Re: been waiting a year now after referral to the psychiatrist…

[Anonymous]

Far out, what a dilemma! I have heard that some psychiatrists believe that anyone will feel better on stimulant medications, but as far as I am aware, it would be unusual for it to make a person feel calmer unless thay had ADHD. I really can’t advise what to do regarding your self-medicating trials. I would suggest maybe admitting to a once off use out of desparation, and stress how calm it made you feel and how well you slept afterwards. Untreated ADHD poses a high risk of self-medicating behaviours, and an informed psychiatrist should be aware of this and realise that you are so far at the end of your tether that you may well go down that path if they don’t help you appropriately.

And don’t feel bad about being desparate enough to try anything. You are not the only one. I have used prescription painkillers (prescribed to me for previous surgery, and arthritis flare ups) to help dampen down the urge to move and the racing thoughts that keep me awake when I should be sleeping. Not that they always work as planned. Sometimes they make the racing thoughts worse and I lie awake for ages with my mind running circles. But at least I am relaxed and still while it happens lol! Over the counter sleep aids work fairly well for me, but often leave me feeling depressed, unmotivated, and generally yuck the next day. Only good when I have the opportunity to take it early in the evening and sleep it off fully before having to get up. I have to wait a few more months until my psych appointment, and I am worried that I will say one wrong thing to make him believe I don’t have anything wrong with me, or that I have something that I know I don’t have (like depression…there is no way I am depressed. I have been there, done that, and it is definitely not overwhelming depression that keeps me from organising my life). So I can sympathise fully with your predicament. It’s certainly stressful!!

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