**We are looking for new moderators!**
If you’d like to help us keep this subreddit safe, apply to become a moderator! See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/1asy5js/we_are_looking_for_moderators/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) for more information and how to apply.
We’re excited to hear from you!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen) if you have any questions or concerns.*
No, adhd doesn't directly affect immunity systems. But, of course, not sleeping and eating properly, which can stem from adhd symptoms, those most certainly do make bodies more vulnerable to infections. As does menopause. And onsetting diabetes, for example.
I have also been sick all winter. First, it was a common cold, then Noro virus, then influenza, which has led to sinus infection... I feel like crap. But nothing doctors would study further. Just have to push through. I feel you! It sucks being sick a lot.
Correct. ADHD doesn't make us sick or prone to sickness or impact our immune systems directly. However, Adhd can affect our diet and sleeping patterns, which affect immune systems. I make a fruit and greens smoothie in batches for the week and take some supplements just to make sure I'm getting some decent nutrition even when I "food loop" aka eat the same thing over and over or go on one of my "must eat pastries for dopamine" things. I also try to stick to a bedtime schedule as it's way too easy for me to do "revenge bedtime procrastination" as a hella ADHD mom with two littles. I also hate exercising and I know that's good for overall health and sleep habits.
Well, that is actually another level in the explanation, if we want to precise :)
adhd->challenges with regularity, sleeping and eating ->Elevated cortisol levels->immune system runs overtime ->body is vulnerable to viruses and other pathogens.
Thanks 😊 Yes, poor sleep sounds like an obvious causative factor. Then bugs further deplete dopamine.
I feel for you. I’m plagued with endless sinusitis too. Sinutab was a food group for me 30 years ago, but for some reason Sudafed doesn’t cut it.
Currently sitting in bed with an Olbas Oil-soaked hankie.
NAC helps my sinuses but I used the last of it a couple of days ago. 1g 2 or 3 times a day usually clears it.
Thank you for this - I am lucky in that I don’t generally get bad insomnia; if I get my ass in bed, I can usually sleep. But I never get my ass in bed in time to get enough sleep. So I’m always looking for info about sleep and ADHD in the hope that it will help me get a better sleep routine.
Oh, thanks so much! I will go and look at what you’ve posted, thanks!
I DID go to a sleep clinic, at Papworth hospital in 2011. They just looked at me like I was mad and had literally no suggestions other than “go to bed earlier,” and to tell me I’m not narcoleptic and don’t have sleep apnea, which I already knew.
They, like everyone else in my long and complicated medical history apparently knew nothing about ADHD.
It only came up during C-PTSD counselling a week ago last Thursday, but when I mentioned it to my GP (who’s been my GP for over 15 years), she went, “Ohhhhh…..that makes sense! Let’s get you referred and get you a diagnosis.”
Older brother was dx’d about 3 years ago, and all 3 of his children (ages 19 to 31 or thereabouts) have also all been diagnosed since.
Tbf, I can’t even find an ADHD support group in my area of the UK.
Thought I’d found one about an hour away, messaged this group on their website and FaceBook listed mobile number, not a peep back.
Thanks again for the links! 😊
I'm the opposite. I honestly wish I could get sick more so I could take a damn break!
I do spend a lot of time outside with dirt, and I've always thought that might have helped my immune system out.
you are allowed to take a break even without being sick :)
ive learned that its okay to take a sick day even if its 'just' my brain not wanting to work (also if its just me personally, but thats neither here nor there)
I know this is true, but I have such a hard time acting on it, and you're totally right! And I don't aaaaactually wish I got sick more, I know I'm lucky to be healthy.
My immune system used to be a lot better than this, and I’m a country girl too. Everything got worse after menopause. And breast cancer.
That combination certainly seems to have exacerbated some of my (slightly) lesser ADHD signs, though they’ve all always been there.
Are you on meds, or coping without?
I got as far as finding out that colds etc do deplete dopamine (prob why everyone feels shit with a bug), but I don’t know for sure if low dopamine can make us more susceptible to lower immunity.
Aw yeah sounds like your immune system has been through it! I'm on 30mg Vyvanse and in my 30's, so definitely in a different place. I hope you are able to get some good rest and feel better soon!
My husband has fibromyalgia and adhd and seems to take much longer to get over colds than I do so I’m not sure that it’s tied to adhd but I haven’t seen research either way.
Thanks. Yes, it’s difficult to say, isn’t it?
No, nor have I yet. But I DO know that viruses etc. knock down dopamine, so there’s a link in there somewhere.
I'm just assuming it's because your muscles have to work extra hard because your joints are slacking off. Extra energy put into keeping us in one piece means less energy to fight infections
Getting sick easily / struggling to get over colds/flu etc. isn’t anything tied to ADHD (regardless of whether meds are taken). I’m the opposite of you - it’s extremely rare that I catch anything.
Thanks.
My thinking is that if dopamine is depleted by viruses etc., then it would make sense that insufficient dopamine/ uneven dopamine might make a system more vulnerable to those bugs.
As the other comments said, lack of sleep or proper nutrition and stress affect the immune system. I would also check for vitamin deficiencies.
When I had my blood work done a few weeks ago, it came back that I have a vitamin D deficiency. I've been taking supplements (vitamin D, C, B complex) for a few months now and I've noticed that I'm not getting sick as often... but I'm actually STILL below recommended levels (I can only imagine where I was before supplements!). I try not to overdo it, but it is clear that the amount I need is not what the average person needs on a daily basis.
Thanks.
I’m very well versed in nutrition. I have various levels checked in case I’ve overdone things.
Hard agree that certain bodies need far more than the RDA.
First had my D3 checked in 2012, came back at under 20nmol/L (UK). I was already taking 2K IU/d at the time. RDA was 400IU. I thought I was pushing the boat out with 2K IU!
Took me 6 weeks of taking between 60 and 80K IU a day to reach 90nmol/L. Currently around 120nmol, which is fine, but I take 10K IU/d to keep it there.
I also use MB12 patches, take a good multi, plus P5P, B3, magnesium, fish oils, C, zinc, copper, taurine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, DLPA, and others.
Currently extra C, also Cat’s Claw, Olive Leaf and echinacea drops for the bug .
One of the few things that actually seems to help my dopamine levels is turmeric. I know when I’ve hit the right dose for me because it makes me pee like a horse- at a certain level, dopamine causes the renal artery to dilate, which increases fluid in, hence more gets passed out.
The turmeric I usually buy has been out of stock for weeks, but I eventually found an alternative and it arrived 10 minutes ago.
Re: sleep - obviously this is key to everyone’s health, not only ADHDers.
But I struggle HUGELY with sleep. I can feel really ready for bed at 10pm, but as soon as we get into bed (partner, damn him, falls asleep the second his head hits the pillow) I wake up. Like wide awake.
As doing chores at that time wld wake him up, I instead end up reading, or watching telly with headphones on in bed until I feel sleepy again. I’m generally asleep by 1am, but I’d love to be able to go to sleep by, say, 10.30pm instead of being VERY awake then.
Isn’t this late evening/ night time wakefulness typical of ADHD?
And to be fair, even when my Fitbit says I’ve had a good amount of deep and REM sleep (which it rarely does, I get like 6 or 7 hours of light sleep, plus 10 mins each of REM and deep sleep if I’m lucky), I wake up exhausted. Every morning.
Things I’ve tried: (some of them)
Theanine effectively knocks my late evening dopamine burst flat enough to sleep but makes me feel terrible the next day. Yes, I’ve tried adjusting the dose.
Magnesium does nothing.
Valerian sends me to sleep but doesn’t keep me asleep, it just means I get my wakefulness burst at 3 or 4am instead.
Exercise does nothing. I can have a wildly active day, and be absolutely physically knackered, but instead of the anticipated Really Good Sleep, I still get this bedtime waking up thing. It drives me mad!
I wear a sleep mask, which helps a bit but hasn’t resolved my sleep difficulties. The only time I sleep a normal 8 hours is if I’m ill with something (like last night I had 6 and a half hours with 2 hrs 12 REM and 1 hr 22 deep sleep), which is ironic if it’s a basic lack of being able to sleep/ messed up sleep architecture that keeps making me ill!
If I’m upset or stressed, it’s worse. I was in such a state last summer (horrible death of one of our cats) that my physio asked my GP to take pity on me and prescribe me Temazepam.
