Adult Adhd - did a diagnosis/meds help?

[Needleinhaystack]

Think I have Adhd. All the symptoms are there. Tried relentlessly to get referred through my GP services, but no services available at the mo. Wondering should I go private and wondering would medication be life changing or even slightly help.
My head is spinning with the most erratic thoughts. My anger outbursts are unnecessary and volatile to my loved ones.

Thats only a snippet.

Can anyone share any light on their own experience. I have had different therapy before and nothing has helped. If I am going to seek private help, I want to be sure I am putting it into the right direction.

@Needleinhaystack I’m sorry you are suffering. NHS waiting lists are very long and even after you manage to get an assessment there can be a long wait before you get treatment. I went private.

In your reply to my post you mentioned that you are not keen to take meds. May I ask why this is?

@Needleinhaystack sorry I got confused. You didn’t say you weren’t keen to try meds! So ignore my question.

In terms of anger is this every so often or a constant issue?

I'm awaiting an assessment for ADHD.

When I talked to my GP about not having control over my temper sometimes she gave me very useful advice to eat more often in the week running up to my period as hormones can make our blood sugar level drops more severe and increase the risk of us losing it. At the time I wasn't convinced but I've taken this advice and it has made a huge difference to my mood/temper.

I gather that ADHD coupled with menopause is a perfect storm so I'm trying to get on top of things before menopause hits. I got my referral for an assessment on the second time of asking. Keep pushing...

I would not get a diagnosis as an adult because with the right self care or by accessing resources and therapies, you can help some of the symptoms yourself. If you don’t feel you can manage without medication of course get a referral.

’ I feel like any diagnosis is a stick to beat you with and if you can manage without, what does the diagnosis give you as an adult unless you need medication.

Protection in your job. As it is classed as a disability

Following as I could have written this post. I’m menopausal and the coping mechanisms I developed when younger aren’t working like they used to. I may not have ADHD but I’m pretty sure I have and like you don’t know if it’s worth paying for a diagnosis.

There is an increasing number of studies showing an association between ADHD and ultra processed food. You might want to look at your diet and see if cutting out UPFs makes a difference.

@Pegs11 was meds a great help? How did u seek a private diagnosis? I feel utterly lost. I would welcome meds if I thought they would help. I’m ruining my relationship over this also.

@INeedNewShoes i am 35 so don’t think it would be related to menopause just yet. Anger comes and goes. I can be fine. Normal me. Then I can rage out of no where. At the most silly minor things. Its heartbreaking as I don’t mean it but can’t help it.

@icallitasplodge i have tried numerous talking therapies and anti depressants. I don’t think I’m depressed, but anti depressants made me depressed 😳 I think a diagnosis will help me. It has to be bloody something. This isn’t normal. I just can’t regulate my emotions

I was diagnosed at 40, and don't take medication. What I realised though is that I have spent my life self-medicating with caffeine and that gets harder as I get older, so at some point I might think about meds. (They certainly help my daughter).

I'm not sure that a diagnosis helped me a great deal, as I've just developed coping strategies over my life and so it didn't really change anything, other than make me realise what I said about caffeine. So you could just decide you have ADHD, follow all the advice and see where it gets you?

However, the anger does sound like menopausal rage rather than ADHD, and this can come in during peri-menopause, so don't rule that out (I was furious for years). Alternatively you are very angry about something and the ADHD is simply not letting you keep it in; in which case I think going back to a therapist would be helpful.

@Needleinhaystack when did your symptoms start? To get an ADHD diagnosis as an adult, you need to be able to satisfy the specialist that you had ADHD as a child. It is widely held that you cannot just develop ADHD as an adult, as it is considered a neurodevelopmental disorder.

If you didn’t have childhood ADHD, then it’s likely something else is causing your symptoms. It is unlikely that your symptoms are peri-menopausal but it is entirely possible.

I have only just started ADHD meds and it has been interesting so far but it’s too early to really tell if/how they might help me.

Getting the diagnosis has helped me hugely, because before, I just had all these very difficult symptoms and didn’t understand why and I felt like no one understood and that there was no hope for me. Now I can name it, I feel less alone knowing there are others out there with the same symptoms, and I feel a sense of hope that I can be helped.

What I would say is, don’t give up trying to find the cause of your symptoms. Clearly it’s not “nothing”, so something will be at the heart of it, you just need to figure out what. This can be a time-consuming process full of dead-ends and fob-offs - particularly if you are relying on the NHS to help - and it is easy to be disheartened. But don’t give up. Take a break from it every now and then, sure, but please don’t give up. If you can afford to be seen privately, I would recommend this. It may be worth ruling out peri-menopause first, by being assessed by a private menopause clinic. It’s not that expensive - a couple of hundred quid last time I checked.

I keep thinking about getting a diagnosis but then keep getting distracted and forgetting to organise it. Feels like enough of a judgement on the situation. Have you tried weed?

An association between consumption of UPF and ADHD, not causation. That's a really important distinction.

ADHD is a dopamine seeking condition. UPFs provide dopamine. Binge eating is also associated with ADHD and UPFs are easy to binge eat.

