amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 23, 2017 13:00:02 GMT
If it wears off in another few days, be VERY careful coming off them. I am currently on the lowest dose, and I know medicine pretty well, so I should be ok. Thanks
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 22, 2017 14:03:09 GMT
When I was struggling with insomnia a dr suggested I write down everything that was racing through my head. Turned out to be a great idea, once they're written down I stop obsessing about them.
I also find music is the only thing that can set my mind straight. I can listen to music and then the racing thoughts disappear.
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 22, 2017 13:59:09 GMT
ADHD can be co-morbid with depression. I recently was started on SSRIs due to presenting with severe fatigue and lack of energy despite my ADHD. I've been on them a week and I feel like myself for the first time in a year. I was basically a walking zombie, when I rarely got myself out of bed that is. Sometimes we need a little medicinal help... it may be worth a chat with your dr about how you feel. My Dr was actually convinced I had something physically wrong with me and sent me for blood tests, the SSRIs were started as an attempt to help me feel better. Turns out she was wrong, and I feel amazing. It's like I woke up.
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 19, 2017 17:03:45 GMT
I'm trying atomoxatine first. Don't want to try stimulants unless I have no other option as I am currently studying.
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 18, 2017 15:37:46 GMT
How did it go?
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 18, 2017 15:36:09 GMT
Your wife isn't a Doctor and can't judge the amount it impacts your life clinically (no offence). By the time you become an adult the ADHD has interwoven with your personality and becomes part of who you are. That doesn't mean you can't treat/manage it though, for you to be here it has to be having some impact on your life. Getting diagnosed won't cost you anything and if you get told you don't have it you then no longer have to deal with the anxiety of wondering. If you have it, you get to make the decision on how to deal with it and you also gain a better understanding of yourself and your behaviours.
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 18, 2017 15:31:00 GMT
Hi,
Thought I'd update everyone on my situation. The prescribing body in Nottingham had a meeting about my case and finally agreed to the shared care protocol. So now I have to wait for an appointment from the Sheffield clinic (the funding was approved 2 weeks ago) and I have an appointment to see a Dr at the Nottingham ADHD clinic in April, which my Dr is very confused about as apparently she has another patient in a similar situation to me and they saw a nurse who assessed them and have been waiting 9 months to see a Dr to be formally diagnosed/treated. Anyone else in Notts have experiences of being diagnosed here? My theory is that because I have already been assessed I have jumped the queue.
Good news for me though. It looks like I'm finally going to get my treatment! I hope it works :/
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 12, 2017 13:56:09 GMT
I'm curious to hear techniques of how members here manage their symptoms (non medicinally). We've all built up our own coping stratagies so sharing them likely will help each other.
The main thing I do is put everything in my phone calander, appointments etc. Otherwise I forget. Forgot a dentists appt last week and still haven't gotten around to calling them to sort out another, I keep saying to myself I will, then I forget.
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 12, 2017 13:53:15 GMT
I too had a phase in my late teens where I took too much cocaine and legal highs. I am combined type ADHD so likely it was my hyperactive/impulsive symptoms that led to this. I don't touch the stuff anymore, because while I can control my desire to use it, once I start I stuggle significantly to stop and go in to a type of depression/desperation when I run out.
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 7, 2017 14:35:59 GMT
Apparently there is a mental health department in the hospital near me. Got my referral on the 16th feb! I'm actually quite jealous. I had to get funding approved to go to Sheffield as when I was first referred I lived in Derby and since have moved to Notts. Wish I had known about the Nottingham service. It seems much quicker than the 2 years I have spent jumping through hoops.
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 7, 2017 13:50:41 GMT
Hi amelia ! Nice to meet you Yeah that's the one I'm talking about, I didn't realise they offered diagnosis for ADHD, it's not very clear on their website is it? Almost all the information seems to be about ASD...Thanks for all the information about how it works, as I wasn't able to work out much from the website so I just thought I'd have to wait and see. And yeah it would be really useful if you can keep us updated about how you get on! So do you have to get funding for medication on an individual basis? Also, I might just be misunderstanding your post, but after your assessment, did you have to go back on another waiting list for the sessions to sort out your medication? That seems crazy! Or is it just because you're still waiting for funding to be agreed? All this information is really helpful but it's not giving me much hope that I'll get anywhere...guess I need to keep looking into/trying alternatives! It's so hard though cause I can't seem to stick to anything for more than a couple of days so it's not really possible to tell if it helps or not You have to go on another waiting list for the meds (insane I know). And yes, the funding is done on an individual basis by your local funding body. Mine appears to be going through now but I have to wait for my Dr to agree to the prescribing protocol, that's the part I'm having trouble with. You can get somewhere, but you have to fight for it yourself, there's no one that is going to help you.
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 5, 2017 20:53:14 GMT
Yeah, Sheffield don't care though. They won't do the reviews. I asked my GP if I can get my 6 appts from Sheffield and while that's happening be on the waiting list for the Notts mental health service for them to take over. If all goes to plan that will be agreed to.
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 5, 2017 19:40:30 GMT
Hi beetlegoose Are you talking about the Sheffield adult autism and adhd service? If so they do test for and dx ADHD as my assessment was conducted there. You have to wait for funding to be approved before they start meds, this and getting your GP to agree to carry on the meds is the hard part. I can't say what it is like after you get those things in place because I'm not there yet. I'll be happy to let everyone know if/when I am though how it all works. I'm hoping once I've got everything sorted (of course I'm having to chase everything myself. No one helps us.) it'll just be a case of going in for my 6 appointments and getting on a med that will help me. Or I could be left with nothing stuck on a years waiting list for my local services after spending 2 years getting this far.
