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Originally Posted by Icanbnormal
I was just diagnose with ADD about three months ago but at age 27 my parents decided to tell me that I had fetal alchohol syndrom and possible ADD.  What makes me so mad is that they knew all this long and decided not to get help for me. All during school I was treated like an idiot and labeled a moron and so much more. I am married to a wonderful man but sometimes I wonder if he doesn't know what it's like to have ADD. I have two kids and I love them but I am around them 24/7 and with no real family support I don't see how I am ever going to get through this. I have a reall difficult problem making and keeping friends and I can't figure out why?  For example I had a sitter that I was really close friends with and we attend the same church and now for some strange reason she won't even look me in the eye. I don't know what I did to hurt the situation or damage the friendship but if I knew what it was I would fix it. I am currently on Adderall and Strettera for my ADD but I took myself off the adderall cause it's been causeing complications with my menstrual cycles and since I have been off it  I have been a real basket case and I mean literally. With out any friends or support I get depressed real easily and there are no support groups for ADD in the town that I live in, believe me I have checked. I just wish I could find some one that lived near me (I live in Pa) that either knew where i was coming from, is going through what I am going through or can tell me how to survive it, cause right now I feel like there is a rope around my neck and at any moment it's gonna get pulled and I am gonna go down. If any one has any advice I'll take it cause right now I am running out of answers and am frustrated and for just once in my lifetime I want to be happy and I am not. With that I am calling it a night, I will talk later tomorrow. Thanks for letting me vent.:Ponder: |
Take heart icanbenormal --I don't think you are going to fumble now after having come so far. If you have ADHD, your probably as resilient as most of us with ADHD are; thus, being to stubborn to fold your cards now
But really, those of us with ADHD are really adaptable.
I have a nephew with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), and his brother they told us when he was 3 had Fetal Alcohol Effect (allegedly a lesser degree of severity or whatever). I'm no doctor, but you really don't seem to have FAS by any stretch of the imagination. Is it possible you have Fetal Alcohol Effect, and not the full blown disorder of FAS? Yes, but you need to have a professional assess you to find out. I find it highly unlikely that it's possible considering that you saw a psychiatrist who you don't mention as diagnosing FAS/FAE.
Was your mother drinking alcohol while she was pregnant with you? That is the only way to develop FAS/FAE spectrum disorders.
I had a good experience when I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 26 because I went to a PsycholoGIST first (not a psychiatrist) who was recommended to me by two people and who has 20 plus years of working with adults with ADHD (and all the other stuff too). Usually a psychologist or other type of therapist will refer you to a M.D./psychiatrist if they think medication is a good idea to try or a second opinion or whatever (which my therapist did). ADHD adults are just one of his little areas that he really enjoys--and it's a good thing too, because we really need more ADHD educated psychologists, psychiatrists, and other healthcare professionals for both kids and adults. Surprisingly there's a lot of ignorance in the psychiatric community regarding ADHD.
Psychologists and therapists of other stripes are most often far more knowledgeable of mental health disorders and more comprehensive in their assessment and treatment planning--which is usually far more individualized than what a psychiatrist usually makes time for. There are wonderful PDOCS out there (psychiatrists), that I am sure of, but I would definitely seek a second opinion from a psychologist who can give you a really good comprehensive assessment for comorbid conditions like FAS/FAE, learning disorders and other comorbidities.
Did your doctor who prescribed the Strattera and Adderall make a diagnosis of FAS/FAE as well as ADHD?
http://www.additudemag.com/q&a/ask_t...pert/1222.html I don't think that Adderall is the cause of your menstrual cycle issue, because it's not listed as a side effect. I don't know about Strattera as a possible cause as I haven't looked it up. Did you see your prescribing doctor about the menstrual cycle problem you are having, and if so did he conclude it was from the Adderall?
Don't worry. It's just a temporary problem to be solved, and I think we can get there and solve it. Be patient with yourself, and seek out a psychologist who can be your ally in figuring it out.