Diagnosis absolutely changed my outlook- completed contradicting the point above about it being a stick to beat yourself with/ I’ve found I’m much kinder to myself, I no longer tell myself I’m lazy, incapable etc but know there is a reason. Now I know I have adhd I don’t fight against myself so much and find ways to work with my brain to get things done & focus on the good bits.

for me, medication has been completely life changing. It’s a personal choice, under professional guidance but I’m not sure I would’ve survived without it. I’ve never looked back.

@Isyesterdaytomorrowtoday what medication helped? I truely feel like screaming. My head won’t stop with intrusive thoughts.

there is so many other symptoms of ADHD. I always thought I was so different as a child, thought I was just stupid, a daydreamer, lazy. It’s only recently I’ve realised this could possibly be ADHD.

I’ve found Elvanse (brand name for lisdexamphetemine)worked well for me. It’s a slow release stimulant, effects last for about 7hours for me then it starts to wear off. There is a titration process to slowly get to the right dose safely.

I was late diagnosed privately with ADHD over 18 months ago. Psych prescribed me 60mg of Elvanse which works a charm, apart from some minor side effects. I was hoping to revert back to the NHS for a shared care agreement but my Gp is terrible. I can’t bear fighting for the most basic care, long term I’m not sure I can justify paying over £350 per month for my private prescription, so I’m a bit stuck.

ADHD is a dopamine seeking condition.

This.

I was dx late 30s. Classic inattentive child. Got by in adult life on adrenaline. Reached burnout.

I didn't get on with Meds but did not try them all. However in the short time I was on them I managed to get a new job so they did help.

Diagnosis helps with getting rid of the shame, also protection at work, access to meds, Access to Work coaching.

Meds are not a magic wand. Please know this. No amount of meds will make you do something you do not want to do, but they do make it easier to start.

I understand ADHD as a neurological disability, our brain cells are either too fast or slow in communicating to each other, and the pathways get exhausted, whereas in other people they loop together better. That is my non scientific explanation!

The non medication things that help - and please know I am being 100% serious that each one of these does make a difference, or has to me anyway.

Eating less refined sugar (plus I would add not having too much sugar from fruit etc. as time progresses as the less you have the more sensitive you get!)
Eating more complex carbs rather than refined carbs
Eating more protein - aiming for about 45g (minimum requirement for an adult) by midday
Balanced meals, I.e. carbs, protein and fats combined
Reduce UPF
Strength training with progressive overload - this changed my life (dopamine hit). Also building muscle is essential on 30s and 40s, I am sure it plays a role in ADHD, definitely helps manage PMT
Running (dopamine hit)
Habit stacking (start with 1 habit)
Minimum 6 hours sleep
Eat enough calories, eat every 2-3 hours, don't binge, don't restrict basically
Simplify life and the things you focus on, do less, do it well
Consistency, consistency, consistency, not perfection. I go to the gym 3 times a week without fail and this has been the mainstay of me improving so many other areas of my life.
Ignore everyone who says ADHD does not exist, it does.

@Isyesterdaytomorrowtoday how long did the whole process take from seeing a doc to get tablets? It’s months now I’ve tried to push the process with my GP, the referral service for ADHD was accepting no one else. It was all very frustrating. But they have been as few weeks. I was meant to be on the list being put forward. When I spoke with GP yesterday they hasn’t even put me forward yet. I truely believe they do not care. She then proceeded on to say they is basically nothing else she can do for me. Now I’m freaked out that I’m beyond help. Waiting to see a team which could be years.

I was lucky in that it was covered by my employer private health insurance- it still took 6months from Gp apt from diagnosis. My psychiatrist works in the nhs but also at private clinic. I think NHS wait in my area is 4yrs.

im currently considering a med review with a view to increasing dosage slightly but worried it could jeopardise my shared care agreement.

@BigSwigs is right that medicine isn’t a silver bullet, it just gives me a period in the day when my mind is quieter, I can get stuff done & think more clearly- it helps me implement some for the other strategies

I agree if you need the medication, go for it. I just see the actual label as something that medical professionals and social workers will use as a convenient excuse to undermine you. “mother has a history of emotional dysregularity” ie coded words for - she’s an unreliable witness. It should not be this way, but it can be.

the post about refined sugars and exercise is spot on. But if you need the medication, then of course go for it. I am just very wary of those labels on medical records.

This is a great post @BigSwigs

I think I’d also recommend cutting out alcohol and reducing phone use. These are both things I’m working towards.

I’m fairly sure I have ADHD, but I don’t want to go on the carousels of trying / titrating different meds, so am trying to manage my symptoms myself.

I think just taking the shame out of it is huge.

@BigSwigs ur non scientific explanation is spot on. My brain goes a million times a minute and it is completely burnt out, but still keeps going.

i will try all ur suggestions. This is the thing though, I will read it, say I’m going to try it and not. I will continue to google at the subject instead of being productive and implement what I’ve been given. If that makes sense.

@icallitasplodge i can’t imagine social workers having to be involved though to use it against me? That would hopefully be least of my troubles.

What exercise things have you tried? Running really calms me. But it might be something else for you- but it could make a huge difference.
Also agree with cutting down screen time and reducing sugar.
You need to focus on self help things while you are making your way through the system.