Seeking Advice: "Abuse Clinic" Patient | ADHD Information

Fedoracore,

Good luck to you.  Yes I think you should try to find another shrink.  If there is a local chapter of CHADD they might be able to give you some references.

Unfortunately, because of your past history of abuse there will be some drugs that you will never have access to (stimulant class).  But there are a number of treatment options available. 

There was an interesting study that just came out.  People with psychiatric problems and chemical abuse problems need to have both treated, otherwise the successful recovery from abuse is less likely to occur.
You could have both Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and ADHD. 

In my experience with the psychiatric community, most of shrinks I have seen do not keep up with the current research and treatment options when they have been in practice for awhile.  One tried to put me on prozac and wouldn't even consider that I have ADHD. I was lucky in that my girlfriend was able to refer me to a good psychiatrist.  He was the first one that she saw that really made an effort to help her get her severe panic attacks under control.   He is the one that got me tested and is helping with my ADHD (primarily inattentive, I don't have the hyperactivity component) and seasonal depression.

Despite your past history, I am sure there are still many options available to you.  Find a doctor who is willing to work with you.   If you have problems with him taking your concerns seriously since you have been clean, go see someone else. 

Again good luck.

Star
star1239165.6083912037

speaking from an attempt at an objective viewpoint:
please cite which problems you believe can be improved through participation in an N/A group.

I didn't say the problems could be improved, I simply stated that many of the problems could be traced to misdirected instincts that arise from what we think and feel.  Have you ever heard the tearm 'worry yourself to death'?  What I found out about myself through examining my character was that my error thinking and mis-understanding...uh, and plain closed minded ignorance, was that most all of the fears and apprehensions that plauged me from 18 to 45 years of age were due either to troubles I faced as a result of my actions, or as a result of my irrational thinking which is what I developed on.  You see, fear of things, real or imagined has the power to hold me in a state of fear that bordered paranoia, causing me to react in irrational ways that bordered on schitsofrenia, made me depressed, wreaked havoc with my diet and sleep habbits.  I don't say all people who suffer many of these symptoms are all going to be able to improve through the NA program.  But what I do hold to with a conviction is that if you suffer from the state of being I have described and are an addict, no type or amount of medication will make a significant or permanent change for the better.  I was a depository for nearly every drug you can think of, I get out of the phsyc ward with a new drug, crash and burn, back to the phsyc ward for a med change, over and over for 10 years before I hooked up with NA.  I have been clean for 6 years... save for the AdderallXR I take for ADHD, and I haven't been to the phsyc ward since then either.  My phsyciatrist and I usually talk about our cars, the weather, because I got no troubles today.  In fact, I have never in my life felt as whole and stable as I have these past 6 years.

I believe that my problem is not completely with a Sleep Disorder, but also with an Attention / Compulsive Disorder as well. (for example, I've been writing and re-writing this post [and most emails i write, etc] for at least 1.5 hours by now. i hate it! but i can't help myself from having 10 different things open, going from one thing to the next, never finishing most of it, etc.)

I've never heard of Attention/Compulsive Disorder, but I have heard of Obsessive / Compulsive disorder.  And guess what?  In NA, our addiction is described as first an obsession to use for whatever reason, and once we give in to this obsession we then develope a physical compulsion to continue.  Compulsions are like an obsession with a gun.  Its no longer... gee, I'm happy, sad, bored, angry.. I oughta maybe get some stuff, its: WHAT ARE YOU DOING!  GET THAT STUFF NOW MAN!!

I did not chime in on your post to recruit you for NA or to tell you that you don't need drugs, many people do, including myself.  I replied out of chance that perhaps you might bennifit from what I have shared.  Why shoud I care?  Only because someone was there to help me along in understanding, for free.  So, I give freely as it was given to me.  Again, good luck.  I hope you find your answers.

what if i planted "bait", to see if it would incite any stigma-based commentary?

If that were the case, I would consider you a Troll or a trouble maker who for no other reason than wrong seeks to float his own boat at the expense of people who come here for help, and to be of help.  I would then tell you to be carefull, the more you float your boat, the farther it gets from the dock, and when it begins to sink, pray at least one of the people you 'abused' will be forgiving enough to to toss you a lifesaver.

footnote;  there was no mention of Buprenorphine. 

[QUOTE=KIDD_ROCKS4444]How about ... Narcotics Anonymous? ... Many of the problems you've listed can be traced back to mis-directed instincts that arise from what we think and feel.[/QUOTE]
hey there, K_R. thanks for your reply! hello to you too, mumoftwo!

speaking from an attempt at an objective viewpoint:
please cite which problems you believe can be improved through participation in an N/A group.

