I have had a LOT of public and private feedback on this topic. People who have been diagnosed with ADHD and/or ASC, and people considering it. It’s been incredibly validating to my decision to write this up. 🙏
@popey thank you so much for writing and sharing this. Your doing so makes some of the challenges that I (and presumably others) face seem less daunting. I just made an appointment with my GP to talk about these things too. The scatter gun fireworks are getting hard to control lately.
@popey happy birthday! Mental health diagnosis are hard to come to terms with, it took me over 4 years to get to grips with my bipolar diagnosis, but I really hope it helps you find some closure.
Either way, you're still you and not your diagnosis and that can be easy to forget.
@popey your experience sounds similar to me. Except with Red Hat health care I was able to see someone in two months and a prescriber in a month.
As you get older, ADHD gets worse. I have dual Autism and ADHD inattentive.
Atomoxetine is a non-stimulant. Lisdexamfetamine is a stimulant. Surprised they also did not suggest Adderall XR. I tried 3 stimulants; then tried Atomoxetine and it seems to work well for me so far. Still learning myself.
@popey Oh hey, welcome to the club! It dawned on me that something was wrong when, one day, I was talking on the phone and my cat walked by - my focus got sucked in by the swoosh of her tail and my hearing literally stopped working (and not for the last time). I was also finding it increasingly hard to navigate tasks and focus, my coping mechanisms were no longer enough. Medication has helped tremendously. Glad you found your path!
@shana Thanks! I appreciate the story and can relate to it! I have started noting myself zoning out and when I catch myself, I'll say to the other person - sorry, I zoned out, repeat that. Also, I will pre-emptively tell my wife to mute the TV because I cannot concentrate when she tells me a story and it's on in the background. I'm sure she hates it, but I think secretly she'd way rather I concentrate than zone out..
@popey Thanks for sharing. I've had a horrible time focusing for decades and have always beat myself up about it. I'm lazy, I just don't care enough, I'm stupid, etc. etc. I can't say how many times I've searched for "how to improve your focus" or the like and everything I read seems useless - "avoid distractions, blah blah blah" Reading your post just made something click in my brain. Not sure what I'll do about it, but will be considering it.
@popey happy birthday and thanks for sharing!
You got "weight off my shoulder and help I needed all along" for your birthday and that's an awesome gift. I'll ask for that for mine!
@popey Happy birthday. I too have a diagnosis of ASD and ADHD although I got mine as a child in the 90s. I had suspicions I must admit. 😉
I’ve never persued medication and always preferred to try and find ways to “cope” without it. I’m increasingly thinking I should at least try it even if it’ll probably be a faff.
Anyway best of luck! Hopefully this is a positive development for you. 🙂
@popey happy birthday, and congrats on the diagnosis and treatment! I went through a similar process here in the US about a year ago. In the time since I’ve realized how many of my personal quirks are coping mechanisms—while that’s not necessarily bad (I survived 30 years undiagnosed!), I personally found it to be such a relief to just… understand my brain better.
I’m on an extended-release dextroamphetamine mostly on work days, and it’s treated similarly in the US; a pain, but worth it imho.
@popey thanks for being so open about this process. It hits a little too close to home for me too, though I've been waiting over a year for an NHS referral. Maybe I should have also gone for option 4 :(
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