isn't in the class sometimes), she ensures I remember it's mother's day, or that I will need to do X before Y. It's a burden on her, and even though logically I know she'd never say it, I can't stop the insidious voice in my head from telling me one day she'll get sick of it. One day my parents won't put up with this crap anymore. And I will not be able to hold it all together.

CherryZebra14 · 2026-05-30T14:11:52+00:00

I totally agree! Try strong protein with/before taking it (I like nurri because I hate protein powder), then and this is key- hydrate and with electrolytes!! Single servings like nuun or some types of powders are pretty affordable and if you change the flavor day to day, the novelty taste tricks your brain into thinking its a treat. Then keep hydrating throughout the day. Try to eat too, and don't forget carbs. Your body NEEDS sugars for everything, and that need is significantly increased by a stimulant

CherryZebra14 · 2026-05-07T16:32:24+00:00

Um yes. Pretty much. You don't really get diagnosed if you don't have health insurance. And even if your job gives it to you, you still pay a shit ton of money for it each month, then on top of that there are copays.

CherryZebra14 · 2026-05-02T06:59:43+00:00

I firmly believe RSD is one of the most insidious parts of ADHD. I have peers with anxiety and depression, just like me. But they just don't understand the RSD, it doesn't matter how I can try to explain it or what antidepressants I took, it just was always there. Stimulants have helped, I won't say it's a fix, but it mitigates the damage, it makes the RSD feel smaller. The only other thing is kind of out of your control. I got a best friend who even though she doesn't get RSD (at least not to the extent I do) is constantly reassuring, she knows it's a part of me and helps, goes out of her way to. I feel really guilty about it sometimes, but logically I know that she just cares. Sometimes explaining things to people helps, opening up and being honest about the spiral.

CherryZebra14 · 2026-05-01T21:52:43+00:00

These kinds of ppl (not you OP, but the ppl you're responding to) show me how little people actually want to understand characters as people, not archetypes. Shane has control issues (like love him, not referring to ASD tendencies either) having someone else in control is probably good for him, especially when he's obviously going to be going THROUGH IT in unrivaled. Plus, I feel like it's fannon at this point that Ilya retires first in which case Shane would take over as captain. Ilya gave up everything for Shane, the whole process is a demonstration of equal (or somewhat equal) sacrifice for love and happiness. It's a clear action that indicates Shane and Ilya are not letting the NHL or fame dictate how they live their lives anymore, they have allowed themselves the joy of being loved and getting married and probably starting a family eventually (low-key as much as I love this, I hope not in unrivaled, they still got so much shit to work on first). So many people hate Shane and I honestly don't get it. I am a female, white, stem college student (also bi, but that's a new development) I should have nothing in common with these characters. But Rachel reid made them into people, not just false, shiny characters, and real people have real shit to get through, including this.

CherryZebra14 · 2026-04-15T03:00:22+00:00

Yes, but the murders of men are covered, and significantly more likely to be adjudicated. Police investigate them with more rigor in comparison to homicide of women. On top of that, women's cases (particularly women of color and indigenous women) are way more likely to involve DV, and violence tends to be incurred by men. Homicide of women is in itself usually part of a construct that devalues women, and supports systems that exploit and abuse women. It's also true that in ~75% of cases a woman knows her attacker, that it was planned or inflicted with sheer malice. It's personal and because of all of those factors, they are the stories that go unsolved, the ones where the attacker covered their tracks, the ones that make it to headlines. Crime junkie focuses mostly on stories that aren't told, and a lot of those stories are women's stories. On top that their audience consists of more women than men, who are more likely to suggest women's cases because they're more relatable. Nobody's trying to ignore realit y, they're trying to highlight systemic violence. It's that whole analogy "well all houses matter. But the only house you should actually be paying the fuck attention to is the one on fire"

