4 ms·

I actually do have an (adult) ADHD diagnosis, though I've always been a bit sceptical of it. It seemed too easy to get and I really didn't think the testing cri

by cpsns 4y ago

I actually do have an (adult) ADHD diagnosis, though I've always been a bit sceptical of it. It seemed too easy to get and I really didn't think the testing criteria were very good. I have wanted to try medicine to see if it helps me at all, but I've never been able to do so. My GP was willing to perscribe me something, but decided my BP was too high and that was that. There are definitely anxiety issues at play as well, but I don't know to what degree.

dmlerner 4y ago
Combine with a blood pressure medicine? Guanfacine is specifically an ADHD treating blood pressure medication.
- cpsns 4y ago
  I'm not the GP, so I don't get to make that call. If they say no that's the end of the story. It's frustrating, but ultimatly just how it is. There's no possibility of a second opinion either because I'm really damn lucky to even have access to a GP, the waiting list for one is ~3-4 years long right now if you don't already have one.
  - iokanuon 4y ago
    That's crazy. Where do you live? In Poland I just skipped the insurance system to get ADHD meds and went to a psychiatrist specialising in ADHD privately - $70 for a 20 minute visit seems a bit steep but it's better than waiting years. Could you possibly do something similar?
    - cpsns 4y ago
      No, that's impossible. I live in a Canadian province where the provincial healthcare situation is very, very bad. There are no private doctors and private psychiatrists are not legally allowed to perscribe. ADHD medication is controlled so only NPs, GPs, and (I think) psychologists are permitted to write a script for it. Basically there are no options for me except the ones I have already taken, short of moving to a different province thousands of kilometers away.
      - vonseel 4y ago
        Can they prescribe non-stimulant ADHD medications? I imagine those are less-strictly regulated. My previous psychiatrist said he's had some luck with patients on stimulants lowering their stimulant doses and adding a non-stimulant treatment like Strattera, but his patients rarely had success stopping all stimulants and taking only Strattera. That's just one docs opinion, but having been treated for adhd for 15 years, it doesn't surprise me. So, consider yourself lucky you don't already need stimulants to get by. Some of the newer non-stimulant options may be effective for you, and you won't have to deal with the "druggy" aspect of being on stimulants for work. Stimulants can seriously affect your life, both positively and negatively. You might be able to get things done that you never would have done before - I felt like I was finally able to compete at a normal level when I started - but you might retreat from society at the same time, be less interested in spending time with loved ones or building relationships, and then there's all the short-term side-effects like trouble sleeping or losing interest in eating. Basically my experience has been a double-edged sword and it's bittersweet. For every way that it's benefited me, ADHD meds negatively affect me in some other way and it's hard to quantify the net balance.
        cpsns 4y ago
        > So, consider yourself lucky you don't already need stimulants to get by. I wish that were the case, I've been heavily "abusing" Redbull and Claritan-D (non-drowsey with sudafed, I found this helped purely by accident a few years ago) for years just so I can barely function enough to hold down a job. It's probably part of why my blood pressure is so bad in the first place. I have to put literally all the energy I have into work, by the time 1700 rolls around I have no energy left to give for anything, I just crash. Most nights even getting supper is a huge ordeal, much less anything else. Non-stimulant drugs might be an viable option, I haven't inquired about that yet, but I intend too. I apreciate you giving a small window into what the medication has been like for you. How it would affect me and how I'd change on it has been one of my main concerns should I somehow actually get perscribed anything. At this point I'd try anything because the older I get the less sustainable this all becomes.
      - pcthrowaway 4y ago
steve_adams_86 4y ago
What was the testing criteria? My assessment took several days, totalling around 8 hours of time in the clinic. A lot of interviewing and cognitive assessments. I'm not sure if that's standard, but maybe that gives you something to contrast it with. I left the experience with a fairly hefty document describing my abilities/disabilities along with various recommendations moving forward. I also received an IQ test result which was strange to see, and I actually would have preferred not to see it.
- cpsns 4y ago
  I had to fill out a huge document (30 pages) going over my childhood and adult life, issues I face(d), and all kinds of other little things, as well as some multiple choice assesments. My mother had to fill out another set of documents (10 pages) about me. They required any and all report cards I had as a kid. I had to get that all together and done before I went, because the clinic is a 2.5 hour drive meaning it wasn't practical to spend a ton of time there. The actual clinic time consisted of an interview that took ~2 hours and seveal tests. The only test I remember clearly was something called the CPT test, because I thought what they were asking me to do was actually impossible (don't press the X when it's shown). After that I had a follow up virtual call a few weeks later to discuss the results and they provided me with a document about all the testing, results, and steps going forward. In their own words I have "severe inattentive ADHD". My main issue is if you know exactly what to tell them of course you'll be diagnosed, it's not like a physical issue that you can't fake. Someone seeking a diagnoses just for drugs could easily have gotten it. Additionally it was a private clinic and I worry there was some incentive for them to provide the result they thought the client wanted.
- missingrib 4y ago
  > I also received an IQ test result which was strange to see, and I actually would have preferred not to see it. Why is that?
  - steve_adams_86 4y ago
    I suppose the gist of it was that I felt stupid all my life and never challenged myself as a result. Then I found out I’m not, at least according to that scale. I had aspirations I didn’t pursue because I thought I wasn’t capable, for example. Lacked confidence because I believed I wasn’t competent. Suddenly I was faced with the notion that I wasn’t failed by genetics or something I couldn’t control, but rather, I’d simply lived for decades apparently completely unaware of myself and wasting my potential. What a strange thought. My score wasn’t exceptional. I expected it to be much lower, though. I’m still not sure how I feel. I wonder if I should do more with myself or not, if any of it even matters, that sort of thing. I suspect never knowing actually could have been better; it’s unlikely at this point that I could ever realize potential that I was previously unaware of. I don’t think it serves me at all. In a strange way I guess I liked assuming I wasn’t intelligent. I genuinely don’t feel intelligent.

