[esskay]

Ugh, wish it was easier to get hold of ADHD meds (or even a diagnosis) here in the UK. I've got it, well aware I have and have avoided even attempting to go to the GP to get medicated as from what I can see the wait times go into the years.

Is it 'worth it'? I.E is your life noticably beter for being medicated for it?

[neoromantique]

I'll chime in with personal experience as well, I've been diagnosed with severe ADHD at 25 (about a year ago) and starting on meds (Concerta 18 -> 36 -> 36 with ocassional 18 boost during the day) has been trully life changing, many of the organisational methods I've tried in the past and failed miserably have finally started to make sense.

It's not a super drug that magically fixes everything, it just moves stuff closer into realm of possibility, I sometimes still procrastinate, now with lazer sharp focus into the thing I'm procrastinating with, so it still takes a lot of discipline to begin doing productive things, but once I do I no longer have to continously fight myself to keep at it.

As per side effects, I don't really have any, the only thing I have noticed is that I have to choose the dosage carefully, as it flactuates a lot, some days I can get by on 18mg, some days 36+18 feels as if I haven't taken anything, as I'm told it is very personal and you have to find your rhythm with it.

As a bonus, despite getting enough sleep, I also have been drowsy during the day for as long as I remember and it was always difficult to fight through it (excessive amounts of sugar and energy drinks in my case). Concerta has fixed that instantly.

[bashkiddie]

I have been on Ritalin for 5 years when I was a teenager. The side effects are strong, the benefits are weak. Side effects:

* After eating I do not feel full. Never. There is a feeling of "my stomach starts to hurt, there is hardly any place left". * I am scared of the dark, I remember all the horror movie snippets I have seen in my life

The side effects still reside today

Benefit:

* After getting off Ritalin, my marks in school dropped by half a grade. Which is not that much, I still ranked best of class.

It was a good decision for my personal development to drop Ritalin.

[smcl]

I tried modafinil a few times. I was never diagnosed with ADHD but I was describing to a friend basically exactly what OP said, mixed in with a lack of focus @ work. He suggested I try modafinil and gave me a bunch of his stash (along with some stronger things I wasn't as keen on). Taking some before I hopped on the tram meant it had started to take effect around the time I sat down and started work, and I felt remarkably more motivated and focussed during the following ~8 hours or so. It's a bit of a game-changer. I felt a little bit like the day whizzed past, and had a bit of trouble sleeping afterwards so I was sure never to use it more than a couple of days out of any given week.

I think it's of questionable legality here, but if you can get a doctor to prescribe it legally it's well worth looking into.

[skissane]

Does the UK have private doctors? If the public system has endless wait times, can you pay $$$ to a doctor to see them quicker privately instead? (Assuming one has $$$ to spend - I acknowledge not everyone does, and the people who would gain the most tangible benefit from a psychiatric diagnosis are often the people least likely to have the $$$ to pay for one.)

[esskay]

It does, I did a bit of digging after posting and it looks like you can get your GP to refer you to a private practice, pay them and then switch back to the GP once you've been diagnosed and started medication.

So it looks like theres an initial cost to get going but it takes the wait time down from ~3 years to around 6 weeks. Think I might need to call my GP and get started, I've been putting this off way too long.

[_dain_]

You don't need to have a GP referral. I didn't. Just go with a private psychiatrist that specializes in ADHD and you can get diagnosed.

[mattbdc]

completely agree about therapy being labeled a panacea...probably a narrative created by psychiatrists/therapists themselves.

and it's kind of a paradox, because I've learned far more from the Internet/educating myself online, to become more self-aware and change my lifestyle drastically, more to the Puritanical side as many mentioned above (but not all the way).

so it's that paradox I struggle with: disconnecting from the internet is healthy for ADD, but the knowledge/hacks/tweaks gained from it has helped far more than medication/therapy ever did.

[marmetio]

You can get equal benefits from meds and coaching, but it's relatively effortless to benefit from coaching with meds. The first time I took a stimulant, it kicked in basically immediately and suddenly nothing was difficult except coping with not having done it earlier.

[zhenyakovalyov]

are you considering any long term effects of meds? or are you using them topically? how are your cognitive effects while on meds?

[marmetio]

There's no real long-term dependence. Going off the meds just returns me to my natural, dysfunctional self. I don't usually do that because it's disruptive without benefit.

The first type I tried happened to be right for me, so I didn't experience any negative effects. I did experiment with dose, though. Getting it right just feels like being more awake, which is how I describe the ability to choose where I hold my focus.

[hirvi74]

> There's no real long-term dependence.

I think this varies highly from person to person. As someone who takes one to two days off a week, when possible, I must say I get some pretty brutal withdrawal side-effects.

None of the side-effects are really dangerous or life-threatening by any means, but they are still somewhat disabling. I've been taking my medication for about 8 years now, and I am starting to feel like the medication:

1. Has drastically diminished it positive returns

2. Is starting to take more away from me than it's giving back

Not sure, what other option I'll move to, but I do not have many of them left since I have tried almost all the various stimulant formulations multiple times minus Desoxyn.

[marmetio]

I think that rollercoaster is why you're not supposed to take days off. Maybe try a non-stimulant if you can wait a month for it to start working?

[Ensorceled]

> Is it 'worth it'? I.E is your life noticably beter for being medicated for it?

Yes, absolutely.

[esskay]

Thanks for this. I ended up going down a rabbit hole after my post and found out that we now have something called 'Right to Choose' which is where you can ask your GP to refer you to a private practice.

From reading the ADHDUK subreddit it turns out it takes it down to under 6 weeks. Think I need to call my GP and have a conversation.

[thelittleone]

I concur. I am super conscious of what I consume, and was very apprehensive, but a few months on dex got me and my business back on track.

[Ensorceled]

I was reluctant to as well, it's part of the "why don't you just focus" narrative we've heard for years. My therapist said, "You're a gamer, why do you want to play life on hard mode when most people are on normal mode?"

[scajanus]

The years pass anyway, so why not get the process started like right now?

[esskay]

You're right, I've kinda been in a bit of denial about it to be honest. That needs to change.