Adhd or dopamine addiction reddit ive consistently used psychedelics on and off for years, never quite felt addicted so much as its just been part of my self medication routine, to be honest they help my adhd more than harm it, especially in treating the co morbid anxiety/depression. Well, dopamine plays a role in attention, learning, memory, and reward so yeah everybody is "addicted" to dopamine. Nutrition is important. Many people might not have ADHD, the main just chronically addicted to screens. I need dopamine to stay motivated in all areas so I’m always on the hunt. Just dont think your the only person who is dealing with this issue. Exercise. In fact, the number of dopamine receptors is much higher in men. I love the dopamine rush of eating good food, and I'm very impulsive and have trouble stopping. I wish you all the best in your journey and please don’t take food addiction lightly as many do, it can be as much of a killer as any addiction. That's not an excuse to try and work on your technology addiction. Posted by u/[Deleted Account] - 21 votes and 7 comments When you have ADHD, your brain doesn't keep enough dopamine floating in that particular pathway, which means you don't feel satisfaction when doing things that would normally be rewarding. Side effects like, deficiency in the part of the brain that controls impulse control. It's training your brain to expect dopamine externally instead of generating it internally. Basically, ADHD medications help by giving you more dopamine. I compare it to my ADHD hyperactive female friend with fast COMT who has the pulsating kind. Lack of dopamine is not accepted as the cause of adhd. Men work with dopamine. The only fix for that is more dopamine. nlm. My ADHD exacerbates my phone addiction and I’m getting so tired of it, but I just can’t seem to stop. Try dopamine detox as well, it worked wonders to me. I just read another book by another neuroscientist that framed addiction as a learning disorder, like autism. Decades of dopamine addiction. We're very different when it comes to stimuli. 12-step program for internet addiction, or some other “step-by-step” program for people with ADHD and the dopamine addiction is really strong. That means you will stock the outlet, the cannon if you like with even more dopamine. From getting around 80-90%, I just failed 3 exams consecutively. It's a NDRI, a noreponephrine-dopamine-reuptske-inhibitor. They feel different (I don't know why), but one or both of them is very likely to work for you. Everyone is addicted to there phones these days. This is also why stimulant medications are so effective in the treatment of ADHD; stimulants act as dopamine reuptake inhibitors, causing a more regular rate of consumption of dopamine and lowering how much we have to do to remain at a balanced level. The more you chase it constantly, the harder it will be later. I don't experience seizures as often. But longterm use WRECKED the dopamine system. This includes things like watching videos, mobile games (this is where I get stuck) and snacking, particularly sugar. Low Dopamine is shit, but hanging around high-Dopamine a lot, makes it the new zero. Yes, people with ADHD are more likely to become addicted to anything, including porn. Thats why people with adhd can get easily hooked to social media, video games ect. I browse 9gag and and reddit when I'm at the office because I can't play games here (at home too but less, they replace my need for socialization). Use it to inspire yourself, motivate yourself or calm your mind. She has really risky behavior while I don't go outside mostly haha. Telling people with ADHD that a dopamine detox could help them may prevent them from seeking traditional ADHD treatments. Emotional Regulation & Rejection Sensitivity I just have to get off screens, podcasts, audiobooks, YouTube videos. Decades of consumption. as someone with ADHD, check out the subreddit! the things that have helped me are #1 medication - I have severe inattentive adhd so this was literally life changing. I'm looking for help and stories of other people with ADHD, anxiety, and depression who have overcome deeply rooted unhealthy habits. When dealing with addiction you have to figure out what your hiding from. But to answer your question i need to know what you see as a dopamine addiction first. As some of would know and experience, ADHD sufferers struggle with addiction. fm actually helps me immensely Using pomodoro timer (I use 20 mins work time instead of 25) setting myself a goal of how many cycles I want to complete, for me it is around 4 full cycles Look into Wellbutrin (bupropion). I account for the fact that I'm gonna fall down the rabbit hole sometimes and watch videos. I don't know why these self-help pseudo-science blogs call it a "dopamine detox". The dopamine issues that are theorized to be