[BrandonSS90]

Well, the problem is.. is that I also have Muscular Dystrophy, which weakens my basic motor skills, and especially thinking. I know when I was little, I used to like to jab (not literally), and annoy my grandma, like obsessively, especially when she was on the phone.

But, I have a hard time reading, literally reading words and having them sink in, I'm tried audiobooks on iTunes, tried having someone read it to me. I did tell my step-dad all this and he tells me that he sees that I only like reading things I'm interested in, on the computer, like technology, medical advances, and techy stuff. And.. I took the ADHD quiz and I got a 74.. I thought about taking it to my psychiatrist, but.. I was afraid, that since I'm already Bi-Polar I diagnosed, I thought she would think of me as only wanting the high and negative thoughts just ran through my mind of what could happend. "Oh, she could think I'm a drug seeker." OR.. whatever.

I honestly have and been hospitalized for abusing/trying to kill myself over Tramadol, and also abused Zoloft, and also Vicodin. I started taking Vicodin when Vioxx went off the market. Plus I had kidney stones, and now they found out that my scholosis has affected my rib cage, and my rib cage now rests on my pelvic bone causing a lot of chronic pain in the left side. So.. I dont know.. I have a appoitment with a neurologist in December, and maybe I should tell him this stuff. What do you think?

Thankss.

[Simcha]

Originally Posted by BrandonSS90

Well, the problem is.. is that I also have Muscular Dystrophy, which weakens my basic motor skills, and especially thinking. I know when I was little, I used to like to jab (not literally), and annoy my grandma, like obsessively, especially when she was on the phone.

But, I have a hard time reading, literally reading words and having them sink in, I'm tried audiobooks on iTunes, tried having someone read it to me. I did tell my step-dad all this and he tells me that he sees that I only like reading things I'm interested in, on the computer, like technology, medical advances, and techy stuff. And.. I took the ADHD quiz and I got a 74.. I thought about taking it to my psychiatrist, but.. I was afraid, that since I'm already Bi-Polar I diagnosed, I thought she would think of me as only wanting the high and negative thoughts just ran through my mind of what could happend. "Oh, she could think I'm a drug seeker." OR.. whatever.

I honestly have and been hospitalized for abusing/trying to kill myself over Tramadol, and also abused Zoloft, and also Vicodin. I started taking Vicodin when Vioxx went off the market. Plus I had kidney stones, and now they found out that my scholosis has affected my rib cage, and my rib cage now rests on my pelvic bone causing a lot of chronic pain in the left side. So.. I dont know.. I have a appoitment with a neurologist in December, and maybe I should tell him this stuff. What do you think?

Thankss.

Hi Brandon
You have A LOT going on! It is a boon to you that you are so proactive in seeking treatment and getting educated about your disorders. It's actually more rare than you think.

If a person gets the right treatment and is an ACTIVE participant in their care (like you seem to be), then recovery is speedier and less roadblocks and complications hold you back. Plus, the earlier you recognize a problem and work on it, the better. Out of curiosity (and don't tell me if you don't feel comfortable), what is your appointment with the neurologist for? I ask because other disorders and problems can appear like ADHD to the unskilled observer.

It's probably not surprising to you that when you have ADHD (symptoms are present before age 7 in ADHD), you are predisposed to a higher likelihood of picking up secondary disorders like depression, anxiety, learning disorders, and others. There is also a high rate of both comorbidity with Bipolar and ADHD, and also a high rate of mistaken diagnosis, where someone is diagnosed with Bipolar when they really have ADHD. Problems with reading are not specific to ADHD, but a lot of us have dyslexia or other learning problems that are commonly comorbid to the ADHD. Drug and alcohol abuse are also very common in UNTREATED ADHD.The other issues you mention of annoying your grandmother when you were younger (common in children to intentionally annoy adults, FYI), and the procrastination and difficulty you mentioned in reading things you don't have an interest isn't specific to ADHD either, and also occur in the non-ADHD population.

Oy----the problem you have is with the Muscular Dystrophy diagnosis and the Bipolar etc., is that the disorders themselves and/or the medication for the disorders might even be the cause of your symptoms. Because your case is slightly more complex, DEFINITELY tell your neurologist AND psychiatrist. You can also print off the ADHD screener you took here and bring it in. Write down your ADHD like symptoms and observations. If you do have ADHD and they won't prescribe a stimulant (like Ritalin, Adderall, Dexedrine, ect.) because of a history of drug abuse, there are other treatments that have no potential for addiction. These are specifically Wellbutrin (used "off-label" for ADHD), and Strattera, which is the only non-stimulant drug specifically for treatment of ADHD.

