Psychiatrist think I'm drug seeking

[SwampFox56]

Hello everyone, I apologies for the length of this post, but I REALLY need some advice. So if you could take the time to read through all of this, I would REALLY appriciate that! Thanks alot!

I recently just got diagnosed with ADHD. And when I discussed Adderall with my doctor, she was totally against the idea of giving me a stimulant medication. However, let me provide a little background info.

I have a very difficult time getting up in the morning everyday. I believe that this is mainly caused by my depression. And most days I am unable to get out of bed at all. Well my psychiatrist knows this, and she also knows that since I miss a lot of school because of this issue I have many credits that I need to make up, so at the end of June this summer, she prescribed me Adderall to help me get up and go to summer school.

Adderall worked amazingly. My mom would force me to swallow one in the morning, and I would be up and full of energy in less than 20 minuets. I also have never had any luck using SSRI anti-depressants, but Adderall fixed my depression issues instantly. Adderall also worked wonders on my poor focus and motivation, so in summer school I did amazing and got the four credits offered there.

Because of my depression I have literally lost all interest in life and I have been unable to do anything for the past 3 years, but with Adderall it gave me my life back. I was able to do the things I loved doing again, and I was (for the first time in 3 years!) enjoying doing something again! At this point in time, I hadn't been diagnosed with ADHD yet, so when summer school was over, my doctor refused to issue another prescription saying that "Adderall was only a temporary fix" and "I have no legitimate reason to take it"

After hearing that, I was devastated! This medication gave me my life back! And now your just going to take it away from me!! I was really angry.

Around 1 month after this (or 2 months ago), I was having a horrible manic episode, and so I told my parents that I couldn't stand it anymore and they took me to the ER. At the ER they gave me a Valium which really helped calm me down, but after they did that, they made me take a drug test.

My U/A came up positive for Marijuana. Now before you tell me anything let me explain. I am not a regular user of Marijuana, I maybe use it 2 times every month. And it just so happened that I had smoked with my friends a week prior to going to the ER.

Because my U/A came up positive for Marijuana, they hospitalized me and did a physic evaluation, and Chemical dependency evaluation on me while I was there. They diagnosed me with all the things in my signature, and concluded that I need additional treatment after my discharge from the hospital.
So they sent me to a Chemical Dependency and Mental Health program for 8 weeks.

I do not believe I should have been sent to this program. There were kids their addicted to heroin! And I just smoked pot occasionally! I swear! That's all I have done!

And now, just the fact that I was sent to this program has labeled me as a drug ADDICT! That isn't fair at all!

Well I got discharged from that program around a week ago. And I had an ADHD evaluation literally 2 days ago (Thursday), and was diagnosed with ADHD there. The doctor who diagnosed me knew of my history of minor drug use, and still suggested to my psychiatrist that I should be on Adderall. My personal therapist also suggested that I should be on Adderall.

Well I had a meeting with her that same day to discuss my meds, and what to change. Me and mom were there, and we both said that we wanted Adderall because it had worked so well before.

She then proceeded to tell me and my mom that she would NEVER prescribe any stimulant medication to a patient who has a history of drug use. And she suggested Strattera or Intuniv. Well I have used both those before, and they have no effect on me what-so-ever. She then asked me how often I was using Marijuana. I told her the truth, maybe once or twice a month. She then got annoyed at me and told me "Kids don't get sent to drug treatment programs for smoking marijuana only once or twice a month!" and she then accused me of lying to her.

My mom chimed in at this point and defended me and said that I was not lying and that was the way it actually happened. I also told her that I thought it was stupid that they sent me to a treatment program for smoking pot occasionally.

My psychiatrist then told me that it seemed like I was drug seeking, and I only wanted an ADHD diagnosis so I could get my hands on more Adderall. Which is completely untrue. I wanted a diagnosis so I could get the help that I deserve!

