Mental Health Soon to see psych to get assessed for ADHD, need advice from ADHD people/experts

[MrsGamp]

Am going to be assessed for ADHD by psychiatrist in the near future, and to be honest I am pretty desperate to get prescribed- but don't worry, not for the wrong reasons (or not in my view anyway).
I have found that just a moderate amount of Dex every day (20-25 mgs) makes such a world of difference to my life.

I have no idea whether I've got true ADHD or not, but Dex certainly helps me with the following issues:

It banishes my depression which is chronic and disabling despite being on massive doses of SNRI anti depressants. It's also got less side effects than anti depressants-it seems a cleaner drug
(for example, Dex doesn't impair my sexual functioning while the anti-depressants make it practically impossible for me to even get aroused: Dex does not cause withdrawals if stopped suddenly, whereas anti-depressant WDs are terrifying)

If I use Dex responsibly it motivates me, it settles me, it alleviates anxiety and helps me to take less Valium (another filthy drug!)

Most importantly right now, the Dex are the best thing in the world for stopping my drinking, which has lately become a problem again. I am so scared of sliding back into alcoholism. Every evil in my life has been caused by booze. I don't know why but on Dex I just altogether lose my craving for booze.
However I am not sure if I ought to mention this to the shrink as I know he might not want to prescribe for a person with any substance abuse issues.

Happily I have no history of meth abuse and in fact rarely use street drugs BUT I have been spending a lot of money on buying Dex from drug dealers - financially ruinous and another reason why I hope to get prescribed.

But how am I going to explain buying Dex illegally to the psychIatrist? Since I have never had my own prescription, if I tell him I've been using them for above mentioned issues, he'll know I've been breaking the law etc, even if I claim a "friend" gives them to me for nothing.

If anyone can advise me as to how much (if any of it) I ought to tell the doctor, I'd be grateful.

 

[lawlessness]

I am of no help to you but I can assure you that I love smoking crack man

 

[MrsGamp]

I am of no help to you but I can assure you that I love smoking crack man

Lol. iYa basehead

 

[MrsGamp]

but seriously I need advice-shrink is going to cost a fortune. I need help.

 

[Jabberwocky]

You are in Australia?

I got prescribed dex at age 40 something even with a history of fairly hard-core illegal stimulant abuse. Using drugs to self-medicate is actually one of the medical signs of adult ADHD.

It will depend a bit on the Dr but your best best is to be honest that you have used stimulants over the years and that you responded positively to them but want to regularise your use (if s/he agrees that they wouod be of benefit.

They are not described for depression so I would not play that angle. You are best focussing on demonstrating that you have had lifetime symptoms of undiagnosed ADHD. This is likely to include things like:

Volatile mood
Erattic behaviour
Substance abuse including alcoholism
Many relationship failures
High intelligence as tested but not matched by academic performance (hard to demonstrate if you have PhD)

When I was tested I emphasised that the illegal stimulants I had taken made me “feel like me” or “feel complete” and that they did not really make me feel high.

If you admit to illegal drug use you will be asked to see another psych for second opinion, to wait 3 months being clean to be tested again, and to take a drug test (once only).

From what you have written in various posts here I would say being completely honest will do the trick. It is so common for people with late diagnosis as adult to have history of substance abuse.

 

[MrsGamp]

Thanks for your advice!
Re my PhD possibly being an impediment to showing ADHD, it took me about 8 years to finish it. Also quite often I had to self-medicate with pseudo ephedrine (ie Sudafed, which was then available OTC) to help me settle down and work. My GP has actually mentioned the pseudo ephedrine self-medicating on my referral letter.

Also I have been a virtual non-achiever career wise for 10 years despite having had once a quite promising academic career. Currently I've been unemployed for 18 months.

I wonder if you would give me your thoughts about whether I might have ADHD based on my rather wobbly school performance?
I was a clever child but famously the most incorrigible chatterbox in every class. I was always winning prizes for being the most advanced reader, but I also caught hell a lot for reading books under the desk when I was meant to be doing other things. Actually I was addicted to reading so much it caused problems. eg I didn't want to play or make friends.

When I was at high school I started misbehaving. Eg lots of truancy. Very rude to teachers sometimes. Also couldnt control my temper - I got suspended once for hitting a boy who had been bullying me in the head with a big textbook - in front of the teacher!

