What’s been your medication solution?

[nonoteveryonehasitthesedays]

I was diagnosed in 2020 and in true ADHD style never managed to sort medication. Partly due to cost (private medication review appointment, private prescription cost, medication cost) but also I just found it hard to actually articulate how the medication made me feel and what was good and bad about it. One major issue I had was the crash. I was a complete horror when they wore off.

So here I am asking what medication or medication combination is working for you?

I was only diagnosed at the start of last year. I went through titration privately but my NHS GP agreed to take over prescribing my meds. That lasted a month and and ever since then my meds (Concerta XL) have been out of stock everywhere so I've been unmedicated for the last year and am back to struggling again. The meds definitely helped me, especially at work, where I was able to focus more and be calmer.

Do you think you’ll try something else?

There isn't anything else (the generic forms of Concerta XL are also unavailable) unless I want to pay privately to go through months and months of titration again. There are rumours that supply might restart next spring (2025!) so until then, I'm just trying to hang in there. It's infuriating to be frank.

I feel your pain on the titration front. It’s so off putting and really something I didn’t fully consider before diagnosis.

Yes, the irony being that having ADHD makes it harder for us to go through the whole diagnosis and titration process. And even more so in the current environment with long waiting lists and medication shortages.