# ADHD, Allergies, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Related?



## beth x (Mar 4, 2010)

I was doing a search on diagnosing a tricky stalling issue in my car and of all things that came up were links about research done into CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and Fybromyalgia. Freaking strange? Yes, but as it turns out I also suffer from CFS and Addison's Disease so I decided to have a look at the link and explore a little further. 

ADHD Drugs for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Then I looked for links between these three illnesses and found this; ME/CFS Australia (SA) Inc: CFS & ADHD - what's the link?

Every time I've come across anyone else suffering from Fibromyalgia, CFS or ADHD they have all had one thing in common; some sort of allergy that goes with it (believe me I've asked a lot of people, since studying psych at uni and wanting to find some sort of link as to why the diets for ADHD seem to work not only for that but also some types of asthma). Since my early teens I've had an allergy doctor tell me there is a link between the allergies that an ADHD sufferer will have and an asthma sufferer but it's not understood why. I've found that I'm allergic to a few (not all) found here.

Then I found this; Are attention deficit hyperactiv... [Allergy Asthma Proc. 2005 Jan-Feb] - PubMed - NCBI, and it seems to say what my doctor has been saying for the last 20 years.

I guess the point of this thread is to ask if anyone else has had similar issues or been diagnosed with one and not allergy (in which case tending to a few allergies might cut down the amount of pain you suffer).
@Monkey Fritz @Dear Sigmund


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## beth x (Mar 4, 2010)

A further look into different studies I found this; 

ME/CFS Australia (SA) Inc: Allergies, Fibromyalgia, or Mast Cell Activation?


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## VinnieBob (Mar 24, 2014)

I don't have ADHD but I do have Celiacs disease, irritable bowel syndrome,lactose/casein intolerance, egg, soy issues chronic fatigue, insomnia and have been hospitalized 4 tines in the last 10 years due to exhaustion plus [yes there is more] liver/kidney disease caused from above mentioned issues AND osteo arthritis in every joint in my body for 23 years now , I am 52 and have never had a broken bone


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## beth x (Mar 4, 2010)

vinniebob said:


> I don't have ADHD but I do have Celiacs disease, irritable bowel syndrome,lactose/casein intolerance, egg, soy issues chronic fatigue, insomnia and have been hospitalized 4 tines in the last 10 years due to exhaustion plus [yes there is more] liver/kidney disease caused from above mentioned issues AND osteo arthritis in every joint in my body for 23 years now , I am 52 and have never had a broken bone


I don't have ADHD either but I have noticed that my cognitive faculties have suffered immensely since a sudden onset of hyper-allergy which could have been easily diagnosed as ADHD if there wasn't all the other symptoms like pain, rashes, asthma, headaches etc. Some of the additives in one of the links above and natural food chemicals (salicylates amines and glutamates) set off a great deal and it's fairly immediate. For some people the onset of symptoms can take up to 72 hours to emerge (which makes it really difficult to figure what the cause is).


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## VinnieBob (Mar 24, 2014)

I also forgot to mention that I am in pre-diabetes as well, maybe I will get Alzeimers and forget I have all these problems and be able to eat food again


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## beth x (Mar 4, 2010)

vinniebob said:


> I also forgot to mention that I am in pre-diabetes as well, maybe I will get Alzeimers and forget I have all these problems and be able to eat food again


Are you on Prednisolone? That drug can cause kidney disease, glaucoma, diabetes and bone thinning. Sometimes it's a toss up between cure and disease.


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## Siggy (May 25, 2009)

Well I dont know about allergies. But some sort of autoimmune, well that I can see. My fibromyalgia was brought on after having walking pneumonia, a sinus infection and a UTI all at the same time. Something went haywire, somewhere.


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## Monkey Fritz (Apr 23, 2010)

vinniebob said:


> I also forgot to mention that I am in pre-diabetes as well, maybe I will get Alzeimers and forget I have all these problems and be able to eat food again


Soy is a huge problem.
I can only eat a single brand of eggs, any other brand, organic or otherwise, even farm fresh local eggs, and I get migraines and mood disorders, chronic fatigue, diminished mental capacity for days and even weeks.
I would have a 100% bonafied egg allergy... if it wasn't for that one brand I happen to be able to eat with no issues.

Upon research I found it's near impossible to find eggs from chickens not raised on soy based feed. For all I can figure this is why eggs are a serious problem for me. Even though chicken is fine, haven't had an issue eating chicken raised on soy feed, which I imagine most are. Though i still try to eat natural and free range chicken.