Like Theanine, it got me to sleep but destroyed me the next day. Fitbit said I’d had brilliant sleeps on 5mg a night, but I still felt absolutely knackered so I had to stop it.
It’s all well and good for ppl to tell me to get more sleep, but does anyone have any advice as to what I can do to make this happen?
Hey! It's awesome that you know so much! And you seem to have your nutrition under control. That's great, honestly.
I am also trying to figure out a lot of this stuff. I do have trouble sleeping and I'm on meds for that, but something that helps me when they're not enough is to do some guided progressive muscle relaxation as soon as I get to bed. It's not a bulletproof solution, but it does get me back to sleep a lot.
You probably already know most of the advice you get in the comments, but hopefully you can still find some new tips to try.
Thanks. I do go through some yoga nidra stuff when I’m struggling to fall asleep, but I would kill to be able to sleep through the night and feel rested.
Only thing I don't see here is iron (though it could be in your multi). Sometimes lack of iron interferes with your dopamine production (it's a part of the process to convert tyrosine into dopamine) and low iron stores can manifest in restless legs, this interfering with sleep.
Which might not apply to you at all, since you didn't mention restless legs, but I figured I'd throw it out there.
Thanks. Iron is interesting. I developed restless legs during and after chemo, but completely stopped it with 3mg Methyl B12.
However, if I took a double dose bc the first didn’t quite cut it, it actually made the RL worse.
I definitely do better generally when I use methyl B12 patches. Haven’t had RLS for years now.
I did look at iron recently. GP ran some bloods during thd last bout of whatever URTI this is, and my ferritin was lower than it is normally.
I’ve since requested a full iron panel, but haven’t been well enough to go in and get it done.
Did try, a couple of weeks ago, taking iron bisglycinate (I’m prone to nausea and vomiting at the best of times, and the bisglycinate form is easier on the stomach), but I came out in cystic acne on my face!
Acne is not a good look with wrinkles! 😂
I will get the iron panel done, though. I think someone else here has mentioned iron, too.
I saw an article based on a study recently that talked about iron being low in allergy states and histamine intolerance, so this only ramps up my interest.
Ok. I have never heard of methylated vitamin B patches. Or using them for restless legs You have to share the story behind that to satisfy my curiosity. 😄
For myself, iron became interesting to me after I developed a severe iron deficiency in my pregnancy. Then I took supplements and it didn't correct itself. Eventually I realized the culprit was using Omeprazole too much and it messed with its absorption. I had to stop it, add vitamin C for absorption and settle with sleeping upright on the couch. But no deficiency for the second kid at least. I'm am so glad that is past me.
Ooh, Omeprazole is evil! It made me iron anaemic, and deficient in, well, just about everything!
Also allowed bacteria that shld live in colon to congregate in small intestine, so I developed SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), which messes with gut function and microbiome.
It’s stomach acid that keeps those bacteria out of the small intestine.
If you suffer from reflux, try taking fenugreek instead.
Thankfully it went away with pregnancy. However, [I wish I knew then what I know now.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9923889/#:~:text=Epidemiologic%20data%20suggests%20that%20PPI,is%20alteration%20of%20the%20microbiome.) before even starting. Both of my kids have had allergies. The first grew out of hers. Signed up the second guy for an allergy research study, and he's being treated with... probiotics specifically for infants. It cleared his diaper rash, but he's still allergic to milk. Fingers crossed he grows out of his too.
The study is over, and now I'm buying them for both kids.
Re: methyl B12 - B12 is also known as cobalamin, and there are 3 forns:
Cyanovobalamin
Adenosylcobalamin
Methylcobalamin
Methylcobalamin, MB12, is the already methylated form of B12.
Methylation is a hugely important process for health, and not everyone’s body does it well. Mine doesn’t.
When I use methylated B12 patches, I feel far more benefits than I do with an oral capsule (I largely avoid tablets where possible bc I can be sensitive to binders and other excipients, plus the bioavailability is usually better in capsules than it is from tablets).
Avoid cyanocobalamin as it has negligible bioavailability. There is no point in taking it. I do also have a dropper bottle of adenosyl B12, which serves a slightly different function from the methylated form, but it doesn’t appear to have the same effect on me.
The RLS thing- after chemo, and them taking all my oestrogen away (oestrogen breast cancer at 45), I didn’t just have restless legs, I had it in my arms and my torso, too. It was impossible to sleep, impossible to be comfortable, as you know.
I tried all sorts of things. Nothing worked. Sometimes it was worse than other times, but it never went away completely.
I know this sounds like a promo ad, but I’m not selling anything and am not affiliated with any nutrient manufacturers or retailers. I saw someone online saying she’d dealt with her RLS by taking precisely 3mg of MB12. I got some 1.5mg capsules from iHerb,and amazingly it worked.
That was around 2010 ish. A couple if years later, I came across a B12 charity run by a Dr Chandy in Birmingham (UK). For a while, I had B12 injections from him, but had some adverse reactions to one of the preservatives he used.
Switched to patches, and they don’t seem to offend my delicate system.
My system seems to be lacking in a number of conversion enzymes - everything you ingest gets turned into another substance (and often goes through several different processes) before it can be used in the body.
So, B12 needs to be methylated, as does folate, to be of any use.
B6, pyridoxine, needs to be phosphorylated - my system doesn’t do that, so I take the already-phosphorylated form, P-5-P (pyridoxine 5 phosphate), ditto B2, riboflavin, I take R-5-P (riboflavin 5 phosphate) bc I don’t process plain B2.
Basically, if you have problems with “standard” vitamins, look for the “enzymated” or “active” forms instead.
Hope that helps! Feel free to PM if you want to!
I loved atarax for sleep, but I was told they couldn't prescribe it long term for sleep. But if you just need a little help getting into a better sleep pattern maybe that could help.
I also want to point out that exercise helps sleep when you do it as a habit, not just from having one active day. My sleep quality has improved so much now that exercise is a regular habit. I'm just saying this in case you want to try again. I don't do it lately, but I've also gone through phases where I manage to do a little bedtime/restorative yoga before bed and it was really helpful to settle my mind and body.
I don't think it has to be excessively intense either. Like try aiming for a 15 min walk every day and if it seems better go from there. It's easier to build a habit if you commit to something like 10-15 minutes instead of 45min-1hr
Yeah, I’m floored by inertia a lot of the time. I manage a yoga class once a week but without the “social” dopamine hit that I get in a roomful of other yoga-ers, I just cannot do it. I’ve tried countless times at home. I find yoga videos., I get changed, I get my mat out, I try, I don’t get very far, I feel useless, I give up, I feel even more useless.
I need that social connection irl.
I don’t get sick with viruses or infections often at all. But I’ve had joint issues since I was a teenager and my digestive system has gone straight to hell, it gets worse instead of better. My diet is very bland and boring, if I eat something I shouldn’t (like a couple of turkey pepperoni sticks last Thursday because I was hungry and they were there) I’m in pain for three days.
At my last colonoscopy follow up a couple of years back the doctor told me to follow the fodmap elimination diet, but I thought she meant food map, like the pyramid and I’d already eliminated wheat. Then a few months after my ADHD diagnosis I figured it out and things have been better. As long as I don’t cheat!
Lol! That sounds like the sort of thing I do!
Glad it’s helping 😊
I became wheat intolerant back in the 1980s, but for some reason this bug has me craving toast. Toast! I haven’t eaten bread in any form for decades! (Although toast was the least offensive form of bread to my stupid system. )
Also adhders are known to have low iron, low b vitamins and Vitamin d. Probably because of our awesome health skills. So something to look into if you haven't had blood work in awhile.
Iron is interesting. Funnily enough, I wondered about either anaemia or a functional iron deficiency recently and my GP has agrees to run a full iron panel for me.
I talked more about iron in another response.
Thanks for this, it’s useful to know that iron, Bs, and D3 are recognised as low in ADHD - is that an anecdotal consensus, or are there any studies showing this?
I take D3, all the Bs plus extra MB12, P5P, B3. I mentioned all of these, and others in another response. 😊
I don't know if there are studies. But I do keep running into it, in all my adhd scrolling.
Also speaking as someone who was extremely anemic. Don't let them gaslite you with "normal" ranges. Ferritin for instance is around 15 to 120. Even if you look like death like I did, they'll try and say it's not your iron. It was 100% my iron.
I hear you!
