Need advice for Dr visit in a few hours - adult ADD related

[WDWguru]

I've suspected for a few years now that I have adult ADD. I've been to psychiatrists a few times, who did tell me I probably had it and gave me some things to try. I did those things, but it didn't seem to help and I never went back.

Deep down I always just felt the whole ADD/ADHD thing was bunk. I just always thought of it as an excuse or a cop-out for parents who couldn't control their kids or people who were just lazy and scatterbrained. I'm sure this comes from the fact that that's the attitude my family and DH have of it.

In any case, the more I read about it and the more I think about my brief visits to the psychiatrist, the more I think I really do have it. I finally sucked it up yesterday, looked up a doctor in my provier directory and made an appointment - amazingly they had an opening today! So, in a few hours I'm going to visit this brand new doc and I'm really nervous and not sure how to approach this. I want to convey what I've said above and I'd really like to try a medication like Strattera (something milder than a stimulant), but I don't want to waltz in like I'm just looking for drugs. How do I even go about bringing this up? Help!

 

[Christine]

First off--what kind of doctor are you seeing? Hopefully a psychiatrist?

I think the best way to approach it is to come right out and say: "I'm here today because I suspect (and have suspected for quite sometime) that I have ADD."

The diagnosis for an adult is given based on a long-standing history of problems. So, you really need to think back to when you *think* you first noticed it.

Did you struggle in school? Have problems completing classwork, etc. If the symptoms were not there as a child then you would not have this--so that part is VERY important. Be prepared to discuss the things in your childhood that you think were ADD-related.

Then progress to how you think it is impacting your adult life. Obviously, you are having some "fallout" from this because you are seeking help.

Last of all, please keep an open mind about medication. While Straterra isn't a stimulant, it can be a nasty medication all the same (it is along the lines of, but not the same as, the SSRIs which can have yucky side effects). I will tell you that I have taken the stimulants before and they were quite mild as compared to some of the other stuff I've taken. If you have ADD, the stimulant meds probably won't effect you badly.

Good luck and let us know how it works out.

 

[WDWguru]

Since I've been to a psychiatrist for it before, albeit a few years back, I'm seeing a general MD today. The psychiatrist basically diagnosed it but I didn't "buy it" and when the coping mechanisms he gave me didn't seem to work, I just stopped going. I figured I'd just deal with it myself as I had been.

It's to the point now where I'm just tired of always feeling flustered and behind, not being able to organize myself and feeling like I never get anything done. I do okay at work, but it's really affecting things at home in stupid ways. It's more frustrating than anything.

 

[Christine]

So, how did it go?

 

[WDWguru]

Well - and thanks for asking! The doctor was great, asked a bunch of questions, and referred me to a psychiatrist for further evaluation and possible medication options. I've spent the afternoon on the phone with the insurance company getting preauthorized (fun - bleah). Now I'm just waiting for the doc to call me back to make my initial appointment.

I do feel better that I made the first step.

 

[Nana Annie]

There is a wonderful website that talks about adult ADD and has a prescreening test you can take.

I suspected for a long time that I was ADD. A psychologist friend also thought I was and gave me the website. I did the prescreen and brought the results to my doctor.

After a thorough assessment, he agreed and put me on medication. I can't tell you what a difference it made. For the first time, I actually felt like I could do a task from beginning to end. It was unbelievable. Rather than my brain switching channels all the time, it would stay on the same channel for a reasonable length of time.

If you really have ADD and need the medication that helps control the imbalance in the brain, it is like having a whole new life.

The website is

www.adultadd.com

 

[WDWguru]

Thanks for the link Nana! I had actually found a couple of screeners online but hadn't seen this one before. It's a little more specific than some of the others - and the accompanying info is terrific.

I have an appointment next Tuesday with the psychiatrist for my initial evaluation, so hopefully I'll know something soon.