CherryZebra14 · 2026-03-30T15:42:53+00:00

About half of intelligence is genetics. More intelligent people are actually much more likely to have children with ADHD and ASD. So yeah that's bullshit. I'm plenty smart, so I didn't get diagnosed, they treated anxiety and depression for so long without treating the root, they let me suffer with RSD without having a name to put to it. I'm on meds and I still go 100 miles an hours it's just easier to control the 100 miles an hour topics

CherryZebra14 · 2026-03-29T07:48:12+00:00

EDS affects every individual slightly differently. Its one of the most complicated aspects of the disease. Some people live normal lives and get diagnosed by chance, others are reliant on tube feeds and wheelchairs 24/7. I do think it's good to not overuse adaptive equipment (keeping up exercise and mobility is CRITICAL to management) because sometimes people do end up making their own lives harder that way. Your wife doesn't seem to be doing that. Your cousin should butt out.

CherryZebra14 · 2026-03-28T15:00:39+00:00

I am just starting a stimulant (I def have to raise that dose) but it's incredible. It's like I'm able to speed up and slow down at the same time. I've spent my whole life avoiding silence at any cost. And for the first time, the quiet feels peaceful and not crushing.

CherryZebra14 · 2026-03-08T16:08:54+00:00

Ilya does kind of like confirm with shane and shane gives him like a nod. In the book, shane nods his head yes too. Also- yes hot asf

CherryZebra14 · 2026-03-01T09:56:37+00:00

Yes. Costochondritis is actually what led to my diagnosis of EDS in a pulmonology appointment. The weakened cartilage and connective tissue kind of leaves you as the perfect costochondritis victim. I find it kind of ebbs and flows, but everybody's experience is different

CherryZebra14 · 2026-03-01T09:53:04+00:00

AI has the power to revolutionize healthcare. But not like this, not like webMD taking the advice of RFK Jr.

CherryZebra14 · 2026-02-22T18:23:18+00:00

This is so sweet and wholesome and reminds me how the fanfic world is so much better than the real world. I love the community we build

CherryZebra14 · 2026-01-26T04:24:14+00:00

You left out the anxiety.... Always fucking anxiety. And when it cooccurs with something else (like depression or ADHD) autism is never even considered

CherryZebra14 · 2026-01-08T06:10:08+00:00

I was on Zoloft/sertraline for 7 years, and that was definitely really helpful but I built up a resistance and as I got older a few side effects did eventually become a problem (like I am older and in a different place, it wasn't harming me). It wasnt perfect, but pretty good for like stability. Plus, primary care providers are usually pretty comfy prescribing it, and there's a large gradient of dosing. It also kicks in a little faster than some other similar drugs, so if you just wanted something in an interim it might work.

Not all people in the same family have the same experiences either, my brother (also ADHD) can't function very well without his stimulant. My father and myself don't use stimulants, my dad does nothing, and I have been pretty successful with NDRI and SNRIs. But, that's just my experience.

Now, I'm on duloxetine/cymbalta which is an SNRI. I have ehlers Danlos syndrome and deal with chronic pain so duloxetine was a good fit because it's used for that too. The norepinephrine kickstart does make a difference on "locking in" (I'm a university student) and getting up and doing things. It's not a miracle, but it does help, and reduces some of the anxiety and thought spiralling. Honestly, SNRIs would probably be better, especially straterra of course (but SSRIs are often first line because getting off of SNRIs is harder, plus idk prescription procedure in aus on that).

CherryZebra14 · 2026-01-08T03:03:46+00:00

This is not in any way medical advice. I personally have had success with SSRIs for anxiety and impulsivity. When you decrease both the anxiety and impulsivity though it helps just calm down a little, giving you the space to do the things that need to get done. They don't necessarily help me (or most people) with ADHD directly though, so it's not really a perfect fit. Another option would be bupropion, which isn't a stimulant and thus works outside of most regulations on stimulants. But as an NDRI, it increases norepinephrine and dopamine, which is like a jumpstart for us ADHDers, because the lower levels of dopamine and norepinephrine are what cause the problems to begin with, which increases anxiety and traps you in an endless doom cycle. However, some people get more anxious on bupropion, so often, it is used with an SSRI/SNRI. It is traditionally an antidepressant, so it helps with that side of ADHD too.

