[wbl526]

I started seeing my T almost a year ago because of anxiety attacks I was having. Since then she has put me on Zoloft for the anxiety. Then there was the time over the summer where I was having paranoid thoughts and she added Abilify to the mix. Now I'm just rock bottom depressed and tired of it all. I literally don't want to get out of bed. My T added Provigil and increased the Zoloft because of this.

I'm frustrated because I mentioned Adderall to her and she wants nothing to do with it. She says it's addictive, its an amphetamine and a controlled substance. I told her that when I was a kid I was diagnosed with ADD and put on ritalin (which made me a zombie) but that I could be ADD and it may help my depression. She didn't want to hear it. I'm just venting because I want to feel better now and I'm tired of waiting another two weeks to try something that doesn't work. I feel like so much time has been wasted this year. I'm not sure she's the right T for me or maybe I'm just being inpatient.

[sunrise]

That sounds so frustrating, wbl. Are you seeing this T for therapy also? Since she can prescribe meds, is she also a psychiatrist? What kind of therapy are you doing with her and do you find it helpful? I think medical doctors do have their favorite meds to prescribe based on what has worked on patients for them in the past. But every patient is unique. I think a team approach (doctor and patient collaborating) is the best approach to medicine. It sounds like you wish this doctor (therapist?) were more collaborative? I think it is never a bad idea to seek a second opinion. Could you visit another doctor and see what his/her approach to your treatment would be?

[wbl526]

Sorry for the confusion, p-doc/T are the same for me. :-) I see a psychiatrist and she prescribes medication as well as doing talk therapy with me. I believe her exact kind of therapy is called psychodynamic. Not really sure what that means except that I think it includes a few treatment approaches, not just cognitive behavioral therapy for example.

Unfortunately, I can't visit another p-doc until next year because I've exhausted my insurance benefits with her. I'm also a little nervous about calling around behind her back. (I would hate for it to get back to her.) However, if things don't get better by the end of the year I'm definitely going to look for another p-doc.

[smiley1984]

am I getting this right - you are anxious/depressed/paranoid? Have you had a proper extensive testing for ADD? It sounds like she doesn't think your problems are linked to ADD - which may be true, let her know when it was diagnosed, by who and when, what tests were done etc etc.

ritalin is a stimulant - as you said an amphetamine and highly addictive especially without a correct diagnosis and should never be used in an adhoc fashion.

If you believe that ADD is an issue for you I would suggest being assessed by someone who is respected in the field.

[wbl526]

smiley,

Unfortunately I don't remember when exactly I was diagnosed because I was too young. My mom who was the one who told me is deceased so I don't have a clue who/when/where I was diagnosed. I would love to have an assessment done but not sure how to find someone that is respected in that field. My current p-doc had in her bio that she handles ADD/HD but yet has never done an assessment on me even though I've mentioned it to her several times. If I look for another doc, I'm not sure what questions to ask.

[dalila]

<font color="green">Adderal is just another form of Ritalin. </font>

[chaotic13]

I am not surprised by her reluctance for Rxing the Adderall. After 3 month of therapy, my psychologist suggested that I might be suffering from ADHD. I did a quick literature review, decided that it was plausible, collected some research and when to my GP. All I wanted was a 5 day trial to see if it would benefit me. Unfortunately he refused to Rx Adderall because of its addictive potential and instead told me to read some self help book, try candle exercises, try other relaxation techniques. We ended up in a disagreement and I left his practice after being with him for 15 years. My new GP also refused to Rx it but at least listened to me and arranged an appointment with a neurologist in his practice who did it for me.
I don't know what the issues are that makes a GP not want to be responsible for treating ADHD but it is OK for a neurologist to do it. Honestly, my GP's evaluation was so much more detailed than the neurologists. For me the neurologist is nothing more than my sugar daddy ;-)

Physicians are definitely feeling pressure to avoid Rx stimulant medications.

[wbl526]

Thank you for listening and for your comments. I feel better knowing that I'm not the only one that has struggled with this. I'm not positive that I have ADD but I was looking for the doctor to say that Adderall could be a consideration if everything else she is trying doesn't work. I just want to know that there are other options if treatment isn't going well. Right now I have this mental picture of a roadblock with her thinking that even if everything else doesn't work she's not willing to try something that could. At my last visit I said to her that we could just *try* it out and stop if it doesn't work. She was still reluctant to do that.