Mental Health Think I have ADHD

[Dontdoit17]

I'm 20 years old and a college student and recently Over the last year or two these symptoms have been getting more obvious and severe in some cases. I'll start with my background, I don't drink or smoke and I'm very active. My first year of college I was a Division one athlete. I've always had a problem when it comes to reading textbooks and regular books that I have to re-read everything many times before it actually registers in my head as to what I'm even reading. Also, during lectures I find myself wanting to pay attention, but all of a sudden realizing ten minutes has past and I haven't listened to one word. I think it also has been affecting my relationship because I always tend to forget my promises and commitments that I make which gets her kind of mad at me but she understands my problems now. I tend to forget things like deadlines and home works for school and always procrastinate. The thing is I'm
A very motivated person so it's not like I'm being lazy... I still go to my pediatrician and was planning on calling in for an appointment tomorrow, but what should I tell the receptionist the reason for my appointment? I don't want to sound like I know for sure I have ADHD or that I'm even seeking drugs. I just want my doctors opinion on the subject.

 

[Erikmen]

Tell them you are not well and need medical advice. You don't have to know for sure that you have ADHD or not. Your are looking for medical advice and that's what you should do.
Explain to the doctor what you have written here and he'll probably ask few other things, run exams, anamnesis etc. It could be a lot of things.
And it's part of his responsibility to find out what's wrong with you. Not yours.
Take it easy and be honest with him.

I was wondering if you have experienced these problems when you were younger.
Try to see if you are experiencing specific situations where you would be in distress, or going through a difficult period in life.

If needed you cold also ask him if you should see a psychiatrist.
Good luck!

 

[Dontdoit17]

What should I say the reason for appointment is when I call?

 

[CFC]

To be honest what you describe doesn't make me think ADHD really, so don't get too worried overthinking your behaviour. If you truly believe you may have it, you need a professional diagnosis which nobody on here can give.

I'll move this to a more appropriate forum where you may get more feedback...

 

[jammin83]

If you are ADD or ADHD, then you are going to have some options as far as medication goes. You should get your thyroid checked too before you go the medication route.

Stimulants:

Adderall (racemic amphetamine), dex amp, methyphenidate (ritalin, concerta), vyvanse, dosoxyn (methamphetamine)

Non-stimulant:

tenex, strattera.

These are the main medications that they use to treat ADD. If you go the stimulant route, there will most likely be some side-effects. Your body will adjust to whatever dose you take over time so try to keep it as low as possible because you may have to up your dose at some point. I would recommend using the lowest dose possible. Don't take the stuff everyday. Some people can become dependent on them. I think over time, amphetamines can make ADD worse, esp. once you decide to come off of them.

IMO, amphetamines aren't the most sustainable medications. They kind of work for a while, then you get to a point where you need them to function and just go back to baseline.

Tenex works ok, but pretty mild. Strattera didn't do anything for me.

So if you decide you want to go the medication route, you should familiarize yourself with the available options and do your own research.

I have ADD and I don't take anything for it anymore. Some days I wish I had some lying around but don't really feel like I need them. I was on stimulants for around 7 or 8 years altogether. Just kind of seemed pointless after a while and they weren't really working. Nothing wrong though with getting a script for school and just using a low dose to help you get through college. Just be aware of the abuse potential and be sure to take breaks. You can lose weight, make it hard to eat, potential crash every day. Can kind of feel depleting after a while. Probably not great for your heart.

Just be straight up with your doctor. Tell him your concerns. If he doesn't treat ADD, call around and ask somebody if they treat ADD because there are doctors out there that don't prescribe adderall.

My concentration still sucks but I've learned to deal with it. I would rather be a little spacey than be on amps all the time but that's just me. A lot of them make it hard for me to have sex too because they make my junk not work. No fun.

Best of luck.