associated with adhd help explain and contextualize a lot about addiction and are just biochemically super interesting. The more i isolate myself the more depressed i get and the more I want to drink. honestly its worrying me a lot more than ADHD itself. And reduced inhibitory control, which is also said to be a problem with ADHD. Your baseline dopamine levels are TOO LOW than NECESSARY to function normally. Reddit is just like all social media in the sense that it’s designed to keep you scrolling on the app as long as possible and it does this by constantly giving you stimulus which releases dopamine in the brain. The mobile apps used for Reddit are broken or are missing features that this subreddit depends on. switch out the magnesium to one without b6, and it magnesium glycinate. I also overeat as part of my adhd (dopamine seeking g behavior) , and on medication I don't eat as 5 - avoid reels/ tiktok/ YouTube shorts, if you have ADHD they seriously “damage” your dopamine. benzos, amphetamines Umm I’m old (30s) so my dopamine is buying furniture, organizing (although it only stays that way for a few hours 😅 I still love rearranging and organizing things for the sake of doing it) , walking my dog for at least an hour in inclement weather , the worse the weather is, the more dopamine 😅 while listening to true crime podcasts or stuff about cults, anything of mysterious with Top reasons for my ADHD brain being stuck on social media: Dopamine-seeking (solution: shop from my “healthy dopamine list” for something that catches my attention and hyperfocus on that instead of my phone) Burrowing to avoid difficult emotions (solution: find a safe place/person to express and process the emotions) We're an inclusive, disability-oriented peer support group for people with ADHD with an emphasis on science-backed information. For example, you get dopamine every 10 seconds while playing games. If my first dose of dopamine is from internet/social media I can get stuck on that and it ends up being the primary way I seek dopamine that day, like I keep coming back to it even if I do other things during the day, whereas if the first dopamine in the morning comes from cleaning or finishing a school task I find myself getting stuck really good ideas you have come up with there, i feel the explosion of people saying they have adhd symptoms is definately down to phones and how they train your brain to get cheap dopamine, when i see a kid in a pushchair being given a phone to keep them busy while the parent shops i think there is no hope, that kids brain is already trained In this clip we review reasons why abnormal dopamine levels can cause addiction in untreated individuals, and why psychostimulant treatment for ADHD and addiction disorders could be useful in offsetting the future addictive liability present in individuals with naturally low levels of dopamine in chief brain regions governing reward and . I struggled with gaming & social media addiction as well. Link is here. • Turn to dopamine high of whatever nature (weed, video games, spend money, waste time on Reddit) • do the above until there’s no time left for the work to be done and my persistent fear of complete failure makes me do the work in a mostly mediocre fashion and my grades reflect that, in my opinion. Thank you! 2. Now anytime I masturbate during the day for a dopamine hit it like triggers this really horrible time in my life. Trust me speed addiction will only leave you worse off in the end. I think that stuff like social media, shopping, etc. If you get it, get niacinamide (500mg capsules is what I use) not niacin. Stimulant medications work to correct this deficiency. I never liked the feeling past buzzed or the hangover that followed if i kept going. Sabroxy doesn't make more of anything, it just increases the amount of time dopamine hangs around outside of neurons. Its a expensive hobby to start but if you use it enough it becomes one of the most worthwhile things. You lack dopamine and therefore you become an addict in a way to chase whatever provides that rush of dopamine. Trouble is, once I consume the bagel or chat with a friend or buy the Amazon thingie, I’m back to square one. Share your stories, struggles, and non-medication strategies. i feel like if i stand up my legs dont have the strenght to support my weight. I struggle with social anxiety, so i isolate myself. TLDR: I want to feel like I actually have choice over how I spend my time, not that I'm a slave to my dopamine addiction. Jan 31, 2025 · Research on L-tyrosine’s effectiveness for ADHD is limited, totaling about two studies, the first of which was conducted in the 1980s. My therapist has adhd and suggested I prolong dopamine-inducing activity on purpose and speed up low-reward tasks. Fun fact, but when I learned about the "dopamine detox" I started looking