Do y’all ever feel anxious about taking medication and just stop for prolonged periods of time?
I’ve stopped my meds for 6 months for reasons I’m struggling to discern… And I also have a tendency to skip doses and save my pills in a stash I never touch. I’m not even sure if most of them are useable because they’re so old… For some context, I’ve been using Adderall XR 20mg for 10 years now so I have a pretty good idea of how it affects me.
I finally took one of the newer pills today and I feel unbearably anxious about it, even before doing so. And it’s not like I’m anti-medication or anything, I’ve encouraged others to get tested and medicated because it substantially increases quality of life but there’s something about it that personally is causing distress.
Just looking for some insight with others that have felt the same.
Still not medicated. Tried to start the process, but my doctor said I just wasn’t trying hard enough. Broke my spirit.
It took a lot to get to that point and I occasionally think of trying again, but I completely understand what you mean. It’s scary and I don’t know why.
That’s how you know you’re talking to the wrong doctor. “Just try harder” is not a solution to executive function disorders. If it were, I would have been a “straight A” student instead of a barely passing one. Stimulants revealed, among numerous other things, that I actually can do math and I’m not a complete and utter moron. My brain just has a physical defect whereby some parts of it are unable to sufficiently absorb neurotransmitters.
Through my extensive experience with doctors, I have learned that generally speaking – not always, mind you – doctors are familiar with their own narrow field and nothing outside of it. They also often have as much hubris than the average person and, much like the rest of us, tend to feel threatened by the unknown.
You need to find a doctor that that is either familiar with ADHD and how to effectively treat it, or one who is at least willing to work towards improving your quality of life and is willing to do some serious trial and error to that end.
it really fucking sucks when a doctor just refuses to believe you. sadly they arent all good people. what finally got me medicated was contacting an organization specifically interested in ADHD and they were able to refer me to some people to get evaluated and diagnosed. it might be worth trying that. id go straight to a psychiatrist if you can since they’re the ones who can actually give a prescription. its worth trying to find a psychiatrist that specializes in ADHD because some of them will be huge cunts about it too. theres a fucked up gate keeping they do to prevent “drug seeking”, which might make things harder if you go to a psychiatrist who doesn’t see a lot of patients with ADHD.
I find doctors intimidating but had to learn to step up due to health issues. Sorry your doctor was rude, that’s just such a shitty thing to say to someone coming with a medical question. It’s a common apprehension. I wish you luck in your process though I would probably try a different doctor or nurse. Few things are worse than having an appointment with a doctor that doesn’t believe in ADHD and they probably won’t prescribe anything for it. I ask upfront if they treat with uppers before making my first appointment. I don’t know if they are available to the general public but there are tests that you can take online that test your reflexes and detect ADHD patterns somehow - my psychiatrist prescribed one to satisfy insurance requirements. I’m sure a diagnosis needs more than just that but might be a starting point.