Also had a tendency to just wander in out of classes when I pleased. If I thought a class was boring or silly I'd go to library and read instead.

I was okay with maths until high school until I was 14 when my grades just plummeted - I couldn't pass to save my life although my IQ was 129. My mother even took me to a child psychologist about this! But nothing worked and to this day my bad maths skills embarrass me.

When I was about to start year 11 it dawned on me that I'd never get into university if I didn't get my shit together so for the next two years I worked my ass off and ended up getting best exam results in whole school (not a huge achievement-it was a pretty crappy school!)

But I still sort of "did it my way". I was always needing extensions to finish essays on time. Or else I'd just stay home from school so I had more time to write a better essay. I was a perfectionist. The teachers put up with it because usually the results were impressive.

During my undergraduate university years, I don't think I EVER handed an assignment in on time - would always need extensions. It wasn't a procrastination issue - rather I'd get sidetracked while researching or end up doing so much reading /research that when it came to writing my essays, I wouldn't know where to start. But again my lecturers were tolerant because I'd usually manage something impressive. Once I submitted an essay that was 15,000 words long when you were only meant to write 5,000. My professor said he ought to have made me do it again but he was so pleased by my enthusiasm for his subject that he gave me an A plus.

Well, anyhow, I am now 46 so maybe I won't need to go into all this with shrink - but do you feel it is relevant?

 

[Jabberwocky]

I wonder if you would give me your thoughts about whether I might have ADHD based on my rather wobbly school performance?

Well, anyhow, I am now 46 so maybe I won't need to go into all this with shrink - but do you feel it is relevant?

Everything you wrote in the above post about your experiences at school and university is textbook ADHD behaviour. I would mention all of that to your psychiatrist - in fact if you lay it out like you did in the post its a no-brainer to diagnose you. My description of my own experience at school were much the same. In terms of doing the adult diagnosis they depend a lot on your self-reporting of your youth.

It's amazing the difference bening properly medicated makes to academic peformance. I won the university medal for my Masters and a scholarship to an Ivy league US university during my PhD once i was medicated on dexamfetamine - but my unmedicated school results were terrible - barely passed the HSC and had several fails of subjects in my undergraduate degree. Many for simply not turning up and not handing in work because I was too distracted or forgot.

 

[MrsGamp]

Wow...thanks! I certainly will mention it!

last thing ...about my booze/pill issues - up until I got pregnant (unplanned) with my daughter, when I was 29, I really was a bit of a train wreck.

I bounced in and out of AA. Many times I'd wake up on mental wards in hospitals because of stupid self harm ODs with paracetamol or benzoes- which I couldn't even remember doing.

This is the main reason it took me so long to finish that PhD.

Having my daughter stopped the drinking and self harm nonsense for many years (her father, who tried to bully me into an abortion for entire 1st trimester of pregnancy, used to accuse me of selfishly getting pregnant on purpose for the sole reason of giving myself a reason to stop drinking - it wasn't so, but in a way he was right: I was much healthier when I was responsible for a young child).

Well Tis a long story but having my daughter as a deterrent from behaving stupidly with booze is no longer possible...

And I really am shit scared of booze now. My mother hanged herself - seemingly impulsively- seven years ago. She was extremely depressed and having a horrible life but had she not been very inebriated at the time I'm sure she wouldn't have been able to go through with ending her life so brutally.

My father has been a huge drinker for years and recently he's gone downhill mentally so fast that I'm worried he might have Korsakov's syndrome.

And now I'm reverting to really heavy boozing myself ... unless I've got some Dex it is seemingly impossible for me to make it past 11 am in the morning without drinking ...

Am worried though that shrink will think I will just abuse Dex instead of booze, although I am sure I wouldn't. I'm too fond of my sleep!

Thanks again for your advice.