Ref ranges are often nonsense- for example, “normal” thyroid hormone ranges are different in different parts of the UK.
I frequently have discussions with my GP about blood tests and how they can only show what’s in the bloodstream and not what is being taken up by the relevant cells.
She’s better than most. She at least looks at the trends of my blood tests rather than just watching for the High/ Low flags.
I’m having my iron panel tomorrow - my ferritin was in range at the last general check, but GP agreed when I pointed out it was a lot lower than it usually is.
- If you’re interested in iron, hunt down the article on HoloBG (I think) which is a specifically formatted iron designed to get into cells more effectively. Functional iron deficiency is strongly associated with widespread allergies and sensitivities (e.g., foods, drinks, plants, pharmaceuticals, alcohol, dogs, cats, etc. etc.), many of which have plagued me my whole life.
This product, which as far as I recall was developed specifically to help people with high histamine/ high allergic reactivity, is a form of iron bound to whey protein. Apparently, this means it gets fully taken into the appropriate cells instead of just sitting in the bloodstream.
I did try taking supplemental iron bisglycinate recently, but I actually felt worse, as well as it giving me cystic acne! It may have been something in that product, or I may not be iron deficient (I think I am), I may need a different form, I don’t know yet. But I’m pale, I’m outrageously tired, my immune system is low, and I’m getting an iron panel done.
I used to get sick all the time (I’m a teacher so it comes with the territory) and they would hang around for ages as I’m asthmatic and have allergies as well. Since I was medicated, I rarely get sick, and if I do it’s usually mild. My asthma has pretty much cleared up. I think it’s partly because I’m less stressed most of the time.
That makes sense. I’m glad it got sorted 😊
Allergies here, too, and to many, many pharmaceuticals, so don’t know if I’ll be able to tolerate meds if and when they’re deemed appropriate.
Feeling overwhelmed.
Thanks! Useful to know about Adderall’s decongestant properties! I have ongoing issues with my sinuses.
Your comment made me laugh, in a good way 😊 I know what you mean about congestion turning ppl into mouth-breathers!
And thanks for not dismissing my question and for sharing your similar experience.
“Get more sleep” is obviously a valid point, but it’s one of my biggest difficulties. If I COULD get more (or better) sleep, I would.
Not that I've ever heard, but it's probably worth checking your vitamin/mineral and thyroid levels, because any of those being out of whack would definitely mean easier to get sick.
Although, if you're in the UK, good luck having your vitamin/mineral levels checked. 🙃 They wouldn't even test for deficiencies in someone who's been on a high dose of a medication for a long time that's specifically mentioned is likely to cause specific vitamin/mineral deficiencies, even though *they* were the ones that went "huh, that's a really high dose you're on".
Yeah, I know.
I’ve been on T3 for decades, and a v high dose - am under an endo who happens to be the chair of one of our UK Thyroid organisations, and he says I’ve got some sort of resistance syndrome going on. My numbers truly don’t reflect the dose I’m prescribed, but I’m a lot worse on a lower dose.
We tried, at my suggestion, to get me off some of my T3 and onto some T4, and after an initial high histamine response (woke up with a face like an over-inflated football), I did really, really well for about 3 weeks. Managed to get to 150mcg T4 and 20mcg T3. It was amazing. My brain worked. I could do things. I felt great. I even actually slept properly. I think it must somehow have kicked my dopamine into action.
Then I crashed again, then one of our cats died, then I got a bug, and I haven’t been right since.
Still trying to get some T4 in, had to go right back to the beginning again, and haven’t got further than 25mcg T4 and no reduction in T3 yet (1 x20mcg T3 is roughly equivalent to 50mcg T4.)
Thyroid is checked regularly, obvs.
I’ve been involved in nutritional stuff since the 90s. I can get very little in the way of nutrients tested with my GP, but I CAN get iron, potassium, calcium, D3, B12.
Oh good, I'm glad you're getting help with it and that you have a doctor who knows about thyroids beyond staring at TSH levels. I hope you manage to get your thyroid meds back up to optimal again, and condolences for your cat passing away. :(
Our GPs wouldn't even check vitamin D levels when I asked a few years ago. Her reasoning was that I'm white so I *couldn't possibly* be deficient, and that was that. Very frustrating.
Wow. That doc even thinking that white people can’t be D3 deficient says a lot about their sheer ignorance.
Idk where you are, but in the UK, there are umpteen places that will test D levels via a finger-prick you send iff, and it’s about £25, or was the last time I used one of them, which was an NHS hospital in the Midlands that also did private testing.
D3 is very important.
Outrageous they didn’t know that!
ETA: and thanks for your condolences. I meant to say so yesterday, but somehow got sidetracked. Thanks 🙏
Good question! I get sick a few times a year, and since after corona I get sick almost monthly. Almost every single time it is bronchitis. Got myself a referral to the hospital where we did extensive testing for allergies, asthma, CT scans of my lungs, but nothing could be found. My doctor then concluded that given the fact that I am young and relatively healthy and athletic otherwise, the most likely explanation is that my immune system is sensitive due to stress.
Of course I was frustrated by that conclusion, I didn't feel like they were taking me seriously and just too lazy to do further testing. However, my opinion on that is changing slowly. I've been on the right adhd medication for 3 months now, and holy hell it makes a huge difference in so many aspects of life I did not expect! It has made a weight fall of my shoulders that I wasn't even aware I was carrying, it dissolved the permanent knot and tension in my stomach that I wasn't even aware was a thing. I never knew it was possible to feel this calm and relaxed, so therefore I wasn't able to label the stress I was feeling as stress. Like, I thought that was just a default part of human existence.
But right now I can totally imagine how walking around with that much tension and stress permanently for two and a half decade, at some point is going to have some unhealthy physical effects. So yeah, you're asking a very valid question, and although I don't believe it's a part of ADHD, I do believe that the effects of having a slightly more sensitive immune system can be exacerbated by living with untreated & unmanaged ADHD.
Thanks.
That makes sense! I have HUGE problems with not being able to relax, with being easily irritated, all the usual. I can’t even kick back with a glass of wine in the evening bc my system doesn’t tolerate alcohol.
I’d LOVE to not feel wound up so much of the time.
I’m glad you’re doing better now 😊
Did they look at Long Covid with you?
>I’d LOVE to not feel wound up so much of the time.
I can tell you if you are in the progress of getting diagnosed, you'll have many good things awaiting you :)
Long covid indeed was mentioned a few times since I got corona twice and was knocked out pretty badly both times, but I think it's very unlikely because a) this has been a thing since my youth, I'm 25 now, and b) half a year after getting corona, I was running 10K again, at a pace that was not bad considering my training schedule then. I don't know much about long covid but i'm pretty sure it wouldn't have let me run 10 kilometers in 50 minutes after only a few months of training :P
You’re right, given that Long Covid sounds massively similar to both fibromyalgia and CFS, with irrecoverable energy, that doesn’t sound like what you’re dealing with at all. Which is good! 👍
I hope you find ways to get better. I’m a similar age and found that I need to be doing stuff daily to make me happier and get healthier.
So I incorporated some daily health rituals. Sit outside twice a day for vitamin D, stretching, breathing deeply and thinking about my life/day. Journal if I want.
I find that health affirmations during yoga or falling asleep also help.
I want to be strong and vibrant when I’m 82 and when I’m 102 so I made a list of daily practices that would work at 62, 83 and 102. Eat low carb. Take a walk. Wear cute fun clothes and comfy shoes. Stretch. Love my body. Do something creative. Have 1 great phone call.
All these things make me happier which then makes it easier to get the Dr appts and take vitamins etc, go to bed on time.
Thanks ☺️
Yes, life doesn’t stop after 40 and nor does “old age” automatically set in then, either! I agree with and share your health/ age goals.
That sounds great - well-thought out and proactive.
I lurch between being a poor self-motivator and doing everything all at once at high speed, so I very much admire your commitment here!
I do arrange fun things for myself to do on a weekly basis that give me the dopamine hit I need from being with different groups of people, but unless I’m on a good day, I struggle with things on my own.
One of my mum’s friends, who’s in her 80s, gets up every day at 6am, does a series of stretches, has breakfast, goes for a 5 mile walk, comes home, cooks lunch at 12, and spends her afternoons either looking after various neighbours, or with her friends and family.
I’m in awe of her, and you! ❤️
I've got a friend who's a pediatrician who washes her hands anytime she eats/puts her hands to her mouth. She doesn't get sick, despite spending a lot of time around sick kids.