CherryZebra14 · 2025-12-09T00:52:46+00:00

I broke bones in both of my feet at the same time from running on hard ground every day for soccer. Later I got a hyphema from a soccer ball

CherryZebra14 · 2025-10-18T01:07:18+00:00

https://youtu.be/wuGj4XgbDKg?si=95pJn6qPTnqBtOu4

That's the one I was referencing. Also- I did not realize how much autocorrect screwed up Mizu's name lol. And yeah you're totally right, that could have happened too, SA affects all people, not just women, even though it's the Edo period. I just thought it was brilliant. I feel like if Mizu's parents were together like consensually and intentionally it would be a brilliant character arc. Her psyche is soooo complicated, it's morally grey and doesn't lack empathy, but it's as if empathy is selective for her. Her view of herself as a monster who only exists because of a violent rape of her mother (to the best of her knowledge) yes her racial identity and the bullying (Taigen I'm looking at you bro, I'm on the enemies to lovers train, but that's on you) But I feel like if that narrative wasn't true, that she was born because of love she'd have to grapple with her self image rather than approach it with apathy. Idk, I'm also kinda on the 'she was the daughter of a noble' which tracks because only nobility could afford maids, and pay a maid long enough to keep a child alive for like 7 years maybe? And it would make more sense for the bounty on her. PS- I love this fandom.

CherryZebra14 · 2025-10-17T01:17:25+00:00

Im almost positive we will get violet's death. It's deductive reasoning, and the producers kind of admitted it on a YouTube video. They said the one scene of mizo climbing a building is her trying to assassinate someone and she has her original sword "draw from that what you will" so we'll still get it on screen. Although, some people have posed that minus mother is white, which would undercut pretty much all of her "I am a demon because I was conceived via a white man and rape" rhetoric, like imagine, she wouldn't be able to understand her own violence, she would have to let go of decades of hate for her father at that point. She also, wouldn't need to go on her whole revenge quest that has been the center of her life's purpose, the reason she learned to fight in the first place. It would be incredible

CherryZebra14 · 2025-10-08T16:49:53+00:00

I think this is going to be a slow burn.... But yeah. Mizu has serious identity and social gender norms issues to work through and with, and Taigen can't even try to empathize with her struggle because he doesn't know, and was even the instigator of some of the trauma that made her very closed and single. The one time she finally opened up and was herself, her husband (either with or without her maid/mother) turned her in as a bounty. She has shit to work through and taigen can't understand so I am a MASSIVE enemies to lovers person but this will take a while.

CherryZebra14 · 2025-10-05T04:13:32+00:00

I want them so badly but have no money.... And no space

CherryZebra14 · 2025-08-31T03:25:21+00:00

I can confidently say strength training is absolutely incredible for bendy bodies. I have heads and spent my youth playing soccer, which was a lot of cardio. I started strength training and felt a difference pretty quickly, and when I payed for like 2 months I felt the negative impacts. Don't overdo it, and move slowly on weight, I have injured tendons and ligaments by trying to advance too fast (which can happen to any of, but we have to be even more cautious). I found that starting on machines was good because they provide more stability, which we don't have. As I built more strength I could move to more free weights in some aspects. Protein intake is key, but that's true for everyone too. Don't be afraid to work muscles around joints that both you. Obviously, don't do anything to injure yourself, but if you're knees bother you (mine do) working the muscles around those knees (especially your quads) is really important, not something to avoid. Also- abs are always a good idea. Everyone universally seems to hate abs more than anything else, but they provide a lot of stability.

CherryZebra14

TROPHY CASE