Anyways she told me after that, that she didn't want me using a stimulant medication (like Adderall or Ritalin) to get high off of. At this point I was really ticked off and said to her in a rather mean tone of voice "I want Adderall because its what I need to be able to live my life! If I wanted to get high I would walk down the street, and buy a gram of weed!"

At this point my mom chimed in and said "He wouldn't have access to it anyways! I would hide it from him so he wouldn't be able to more than he's supposed to!"

She then broke down a little and said "If you agree to high the medication from Zeke I will prescribe some sort of methylphenidate or amphetamine. she then looked at her computer, turned around and said "I am willing to make a compromise, I would rather prescribe you Ritalin than Adderall"

I have heard some pretty bad things about methylphenidate and I do not want to take it. Fortunately my mom feels the same way and told my doctor "I am uncomfortable with giving Zeke Ritalin, isn't there anyway we could jut have Adderall?"

Again my doctor sighed and agreed to prescribe me Adderall XR 10 MG's. But even though she agreed to doing this, she still thought I was going to abuse the medication (which I won't! I don't want to lose my prescription for this again!)






Anyways here comes my real question...

The 10MG XR's do not last long at all. They really only last 3 hours, and then I crash in the middle of the school day! I would like to get the dose raised but with my doctor thinking that I am just drug seeking, I'm afraid to bring it up with her!

But I can't continue taking these 10MG's because I crash way to early! So how can I delicately bring this up with her and not make her suspicious?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks a lot!
-Zeke

[Rootkit]

My personal approach to whenever a physician or medical professional has failed to represent my best interests is to kick them to the curb and find another. Unless you really have no other options here, I'd ask for a referral to a psychiatrist that specializes in ADHD. If your doctor or therapist asks why, explain that the psychiatrist was unprofessional and has made you uncomfortable.

What use is a psychiatrist that you feel uncomfortable talking with?

Also, I strongly suggest kicking the pot for now. I have nothing against it, but it might prevent you from getting the best treatment possible and you're only using it recreationally so it's hard to say it's worth the risk.

[Zevispaz]

My name is Zeke. I am 16 as well, and I'm sort of in the same boat as you are. I was abusing Adderall heavily at one point. My lowest point was when I was taking 150+ MG's of Adderall every single day. When I eventually lost my presciption, I was devestated. I honeslty felt like I would never be successful in life if I didn't have my Adderall.

Its been quiet sometime now since I lost my prescription and have gotten clean, and I can honestly say that my life is much better without Adderall.

So which is it? You need Adderall or not?

Yeah, I think we're missing a few pieces to this story kiddo. You don't get hospitalized over a joint. I have family members that were addicted to drugs, there's a strict criteria and set of guidelines you have to meet before hospitalizing someone. I'm not telling you how the system works so you can perfect your story for a different forum.

But...

If I had to guess, I'd say you got hospitalized for this:

Second thing I reccommend is to STAY CLEAN AT ALL COSTS! If you relapes it doesn't set you back entirely, but it definetly doesn't help at all. Please find the courage and strength to stay sober. I didn't stay sober and I started buying Adderall on the streets. It eventually became WAY to expensive for me, so to my everlasting shame I turned to Meth. Please don't ever try Meth, its an EVIL EVIL drug. I was addicted to it the first time I tried it. If you think an Adderall or Ritalin addiction is hard to break, just wait until you have a Meth addiction!

Meth is not a minor drug abuse problem. Adderall is obviously not a good fit for you, if it's leading you to meth. Who knows what else you were taking and which of your legitimate meds you were double dosing on. The THC was probably shrugged off compared to those. Those either showed up in the drug test, or you lied about alcohol consumption and what drugs you were taking previously in the interview for attention. I'm going to go with the latter considering you're lying about a meth and adderall addiction on the forums for attention.

What I'm concerned about is that your mom is helping you get drugs like that. Unless you had a court order to be hospitalized she had to sign off to put you in there. They'll also tell her what drug problems you are being treated for. She obviously thought that what you were on before was a big enough deal to hospitalize you for two months.