into ADHD after because I was hitting all of the marks for low dopamine, even before I had a tech addiction, then I realized I probably have ADHD lol. nih. My dr said I have adhd, idk if this normal for someone with… ADHD is related to mainly a dereceased amount of dopamine in the brain and we crave stimulation to make the brain produce more dopamine. This is why too many ADHD folks may use fear like a medication for directed attention. It takes the baseline down to almost nothing, and the slight increase in dopamine you get from THC barely moves the needle compared to your normal levels prior to letting weed into your life. It’s one perspective, supported by the scientific research. I’ve recently got Reddit back but Facebook and tiktok are still off and I want to give at least another couple months. Music. There is almost no empirical evidence that a behavioural intervention like the 'dopamine detox' that you described would have an effect on your dopamine receptor upregulation. I’m like this too. I know little about dopamine, so I'd like some help. As we all know, dopamine is like a unicorn. Amphetamine-based ADHD meds (Adderall, Vyvanse, dexedrine) work by increasing the activity of dopamine and norepinephrine. and take more omega 3 1000-4000mg through out the day. I have binge eating disorder and I am almost positive it stems from my ADHD. And when you have drastically low dopamine levels, guess what comes next. basically it’s not an overnight or even next week process and there can be unpleasant withdrawal symptoms Since we (people with ADHD) have low dopamine anyways, I've been trying to get as much dopamine wherever I can for my whole life. That's how we evolved. I tried it and it seems to work! I have inattentive ADHD+autism, slow COMT and high tonic dopamine. fm while studying/coding with noise cancelling headphones ( in my case airpods) brain. That reset was so difficult, but so worth it. ADHD brains have a dopamine deficit, so our brains seek out any activities that provide dopamine, the more the better. I DO use interval methods (do 5 pages of reading - that'll take as long as I make it so I'd rather get it out of the way so I can do shit I want). The front page on reddit doesn't change and the upvotes you get don't change. This study found an initial positive response to the use of L-tyrosine after three to four weeks, but reported no significant improvements long-term due to the participants building tolerance to the L-tyrosine. I have played a lot of videogames in my life, currently must have like over 4000 games on Digital shops. 4. I always thought I was an introvert because I hate crowds and navigating new social situations, then I thought I was an extrovert but autistic, because I hate crowds but love having rowdy infodump conversations with other ADHD/autistic folks, and now I'm thinking maybe I AM an introvert, I just also rely on dopamine from (safe, comfortable 2. A mid teir pc today can play all the games from the last 2 decades and can play new games (with no performance problems) for probably the next 7 years. I always screwed up and gaming was my medicine. In December I deleted everything. and sticking to a routine helps me the most. 0". We crave dopamine, because we produce less of it in the brain. Methylephebidate-based ADHD meds, like Ritalin and Concerta work by blocking dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake. As the title states I’m on Lexapro escitalopram and it’s raises natural seratonin by inhibiting uptake so more seratonin is in ethe synaptic cleft of the brain. eat more carbs with a low gi, and more protein. I'm just so over the constant thoughts, the constant need for a quick hit. Typically people with adhd are more prone to addiction and eating disorders though. Like sex addiction or even like porn addiction. I dont use timed methods (e. But the addiction comes when you're too tired to enjoy them, but you don't have the energy to do anything else. When it's neither of them it's youtube. It doesn't rewire your brain, more like the ADHD condition rewired your brain to a different sort from birth, and that particular sort really tends to like video games. take rhodiola under very stressful periods. Different circadiam rhythms, increased distractions, dopamine farming, higher anxiety and racing thoughts can all contribute. Most ADHD meds, or coffee in your case, cause the synthesis of dopamine, along with serotonin and norepinephrine. If I had my way, I would scroll on social media all day. A good ADHD specialist will try you on different ones to see which ones worked. 