No DX yet & Suffering ADHD symptoms | ADHD Information

Thanks to Strattera and it's massive marketing scheme ADHD is much more recognised in adults, much easier to be taken seriously, and much easier to get a general practioner to treat you.  Eighty-five percent of all pharmaceuticals are prescribed by GP's.

Is there anyone on the board that has not been diagnosed yet with ADHD?

I am stuck between a rock and a hard place right now due to the difficulties I am now facing since I returned to college.  Technically, I haven't been dx, but am suffering mostly all the symptoms associated with ADHD.  Procrastinating and being nearly unable to concentrate on what I need to get done are the two biggies.  I keep telling myself to get up and do what I must, but some days it's impossible.  And because I do not have the dx from a doctor I don't qualify for the assistance available from the college.  What am I going to do in the meantime?  I know that I am on a rollercoaster heading straight downhill and there's nothing I can do to avert the disaster facing me.     

If anyone has gone through this in-between time before being dx, I would be greatful if you shared the experience on how you handled it. 

Thanks.

Yes, we in the US prefer to use our money to bomb people, or something 

Sorry.... that's not really very funny, is it?
It's funny if you're a defense contractor I imagine 

Oh, and to the OP:  Try pseudoephedrine!  Really.  It's *very* similar to adderall, same chemical family.
RandomUser38399.4901736111Ladyhope, I haven't been diagnosed yet. I'm 26 years old, and throught my adult life I've joked here and there that "I must have ADD", whenever I've spaced out of a conversation or found myself daydreaming at work. This is very similar to a person who has forgotten something and jokes that they must have Alhzeimers. I didn't think I had ADD for real, any more than those people thought they had Alhzeimers for real. ADD was something that was only dx'd in overactive, disruptive children, afterall.

Then one day I was surfing the internet and happened upon a message board for Adults with ADD. I thought, "Adults can have ADD??" So I started some searching, and found several articles on the topic. I read each one with a hand over my mouth, thinking "this is it. This is what I have".

The most important diagnostic criteria was that the person had to have shown evidence of ADD as a child. I was always a quiet dreamer, but my grades were good so I wasn't sure. Then I got out my old report cards and was floored again. "Doesn't concentrate", "daydreams too much", "forgets to do her homework", "doesn't participate in class discussions", "doesn't work well in groups". I didn't remember any of that stuff being said about me.

Anyway, long story short (too late), I went to my family doctor 2 weeks ago. She agreed my "symptoms" were consistent with ADD, so she has referred me to a psychiatrist. I'm extremely nervous about seeing him, but I think it is an important step. I don't know when my appointment is yet - he is going to call me.

Why don't you see about getting a formal diagnosis? You've got nothing to lose. Knowing for sure and being able to get help will only result in good things!
[quote]You've got nothing to lose.[/quote]

You do, though.  The testing is really expensive.  I hope your insurance doesn't suck as much as mine :(

Anyway, I haven't been diagnosed yet, and even though it's terribly expensive it's probably worth it.  I have an appointment later this month.

Self medicating with pseudoephedrine has been very good for me.  60mg doesn't quite do it, 90mg seems about right.  I can't take it with caffeine though-- if I do, I get a euphoric buzz that, while extremely nice, is very distracting and not conductive to getting anything done.
[QUOTE=RandomUser][quote]You've got nothing to lose.[/quote]

You do, though.  The testing is really expensive.  I hope your insurance doesn't suck as much as mine :(
[/QUOTE]

Sorry, I live in Canada. Many of us here take our free health care for granted soemtimes, and forget that un-insured folks in the US have to pay to see their doctor for the sniffles. I apologize.

sh*t I just lost everything I typed. Well pretty much I was in this same boat five months ago. Came to school and hadn't been for a year, couldn't do any homework. It wasnt really that I didnt want to do the homework either, it almost seemed like I was just incapable. Anyways, I went to a phscyologist, (halfway through the semester). I got diagnosed like a week or 2 before finals. Make a long story short. . . My grades were like a lot of f's and a d and maybe a c or 2? There's nothing the school can do about it any of that because I wasn't diagnosed at the time, even though there was still two weeks of the semester left you don't get to go back and retake a test or anything at all like that, it's against the law and what not. Now I am in the spring semester, and I have all A's! It's true, and it's all thanks to my medication and time management classes. Well I forgot where I was going with this. Here's what I learned. . . I called my insurance provider and asked them where to go for mental health. They told me where to go and I had to drive eight miles to get there but they still didnt pay for it, and I had to wait three months or so between all three of the visits. So insurance companies suck and it took way too damn long. Later, I found out that they offer tons of this testing at the school free of charge. Now I'm not sure what school you go to or anything like that, but you should look into that. It would have taken like a week instead of half the semester (and 0 cheaper). Yea and failing sucked, so I would advise you do everything fast, and trust me I know how hard it is. Now I get twice as long on tests and like some free counseling from the school and what not, if it's there use it, everyone at my school has been of great help. About the in-between stuff. I know a lot of people self medicate with caffeine, if a cup of coffee calms you down or helps you focus, then grab on and take it to the bottom of the library where you won't sight another human for hours. Another great way to study while unmedicated is if you study for ten minutes and then take five minutes off. Just keep on doing that, use a timer if you have to. Even if the ten minutes is up and you are still working just stop and put it down. This uses your hyperfocusing while under pressure (procrastination) to your advantage and the last two or three minutes of the ten can be extremely productive. Also, don't procrastinate; use positive reinforcement of rewarding yourself for doing something early rather than the negative reinforcement of a drop in anxiety (natural high) that you will get right after you take a test you procrastinated for. That's all the stuff I learned from my counselor after everything was over. So sorry I just rambled so much, I just hope I can help you from getting into the situation I was recently in.

Paul