Soy is freaking everywhere, and it's in places you never would expect. 90% of the food in the store may as well be poisonous to me. And that's a conservative estimate. I also have a problem with corn, and significant amount of non-organic produce. While organic, usually, is perfectly fine.
Corn additives are hidden in plain sight in nearly everything. There are so many additives made from corn or "can be made from" that aren't labeled as corn it's downright sickening. Even Caramel Color, which is essential burnt sugar/sucrose, can be made from any form of sugar, including corn syrup. Which happens to be the cheapest source.


But my problems are in stark contrast to @bethdeth virtually the opposite. Yet ironically, a lot of the same triggers and problems.
I get extremely high blood pressure along with adrenaline, cortisone and testosterone spikes. The last reaction I had was the first time I actively monitored my blood pressure and it was.... scary. My heart-rate was 90bpm for more than 24 hours. Pressure was 170/130 for nearly the same length of time. And that was all because ate some farm raised eggs for a couple of mornings.

All of this seems to correspond with a massive drop in potassium levels, which would be an explainable trigger for the migraines and 'brain fog.' Also synonymous with hyper-cortisol levels, as the adrenal glands consume potassium. The reaction can be somewhat offset by taking sodium bicarbonate, which seems to defend against the migraine, but doesn't touch the cortisone overload or mood issues.



The counter is to eat lots of high potassium foods on a regular basis, which I now know is pretty much all of my favorite foods going back to childhood. Minimum daily recommended in the US is 4700mg, which is actually really hard to do. I don't think anyone naturally consumes 4700mg of potassium a day. Bananas and this purple carrot, berry, pomegranate juice I found are more important to me than water or coffee now.

I have mold allergies, no asthma, though both are common in my family. My sister's kids have a smorgasbord of food intolerance and allergies.

ADHD it could probably be said I had as a kid. The "Symptoms" are in line with an adrenalin overload brought on by a food reaction. I highly doubt anyone who knew me (other than my sister) would actually claim that. Because I was well behaved (except for around my sister ).

But I still think the whole thing is a scam. A cognitive dissonance on a massive sociological scale. The very letters piss me off as a catch all for bad parenting. I've known incredibly well behaved "hyperactive" kids (because that's what they called it when I was a kid) and I've known little monstrous terrors. The difference between them was not some medical disorder, but old school bad parenting.
Personal opinion aside, when statistics claims that over 60% of kids in the US have a "disorder" NEWSFLASH it's not a "Disorder" its the "the way kids are."

Also known an awful lot of manic depressive, drug addicts who were force-fed Ritalin as a kid because they "had" ADHD. In fact I'm not personally aware of anyone who was on Ritalin to grow up into a "stable" and healthy adult. The last thing any sane person should be doing during the developmental stages of a child's brain is forcibly altering the chemistry therein. It's just arrogance to even assume we know enough about the brain to do something like that.


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## beth x (Mar 4, 2010)

Dear Sigmund said:


> Well I dont know about allergies. But some sort of autoimmune, well that I can see. My fibromyalgia was brought on after having walking pneumonia, a sinus infection and a UTI all at the same time. Something went haywire, somewhere.


Strange, I had pneumonia a few times, a sinus infection and long running cystitis. The allergies were picked up simply because of the asthma I always had (acute attacks like asthma and eczema or even joint swelling are much more measurable and tangible to doctors than pain).


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## beth x (Mar 4, 2010)

Monkey Fritz said:


> Soy is a huge problem.
> I can only eat a single brand of eggs, any other brand, organic or otherwise, even farm fresh local eggs, and I get migraines and mood disorders, chronic fatigue, diminished mental capacity for days and even weeks.
> I would have a 100% bonafied egg allergy... if it wasn't for that one brand I happen to be able to eat with no issues.
> 
> ...


I agree that ADHD has been way too overused. I know people who have ADHD children and they have been treated with diet but not really had the behavioural aspect of tearing down the house or eating the neighbour's cat. They just get crazy eyes like they are overtired and act a bit more aggressive or cranky, but nonetheless still able to be OK human beings...then put back on the diet again. Another thing is that their parents also suffer from similar allergies so they can pick it all up fairly quickly what was eaten.

The mood of being smite by the fury of a thousand pains, heart palpitations and a headache that blinds you into the dark is never going to be all that rosy. At times I could have been diagnosed with bipolar, ADHD or any number of mood disorders but yeah, as was said earlier, the moods didn't arrive to the party alone. Another thing is that I am mindful of behaviour over mood as well so no-one would pick up that the slightly agitated woman sitting in the dark whispering was suffering anything else but just friggen pain.


