Dazed and Confused

[wallygirl]

okay so here goes, i have been taking medicine for anxiety. my 9 yr old daughter has been taking Ritalin for 2 years, this made me look at myself. I have taken every test possible on-line including this site. i even went back to my childhood. I have ADD. here is the problem, i can not find a doctor that wont charge a fee to confirm it. My famiy DR. has looked at all the information I have given her and she has prescribed Conserta. In my mind I am certain of having ADD but need some sort of professional say so. I have a nurse friend, who knows someone, who knows someone and is challenging the DR’s prescription. My head hurts just thinking about this, I cant think anymore but I cant stop thinking about it. Can anyone help push my in a positive direction?

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[Patte Rosebank]

Lots of people get diagnosed because their kids have been diagnosed first. ADD is genetic, so a direct family member who has it is a very strong indicator that you may have it too.

I can understand your concern with the issue of the cost of a formal diagnosis. That’s the problem with psychological care and testing. It’s not covered by OHIP, and it’s so expensive that most people who really need it can’t afford it. I’m one of those people too.

If your child has ADD, and all the online tests confirm that you have ADD, then those are two pretty sound indicators. But online tests are just the first step. I brought my results to my psychiatrist (whom I’ve been seeing for years). He probed deeper, with questions about my behaviour and mindset in childhood and adolescence, my work history and mindset there, and whether any of my family members displayed similar tendencies. That way, we determined that it’s highly likely that I do have ADHD. Especially since my mom also seems to have it, big-time. And “highly likely” is good enough for me. After all, you don’t need to stick a thermometer into a pot of boiling water to know that it’s hot enough to burn you.

My psychiatrist started me on Ritalin, which seems to be somewhat effective, though not as well as it could be, since it’s a low dose, and it’s not the slow-release version. Still, it’s only been about a month.

I’d be highly suspicious of the “nurse friend who knows someone who knows someone”. That sounds a lot like the people who run all those websites claiming that ADD doesn’t really exist and is just a way for doctors and drug companies to get rich. Everybody knows a friend of a friend. That’s the “proof” of urban legends too. Besides, you do have a professional diagnosis. Your family doctor, while not an ADD specialist, is a medical professional, with intimate knowledge of your medical history. I’d be willing to bet that she knows a lot more about you than your “nurse friend” does.

As ADD is a mental condition, you should be seeing a psychiatrist, at the very least. You’ll need a referral for that, and you’ll have to wait for it, but at least psychiatric treatment is covered by OHIP, and a psychiatrist (unlike a psychologist) can prescribe medication.

There’s a webinar on this site, tomorrow (Wednesday), at 1:00 (Toronto time), with the doctor who diagnosed Rick Green with ADHD. If you join in, you can ask questions, and he may have some suggestions to help you.

Are you taking the Concerta that was prescribed to you? Is it helping you at all? If it is, then that could be another indicator that you have ADD. Then again, not every medication works for every person, so just because the Concerta isn’t working for you, doesn’t mean that you don’t have ADD.

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[wallygirl]

thanks for your response. It seems endless and trying to teach your family doctor and dealing with this is exasperating. I had hoped to get into see a doctor who specializes in add/adhd in adults and have lined up two but then find out about the fee and feel pissy about that just out of principle.

I just got the script for concerta and since I also take effexor for anxiety and need to reduce that med slightly before starting the other. I am off to the pharmacy to have a chat with the pharmacist and to get it filled. My family doctor seems to feel that there was enough information to prescribe it and so I will give it a go. In the meantime she has suggested I get an asessment by whatever means possible I am having trouble someone who is relatively convenient, is currently taking patients and knows what they are doing. I would like to get someone refer me as opposed to just picking someone off of a website etc. Do we know if Dr.Jian still sees patients? Can I ask who you see and where he/she is located?

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[Patte Rosebank]

Just a warning about the Effexor. My psych started weaning me off it, 2 months ago. He thought it would only take about 2 weeks. And yet, here I am, carefully emptying out most of the spansules inside the 37.5 mg capsules (the smallest size they come in), because if I miss a day, even at the tiny dosage of approximately 10 mg, I get brain zaps, teariness, and various other “fun” symptoms.

Turns out, Effexor is one of the most difficult medications to get off of. The manufacturer initially claimed that “a very small number of people will experience withdrawal syndrome”. A few years ago, the FDA ordered them to change that part of the product monograph, because a whopping 79% of people experience major withdrawal syndrome, which can last for months after their last dose. Just google “brain zaps”, or look in the Medication section of this Forum, to see what I mean.

Dr. Jain is located in the Toronto area. I think he’s taking new patients (someone here said they’re waiting to see him), but you’ll need a referral from your family doctor and plenty of patience, because, this being Canada, you’ll have a long wait before ANY sort of medical specialist can fit you in.

I’m not seeing an ADHD specialist, just my regular psychiatrist (Dr. Shree Bhalerao), who tends to keep on top of developments in the psych field, because he also lectures at the U of T. His office is in the Mental Health Outpatient department at St. Michael’s Hospital.

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