Find ADHD Therapy Confusing?

I have ADHD. I have been on Adderall during college. The doctor that Dx is no longer practicing… I don't have insurance. I am a graduate student that has been given by the school psychoanalyst Rx Wellbutrin to treat lack of focus and spaciness. The campus doesn't do ADHD testing anymore… I can't get in to her… there twice a week… ran out of WB.

My delima is that I need more Adderall. I got some from my cousin who is ADD. It brings me to normal. I have an appointment to see a medical doctor next Thurs. He was willing to give me more WB last time I was there… although he wasn't the one who started the treatment.. I turned him down since: I have to take it daily, causes insomnia, high BP, irritability… and I can't afford it at all.

When I talk to him I don't want to sound like a druggie. My campus did not diagnose me with ADHD but I need treatment. Any suggestions? Any alternatives I can ask him for? I am thinking of going to MEX, but not wanting to.

I can't go to another doctor. I have no health insurance, live of student loans. I go to the health center on campus. I went originally to the medical doctor, he referred me to psychological counseling, who referred me to a psychoanalyst… which I can't see due to scheduling conflicts (one on campus only).

So I am going back to the medical doctor. I am trying not freak out, I can't study… errrr.
I can't get screened for ADHD on campus because they don't do it anymore. I tried. I don't have money to go an get screened, again… at a private doctor.

I would go to MEX to get the drug. I don't want to buy black market or from MEX. I am willing to try something else… I just don't know what… I exercise, eat very very healthy, take tons of vitamins… meditate, I try everything not to take drugs.

Were you diagnosed as ADHD in college when you were taking the Adderall? The diagnosis doesn't "expire," so if you were diagnosed with it in the past, and did well with treatment, I'm surprised your doctor now isn't willing to continue the same treatment. When you next see him, explain to him that you're not happy with the Wellbutrin, and you did well with Adderall in the past and would like to go back to that treatment. You can request a copy of your medical records from the doctor you saw in college (even if the doctor is retired, the medical center would have the records, and they're legally required to provide a copy unpon request), or with your express permission, your current doctor can get a copy directly from your previous doctor or the medical center you saw him at.

Wellbutrin is an antidepressant, and is not usually used to treat ADHD unless stimulant treatment has proven unsuccesfull. It's not the right treatment for someone with a history of ADHD that was successfully managed with stimulants, unless there is also evidence of depression, or there's a good reason that stimulants aren't an option. Basically, I think your doctor is full of sh*t. But you can't very well walk into a clinic you have no existing association with and ask for a prescription for a specific Schedule II controlled substance, particularly when you fit a demographic that's considered particular high risk for abuse, so given that you can't afford to see a different doctor in a private practice, you're probably stuck with the health center doctor. So all you can really do is be honest with him and hope for the best.

It might be worth talking to your doctor about Strattera, which is a non-stimulant treatment for ADHD. Personally I had a bad experience with it (the side-effects were so bad I stopped taking it after four days), and I've heard mixed reports about it's efficacy, but it does work well for some people. But more importantly, it has a low potential for abuse. So if you go in asking for Strattera rather than Adderall, it will be obvious to your doctor that you're not just looking to get high. If you try the Strattera and it doesn't work out, then your doctor will probably be more comfortable giving you the Adderall since you've demonstrated that you're interested in controlling your ADHD symptoms, rather than getting high or improving your ability to pull all-nighters. It's a daily thing like the Wellbutrin, but even if you don't end up liking it, it's still worth trying, and maybe it will turn out to be perfect for you, and you won't want to go back to the Adderall.

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