Life with ADHD and Fibromyalgia, Told by Someone Living It (Messy Hair and All)
I wish I could tell you there’s a fairy godmother who floats in with a glittery wand and goes, poof, your ADHD is cured, your fibromyalgia is gone, your brain suddenly knows where your wallet is, and you remember why you walked into the kitchen.
But no. No glitter. No wand. No magical “you’re cured!” montage. Just me, managing this duo of delightfully unpredictable conditions, sometimes gracefully, sometimes in pajamas I’ve owned since the Bush administration.
Here’s what’s actually helped me cope with ADHD and fibromyalgia, and what might help you too.
🧠 ADHD Meds: The Light Switch Moment
A friend of mine said starting low-dose Adderall felt like someone turned on the lights in a very cluttered mental room. It didn’t make her a productivity goddess. But it did make her able to fold laundry before it became a three-foot tower of socks. Honestly? That’s a miracle in my world.
Doctors usually start with stimulant medications like methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta) or amphetamines (Adderall, Vyvanse). These boost dopamine and norepinephrine, your brain’s little “focus fuel” packets. If stimulants aren’t for you, there are non-stimulants like Strattera and some antidepressants that help, too.
Do meds solve everything? Nope. But they give me just enough quiet in my head to do things like make a phone call without breaking into a sweat.
🩻 Fibromyalgia Meds: Not a Cure, But a Cushion
Fibromyalgia doesn’t come with a one-pill-fixes-everything option either. (Believe me, I’ve looked.)
OTC meds like Tylenol or ibuprofen help on good days. For the tougher ones, docs often prescribe SNRIs like duloxetine or milnacipran, or nerve pain meds like gabapentin and pregabalin.
I was prescribed a low-dose antidepressant to help with sleep and pain. Did I wake up singing? No. But I did stay asleep long enough to dream I did. And I call that progress.
🧠💬 Therapy & Coaching: Because Google Calendar Can’t Heal You
ADHD coaching taught me how to break down tasks into baby steps my brain could handle. (“Step 1: Sit down. Step 2: Breathe. Step 3: Maybe open the email.”)
Fibromyalgia comes with its own mental and emotional hurdles, grief, anxiety, guilt, and more. That’s where CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) came in. Not to “think away” the pain, but to help shift my inner monologue from “Why can’t I be normal?” to “I’m doing my best with a nervous system that treats loud music like warfare.”
It’s one of the most widely used, evidence-based types of talk therapy. It’s especially helpful for people managing:
ADHD
Anxiety
Depression
Chronic pain
PTSD
Insomnia
And more
🧠 Wait—What Is CBT, Anyway?
CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which sounds intimidating, but it’s actually one of the most practical, down-to-earth kinds of therapy out there. No lying on a couch while someone asks about your childhood dog (unless that’s your thing—no judgment).
Here’s the gist: CBT helps you notice the mean little narrator in your head, you know, the one that says “You’re lazy,” “You’re failing,” or “Everyone else has it together”, and gently fact check it.
It teaches you to catch unhelpful thoughts before they spiral into a shame-storm, and to reframe them in ways that are actually useful. Not toxic positivity just honest, doable shifts in perspective.
Example from my life (because why not):
Old thought: “I’m a disaster. I forgot my appointment, left the laundry in the washer again, and cried over a spoon.”
CBT brain: “Okay, I forgot something. That doesn’t make me a disaster. I’m managing ADHD, fibromyalgia, pain, exhaustion, and I’m still trying. That counts.”
That kind of mental re-routing takes practice, but it seriously helps, especially when you’ve got a brain and body that likes to throw plot twists into your Tuesday mornings.
Why Do Doctors Recommend CBT for ADHD and Fibromyalgia?
Because it helps you cope with the emotional fallout of both.
With ADHD, CBT can teach skills like time management, emotional regulation, and how to handle that “inner critic” who won’t shut up.
With fibromyalgia, it can reduce the mental stress that actually amplifies physical pain. (Yep, science backs that up.) It won’t cure the pain, but it helps you survive it without sinking.
CBT doesn’t fix everything. But it does give you a flashlight in the dark, a map when your mind’s a maze, and on the best days, a moment of kindness toward yourself you didn’t think was possible.