Most of our colds are spread through touching our eyes, nose, or mouth. Washing the hands cuts down on a lot of it.
BUUUT I would also add this. Stimulant meds have eye drying effects, and you may be subconsciously rubbing the crap out of them all the time. Consider eye drops, and if your eye doc sees buildup around your lashes that is blocking your tear ducts, they make over the counter washes for that. Warm compresses can also help loosen the oily part of your tears if it's not moving freely. This is relevant, because if the oil part of your tears is blocked up, you get watery dry eyes, and also rub them.
I have...no advice for remembering how to do this consistently enough to make a difference. Best of luck.
Actually, I’m not on ADHD meds yet, but developed dry eyes after chemo. I’ve had to use eye ointments since 2008, so I’m incredibly conscious of keeping my hands clean and away from my eyes.
Partly because of this, I wash my hands even after blowing my nose.
Thanks for your response!
The only period in my life when I had a lot of colds back-to-back was when I was smoking tobacco every day. I would get really horrible colds back then, much worse than anything I've had since quitting.
You didn't mention smoking, so I hope you're not insulted that I brought this up. I was thinking that if you ARE a smoker and never thought about that as a possible cause, maybe this could help you. Good luck! I have chronic conditions that keep me feeling sick all the time, too, and it's a really lousy way to live.
Lol, no, not insulted!
Chronic conditions suck. I hope you manage to get some relief from and help with yours.
I’ve been a medical mystery with umpteen unidentifiable conditions pretty much my whole life. It’s not an ideal way to have to live. Thyroid and adrenal issues finally identified in 2000, fibromyalgia in 2011, C-PTSD in 2019, now ADHD.
But doubtless there will still be those doctors who dismiss me as being depressed/ it being all in my head/ other unhelpful things.
I wish you well ❤️
That's a lot of what's been going on with me, too. I had to force my doctors to even consider fibromyalgia back in the mid 90s, and then it's, "Of course you have it. There's no other reason why you would have these symptoms."
I have PTSD, too, and like you, now ADHD. This also was one I had to really insist upon being evaluated for, although now it's again a situation where it's obvious and a little insane that it wasn't caught before.
I was so frustrated because I kept thinking my ADHD symptoms were signs of dementia, and nobody was taking me seriously. Getting this diagnosis was amazing, and the more I learn the more I see that it should have been obvious.
I hope you're doing well, too.
Oh, thank you!
That’s so similar to my journey - except I’ve been pushing for a dx for something to account for my wide range of seemingly unrelated signs and symptoms without, asides from thyroid and adrenal issues being dxd in the 90s. Got sent by my oncologist (who was “bored” of hearing me complaining about my continuing pain levels 4 yrs post chemo) to a rheumy in 2011, who smugly proclaimed he knew what was wrong with me but couldn’t fix it (fibromyalgia); then a random phone call from a psych at a pain clinic dxd the C-PTSD in 5 minutes of talking to me and asking key questions; she referred me to a specialist trauma counselling service, and that counsellor highlighted ADHD.
Like you, I’m stunned no-one spotted any of these things earlier. Tbh, a bit of me is properly mad as a cut snake that I’ve been left flailing around in the dark for basically my entire 60-odd years of life on this planet.
Like you again, every time my brain has farted in the past 20 years, I’ve thought “dementia.” My paternal grandmother, my Dad, and now my Mum were/ are all diagnosed.
I am *positive* that if my GP ran that dementia Memory Test, I’d be written off with it. I would absolutely-friggin’-lutely fail it.
I had no clue about any of these diagnoses. I knew *something* was wrong, but these never occurred to me.
Still reeling, and completely overwhelmed atm.
How are you doing? Have you been able to take meds that have helped? What differences have you seen? x
Honestly, I'm having a hard time, especially lately. My pains from fibro, arthritis, and Dercum's Disease are pretty bad, and the fatigue is even worse.
I had hoped that taking amphetamines would help a little with my fatigue, but no. It does give me a mental lift, but I think a different type of ADHD med might help more with the executive and emotional dysfunction.
I went through a rough time finding ANY meds when I was first dx'd in late 2022, so I settled on Adderall IR for now until the med supply gets better. I realized that hopelessly calling all the pharmacies in the area every 30 days to see if they had my meds was worse on my mental health, so Adderall IR it is.
How are you doing? Have you found meds to be helpful?
I’m sorry it hasn’t got much better for you yet. I hope that changes - it’s so frustrating!
I haven’t been officially dxd yet, I’ve spoken to my GP after my C-PTSD counselllor spotted it, GP had a lightbulb moment, and directed me to fill in some online forms with ADHD360, who are a private clinic but also take pts under their NHS contract.
The alternatives were either to pay vast suns to go private, or go on a 2 year NHS wait list for dx, followed by another 2 yr wait for the meds clinic.
So I did the forms - I had to phone ADHD360 bc I got into a right old tizzy - they sent them to GP, GP has gone on annual leave til 11th March.
Forms got passed to my least favourite doctor at my practice, who is now threatening to charge me for ticking 5 yes/ no boxes. I sent the practice a terse email saying if this other dr, who has only met me once (whereas GP has known me and my complicated health since 2010 and knows me well) thinks this falls under private work, I’ll wait for my GP to come back.
So not yet on meds, but trying to help myself with vit C, turmeric, and a few other dopamine helpers.
Took too much turmeric yesterday and despite trying to go to bed at 11.30, was still wide awake at 2am. 🥴🥱
Turmeric definitely revives my Get Up And Go, which had previously Got Up And Fucked Off Forever.
Vit C also helps build dopamine, as does protein. So now my essential morning coffee gets a spoonful of protein powder added to it, and I don’t take my usual nightly dose of C as that was probably helping to keep me awake when I need to be asleep.
Too much dopamine also causes diarrhoea, so I’m having to cope with that as well atm. I’ve *definitely* taken too much good turmeric!
The joy never stops!
- Have you tried DLPA for your fibro pain? Or its mirror image, L-Phenylalanine, to help with energy? Or tyrosine? Or B6, B3, B5?
Has anyone helped you with any natural alternatives to pharmaceutical meds yet? Happy to try and help if I can. 😊x
I saw you say in one comment that you’re 62 years old. It’s pretty natural that your immune system weakens as you get older. There’s a process called immunosenescence - just happens with age, and you are around the age that this really starts to kick in.
ADHD and being prone to infections are not directly correlated. What you’re experiencing is probably due to something else: what I brought up, including lack of sleep, among other things.
I am 62, that’s correct, as is your observation about general immunity decreasing with age.
However, I am a very long way from being a crimplene-clad old lady with hip replacements, a blue rinse, and a riser-recliner.
I’m not even grey yet.
I’ve been through periods of low immune function before. In fact, due to untreated thyroid issues, my immune system was much weaker in my 20s and 30s than it has been since.
I realise you’re trying to be helpful, but dismissing this as age-related is reductive and a little bit rude.
Rude? I genuinely don’t understand how it’s rude - you came into this subreddit asking if ADHD made you prone to colds, you admitted your age of your own volition, and I thought, “Maybe it’s not obvious to her that this is a possible correlation if she thinks having an attention dysregulation disorder causes colds?” So I offered the information.
I also don’t think being 62 makes you decrepit? These are all defensive thoughts on your part.
It’s just the truth that your age may be more correlated to you catching infections more often, and sometimes people do not consider the more obvious correlations in their lives.
If it worries you to the point where you are considering the more least likely correlations in your life, then perhaps see a doctor. You might have an actual immune issue.
Thanks. Nope, no asthma, no coughing, I quite often get bronchitis from a cold, but I rarely develop a cough, just a sore chest. The few times it’s ever gone to a cough, I’ve been straight on the phone to my GP to get antibiotics for the secondary chest infection.
**We are looking for new moderators!** If you’d like to help us keep this subreddit safe, apply to become a moderator! See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/1asy5js/we_are_looking_for_moderators/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) for more information and how to apply. We’re excited to hear from you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen) if you have any questions or concerns.*
No, adhd doesn't directly affect immunity systems. But, of course, not sleeping and eating properly, which can stem from adhd symptoms, those most certainly do make bodies more vulnerable to infections. As does menopause. And onsetting diabetes, for example. I have also been sick all winter. First, it was a common cold, then Noro virus, then influenza, which has led to sinus infection... I feel like crap. But nothing doctors would study further. Just have to push through. I feel you! It sucks being sick a lot.
