So, ds (18) went to the doc to talk about ADHD...

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

If you recall the previous longagosopleasedon'tmergethethreads discussion, ds has been exhibiting strong symptoms of ADHD without hyperactivity all his life, I was speculating about myself, etc, but mostly I'm concerned about him because 1) he is not focusing at school, 2) he's driving and the stats for unmedicated ADHD drivers are scary -- SCARY, 3) he's not managing time well enough for advanced planning for life because he has almost no sense of time and therefore is unable to prioritize, and 4) he's finally admitting this is a deep problem and is willing to get help/counseling/coaching/meds/whatever.

 

So he goes in, the 1st year resident (no offense to 1st year residents everywhere) told him he didn't have ADHD because of his age. Oooookay. Huh? She did bloodwork to rule out physical causes of his distractability and 13 years of symptoms, and gave him a followup to discuss the results a week before he goes back to college.

 

I was flabbergasted that she didn't even SCREEN him, so after thinking about it for three days (and without even consulting the hive, I am ashamed to admit :D) , I asked his permission to send an email to the doctor and copied his PCP (who, I guess, supervises the resident (??)). Told them I haven't been to but one appt with him since he was 13, that he's lived away from home for the most part since he was 11, that I'm not exactly known for micromanaging this son of mine, but that I wasn't quite sure that what I was hearing was what she meant.

 

I wrote briefly his history. Told them what was going on presently. Told them I only had a bachelors in psych and some volunteer community counseling experience and was only finishing up my RN soon and that I surely did not have the education that they did in this area, but that this person I DO know and that they need to at the very least screen him and at best refer him to someone who specializes in adult ADHD and to do it SOON since if we fritter around here, he'll be back at college and all we'll be able to do is try again next summer. That I didn't need to be in the loop at all, but that they need to PLEASE take another look at this. Call him. HELP! (I was much nicer and subtler and less shrill in the email. :tongue_smilie:)

 

Ds got a call this morning from the resident's supervisor. They're (both) going to see us both Friday, where ds will give them permission to interview me and discuss this all together. So I'll keep you posted.

 

It's so weird that 11 months ago when he was 17, most of his medical information would be completely open to me. Now I can't even make a phone call to advocate on his behalf. I can only imagine the frustration of parents who have kids with mental health issues who are responsible for their insurance but who have no say in their treatment, who can't even question diagnoses or force their grown child to get a second opinion. Yikes.

[Ria]

Good for you, Pam! It is weird dealing with the medical community after your kids turn 18, isn't it? Heck, even for a broken toe the docs look at my son and ask him if they can include me in their discussions. Yikes.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

Good for you for getting in there and getting results. I can't believe there was no screening done in the first place. That just seems a little odd.

 

By the way, how was the final?

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

By the way, how was the final?

 

I'm not sure. I know of seven questions that I missed, and I can miss up to fifteen and still get a B in this class. So I'm not sweating it TOO much. It's over, and that's the main thing! LOL!

 

It seems like when I miss a question and then go back and look it up, I forever and ever remember that material. As far as learning goes, getting a question wrong on an exam seems to be a sure-fire way to cement the info in my brain! :glare:

[Kelli in TN]

I think some doctors are concerned about prescribing these meds to college students, esp if they don't have a working relationship with the patient and/or family.

 

If my daughter wanted to, she could make a great deal of money selling her Adderall on campus. We are talking a LOT of money. Her old roommate (the crazy one we managed to get her away from) snorted her personal Adderall prescription up her nose. Yep. She would grind it up and snort it. My daughter was always careful to hide her Adderall from that crazy roommate.

 

 

I am glad you are going to the appt. too. I did not have to do that with my daughter, but her Adderall is prescribed for her by the doctor who delivered her.

 

Incidentally, I have been sending my 17 year old to the doctor by herself for a year now! I just write a note outlining what is and is not okay and sign it. She takes care of her own medical care and I am a phone call away if needed. I think it is good practice to learn to take charge of these things before they are on their own.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

I think some doctors are concerned about prescribing these meds to college students, esp if they don't have a working relationship with the patient and/or family.

 

If my daughter wanted to, she could make a great deal of money selling her Adderall on campus. We are talking a LOT of money. Her old roommate (the crazy one we managed to get her away from) snorted her personal Adderall prescription up her nose. Yep. She would grind it up and snort it. My daughter was always careful to hide her Adderall from that crazy roommate.

