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Monthly Psychiatrist Visits Can Turn Into Quarterly Visits
I understand your frustrations "FireplaceNut". I was diagnosed in 1995 with ADHD having taken any and all written tests and exercises available at the time, and since that time. There's no doubt about the diagnosis. Initially, I was made into a "science experiment" as doctors back then didn't really know how to treat ADD/ADHD. I went through some very tough and sometimes intolerable meds, some of which I could not take for the 6-8 week period needed to determine the med's effectiveness. It wasn't until 2000 or so when I finally found a psychiatrist who actually put some science into his treatments. What a novel idea! At first, the meds he put me on had to be closely monitored. And, like you, I had to go monthly and pay the price for the visits and multiple meds. I was also seeing psychologists monthly. But I never did find one who was "effective". That may have been me, and not their fault. I have to think that as all psychologists can't be inneffective in their specialty field of ADD/ADHD. Due to the expenses, and not getting anywhere, I had to stop seeing the psychologists. The meds finally got "fine-tuned" enough for the effects to stabilize over a long term. For the last 4-5 years, I've only had to go see the psychiatrist for quarterly visits. The insurance plan provides for buying 90-day supplies of mail-order meds at the price of what 2 months would normally cost. With only one visit every 3 months, and the savings on the meds, the savings overall were, and are substantial. But one benefit stands out that most don't have. I have an email dialog with my doctor between visits should any issues arise, or I need a meds refill that fell out of my quarterly cycle. Most often, I have an answer back within a day or two. I can't say enough about my doctor in regards to the "over and above" support he has given me for several years now.
So, to answer your question, yes, you must be monitored monthly. Just hopefully not for the long-term. If things stabilize enough, you should be able to go quarterly at some point. However, meds will only do so much. I've found the hard way that no matter what the meds, life can be, and is for me, a daily struggle. I've found that although co-workers and others tell me they understand, they really don't. Very often, I get cornered into situations that a "normal" person would resolve quickly. I tend to just make things worse by not being quick on my feet with answers, and letting anxiety get the better part of me. The "anxiety" part of the big picture was cause for me to get on meds that don't have stimulents. I did take Concerta for a good long while.....at the maximum dosage. Then came a time when I felt that I was "slipping". With the doctor's approval, I tapered off of the Concerta down to zero. No difference! I guess my body had become immune.......who knows. I did get started on Vyvanse about 6 months ago. Although starting out at a "starter" dose, I felt that it was helping with the focus. I've since gone from 50 mg/day to 70mg/day. There's a very noticable difference in my ability to focus. I take NO caffeine at all as I did with the Concerta to give me a little "kick-start" in the morning. Just a soda would be enough. If I do that now, the anxiety kicks in real fast! I don't know if I'll have the dosage increased again next quarter. Whatever happens, it still doesn't help with the other issues of ADD/ADHD such as my LD, anxiety, extremely poor (and diagnosed as such) short-term memory, and extremely poor social skills. Those, I've been unable to resolve. And as such, I live pretty much an empty life outside of my hi-tech work that I do enjoy and excel at. I pray that I never have to face a competitive job interview at this stage of my life. For whatever reason, I never have had to face that over the course of life. But life outside of work has ceased to exist at this point. Anxiety continues to be a huge factor. But, nothing I've been able to do to take care of that. Lifestyle changes, as suggested by the psychologists, just didn't sink in. At their recommendation, I read several books on ADD/ADHD. However, after reading them, I couldn't remember what I read. A book written to teach memory skills worked to a point......in chapter 8 out of 30 something. To this day, I'm still unable to get past that point. A each chapter builds on the chapters before, simply skipping that chapter wouldn't solve anything. So, although the concepts provided by psychologists sounded reasonable at the time, it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks.............a brick wall in my case.
I wish you the best of luck "FireplaceNut" as you move forward. I'm hoping that if you reply to this thread, I'll get an email notification. Else I may not find my way back here. I'm open to emailing to help answer your questions and concerns, but only if email addresses can be kept hidden from the general thread. There's a lot more that I can share, if it will help.
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2 Oct 2009 @ 5:39 PM
3 Oct 2009 @ 1:21 PM