ok so i guess this post is mainly for UK residents.

i just got back from the doctor and enquired about ADD / ADHD. she was quite suspicious i think...

anyway once we got down to talking about adult ADHD and treatments (im 19) she told me the treatments are significantly different than for child ADHD. for example, no way would I get ritalin

is this true? do any of you take ritalin for adult adhd?

I live in Canada where we also have national health care. The only difference I have noticed in handling adult versus child AD/HD is in the person qualified to do the assessment. I understand from others that the UK is a tad conservative re: AD/HD - probably why some profitable alternative treatment programs are a growth industry - but that doesn't change the reality of AD/HD. Ritalin seems to be the first drug of choice for newly diagnosed AD/HDers where I live, regardless of age, so I would seek a second opinion. Several years ago, a misguided doctor told my mother he would never prescribe a stimulant to a senior. Well, I am getting close to the age she was when she was denied medication and no one has even suggested I stop taking Ritalin. One aged locum I had never met before asked me if Ritalin worked for me. When I told him yes and why, he smiled and said his kid patients told him the same things so I take that as a definite yes.

Hi!

I'm 36, have ADD and are taking Ritalin. Here in Norway it's a long way to go to get Ritalin for adults with ADD/ADHD, but it's not unusual.

I am hoping I get either Ritalin or else Dexedrine for first med.
I just got an assessment and diagnosed so i will see in a week or 2 but hopefully get a med I am sort of familiar with, research wise.

Hmmm, I knew absolutely nothing about medication when I went for my ADHD assessment and was surprised when the psychiatrist suggested a med trial; I just wanted to put a name to my "special" life. After reading numerous posts from people who have preconceived ideas about how they should react, feel, improve on meds and the resulting confusion about what is fact based or a result of the power of suggestion, I'm glad I could be impartial in my observations. I kept a journal when I started Ritalin and research backs up my experience.

I'm in Toronto and Ritalin was the first drug my doctor suggested. I was given a complete psycho educational assessment though so it is VERY clear that I do in fact have ADD.
My doctor said she starts of prescribing Ritalin always with adult patients...sees how it goes and adjusts from there. It must be different over there, but I can't image why considering a body in Toronto is the same as a body in the UK...:)