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 5, 2017 19:31:41 GMT
Hi,
I got assessed at the Sheffield clinic and the wait is normal with any mental health service. I don't know how the funding works there, but because I'm not based in Sheffield I have had to wait for funding approval which took around 6 months (they told me last week it should be going ahead now). The assessment was pretty straightforward and seems less intensive than some other experiences I have read about on here. Mine only lasted around 90 minutes.
You also have to have a GP that will agree to the shared care protocol or sheffield won't treat you at all. You have 6 appointments to get the correct dose and then they kick you out. No follow ups or reviews, that of all things is what is causing me the problems in getting my GP to agree to go ahead with it.
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 5, 2017 19:24:46 GMT
Hi,
Thanks for the reply. I actually seem to have the funding thing settled I think (I spoke with the CCG last week and they said it should be getting approved). What I'm struggling with is the shared care protocol, as my GP wants Sheffield to do annual reviews of the meds as they aren't trained in it and Sheffield don't do that. After 6 appointments to titrate the dose they ship you back to the GP permentantly. I came up with a solution which all being well should resolve that problem.
My biggest issue with Sheffield is that they said if my GP doesn't agree they just won't treat me. Which amazes me that they would just leave a patient without treatment. Sheffield also has issues with communication. If everything doesn't go perfectly it's near impossible to find someone to speak to, to resolve it.
I'll hopefully find out within the next couple of weeks if my treatment will go ahead.
What is the name of the Nottingham support group?
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 5, 2017 14:36:51 GMT
I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one who gets obsessive about these things. I didn't realise that was part of the ADHD. I'm completely logical when it comes other peoples relationships but with my own I am terrible, I can't let things go until they are resolved or they drive me nuts and I get possesive.
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 5, 2017 14:24:02 GMT
I'm sure many have asked this for their respective areas, but is there anyone in Notts who would want to get together? Or do any of you know of support groups here? Thanks
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 5, 2017 13:36:41 GMT
I get told off for things like too. I have a tendancy to speak quite logically and to the point but as an emotional race of people, others just aren't used to it. Especially in typing I have been told I come accross as rude. I try to use smily faces and 'lol' a lot to try and put some tone in to it but I can't do that on every sentence I type. I can't be someone I'm not, so I don't know what people expect of me. I find it hard to make and keep friends because of my condition.
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 5, 2017 13:30:21 GMT
I agree it doesn't sound like adhd. He could be bipolar or suffer from depression or he could just be a really sh*tty boyfriend. Either way he doesn't sound good for you or your own psychological wellbeing.
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 5, 2017 12:43:37 GMT
What I would do is ask the GP to put you on the waiting list while you wait for the bloods. Tell him if something physical is found to be wrong with you then he can take you off, but if it isn't it will prevent you having to wait 18 months AFTER the results of the tests. Win-win.
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 5, 2017 12:19:18 GMT
I told my psych that I didn't really want to be on stimulants so as a first treatment (if I can get the shared care protocol in place!) we are trying straterra. What are peoples experiences of that compared with Ritalin? As the psych suggested one or the other.
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 5, 2017 11:59:28 GMT
My assesment was much simpler than that of the OP.
I was sent first to my local mental health services and CBT. CBT was first as the waiting list for the MHS was quite long. CBT tried to put me under their suitable boxes as they don't have one for ADHD, so first they tried treating it as anxiety which didn't fit and then OCD which also didn't fit. Eventually the woman gave up and told me to come back when I was medicated.
When I finally got to my local MHS they said they would love to treat me but they just didn't have the money to do so. At which point I was referred to Sheffield Adult Autism and ADHD service. There, prior to my appointment I was asked to fill out a questionarrie with the DSM 5 criteria and my mum was asked to complete 2 pages of questions about my childhood.
At the appointment I met with a psychiatrist who I spoke with for just over an hour and went through the DSM 5 criteria in more detail and asked me about my childhood and my life now with examples of situations that meet each criteria. At the end of the appointment I was told I have severe ADHD with no signs of autism, though I actually think it would have been a good idea to test me for other ADHD co-morbid disorders it is highly obvious that I do have ADHD. I now have to wait for funding and a prescribing agreement between my GP and Sheffield in order to get my meds.
I hope this helps anyone who is going there for testing.
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amelia
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Post by amelia on Feb 5, 2017 11:43:51 GMT
Hi, A friend of mine suggested I join some forums to try and talk to people who are going through similar things to me. I am 28 and I was diagnosed with severe ADHD in September. I am currently awaiting treatment, which due to some beurocratic rubbish is taking a rather long time. Since getting the diagnosis it feels as if it has gotten worse. I am studying and I have always found that during breaks from Uni I go in to slumps until I go back. I need physical activity to function and I can't make myself go out unless I have to. Over Christmas it got worse, I spent 4 weeks without even leaving the house and failed 2 classes having never failed anything in my entire academic career. I can't go on this way or I'll fail my Masters, so I need to find new coping mechanisms until they can start the medication. I'm seeing my doctor this week to dicuss the possibility I have depression as a side effect of my ADHD. But I am hoping having people to talk to who have been through what I have will help too. Thanks for listening, anyone have any advice feel free to reply or message me
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