Then she just turned around and insisted you get Adderall without even wanting to try something else? She backed you up that you were only in there because of a minor drug problem? If it wasn't a big deal, then why would she put you in there for two months? You don't lock your child away for two months unless it is something very serious, especially if they're going to miss part of school for it after they just did summer school to catch up. If it was court ordered, well, that's an entirely different scenario than you just gave us. Your mother's behavior is incredibly concerning.

Your shrink did the right thing. There are a lot of red flags to this story.

Adderall doesn't cure depression, it provides Euphoria for a short bit until it settles into your system. You're euphoria chasing. Adderall shouldn't make boring things fun. All it does is help you focus so that you have the ability to concentrate on boring subjects in school, not enjoy it.

However, if you are in fact trying to do this legit. Get a notebook and write down the times the meds kick in, when they leave, the side effects and how you can tell they are leaving early. Then stick with it until the prescription is up and talk to her about it, show the notebook, and discuss other options.

[SwampFox56]

Originally Posted by Zevispaz

Yeah, I think we're missing a few pieces to this story kiddo.

Yes I apologies, let me explain a bit...

Originally Posted by SwampFox56

My name is Zeke. I am 16 as well, and I'm sort of in the same boat as you are. I was abusing Adderall heavily at one point. My lowest point was when I was taking 150+ MG's of Adderall every single day. When I eventually lost my presciption, I was devestated. I honeslty felt like I would never be successful in life if I didn't have my Adderall.

Its been quiet sometime now since I lost my prescription and have gotten clean, and I can honestly say that my life is much better without Adderall.

I will be completely honest with you....tough times lie ahead of you. But if you stick to staying clean your life will be much better in the future. I know that that future probably feels like a lifetime away, but once I was as you are now and I promise you, it will pass. I promise.

There are a couple things I reccommend to help you cope with this.

Since Strattera isn't helping you, ask your doctor to try a combination of Intuniv and Wellbutrin. Thats what I take currently, and it's actually not that bad! It has almost the exact same effects as Adderall and Ritalin, except without the addictive side effects.

Second thing I reccommend is to STAY CLEAN AT ALL COSTS! If you relapes it doesn't set you back entirely, but it definetly doesn't help at all. Please find the courage and strength to stay sober. I didn't stay sober and I started buying Adderall on the streets. It eventually became WAY to expensive for me, so to my everlasting shame I turned to Meth. Please don't ever try Meth, its an EVIL EVIL drug. I was addicted to it the first time I tried it. If you think an Adderall or Ritalin addiction is hard to break, just wait until you have a Meth addiction!

Thats all I can reccommend at the moment. If I think of anything else I will update this post.

You can do this! Your life may be hard right now, but you will get through this! I have faith in you!

This whole post was a lie. I fabricated this because I wanted the OP of that thread to feel like he wasn't alone and maybe give him some hope for the future. I didn't really think about how this would contradict everything else I was saying. And I am sincerely sorry for that.

[Zevispaz]

Yes, I figured it was. You don't go broke and buy meth.

Your intentions were good, and you came clean, so don't worry about it.

There's still a lot of unanswered questions though, and it's good that your psychiatrist is being cautious. Put yourself in her shoes, if someone has a drug rehab on their record, how horrible would you feel if you got them addicted to a drug you prescribed, knowing it was addictive? I'm shocked she even prescribed it, especially since she knows you just got out of rehab. She could lose her license if she prescribes meds knowing you are abusing them. I'd say if anything, she's sticking her neck out for you.

If your mom over reacted over a joint and had you committed, it's still concerning that she would turn around and then decide it wasn't truly a big deal after all. From a doctor's perspective, hearing a parent say that their child only smoked a joint or two after they just committed them for 8 weeks, it sounds like the parent is covering up for the child. It does happen, parents lie for their children all the time. Why would she send her child to drug rehab thinking he was a drug addict, and then suddenly decide he wasn't really after all? It's just odd either way you look at it.

