Heidi,
Don't forget that these doctors are human beings with their own problems. Some of them are crazier than any of us on this board. Ultimately, your own happiness is your responsibility. Having problems with the people around you doesn't sound specifically like ADHD to me. Usually, the thing that makes us unhappy is the difference between what we *are* and what we would *like* to be. Give yourself a break from unfair expectations. You're letting expectations get you down.
Lostin,
HM: find a new doc, now!!!!
my gf went to see a counselor after a divorce and she wanted to put her on a anti depressent. she was depressed she just wanted to talk to someone about her feelings.
she went to a new one and got the help she needed. with no meds.
good luck in your search.
oh I completely understand that doctors are human and can have a bad day, too. But psychiatrists have the mental well being of their patients in their hands, and being so dismissive and eager to put them on medication sounds to me and alot of people here like a dangerous practice. He's never once discussed the meds with me, what side effects to expect, etc. I try to ask questions and he's practically rude. Seems to me that he shouldn't be a psychiatrist if he can't care about his patients and only wants to medicate them. [QUOTE=lynnann]HM: find a new doc, now!!!!
my gf went to see a counselor after a divorce and she wanted to put her on a anti depressent. she was depressed she just wanted to talk to someone about her feelings.
she went to a new one and got the help she needed. with no meds.
good luck in your search.
[/QUOTE]Heidi M~
This article is about a kid that died from ritalin. The doc upped her dose one day and she died sometime that night. the whole time on it she was worse then before diagnosed. she experienced symptoms of not needing it or having too much of it. no one took the time to find the real problem, like your f*cked up doc. smash his balls and give his ass 40mg of whatever, but find a legit one asap
http://www.ritalindeath.com/Ritalin-Death.htm
there is a 15 year girl that hung herself soon after starting concerta. its somewhere within that site, look under children deaths.
if someone doesnt have adhd, they should not be on adhd meds. and if someone has doesnt have depression, they shouldnt be on anti-dep's. i was diagnosed depression several years back and the meds ruined my life for 2 years. im doing research and finding out that i had SSRI shock syndrome. dumb doctors. i wasnt even depressed, but they told me to keep taking it and upped my doses. then switched me to other types which is NOT good. when i look back, i was a little crazy. i was horribly depressed, but when around people, i thought everyone was mad at me, so acted very sweet, overcheerful, and did things to make people like me. work was a mess, i thought the whole corporation was in on some master plan to get me fired. and my adhd symptoms got worse, impulse control especially, and i lacked judgment. i cried out of nowhere, a lot, and was overemotional. this person was not me! i did NOT feel happy! im so pissed about this sh*t. and whats worse is that i didnt even see this in myself at the time. the only reason i can think why is cuz "crazy people dont know they're crazy".
can u believe my adhd saved my butt? i was too "lazy" to take this pill and others everyday. it was hard to remember and sometimes forgot which resulted in ugly withdrawls. so i tapered myself off of it.
these docs also like yours saw me for 15 minutes then gave me my "candy". and because of their carelessness, i was on my way to a mental inst.
GO and find a caring doc that will listen to you for as long as you can ramble on. these docs are getting paid to help us, not charge us for some random pills they threw in our face because its the one they picked because its easiest to spell on paper.
go on google and search for bad phsychiatrists, report bad psychiatrist, anything along these lines. google the states health and human services and see if theres a way to report him (if you feel like) OR there should be links and names to good docs and other sh*t like that.
becareful and take care of yourself girl. if you feel a doc is being a ding dong, then follow your instinct cuz usually we're right
and check out if you have not for profit behavioral/mental heath around your townWow, this really bothers me also.. I wish I could offer something to help
The only thing that I can tell you is that it took over 3 HOURS of testing before I got my diagnosis. I really believe that there are Drs out there that overdiagnose this disorder, but then there are others that are very thorough... I believe it is perfectly within your rights to get a second opinion, and I would think that insurance would cover that if it was discussed with them.
I know waiting to get into see a mental health professional can take FOREVER for the initial appt. But you can also ask for the receptionist to put you on a list to call if there is a cancellation.. I did that and got in a bit sooner. Just an idea...
Sherry
Heidi - I wish I could say you have a chance of making a change with this psych. You CAN make a complaint against this one with the American Association of Psychiatrists and Neurologists - but that will only stay on the record - unless there is gross negligence causing harm (and very provable) they will remain where they are.
The most important thing right now is YOU. Get into another psych and get that proper diagnosis.
THIS is why I mention what should happen - and what happened for me. You should get a LONG interview, a check for physical ailments (both to rule out other problems and to make sure you are healthy) and a scheduled therapy session.
It's the reason that the meds sometimes are causing troubles. Some docs and psychs are more worried about getting more people in than the actual treatment. Some, not all.
