Weight Issues | ADHD Information
Ok, now I need some advice.
I had my first session with the psychiartist to look at medication and set up a behaviour managment plan.
She was really nice and agreed with the diagnosis of ADHD and also an anxiety disorder.
Here's the problem, she has issues with putting me on medication because of my weight. She spent a good twenty minutes trying to get me to say I have an eating disorder which I do not. I'm five foot nothing and weigh just over seven stone. I've never carried any weight and it really pisses me off that she didnt believe me. Its something that I have to put up with all the time and no one seems to think it out of line to bring it up. These people wouldnt like me to just say "Hey, you're really fat, do you have an eating disorder?" Why is it o.k to speak without thought about someone who is thin but God forbid you say someones overweight?
Anyway, she sent me awy to have a think about what I really want to do as she stated "Well you seem to be managing o.k to me, why change things now at 30?"
Im not happy and as usual I just nodded my head like an idiot and walked out I really am disappointed with myself at the moment
How much is a stone? I'm an American, and can't remember the conversion into LBs. I'm guessing shes worried about your weight and for smaller frames, less calories are consumed, therefore, just tell her to start out at a lower dosage.
Geez, I really haven't noticed any hyperactive overweight people except&nb sp;in football! Are you planning to be in the NY jets?
Shes probably worried about the ' anti hunger/ loss of appitite' effect of stimulants. This can be a problem in lighter people because I also forget to eat, but I'm not on meds for ADHD. If you get the meds, make sure to eat three meals a day, and carry a candy bar with you just in case! The meds can affect your metabolism dropping your blood sugar the same way as an insulin shot can, and with low body weight, can affect you faster. It's not fun looking at a ceiling!
Thanks Repairman, I'll suggest a lower dosage and see what she says. Its worth a try 
I think 7stone is about 96lbs
OOOH! Meds are usually given at higher weights, no offense, but ask to start at ' under 12yrs' dosage and DON'T forget to carry a candy bar iif you feel jittery or light headed. Sew a snickers bar into every skirt you wear. Never be far from a soda machine, go for high calorie/ no caffeine drinks as caffeine can Worsen the effects of adderall and ritalin.My husband is going to come with me next time so he can tell her I struggle not manage like she said.
I eat like a pig, I just don't put om weight.
So ask for the childrens dose? Will do. I really didnt think I was too light, alot of girls in Australia are thinner than me.
I didnt know caffine had an effect on the meds. Im a sugar freak any way so I,m never far from lollies
[QUOTE=Peita Pan]"Well you seem to be managing o.k to me, why change things now at 30?"[/QUOTE]
That's a crock of sh!t. If you were "managing OK" you wouldn't be at the frickin' psychiatrist's office asking for help!
Your body weight has nothing to do with how your brain metabolizes stimulants. A 200+ lb man might only need 10mgs to be effective, while a 100 lb woman may need 40mgs. It's all about the brain - not body size/composition.
I can understand your doctor's concern about your weight. I mean, she had to ASK. What if you WERE anorexic and she never brought it up? And stimulants do decrease your appetite, so if you're already thin, it's something to be aware of.
Can you show your dr. your medical records as evidence that you've always been small? Or maybe even a progression of photos throughout your life, so that she can see you've always been this way.
I'd tell her you're aware that stimulants can decrease your appetite and that you've got a 'plan' to make sure you eat 3 healthy meals a day, plus snacks.
Good luck! And if she gives you any more sh!t, fire her and find someone who will LISTEN to you and HELP you.
As people have said, stimulants aren't based on a person's size so much as their brain's metabolism of the drugs. I'm just under 5'7" and my weight varies from just over 100 to just over 110. I'm supposed to take 75mg adderall xr and 10mg quick release/ day. (goes to show that meds aren't based on size!) I eat like crazy, but it doesn't "stay" with me long; I was 'blessed' with a fast metabolism!Speaking as a "smaller" person (that is, back before I got pregnant!), although I wasn't quite as small as you are, I was put on Straterra, and I lost a WHOLE CRAPLOAD of weight!!
Some meds can mess with your digestive system. (This may be TMI< but i was horribly and constantly constipated on straterra and I lost lots of weight.)
I just SO VERY MUCH did not feel like eating. I felt like if I forced myself to eat when it was "time" to, I would get sick.
So yeah, I know it may be frustrating for you, but it really is a health issue to keep you from loosing too much weight, on the contrary, I think that you should have had a say in the decision to take meds. She could have discussed her reasons with you and let you decide. You are an adult, it is your body.
