Ritalin for Brain Injury Symptom Treatment ...

[nemo_really]

About 18 months ago, during one of my regular chats with my GP about any advances in TBI treatment, I pointed out that I was the poster-child for ADHD of the Primarily Inattentive type and asked if it were possible to try any ADHD treatments to help mitigate the TBI attentional deficits. I drew particular attention to the fact that my attention improves markedly during what others generally regard as stressful situations.

Luckily, my local regional GPs had recently financed an Adult ADHD service and one of the psychologists had an interest in brain injuries as well. As a consequence, I started a 2-month trial (18 mg, slow release) in November last year, which has now been extended into a 3-month trial (36 mg).

The results have been interesting. I was expecting to feel more awake and less tired (given Ritalin is a stimulant!). However, I feel little change in this respect. I do, however, feel subtly more "alive" and interested. The most significant change is that I can concentrate for far longer, which has the positive benefit of allowing me to stay focused on work documents and complete them in one go, or in a smaller number of sessions, and in a much shorter time than normal - this is a much welcome improvement. I'm also far more decisive and likely to do and complete things.

Sadly, it doesn't seem to have improved my organization very much, but I'm happy with the improvements I have noticed.

Perhaps the most telling change is that which my wife and children noticed. As my wife so tactfully and subtly put it: "You're far less irritating than normal.", and all of my children have taken to asking me " Have you taken your tablets, Daddy?" if I'm mentally (and physically) bouncing around. I was slightly worried that the "calming" effect of the Ritalin would reduce my creativity by stopping those fortuitous connections that can occur when wandering thoughts meet, but I get the feeling that it helps because I have actually got around to documenting and doing something about ideas that would otherwise have disappeared into oblivion.

There are a few places in the UK that are actively looking at such treatments. Some of you may find it worthwhile seeing if you have such a centre near you and getting them to see you?

[StrawberryCream]

My son has ADHD which is more attention deficit than hyper and I have been joking with him for sometime that I think I might need some of his medication to help my BI problems. That is interesting to here that you have a link to a service that would prescribe Ritalin. Guess such centres are going to be few and far between and not well known about especially with the need for a BI understanding too.

[10tallulah52]

It's 6 years since my son suffered a severe TBI, (he was 30 years old) he was in a coma for 3 weeks and in hospital for over 6 months and in rehab for a further 10 months. He was in a state of Post Traumatic amnesia for well over 6 months, during this time he was prescribed Ritalin - we were surprised by this, but his consultant knew that it could also be used to stimulate some parts of the brain into activity and although I wouldn't say we say immediate result, over time it aid his recovery. Our GP was surprised by its use but went along with it. He took it for around 18 months. It's been a long journey but he lives independently and has recently returned to full time work, I think anything is worth a try. I cannot praise the NHS enough for the overall care they give my son.

[Ivanlc]

Hi. I realise it's been four years since the authors wrote these posts, but I've only recently discovered that adult ADHD exists and feel I've finally been able to ID my late-onset symptoms after so much struggle & self-blame over the years.

I'm 18 years post TBI and still struggling in ways I shouldn't be after this much time.

However, what I've found impossible to do is get the medical community to acknowledge that in recent years I've developed ADHD-like symptoms *secondary to TBI*. And this is simply because ADHD is "defined" as something that must *always* have roots in childhood (which it does not for me); therefore, it simply can't develop as a result of banging your head very hard.

Once it's known I've had a TBI, when I've tried getting an ADHD diagnosis, it's like any ADHD symptoms are written off as being due to the TBI, meaning any ADHD treatment/medication which might help me with the issues I now have (ie. which AREN'T antidepressants or mood stabilisers) won't be considered, when they could help me with attention deficits, ability to focus/not seek distraction and/or anxiety - and which antidepressants or mood stabilisers havent done.

To my mind this is ridiculous. A TBI is damage to the brain that causes it to function incorrectly. ADHD is also due to damage to the brain, though in most cases it will, at some point, have been developmental from childhood according to its definition.

Exactly *how* the brain malfunctions after a TBI depends entirely on which part(s) were damaged, meaning that it's **ENTIRELY** possible that its symptoms could mimic the MO of ADHD at some point, as in my case.

So why shouldn't ADHD medication also be effective for what I'll call TBI-induced ADHD?

Ok, maybe it's not *such* a common occurrence that it's been worthy of headline news, but I'd have thought that *someone* else out of 7.5bn people on the planet would've, at some point, developed symptoms similar to my own as a result of their TBI and that this would've been the been disseminated to others in the medical community. I can't be the first person in the world to have experienced this and put 2 and 2 together.

So my final question is this; is anyone reading this able to relate? Do get in touch if so; *very* desperate to compare notes...