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The Link Between ADHD and Chronic Fatigue: Understanding ME/CFS Symptoms

It is all around us ADHD and now may be Chronic Fatigue. Some are getting diagnosed, some are misdiagnosed, and some are going undiagnosed. As a teen, I have heard the word ADHD since elementary school and continue to hear it in middle school. We all know that mindfulness helps with ADHD. This brings me to a thought: could the schools incorporate one gym class per week, combining mindfulness, yoga, and meditation? It helps the student population at large, and not just the children with ADHD.


So what is the link between ADHD and Chronic Fatigue ME/CFS

 

• 2.5 million Americans are believed to be living with ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

 

• CDC estimates that as many as 90% of people with the illness may not have been diagnosed because it may be confused with ADHD.

 

It may be hard to imagine, but there might be a link between ADHD and ME/CFS (chronic. Fatigue), even though the two are opposite of each other. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes problems related to attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, and ME/CFS is a syndrome that causes overwhelming fatigue. Doctors and experts haven’t reached a definite conclusion yet, but a few things hint at this fact.

 

First, ADHD and ME/CFS mimic common symptoms, such as difficulty concentrating and paying attention to something. This is a significant symptom of ADHD that doctors look at when diagnosing a patient. According to Joel Young, MD, who is the medical director of the Rochester Center for Behavioral Medicine in Rochester Hills, Michigan, as well as a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Detroit’s Wayne State University School of Medicine, an “upward of 50 percent of adults with ADHD have some symptoms of chronic fatigue” in his practice. Additionally, in a study, Spanish researchers discovered that out of 158 adults with chronic fatigue, 47 (30 percent) of them were diagnosed with ADHD from childhood, and 20 percent were found to have ADHD as adults. Based on this data, maybe it is true that ADHD and ME/CFS are linked.

 

The best evidence, though, is the connection of some drugs used to treat patients with ADHD also help some people with ME/CFS. These drugs are called stimulants. Stimulant medications such as dextroamphetamine, which is the active ingredient in Dexedrine, and methylphenidate, which is the active ingredient in both Ritalin and Concerta, have been reported to make similar improvements in patients taking them.

 

But how do these stimulant drugs that help treat ADHD relieve ME/CFS? Both ADHD and ME/CFS are associated with problems controlling essential brain chemicals that ADHD stimulant medications focus on. According to Dr. Young, stimulant drugs work “by affecting the action of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine in the prefrontal cortex,” “and these pathways are also involved in chronic fatigue.”

 

The common symptoms of ADHD and ME/CFS (chronic fatigue) and the connection between ADHD stimulant drugs helping patients not only with ADHD but also chronic fatigue suggest that the two conditions might be related, as crazy as this may sound. This brings me to explore further as to what is ADHD ?

 

I’m sure all of us have heard of ADHD. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes problems related to attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. This is why some children with ADHD can’t sit still in their seats or are very hyper and aggressive when playing sports. 

 

But what is ADHD? ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes problems related to attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. People with ADHD have a few brain differences from others, the main one being an under-stimulated prefrontal cortex, according to Dr. Rach Beisel, the chair of psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that controls your ability to be organized and attentive, complete tasks from start to end, and remember things. 


 

1.        A Predominantly Inattentive ADHD

People with this type of ADHD often:

·      Make careless mistakes in schoolwork or work.

·      Struggle to pay attention to a task after an extended period of time.

·      Refrain from finishing a task from start to end.

·      Are distracted and forgetful.

·      Avoids do things that they don’t want to

·      Lose things.

·      Refrain from listening when someone is talking or explaining something.

 

2.        A Predominantly Hyperactivity-Impulsivity ADHD

People with this type of ADHD often:

·      Fidget and squirm

·      Talks excessively.

·      Very hyper and restless

·      Need help with waiting their turn in a line.

·      Blurts out random comments or answers to a question/problem before the question is finished.

·      Gets up from their chair during classes or at work.

 

Interesting facts and statistics about ADHD: 

 

 

• One significant contributor to ADHD is genetics.

• About 6 million children have been diagnosed with ADHD, according to CDC.

• Most children are diagnosed in their tween or teen years.

• Boys are diagnosed twice the rate of girls.

 

The interesting part about ADHD is that it is a disorder that can’t be developed over time. Therefore, if one gets diagnosed with the disorder, it means that they were born with it, and the symptoms are just showing later. Generally, parents recognize when their child has ADHD in their childhood.

 

How ADHD may cause problems at School: 

 

• Difficulty at School - easily distracted; inability to execute thoughts. But this doesn’t mean that the child is not intelligent/ sharp.

• Challenges with relationships: unable to read social cues or use a necessary social filter.

• Inability to perform day-to-day tasks.

 

Some steps we can take to help children with ADHD other than the medications.

 

·      It is believed that Green outdoor settings help reduce symptoms of ADHD. https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.94.9.1580

·      Mindfulness, Yoga, and Meditation.

·      Consistent bedtime routine and good sleep.

·      Eating a healthy balanced diet, if possible, whole foods that are minimally processed.

 

Lastly, the more we educate and learn, the more it helps us be mindful of others and their challenges and helps form a better cohesive community.

 
 
 

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