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## Monkey Fritz (Apr 23, 2010)

bethdeth said:


> I agree that ADHD has been way too overused. I know people who have ADHD children and they have been treated with diet but not really had the behavioural aspect of tearing down the house or eating the neighbour's cat. They just get crazy eyes like they are overtired and act a bit more aggressive or cranky, but nonetheless still able to be OK human beings...then put back on the diet again. Another thing is that their parents also suffer from similar allergies so they can pick it all up fairly quickly what was eaten.
> 
> The mood of being smite by the fury of a thousand pains, heart palpitations and a headache that blinds you into the dark is never going to be all that rosy. At times I could have been diagnosed with bipolar, ADHD or any number of mood disorders but yeah, as was said earlier, the moods didn't arrive to the party alone. Another thing is that I am mindful of behaviour over mood as well so no-one would pick up that the slightly agitated woman sitting in the dark whispering was suffering anything else but just friggen pain.


Yeah, solitude is the only relief from the mood problems. Just want to lock myself in a dark room for a few days.
Been a nightmare on my relationship though.

My whole mental world can turn upside down and I can say all kinds of things I don't actually mean. If that's not bad enough, the brain fog makes it very hard to even remember what I did say after it's over. :/

The problem with the baking soda 'curing' the migraine, is that the brain splitting pain of a thousand dancing devils actually kept me in check somewhat. Several times now I've gone into a 'crazy eyes' state long before I even knew I was having a reaction.


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## beth x (Mar 4, 2010)

Monkey Fritz said:


> Yeah, solitude is the only relief from the mood problems. Just want to lock myself in a dark room for a few days.
> Been a nightmare on my relationship though.
> 
> My whole mental world can turn upside down and I can say all kinds of things I don't actually mean. If that's not bad enough, the brain fog makes it very hard to even remember what I did say after it's over. :/
> ...


Geez, that sucks. One thing I probably had to over-ride the attacks of faculties falling apart is this thing called 'the customer is always right'. Having learned in my teens working behind a bar with totally irrational people is to compartmentalise. No matter what shit I may be going through I tend to step back a little and let some other more lenient entity (who doesn't feel the need to glass people in the face) take over. It's a dark art.


I don't seem to suffer that much from brain fog since I started taking small doses of DHEA to counter cutting doses of pred. It's improved the fog tremendously.


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## Siggy (May 25, 2009)

Well for the fibro it wasnt a matter of "if" but rather when. Hypermobilty, with a massively screwed up autonomic nervous system. It was a shitstorm in waiting. Plus I was under a tremendous amount of stress when I got those infections. I think my body just said "enough".

But with all that said. Yea its a matter of treating the symptoms and and seeing what foods ect make it worse or better.

My DHEA levels are going to be tested at my next doctors appt. I am now really interested in seeing those results.


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## VinnieBob (Mar 24, 2014)

bethdeth said:


> Are you on Prednisolone? That drug can cause kidney disease, glaucoma, diabetes and bone thinning. Sometimes it's a toss up between cure and disease.


kidney/liver disease is a byproduct of celiacs im on no meds , the only substances my body does not violently reject is 95% fat free hamburger and water. I just reintroduced skinless baked potato into my diet [2 x a week] with medium reaction. it all hit me 8 years ago, I lost 46 lbs in 3 weeks by eating. I went from 166 to 120


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## chimeric (Oct 15, 2011)

@_the_natrix_ was recommending a high zinc/low copper diet. Curious if anyone else has tried that one out. I've been taking a copper-free multi-vitamin and cod liver oil, upping my animal protein and vegetable intake, upping my sunlight exposure, and lowering my beans/fruit/nuts intake. Can't really isolate variables, but something in this combination seems to be helping. Toying with the idea of getting a carbon water filter. I'm generally bad at pinpointing where the truth vs bullshit threshold is on the naturopath <-> pharmaceuticals spectrum.


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## beth x (Mar 4, 2010)

chimeric said:


> @_the_natrix_ was recommending a high zinc/low copper diet. Curious if anyone else has tried that one out. I've been taking a copper-free multi-vitamin and cod liver oil, upping my animal protein and vegetable intake, upping my sunlight exposure, and lowering my beans/fruit/nuts intake. Can't really isolate variables, but something in this combination seems to be helping. Toying with the idea of getting a carbon water filter. I'm generally bad at pinpointing where the truth vs bullshit threshold is on the naturopath <-> pharmaceuticals spectrum.


