Mental Health

Well done for pushing for this and following through. Getting a diagnosis in itself must be a real weight off.

And the pills? Just see how they go but don't be shy about telling them they don't work and you are allowed to do your own research and discuss treatment options. Ritalin and similar medications (like Focalin) have a bit of a bad reputation but they can work effectively, so give them enough time, however, if they don't work look at alternatives, including off-label ones - modafinil has been used as an alternative, for example.

Good luck.

Thank you for the good advice. I am certainly nervous about taking stimulants but I won’t give up if this doesn’t help.

I'm so glad you're checking back in with an update! And it's good news you have found a psychiatrist willing to take the time to work with you. And that you have a handle on what's "off," and a starting point to getting you back on track.

SSRIs, as you know, suppress the re-uptake (grab that molecule & recycle its components) of seratonin, the happy-feel molecule. SNRIs suppress the re-uptake of seratonin, and norepinephrine as well, essentially adreneline (the "I can face the day with confidence" molecule, which in larger amounts becomes "I wanna bite your head off" molecule.) In other words, it will probably feel different than a straight SSRI—I hope in ways that address the discomfort you had previously.

I'm not familiar with the other Rx you mentioned; but again, it sounds like your doc is starting with small doses. Always a plus to start out conservatively and see how they affect you.

I'm happy for you!

How did your evaluation go? I hope well.

Incidentally, while I hope SNRIs work for you, they can be somewhat rougher to get off. If you ever decide to stop them, make sure to do so with the backing of medical pros, and take it nice and slow. Purely anecdotally, I found that mine worsened my anxiety a bit compared to SSRI - but you might not have that issue at all, or it might be a decent tradeoff still.

Happy to hear your story. Getting that initial diagnosis is difficult. I kept being told that there was nothing wrong with me and the GP refusing to make a referral. I gave up with our health service and paid for a psychiatrist diagnosis. Even that was an extremely anxious time because up to that point everyone had denied that ADHD had anything to do with my lack of executive function. I went into the interview thinking they would deny the evidence. No wonder we typically have poor self esteem. The experience has radicalised my view of society in general. We are really bad at treating mental health and need to reckon with it.

So glad you came back with an update, and that it wasn't quite as bad as you thought it would be I hope your meds work out well for you. If they don't, I'm sure you can let the doctor know and they will switch you to something else.