Post by shincup on May 13, 2019 12:00:52 GMT
- I asked for referral from my GP in January. I printed the symptoms list from the NHS website and circled the items which I felt applied to me, we talked over this, and she decided to write a referral letter.
- My first appointment was in April, at the centre for mental health/learning issues. I talked to a psychiatrist for a while and he agreed that it seemed possible that I had ADHD. He gave me some questionnaires: two for me, one for my then-partner, and one for my parents. My parents were not super supportive so I didn't get that one filled in.
- A week later I returned those forms to the reception
- Later that month (I think?) I went back and had bloods and an EKG done to check that my heart and liver were healthy enough to handle medication.
- In July, I had an appointment with a new psychiatrist. The old guy had left, and the new guy wasn't able to find those forms I did! However, in the meantime I went to my parents' house and dug out some old school reports that talked about me being disruptive, overly talkative, unfocused etc, so I handed those over and he made copies.
- In August, I saw that same psych again, he had found my forms and he agreed I have ADHD. He prescribed Concerta.
- We titrated up to higher doses of Concerta until around December (maybe November?), when I switched to Vyvanse because I found the Concerta ineffective.
It took a while but I got there in the end and everyone was very nice along the way. It was straightforward, it just took a while because of gaps in appointments etc.
I hope this helps give people an idea of what to expect
- My first appointment was in April, at the centre for mental health/learning issues. I talked to a psychiatrist for a while and he agreed that it seemed possible that I had ADHD. He gave me some questionnaires: two for me, one for my then-partner, and one for my parents. My parents were not super supportive so I didn't get that one filled in.
- A week later I returned those forms to the reception
- Later that month (I think?) I went back and had bloods and an EKG done to check that my heart and liver were healthy enough to handle medication.
- In July, I had an appointment with a new psychiatrist. The old guy had left, and the new guy wasn't able to find those forms I did! However, in the meantime I went to my parents' house and dug out some old school reports that talked about me being disruptive, overly talkative, unfocused etc, so I handed those over and he made copies.
- In August, I saw that same psych again, he had found my forms and he agreed I have ADHD. He prescribed Concerta.
- We titrated up to higher doses of Concerta until around December (maybe November?), when I switched to Vyvanse because I found the Concerta ineffective.
It took a while but I got there in the end and everyone was very nice along the way. It was straightforward, it just took a while because of gaps in appointments etc.
I hope this helps give people an idea of what to expect