It's my party, and I'll maul if I want to.

March 4, 2014 12:18 AM

This is piggybacking on this question here: It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to. I've given it a lot of thought, and I really think I need a new doctor for my ADHD. Or, at least one who I can get a second opinion with. Because, while the Ritalin induced freakouts are less often and less severe, and take more to trigger them, they're still there, and I still consider them disabling. So, I need recommendations for Psychiatrists who treat Adult ADHD, with co-morbid Depression and Anxiety. All three have been professionally diagnosed by my current Psychiatrist. My current Psych is great, bit he's a jack of all trades, and may not know all the subtleties of the meds out there for ADHD. And I have a feeling that I'm hitting the wall of my current doctor's knowledge. Location: Seattle, and I'd like to stay in Seattle, please. I'm on the bus system, so transportation is hard. For medical insurance, I have CIGNA. I have no preference as to age or gender. I do want to be treated with allopathic/Western medications; I've tried alternative methods for treating my ADHD, and they don't work for me.

And, in the meantime, I have to decide if school is even feasible for next Quarter, if this is still being an issue. It starts on April 5th, so it's coming up quickly. And while my current classes are going fine, they're not without stress, and as I go up the math/CS class ladder, so does the difficulty - and if Trig is generating freakouts, Calculus or Computer Science II is just going to be a complete nightmare.

A doc who can help me figure out all of that as well would be great.

Thank you!

posted by spinifex23 to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)

I can't provide personal recommendations, but you may want to check out the psychology today therapist finder tool. I did a quick search of psychiatrists in Seattle who list ADHD as a specialty and got these results.

Another option would be to check out the major hospitals in your area. They can often be a good source of high quality and cutting edge treatment.

Presumably your insurance company should have a search tool for psychiatrists in your network, but it may not give you much detailed information about their practice areas. Also, if you do find someone you're interested in seeing and they don't take your insurance, you can always ask about a sliding scale.
posted by litera scripta manet at 5:13 AM on March 4, 2014

I also have Cigna and some similar brain firings. This guy has been able to bill insurance for me out of network, given me referrals (of the kind where he calls up to see who's got openings, not just a list of names) and does neurofeedback. He's changed my mind. I know it's hard to find a psychiatrist in this town -- good luck. Try my guy, Dr. Timothy S. Cahn.
posted by sweltering at 9:52 AM on March 4, 2014

Best answer: Also how is your GP / internal medicine situation? Could your "meltdowns" be caused by a general condition comorbid with your ADD? It just seems to be consistent across all the meds. Lots of my friends use Qliance and I have a great concierge doc who does psych meds. Memail if you want recommendations/cautions.
posted by sweltering at 9:59 AM on March 4, 2014

Response by poster: It does seem to happen with many different meds, particularly stimulants. Which sucks, because the meltdowns all happen the same way. It's not conscious so much as a switch gets flipped.

I know that I did have a physical, and I asked to have my thyroid tested, and all of those came back normal (with the exception of high cholesterol, which I'm working on.) Maybe it'd be worth it to dig into this some more; maybe my thyroid is indeed off, or there's some gland that's misfiring.
posted by spinifex23 at 2:00 PM on March 4, 2014

Response by poster: An update:

I talked with my current doctor, and he thinks that one of the problems is that I'm on too much Concerta. So, we cut the dose back down to 18mg, with his blessing. My grade is also so good in Trig that, if I do poorly in the rest of the course, I'll get that 2.5 to get into Calculus. Obviously, I *want* to keep the 4.0, but it's good to know that I literally can't fail. Same with Anthropology. Takes a load off.

And I'm skipping next Quarter, until things are totally and completely straightened out. Again, this is on the recommendation of both my doctor, and a school counselor.

That Psychologist listed above looks interesting, and I may give him a call, but also feel free to throw some more Psychiatrist names, if you have them.

Thanks for the advice, all!
posted by spinifex23 at 12:09 AM on March 6, 2014