[QUOTE=KIDD_ROCKS4444]if your an addict, the meds will be as a drop of water[/QUOTE]
again, trying to be objective:
which of the problems i've cited are relevant to addiction?

what if i planted "bait", to see if it would incite any stigma-based commentary? with all due respect, how might you have responded had i not mentioned Buprenorphine (or "use" as self-medication for social anxiety)?

it's probably partially my fault for the lack of focus in my initial post. what truly is at issue here is my belief that the Dr.'s aren't treating me. they are treating an addict in a "program". i need to find treatment for my Sleep Disorder.
fedoracore39164.5756597222

fedoracore

hi sorry i can help just wanted to hello and welcome

What about "groups", like (i'm making this up, but something like..) "the Coalition for Fair, Unbiased Medicine for Recovering Addicts"... ya know?

How about (and I'm not making this up, but something like..) Narcotics Anonymous?  I know one doesn't neccesarily have to go to meetings to recover from drug abuse, but the program of recovery there takes you far beyond the physical torment.  The 12 steps they use as a tool to unlock their very being to see what makes them tick.  Many of the problems you've listed can be traced back to mis-directed instincts that arise from what we think and feel.  I have slain many of the giants that held me down for 26 years... fear, anger, low self esteem and the list goes on and on.  You may need to use medication as well, but if your an addict, the meds will be as a drop of water on a raging forest fire.  good luck

hi there. i'm 34 yrs old, male, single. having been a full-time performing musician, since the age of 15 (give or take breaks for University, etc.) i lived a very "abnormal" schedule for as long as i could remember. i did keep some daytime hours, but i was always free to nap if i needed.

about two years ago, i decided that i wanted to start a new life-- not because i didn't love the music anymore; love performing, etc., but because i wanted to leave the lifestyle behind. i couldn't go on like that anymore. there are so many reasons to have wanted to "get out", so to speak. so i made a clean break and was left, much like a new college-grad, to find my way to a career.

i didn't realize that i had a Sleep Disorder until i landed my first "Nine to Five". I found myself simply unable to keep from falling asleep, all day long, every day-- it was obviously chronic, yet my Doctor simply did not acknowledge that there might be a problem. it was like saying, "uh.. my arm is broken. what do you suggest?" "oh, it's probably just a sprain. now, tell me about your bowel movements..."
Why the inconsideration? I'll tell you why: He happens to be the doctor i started seeing after i abandoned the lifestyle: he's a Psychiatrist at a Mental Health clinic where i enrolled in the Suboxone Treatment program (for substance abuse).

I managed to keep that "first 9 to 5 job" just long enough until i finished a major Publishing project, and i was "let go". I finally landed another good job at a University as Web Developer, but i was having the same problem-- even though i was allowed to keep abnormal hours-- i didn't matter. There was nothing i could do to stay awake. it is an extraordinarily frustrating situation. ultimately, i lost that job as well-- due to performance issues (not quality, but time).

I believe that my problem is not completely with a Sleep Disorder, but also with an Attention / Compulsive Disorder as well. (for example, I've been writing and re-writing this post [and most emails i write, etc] for at least 1.5 hours by now. i hate it! but i can't help myself from having 10 different things open, going from one thing to the next, never finishing most of it, etc.)

it's been 2 years, and i've already lost two potentially long-term career opportunities because of these problems-- which my doctor refused to acknowledge-- which are historically treated with great success. This Doctor did finally, order a session at a Sleep Lab, which proved that i do indeed have a Sleep Disorder. Since then, he's been treating me with Provigil (Modafinil), a "wakefulness enhancing" med. Provigil is "okay" as it does help deter the daytime "sleep attacks", which consequentially seems to help me sleep. So, i am "better" -- but Provigil does NOT work if you have not had any sleep, which is often the case for me as well. Napping at the office is generally frowned upon, let alone constant, uncontrollable sleeping, day after day. If i go a couple of days in a row of little rest, then Provigil does nothing (and in general, i think i'm not responding to it as well as i was in the beginning -- i've fallen asleep countless times while writing this already).

The sleep disorder is ruining my life. since my problems with those two employers, now i'm facing self-esteem issues, not to mention a social-anxiety / panic-disorder i've suffered since childhood (much the reason i became so inclined to abuse drugs and alcohol at performances).

I realize this Topic probably seems irrelevant to this forum, but i really do have a tangible point-- or at least a "real question".

My Question is this:
How does one overcome the Stigma: "abusive personality"?

Are all doctors like this? if not: how do i find someone who is willing to listen to me? someone who is willing to at least give me a chance that i can be responsible?

is it a Malpractice issue? are Doctors "not allowed" to prescribe meds to certain patients?

Does anyone have any advice for "tactics" for resolving such situations? My insurance is a State program called MAWD (medical assistance for workers with disabilities), so the offices i can visit are limited.

What about "groups", like (i'm making this up, but something like..) "the Coalition for Fair, Unbiased Medicine for Recovering Addicts"... ya know?

sorry for all of the text. i will appreciate any replies. mostly-- i'm looking for something i can act upon. i've ranted and raved, and discussed, and blah, blah-- to a nauseating degree. i am so ready for a change.
i wonder if there is any hope?fedoracore39161.899837963