Would I recommend it? Yeah. Especially if you’ve ever cried because you lost your car keys in your hand and decided that clearly you’re broken forever. (Been there.)
🗓️ Lifestyle Tweaks: My Giant Wall Calendar & Other Love Stories
Let me be honest: if it’s not written down, it’s gone. Not forgotten, gone, like Atlantis.
So yes, I live in a fortress of alarms, color-coded Google calendars, and 87 post-it notes. One of my proudest recent moments? Remembering a dentist appointment without a reminder call. (Yes, I bragged. Yes, I’ll bring it up again.)
Exercise: Short walks help ADHD. Gentle stretching helps fibro. Too much? Flare-up. Too little? Also flare-up. It’s a weird game of “Goldilocks: The Chronic Illness Edition.”
Sleep hygiene: I’ve got magnesium lotion (I don’t like the texture though, but it works especially for RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome), blackout curtains, a white noise machine, and prayers. Sleep is never guaranteed, but the effort helps.
🥗 Diet & Supplements: I’m Not a Guru, I Just Listen to My Body
Do I follow a fancy anti-inflammatory diet? No. But I do notice that extra sugar or processed food makes my body scream louder the next morning.
Some people swear by magnesium, vitamin D, or turmeric. I’ve tried them. Some helped. Some were just expensive urine. I say, experiment with your doctor’s help, and listen to your body’s feedback.
🧖🏽 Complimentary Treatments: The Hour of Peace
Massage, heat packs, Epsom salt baths. Occasionally acupuncture. These don’t “fix” anything. But they give me one precious hour where I’m not battling my body.
And yes, sometimes self-care looks like lying on the floor with a heating pad watching ‘90s sitcoms. That’s medicine too, if it helps.
✍🏾 Journaling: My Low-Tech Lifeline
I never thought I’d say this, but journaling saved me. ADHD eats my short-term memory. Fibro fog blurs my symptoms. So I write things down.
Every day, I jot:
• Pain level (1–10) and location
• Sleep quality (Spoiler: usually poor)
• Mood (Cranky? Weepy? Surprisingly okay?)
• Triggers (Too much coffee? Weather? Mowed the lawn?)
• Wins (Took meds! Brushed teeth! Didn’t scream at Siri!)
Cleveland Clinic recommends journaling for chronic illness management because it helps track symptoms and patterns. For me, it also helps emotionally. When I read past entries and realize what I survived, it makes today’s mess a little easier to handle.
🧩 Life Hacks from the Chronic Trenches
These little strategies keep me from unraveling entirely:
• Timers on EVERYTHING: Including one that says, “Check your other reminders.”
• Chunk it down: Laundry = sort, wash, dry, fold, put away = 5 wins, not one impossible task.
• Automate what you can: Med refills, grocery orders, birthday cards.
• Plan for rest: Schedule breaks like appointments. Guard them.
• Move smart: I do what my body says I can. Walk when I can. Stretch when I can’t.
• Build your support crew: Tell trusted people the truth. Find online communities. You’re not alone.
• Laugh at the absurd: Like the time I searched 10 minutes for glasses that were already on my face.
• Advocate like a boss: Bring notes. Ask questions. Correct anyone who calls fibromyalgia “just stress.”
🌧️ The Bottom Line?
Living with ADHD and fibromyalgia is like being on a chaotic game show called “Can You Function?” with constantly shifting rules and zero prizes.
But here’s what I know: You are not lazy. You are managing more than most people realize, and you’re doing it with grace, creativity, and a bit of duct tape.
There’s no perfect system. But there is progress. There’s relief in small wins. And there’s strength in being honest about what hurts.
If you made it to the end of this, congratulations you’ve already won today.
And if no one’s told you lately?
You’re doing better than you think. 💜
If any part of this story made you laugh, sigh, or whisper “same,” I’d love to hear from you. Do you also juggle ADHD and chronic pain? What tricks or tools have helped you feel a little more like yourself?
👇 Drop a comment. Share your wins, your hacks, or even your weirdest “fibro fog” moment. Let’s make this space a soft landing for all of us who feel like we’re running Windows 95 on a MacBook Air body.
And hey, if this helped you feel a little more seen, consider sharing it with someone who needs that too. You never know who’s quietly struggling, searching for a voice that sounds like theirs.
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❤️ P.S.
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