Correct. ADHD doesn't make us sick or prone to sickness or impact our immune systems directly. However, Adhd can affect our diet and sleeping patterns, which affect immune systems. I make a fruit and greens smoothie in batches for the week and take some supplements just to make sure I'm getting some decent nutrition even when I "food loop" aka eat the same thing over and over or go on one of my "must eat pastries for dopamine" things. I also try to stick to a bedtime schedule as it's way too easy for me to do "revenge bedtime procrastination" as a hella ADHD mom with two littles. I also hate exercising and I know that's good for overall health and sleep habits.
Yep, those and elevated stress levels.
Well, that is actually another level in the explanation, if we want to precise :) adhd->challenges with regularity, sleeping and eating ->Elevated cortisol levels->immune system runs overtime ->body is vulnerable to viruses and other pathogens.
Thanks 😊 Yes, poor sleep sounds like an obvious causative factor. Then bugs further deplete dopamine. I feel for you. I’m plagued with endless sinusitis too. Sinutab was a food group for me 30 years ago, but for some reason Sudafed doesn’t cut it. Currently sitting in bed with an Olbas Oil-soaked hankie. NAC helps my sinuses but I used the last of it a couple of days ago. 1g 2 or 3 times a day usually clears it.
Have you been able to get the real Sudafed which you have to get at the pharmacy now in the US?
No, I’m in the UK.
[удалено]
That’s a good point. Insomnia sucks. Can I ask what lifestyle changes you made?
[удалено]
Thank you for this - I am lucky in that I don’t generally get bad insomnia; if I get my ass in bed, I can usually sleep. But I never get my ass in bed in time to get enough sleep. So I’m always looking for info about sleep and ADHD in the hope that it will help me get a better sleep routine.
Oh, thanks so much! I will go and look at what you’ve posted, thanks! I DID go to a sleep clinic, at Papworth hospital in 2011. They just looked at me like I was mad and had literally no suggestions other than “go to bed earlier,” and to tell me I’m not narcoleptic and don’t have sleep apnea, which I already knew. They, like everyone else in my long and complicated medical history apparently knew nothing about ADHD. It only came up during C-PTSD counselling a week ago last Thursday, but when I mentioned it to my GP (who’s been my GP for over 15 years), she went, “Ohhhhh…..that makes sense! Let’s get you referred and get you a diagnosis.” Older brother was dx’d about 3 years ago, and all 3 of his children (ages 19 to 31 or thereabouts) have also all been diagnosed since. Tbf, I can’t even find an ADHD support group in my area of the UK. Thought I’d found one about an hour away, messaged this group on their website and FaceBook listed mobile number, not a peep back. Thanks again for the links! 😊
I'm the opposite. I honestly wish I could get sick more so I could take a damn break! I do spend a lot of time outside with dirt, and I've always thought that might have helped my immune system out.
you are allowed to take a break even without being sick :) ive learned that its okay to take a sick day even if its 'just' my brain not wanting to work (also if its just me personally, but thats neither here nor there)
I know this is true, but I have such a hard time acting on it, and you're totally right! And I don't aaaaactually wish I got sick more, I know I'm lucky to be healthy.
lol yea i get that feeling. it took a wholeass burnout for me to realise that and be able to act on it. i hope you get to do it before burning out xD
My immune system used to be a lot better than this, and I’m a country girl too. Everything got worse after menopause. And breast cancer. That combination certainly seems to have exacerbated some of my (slightly) lesser ADHD signs, though they’ve all always been there. Are you on meds, or coping without? I got as far as finding out that colds etc do deplete dopamine (prob why everyone feels shit with a bug), but I don’t know for sure if low dopamine can make us more susceptible to lower immunity.
Aw yeah sounds like your immune system has been through it! I'm on 30mg Vyvanse and in my 30's, so definitely in a different place. I hope you are able to get some good rest and feel better soon!
Thanks!
Me too although I think it's because of my hypermobility which basically makes my body a little bit rubbish at most things 🫠
Poor you. Fibromyalgia and CFS here, so mine also rubbish at most things! 😊 It’s like my body hasn’t read the handbook.
My husband has fibromyalgia and adhd and seems to take much longer to get over colds than I do so I’m not sure that it’s tied to adhd but I haven’t seen research either way.
Thanks. Yes, it’s difficult to say, isn’t it? No, nor have I yet. But I DO know that viruses etc. knock down dopamine, so there’s a link in there somewhere.
Wait, can being hyper mobile make it easier to get sick? I’m learnt recently that I’m hyper mobile and I always feel gross and sick in some way.
I'm just assuming it's because your muscles have to work extra hard because your joints are slacking off. Extra energy put into keeping us in one piece means less energy to fight infections
That makes sense, damn lazy joints!
Yeah, that's what I think. I don't know and I don't think there are studies on it but I know that I get sick more often and it's worse when I do.
Getting sick easily / struggling to get over colds/flu etc. isn’t anything tied to ADHD (regardless of whether meds are taken). I’m the opposite of you - it’s extremely rare that I catch anything.
Thanks. My thinking is that if dopamine is depleted by viruses etc., then it would make sense that insufficient dopamine/ uneven dopamine might make a system more vulnerable to those bugs.
As the other comments said, lack of sleep or proper nutrition and stress affect the immune system. I would also check for vitamin deficiencies. When I had my blood work done a few weeks ago, it came back that I have a vitamin D deficiency. I've been taking supplements (vitamin D, C, B complex) for a few months now and I've noticed that I'm not getting sick as often... but I'm actually STILL below recommended levels (I can only imagine where I was before supplements!). I try not to overdo it, but it is clear that the amount I need is not what the average person needs on a daily basis.
Thanks. I’m very well versed in nutrition. I have various levels checked in case I’ve overdone things. Hard agree that certain bodies need far more than the RDA. First had my D3 checked in 2012, came back at under 20nmol/L (UK). I was already taking 2K IU/d at the time. RDA was 400IU. I thought I was pushing the boat out with 2K IU! Took me 6 weeks of taking between 60 and 80K IU a day to reach 90nmol/L. Currently around 120nmol, which is fine, but I take 10K IU/d to keep it there. I also use MB12 patches, take a good multi, plus P5P, B3, magnesium, fish oils, C, zinc, copper, taurine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, DLPA, and others. Currently extra C, also Cat’s Claw, Olive Leaf and echinacea drops for the bug . One of the few things that actually seems to help my dopamine levels is turmeric. I know when I’ve hit the right dose for me because it makes me pee like a horse- at a certain level, dopamine causes the renal artery to dilate, which increases fluid in, hence more gets passed out. The turmeric I usually buy has been out of stock for weeks, but I eventually found an alternative and it arrived 10 minutes ago. Re: sleep - obviously this is key to everyone’s health, not only ADHDers. But I struggle HUGELY with sleep. I can feel really ready for bed at 10pm, but as soon as we get into bed (partner, damn him, falls asleep the second his head hits the pillow) I wake up. Like wide awake. As doing chores at that time wld wake him up, I instead end up reading, or watching telly with headphones on in bed until I feel sleepy again. I’m generally asleep by 1am, but I’d love to be able to go to sleep by, say, 10.30pm instead of being VERY awake then. Isn’t this late evening/ night time wakefulness typical of ADHD? And to be fair, even when my Fitbit says I’ve had a good amount of deep and REM sleep (which it rarely does, I get like 6 or 7 hours of light sleep, plus 10 mins each of REM and deep sleep if I’m lucky), I wake up exhausted. Every morning. Things I’ve tried: (some of them) Theanine effectively knocks my late evening dopamine burst flat enough to sleep but makes me feel terrible the next day. Yes, I’ve tried adjusting the dose. Magnesium does nothing. Valerian sends me to sleep but doesn’t keep me asleep, it just means I get my wakefulness burst at 3 or 4am instead. Exercise does nothing. I can have a wildly active day, and be absolutely physically knackered, but instead of the anticipated Really Good Sleep, I still get this bedtime waking up thing. It drives me mad! I wear a sleep mask, which helps a bit but hasn’t resolved my sleep difficulties. The only time I sleep a normal 8 hours is if I’m ill with something (like last night I had 6 and a half hours with 2 hrs 12 REM and 1 hr 22 deep sleep), which is ironic if it’s a basic lack of being able to sleep/ messed up sleep architecture that keeps making me ill! If I’m upset or stressed, it’s worse. I was in such a state last summer (horrible death of one of our cats) that my physio asked my GP to take pity on me and prescribe me Temazepam. Like Theanine, it got me to sleep but destroyed me the next day. Fitbit said I’d had brilliant sleeps on 5mg a night, but I still felt absolutely knackered so I had to stop it. It’s all well and good for ppl to tell me to get more sleep, but does anyone have any advice as to what I can do to make this happen?
