Tam Osgood
My partner was initially diagnosed with ADD as an adult, but we subsequently discovered that she was suffering from heavy metals poisoning [mercury & lead]. She had lived in older homes all of her life, and we had spent 10 years remodeling a house built in the early 1900's. Turned out there was lead in the insulation and paint that became airborne and she inhaled. Because I have asthma, and always wear a mask when we are working, I did not acquire this syndrome. The symptoms of heavy metals poisoning, ADD, and fibromyalgia are very similar. They involve breaks in concentration, short-term memory loss, muscular twinging and pain, sleep disruption, and other symptoms associated with these two disorders. It was only after seeing a booth about the effects of lead poisoning at a Home Show that we thought to get that checked. None of the doctors had considered it. It took a 24 hour urine check and a blood draw only. This may not be a contributing factor to your husband's problem, but it is certainly worth ruling out before they put him on Ritalin or some other drug for ADD. If he has lived in or worked in any buildings built before 1978, he is at risk.