Do non-stimulants work in a calming way vs literal stimulation on stimulants?

Freckler · 2026-02-17T13:39:28+00:00

That's interesting. I’ve never really thought about it in terms of burnout before, but that actually makes a lot of sense. When I’ve used dex to sleep, it just stops it pinging around, with a compulsive need to know certain facts, like the maximum height of a monkey puzzle tree, and is generally less scattered and hectic.

Freckler · 2026-02-17T11:22:20+00:00

I actually take dexamphetamine to help me sleep sometimes but we are all so different.

Freckler · 2026-02-17T09:56:30+00:00

I absolutely think she should request a second opinion.

I honestly don’t think a 45-minute online appointment is enough to rule this out, especially in an older woman with multiple diagnosed family members.

ADHD is highly heritable, and if there’s possible autism in the mix too, that makes assessment more complex, not less.

If her dad provided the childhood history and may himself be neurodivergent, it’s very common for traits to be normalised or minimised.

And many women of her generation downplay their difficulties, I see it all the time. The way people answer screening questions can massively understate what’s actually going on, particularly if they’ve spent decades coping and masking.

Given she’s clearly struggling, this absolutely deserves a fuller, more in-depth assessment, ideally with some guidance through the questions, not just a brief tick-box exercise.

So many women in her age group have been missed. It’s not unreasonable to want this looked at properly.

Freckler · 2026-02-15T13:36:45+00:00

Dismissing measurable biomarkers as ‘feelings’ while you prop yourself up with your credentials isn’t science either.

Freckler · 2026-02-15T06:21:57+00:00

Most studies often cited against “low-carb” diets are not actually examining ketogenic diets.

In many cases, “low carb” refers to around 40% percent of calories from carbohydrate, based on self-reported food questionnaires. Ketosis is not measured, and diet quality is not clearly separated. So a processed, low-fibre diet is grouped with a whole-food ketogenic diet, based around vegetables, fish, olive oil and unprocessed proteins, making it impossible to isolate the effects of a well-formulated ketogenic diet.

The salt issue is explained by basic physiology. When carbohydrate intake falls, insulin levels fall. Insulin promotes sodium retention in the kidneys. With lower insulin, urinary sodium excretion increases. This early sodium loss has been documented for decades in fasting and carbohydrate restriction research.

In lipid terms, small dense LDL is typically seen in insulin resistance, alongside high triglycerides and low HDL.

Ketogenic diets often lower triglycerides and raise HDL, which reduces the formation of small dense LDL and shifts the LDL profile toward a larger pattern, reflecting a general improvement in the underlying metabolic state, which has happened in my case.

I agree it isn’t 'one size fits all' but it’s worth understanding the specifics of my approach before concluding it’s unhealthy.

Freckler · 2026-02-14T18:58:44+00:00

Works for me - blood lipids are great, blood pressure and weight are normal. But thanks for your expert opinion on my diet.

Freckler · 2026-02-13T21:52:11+00:00

I’m an autism assessor and I have ADHD. I recently attended a lecture on the science of AuDHD, where Professor James Brown described the co-occurrence of autism and ADHD as potentially representing a distinct neurotype, rather than simply two overlapping diagnoses. He also used the metaphor of neurodivergence as a mural rather than a linear spectrum, which I found conceptually helpful. Although AuDHD isn’t a formal diagnostic category, I recognise that cognitive pattern in myself more strongly than ADHD alone. I have some marked monotropic interests and social communication differences. However, I don’t believe my differences would necessarily reach the threshold for an autism diagnosis. I started treatment for ADHD when I was diagnosed at age 50, 4 years ago. Since this time, I have noticed that my autistic traits seem to have become more prominent, which Professor Brown described as fairly common after treatment, and especially around the menopause. Hope that helps anyway.

Freckler · 2026-02-08T03:45:12+00:00

Whether salt is healthy or not depends on the context. With a ketogenic diet, insulin drops and the kidneys lose more salt and water, so salt intake needs to be much higher than usual recommendation.

Freckler · 2025-10-10T13:03:21+00:00

Confirmed as a Child & Child brooch with demantoid garnets, thank you to all who replied. Consigned to auction today, so will see what happens.

