Here is my delema, the my shrink started me out on .5mg or ritalin for a month, than 10mg for a month, I go back monday so a week or so ago I tried .20 a day and it seamed to help better but i would like to go higher. I dont think i want him to know that I self medicated myself but I am loosing paitents with this. I do feel calmer with the Ridalin and kinda know when I need to take it again, Like when my co-workers start really getting on my nerves (-: The other problem is that i work from 7am till 6 pm and 2 doses does not seam to do the trick and think 3 would be better. I do not want my dock to think I am "hooked" or anything but thats how it goes. I dont take it unless i need to and not on weekends, unless my wife says chill and take your pill. My shrink does not like prescribing the narcotic type drugs and I am his only ADD paitent. I started seeing him for depresion. I always new I was ADD even went for help like 15 years ago when my doctor sais no thats a kid thing. So back to my question what do i say to the shrink man?

That's a problem -- I don't know your doctor, so it's hard to give advice. Some doctors give their patients permission to adjust the dose some -- I don't know how your doctor feels about that. If you're worried about his thinking you're abusing would he be willing to try you on a long acting form of Ritalin like Concerta or one of the others -- they have less abuse potential because of the delivery system and you have less ups and downs.

Good luck -- patience isn't most ADDers best virtue! I bumped my dose up very early on -- but I got my doctor's permission (but probably would have tried it anyway).

Scattered

he does like the idea of concerta, i like the idea of the ritalin so i can choose if and when during the day that i take it. I think i will just let him give me the 20mg dose or ask him to try .25 I know the 20 does help but i think it would work better with a bit higher of a dose. I am afraid of switching to concerta and he will start out with a small dose and i dont want to start over slowly moving up. I did it with Straterra increasing the does once a month till i got to the max and it did nothing, now i am on my 2nd month of ridaline and i think it may work just need a slight increase. Maybe I should just tell him I tried 20 and that i finnaly felt a little better because with 5 and 10 i felt nothing.

I don't have an answer, but my experience has been similar and it might help to know what my doc has done & how I feel about it.

Mine started me on 15mg of Adderall XR, which was a good place to start, I think. But, he left me on it a month when I do believe a raise in dosage at 1-2 weeks could have been better. Still, I completely understand that he just met me, therefore caution is in order.

At the next meeting, he raised it to 20mg and discouraged any discussion of adding an "as needed" dose of IR that I thought would help.

One month later, he raised it to 25mg. I was disappointed about such a small change because I was studying for qualifying exams scheduled for a couple of weeks out. So, I (not condoning and not proud of it) "supplemented" slightly (10mg additional) for about 5 days before and the day of my exam, then returned to the prescribed dose.

Finally, at our last meeting, I think he's comfortable with me. When I discussed the specific problems with the dosage, namely that the time I am functional (functional means I can read, work, & study) spans a window of about 3 hours, he suggested raising it to 40mg split into 2 doses. That's quite a jump compared to the slow climb of the last 3 months.

This plan, btw, seems to be a good one for me. It's a much smoother day and, although I never feel as productive as I did during peak times the first three months, my "window" is most of the day and into evening.

I also still experience problems with prolonged work or study, but I don't experience any side effects, the "kick-in" is less noticable, and I don't get rapid "let-downs". All in all, I'm thrilled with the results.

i am still lost at what to do, i know i want to try more than 20mg but i dont think i want him to know i have been trying and it isnt working as well as a higher dose may

ok so my doc said he is only confortable with 20mg 2 times a day and that was about it so i think i am gonna find a doc that specializes in add a bit more.

ok so my doc said he is only confortable with 20mg 2 times a day and that was about it so i think i am gonna find a doc that specializes in add a bit more.

ok so my doc said he is only confortable with 20mg 2 times a day and that was about it so i think i am gonna find a doc that specializes in add a bit more.Sounds like a plan -- let us know how it goes for you.

Scattered

ok i got an appointment with a theropist, I dont really know the differnce between the a therapist and my shrink? But the theropist handles add. I question why i see my shrink every month when i go their, tell him what i did and what happened all month yada, yada, yada. he does not say much, i get my scipts and away i go. Can the thrropist prescibe drugs? i hope she does not change much i think the riddaline, the 25 i am taking is working. I definetly have more atention to detail at work but am still lacking the motivation. Thanks for helping and watching my post.

Therapists are usually Psychologists, Masters Level Social Workers, or Mental Health Counselors -- they don't prescribed medication although sometimes they may make a suggestion to a doctor on a possible medication. A specialist in ADD should be able to help you deal with the emotional and life style fallout from having ADD. I see mine a couple of times a month (although we started weekly for the first month or so). He taught me behavioral techniques to reduce anxiety and control temper, helped me understand how ADD impacted my life, and just generally helped with understanding ADHD and making the most of my life with ADHD. Doctors rarely have time for that kind of help -- in combination with medication it can be very helpful.