 

[dopamimetic]

Well it depends on which country you are living in and whether your doc is open-minded or not. Maybe it's worth to get a second opinion if the first one lets you down. Imho if therapeutic doses of a stim help you really, especially to avoid other drugs, and to cope with life and if it's not just for a few days, then you are adult AD(H)D but diagnosis works otherwise.. yet I too went to a therapy center (had a recommendation though, from a girl doing shitloads of prescription dexamph.. guess wouldn't have worked with a random attempt) and told them I just benefit so much from stimulants, they even asked me about cocaine (which I've never tried back then) and had to fill out like 30 pages full of multiple choice questions of which quite some very very obviously if you know a bit about the diagnosis ... in the end a good part of it was really true and indeed I would probably have benefitted from amph in school. more so socially than cognitively, but then again maybe I'd have a much worse tolerance now if I'd taken stims for years in my adolescence..

They even gave me a stim for morning and something for sleep in the night, well later they gave me even more but turned out that by coincidence the adult ADD cases and the substance disorder ones are treated in the same building ...

But when I tried to get some concerta in Germany that doc told me I need to do clean urine samples for 12 months before she'd prescribe anything. Germany's the wild west of drug policy in Europe for sure. They also kick people out of methadone maintenance if they are positive for something else etc..

Good luck!

 

[MrsGamp]

Well it depends on which country you are living in and whether your doc is open-minded or not. Maybe it's worth to get a second opinion if the first one lets you down. Imho if therapeutic doses of a stim help you really, especially to avoid other drugs, and to cope with life and if it's not just for a few days, then you are adult AD(H)D but diagnosis works otherwise.. yet I too went to a therapy center (had a recommendation though, from a girl doing shitloads of prescription dexamph.. guess wouldn't have worked with a random attempt) and told them I just benefit so much from stimulants, they even asked me about cocaine (which I've never tried back then) and had to fill out like 30 pages full of multiple choice questions of which quite some very very obviously if you know a bit about the diagnosis ... in the end a good part of it was really true and indeed I would probably have benefitted from amph in school. more so socially than cognitively, but then again maybe I'd have a much worse tolerance now if I'd taken stims for years in my adolescence..

They even gave me a stim for morning and something for sleep in the night, well later they gave me even more but turned out that by coincidence the adult ADD cases and the substance disorder ones are treated in the same building ...

But when I tried to get some concerta in Germany that doc told me I need to do clean urine samples for 12 months before she'd prescribe anything. Germany's the wild west of drug policy in Europe for sure. They also kick people out of methadone maintenance if they are positive for something else etc..

Good luck!

Thanks and btw good point about urine test for drugs....I'd be clean for everything except Valium. Even if I stopped Valium over next fortnight (only on 5mgs per day so its do-able) I know I'd still test positive because I've been on it for so long now ...I've quit it before but it takes three months total abstinence to clear diazepam out altogether if you've been on it for years. I hope that won't be an issue..

Luckily I never smoke weed. I know that in Australia doctors don't like people on Dex to use cannabis - my ex who had a dex script had to do random urine tests to prove he wasn't on cannabis, on pain of having his script pulled...

 

[Jabberwocky]

I know that in Australia doctors don't like people on Dex to use cannabis - .

If you admit to using cannabis, they'll make you wait three months before testing you for ADHD and even thinking about giving you meds. Cannabis mimics cognitive symptoms of ADHD so they reckon there is no point giving stims to people on it since they are not really serious.

 

[dopamimetic]

Fuck that sort of policy, to pull people off the scripts means just to throw them on the streets and into uncontrolled addiction.. the guys in Zuerich (can't say Switzerland cause even there I've met some conservative hardiners) know that and while they theoretically could/should do urine tests, they do never without reason (e.g. somebody wanting his/her driving license back, which is a horribly expensive and tough procedure here.)

 

[JoEhJoEh]

Am going to be assessed for ADHD by psychiatrist in the near future, and to be honest I am pretty desperate to get prescribed- but don't worry, not for the wrong reasons (or not in my view anyway).
I have found that just a moderate amount of Dex every day (20-25 mgs) makes such a world of difference to my life.

I have no idea whether I've got true ADHD or not, but Dex certainly helps me with the following issues:

It banishes my depression which is chronic and disabling despite being on massive doses of SNRI anti depressants. It's also got less side effects than anti depressants-it seems a cleaner drug
(for example, Dex doesn't impair my sexual functioning while the anti-depressants make it practically impossible for me to even get aroused: Dex does not cause withdrawals if stopped suddenly, whereas anti-depressant WDs are terrifying)

If I use Dex responsibly it motivates me, it settles me, it alleviates anxiety and helps me to take less Valium (another filthy drug!)