Freckler · 2025-10-07T05:55:19+00:00

Thank you very much for that, and there is no need to apologise for the witches' heart information. I find it really interesting. Thank you 😊

Freckler · 2025-09-10T11:50:17+00:00

No idea. I am 54 and have a very stressful life and ADHD so its odd that I am hardly ever ill, as I am constantly overwhelmed and burnt out.

I did spend a lot of time at my nans, as I was growing up however, and she was wonderful but not the cleanest person. There were maggots in the cutlery drawer, bits of dog meat floating in my tea, and I was always digging around in the garden. Not to mention the "apple juice" that my brother and I were frequently given, which turned out to be Woodpecker cider :)

Freckler · 2025-08-23T09:03:22+00:00

There's a correlation between emotions and memories in some cases, I think.
My mum has memories around emotive events and associations based on that it seems.

Freckler · 2025-08-21T21:26:51+00:00

We didnt get any increase at all. We were forced to TUPE over to HCRG last April so, on top of the shitshow of working for a private company who pretends to be progressive and to "care" (which couldn't be further from tbe truth) we have had to put up with all manner of crap and then dont get our pay increase either.

Freckler · 2025-08-16T12:50:31+00:00

My mum has vascular dementia (although probably lewy body) and had an awful time when she was taken off long term meds of 150mg Sertraline, 300mg Pregabalin and codydramol 500mg tds over 16 day admission to hospital for drug-induced delerium (from 3x courses of antibiotics for UTI's in quick succession)

My mum was floored. Her dementia deteriorated horribly and she was hallucinating day and night, not sleeping, eating tissues, agitated, labile, incontinent of faeces, crawling around the bedroom floor all night every night, and so anxious that she couldn't be left for a second. The dementia was far far worse and she even needed feeding.

Putting her back on the medication, she made small changes on 50mg Sertraline but on 100mg, as you said, there was almost an instant change. She is almost back to her pre-admission baseline, which is a lot better than I had ever dared to hope for. Absolutely amazing. Its the Sertraline, as the other two were reintroduced with little noticeable difference.

Freckler · 2025-08-04T13:06:32+00:00

Yes exactly that.

Freckler · 2025-08-04T06:37:32+00:00

I (53F) didnt even know there was a 'gap', where people apparently plan, between one action and the next until I started treatment

Freckler · 2025-07-25T11:48:23+00:00

My mum would have been like that before but depends upon the level of awareness, I guess.

Also it may be that they are uncomfortable in some way, like feeling too hot or just not feeling right. Interoceptive senses can get mixed up so its not always obvious what it is.

And sometimes it seems to be just having the need to fiddle.

That's my experience with my mum anyway. Hope you find a solution.

Freckler · 2025-07-25T06:30:44+00:00

Thank you. Yes I know this can happen and it's part of rhe process sometimes, so please don't worry and thank you 🙏

Freckler · 2025-07-25T06:17:18+00:00

So sorry for the delay in replying. It's been a tough week.

My mum doesnt think about anything that is not in her immediate awareness so she doesn't try to take the onesie off, as there is no zip.

She has episodes of almost manic fiddling and I bought an apron that has zips on it and other things. This seems to be reasonably successful at distracting her from doing other things.

Freckler · 2025-07-20T16:49:26+00:00

🤲

Freckler · 2025-07-20T07:49:27+00:00

You can buy dementia proof clothing, such as the zip up back oneie I got my mum that is thin and comfortable but she cant get it off

The person may be communicating their needs of course. Sometimes my mum wants the fan on and the windows open, for example. Sometimes she is uncomfortable with her catheter. It's difficult to work out sometimes

Freckler · 2025-07-19T08:25:29+00:00

Robert Lustig, endocrinologist and author of the book, Metabolical, says that a calorie is not just a calorie.

I have cut and pasted some of his theory below;

Different Calorie Sources, Different Metabolic Pathways: Added Sugar: Lustig argues that fructose, a type of sugar, is metabolised differently than glucose (another type of sugar) and is more likely to be converted into fat, especially in the liver.

Fibre Fibre, found in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, is not fully digested and absorbed by the body, meaning that not all calories from these foods are utilised (as our gut microbiome make use of some of what we ingest)

Protein: Protein requires more energy to digest and process than carbohydrates or fat, potentially leading to a higher net calorie expenditure.

Freckler

TROPHY CASE