Does a person with ADHD have more difficulties dealing with chronic pain than a non-ADHDer?
Q: I have been diagnosed with ADHD and I also have a chronic pain condition. My question is this: do you think that a person with ADHD has more difficulties dealing with chronic pain than non- ADHD? It seems like the pain makes it hard to concentrate or focus on tasks that I already struggle with, ie paperwork, organizing, time management and so forth. Also, the pain causes frustration. Just when I think I can get to work on a task I’ve been putting off, the pain flares up and I lose any focus I had. What do you think? Thanks
From what I understand chronic pain changes the brain. ADHD is also a brain-based difference.
So the combined frustration when you have both must be unbelievable.
My first thought is that it would be easier to do the inner work required to deal with ADHD after you get the pain under control.
All of the EF challenges we associate with ADHD are actually separate from how we view ourselves – so if pain is getting in the way of you seeing yourself as a whole and capable person it will impact any treatment you put in place for ADHD.
One of my favorite lines is, “You can deal with the day-to-day stuff if you haven’t handled the emotional stuff.”
I’m not a physician, but my thinking is to work on the pain first, the ADHD stuff later when you have the bandwidth to deal with it.
Let me know what you think.
-liz
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5 Comments
Their is a definite correlation between pain and ADHD. Or Anxiety associated with ADHD. Being bullied or gaslighted can cause pain. so how to deal with it.
You can only manage it but dont rely on pain medication as a solution. The way you train your brain to cope with what happens to you can ho a long way in reducing the chronic pain. surrounding yourself with people that lift you up does relieve the pain you experience.
Are you aware of the connection between neurodiversity and Hypermobility?
This may give the answers you’re looking for…
https://www.sedsconnective.org/
I have been trying to find a way to explain this to my employers for years without sounding like I’m just making up excuses. I have dealt with chronic pain for 8 or 9 years, maybe 10, due to my scoliosis. I also have depression and ADHD and I had no idea until last year and it all started to make sense. With my chronic hip and back pain, it can be difficult to complete basic chores around the house some days. Not only do I have to take advantage of the days when I have the mental energy to focus and complete basic daily tasks or house chores such as laundry, dishes, cleaning, tidying, and making food, while also trying to balance it with completing schoolwork (college), but also take advantage of the days where I wake up with feeling better physically to even do those physical tasks in the first place. I find that even some days it’s either one or the other. I am either having a good day (physically) and have to take advantage of my (limited) physical ability to do those tasks, and try to do just the basic things, plus some extras (if I can) that I’ve been putting off for weeks, for as long as I can before the pain starts settling in about halfway through the day, and even at that point I try to go as long as I can, trying to complete tasks even if the pain starts up. But then once I hit the point where I cannot physically do anything else, I’m basically bed bound for the rest of the day and it’s still the afternoon. At that point, you might think, well great! now is the perfect time to get my online schoolwork done since there’s nothing else I can really do. And you would be correct, but usually by that point I am also mentally exhausted and it becomes very difficult to get anything else done, cognitively, if you will. Then with those variables, I have to factor in my mental energy and my executive dysfunction. Some days I might have the mental energy and focus and feel all ready to get things done and be super productive and get my life together, but I will be bedbound because of my pain, sometimes because the day before I was too physical, just trying to do basic tasks. It can be and is really difficult to manage these variables of chronic pain — which varies from day to day, mental energy/focus and executive dysfunction which also varies day to day. Great combo of scoliosis, depression and ADHD. I hope this makes sense 🙂 Can anyone else relate?
I also have add and chronic pain,fibromyalgia. There really isn’t anyway to deal with the pain . I found the “brain fog” and fatigue from fibro was more debilitating than the pain and the medication made it worse. I was taking cymbalta, the withdrawal from the cymbalta is something I would not wish on my worse enemy. I have been dealing with this for about 8 years. I just found out about my ADD about 1 and 1/2 years ago at age 63., and realized from reading that at least some of the “fibro fog” is probally add. Anyway my reason for the comment is that dealing with the pain first is not always an option for everyone.
I agree with you, Sue, TOTALLY. That is not always an option, in fact, it is probably a better plan to do both simultaneously as some of the pain therapy is very relaxing and coincidentally addresses mental conditions through massage and/or relaxation. Even if it is chemical relaxation. This is a big help for ADHD, I imagine.
I am newly diagnosed at 47 and have multiple chronic pain conditions. I am just now learning that things I was doing in my earlier life, albeit unmonitored and recreational, was helping/masking my ADHD all these years. From nicotine, to exercise, to martial arts and meditation, chiropractors, good supporting friends, and even dance club life. All of this helped both conditions simultaneously and I never knew it. I stopped everything for many years, and I am now feeling it …. badly.
I should have gotten a diagnosis and made smarter, healthier choices so that I would not be where I am now. But hind-sight is 20/20, and all we can do is move forward learning from our past. So my opinion is to tackle both at the same time. I bet you will see profound results.
Good Luck.