Most importantly right now, the Dex are the best thing in the world for stopping my drinking, which has lately become a problem again. I am so scared of sliding back into alcoholism. Every evil in my life has been caused by booze. I don't know why but on Dex I just altogether lose my craving for booze.
However I am not sure if I ought to mention this to the shrink as I know he might not want to prescribe for a person with any substance abuse issues.

Happily I have no history of meth abuse and in fact rarely use street drugs BUT I have been spending a lot of money on buying Dex from drug dealers - financially ruinous and another reason why I hope to get prescribed.

But how am I going to explain buying Dex illegally to the psychIatrist? Since I have never had my own prescription, if I tell him I've been using them for above mentioned issues, he'll know I've been breaking the law etc, even if I claim a "friend" gives them to me for nothing.

If anyone can advise me as to how much (if any of it) I ought to tell the doctor, I'd be grateful.

Every Psych that knows a bit of ADHD in adults knows as well that we are treating ourselves. You can trust him, he does not tell any word you tell him to somebody else. He mustn't, otherwise HE would brake the law! Just be honest to him.

JJ

 

[JoEhJoEh]

If you admit to using cannabis, they'll make you wait three months before testing you for ADHD and even thinking about giving you meds. Cannabis mimics cognitive symptoms of ADHD so they reckon there is no point giving stims to people on it since they are not really serious.

My Psych is specialised in ADHD in adults and he always says "JJ, if you have some grass at home, rather smoke or vape it to be able to sleep than to take the Seroquel I prescribe you. My GP has the same meaning. Courious how different they are. I did not have to wait, nothing.

JJ

 

[Flynnal]

My Psych is specialised in ADHD in adults and he always says "JJ, if you have some grass at home, rather smoke or vape it to be able to sleep than to take the Seroquel I prescribe you. My GP has the same meaning. Courious how different they are. I did not have to wait, nothing.

Your psychiatrist and your GP must be some of the nicest doctors out there.

I have a doctor who won't even prescribe fucking prednisolone because she's a "gatekeeper". I mean, I'm not even joking.

Some doctors listen to their patients and treat them with respect, and some doctors treat their patients like schoolboys.

 

[JoEhJoEh]

Your psychiatrist and your GP must be some of the nicest doctors out there.

I have a doctor who won't even prescribe fucking prednisolone because she's a "gatekeeper". I mean, I'm not even joking.

Some doctors listen to their patients and treat them with respect, and some doctors treat their patients like schoolboys.

But why did yours deny the prednisolone? I'ts cortisone - what the hell is wrong with it??? Its against inflammations but it has its side effects, that's all.

JJ

 

[JoEhJoEh]

My GP prescribed Prednisolon even for my cat because his prescription is cheaper than the vet's one.

Sigh... Shitty Doctors I have to do with them every day and every day i tell myself " JJ from tomorrow on you will not be mad ad them anymore.

HMPF.

EDIT: Ah - do you mean Pregabalin perhaps?

 

[CFC]

Your psychiatrist and your GP must be some of the nicest doctors out there.

I have a doctor who won't even prescribe fucking prednisolone because she's a "gatekeeper". I mean, I'm not even joking.

Some doctors listen to their patients and treat them with respect, and some doctors treat their patients like schoolboys.

It helps if you belong to a large enough medical practice that you can choose a more empathetic and capable GP. A few at my practice are brilliant, the others are useless.

 

[Flynnal]

But why did yours deny the prednisolone? I'ts cortisone - what the hell is wrong with it??? Its against inflammations but it has its side effects, that's all.

Because she's an arrogant stuck up GP. She was my new GP as of 2 weeks ago but it looks as though I won't be seeing her that often now because I feel intimidated by doctors like that.

One would think a female doctor would have more empathy and compassion but wow you'd be surprised.

Maybe I just got unlucky. I asked her for the tablets just in case I get hearing impairment again but she told me I'd have to go to emergency dept. Um, I did that in June and we all know what happened, don't we?

 

[Flynnal]

Hopefully I get treated for ADHD before I end up going completely bonkers.