by cpsns 4y ago

dmlerner 4y ago

Combine with a blood pressure medicine? Guanfacine is specifically an ADHD treating blood pressure medication.

cpsns 4y ago
I'm not the GP, so I don't get to make that call. If they say no that's the end of the story. It's frustrating, but ultimatly just how it is. There's no possibility of a second opinion either because I'm really damn lucky to even have access to a GP, the waiting list for one is ~3-4 years long right now if you don't already have one.
- iokanuon 4y ago
  That's crazy. Where do you live? In Poland I just skipped the insurance system to get ADHD meds and went to a psychiatrist specialising in ADHD privately - $70 for a 20 minute visit seems a bit steep but it's better than waiting years. Could you possibly do something similar?
  - cpsns 4y ago
    No, that's impossible. I live in a Canadian province where the provincial healthcare situation is very, very bad. There are no private doctors and private psychiatrists are not legally allowed to perscribe. ADHD medication is controlled so only NPs, GPs, and (I think) psychologists are permitted to write a script for it. Basically there are no options for me except the ones I have already taken, short of moving to a different province thousands of kilometers away.
    - vonseel 4y ago
      Can they prescribe non-stimulant ADHD medications? I imagine those are less-strictly regulated. My previous psychiatrist said he's had some luck with patients on stimulants lowering their stimulant doses and adding a non-stimulant treatment like Strattera, but his patients rarely had success stopping all stimulants and taking only Strattera. That's just one docs opinion, but having been treated for adhd for 15 years, it doesn't surprise me. So, consider yourself lucky you don't already need stimulants to get by. Some of the newer non-stimulant options may be effective for you, and you won't have to deal with the "druggy" aspect of being on stimulants for work. Stimulants can seriously affect your life, both positively and negatively. You might be able to get things done that you never would have done before - I felt like I was finally able to compete at a normal level when I started - but you might retreat from society at the same time, be less interested in spending time with loved ones or building relationships, and then there's all the short-term side-effects like trouble sleeping or losing interest in eating. Basically my experience has been a double-edged sword and it's bittersweet. For every way that it's benefited me, ADHD meds negatively affect me in some other way and it's hard to quantify the net balance.
      - cpsns 4y ago
        > So, consider yourself lucky you don't already need stimulants to get by. I wish that were the case, I've been heavily "abusing" Redbull and Claritan-D (non-drowsey with sudafed, I found this helped purely by accident a few years ago) for years just so I can barely function enough to hold down a job. It's probably part of why my blood pressure is so bad in the first place. I have to put literally all the energy I have into work, by the time 1700 rolls around I have no energy left to give for anything, I just crash. Most nights even getting supper is a huge ordeal, much less anything else. Non-stimulant drugs might be an viable option, I haven't inquired about that yet, but I intend too. I apreciate you giving a small window into what the medication has been like for you. How it would affect me and how I'd change on it has been one of my main concerns should I somehow actually get perscribed anything. At this point I'd try anything because the older I get the less sustainable this all becomes.
    - pcthrowaway 4y ago

steve_adams_86 4y ago

What was the testing criteria? My assessment took several days, totalling around 8 hours of time in the clinic. A lot of interviewing and cognitive assessments. I'm not sure if that's standard, but maybe that gives you something to contrast it with. I left the experience with a fairly hefty document describing my abilities/disabilities along with various recommendations moving forward. I also received an IQ test result which was strange to see, and I actually would have preferred not to see it.

cpsns 4y ago
I had to fill out a huge document (30 pages) going over my childhood and adult life, issues I face(d), and all kinds of other little things, as well as some multiple choice assesments. My mother had to fill out another set of documents (10 pages) about me. They required any and all report cards I had as a kid. I had to get that all together and done before I went, because the clinic is a 2.5 hour drive meaning it wasn't practical to spend a ton of time there. The actual clinic time consisted of an interview that took ~2 hours and seveal tests. The only test I remember clearly was something called the CPT test, because I thought what they were asking me to do was actually impossible (don't press the X when it's shown). After that I had a follow up virtual call a few weeks later to discuss the results and they provided me with a document about all the testing, results, and steps going forward. In their own words I have "severe inattentive ADHD". My main issue is if you know exactly what to tell them of course you'll be diagnosed, it's not like a physical issue that you can't fake. Someone seeking a diagnoses just for drugs could easily have gotten it. Additionally it was a private clinic and I worry there was some incentive for them to provide the result they thought the client wanted.
missingrib 4y ago
> I also received an IQ test result which was strange to see, and I actually would have preferred not to see it. Why is that?
- steve_adams_86 4y ago
  I suppose the gist of it was that I felt stupid all my life and never challenged myself as a result. Then I found out I’m not, at least according to that scale. I had aspirations I didn’t pursue because I thought I wasn’t capable, for example. Lacked confidence because I believed I wasn’t competent. Suddenly I was faced with the notion that I wasn’t failed by genetics or something I couldn’t control, but rather, I’d simply lived for decades apparently completely unaware of myself and wasting my potential. What a strange thought. My score wasn’t exceptional. I expected it to be much lower, though. I’m still not sure how I feel. I wonder if I should do more with myself or not, if any of it even matters, that sort of thing. I suspect never knowing actually could have been better; it’s unlikely at this point that I could ever realize potential that I was previously unaware of. I don’t think it serves me at all. In a strange way I guess I liked assuming I wasn’t intelligent. I genuinely don’t feel intelligent.