 

 

I am glad you are going to the appt. too. I did not have to do that with my daughter, but her Adderall is prescribed for her by the doctor who delivered her.

 

Incidentally, I have been sending my 17 year old to the doctor by herself for a year now! I just write a note outlining what is and is not okay and sign it. She takes care of her own medical care and I am a phone call away if needed. I think it is good practice to learn to take charge of these things before they are on their own.

 

I agree about independent appointments. Any amount of independence we can give then is a major boost to later confidence, IMO. They won't skip healthcare because they can't figure out how to navigate the system.

 

We've had that conversation about ritalin and adderal, he and I. We've talked about safeguarding meds, etc. Thanks to your reminder, if he is prescribed meds, we will have the conversation again, as he is VERY relaxed about leaving his stuff about.

 

The fact that this is a new practice for us is certainly a factor, I'm thinking, but we've never had continuity of care for more than two years, EVER. You guys are so very lucky to have roots.

[cin]

I think some doctors are concerned about prescribing these meds to college students, esp if they don't have a working relationship with the patient and/or family.

 

If my daughter wanted to, she could make a great deal of money selling her Adderall on campus. We are talking a LOT of money. Her old roommate (the crazy one we managed to get her away from) snorted her personal Adderall prescription up her nose. Yep. She would grind it up and snort it. My daughter was always careful to hide her Adderall from that crazy roommate.

 

 

Yup. It can be a BIG business. When I went on vacation, I kept my bottle of adderall on my body at all times.

 

In addtion, be aware that it is a HIGHLY controlled substance, and a Pain in the Rear to get. The Dr. has to write the Rx every month, and it has to be PICKED UP at the Dr. Office. Not Mailed. AND we can't use the mail order pharmacy plan we have for this. (As a result, I had to go on the generic, because of the prices!!).

 

BTW, I was diagnosed at age 43. While your son is 18, he still needs some guidance and learning in navigating this bizarre thing we call the Health Care Network.

[Elisabeth in IL]

I'm glad you were able to get a relook at your son. I see such a big difference in my dh and 10 1/2 year old when on meds and when they're not.

[lwilliams1922]

Pam,

how did this play out?

I'm not sure if you started another thread or not.??

 

my dd is 12 and even now i am sooooo scared of her being away at college. She's bright but cant walk to the bathroom without getting distracted. sigh...

 

We moved and I took her off meds for a year ( to see how we could manage without).

 

I'm trying to get her back on in a new town/state and it's sooooo hard.

[susie in tx]

 

BTW, I was diagnosed at age 43. While your son is 18, he still needs some guidance and learning in navigating this bizarre thing we call the Health Care Network.

 

I was diagnosed after I'd had my second daughter. However, I was still nursing, so I didn't take any of the meds. One day, when I'm not nursing or pregnant or both, I'd like to do a trial of some sort of medication, just to see what kind of life I might have without the blasted distractability.

 

_Driven to Distraction_ by Hallowell was a life saver for me at the time.

[lwilliams1922]

I was diagnosed after I'd had my second daughter. However, I was still nursing, so I didn't take any of the meds. One day, when I'm not nursing or pregnant or both, I'd like to do a trial of some sort of medication, just to see what kind of life I might have without the blasted distractability.

 

_Driven to Distraction_ by Hallowell was a life saver for me at the time.

 

 

I have _Driven to Distraction_ and deliverd from distration.

I've been too distracted to read more than a page at a time. :(

I guess it does run in families.

 

Take a person with attenion/organization issues then give them a child with the same attenion/organization issues.

 

what an 'interesting' mix

[susie in tx]

I have _Driven to Distraction_ and deliverd from distration.

I've been too distracted to read more than a page at a time. :(

I guess it does run in families.

 

 

 

Get it on tape from the library. :001_smile:

[kalanamak]

 

It's so weird that 11 months ago when he was 17, most of his medical information would be completely open to me. Now I can't even make a phone call to advocate on his behalf. I can only imagine the frustration of parents who have kids with mental health issues who are responsible for their insurance but who have no say in their treatment, who can't even question diagnoses or force their grown child to get a second opinion. Yikes.

