What are the best methods for treating ADHD without medication?
I’ve been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and ADHD but I haven’t had success with getting help from psychiatrists. From age 8 to 33 I have gone through an endless cycle where I get put on one medication and the side effects are terrible but my psychiatrist is convinced everything is working and says they’ve done all they can do and treatment ends. Then I eventually have to get off of it because it’s causing more harm than good and I go back to the 1 year (usually longer) waiting lists. Several have told me I can only get one of my conditions treated at a time. Adderall made my anxiety really bad so I haven’t been treated for my ADHD since I was in high school. One antidepressant stopped working so my psychiatrist just kept increasing the dose and my other doctors were horrified by the effects it was having on my heart health. My most recent and definitely last virtual psychiatrist put me on medication for anxiety but it isn’t working. He changed his hours and because he’s in a different time zone I can’t make appointments anymore. I know that his schedule is not my business but when I tried making an appointment with a new psychiatrist the service kept matching me with psychiatrists outside my time zone and it’s impossible for me to take time off work right now to do virtual appointments. I’m grateful to have a great counselor but she says I need to prioritize ADHD treatment so it will help make my depression, chronic insomnia, and anxiety easier to manage. I understand where she’s coming from, but I’m just so tired of the cycle and feel like it’s not in the cards for me. Something should have worked by now. I was emotionally abused emotionally neglected as a kid and it’s hard for me to not take it so personally. Medication doesn’t work for everyone.
I lift weights 2-3x a week, get cardio everyday, eat healthy 80% of the time, limit screen time, practice hobbies, work a job I enjoy, and try to sleep as well as my insomnia will let me. What else can I do?
Posted Apr 24, 2026, 8:27 PM UTC