I'm presently taking Adderall XR, 20 mg. Before that I was on Strattera for several months. The Strattera seemed to work for all of 2 weeks and then I had problems with motivation and mood swings. My Dr. switched me to Adderall three months ago. The 1st week I was almost OCD with cleaning and organizing. Now some of that is wearing off, and I'm seeing some of the "fog" starting to creep back in. So, I'm assuming my body is adjusting?

It's a huge hassle to get the Adderall. I have to drive 45 minutes one way to pick up my Rx. Then my insurance does not cover any medications for Adult ADD, so I must pay over $100 out of pocket for it.

I got a letter in the mail last week from my Dr. He's leaving the area. He gave me a list of Psychiatrist that agreed to take his patients, but they are alll even farther away from me. Oh, BTW, if you live in NC you may already know this, but there is a mental health "restructuring" that has put rural mental health in a great crisis! Our county mental health facility has been "incorporated" into a large mental health agency, and the local office has been closed. To get help for my county I need to call and get referred to one of the new "private" providers, all of which has just popped up overnight, and many of them are here one day and gone the next. So I had chosen this Dr. in the next county because he was affiliated with a hospital, not the mental health agencies. But now he's leaving, and I don't know what I am going to do. Is it possible that my regular family doctor can monitor my Adderall?

I had big plans. I was thinking about trying to go back to college and finish my degree. I have never been able to "hold it all together" working and taking care of a family and going to school full-time. But I had hopped that with the meds I could do it finally. My lack of education is a huge piece of my self-esteem. I am just as intelligent, if not more, than some of these people walking around with Master's Degrees. The job I want requires me to have a Masters. And I can't even finish my Bachelor's Degree because I was so freakin' stupid when I was 19 and dropped out, and now here I am 36 and married and having family responsiblities. I've listned to my mother and sisters for years telling me I couldn't do it. I thought now that my ADD symptoms are more under controll, I could do it.

I've been sad and angry and just want to go somewhere and hide. It all seems so unfair, so not worth the energy.

I'm not sure that I'm looking for advice here, because I don't think there is any. I think I just needed to vent to people who were also going through some of the same problems with their meds and doctors and "the fog", my name for ADD.

It does take a while to get the medication sorted out - the right dose, etc. It's fairly common to hear of people say that the initial, effective dose of stimulant isn't as effective anymore. This is just a little "bump" and doesn't mean you are getting tolerant to the medication - for me, I've stayed at the dosage I've been at since I started - but I too noticed a need for a bit more after the first couple of weeks.
If I were in your shoes I would try to stay with the Adderall and see how well you can get it to work. Is your "family" doctor not able to prescribe Adderall? After an initial assesment and diagnosis by a psychiatrist, my GP has treated my ADHD - isn't there a doctor closer by who can legally prescribe Adderall. You should also be able to get your drug plan to pay - it's a trick these companies use, since FDA approved "Adult ADD" medications are few (every ADD med is approved for childrens ADD) your company may use this as a technicallity to avoid paying. You should be able to get a doctor to write a letter or fill out a form to get you covered - don't let the cheap SOB's at the insurance company cheat you!
Good luck,
Greg