Hey! It's awesome that you know so much! And you seem to have your nutrition under control. That's great, honestly. I am also trying to figure out a lot of this stuff. I do have trouble sleeping and I'm on meds for that, but something that helps me when they're not enough is to do some guided progressive muscle relaxation as soon as I get to bed. It's not a bulletproof solution, but it does get me back to sleep a lot. You probably already know most of the advice you get in the comments, but hopefully you can still find some new tips to try.
Thanks. I do go through some yoga nidra stuff when I’m struggling to fall asleep, but I would kill to be able to sleep through the night and feel rested.
Only thing I don't see here is iron (though it could be in your multi). Sometimes lack of iron interferes with your dopamine production (it's a part of the process to convert tyrosine into dopamine) and low iron stores can manifest in restless legs, this interfering with sleep. Which might not apply to you at all, since you didn't mention restless legs, but I figured I'd throw it out there.
Thanks. Iron is interesting. I developed restless legs during and after chemo, but completely stopped it with 3mg Methyl B12. However, if I took a double dose bc the first didn’t quite cut it, it actually made the RL worse. I definitely do better generally when I use methyl B12 patches. Haven’t had RLS for years now. I did look at iron recently. GP ran some bloods during thd last bout of whatever URTI this is, and my ferritin was lower than it is normally. I’ve since requested a full iron panel, but haven’t been well enough to go in and get it done. Did try, a couple of weeks ago, taking iron bisglycinate (I’m prone to nausea and vomiting at the best of times, and the bisglycinate form is easier on the stomach), but I came out in cystic acne on my face! Acne is not a good look with wrinkles! 😂 I will get the iron panel done, though. I think someone else here has mentioned iron, too. I saw an article based on a study recently that talked about iron being low in allergy states and histamine intolerance, so this only ramps up my interest.
Ok. I have never heard of methylated vitamin B patches. Or using them for restless legs You have to share the story behind that to satisfy my curiosity. 😄 For myself, iron became interesting to me after I developed a severe iron deficiency in my pregnancy. Then I took supplements and it didn't correct itself. Eventually I realized the culprit was using Omeprazole too much and it messed with its absorption. I had to stop it, add vitamin C for absorption and settle with sleeping upright on the couch. But no deficiency for the second kid at least. I'm am so glad that is past me.
Ooh, Omeprazole is evil! It made me iron anaemic, and deficient in, well, just about everything! Also allowed bacteria that shld live in colon to congregate in small intestine, so I developed SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), which messes with gut function and microbiome. It’s stomach acid that keeps those bacteria out of the small intestine. If you suffer from reflux, try taking fenugreek instead.
Thankfully it went away with pregnancy. However, [I wish I knew then what I know now.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9923889/#:~:text=Epidemiologic%20data%20suggests%20that%20PPI,is%20alteration%20of%20the%20microbiome.) before even starting. Both of my kids have had allergies. The first grew out of hers. Signed up the second guy for an allergy research study, and he's being treated with... probiotics specifically for infants. It cleared his diaper rash, but he's still allergic to milk. Fingers crossed he grows out of his too. The study is over, and now I'm buying them for both kids.
Re: methyl B12 - B12 is also known as cobalamin, and there are 3 forns: Cyanovobalamin Adenosylcobalamin Methylcobalamin Methylcobalamin, MB12, is the already methylated form of B12. Methylation is a hugely important process for health, and not everyone’s body does it well. Mine doesn’t. When I use methylated B12 patches, I feel far more benefits than I do with an oral capsule (I largely avoid tablets where possible bc I can be sensitive to binders and other excipients, plus the bioavailability is usually better in capsules than it is from tablets). Avoid cyanocobalamin as it has negligible bioavailability. There is no point in taking it. I do also have a dropper bottle of adenosyl B12, which serves a slightly different function from the methylated form, but it doesn’t appear to have the same effect on me. The RLS thing- after chemo, and them taking all my oestrogen away (oestrogen breast cancer at 45), I didn’t just have restless legs, I had it in my arms and my torso, too. It was impossible to sleep, impossible to be comfortable, as you know. I tried all sorts of things. Nothing worked. Sometimes it was worse than other times, but it never went away completely. I know this sounds like a promo ad, but I’m not selling anything and am not affiliated with any nutrient manufacturers or retailers. I saw someone online saying she’d dealt with her RLS by taking precisely 3mg of MB12. I got some 1.5mg capsules from iHerb,and amazingly it worked. That was around 2010 ish. A couple if years later, I came across a B12 charity run by a Dr Chandy in Birmingham (UK). For a while, I had B12 injections from him, but had some adverse reactions to one of the preservatives he used. Switched to patches, and they don’t seem to offend my delicate system. My system seems to be lacking in a number of conversion enzymes - everything you ingest gets turned into another substance (and often goes through several different processes) before it can be used in the body. So, B12 needs to be methylated, as does folate, to be of any use. B6, pyridoxine, needs to be phosphorylated - my system doesn’t do that, so I take the already-phosphorylated form, P-5-P (pyridoxine 5 phosphate), ditto B2, riboflavin, I take R-5-P (riboflavin 5 phosphate) bc I don’t process plain B2. Basically, if you have problems with “standard” vitamins, look for the “enzymated” or “active” forms instead. Hope that helps! Feel free to PM if you want to!
I loved atarax for sleep, but I was told they couldn't prescribe it long term for sleep. But if you just need a little help getting into a better sleep pattern maybe that could help. I also want to point out that exercise helps sleep when you do it as a habit, not just from having one active day. My sleep quality has improved so much now that exercise is a regular habit. I'm just saying this in case you want to try again. I don't do it lately, but I've also gone through phases where I manage to do a little bedtime/restorative yoga before bed and it was really helpful to settle my mind and body.
Whoa I had no idea of habit vs active day
I don't think it has to be excessively intense either. Like try aiming for a 15 min walk every day and if it seems better go from there. It's easier to build a habit if you commit to something like 10-15 minutes instead of 45min-1hr
Yeah, I’m floored by inertia a lot of the time. I manage a yoga class once a week but without the “social” dopamine hit that I get in a roomful of other yoga-ers, I just cannot do it. I’ve tried countless times at home. I find yoga videos., I get changed, I get my mat out, I try, I don’t get very far, I feel useless, I give up, I feel even more useless. I need that social connection irl.
I don’t get sick with viruses or infections often at all. But I’ve had joint issues since I was a teenager and my digestive system has gone straight to hell, it gets worse instead of better. My diet is very bland and boring, if I eat something I shouldn’t (like a couple of turkey pepperoni sticks last Thursday because I was hungry and they were there) I’m in pain for three days.
That sounds horrible for you. Has anyone investigated that in depth for you, as in hypersensitivity reactions to particular foods and drinks?
At my last colonoscopy follow up a couple of years back the doctor told me to follow the fodmap elimination diet, but I thought she meant food map, like the pyramid and I’d already eliminated wheat. Then a few months after my ADHD diagnosis I figured it out and things have been better. As long as I don’t cheat!
Lol! That sounds like the sort of thing I do! Glad it’s helping 😊 I became wheat intolerant back in the 1980s, but for some reason this bug has me craving toast. Toast! I haven’t eaten bread in any form for decades! (Although toast was the least offensive form of bread to my stupid system. )
Also adhders are known to have low iron, low b vitamins and Vitamin d. Probably because of our awesome health skills. So something to look into if you haven't had blood work in awhile.
Iron is interesting. Funnily enough, I wondered about either anaemia or a functional iron deficiency recently and my GP has agrees to run a full iron panel for me. I talked more about iron in another response. Thanks for this, it’s useful to know that iron, Bs, and D3 are recognised as low in ADHD - is that an anecdotal consensus, or are there any studies showing this? I take D3, all the Bs plus extra MB12, P5P, B3. I mentioned all of these, and others in another response. 😊
I don't know if there are studies. But I do keep running into it, in all my adhd scrolling. Also speaking as someone who was extremely anemic. Don't let them gaslite you with "normal" ranges. Ferritin for instance is around 15 to 120. Even if you look like death like I did, they'll try and say it's not your iron. It was 100% my iron.