We all have extremely varied issues of under the same type of umbrella. That's what makes these disorders so complex. For me it was cutting out all the foods high in salicylates, glutamates and amines to begin with to see what the issue was. This is the general approach to anyone suffering IBS, asthma, eczema, sinus issues, migraines, joint pain from my doctor's point of view (some people after going through the elimination diet can see the particular food that causes the grief easily after a month). The problem is; if you have the allergy/intolerance to all the chemicals then you're in for a really bland diet. It tends to be tasteless and colourless and makes you cry. Things high in anything tend to be colourful and tasty. The idea of the elimination diet is to not only find the foods that set you off but also to lower the overall levels of natural chemicals.....they build up and cause disaster but they also lower after a while and you can become more tolerant and figure which foods cause the biggest degree of problems. For me it meant cutting out most vegies and having runner or string beans, peeled potato, and brussell sprouts for just about every meal for a year as they are all low chemical foods. I could only have peeled golden delicious apple and pear with all other fruit cut out too. I don't actually recommend going so hardcore for so long....the allergies/asthma were so bad with me that I was left with no choice.

That said, I also take a multi-vitamin (you can also get salicylate free and gluten free if you shop around or even look online to various intolerance network sites). I take vitamin D too. I ruled out cod liver oil for one of the reasons above (it's probably high in one of the 3 natural chemicals). Try it and see if you feel better or if it sets off other issues.

As for the bullshit spectrum, yeah it's hard to figure. Generally if you have a doctor who believes in holistic medicine, they might know more about which 'natural' medicines to utilise and which are just a crock of shit.

It's not understood very well at all. My new doctor (in a new state) had never heard of certain allergies/intolerances causing pain or food colouring causing an asthma attack whereas my old doctor saw it as common place. It was through an endocrinologist that most of the diagnosing was done for the hormonal aspect. It was through an allergy doctor that the issues of natural food chemicals (which generally can't be tested too well apart from some scratch testing) were diagnosed.

Out of the people we have here, one celiac, one soy allergy, one unknown with infections, and injuries and one with injuries, endocrine disorder, and general allergy.


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## the_natrix (Aug 10, 2011)

Ok, so my reply I was working on got zapped so here's a slightly shorter response.

Those with egg allergy and brain fog etc: try molybdenum, its cheap and shouldn't hurt if you actually don't need the stuff. Also molybdenum aids in the detoxification of xenobiotics, something not expected to be found in the body, such as pesticides and antibiotics, this I'm fairly sure is when people become allergic. Also sulfur, which I'm pretty sure is why people can't handle their eggs. 

Those with Asthma: magnesium, it also helps potassium absorption.

@_bethdeth_ My brother is an INTJ with Addison's ... so yeah. Getting too much copper with shot adrenals is a thing, so if you want to kick out the excess then zinc will be needed. Just make sure you have enough b6/ a happy liver before hand, otherwise the copper dump caused by zinc will make you vomit. Molybdenum also increases copper excretion in urine. There are a few other minerals involved in mineral transport proteins too, manganese, selenium, and boron(new favorite of mine). There are also some web sites you could browse on the matter.

Minerals and mineral balance/interactions are both important and a headache. =P


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## beth x (Mar 4, 2010)

the_natrix said:


> Ok, so my reply I was working on got zapped so here's a slightly shorter response.
> 
> Those with egg allergy and brain fog etc: try molybdenum, its cheap and shouldn't hurt if you actually don't need the stuff. Also molybdenum aids in the detoxification of xenobiotics, something not expected to be found in the body, such as pesticides and antibiotics, this I'm fairly sure is when people become allergic. Also sulfur, which I'm pretty sure is why people can't handle their eggs.
> 
> ...


I think I did have a zinc deficiency at one stage before the unholy cataclysm finally erupted (hyper-allergy followed by shitty adrenals) as it was mentioned a few times about the spots on my fingernails. They weren't only white spots but blood splinters as well. I never learned what the splinters were but a general consensus was zinc deficiency for the white spots. I took zinc for a while alone but it didn't make as much of a difference as simply taking B complex. I take it now in a multivitamin as well as the Bs. I'm generally much better than I was before I learned of the hyper-allergy. It was brought on by a Mirena (IUD) which caused every single previous allergy to become near anaphylaxy and I was even gluten intolerant for a while along with not being able to tolerate any kind of cleaning product or perfume. I was once near bedridden but now I just have the CFS which improves slightly month by month and year by year by avoiding things and trying to maintain a more varied diet....sounds easy, isn't. The Addison's is controlled and has been for a while since the prednisolone doubles as immune suppressor and cortisol replacement.

Any kind of sulphites are avoided for me because I don't know exactly which ones will cause an asthma attack and which ones wouldn't, I'm just not game enough to risk another attack. I generally avoid all of those congealed meat products like sausages, and salami and drinks like fruit juice, cordials and soft drinks (soda).

INTJ brother with Addison's. That's like a hen's tooth! I think I remember you from a thread in the INTJ forum too. *waves*

Do you have any links to suggest to learn more about different minerals?


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## beth x (Mar 4, 2010)

Here is another article that I didn't get around to reading yesterday. 

