Why this exists
Those bad days are not "part of ADHD".
Those constant days of brain-fog, fatigue, irritability, mood dysregulation...those aren't just "Part of ADHD." or just "Side effects of medication." Each side effect is tied to an underlying issue, but nobody tells you what those issues even are.
That's why everything here even exists. If you want something to set you on the right path, you might as well start with the one that's made by someone who's had those EXACT same struggles as you.
The community
AD4K Skool Community
The part the guide can't do.
- Your drug class and the mechanism behind it, so you know which advice applies to you and which was written for a different drug
- The prescriber questions from the guide, worked through with your actual situation
- Community threads where people post what they tried, what changed, and what didn't
- Daily answers to questions by me
My actual stack
This is all of the shit that I actually take and would suggest. Everything linked here is specifically the lowest price for the highest quality.
Vitamin C, NOW C-500 + Rose Hips Most people take too much and take it at the wrong time. 500mg, at night, far from your dose.
Vitamin C messes with your meds in your gut, not your kidneys. Sit it next to your dose and it drags down how much amphetamine actually gets absorbed. Take it at night, far from the dose, and the problem goes away. I keep it at 500mg, never a full gram. NOW is cheap and they third-party test what they sell.
View on AmazonL-Tyrosine, NOW Foods 500mg Your brain builds dopamine out of this. Low-protein days, it runs out of material.
Tyrosine is a dopamine precursor (the raw material your brain uses to build dopamine). On days your protein intake is low, your brain doesn't have enough to work with. 500mg, honest dose, not the megadose garbage. NOW is dirt cheap and clean.
View on AmazonIron Bisglycinate, Pure Encapsulations OptiFerin-C If your ferritin is low, your meds will feel weak no matter what else you do.
Iron runs the enzyme that actually builds your dopamine (tyrosine hydroxylase). Low ferritin means the whole pipeline stalls. But do NOT just start taking this. Get your ferritin tested first. Bisglycinate is the form that won't wreck your stomach, and Pure Encapsulations pairs it with vitamin C for absorption.
View on AmazonMagnesium Bisglycinate, Thorne (NSF Certified) Bad sleep tanks tomorrow's dose. This is the cheapest fix for that.
Bisglycinate is the form that actually absorbs without wrecking your gut. Oxide and citrate are cheaper, and they'll also send you to the bathroom. This one calms your nervous system so you actually fall asleep, and your sleep is what protects how well tomorrow's dose hits. Thorne is NSF Certified for Sport, so the label matches the pill.
View on AmazonOmega-3, Sports Research (Triglyceride) Most brands sell you the form your body barely absorbs. This one doesn't.
You want the triglyceride form (rTG). Most brands sell ethyl ester because it's cheaper to manufacture. Your body absorbs rTG. Ethyl ester is a tax on your wallet that your gut mostly ignores. Sports Research is wild Alaskan and honestly dosed.
View on AmazonSlate, high-protein iced coffee 175mg caffeine, 20g protein, zero added acid. Your meds won't notice it.
No citric acid, no added vitamin C, nothing acidic thrown in. The milk protein and phosphate buffer whatever acidity the coffee naturally has, so it sits gentle next to your dose instead of chewing through it. 175mg caffeine and 20g protein in one can.
View on AmazonCaffeine Pills, Nutricost 100mg All the caffeine, none of the acid that fights your dose.
Coffee and energy drinks mess with your meds because of the acid, not the caffeine. Take the caffeine without the acid and the problem disappears. 100mg caps so you can dial anywhere from 100-200mg cleanly. Nutricost is GMP and dirt cheap.
View on AmazonStart with the free one.
Get the free protocolThree drugs, three sets of rules. Find yours.