Lyme ADD

Attention deficit disorder, ADD/ADHD brains operate in much the same way.  For purposes of this piece I will only discuss ADD. ADD is common, perhaps much more than appreciated. It may affect 20% of the general population. Symptoms vary tremendously in degree  and severity from one person to the next. 

ADD is closely associated with “executive function” disorder. Brain housekeeping functions controlled by the frontal lobe are askew.  Patients have problems with focus, attention and staying on task.  Minds wander. Patients are impatient and interrupt. They don’t follow conversations; their minds are elsewhere. Their memories are full of holes. They lose their keys, wallets and misplace important papers. They forget where they parked their car at the mall. Routine tasks don’t get done, like washing dishes or filing tax forms. If something interests the ADD brain the person may hyper-focus: play a video game for hours on end, stay up all night reading a book despite predictable exhaustion the next day.  It is not all bad. People with ADD can be extremely creative, interpret the world in unique ways.  For example, only an ADD Einstein could imagine what it is like to travel next to a beam of light and discover relativity.  The same Einstein never learned to drive a car, he lacked the required focus. (Einstein’s brain was unique in other ways as well). ADD people are risk takers, which may be good or bad. They have other unique personality traits/quirks. 

These are the symptoms I hear every day from Lyme patients. They have ADD. Adult ADD. Or do they?

Adult ADD is a misnomer.  ADD is a genetic brain glitch. You are born with it. Symptoms should be present in elementary school or before.  Preexisting ADD may be discovered at any age.  Once it was believed that ADD, a pediatric disorder resolved over time. Perhaps the hyperactivity component resolves in many cases; the important frontal lobe executive dysfunction does not. 

The important question for a Lyme patients is: were you like that before?  If the answer is: no, I was precise, organized and orderly. Then the diagnosis is not ADD.  It is Lyme masquerading as ADD, or “Lyme ADD.”  Findings on functional brain scans, like SPECT may be similar to those seen with ADD.  Patients with preexisting ADD are afflicted the most. They experience ADD on steroids. 

Of course, Lyme, Lyme brain, Lyme encephalopathy, neuroborreliosis (synonyms) are treated with antibiotics etc.  But “Lyme ADD” patients can also be effectively treated, if only temporarily with classic ADD drugs and experience much improvement. 

Stimulants tend to be the most effective agents and may be multipurpose since most patients are suffering with severe fatigue as well.  Drugs like Nuvigil work only for wakefulness, not for ADD.  The principal drugs are Ritalin and Adderall and there are multiple variants. 

Proper dosing, side effect are other clinical details are outside the scope of this discussion. 

Appropriate treatment may drastically improve quality of life for many suffering with "Lyme brain."