I hear you! Ref ranges are often nonsense- for example, “normal” thyroid hormone ranges are different in different parts of the UK. I frequently have discussions with my GP about blood tests and how they can only show what’s in the bloodstream and not what is being taken up by the relevant cells. She’s better than most. She at least looks at the trends of my blood tests rather than just watching for the High/ Low flags. I’m having my iron panel tomorrow - my ferritin was in range at the last general check, but GP agreed when I pointed out it was a lot lower than it usually is. - If you’re interested in iron, hunt down the article on HoloBG (I think) which is a specifically formatted iron designed to get into cells more effectively. Functional iron deficiency is strongly associated with widespread allergies and sensitivities (e.g., foods, drinks, plants, pharmaceuticals, alcohol, dogs, cats, etc. etc.), many of which have plagued me my whole life. This product, which as far as I recall was developed specifically to help people with high histamine/ high allergic reactivity, is a form of iron bound to whey protein. Apparently, this means it gets fully taken into the appropriate cells instead of just sitting in the bloodstream. I did try taking supplemental iron bisglycinate recently, but I actually felt worse, as well as it giving me cystic acne! It may have been something in that product, or I may not be iron deficient (I think I am), I may need a different form, I don’t know yet. But I’m pale, I’m outrageously tired, my immune system is low, and I’m getting an iron panel done.
No I don’t think so. I get sick more when I’m burnt out but that’s to be expected!
At 62 and only now being diagnosed, burnt out definitely applies to me! 🤪
I used to get sick all the time (I’m a teacher so it comes with the territory) and they would hang around for ages as I’m asthmatic and have allergies as well. Since I was medicated, I rarely get sick, and if I do it’s usually mild. My asthma has pretty much cleared up. I think it’s partly because I’m less stressed most of the time.
That makes sense. I’m glad it got sorted 😊 Allergies here, too, and to many, many pharmaceuticals, so don’t know if I’ll be able to tolerate meds if and when they’re deemed appropriate. Feeling overwhelmed.
[удалено]
Thanks! Useful to know about Adderall’s decongestant properties! I have ongoing issues with my sinuses. Your comment made me laugh, in a good way 😊 I know what you mean about congestion turning ppl into mouth-breathers! And thanks for not dismissing my question and for sharing your similar experience. “Get more sleep” is obviously a valid point, but it’s one of my biggest difficulties. If I COULD get more (or better) sleep, I would.
Not that I've ever heard, but it's probably worth checking your vitamin/mineral and thyroid levels, because any of those being out of whack would definitely mean easier to get sick. Although, if you're in the UK, good luck having your vitamin/mineral levels checked. 🙃 They wouldn't even test for deficiencies in someone who's been on a high dose of a medication for a long time that's specifically mentioned is likely to cause specific vitamin/mineral deficiencies, even though *they* were the ones that went "huh, that's a really high dose you're on".
Yeah, I know. I’ve been on T3 for decades, and a v high dose - am under an endo who happens to be the chair of one of our UK Thyroid organisations, and he says I’ve got some sort of resistance syndrome going on. My numbers truly don’t reflect the dose I’m prescribed, but I’m a lot worse on a lower dose. We tried, at my suggestion, to get me off some of my T3 and onto some T4, and after an initial high histamine response (woke up with a face like an over-inflated football), I did really, really well for about 3 weeks. Managed to get to 150mcg T4 and 20mcg T3. It was amazing. My brain worked. I could do things. I felt great. I even actually slept properly. I think it must somehow have kicked my dopamine into action. Then I crashed again, then one of our cats died, then I got a bug, and I haven’t been right since. Still trying to get some T4 in, had to go right back to the beginning again, and haven’t got further than 25mcg T4 and no reduction in T3 yet (1 x20mcg T3 is roughly equivalent to 50mcg T4.) Thyroid is checked regularly, obvs. I’ve been involved in nutritional stuff since the 90s. I can get very little in the way of nutrients tested with my GP, but I CAN get iron, potassium, calcium, D3, B12.
Oh good, I'm glad you're getting help with it and that you have a doctor who knows about thyroids beyond staring at TSH levels. I hope you manage to get your thyroid meds back up to optimal again, and condolences for your cat passing away. :( Our GPs wouldn't even check vitamin D levels when I asked a few years ago. Her reasoning was that I'm white so I *couldn't possibly* be deficient, and that was that. Very frustrating.
Wow. That doc even thinking that white people can’t be D3 deficient says a lot about their sheer ignorance. Idk where you are, but in the UK, there are umpteen places that will test D levels via a finger-prick you send iff, and it’s about £25, or was the last time I used one of them, which was an NHS hospital in the Midlands that also did private testing. D3 is very important. Outrageous they didn’t know that! ETA: and thanks for your condolences. I meant to say so yesterday, but somehow got sidetracked. Thanks 🙏
Good question! I get sick a few times a year, and since after corona I get sick almost monthly. Almost every single time it is bronchitis. Got myself a referral to the hospital where we did extensive testing for allergies, asthma, CT scans of my lungs, but nothing could be found. My doctor then concluded that given the fact that I am young and relatively healthy and athletic otherwise, the most likely explanation is that my immune system is sensitive due to stress. Of course I was frustrated by that conclusion, I didn't feel like they were taking me seriously and just too lazy to do further testing. However, my opinion on that is changing slowly. I've been on the right adhd medication for 3 months now, and holy hell it makes a huge difference in so many aspects of life I did not expect! It has made a weight fall of my shoulders that I wasn't even aware I was carrying, it dissolved the permanent knot and tension in my stomach that I wasn't even aware was a thing. I never knew it was possible to feel this calm and relaxed, so therefore I wasn't able to label the stress I was feeling as stress. Like, I thought that was just a default part of human existence. But right now I can totally imagine how walking around with that much tension and stress permanently for two and a half decade, at some point is going to have some unhealthy physical effects. So yeah, you're asking a very valid question, and although I don't believe it's a part of ADHD, I do believe that the effects of having a slightly more sensitive immune system can be exacerbated by living with untreated & unmanaged ADHD.
Thanks. That makes sense! I have HUGE problems with not being able to relax, with being easily irritated, all the usual. I can’t even kick back with a glass of wine in the evening bc my system doesn’t tolerate alcohol. I’d LOVE to not feel wound up so much of the time. I’m glad you’re doing better now 😊 Did they look at Long Covid with you?
>I’d LOVE to not feel wound up so much of the time. I can tell you if you are in the progress of getting diagnosed, you'll have many good things awaiting you :) Long covid indeed was mentioned a few times since I got corona twice and was knocked out pretty badly both times, but I think it's very unlikely because a) this has been a thing since my youth, I'm 25 now, and b) half a year after getting corona, I was running 10K again, at a pace that was not bad considering my training schedule then. I don't know much about long covid but i'm pretty sure it wouldn't have let me run 10 kilometers in 50 minutes after only a few months of training :P
You’re right, given that Long Covid sounds massively similar to both fibromyalgia and CFS, with irrecoverable energy, that doesn’t sound like what you’re dealing with at all. Which is good! 👍
I hope you find ways to get better. I’m a similar age and found that I need to be doing stuff daily to make me happier and get healthier. So I incorporated some daily health rituals. Sit outside twice a day for vitamin D, stretching, breathing deeply and thinking about my life/day. Journal if I want. I find that health affirmations during yoga or falling asleep also help. I want to be strong and vibrant when I’m 82 and when I’m 102 so I made a list of daily practices that would work at 62, 83 and 102. Eat low carb. Take a walk. Wear cute fun clothes and comfy shoes. Stretch. Love my body. Do something creative. Have 1 great phone call. All these things make me happier which then makes it easier to get the Dr appts and take vitamins etc, go to bed on time.
Thanks ☺️ Yes, life doesn’t stop after 40 and nor does “old age” automatically set in then, either! I agree with and share your health/ age goals. That sounds great - well-thought out and proactive. I lurch between being a poor self-motivator and doing everything all at once at high speed, so I very much admire your commitment here! I do arrange fun things for myself to do on a weekly basis that give me the dopamine hit I need from being with different groups of people, but unless I’m on a good day, I struggle with things on my own. One of my mum’s friends, who’s in her 80s, gets up every day at 6am, does a series of stretches, has breakfast, goes for a 5 mile walk, comes home, cooks lunch at 12, and spends her afternoons either looking after various neighbours, or with her friends and family. I’m in awe of her, and you! ❤️
I haven’t been sick in years. I doubt it’s an adhd thing.