 

Keep in mind, as we keep telling ourselves at work, we can't call and ask a family member questions without the patient's permission, but if they call US, we can listen to anything they want to say. We can't give out info or ask, but we can listen. It is often like a boil under pressure, they are so happy to talk, so needing to talk, and sometimes it is very difficult because they are so angry at "the system" or have mental issues themselves, but often I've gotten just what we need to know with nothing more than "I'm sorry, I can't even acknowledge that your son is my patient, but I CAN listen to anything you want to tell me". Winkwink/nudgenudge.

 

So a polite reminder that you'll keep yourself to statements, not questions, and that this is perfectly okay might reassure them. Best of luck.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

 

So a polite reminder that you'll keep yourself to statements, not questions, and that this is perfectly okay might reassure them. Best of luck.

 

Thanks for this.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

Pam,

how did this play out?

I'm not sure if you started another thread or not.??

 

my dd is 12 and even now i am sooooo scared of her being away at college. She's bright but cant walk to the bathroom without getting distracted. sigh...

 

We moved and I took her off meds for a year ( to see how we could manage without).

 

I'm trying to get her back on in a new town/state and it's sooooo hard.

 

I missed your question, but well, it happened that we (yes we, ds asked that I go along to the appt) went in and talked to the physician and the house psych who recommended that because ds was apparently managing (??????????? ARGH!) that he try to find a provider for neurofeedback, which he said is very promising and works amazingly well for many people. I agree that it is. Unfortunately, there is no money for this, and our insurance does not cover it. And to get to the nearest provider, he'd have to drive to Indianapolis. (Did I mention that one of the things that freaks me out most about this is that he's a new driver AND distractible?)

 

So he's self-medicating with caffeine and trying to get more sleep and have a more regular schedule.

 

And I have had exactly one email from him in over a month, so I suppose no news is good news. ?

 

He says he'll call this weekend, so I'll find out how he's managing, I guess.

 

College... well, I tell you, this is the kid that was in boarding school the day he turned eleven. He managed, but barely.

 

I applaud you for finding this and getting meds early. Without the hyperactivity, it was very hard for me to see that this was a possibility for ds. *sigh* Ah well.

 

But do look into neurofeedback. I read very good things about it.

[lwilliams1922]

I am a HUGE fan of natural treatments/non medicinal. That is what i was doing for the last year while she was off meds.

 

It just not possible to pay out of pocket for these things.

 

sigh....

 

Have you looked at finding another dr that will evaluate him for ADHD?

I know my ins did pay for a full battery of testing that took 2 days.

It was clearly evident what her issues were.

 

when dd was 8 I paid out of pocket for one of these. I forgot how much it was but I was working at the time and things werent as tight.

 

I found out 2 yrs later that the new ins plan covered it so they did one and came to the same DX.

 

can you find a pysch around your home or his school that treats ADHD and accepts your ins? They should be more likely to order any necessary testing.

[Kelli in TN]

I

 

So he's self-medicating with caffeine and trying to get more sleep and have a more regular schedule.

 

 

 

Can you see another doctor? I am as anti-medication as anyone, but Adderall has helped my college girl so much. She can focus, she can study, it is a very good thing.

[asta]

Neurofeedback? For a college kid? Give me an effing break.

 

I'll tell you exactly what is going on here: those docs know that there is a HUGE illegal drug trade on college campuses for stimulants. When your kid came in and wasn't a) bouncing off the walls or b) dragging in an inch thick prior treatment folder, they decided that he was a slacker looking for both an easy way out of a hard work load and some fast cash.

 

Which is CRAP because there are non stim ADD meds (Strattera) and the newer formulations of stims are in extended release which, if you try to crush them, don't work. This has been done specifically to counteract the drug trade.

 

You need to get your kid to a doc who is NOT near a university for a diagnosis. Kid doesn't need to continue getting scripts filled from said doc (the dx and scripts can be transferred to a new doc or the university health center), but you need to get the initial Dx out of the university "loop". Universities and their surrounding areas are so gun-shy regarding controlled substances at this point it isn't even funny. It isn't even just stims, they are also flipping out over any drug that is scheduled. Which is pathetic, because very basic drugs like some anti-convulsants are scheduled as well.

 

 

asta