Help! ADD, stimulants and past drug abuse | ADHD Information

Will a past history of serious drug abuse prevent me from recieving stimulant medication for my ADD?
Has anyone here had problems with doctors who refused to prescribe ritalin or adderall or amphetamines because of a history of drug abuse?

Here's my problem: I am 42, I've been on methadone for opiate addiction for 7  years (and have stayed drug-free).
I am 110% certain that I have had undiagnosed severe ADD (inattentive type) since childhood.

I've had all the symptoms for as long as I remember some of them severely - except hyperactivity. I am shy and usually quiet, but my brain seems to be hyperactive in the extreme. My living and working spaces are a mess, I cannot control my finances, I never complete projects I start, I daydream and space out, I buy books and start but never finish them (never!) I get songs stuck in my head for weeks at a time, and I generally am lazy and unmotivated and irresponsible. Of course, I was considered "gifted" as a child. I hated school, and began doing drugs, cocaine and heroin. My life was basically a series of catastrophies.

When I first got on methadone I talked to a doctor about ADD and she seeemed to think I had it, and prescribed wellbutrin. It did not "do" anything for me, and I still had the same symptoms of ADD.
But because I was feeling good about my life at that time, I was able to "control" or live with my ADD somewhat (as I had been doing for nearly 30 years). So I simply stopped taking it after 3 months. But the symptoms returned, and now I feel like I'm at the end of my rope. I just lost a good job mainly because of ADD I think, and I'm very depressed.

Awhile ago, I met an old friend of mine who has adult ADD. We talked about it for some time, and he gave me a day's supply of his meds, dexadrine. The next day I took one tablet first thing in the morning, and didn't think much would happen. But an hour later...

...I felt completely transormed. It was almost miraculous. It was like coming out of a coma. The whole day I felt like doing things to improve my life like cleaning, organizing, reorganizing my computer files, making arrangements to pay old bills, calling old friends and relatives, etc. That night I went out with friends I had not seen in a long time and had alot of fun. I got so many things done that day, and I felt really good.
Wellbutrin did not have this effect on me.

Of course the next day I felt the same as before: confused and distracted most of the time, unable to take care of responsibilities, unenthusiastic about most things and uncertain about how to organize my life.

It seems obvious to me that I have ADD and that I should be on stimulants, am I correct?

Or did I just get "high" on speed that day?

I sincerely think I would benefit enormously from stimulant meds but how can I convince my doctor of this? Wont he just think I'm "drug seeking"?

PS it took me three hours to write (and rewrite and rewrite) this.

You certainly WERE NOT high.  The dexedrine we get for ADHD wouldn't get you nearly high on a daily dose!  It's very weak - my daily is 20mg x 2 and would merely highten your mood.  What you describe was how my first day went - it was as close to an epiphany as I've ever had.  Truly night and day.

Tell your doc about your history and your suspicion of ADHD.  They can dole out a small amount - probably a week's worth at a time.  You cannot get more than 30 days worth at any time.  Not enough to get high for most people more than one day or so.  It usually helps to keep you from abusing.

You may find that it gives you better urge control which may actually help you with your addictive tendencies.  I find that I can fight off most urges no matter how strong.  It's like willpower in a pill.

I hope you continue to work towards a solution.  They may recommend stratterra right away (it's non-addictive) but I'd continue to ask for dexedrine as it obviously worked.

 

Definitely find a specialist. The problem is that stimulant medication can
work for anyone- even people without ADHD. So if your symptoms are the
result of something else- say a thyroid condition- then you'd only be
treating the symptoms and not the problem.

And don't worry, there are medications you can take for ADHD that aren't
stimulants. So even if the doctor decides they don't trust you with
controlled medication, there are alternatives.   But, as one previous poster
pointed out, they often use stimulant medication to solve drug addiction
problems in untreated ADHD adults. It's been very effective at dealing with
alcohol, cocaine, and meth addictions with little or no risk. I've never read
anything about opiate addiction, however, so I can't say much to that.Thank you, Glen.
I'm also worried about how to talk to my doctor about ADD. I barely know him, and I'm afraid he will simply tell me to schedule an appointment with a specialist, meaning I'll have to wait another month before I get effective medication this, then go through the series of appointments with various expensive prescriptions which won't work, before I finally persuade them dex or adderall is what I need. I don't have insurance and I'm pretty poor right now.

PS- when I took the dex that day, I noticed I completely lost the urge to smoke! Normally, I'm a 2-3 pack a day smoker, but that day I only smoked a few, maybe 8-10, and I didn't even like the taste or anything.
You'll probably need to go to a specialist for the diagnosis (at least in Norway you have to); but you could point out to the doctor if (or rather 'when') you get your diagnosis, that research show that stimulants (like Ritalin and Dexedrine) used by ADHD'ers actually reduce the risk of substance abuse even for former drug users.
Ritalin certainly works for me; allthough i haven't had a drug 'problem' but I have experimented with a few drugs, I no longer feel a "lust" for being entoxicated.I am ADHD/Bipolar with a long history of drug abuse.  Cocaine was always my drug of choice before I was diagnosed.  Before I was diagnosed I self medicated, stimulants always calmed me and helped me focus.  Now I take ritalin, and have been known to abuse this also.  My addictive personality enjoys the rush speed provides.  But  the abuse sends me into the manic phase of my bipolar disorder, which is not nice. Then the depression which is worse.   My doctor knows about my past drug abuse, be honest.  Your choice is opiates, the opposite of stimulants.  Good luck, perservere, sh*t you're making it through the toughest addiction out there, you can do anything.