So demand what is your right. By the medication's own requirements a full checkup and analysis are to be done.
Be the squeaky wheel Heidi! I know you can do it!
Holy crap!Get rid of that guy!
My 2 best friends who are doctors say that shamefully, it is often easier to get an appointment with a psychiatrist if you have a referral from another doctor. One friend said, after I complained that it had been over 2 weeks since I was promised a call to set an appointment, "if I call, they would probably see you the next day!"
Call your GP tomorrow to ask if they would be willing to make a referral for you right away. Let them know that you are severely depressed and that you think that it may be a result of your medication.
taritac38662.8521759259Heidi,
I'm afraid that kind of experience is all too common. Last fall I was diagnosed with depression last fall in an on-the-fly diagnosis as I sat crying in my regular doctor's office. So, Lexapro was prescribed and I was out of there. Then, I couldn't deal with some of the side effects to she switched me to Wellbutrin. I liked the Wellbutrin because it gave me a little pick-up and my house was cleaner and I seemed to just have more energy. However, I still felt depressed off-and-on but not as badly as before.
Flash forward a few months more and I'm crying again and the Wellbutrin just isn't taking care of the whole depression thing and I'm still having mood swings, etc. So, in a fit of not knowing what to do, I find a psychaiatrist covered by our insurance and called to make an appointment. I was just hoping that a psych would be able to give me meds that would help. She talked with me all of maybe 15 minutes, said I needed a therapist and gave me a 75mg Effexor kicker to help with the depression.
I made an appointment with a therapist. I went once, told some of my story and made another appointment. She was terrible and she sat there as if I had to come up with my own way of helping myself instead of her really delving into it and devising a possible course to work through my issues. Anyway, a week later, I picked up Delivered from Distraction and it changed my life. I was looking for help for my son but I found something that changed everything (as I'm sure you well know what it is like to finally have an explanation for an entire lifetime).
So, I went back to the psych, told her what I'd figured out, she wrote me a prescription for Concerta and I was out the door in 10 minutes. Back to the therapist one more time. I told her the Concerta was working great. She asked if I had any issues and I said "I don't know." She said that if I had any trouble in the future, come and see her. OMG! She made some leap and assumption that I had suddenly been 'cured' by meds. And she listed ADHD as a specialty to boot. Both these people had degrees in therapy and psychaiatry and yet they just turned to meds and didn't even bat an eye and consider maybe taking care of the issues that caused the problem in the first place.
So, I have been on the Concerta for maybe three months and my hubby and I are doing great but I'm still having issues. Of course, as I've mentioned way too often, I am having a terrible time getting over the fact that I can't have the job I want. So, I decided that I'd finally find someone who knew what they were doing and might even consider helping me find ways of handling and dealing with the ADHD rather than just medicate me into oblivion. The psychologist I found works for a practiced called 'Behavioral Health Specialists.' They were highly recommended and I thought maybe going to someone who was focused on Behavioral Health would be more what I needed. This guy has been working with ADHD his entire career and has written many articles and lectured a lot (I looked him up). He also is somewhat a specialist in adult ADHD.
I've got my fingers crossed. I know what you're going through Heidi. It sucks! There are too many doctors who just don't even take the time to get at the root of the problem. Meds help but what if you went off them? Would you be able to function again? And the meds don't take care of everything. There is so much work to be done to learn to handle issues, etc. I don't know if they can be held responsible for lack-of-action because there are so many of them doing it!
omalley
P.S. You were talking about sitting in the parking lot... a picture of me a lot... I wish there were people like you near me so at that time I might call someone up who could understand exactly why I'm sitting behind the wheel crying for no reason!
Heidi, Do you know anyone who is being treated or has a child who is being treated for ADHD by a psych? Ask around if its possible and find out who the best one is that your insurance will pay for. Once you know, ask your dr to call and request an initial appointment for you.
If you don't know who to ask, maybe you could ask your dr or get creative and contact the school psych and tell them that you are an adult who was dx'd with ADHD and ask them if they know of a psych who works with ADHDers. The worst that can happen is that they either don't know of one (and they must have had to deal with a few at some point) or they will give you the name of an incompetent. You won't be any worse off than you are now.
In the meantime, if you start having chest pains or feel rapid heartbeat or anything that is abnormal, you should call your primary care physician and tell him. Find out if it is something to be concerned about. If he doesn't know you are on ADHD meds, he needs to be informed. They could create problems with anything he might prescribe. If you are on other meds, don't trust the psych to know whether they are compatible with the Adderall. He has already proven he is incompetent.
Hello everyone!! I know you've all been hearing me whine and complain here alot lately, but I've finally decided in my head I need to get a grip on things and get help. REAL help -- which leads me to the subject of my post -- recourse against a bad doctor.