Reaching For New Heights To Help Our Children


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## the_natrix (Aug 10, 2011)

bethdeth said:


> I'm generally much better than I was before I learned of the hyper-allergy. It was brought on by a Mirena (IUD) which caused every single previous allergy to become near anaphylaxy and I was even gluten intolerant for a while along with not being able to tolerate any kind of cleaning product or perfume. I was once near bedridden but now I just have the CFS which improves slightly month by month and year by year by avoiding things and trying to maintain a more varied diet....sounds easy, isn't. The Addison's is controlled and has been for a while since the prednisolone doubles as immune suppressor and cortisol replacement.
> 
> Any kind of sulphites are avoided for me because I don't know exactly which ones will cause an asthma attack and which ones wouldn't, I'm just not game enough to risk another attack. I generally avoid all of those congealed meat products like sausages, and salami and drinks like fruit juice, cordials and soft drinks (soda).
> 
> ...


The easiest place to start researching is just Dietary element - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, but it doesn't cover interactions very well.
I don't recall there being any one source that's as complete as I wanted. Still, search engines helped me find stuff like Copper Poisoning in a Flock of Sheep. Copper Excretion Patterns after Treatment with Molybdenum and Sulfur or Penicillamine

I once was gluten intolerant. It was brought on by diet: way too much beef liver, which is a big source of copper. After I got my minerals in balance it went away.

I do agree with others that knowing fact from voodoo is sometimes annoying, but Iv'e gotten some practical experience, otherwise I'd leave well enough alone.


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## Siggy (May 25, 2009)

I dont take a multi but vitaminD drops, and B12 injections ( the absorption problem is probably due to long term use of PPI's). Sleep is almost always a problem due to the pain. And adrenal fatigue sets in quickly. Its all about conserving energy, and pacing.


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## beth x (Mar 4, 2010)

Does anyone else get surges of 'normal' activity where you can accomplish things like you used to do? 

For me there are the shittiest time of day which is around 2-5 in the afternoon when I could just curl up in a feotal ball and sleep on a bed of spikes and of course the morning when it takes around 2 hours just to feel like I'm a human. After dinner around 7 -10pm I scuttle around the place like a ping pong ball getting stuff done, and questioning why I ever thought I was sick in the first place. It doesn't always happen but more often than not if I'm on a good run I'll feel OK during that time of night.


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## telepariah (Jun 20, 2011)

^^^You just described my life in exact detail.^^^


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## Siggy (May 25, 2009)

bethdeth said:


> Does anyone else get surges of 'normal' activity where you can accomplish things like you used to do?
> 
> For me there are the shittiest time of day which is around 2-5 in the afternoon when I could just curl up in a feotal ball and sleep on a bed of spikes and of course the morning when it takes around 2 hours just to feel like I'm a human. After dinner around 7 -10pm I scuttle around the place like a ping pong ball getting stuff done, and questioning why I ever thought I was sick in the first place. It doesn't always happen but more often than not if I'm on a good run I'll feel OK during that time of night.



usually in the morning. I have a dog so she gets me up and about first thing. It also depends on the activity. If I am going slow and steady I can last longer. Quick jaunts and I am down for the count pretty quickly. Nothing like trying to run on a AAA battery while others are lithium powered. 

But, as you and others have learned is to look at the good that has come out of having a chronic illness. Take stock of the positives and not the negatives. And take advantage of all our assets. Yea life sometimes sucks; but we carry on, and move on.

Damn the pity parties, with all the whine. Full speed ahead


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## gh0st (Jun 11, 2012)

Eh, I have Fibro, CFS, (probable ADHD, though I'm in denial and call it ADD), and hyper-mobility. 

I did have some issues with lactose and have been avoiding dairy for a while, which has helped me out significantly as far as stomach pain and nausea, but other than that I've never really been able to link food-based allergies with my conditions. 
Went gluten free for a while and I didn't find any difference, even went soy-free for some time (but I can't handle rice-milk :mellow.

Edit: (add dyslexia to that list) I'll make sure to check out the links when the letters look a bit less like shapes and squiggles. :crazy:


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## LadyO.W.BernieBro (Sep 4, 2010)

Well, part of the reason l stopped taking medication for ADHD at around 20 was because l'd believed there was something else going on for a long time.

Though, l've never pursued a more serious diagnosis and was treated like l was being rebellious when l discontinued Adderall, l didn't want to seem like a hypochondriac.

CFS-my mother has, and my allergies popped up around mid 20's. l have a circulation issue that could be nothing or could point to something more concerning (Raynaud's). l'd always thought of some kind of undetected heart issue.