Scattered

ok so i went to see a new shrink and told them my delema and she said she would first test me to make sure its add since my other doc didnt. So i got an appointment monday and the following monday, then on the 20th i will see here to see were i am at. God this is killing me how much longer, its like starting all over again. I will run out of riddalin befor i see her, she wont prescribe anything till i am tested, i guess i agree with that but come on. i am super frustrated. I think i may have wasted my time with my last doc.

It takes a long time to sort these things out. Be glad your doctor is taking the time to do it right.... you will get better care in the end.


It took me a year to be tested and get a formal diagnosis. Now, I am starting the process of trying various medications and it is a very slow process....


Me :D

ok so i went to see a new shrink and told them my delema and she said she would first test me to make sure its add since my other doc didnt. So i got an appointment monday and the following monday, then on the 20th i will see here to see were i am at. God this is killing me how much longer, its like starting all over again. I will run out of riddalin befor i see her, she wont prescribe anything till i am tested, i guess i agree with that but come on. i am super frustrated. I think i may have wasted my time with my last doc.

First thanks for watching this post, even thou it is getting off the original subject. I start my testing Monday; my question is what is the testing like? I hate test and why so long to test? She said she would have a therapist test me for the next 2 Mondays, than on the 20th of March I would see here again. It paper work test? Do you guys think after my appointment Monday I should have a better understanding of what’s going on? That’s what my wife says. My next problem is I will run out of riddalin by the next time I see her, and she won’t prescribe stimulants until after the testing. I am only taking 20mg 2 times a day and it does help calm me down a bit, not much but it does. I pry can wait the extra week or so without it I just am not sure I want to. I know when I take it people at work don’t tick me off as much. It doesn’t do much for concentration though; I still really have problems with attention to detail. I miss stupid stuff at work all the time and it really makes me mad that I turn some stuff in to be proofed with stupid misstates, get it back fix it but another stupid mistake happens. I love this job and I do well for the most part and I produce a lot but this job is different than my last 2 jobs.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

My last job my Bose was add and he said I did and mad me slow down and over looked thing and was a friend and a boss.<o:p></o:p>

The job before that I was just the "punk kid" who needs to learn to slow down, but, I was and am a hard worker. I just worked with people that were so much older that they saw everything as lack of experience, maturity and just a learning curve.<o:p></o:p>

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Now I am with peers of my age and my skill level. I do know more than most but I forget stupid stuff, and just make stupid hurried mistakes. I can’t stand them anymore.<o:p></o:p>

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Thank you guys for sticking with my story, it’s nice to see people the kind of understand.


P.S. I took this repley into word to spell check it, i suck but i do feel better for taking the time to make it a little better for everyone to read. Just wish i did it all the time

so i went to the theropist for the first time, he had me fill out some paper told me stuff i already knew about add. Told me their pry is another problem besides add. I see him one more time the he reports to the shrink and i see her on the 20th

so yea, i do have add dahh, but now its official. The theropist also said I had anxioty problems, well no dahh to that to. What sucks is he wants to treat the anxioty first and that is what he is going to sugest to shrink. I am sure that means a big change in drugs and everything, so i am kinda hopping for the best but not looking forward to the begining of them.

hang in there...i'm impatient too. i'm seeing a psychologist i really like, and we have determined i have add, and then he said he has been taking ritalin for 15 years and it changed his life. he was going out of town and said he was going to call my pcp to get me started on Rit 10 mg...but he forgot to call!! I was so anxious to get started (after 47 years of insanity) that I called and got it myself. I started taking it yesterday, so the jury is out.

hang in there...i'm impatient too. i'm seeing a psychologist i really like, and we have determined i have add, and then he said he has been taking ritalin for 15 years and it changed his life. he was going out of town and said he was going to call my pcp to get me started on Rit 10 mg...but he forgot to call!! I was so anxious to get started (after 47 years of insanity) that I called and got it myself. I started taking it yesterday, so the jury is out.

how did it work for you? the ritaline seams to work a little for me but not much, my theropist told me to call the shrink to try adaral, i did and she gave me bi-poloar meds instead, i know i am not bi polor but i think she may have prescribed it for off label usage, i dont get it. I do have add and anxioty problems but not bi-polor at all,she sent me off with samples of the drug and a pamphet and said read it and see if it fits you at all, it dont and neather does my reasearch. So i am running thin a patients