![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by somatime on April 17, 2008, at 17:05:29
Hello, I need some advice.
I was diagnosed/treated for adhd through 2 separate psychiatrists and a family doctor in my mid/late teens. At that time they also (incorrectly) diagnosed me with bipolar because of mood swings from not eating well and depression i was going through.
i have been off medication for several years and since graduated from college .. i barely kept up with a lot of the coursework because i couldn't sit down to concentrate unless it was extremely interesting. i'm now in graduate school and am REALLY struggling with my concentration. i cannot get any homework done, cannot pay attention to conversations (i have always been like this), often make people repeat what they say (even my students), and am easily distracted taking exams. before i was able to get by only because my classes were easier but now it is not the type of work i can procrastinate doing. i forget things all the time, i also spend a lot of my "distraction" time eating food out of boredom, and cannot even sleep sometimes because of random things i think about all the time.
my question is: given my past history, if i went to my PCP provided by the health program at the university, do you think they would be unlikely to prescribe me something or would they be suspicious? also, would i have to transfer my medical records? i don't particularly want them to know about all my psych history when much of that was through my turbulent teenage years when i was also dealing with a lot of other stuff. i don't want them to relabel me as "bipolar" when i am not.
the reason i'm concerned about going to my doc is that i'm sure they probably deal with a lot of students trying to get their hands on adhd drugs when they don't really need them, whereas i have a legit reason..
big thanks in advance for any thoughts on this..
-somatime
Posted by Emily Elizabeth on April 17, 2008, at 20:04:33
In reply to Need to be on ADHD/ADD meds again, posted by somatime on April 17, 2008, at 17:05:29
I think a GP will be afraid to touch ADHD meds in a college setting. But, I think a psychiatrist would be willing to consider it. Do you have access to a psychiatrist ?
Best,
EE
Posted by somatime on April 18, 2008, at 7:47:57
In reply to Re: Need to be on ADHD/ADD meds again, posted by Emily Elizabeth on April 17, 2008, at 20:04:33
They have a team of doctors. I looked their credentials up on the website and hopefully I can request the psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD. When I call for the appointment, what should I say? "I think I have ADHD and want an appointment with the psych" lol. Or do I make an appointment with the GP and have them refer me? I have been having serious problems... affecting my sleep (last night even) getting stuff done.Thanks for the response!
> I think a GP will be afraid to touch ADHD meds in a college setting. But, I think a psychiatrist would be willing to consider it. Do you have access to a psychiatrist ?
>
> Best,
> EE
Posted by undopaminergic on April 18, 2008, at 10:02:21
In reply to Re: Need to be on ADHD/ADD meds again, posted by somatime on April 18, 2008, at 7:47:57
Maybe you should just mention the symptoms you have, and later, if the opportunity presents itself, mention that you've been treated for ADHD in the past, and ask whether they think that might be the problem.
They may want to contact the doctors previously treating you, and possibly your parents, in order to confirm the existence of ADHD symptoms in childhood (although new research suggests there is no difference between patients who had symptoms in the childhood and those who developed them later).
Posted by Emily Elizabeth on April 18, 2008, at 22:45:09
In reply to Re: Need to be on ADHD/ADD meds again, posted by somatime on April 18, 2008, at 7:47:57
I think you can call and just ask to meet w/ a pdoc. No need to mess with a GP unless you have to. And I'd just be upfront. Tell the pdoc you have been diagnosed with ADHD in the past and you feel that the symptoms are interfering with your life. If he presses for your old records, tell him that you feel that they mischaracterize you and you want him to form his own opinion. Actually, he might not be that interested in the records. My new pdoc was only slightly interested in mine.
Good luck!
Best,
EE
Posted by somatime on April 19, 2008, at 9:30:46
In reply to Re: Need to be on ADHD/ADD meds again, posted by Emily Elizabeth on April 18, 2008, at 22:45:09
Thank you! I think that is what I am going to do.
> I think you can call and just ask to meet w/ a pdoc. No need to mess with a GP unless you have to. And I'd just be upfront. Tell the pdoc you have been diagnosed with ADHD in the past and you feel that the symptoms are interfering with your life. If he presses for your old records, tell him that you feel that they mischaracterize you and you want him to form his own opinion. Actually, he might not be that interested in the records. My new pdoc was only slightly interested in mine.
>
> Good luck!
>
> Best,
> EE
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.