From NJ looking for a doctor who actually knows ADHD besides what the medication is. Most doctors suck.

[jonghee]

Hi everyone. Just introducing myself. I want to share my experience and frustrations with the psych community and how ADHD gets so overlooked and undertreated. I've had bipolar depression. They say treat the depression first, then the ADHD. I say the opposite. The very reason for the depression is from the effects of untreated ADHD. They're willing to bombard you with antipsychotics, sleep medicine, mood stabilizers and more, yet ignore the ADHD. One doctor told me "you can find a doctor who will just write you a script, no problem, but you're not gonna get it from me." Obviously he could tell I had ADHD, but because of the stigma and laws surrounding stimulants, he just would prescribe it. So frustrating.

I'm in limbo now. Dosage with current doc is so low and arbitrary. 2 x 10mg. For everybody. Drives me crazy that they don't even open a book about ADHD. The body chemistry, pharmacology and genetics that all play a role. Someone help me find a doctor who actually knows what he's doing, Please 🤣

[Pcofwork]

I feel your pain. I am 47 yrs old and I JUST started getting medically treated last year. I have dealt with substance abuse in the past, just wanted to feel peace in my head, so trying to get medication was a joke. ADHD is so common and very few doctors know how to treat it. After a year on Concerta, which had zero effect on me from Day One, I just started Vyvanse this morning and I feel more of a difference with one dose, than I did with an entire year on Concerta.

My best advice to you is to go on the Psychology Today website and put ADHD Doctors/Therapists in your area. I found a ton of local resources online. Also check your local mental health facility or hospitals, many of them have therapists, support groups, etc. I also recommend that you get some resources about CBT and DBT. Developing these skills will help you cope with behavioral and impulses. Make your life easier, and you don't have to suffer anymore.

Post updates! Good luck!

[jonghee in reply to Pcofwork]

Thanks for the tips!! And I absolutely feel you on the Vyvanse vs Concerta thing. I was on 20mg Ritalin for 2 years, all of which was awful. Terribly anxiogenic and the new generics must have been made by some godawful underground lab it made me so depressed. Found a new doctor and was switched to 20mg Adderall. World of a difference. Still underdosed, as doctors are either so hesitant to prescribe a proper dosage for legal reasons or they just don't know much about it. It's a recovery focused center, which is good for people that need it, but too restrictive for me, as I'm also bipolar. Too many questions about "age you first started drinking?" and "have you ever smoked marijuana?" I casually smoke cigarettes occasionally and the social worker wanted to get deep into the specifics of it. I had to make stuff up because I never thought of it that hard. But counseling and YouTube videos have definitely helped. Am looking for a new doc who is more open minded. Will post when I find the one. Stay safe!!

[Hidden]

Hi Jonghee,

I wish I didn't feel the same way you do about most doctors but I do. Access to treatment is such a joke in my area. I've never been on meds and I'm in my 40s. I'm glad you're getting medical treatment and I just wanted to throw a me too out there. What a pain in the behind. I've been reading about the trouble others have had getting treatment for years in places like reddit, and then when I started living the trouble of trying to obtain it myself (unsuccessfully with so many incompetent practitioners), I gave up after 7 months and started treating myself holistically with diet changes and yoga, which are sincerely not enough but all I can do. I'm doing the best I can right now in this competence desert; hopefully, I'll be able to get medical treatment in a few years when I can move. Keep fighting the good fight, my friend.

[jonghee in reply to Hidden]

You are not alone. And all the best options, tend to be the expensive options. Not always, but with psychiatry, I find that articles and blogs that are actually good tend to be from doctors that don't take insurance. Behavioral health is the most expensive illness to treat. It's statistically proven. Even finding a good referral costs money. This is not the type of illness that whatever doctor within whatever radius will suffice, like you would find with an allergy or arthritis doctor. I'm still not completely out of it. I've already reached the limitations with my current doctor, am think I've found appropriate replacements. Unfortunately, it will cost $ but I've already accepted that this is an investment in yourself. The default insurance provider just won't cut it anymore. When it comes to mental illness, I say research is the name of the game. Take care, good luck and stay safe!!