6- would recommend 30 min meditation everyday( I know it sucks ass to meditate ) but that’s actually why is good, getting your brain to get used to low dopamine activities I found that I only kept playing because I couldn’t do things right. I agree with what people said below it is basically a crash diet. The foundation of the condition is the dysregulation of dopamine and issues with executive function, and people with ADHD/ADD are often more impulsive. I found an article on ncbi. Seeing an ad or video of a happy healthy person on their cell-phone is a simple example of the media telling your subconscious that gluing you are correct that one of the genetic conditions of adhd is lack of dopamine. Some older (~2006-2012) studies claimed it was a factor but newer studies seem to agree that there isnt enough consistency in that theory t Dude, the worst is when you have that dopamine addiction, but instead of wasting time by playing games or watching shows, you go to reddit or social media and you keep checking back every 5 minutes. I have more willpower. Because when you're not getting your dopamine regulation, many other processes aren't getting their methylation either (I believe Vitamin D is in the dopamine cycle, for instance). L-tyrosine actually converts directly into dopamine. Hypersexuality and porn addiction is possible in thos This is because of dopamine addiction. Like ADHD, Parkinson's is also caused by your body not being able to utilize dopamine correctly. I find as a person with ADHD the hardest thing is simply being nice to myself. People with adhd are also at 8x risk of parkinsons, because parkinsons is also a dopamine deficiency illness. Doing a "fast", for which there is no scientific support, serves no purpose if your adhd isnt treated properly. This resulted into things like videogames. Just looking at scales of what produces dopamine in your brain and seeking out the healthier ones is helpful. so adhd only appears on men. Less self control is an issue in both of these fields. But did you know that we ADHD'ers have an even greater affinity to carbs and sugar simply for the dopamine hits?? I used to blame my genetic predisposition to addiction or my lack of self discipline and willpower, a binge eating disorder, the list goes on and on. However I was wondering to what extent serotonin plays in the condition, given its varied complex role and wide distribution I would of guessed it had some role Also Don’t start doing something that feeds onto your ADHD dopamine craving in the first place, coz once you are binging onto a movie series, or a movie recap, you know, you know it’s gna be hard to leave that state, so the key is to not do this kind of dopamine intensive behaviours in the first place. We recommend browsing /r/adhd on desktop for the best experience. Never knew it was because of my adhd till I started learning more about it. It's used to help quit smoking, against narcolepsy, around seventh in line for what doctors prescribe against depression, and may be used as an "if all else fails" ADHD medication, but it targets the dopamine reuptake which we all know is a great part of what messes us up. Listen to as much music as you can. I get my dopamine from reading books, mostly fiction, and I just cannot stop reading. May be much better option than getting amphetamine. 5-3 GPA isn’t terrible, but I know I Totally agree with the self-medication stuff but the scientist in me doesnt like the "it's because ADHD is lack of dopamine". Addiction is something complicated enough for there to be many different components to it, not just an inability to operate when not in “dopamine rush”. It fills a gap. The second case is the form of dopamine stimulation. . Because our brains are starved of dopamine regularly, when it finds something (food, nicotine, alcohol, etc) that gives you dopamine essentially for free, it holds on to it tight. And the question is, will any more dopamine be emitted is the warehouse if over-full. after the alcohol crash and dopamine depression my hangovers are a nightmare. im drinking heavly 3-4 times a week. If dopamine was a pleasure chemical, this would not happen. Again this is because dopamine is very important for nervous system health. back in the day when I came in in the '70s and '80s, the guessing was that ADHD had to be due to dopamine deficiency because the drugs we discovered to manage it all produced increases in dopamine availability in the brain, and they did it through various mechanisms. They monetized the path of least mental resistance. In the arm metaphor, the cell that wants to move it and the cell that wants to stop it can't communicate properly, so they'll fire independently of one another in this horrible back and forth of stop and go, leading to that tell tale shaking that Now after 8 years I’m in a community of supportive people outside of 12-step and that’s working for me today. But I have a family and my husband and I have argued so many times about how he feels second fiddle to my phone. Your brain is still producing dopamine whether you're working or slacking