Diane
is an adult ADHD person who works and is also studying for a degree.
Late in 1999 she decided to give supplements a trial. These are her emails
to us up until late February 2000 and through them you will read what she
tried,what happening, what got in the way, and where she is now.This account
may give you some solutions too, and some precautions to think about.
Entry
1
I've started on pycnogenol today.
I'm taking a half dose for the first few days to try and bypass severe
detox symptoms of which my research made me aware. I'm going to do
this for a while before starting Optimum Omega and Lifepak, just so I can
see what results it has by itself....or at least how my body responds.
Interesting so far, 3 hours after today's dose, I was aware of detox
symptoms....at first some general swelling feeling, flulike symptoms and
frequent elimination of fluids. It has been building over
the last few hours. Right now, the fragrance of the perfume I applied
this morning has become so strong, I can hardly stand it....odd.
Anyway, I hadn't intended to give
you a blow by blow, but will let you know the highlights over the next
few days. The claims have been pretty amazing....hard to believe....so
I'm putting this compound to the test on myself to see what happens in
my case. I'm going to journal (one of those compulsory things psych research
students do) my experiences and results and will let you knowwhat happens.
Entry2
Day 11 of being on pycnogenols.
Still "detoxing," but in a different waynow. The first few days,
my stomach felt like it was on a roller coaster.Since then, those symptoms
have eased up, and have been replaced by others,
similar to what happens when you
do herbal colonics.
The first day, I noticed a
keen-ness in vision. I was able to read magazine articles without
my reading glasses, a first in about 5 years. I can still do that
if I'm not tired; but when I am, still need those readers. The last
couple of days, I've noticed
a slight increase in ability to concentrate, and to retain more of what
I've studied.
I seem also, to be slightly less "hyper" ---- that was fast becoming a
serious problem for me. I've been
unable to sit still for long periods
of time.
I have to get myself to work and
then to class this morning
Entry
3
It goes well. Ability
to concentrate, etc. is up considerably. I'm hopeful about
successfully avoiding the ritalin route.
Entry
4
I just returned from a trip to Washington---
business and personal combined. I think it was a very successful trip.
There was so much going on, and not much of it was sleep, though my friends
tried hard to make opportunities for me to sleep. I don't seem
to need quite as much sleep at this point, and can
keep going, pretty high energy,
even
when I'm not getting much sleep. This is more that is different since
starting the "aniti's" as I have fondly named them.
Entry
5
I think the pycnogenol information
will be valuable and some will benefit from it. The benefits will
be substantial, but it sounds as though other options may be faster.
The person who wrote about Stabilium sounded as though he had immediate
results, similar to what people have with Ritalin in the amount of time,
and that is most appealing to me.
People around me tell me there
have been notable results. I see some, especially when I
foget to take the pycnogenols for a few days (it's an ADHD thing, as you
know), but am a bit frustrated at the amount of time it takes to
build in the system. I'm facing a lot of stress at school....taking
19 hours and working part time,
and the quick result is tempting
me to go to Ritalin again until this program of pycnogenols and Omega-3's
has time to establish itself. Maybe I'm just a tough nut to crack!
I can see some improvement
in the ability to concentrate and focus on tasks, but it could be substantially
more. It is nowhere near the result I had from Ritalin at
this point in the game. I wonder what other actors are coming into
play here.......I often don't eat the kind of balanced diet I should be
eating, frequently go with very little sleep for long periods of time,
and this entire semester have rarely exercized except or the several miles
I walk on campus each day. I'm sure those things affect whatever
program I'm on, and I'm equally certain that once a program's well established,
I will be able to better manage the time to work those things in better
than I am now. It's really hard to judge how this is going based
on so many confounding factors. I'm not sure how useful that is for
your readers.
Entry
6
I'm taking pycnogenols, Omega-3's
and Evening Primrose. I don't notice much difference if I don't get
the Omega-3's and Evening Primrose down for a couple of days, but really
notice a difference if I forget the pycnogenols. My big problem
with them is not whether or not they are good, that seems to be the case
with pycnogenols, but they are not quick to effect change in the
system.....not for ADHD symptoms. I did havethe immediate
response to vision that I'd mentioned before. I'm happy to try a
multivitamin to see if it's faster......especially if people are having
faster results with it than with the stabilium.
Does it seem to you that the world
is going at a faster and faster pace? I raised three children and
variousother "drop-ins" over the years. I don't remember being this
busy when I had four teenagers and a job.....
Entry
7
I had to make an emergency trip to
Student Health for an out of control migraine and was knocked out for a
couple of days. Yuck. Now I will be running to try to catch
up (missed three exams while I was out and have another comingup this week....yikes!)
for the next two weeks
Entry
8
You should know, that with
the pressures of school came the need to get more substantial results in
a shorter time. I went back on Ritalin right after Christmas.
It has made a world of difference. I won't want to stay on it forever,
just long enough to "get organized." For me this is a good choice
right now. I fought doing this fora very long time, but the
more I read, the more it made sense. I've been able to have some
"successes" in function that I wasn't getting before. I still think
that the supplements are the way to go long range, and if people do not
have so much on their plates at once so that they can wait for the time
it takes for results to build, I think it's worth the wait to "go natural."
I felt at first as though I'd failed by giving in to the chemical route.
I'm glad now that I did.
I have learned something new about
Ritalin that I hadn't noticed before which may also speak to value of the
supplements. It is really important to watch diet when on Ritalin.Too
much sugar, soft drinks, too little protein, all can tip the balance with
Ritalin dosages. I've not gathered any scientific data of
course, but this
might suggest that staying with
supplements to help maintain nutritional balance could be useful.
This is only an observation, not a professional suggestion, but it's worth
further investigation I think.
School is crazier this semester with
3 hours fewer than it was last semester. I suppose because I'm taking all
upper-level classes, but it is more work than I imagined it would be.
I thought I was slowing down a bit! Life is
very hectic right now
Diane
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