[gkzoid]

Hello!....I need to know if anyone has any experience with this....I have a new pdoc and I have been on zoloft 175mg for 8 months with mixed results....so he has me tapering off because he is suspecting adult adhd.....originally I was dx with GAD...can adhd cause anxiety?.....I don't know, I'm kinda feeling like an experiment at this point.....and tapering off the zoloft really sucks so far.....advise?...experience?....thanks all!

[eskielover]

I was married to a H who was Dx'ed with adult ADD.....but pdoc said he needed to go to a neurologist because he thought there was more going on than just the adult ADD.

Turns out even though he's not Dx'ed....I have been doing some serious research & reading on Asperger's...& many times people with adult ADD end up having Asperger's as a co-Dx. Adult ADD didn't explain all the issues that caused our marriage to fail......unfortunately....the Asperger's fits him 100% that nothing else did & all the things that caused problems in the marriage.......even though he was a jerk.....it seems that much of the underlying things under the jerk came from Asperger's issues....it's just how he implemented them in his actions.

I'm not sure what medication that he was on....he got some meds through a study group that our pdoc was doing & then got samples after that....but I've been away from him for 7 years.......

I understand that guinea pig feeling....I even felt that way with my major depression when they were trying to figure out what was going on with me at the age of 43.....never had any problems before then. I would say trust your pdoc.....but then again, I would also say....do your own research of things because you know yourself better than any pdoc that is just guessing through probing questions.

[RTerroni]

I'm 31 and have had ADHD since I was a child.

[PrepCouture]

Anxiety can cause many symptoms similar to ADHD, but ADHD is a totally different disorder. It's a neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood/you're born with it. For some people, it continues into adulthood.

If you are really anxious, your heart rate will elevate making you feel restless, and he fight or flight responses prepares you to focus on the big picture rather than meddle in tiny details. I could see how anxiety causes similar symptoms and might be confused with a dual diagnosis of ADHD and GAD. That said, you'll have to talk to your PDOC. The ADHD testing is so darn expensive, but if your pdoc truly feels you may have ADHD, then he'll probably want you to have it done.

[sideblinded]

I am on the fence with my ADHD...I am an older adult who was not diagnosed with ADHD as a child and I suspected that I have ADHD as I gave my school and life history to a pdoc and therapists. I got very mixed results and I was not adequately tested. I got the ADHD (hyperactive/impulsive) subtype dx BUT no one has really cared to look into it. I feel very mismanaged by all of my doctors and previous therapists.

Why isn't adult ADD or ADHD taken seriously? Is it because we are not in the school system anymore and we don't have to pass exams? This is BS. I have managed to learn how to hyper focus so I could somehow finish something. I started so many things and quit so many things. I am still impulsive and restless and I can't seem to focus on the things I should be focusing on.

There is not enough research on adult ADD or ADHD. Some MD's and PHD's have made some interesting headway but why is the mental healthcare community so sluggish to treat or diagnose adult ADHD?

My experience as an older adult with stimulants has been very disappointing. Adderall IR gave me terrible mood swings when I came down from it and the XR form made me hyper focus way too much that I lost track of time.

Because of this, my pdoc took me off of stimulants and did not replace it with anything. He is turning a blind eye. He is not communicating to me and I feel overlooked all over again.

OK, sorry I am ranting..... I wish I had more answers for you. It has been a frustrating ADHD experience for me. I think we need to keep on our doctors to treat adult ADHD. It is real but docs are not up to speed. I really couldn't care less if I am treated with stimulants or not. I researched that they are the best meds for ADD and ADHD but I am open to trying other meds as well. My doc did not do this. I am now actually trying to can him. We will see.

I really do hope that you are treated correctly and fairly. Take care



MDD
GAD
ADHD? (who knows)

Just noticed that this is an older thread but I hope someone reads it anyway

[WantToGrow]

Dang, Sideblinded, that is so horrible that your doc did that to you, totally unacceptable to ignore a patient like that!!! I'm about to embark on therapy again and have no clue who to work with. Makes me dread the whole process because of the fear that once again I won't get with the right T for me.