Getting re-tested, and medication…

[Anonymous]

I was diagnosed with hyperactivity disorder when I was 11yrs old (I remember because my sister began calling me a “hyperactive idiot.”) I received counseling for a little less than a year, after which I was deemed to be cured. Throughout elementary, junior high and high school I continued to struggle with paying attention, staying focused, being fidgety, completing assignments, and generally acting out. I (barely) graduated from high school when I was 17, and never looked back.

I’m now 42, an undergrad student at a 4 year university, and I’m barely keeping up. I’m once again struggling with paying attention, staying focused, and completing assignments–only now it seems as much worse. I have to study 10x more than my classmates and I’m barely pulling a 3.0 gpa. I’m only able to sit for 10-15 minutes at a time before I lose focus, and get distracted by any of a hundred things that flash across my mind. Looking back, even in the jobs that I’ve held, I have suffered from not being able to stay on task and focus on my work.

I recently discovered Adderall (not prescribed to me), and after reading over a lot of information, decided to try it. For the very first time in my life, I was able to focus, concentrate and get my work done! I could sit and study for a few hours at a time without getting up every 10-15 minutes, and didn’t have read and re-read the same material over and over. I was able to get all of my housework done too! I wasn’t easily distracted, and was able to quickly get back to what ever task I was trying to accomplish! I still had to force myself to pay attention, but it didn’t require so much effort.

Now that I’ve experienced how much better I can be, and how much I’ve been missing, I need to get re-tested. I currently have no health insurance, and am living on financial aid/student loans. This summer however, I will work a paid internship in Portland, Oregon and will have health insurance, after which I will keep it until graduation. I need to find a health provider/physician/etc… that really knows ADD/ADHD and can help me. I’m not opposed to taking medication, obviously, but I want to do it legally, and under the guidance of a physician.

I’ve googled “adult adhd and Portland, Oregon”, but they seem to be paid advertisements, and I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone that has been, or is currently under the care of a physician.

Thank you.

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