When l take Claritin, my focus improves, but l can't say that would have been the case before l had noticeable allergies, although it's a bit like using antihistamine to 'treat' ADHD in the way using stimulants to treat CFS is.

Perhaps l just years of undiagnosed allergies


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## beth x (Mar 4, 2010)

Lady O.W. Bro said:


> Well, part of the reason l stopped taking medication for ADHD at around 20 was because l'd believed there was something else going on for a long time.
> 
> Though, l've never pursued a more serious diagnosis and was treated like l was being rebellious when l discontinued Adderall, l didn't want to seem like a hypochondriac.
> 
> ...


The last link I put up points to 30 causes for this shit to happen; allergy, infection and stress, the triad of dooooom. So some people respond to steroids (I did a a fair bit, as well as cutting out allergens) some respond to the ADHD medications a bit but nothing is concrete for any or all of the similar syndromes. I've read bits and pieces here and there about it being more of a hypothalamus going into some type of 'shut down' mode like a fuse box blowing wires for all of the syndromes. Perplexing. I'd suggest just trying different types of things for a while to see if they work like cutting out all preservatives or even getting a skin scratch test to see if you can avoid environmental stuff. At worse you have a better diet, best is you don't feel as shitty.




As an aside the thing that is really cracking me up is that nearly every search on my car stalling issue has brought up CFS. The reason I started this thread was just that I hadn't heard of so many of these syndromes being linked together (I'd only heard that ADHD and allergy were related). It seems my 30 year old car and it's on board computer is suffering the same hiss and overload and failsafe shut downs as it's owner. It's becoming a bit of an ongoing joke my SO has going with it. 'You're just like your owner'. I think I've actually isolated the one wiring issue with that though.....


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## beth x (Mar 4, 2010)

For anyone suffering any of the above and don't know if they are intolerant to foods I've decided to add the method I used to figure out what I was allergic/intolerant to. It's called the elimination diet or the failsafe diet. There is plenty of info out there on it and it's used and designed by allergy units such as RPAH (Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney). Sue Dengate is a US author who has revised her diet books along the lines of the same idea and has recipes and lists for people in the US. It's tricky to understand because it changes the perception of what is 'healthy' food and what could cause a natural allergy. There are plenty of diets out there by people in which the diet has worked _*for them*_ but everyone is different and this diet actually covers the whole damn lot. You can tailor your diet after you've figured it all out (which means you're pretty damn smart and patient).

First up. Here's a link to explain it.

The RPAH Elimination Diet (Failsafe) | The Failsafe Diet Explained

Here's a link to additives that might cause trouble, it's worldwide if you follow the links.

Complete lists of additives - Food Intolerance Network

Here is a table of contents to show the types of food that are negligible to very high of foods that have salicylates, amines and glutamates (natural food chemicals). http://www.southderm.com.au/informa...on/salicylates-amines-and-glutamates-diet.pdf

There are recipe books that give you comprehensive shopping guides. such as this Friendly Food Recipe and Food Intolerance Book - Allergy Unit - Royal Prince Alfred Hospital but it's been brought to my attention that it's very expensive if you aren't in Aus. 

So here is Sue Dengate's failsafe diet. It follows the same format. The Failsafe Cookbook (revised and updated 2007) - Food Intolerance Network

Good luck.


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## Mmmm (Jul 6, 2012)

Here's to old threads coming back, because the info is still relevant. 

I've been trying to figure out what's wrong with me for a few years now, & when I read this article it was like they wrote it about me: https://www.verywellhealth.com/morning-symptoms-of-fibromyalgia-716013

My doctors are terrible, they don't take me seriously. IMO they think I'm exaggerating, because I'm still relatively young. They just say "take B vitamins", I've been doing that, & it's not getting better. So after I came across this article I started doing research on Fibromyalgia, & many of my symptoms fit the description, these are the ones that matched up: 

* *





*Fatigue*, usually chronic -(It's to the point where I can only shower every other day now, because I don't have the energy to do it. This is from a person who would never dream of leaving the house without showering, & in the summer used to shower twice a day.) 
*Muscle and joint symptoms* such as muscle spasms, muscle weakness, and jaw pain -(I also have TMJ of the jaw.)
*Cognitive symptoms* such as the loss of concentration, disorientation, and "brain fogs" (I always feel like I'm playing charades because I forget words. That's why I'm constantly editing my posts, because I remember the word(s) I wanted to use.) 
*Sleep disorders* such as broken sleep, sleep starts, and insomnia
*Neurosensory symptoms* such as vertigo, migraine, or sensitivity to light, sound, or smells (I suffer from all of those, to the point where a room fragrance can literally, make me sick.) 
*Urinary symptoms* including bladder pain, pain during urination, or the frequent urge to urinate -(I'd go to the doctor for this, & they said I didn't have a UTI. So I drink lots of water, cranberry juice, & try to stay away from caffeine. Except on those mornings where I can't function without it)
*Psychological symptoms* such as depression -(I have Dysthymia, or "Walking/Smiling" depression, where I can still function but barely)