off. i also write everything down on a calendar either on my phone or a physical calendar. How I view my tonic dopamine is a constant high dopamine flow. The problem with ADHD is a lack of dopamine. Growing up I was into boxing and I worked out almost neurotically. "If I don't study this perfectly I'll fail and live on the streets", or put something off until the anxiety is so great it helps stimulate dopamine and help us use directed attention longer (night before project is due). I clinically don’t produce enough neurotransmitters already due to having ADHD (research hints lack of dopamine and norepinephrine production as the main contributor to ADHD symptoms, but keep in mind they are both thought to have initial calls for production rooted at the 5-ht1a serotonin receptor). Hi u/LordTomGM and thanks for posting on r/ADHD! Please take a second to read our rules if you haven't already. Evidence supporting dopamine involvement in ADHD symptomatology includes pharmacotherapy studies, which show that stimulant medications that increase dopamine levels effectively treat ADHD symptoms, 24-27 genetic studies, which have linked dopamine genes to ADHD, 28-30 and imaging studies, which have shown abnormalities of dopamine function and At this point I believe my brain is simply ruined beyond repair. View community ranking In the Top 5% of largest communities on Reddit ADHD and dopamine addiction It might not help ADHD to 'increase dopamine in the synapse' if it is taken back up into the synapse so fast. My question is will this medication down regulate or have a negative effect on and adhd persons already bad dopamine path way? Dopamine, the main chemical involved in addiction, is secreted from certain nerve tracts in the brain when we engage in a rewarding experience such as finding food, clothing, shelter or a sexual mate. It does have its problems though. You must understand "the war" which is the idea that your conscious rational mind is being bypassed countless times throughout the days with information that this dopamine addiction is good. g. What do you call dopamine addiction and what are real ADHD symptoms according to you? As far as i knew ADHD has a lot to do with dopamine, i wouldn't call it an addiction though. I want to find a replacement source of dopamine/happy hormones that isn't so destructive. This can be a hard habit to nurture, but regular proper exercise really activates your system and releases all the good hormones like dopamine. If you're always chasing and getting it, you never get "reset". The first two weeks sucked, and I really struggled without the constant dopamine until I found something else to replace it with. 3. Also maybe try l-tyrosine, since I believe ADHD can be caused by your brain not making enough dopamine. That's the whole point of it. I’m not medicated, but the dopamine hit I get is still there. But even with that I am still strugling with the dopamine addiction that I have been feeding and growing for my entire life. Also, there are studies that show people with ADHD have longer REM cycles, which means their deep sleep (the most restful kind of sleep) is impacted. When looking at most information about ADHD, its treatments and causes the main neurotransmitters discussed and involved are dopamine and norepinephrine and I understand why of course. We're an inclusive, disability-oriented peer support group for people with ADHD with an emphasis on science-backed information. This can give them undesirable side effects. Games are fun. is particularly attractive to those with adhd because were dopamine starved and looking for a “quick fix”. There's no such thing as a dopamine addiction. this is simpler. Contrasts are important. To a low dopamine / low dopamine sensitive brain (like ADHD), this is the fucking jackpot! To a normal brain, this is also the fucking jackpot! But once again, us ADHD folk are more likely to develop problematic cocaine use. Onto dopamine. Growing up I worked out almost neurotically. Aside from meds, it helps me to create “healthy” dopamine-generating moments intentionally and schedule them ahead of time. I have personally noticed in myself and others. The side effects mentioned in ADHD and gaming addiction overlap. I am diagnosed with ADHD and have been thinking about this. My coping mechanisms I use in combination is: Listening to brain. Thank you! Cocaine prevents reuptake of dopamine, thereby flooding the brain with dopamine. That lack of satisfaction is stored, marking the memory as unimportant. Yes!! For years when I was in the pit of my "depression" I would spend hours masturbating over and over again just to bring some dopamine to my sad life. I’ve been listening to dopamine nation as an audiobook and it mentions 4 weeks as a recommendation to abstain from marijuana use for a former client So I’d imagine dopamine resetting in general to be similar. Nearly a million and a half users say they 'feel at home' and 'finally found a place where people understand them'. He didn’t explicitly say that ADHD is caused by tik tok — I was being mildly hyperbolic in my rage, haha — but in this video he at least appears to imply that the real problem for many people with adhd is the overconsumption of dopamine sources, like tik tok. but tbh medication is what's really made all the ADHD is a developmental disorder in the brain that directly affects (amongst other things) the generation and reception of dopamine (pleasure). 