HOWEVER: I think it was stupid and lame for that shrink to just automatically assume you have an eating disorder and refuse to believe you when you repeatedly told her otherwise.
And I think that statement about you managing things "well" at age 30, what does she call "managing things well"? What kind of problems are you having that caused you to seek her help in the first place??? Usually, for most, (though not all) adult ad/hders, there has been some do-or-die/life threatening/"i almost ended up homeless on the streets"/"my wife was going to divorce me or else"type situation that caused them to go seeking for proffessional help. Was this the case with you? If so, then that's why you need your meds, and perhaps on your next visit you could explain this to her.
and I agree, perhaps a child's dosage would be good for you.
sonya_h38696.8877777778
My reason behind seeking out a diagnosis was my work and my family. I have to be retrained and Im not overly confident in my abilities when I have to be tested.
I have no routine at all, just eat when I'm hungry, sleep when I fall over and have no self discipline. I quite often get urges to get tattoo's or piercings etc. I dont know if I want the pain or just to do something thats frowned upon for females of my age to do? I still want the rush of doing something thats wrong 
This was all well and good before I became a mother. Now I need to be structured for her sake. I mean she cant have her tea at nine at night cos that's when I got around to doing it and everyone knows kids will stay up until they're made to go to bed. I forget she's only three and needs a routine. Im sick of always feeling incompetent and irresponsible.
That's why I need to have my ADHD addressed. I may MANAGE but what's the cost to my daughter?
[QUOTE=Peita Pan]That's why I need to have my ADHD addressed. I may MANAGE but what's the cost to my daughter?
[/QUOTE]
Exactly how I feel! I am mother to a 5 month old, and I do a bang up job and was basically told the same thing your shrink told you. (but I won't morph into my life right now, like my so called "counselor" morphed into hers during my session!)
But did you tell her exactly what you just wrote? I know how it is, you get in front of some one like that, and for some reason your tongue just goes and you have absolutely no idea what to say, or maybe you do, but for some reason you can't seem to get the words out, and then looking back you know exactly what you could have said.
What if you printed out what you wrote above about needing all your scrooples to properly take care of your 3 year old? What if you printed it out and called her and talked to her over the phone and told her this or either took it with you when you went back to see her? Like, use it as a cue card or something?
This is a strategy that works for me personally. I have to write cue cards to use on ANY important phone conversation, and often time, I forget all my symptoms when I go to the doctor for any reason and write all of them down before I go so my doctor can know everything. This is never more important as it is when you are going to see a shrink for ad/hd. Ad/hd involves, for most of us, a massive amount of symptoms, and we tend to get so used to them, that we don't even notice them anymore and forget to bring them up. Often times, it's my husband who must remind me of AAAALLLL the things I do when I am answering a questionarre. I will answer a question "no", and he is like, "excuse me? 'no' to that question? --YOU NEED TO ANSWER YES TO THAT ONE!!" And then he will remind me of why I need to answer yes, and then I will remember.
That's why you need to write down everything before you go.
But I agree, I think it's very important if you don't feel confident in your testing abilities and you would like a little more structure in raising your daughter. Maybe you could print out exactly what you posted above and use it as a cue card and call your shrink back and explain to her that you desperately need help in these matters, and also inform her that maybe you could try a children's sized dosage of something...
sonya_h38697.3149537037Thanks guys, that all makes a lot of sense. I do forget everything when I get infront of a doctor, and I dont want them to think Im just after drugs, know what I mean.
I will print out what I wrote and take it with me. My next appointment is on the 6th of January so I might sit down and really sort out what I need her to know.
Thanks again, I dont feel so useless
meds, I'm pretty sure I lost a heck of lot weight. I haven't checked but I
could be in the high ninety's by now. It seems that I'm back to my early
highschool weight. I don't look anorexic because I'm short with a slightly
wide frame so it all balances out. It's probably the same situation with
you too because you're only five foot so the 96 Ibs make sense.
You'll realize that many of us who are on meds have become "accidental
anorexics" at one point or another.
So If you go on meds, just be
sure to stuff yourself or you're going to lose even more weight. Skinny is
okay, but not too skinny...the ribs are not appealing. Yea, and dose has
more to do with metabolism/need than weight. I just got started on
25mg Adderall XR and I feel fine at 98 Ibs., no side effects cept for
appetite loss. Good luck with everything. You'll find that a little bit of
counseling and meds will go a long way in terms of structure.