*I had already been doing some of the treatments advised, so I've just continued with that:*
*OTC- Ibuprofen* -when the pain gets really bad
*Massage Therapy* -Back, neck, & shoulder pain, from as far back as age 7. 
*Muscle Stretches*-helps me to be able to get out of bed in the morning
*Taking the supplement -5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan)* -I had started taking this to help me with sleep, & libido issues, I don't really know if it's helping or not 
*Along with rest periods, & hydration, water, & electrolytes. 




I also suffer from allergies on a daily basis, I was tested, & found that I'm allergic to all grasses, cats (and pet dander), weeds, some trees, dust, & a few other indoor, & outdoor allergens. I've been given inhalers, shots, pills, & nasal sprays for that. I have sensitive skin, & can break into hives very easily, when exposed to an irritant. I have to wash my clothes with a detergent that's hypoallergenic. I'm careful with what soaps, lotions, & shampoos, I use too. I buy unscented products, whenever possible. 

I'm lactose intolerant too but that's easier to manage. I've found that red teas make me feel sick, so I stay away from them. I wish I could be more specific on what foods I avoid, but right now I can't remember. Basically if I take a bite or two, I can tell right away, if it's going to make me sick. Recently that happened with mashed potatoes from a restaurant, I just left them on my plate. I don't eat eggs by themselves, but once in a while I will eat something that has egg in the recipe, like a muffin. I had a bad reaction to pepperoni, so that's off the list.



beth x said:


> Does anyone else get surges of 'normal' activity where you can accomplish things like you used to do?
> 
> After dinner around 7 -10pm I scuttle around the place like a ping pong ball getting stuff done, and questioning why I ever thought I was sick in the first place. It doesn't always happen but more often than not if I'm on a good run I'll feel OK during that time of night.


I do feel like this sometimes too. If I have to run errands, I will do it right after work, because if I go home, I won't make it back out. When I have to wash, or clean at home, I will eat dinner standing at the counter in the kitchen, because when I sit down, it's hard to get myself moving again.


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## Abbaladon Arc V (Jan 16, 2018)

I'm ADHD 

First thing 

ADHD and energy there is no link 

You never know when you are tired and feel tired when you need concentration

Second lactose and casein UP ADHD effect 

So if you are allergic and touch that you have more power and a better concentration than a random guy with ADHD 


There is not link between ADHD and Milk and cystein and allergies 
But 3 thing a think about that was , You can have chronic fatigue and think that about ADHD but that can be from different way
ADHD are genetic , Chronic fatigue is not/ 

My question was . What type of symptomes you have , what type of sport you do what do you eat ? Thats important too;


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## Electra (Oct 24, 2014)

I have ADHD mixed/inactive type and I also have low metabolism, allergies and astma. For example when I walk outside I often get tearflood and runny or stuffed nose for somereason. I have never found out what I was alleric against because I took a test and everything turned out negative, but the doctor still give me allergy meds. The astma test did however turn out positive. One time my astma was bad I got a whistle sound from my throught. At one point in time I was in a flat wisiting someone and the allergi got really bad, so bad that I couldn't stay in the room. But normally is not so strong that I take medications for these things. I do use meds sometimes when I'm going to sleep though because I think I am allergic to something in my bedroom but not sure what. 
A little off topic maybe; I red that people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder got immune responses during therapy sessions. They wrte that it was ironic as the therapy apperently made the pacient better. My comment to this is that "digging in a wound" hurts and if you want to remove that bullet in the wound, you have to enter the wound first, and in psychotherapy there are no anestesia. But ofcourse not all therapy are helpfull, and sometimes you can leave the session with huge pain because of memory issues that goes on after digging in this wound and it hurts when you go home thinking aout it with no therapist around to comfort you between the sessions.
You can check the source here.


H. Toft, J. G. Bramness, L. Lien, D. S. Abebe, B. E. Wampold, T. Tilden, K. Hestad, S. P. Neupane, PTSD patients show increasing cytokine levels during treatment despite reduced psychological distress, Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, September 2018.


When it comes to ADHD I have an issue with sudden intence unpredictable tiredness. It might be related to my low metabolism though, but I tend to check it regularly.

