I am 46 and a 100% Disabled Vietnam Veteran, and find it very difficult to get treatment thru the VA. I was going to try to purchase some ritalin from an on-lin pharmacy, but do not know which one to trust. I believe that after I find something that will help me, then it will be easier for the VA to precribe it for me, for they will help, but know one wants to be responsible for diagnosing it seems. I suffered from a brain-injury 4 years ago that left me with ADD. If anyone has any leads, please let me know, for this is so frustrating fo me.

I am 46 and a 100% Disabled Vietnam Veteran, and find it very difficult to get treatment thru the VA. I was going to try to purchase some ritalin from an on-lin pharmacy, but do not know which one to trust. I believe that after I find something that will help me, then it will be easier for the VA to precribe it for me, for they will help, but know one wants to be responsible for diagnosing it seems. I suffered from a brain-injury 4 years ago that left me with ADD. If anyone has any leads, please let me know, for this is so frustrating fo me.Is there anyone that can relate to what I am going thru, feeling so alone.

see how confused i always am

First, welcome to the ADD Forums.

Second, if you're looking for low cost meds, you can send me a Private Message, and I'll provide you with a trusted online Pharmacy.

ADD symptoms can be part of your life at any age, so there are even seniors out there who can use Ritalin or other appropriate drugs to control it. It is now considered a myth that ADD "goes away" as you get older... it does seem to go away for some people, but not for others.

I started taking methylphenidate SR last Oct @ age 53. It works well for me. I hope you can find something equally effective for you.

I am 40 years old & I take Ritalin.It has help me in so many ways.

I have been trying to find an overaseas source to use to order my medicine from also because my doctor charges $150.00 per visit & I have to go see him every month. He will not allow me to get postdate scripts or to pick of one at his office,

Have A Great Day

I forgot to ask you in my prior email is it ok to send you an email off list about the source to get medicine or not? I want to get your ok before I send you an private email.

Thanks,in advance

I am not sure if Ritalin will work for someone who had ADD as the result of a brain-injury - I seem to recall reading something about that, but I am not sure??? I would also worry that a brain injury might make you more prone to seizures or other complications which Ritalin may make worse, so I would be careful and talk to a Doctor - perferably a neurologist - who knows the details about your injury before you try it - you certainly don't want to make your condition worse.
Good luck,
Greg

I forgot to ask you in my prior email is it ok to send you an email off list about the source to get medicine or not? I want to get your ok before I send you an private email.

Thanks,in advance

You can send me a private message or e-mail from the ADDForums, and I'll get it and respond with the information you're looking for.

Thanks,I just sent you an private email from ADD Forums.
Thanks,Again.
SassyRed

If a brain injury "caused" ADHD, then it's not very likely that stimulants will even do anything for you - in fact it may make some problems worse, including possible seizures etc.

Getting anything off online pharmacies is dodgy and possibly illegal (without a diagnosis and prescription)!

I seem to recall meds *do* work for injury-caused ADD. Find out for sure what's the deal before giving up.

Stimulants are often given for brain injuries. In fact, the local pediatric neurologist prescribed Ritalin for a case I'm familiar with, in order to help child's brain heal.

I was under the impression that Provigil was the main drug that was supposed to help with ADHD if it was caused by brain injury.

It obviously depends which areas of the brain were injured, since Ritalin increases Dopamine in specific areas, and other stimulants work slightly differently, in different areas.

From what the poster said they not only do not have an official ADHD diagnosis but also are not getting treatment for these injuries and the after-effects, and were considering ordering stimulants illegally hoping they could convince the insurance to pay once they knew it worked.

Getting hold of stimulants like Ritalin without prescription is ALWAYS a bad idea - apart from being illegal (if you don't have a legitimate diagnosis and prescription), you don't know what you get with those online pharmacies or street sources for that matter, and you don't get any supervision or support in case things go wrong.

If you have had brain injury then messing with such drugs without medical supervision is even more dangerous, not least because brain injuries frequently bring epileptic symptoms with them.

There's some doubt about the connection between brain injuries and AD/HD, but there may be a relationship.

We don't believe it's causative. Instead, we think there's a relationship between the onset of symptoms (or the AD/HD epiphany, or however you want to think of it) and major life events, particularly traumatic ones.

So maybe there is a reason to connect menopause and the late diagnosis in women, but it's wrong to blame the symptoms on menopause. It would be just as incorrect to assume that the brain injury is related in a causative way.

Lying in bed recovering from an injury is a great time to take stock of your life and notice that it hasn't been all rosy. Can you spot the effect of AD/HD on your life before your accident?

As far as Ritalin and age is concerned, I was first prescribed it in the sixties, but I didn't take it regularly until I hit my 40's. That was fifteen years ago (grin), and I can assure you, it works great. Kay and I take it and/or Adderall 24/7.

Attitude is everything; age means nothing.

Good luck. --Tom and Kay