mumadd
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Post by mumadd on Oct 22, 2021 9:56:16 GMT
Hi there! This is my first post here so please excuse me if I do or say anything wrong.
After 3 years of being unable to do virtually anything, my 23yo adult son, with my support, has recently been had an NHS diagnosis with ADHD-Inattentive type and is now on Elvanse. There was sign of improvement at first but, 10 weeks on, he is now back to where he was pre-diagnosis and medication - staying in bed and unable to do even very basic tasks. I know it's not about me but I feel absolutely sick as after years of he and I struggling to find help for him and finally getting a diagnosis we had hoped he was now on the road to getting his life back. I know it's not all about me but I need to air my anxiety and feelings of crushing sadness and disappointment (not with him but with the fact that we'd hoped diagnosis and medication would give him some control over his life) somewhere so that I can steel myself to carry on the battle to help him. I have had serious MH and related health issues triggered by the stress of this which I have battled and really don't want to go backwards. Is what is happening to my son to be expected and all part of finding the correct meds/dose etc, please, or might it be that the ADHD diagnosis is a red herring and there might be something else going on? He had a review by the psychiatrist after 2 weeks on Elvanse and it was increased and he was then passed back to his GP surgery.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2021 19:55:44 GMT
What's his feedback? What has he said about it? Day 1? Day 2? Day now?
What else is he on?
Does he have a job, gf, friends, siblings, meaningful relationship with anyone besides you?
Is he up all night doing something that explains the need to sleep all day? Gaming? Writing a novel? Sniffing glue?
When I started Elvanse, I was thoroughly underwhelmed. I came off it because I thought it was doing nothing.
Few weeks later I resumed.
Part of the problem was the 'night and day' fantasy I sold myself when I got diagnosed.
It's not night and day, not even close. It's a shitload better than nothing at all, though.
Another thing is when you start taking Elvanse, you start realising how stupid your life is. How stupid your life decisions have been.
It's entirely possible things will get worse before they get better.
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mumadd
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Post by mumadd on Oct 22, 2021 21:51:22 GMT
Hi @boost Thank you for replying - that is really helpful and is exactly the sort of reply I hoped for. He has a gf. He dropped out of uni after Year 1. He had a job for several months but it was weird shifts and completely consumed his life and, in a way, was putting off (good old procrastination) getting to the bottom of what causing his issues. He is in no state at the moment to look for work - procrastinating by re-doing his CV for the last couple of months. Luckily he's always been very popular and has a lot of long-standing friends which, through the last 3 yrs (pre-diagnosis and on antidepressants) I have always been very relieved about, whilst other family members etc were of the "strange he can't get out of bed to wash up but he can meet his friends" persuasion He was on the highest dose of Sertraline as he wouldn't be accepted as a referral to MH services unless he was on the highest dose and was still no better but even so his referral to MH team was still turned down last summer. So he and his GP weaned himself off the Sertraline to get back to a baseline to see how he was. Then due to fortuitous circumstances (thank goodness) he was suddenly seen by a psychiatrist, diagnosed and started on Elvanse. Since then he and his gf have moved in together and he coped with that brilliantly - packing all his things up and setting up utility bills etc. He and I are aware that this is a very stressful time and wonder if he needs some meds for his anxiety (to bolster his CBT skills at controlling anxiety). He spends a lot of time listening to podcasts (at double-speed) but has never been into gaming, nor drugs, thankfully. He likes the occasional drink. His main self-medication is Lego (I do realise I have a lot to be thankful for!) The problem is him being able to motivate himself to ask for and persist in getting more help. Sorry for waffling on - I don't get many opportunities. Thank you again.
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Post by Jolam on Oct 29, 2021 14:17:51 GMT
Hi mumadd, it is very hard supporting an adult with ADD isn’t it? I’m devastated that my 32 year old girl, recently diagnosed, and trying out Ritalin type medications ( without success as they give her heart palpitations) keeps cutting me out of her life saying I’m toxic and emotionally abusive. So those of you with ADD what is the best way of supporting you?
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mumadd
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Post by mumadd on Nov 8, 2021 23:43:01 GMT
Just an update on my original post - I managed to persuade my son to contact his GP via an online form, which he managed to do and the GP rang him and then asked my son to email him with details of how he felt, to be passed on to MH. It took son a further week to do this, but he did and, bless the GP, within less than 24 hours, my son had been moved on to Concerta XL so fingers crossed. Thank you.
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