Doctor won't perscribe anything for ADD

April 15, 2008 11:51 AM

I don't have a history of ADD but things became fairly complicated lately and I'm certain after doing hours of research that that I have some form of adult ADD. My doctor is refusing to prescribe anything and believes the only reason I am stressed is because of work/school/family. He suggested taking vitamins and getting more sleep. What gives? What are my options besides switching to a different doctor?
posted by icarus to health (20 comments total)

Try doing what he says to see if it works.
posted by BobbyDigital at 11:54 AM on April 15 [6 favorites]

Getting mad at your doctor is not the answer here. You might have convinced yourself that you have ADD (medical/psychology student's syndrom), when you actually ARE suffering from stress.

IANAD, but if you're really so dead set on having ADD, I suggest getting a second oppinion. Don't just ditch your doctor for incompetence, but you can easily get a diagnosis from a specialist. However, as far as I know (in Psychology at least), you should have been suffering from this for quite some time before it can be accurately diagnosed as NOT stress-related.
posted by Planet F at 11:55 AM on April 15

Find someone who specializes in adult ADD for a diagnosis. With that your regular doc may well write the monthly scrips. I would also try doing what he suggests first.
posted by caddis at 11:56 AM on April 15 [1 favorite]

I don't have a history of ADD but things became fairly complicated lately and I'm certain after doing hours of research that that I have some form of adult ADD.

ADD is never "adult onset", unless it's something else. One of the most important diagnostic criteria is a history going back until age 6 or so of related symptoms. That's what he's reacting to.

If you try another doc, mention "attention and concentration troubles" that have suddenly become a problem that you'd like testing/treatment for, but do NOT use the "a-word."
posted by availablelight at 12:01 PM on April 15 [2 favorites]

Try the vitamins and more sleep - seriously. I actually have Adult ADHD, and if vitamins and sleep could treat my condition, I'd be extremely happy. I have bad reactions to all the stimulants out there, so the only thing that works for me is caffeine and guided meditation (from Noah Levine), and sometimes those barely slow me down.

Also, the true diagnostic criteria require that ADHD symptoms be present from a young age. If this is 'recent', it might not be true ADHD. I got re-diagnosed a couple of years ago at age 36, but I was originally diagnosed as a child, and looking back on it, I was a little attention-span challenged hellion since I was in pre-school.
posted by spinifex23 at 12:16 PM on April 15

I had the same thing: stressed at work, thought I had ADHD, doc got me assessed. Turns out I was stressed at work. So I quit (eventually) and the 'symptoms' disappeared.

Be careful of linking your own situation to symptoms you read about on the internet. The online information rarely gives you the complete picture that a qualified person can offer - like how ADHD is NOT adult onset, which is what I was also told.

I'd do what he says, and maybe add in some exercise as well.
posted by dowcrag at 12:18 PM on April 15 [1 favorite]

I have ADD and it seemed like it was adult onset until I thought back over my childhood. I didn't really notice it as a problem until I ended up in a very high stress situation for an extended period (law school, 30 hour a week job, custody of my 10 and 11 year old sons all at the same time). My doctor's theory was that I had the mental "horsepower" to deal with it without medication up until that time. I have continued to take the medication but these days I joke that I take it for the people around me. My position requires that I explain complex regulatory schemes to co-workers and it helps me keep on point rather than wandering all over the place and confusing people. It also lowers my tendency to interrupt and talk over people.

I'm not an expert and this is just anecdotal but I thought it might be helpful regarding the "no adult onset" aspect.
posted by Carbolic at 12:19 PM on April 15

See a psychiatrist rather than a regular doctor. He might not refer you to one, so you might have to pay for it yourself.
posted by onepapertiger at 12:36 PM on April 15

it's interesting how these things work, struggling with anxiety and OCD, i got on an antidepressant that helped, but not until i started pretending nothing was wrong did things get better, i found that hours of research, constant searching for the right doc just made me think more about a condition, and made for a self fulfilling prophecy. try going a few days pretending this isn't the case, and not allowing yourself to think about it at all. then see if things get better.
posted by Salvatorparadise at 12:50 PM on April 15

Try what he does first. Then, if that doesn't work, go to see a psychologist. But don't say, "I think I have ADD," say, "I have concentration/attention problems of this and this type, affecting my life yadda yadda yadda." They'll want to ask you some questions and run some (very expensive) tests, and then the two of you will go from there. Chill out with the medical students' disorder - you're only closing yourself off to easier solutions, and stressing yourself out.

*is taking her first attention test next week*
*probably does not have ADD, but does have serious concentration problems*
posted by bettafish at 12:50 PM on April 15

I had kind of the opposite experience from you: A few years ago I was shooting the breeze with my therapist and, I don't remember how, but the subject of ADD came up. He decided that I might have it and medication might help, so we trotted upstairs to the psychiatrist to get me six weeks' worth of meds.

It didn't work. I upped my dose to the recommended max; not only did I notice zero change in my behavior, I got weird pink blotches on my face and neck.