Ps. I found a vid of an interview with Dr. Russel Barkley where he talks about how the brain is impacted in people with ADHD. Not sure if this could be a genetic sign? Everybody with ADHD, messure your brains :happy:


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## Electra (Oct 24, 2014)

Monkey Fritz said:


> ADHD it could probably be said I had as a kid. The "Symptoms" are in line with an adrenalin overload brought on by a food reaction. I highly doubt anyone who knew me (other than my sister) would actually claim that. Because I was well behaved (except for around my sister ).
> 
> But I still think the whole thing is a scam. A cognitive dissonance on a massive sociological scale. The very letters piss me off as a catch all for bad parenting. I've known incredibly well behaved "hyperactive" kids (because that's what they called it when I was a kid) and I've known little monstrous terrors. The difference between them was not some medical disorder, but old school bad parenting.
> Personal opinion aside, when statistics claims that over 60% of kids in the US have a "disorder" NEWSFLASH it's not a "Disorder" its the "the way kids are."
> ...


I have ADHD and I swear to you with the hand on my heart; it is NOT a scam and we who actually have it knows that it really, truely impact us! Again, I swear! I don't even know where to start to explain...I am also so tired of it because I have to do it over and over to so many people after I finally got diagnosed...I lived my childhood without a diagnose and meds and I don't wish that for anyone! Please look it up and read about it. It actually exists and it can be pretty bad! In fact I consider to not medicate their children with ADHD for childabuse! Would you not give a diabetic pacient insuline? Or refuse a nearly blind child glasses? Or a child in a wheelchair their ramp?
I do not wish to start a discussion and derail this thread and I don't like to argue eighter. I just beg you dearly to reconsider this! I will now leave it alone, and you don't have to quote me. Thank you for your attention if you read this.


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## Mmmm (Jul 6, 2012)

My morning routine, is a pathetic, tortured spectacle, getting out of bed involves more effort than I'd like to admit. Beginning with the stretches, before I can even step foot, on the floor, then the E.T. walk down the hall, to the bathroom. The creaky mouth sounds, coming from the tub, as I'm trying to move about. A real life zombie, sad, very sad.


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## Forest Nymph (Aug 25, 2018)

Yes, in that they can all be traced back to diet. I know this thread is from 2014, but it's still kicking, and the allergies, chronic fatigue and fibro all can probably be traced back to you eating animal products. I don't mean to sound like your neighborhood crazy vegan, but if you cut all meat from your diet and became a vegetarian who only ate pasture eggs from a local farm, or goat cheese ditto, or went full plant based...you'd see a lot of these symptoms disappear really quickly, within a month. Same for incapacitating periods and endometriosis. People get all mad, they're like "you can't solve all these problems with food!" Okay, so if I'm wrong, try it for two months, I mean if it doesn't help you it at least won't hurt you and also you'll see that I am in fact right about this. No one had fibromyalgia 100 years ago, what is this even. 

ADHD can be triggered by chemicals and preservatives in food, including pesticide residues, and the dye Red 40 is extremely well known even in main stream medicine for causing these symptoms in children from cereals and candy. 

Of course over-consumption of alcohol could make you feel like you have all this as well, even days after you drank too much, depending on if you're only 20 or if you're over 30.


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## Electra (Oct 24, 2014)

Forest Nymph said:


> Yes, in that they can all be traced back to diet. I know this thread is from 2014, but it's still kicking, and the allergies, chronic fatigue and fibro all can probably be traced back to you eating animal products. I don't mean to sound like your neighborhood crazy vegan, but if you cut all meat from your diet and became a vegetarian who only ate pasture eggs from a local farm, or goat cheese ditto, or went full plant based...you'd see a lot of these symptoms disappear really quickly, within a month. Same for incapacitating periods and endometriosis. People get all mad, they're like "you can't solve all these problems with food!" Okay, so if I'm wrong, try it for two months, I mean if it doesn't help you it at least won't hurt you and also you'll see that I am in fact right about this. No one had fibromyalgia 100 years ago, what is this even.
> 
> ADHD can be triggered by chemicals and preservatives in food, including pesticide residues, and the dye Red 40 is extremely well known even in main stream medicine for causing these symptoms in children from cereals and candy.
> 
> Of course over-consumption of alcohol could make you feel like you have all this as well, even days after you drank too much, depending on if you're only 20 or if you're over 30.


None of this is related to ADHD.
Vegetarianism did however give me a lack of iron so bad that I started to faint, get leg cramps and heart rythm problems. It also got a lot worse to consentrate.


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## TranquilMindGun (Aug 22, 2018)

I know hormones really exasperate my OCD. It's been better over the last couple of years. But my daughter's father could really call it out a week and a half before I started my period. 

I've been on board with the gut-brain connection for years. 

I KNOW that my anxiety totally messes with my entire digestive system. Bleeding ulcers really suck buttholes. Speaking of buttholes... it messes with that as well.


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