What I specifically recommend is that you get neuropsychological testing with a PhD clinical/counseling psycholoGIST, in addition to being direct about your symptoms and concerns with both your neurologist and psychiatrist as well. In your case because of the health complications with the MD, I would recommend having your Pdoc and the psychologist you get tested for ADHD with share records and exchange data. That way, everyone is on the same page. If they are only working with half the data, then something might get missed.

You do have a valid concern, and it is a possibility. See if your parents will set you up with a psychologist who can give you an assessment. Second opinions are always good anyway.

[BrandonSS90]

Thanks for responding, I really appreciate it! To awnser your first question about seeing the neurologist, they wanted to see if my MD was directly, or somewhat.. connected to my mental aggrivations, and depression. And see if MD was a contributing factor to my mind in any way. But, yes, I will print off the quiz results and take it to them, definatly. I am prepared, that's for sure! Because I.. just wanna get it out. I WANT to be proactive in finding a proper treatment for this mess. And I do totally agree that Its not DEFINATLY most likely ADHD, but I have some qualities of it. But, what the other problem is too, is treating me with "stimulant" like medications, like Wellbutrin, is my breathing my psych nurse said. She is one that prescribes my meds, and also my psychiatrist too. She said that it would affect my breathing, and it.. did. Because we have tried Cymbalta, and she told me that Wellbutrin is somewhat like it. And Cymbalta gave me trouble breathing, so.. I immediatly went off it.

Yesterday, when I seen her, I brought in my grades. My whole report. And she said I seem to be doing good. And I told her that, that is not the case in my head. I am struggling to keep up with the Bs and Cs. And she said.. so.. it's more of an exhaustion thing, isn't it? I told her yes. I told her I feel like sleeping all the time, frankly. It's like I don't care most of the time about school, or anyone or making friends. Because I hardly have a social life, because I feel no worth in making friends. And.. when I do, I always think they are thinking negative of me, or whatever. It's just a huge mess! I am honestly ready to get really upset, because she seems like she is just not listening to me, that Mood Stabillizers are not working, they make me TOO tired. Well, then she says, "Looks like we have to lower the dose.. then?" I said.. "I guess... somethin.." It's just a mess! I WILL explain this to my neuro.

[Simcha]

Originally Posted by BrandonSS90

Thanks for responding, I really appreciate it! To awnser your first question about seeing the neurologist, they wanted to see if my MD was directly, or somewhat.. connected to my mental aggrivations, and depression. And see if MD was a contributing factor to my mind in any way. But, yes, I will print off the quiz results and take it to them, definatly. I am prepared, that's for sure! Because I.. just wanna get it out. I WANT to be proactive in finding a proper treatment for this mess. And I do totally agree that Its not DEFINATLY most likely ADHD, but I have some qualities of it. But, what the other problem is too, is treating me with "stimulant" like medications, like Wellbutrin, is my breathing my psych nurse said. She is one that prescribes my meds, and also my psychiatrist too. She said that it would affect my breathing, and it.. did. Because we have tried Cymbalta, and she told me that Wellbutrin is somewhat like it. And Cymbalta gave me trouble breathing, so.. I immediatly went off it.

Yesterday, when I seen her, I brought in my grades. My whole report. And she said I seem to be doing good. And I told her that, that is not the case in my head. I am struggling to keep up with the Bs and Cs. And she said.. so.. it's more of an exhaustion thing, isn't it? I told her yes. I told her I feel like sleeping all the time, frankly. It's like I don't care most of the time about school, or anyone or making friends. Because I hardly have a social life, because I feel no worth in making friends. And.. when I do, I always think they are thinking negative of me, or whatever. It's just a huge mess! I am honestly ready to get really upset, because she seems like she is just not listening to me, that Mood Stabillizers are not working, they make me TOO tired. Well, then she says, "Looks like we have to lower the dose.. then?" I said.. "I guess... somethin.." It's just a mess! I WILL explain this to my neuro.

Heya Brandon,

I'm not sure about why Wellbutrin would cause a breathing problem, unless you are allergic or something.