Get a referral, but be careful that you're not just looking for a medical explanation or a pharmaceutical solution for why life is hard. You may indeed have ADD, but if you don't, medication is unlikely to help you. I'm no expert, and I suppose I don't actually have ADD, but my understanding is that even with a diagnosis you will be encouraged to adopt healthier habits and organizational/destressing techniques either instead of or in addition to medication. I'd recommend trying those in the meantime and seeing if they work.
posted by Metroid Baby at 1:18 PM on April 15

I went to a psychiatrist and he prescribed me Dexedrine. I think his theory was that the first time I took it it would be apparent whether I had ADD or not (I don't say "suffering from" and don't like the fact they call it a disorder. The problem is you normals just can't keep up. I'm perfectly happy with the condition it just makes it difficult for me to work and be around other people who don't have it. I drive them crazy.). I was a little shocked. I mean, me taking "amphetamines". I had previously thought of them as a street drug.

Sure enough, after I took the first dose my level of intensity was reduced and I felt little, if any "upper effect". A a cup of coffee sends me up the walls. There have been times I've doubted the diagnosis but then I remember the one time my girlfriend decided to take one. She started talking continuously and cleaned the house twice.

Don't know how the medical community feels about this method of diagnosis but it worked for me.
posted by Carbolic at 1:31 PM on April 15

nthing the advice to follow the doctor's orders. In the long run, perhaps he is helping you much more by trying to find non-pharmaceutical ways to treat your problem, rather than quickly scribbling out a prescription and forgetting about you once you walk out the door.

I know it sucks because Big Pharma and MSM have convinced us all that a little pill will make us feel better NOW. Not to say that meds are a bad thing and that you might not benefit from it in the long run, but it seems to me that it might be better to look at treatment in a stepwise fashion, and resorting to medication as a near final resort.

Trust me, while people I know seem to be able to get prescriptions for anything, I always find MDs who would rather take a holistic approach rather than giving me the pills that I crave. Although I leave the office miffed, in retrospect I am quite grateful that I encountered professionals who didn't try to hustle me out of their office with a small piece of paper, but truly tried to treat me, and I have far greater respect for these individuals today.
posted by bitteroldman at 2:10 PM on April 15 [2 favorites]

carbolic; Ms. nobeagle and I are apparently the mirror of you and your girlfriend. She's ADHD, coffee makes her a bit hyper and jittery, and she used to take dexedrine. Once I tried her meds, and there was certainly no calming effect. I think the worst part about it was we were in a Taco Bell (ok, that's a bit bad on it's own), but I heard *every* effing sound (soda dispensor, something beeping, every chew from every person), and my mind wanted to latch onto every sound. Normally I find sound distracting and overwhelming on it's own in my own little aspie way, but this was over the top.

Not that there was any doubt in my mind, but if there had been this would have definitely answered that I was not add.

Also, Nth'ing the advice to try the doctor's orders; add doesn't just start up as an adult.
posted by nobeagle at 2:22 PM on April 15

If you don't have to be on medication, you don't want to. Everything has side effects and there is no magic pill.
posted by desjardins at 3:24 PM on April 15

Yeah, what desjardins said. Go here and read about people's side effects and the crashes they experience coming off of medication. Sure, meds can really help, but they have their problems too.
posted by salvia at 4:45 PM on April 15

I went on low dose dexamphetamine (Adderall) for a while, and it was very very good. Then my prescription ran out, and my doctor told me that he'd had a nasty call from someone official because he wasn't actually allowed to prescribe that medication, and I haven't followed up his referral yet.

In the meantime, I take a couple of caffeine tablets in the morning and it seems to help quite a lot.

My experience though is that the ADD checklists you find online are like a personality checklist for me on which I score 95%, and would have done so throughout most of my life.
posted by tomble at 5:26 PM on April 15

whether you switch dr's or not, sleep and vitamins are always gonna help. That and not self-diagnosing from internet sources (mefi included).
posted by doppleradar at 7:02 PM on April 15

Seconding most of the above- true ADD is a lifelong condition. If you were good in school, you probably don't have it.

Don't be scared off by the loonies on those forums. As others have noted, people with ADD react differently to stimulants. The people who have dependence problems are either abusing the drugs or were misdiagnosed. Look at it like this- ADD is a sort of deficit of stimulation. People with it use stimulants to bring themselves to 100% functionality. As long as the drug is used in that context, no problems. Coming off of it means simply a return of ADD symptoms. If they abuse the drug and try to go beyond 100%, they are affected the same way anyone else is affected by amphetamines- highs, crashes, withdrawal, etc. In other words, the poison is the dose.
posted by gjc at 8:28 PM on April 15

ADD stands for

Avoiding
Doctors
Directives


among others.

find alternative therapies - trust - they are the ones that work without the 2 page long side-effect warnings that come with the pharmaceutical$$$$$$$$$ doctor$$$$$$$$ love to pre$cribe. Maybe it's the kickback$. Anyway - you will have to start navigating alone my dear Meta-filer - through whatever channels are available. Internet - forums - google - herbs - supplements - less chemicals - more nature and its resources.

Good luck.
posted by watercarrier at 6:43 AM on April 16