I see a Psychiatric nurse practitioner. I went to her initially on my own because of my awful PMDD (and I didn't love my PCP for mental health) and after I'd been seeing her regularly for some time she told me she felt that I had ADD and that was my main issue. I did a couple of evaluations and she started me on Vyvanse. Honestly, it was incredibly life altering. I've had it since I was a kid- probably started around age 10. Looking back it explains almost 100% of my life struggles. The medication helps immensely but I still struggle quite a bit with distracted daydreaming at work, disorganization, misplacing things etc. It's a lifelong battle but getting treated has made worlds of difference!
Post by W.T.Faulkner on Oct 16, 2019 16:43:19 GMT -5
I think there was a thread on this really recently.
I went to my primary care doctor, who screened me with a questionnaire and prescribed a low dosage of Adderall for 30 days. He referred me to a psychologist who confirmed diagnosis.
I mentioned my concerns to my PA. She recognized it and referred me to a psychiatrist. First office sucked. They gave me stuff for anxiety even though the only anxiety I really experience is that which is caused by things I DIDN’T do because of ADHD. It didn’t help. I met with a psychologist for a few sessions, but he spent most of my time telling me about himself and his adult son.
A friend referred me to a different psychiatrist. He was AMAZING! I didn’t even do a formal evaluation. He interviewed me and said I was classic ADHD without any other issues of concern. A formal evaluation was not necessary in his mind (& I agreed). He gave me medication to try, but I didn’t stick with it long enough to get the right one/dose.
Even without medication or further therapy, it was life-changing. Validation. It gave me a better understanding of myself and resources to try to help. It also helped me spend some time focusing on all of the positive things that can come with ADHD. I found I have at least as many positives as negatives! I can also better recognize my patterns/habits.
I think there was a thread on this really recently.
I went to my primary care doctor, who screened me with a questionnaire and prescribed a low dosage of Adderall for 30 days. He referred me to a psychologist who confirmed diagnosis.
I don't go here, but just went through this recently after my son was diagnosed.
I have been under the care of a psychiatrist so I started there. Per her recommendation I went through the entire testing with a neuropsych and he confirmed the diagnosis. I started stimulants and it has been a total freaking game changer. I remember feeling apprehensive about the testing and the results. Not really knowing if I was hoping for a diagnosis or not. It's such a weird range of feelings, so I understand when you say it's intimidating. I'm an open book about most everything if there's anything specific you'd like to ask.
My husband was diagnosed following screening with his PCP. He’s had clear symptoms but was able to manage until life got overly stressful (kid, job, etc). He started Adderall and it has been life changing. It doesn’t fix everything but helps so much. He also sees a therapist to help.
My husband was diagnosed following screening with his PCP. He’s had clear symptoms but was able to manage until life got overly stressful (kid, job, etc). He started Adderall and it has been life changing. It doesn’t fix everything but helps so much. He also sees a therapist to help.
I feel like this describes me... this past year was incredibly stressful and I had a hard time managing things between work and home. It finally got too much for me to manage and I went to therapy for anxiety. Therapy helped but I was still struggling with getting tasks done. I was talking to my friend who has ADD and she told me a lot of what I'm describing sounds like ADD. After reading about the symptoms, I feel pretty positive that I have had ADD my entire life. I'm actually annoyed that my therapist didn't suggest ADD, because working with her helped my actual anxiety but we didn't resolve any of the issues I was having.
My husband and I see the same PCP and he tried to talk to her about possible ADD with him about 10 years ago. She basically told him if he thought he had it that he would need to go see a psychiatrist to get a formal diagnosis. The whole process of that seems overwhelming to me because I know there's a long, long wait time for psychiatrists in my area. I'm wondering if she will approach me differently because I'm a 34 year-old female (my husband at the time was a 25 year-old male basically asking for adderall, lol).
I was seeing a psychiatrist for depression and was complaining about how I am a total scatter brain. Some days I can go thru a to do list like a champ and other days it is like my brain has 15 tabs open and not one thing gets finished. This was about 15 years ago. At that time he started prescribing me concerta (without any formal ADHD testing) and it was an absolute miracle drug for me. I was back on my game and all was good. But that came to a hault about 5 years ago. It was like my body just got use to the concerta and it no longer worked.
For the next 3 years a new psychiatrist prescribed me a couple different stimulants but nothing worked.
Then 2 years ago I switched Psychiatrists again and the new one would not prescribe me any more ADHD drugs until I had formal ADHD testing. The testing itself was painless and also interesting. It involved meeting with a therapist specialized in ADHD, going thru a long questionnaire together, some puzzles, some verbal testing and a computerized "beep" test. (That is what I called it. Basically I had to listen for beeps and press buttons when I heard the beeps. it went on for like 10 minutes and people with ADHD basically tune out the beeps after a while).
I was then formally diagnosed and started a new regime of meds. To this day, nothing is working and it is a daily struggle for me but I keep seeing both my therapist and Psychiatrist and we are all determined to find some solutions for me.