this post was submitted on 13 Nov 2024
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[–] [email protected] 101 points 1 month ago (8 children)

It took almost 2 fucking years after my first initial appointment to get properly medicated.

I'd literally kill myself if I was forced to do it all again.

You "just go see a doctor"–folk have no idea how fucking difficult it is to 1). actually be seen by a competent doctor, 2). be taken seriously, 3). and actually receive treatment for mental health stuff.

That's not even including the whole "getting out of a shit enough headspace to actually do all that stuff in the first place."

Unmedicated me felt like wading through hell.

Be kind to those with different chemistry. Shit sucks.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I want medication for my ADHD and instead the doctors I would see kept trying different antidepressants. None of them helped. In fact most just added more problems, like not being able to get an erection, weight gain, and fatigue. I would tell them and they would either switch to a different antidepressant or up the dosage.

I know the cause of my depression and I want to treat that; not the fucking symptoms of depression itself. But I also have shitty insurance that's only accepted by 2 different networks of health care where I am, and they are so understaffed for the mental health shit that making an appointment anywhere is always 6 to 8 months away, and even if you show up the doctor might not.

[–] QualifiedKitten 1 points 1 month ago

I'm so sorry. I went through something similar myself, including one doctor who told me that I couldn't possibly have ADHD since people with ADHD supposedly don't get depressed. I tried being patient and played along for quite a while and have been through so many antidepressants. It wasn't until my mid-20s, and dropping out of college twice that I finally got anyone to listen to me. Cherry on the cake? Suddenly my parents finally believed me, and my youngest sibling was diagnosed shortly after.

I would suggest calling around some places that aren't covered by your insurance (specifically psychiatrists that list ADHD as a specialty), as they may offer lower prices for "self pay" patients. I think the one I saw when I was uninsured charged under $100/visit, and once we found a good dosage, they'd write me 3 months worth of prescriptions at a time. Now that I have a formal diagnosis and a history of being prescribed ADHD medication, getting a new doctor to prescribe the same medication has been much easier.

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