In the mean time, you are going to have to build up some trust with your therapist for a little while. She went out on a bit of a limb for you with this. You're going to have to work with her and do this legitimately by writing down the times, symptoms, and side effects. It's also helpful, because if she sees certain side effects she might be able to better assess if you need a different medicine, or how much of a dose increase.

[Kasi]

If your mom over reacted over a joint and had you committed, it's still concerning that she would turn around and then decide it wasn't truly a big deal after all. From a doctor's perspective, hearing a parent say that their child only smoked a joint or two after they just committed them for 8 weeks, it sounds like the parent is covering up for the child.

I believe it may not have been his mom's fault, by the way he says "they". If he was diagnosed with everything he lists in his signature in one go, they possibly 5150'd him or something similar. (5150 is code for an involuntary psychiatric hold, at least in Cali) His parents wouldn't really have been able to contest that, if I recall correctly, even if they thought it was complete bull.

To the OP: Is it possible you could get a copy of your drug test to give to the psychiatrist? Since it was taken by a hospital, I think they should have it on file. Also, if it is at all feasible, I would very politely tell your psych to go ***** herself, by telling her you're uncomfortable with how 'intensely' she reacted after picking up a certain perception of you and you want a referral to a different psych. (Esp, if there are others in her practice, or hospital)

I will also operate on the assumption that you *are* telling the truth about the other thread and you wanted someone to feel better about whatever it was they went through. However, I would recommend that you NEVER do something like that again. It could have some horrendous consequences.

[Rootkit]

I was very confused and thought I had missed something at first! Wondered where that other quote came from. Well, I think Zevispaz and Kasi are probably way better equipped to help you figure out what to do, but good on you to admit you weren't telling the truth. And good luck, obviously.

[SquarePeg]

oooh I´m so confused - I have a hard time following threads, so I think I will give up on this one.

[SwampFox56]

Thanks for not flipping out on me guys because I fibbed a little I really appreciate it!

Originally Posted by Rootkit

I strongly suggest kicking the pot for now. I have nothing against it, but it might prevent you from getting the best treatment possible and you're only using it recreationally so it's hard to say it's worth the risk.

Marijuana has caused to many problems for me too quickly. I am definetly done with it.

Originally Posted by Kasi

involuntary psychiatric hold

That's exactly what they did to me. They didn't give my parents an option! They had me committed to the hospital psychiatric ward and forced me to stay there for five days. During those five days they had me take two 600+ question psychiatric evaluations and monitored me closely. While I was there, they diagnosed me with (almost) everything in my signature. Before I was allowed to be discharged, they had my parents commit to ensuring I went to an outpatient drug treatment and metal health center. I was forced to be there for 8 weeks, and missed the first month of school just because I have smoked pot a couple of times. That's why I'm done with it.

Anyways, like I said before. Because of this, I have been branded as a drug addict, when I never had a problem to begin with. My ignorant psychiatrist honestly believe's that I will abuse Adderall, and I also honestly think that the only reason she prescribed it to me was just so she could say "I told you so!" to my mom when I do. She has never had my best interest in mind, and is a horrible doctor.

I would switch psychiatrists but unfortunately for that to happen, you have to write a letter to the hospital explaining why you want to be switched, and even then its a 6-month ordeal. So I have no choice but to see her.

The 10mg's of Adderall she RX'd me doesn't nearly last long enough, and causes me to crash at around 9:30 - 10:00 AM every day at school. I would ask her to bump up my dose but I am afraid if I do she will refuse and take my existing prescription away from me. I can't let that happen because I honestly can't function properly without my medication! I can't focus, I can't sit still, I can't get anything done! And she just thinks I'm using it to get high!

Ugh! Anyways, back to my original question. How can I get her to bump up my dose, without being suspicious or taking away my prescription?

Thanks a lot guys! I appreciate it!

[Kasi]

Again, I'm going to recommend you look into getting her access to your drug test by the hospital. Talk to the hospital, preferably to a doctor you know is understanding, about if it's possible and how to do it through the appropriate channels. That or, sometimes, you can get one to speak to the psychiatrist directly, explaining the results, assuming they get permission from you AND your parent since you're a minor.