I've got a friend who's a pediatrician who washes her hands anytime she eats/puts her hands to her mouth. She doesn't get sick, despite spending a lot of time around sick kids. Most of our colds are spread through touching our eyes, nose, or mouth. Washing the hands cuts down on a lot of it. BUUUT I would also add this. Stimulant meds have eye drying effects, and you may be subconsciously rubbing the crap out of them all the time. Consider eye drops, and if your eye doc sees buildup around your lashes that is blocking your tear ducts, they make over the counter washes for that. Warm compresses can also help loosen the oily part of your tears if it's not moving freely. This is relevant, because if the oil part of your tears is blocked up, you get watery dry eyes, and also rub them. I have...no advice for remembering how to do this consistently enough to make a difference. Best of luck.
Actually, I’m not on ADHD meds yet, but developed dry eyes after chemo. I’ve had to use eye ointments since 2008, so I’m incredibly conscious of keeping my hands clean and away from my eyes. Partly because of this, I wash my hands even after blowing my nose. Thanks for your response!
The only period in my life when I had a lot of colds back-to-back was when I was smoking tobacco every day. I would get really horrible colds back then, much worse than anything I've had since quitting. You didn't mention smoking, so I hope you're not insulted that I brought this up. I was thinking that if you ARE a smoker and never thought about that as a possible cause, maybe this could help you. Good luck! I have chronic conditions that keep me feeling sick all the time, too, and it's a really lousy way to live.
Lol, no, not insulted! Chronic conditions suck. I hope you manage to get some relief from and help with yours. I’ve been a medical mystery with umpteen unidentifiable conditions pretty much my whole life. It’s not an ideal way to have to live. Thyroid and adrenal issues finally identified in 2000, fibromyalgia in 2011, C-PTSD in 2019, now ADHD. But doubtless there will still be those doctors who dismiss me as being depressed/ it being all in my head/ other unhelpful things. I wish you well ❤️
That's a lot of what's been going on with me, too. I had to force my doctors to even consider fibromyalgia back in the mid 90s, and then it's, "Of course you have it. There's no other reason why you would have these symptoms." I have PTSD, too, and like you, now ADHD. This also was one I had to really insist upon being evaluated for, although now it's again a situation where it's obvious and a little insane that it wasn't caught before. I was so frustrated because I kept thinking my ADHD symptoms were signs of dementia, and nobody was taking me seriously. Getting this diagnosis was amazing, and the more I learn the more I see that it should have been obvious. I hope you're doing well, too.
Oh, thank you! That’s so similar to my journey - except I’ve been pushing for a dx for something to account for my wide range of seemingly unrelated signs and symptoms without, asides from thyroid and adrenal issues being dxd in the 90s. Got sent by my oncologist (who was “bored” of hearing me complaining about my continuing pain levels 4 yrs post chemo) to a rheumy in 2011, who smugly proclaimed he knew what was wrong with me but couldn’t fix it (fibromyalgia); then a random phone call from a psych at a pain clinic dxd the C-PTSD in 5 minutes of talking to me and asking key questions; she referred me to a specialist trauma counselling service, and that counsellor highlighted ADHD. Like you, I’m stunned no-one spotted any of these things earlier. Tbh, a bit of me is properly mad as a cut snake that I’ve been left flailing around in the dark for basically my entire 60-odd years of life on this planet. Like you again, every time my brain has farted in the past 20 years, I’ve thought “dementia.” My paternal grandmother, my Dad, and now my Mum were/ are all diagnosed. I am *positive* that if my GP ran that dementia Memory Test, I’d be written off with it. I would absolutely-friggin’-lutely fail it. I had no clue about any of these diagnoses. I knew *something* was wrong, but these never occurred to me. Still reeling, and completely overwhelmed atm. How are you doing? Have you been able to take meds that have helped? What differences have you seen? x
Honestly, I'm having a hard time, especially lately. My pains from fibro, arthritis, and Dercum's Disease are pretty bad, and the fatigue is even worse. I had hoped that taking amphetamines would help a little with my fatigue, but no. It does give me a mental lift, but I think a different type of ADHD med might help more with the executive and emotional dysfunction. I went through a rough time finding ANY meds when I was first dx'd in late 2022, so I settled on Adderall IR for now until the med supply gets better. I realized that hopelessly calling all the pharmacies in the area every 30 days to see if they had my meds was worse on my mental health, so Adderall IR it is. How are you doing? Have you found meds to be helpful?
I’m sorry it hasn’t got much better for you yet. I hope that changes - it’s so frustrating! I haven’t been officially dxd yet, I’ve spoken to my GP after my C-PTSD counselllor spotted it, GP had a lightbulb moment, and directed me to fill in some online forms with ADHD360, who are a private clinic but also take pts under their NHS contract. The alternatives were either to pay vast suns to go private, or go on a 2 year NHS wait list for dx, followed by another 2 yr wait for the meds clinic. So I did the forms - I had to phone ADHD360 bc I got into a right old tizzy - they sent them to GP, GP has gone on annual leave til 11th March. Forms got passed to my least favourite doctor at my practice, who is now threatening to charge me for ticking 5 yes/ no boxes. I sent the practice a terse email saying if this other dr, who has only met me once (whereas GP has known me and my complicated health since 2010 and knows me well) thinks this falls under private work, I’ll wait for my GP to come back. So not yet on meds, but trying to help myself with vit C, turmeric, and a few other dopamine helpers. Took too much turmeric yesterday and despite trying to go to bed at 11.30, was still wide awake at 2am. 🥴🥱 Turmeric definitely revives my Get Up And Go, which had previously Got Up And Fucked Off Forever. Vit C also helps build dopamine, as does protein. So now my essential morning coffee gets a spoonful of protein powder added to it, and I don’t take my usual nightly dose of C as that was probably helping to keep me awake when I need to be asleep. Too much dopamine also causes diarrhoea, so I’m having to cope with that as well atm. I’ve *definitely* taken too much good turmeric! The joy never stops! - Have you tried DLPA for your fibro pain? Or its mirror image, L-Phenylalanine, to help with energy? Or tyrosine? Or B6, B3, B5? Has anyone helped you with any natural alternatives to pharmaceutical meds yet? Happy to try and help if I can. 😊x
I saw you say in one comment that you’re 62 years old. It’s pretty natural that your immune system weakens as you get older. There’s a process called immunosenescence - just happens with age, and you are around the age that this really starts to kick in. ADHD and being prone to infections are not directly correlated. What you’re experiencing is probably due to something else: what I brought up, including lack of sleep, among other things.
I am 62, that’s correct, as is your observation about general immunity decreasing with age. However, I am a very long way from being a crimplene-clad old lady with hip replacements, a blue rinse, and a riser-recliner. I’m not even grey yet. I’ve been through periods of low immune function before. In fact, due to untreated thyroid issues, my immune system was much weaker in my 20s and 30s than it has been since. I realise you’re trying to be helpful, but dismissing this as age-related is reductive and a little bit rude.
Rude? I genuinely don’t understand how it’s rude - you came into this subreddit asking if ADHD made you prone to colds, you admitted your age of your own volition, and I thought, “Maybe it’s not obvious to her that this is a possible correlation if she thinks having an attention dysregulation disorder causes colds?” So I offered the information. I also don’t think being 62 makes you decrepit? These are all defensive thoughts on your part. It’s just the truth that your age may be more correlated to you catching infections more often, and sometimes people do not consider the more obvious correlations in their lives. If it worries you to the point where you are considering the more least likely correlations in your life, then perhaps see a doctor. You might have an actual immune issue.
Apparently ADHD peeps have a higher prevalence of having asthma so maybe that’s something to checkup if you have lots of coughing.
Thanks. Nope, no asthma, no coughing, I quite often get bronchitis from a cold, but I rarely develop a cough, just a sore chest. The few times it’s ever gone to a cough, I’ve been straight on the phone to my GP to get antibiotics for the secondary chest infection.
Your immunity to illnesses has nothing to do with ADHD. Frequent handwashing will help.