I agree--it's a huge mess, but it's not insurmountable. I've been in similar situations (and I'm in college by the way). I won't go into details to spare you from my sleep deprivation induced rambling, but suffice it to say that I've been there, grades in toilet and all. It's not the end of the world, so don't get discouraged--I pulled out of it and that makes me pretty sure you can too.

I've also had healthcare providers refuse to listen to my concerns and do nothing but interrupt me when I was describing my symptoms and concerns. You deal with those by not leaving until you get your concerns addressed and questions answered. If they interrupt you, tell them "excuse me so-and-so, I know you are busy and I know that your time is valuable, but I would like a turn to speak about what I came here for today...blah blah blah"... If they don't respond to that, then you find another provider ASAP. I think you are at that point now. Never stay with providers that are unresponsive to your concerns and unempathetic. Make sure you are very clear and direct with your neurologist when you see him.

I still think the best thing for you to do is to make an appointment with a clinical psychologist. Psychologists are the best and most well trained observers and active listeners out there. They also have far more extensive training in psychology than psychiatrists do (believe it or not, it's true), and are usually far superior at assessment because of it.

Psychiatrists are only oriented toward medication prescribing, and while that has it's place in the world and is a valuable resource, medication alone is usually never adequate. The psychologist can refer you to a psychiatrist if he thinks a trial of medication or a second opinion is warranted, and if you sign a consent to release information so that they can share records, you'll have a good teamwork oriented approach. Either way, you need someone to talk to about your depression symptoms before they snowball out of control. You've got a lot on your plate, and it would be difficult for anyone to face it all alone with no real help.

I see my psychologist weekly to deal with my "issues", ADHD included. I was really hesitant to see a psychologist at first, but I am glad that I took a risk and did it. I owe him a giant debt of gratitude really---The best decision I ever made. If you need someone to talk to in the meantime, feel free to send me a message anytime. It sucks when no one listens, and it's even more isolating when you are dealing with multiple health conditions that affect your quality of life. I had a similar thing happen myself. Take care, and let us know how it goes.

[BrandonSS90]

Thanks. Yes, infact I do have a psychologist I go to, and see about every 2 weeks. But.. the problem is.. is that, I have missed about 2 appoitments. Because of.. well, ultimatly personal issues. Getting transportation to the center is very difficult for me. Because since I am in a wheelchair, my mom doesn't have a car/van that has a lift in it. I have not learned to drive yet either. So.. it's REALLY hard getting over there. And when I have to get transportation, I always forget to call ahead of time, and they can't make a reservation, they call it, to pick me up, and drop me off from my house. So.. it's kind of a cycle that goes on everytime. Because ushually if I have an appoitment after school, I just motor down there in my wheelchair, since the center is only a block away from my high-school. So, that's a good thing. And ushually I would motor home on a nice day too. But, when it's cold now, like it is, I'm.. not gonna get the chance of getting sick, since I also get sick easy. O_O. So, thats something else I get depressed about, because I forget easily. And my step-dad gets on me about missing it. He's like.. "You don't miss your appoitment with the nurse to get pills, now DO YA?" I say.. "No.. because that's very important." And in a sense, he is right, a psychologist appoitment should be a prio. too, ya know? But, he always gets on me about stuff I forget. And I told him I have memory problems, like moderate. And he just gets all pissy and says, "WELL, EVERYbody has MEMORY problems.. it's not just YOU BRANDON." That makes me so mad.. but if I explode at him, he will take my internet away, even though I'm 18, and can make my own decisions, but what he and my mom say is.. "AS long as your living.. in this house, you WILL follow our rules.." And it's like.. well, why can't you just let me pay for my own Internet then? And then I don't have to worry about it. And then he's like.. "Well, it doesn't WORK that way.." It's like he always has to nit-pick at me about something. And frankly, brag about what he can do.

The thing that really ticks me off is. Is when I tell him my feelings.. about my depression. And he's like.. "Well EVERYBODY is depressed, I'M depressed, you don't hear me saying, 'WOE is MEEE'.."

[butterflyeffect]

I recently tried Adderall for my ADHD and ended up triggering my addictions and I took the whole bottle with in three days!!! It was horrible and I could have OD I called my doctor and told him I wont take it again but it was really scary so PLEASE everyone becareful