If it helps, I'm pretty sure your psychiatric hold and your labeling as a 'drug addict' will be expunged as soon as you become a legal adult.

[sarahsweets]

I hate to say it because it sounds like your doctor isn't so wonderful but it is in her best interest to protect herslef. Its not really about you at this point. I didn't look to see where you're from but if its in the US the authorities could really slam her if they thought she was somehow prescribing to an addict. (Not saying you are one) if there is anyway to get on a list to find another doctor I would take the risk. This doctor needs to go f**k herself.

[Lunacie]

I'm also confused.

What were you taking before your hospitilization? XR or IR?
How long was that lasting?

You only saw the new p-doc 2 days ago and already you want to raise
your dosage.


Unfortunately dosage size doesn't have any effect on duration of effect.


Which means raising your dose will not make it last longer.

If XR is only lasting 3 hours, then it would make more sense to try a different med.

Not everyone becomes zombified on Ritalin. It might work well for you.

You don't know unless you try it - or one of the other medications for ADHD.

[Massari]

The brain has thousands of cannabinoid receptors, where do you think they come from? Did people smoke pot 20,000 years ago? No. When the human body is in a certain state, it can itself make those chemicals. You may not know this but you can get **** high with meditation. When you do it for 5 hours straight, it feels better than any pot trip you've ever taken, and it's something nobody can take from you. When you don't know how to reach that state, you need to buy the drug and feed it from outside.

[Zevispaz]

Ah, that makes sense. Well, it is good to know you're not smoking pot anymore. It's not really that great for you anyway.

I don't think your mom and dad understood their legal rights, which is unfortunate for everyone involved. The hospital can't hold you more than a few days without obtaining a court order (and they would have to prove you're unstable and a danger to yourself and others to do so) and they don't hold any legal authority to make your parents sign you up for a program. Unfortunately what they did isn't illegal either since they can say they "strongly advised" your parents to commit you to a program and didn't blatantly refuse to let you out (making your parents feel like they didn't have a choice doesn't count, it only counts when your parents demand you be let out, and they refuse). But since you are going to be dealing with medical people and hospitals for a while with this, I would definitely get acquainted with your legal rights as a patient, the legal rights of a doctor, and make sure your parents know them as well.

Also, a doctor would not prescribe an addictive drug to a "past addict" so they could say "I told you so", because if you abuse it, it can get them in trouble. The reason she went along with your mom is because if you do now abuse it, your mom agreed to be responsible for you, she can pin it on your mom and skirt disciplinary action. It's still a risk though, she'll still get an internal investigation to see what she's prescribing, how much and to whom. I agree with SarahSweets, she is covering her own ***. But at the same time, if you're stuck with her, you just have to make do with what you have at the moment and work on meeting her half way.

[Alex1234]

OP, 10mg IR adderall gives stays in your system just as long as a 50mg IR adderall. If you are good with a 10mg IR for 3 hours, that means 10mg is enough! In order to have a good track record with doctors, here are some things to keep in mind (which are also useful for your own good)...

1) DON'T EVER LOSE YOUR PRESCRIPTION! Once you get it, go to the nearest pharmacy and get the drug! Adderall is a controlled substance so if you lose it they couldn't care less.
2) DON'T EVER LOSE YOUR DRUGS! keep it somewhere safe at home! If you have to take it out, put just ONE pill in a container so that if you lose it, it doesn't matter.
3) DON'T REQUEST 1 SPECIFIC DRUG! If the doctor wants you to try something else which you haven't tried yet, TRY IT.
4) DON'T EVER EXAGGERATE YOUR PROBLEMS. Tell it like it is, or it'll be like crying wolf. Doctors won't give a **** after a while.
5) DON'T BE DIFFICULT OR DEMANDING! Doctors have to see loads of effed up druggies and their patience may be running thin. Always be respectful and try to explain your situation as completely as possible.

If all else fails and you think the doctor just hates you, find a new one.