2K votes, 766 comments. Folks with an ADHD brain often are lacking dopamine, and games provide it. It turned out to be bipolar 2 on top of the ADHD — I’m not saying that you have it, but if this issue becomes destructive to your life it might be worth checking if you fit the criteria at all. Eat sensibly, and avoid sugar. I'm talking 4-5 hours at the gym doing intense training 6 days a week. Games are long and filled with more content to hook you harder. I’ve seen a few times in this community that people really push the ‘dopamine deficiency’ and it’s a bit of a pet peeve of mine as a scientist - Whilst there is evidence to suggest that dopamine is involved, we certainly don’t have enough of it to be able to go around saying that ADHD is rooted in dopamine deficiency. 2 days ago · A dopamenu is useful not only for people with ADHD, Tivers added, but also a host of other conditions, such as depression or seasonal affective disorder (SAD), in which low dopamine is a factor There has been a significant increase in the use of psychiatric medication in children over the last few decades, specifically dopamine agonists (stimulants) for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dopamine antagonists (antipsychotics) for psychotic, mood, and anxiety disorders. I think whether you have ADHD or not unplugging can make most people feel more focus and reduce ADHD symptoms (although probably not a cure for the majority who actually have ADHD). gov (national library of medicine) that suggests a link between ADHD especially inattentive type that is a result of lowered Oxytocin and dopamine. Aka, a slave to avoiding suffering. the psychedelics can have a bit of a self limiting/self care effect. I have ADHD/anxiety and depression. The correlation is that people with adhd don’t have enough dopamine, and that it’s most beneficial to take medication and improve coping strategies. An addict will get hit with a tactical nuke of dopamine upon the slightest whiff of their substance/experience of abuse, yet even when they consume that substance/experience, they may not experience pleasure. The avalanche of dopamine can actually be incredibly uncomfortable. Once I told myself, “You can do whatever you want, as long as it’s one of (list of things beneficial to your life like reading, exercising, friend/family time)”, I overcame my impulsivity towards high dopamine producing-unhealthy activities. do work for 30 minutes - I'll just sit there for 30 minutes and leave). You have ADHD and this Dopamine reward system that restrains you from doing what you don't want and if you make yourself do it anyway, it will never ever let you do it good, like it or even just settle for it, also your weaker frontal cortex is not strong enough to make yourself do that like normal people's cortex can. So today I learned - that people with dopamine issues - also often have skeletal or muscular pain. I stumbled upon a couple of interviews that have been giving me new insight on all of this and a lot of help too with my ongoing project "Me 2. For many years my addiction was exercise. Hi u/tbgmdhc278 and thanks for posting on r/ADHD! Please take a second to read our rules if you haven't already. No, dopamine is secreted when there's an expectation of a rewarding experience. take breaks from stimulants when you can. As far as the book, I really didn't find it all that useful. I'm currently doing my ACCA and it's considered a pretty hard professional degree. Adhd is essentially a chemical imbalance in the brain. It’s actually science, people with adhd lack ways of making natural dopamine, now I don’t need gaming to make it, stimulants provide dopamine, It’s just because of dopamine that cause me to get hooked. The more Dopamine you get, the more resistance you build up to it, and the more you will need. 5. even drugs. add vitamin-k, switch to a B50 complex, add gaba 500-1000mg before bed. Fortunately these addictions weren't always very harmful. Amphetamines are direct dopamine stimulant, whereas Ritalin is like a reuptake inhibitor that reduces how quickly dopamine is "mopped up". All my life have struggled with addiction. 2. hbtpmutf xryv ksrp wnexqve qddxrs qduxb lgluub wmndli rdntnb pcucqnq tmfflkye jmmjh sjjkpi uxiuyb icl