Upcoming Psychiatry appointment. Unmedicated. 31 YO male predented with diagnosis last year ( i think)

Military. Diagnosis made by paying out of pocket to psychologist. Got referral for therapy afterwards. Got appointment thru military to discuss treatment (allegedly). Appointment was about 4 months out. At appointment they immediately questioned the veracity of the diagnosis and basically just said you'll have psychiatrist appointment. That one about a month out, now happening this week.

Overall about a year or so process. Now if the psychiatrist asks me about what meds would i want to start with (should that happen) can anyone say Start with non stim Or start with stim?

With valid reasoning, or experiential reasons?

I am rather sick of my medical system and my trust in them is completely gone.

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[–] 12 points 4 days ago (1 child)

You're assumed a drug addict until proven innocent by the medical system (including pharmacy). They shouldn't ask what meds you want, you're not a doctor, that's their job. If you answer that question they again, may assume your a drug addict. If you did research and think a certain med would work best I'd ask questions about it or try to steer the conversation that way.

Be prepared to defend your disability again, write down the reasons you think you have ADHD and/or need meds to help you do that.

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  • [–] 5 points 4 days ago

    Just remember you're paying them to do a job. Not all of them are great at their job. Sadly you might have to shop around till you find someone good at their job. Just go into default answer mode, if you catch wind they're not going to be in any way helpful for you. It's sad that they are the ones who decided this is the medication or treatment for this particular disorder, and then if you ask for the medication they've deemed necessary, some get a power trip on demonising you for it. If all else fails, Ask a bazillion questions, like you know nothing, you can't have preconceptions, if you have no idea about anything? Maybe? Trust. You know what's up. You know what's right and wrong. Don't let them intimate you, just get outta there if they start messing with you. Save your sanity. Keep at it. You'll find someone.

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  • [–] 6 points 4 days ago

    You will most likely have a process of trying out different medications to find what works best for you. If you have concerns, like a family history of addiction, it is probably worth bringing up in that process. I will say that because the stimulants, at least in US, are a controlled substance getting them requires jumping through more hoops. So that is also something to include in the conversation.

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  • [–] 5 points 4 days ago (1 child)

    Determining what medicine to start with is a very active research topic. If you're very hyperactive, perhaps stimulants are the way to go. If attention deficit is the dominant factor, perhaps try non stimulants first. They pose a lower risk of addiction and supposedly lesser side effects, but that is very dependent on pacient and specific medicine.

    Obligatory I'm not a health professional and this isn't medical advice. Your psychiatrist is the best person to answer these questions.

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 3 days ago (1 child)

    Your psychiatrist is the best person to answer these questions.

    I hope so. I used to have an unshakable trust in medical professionals and now I simply see them as mostly as Potentially idiots Potentially 'evil' maybe narcissist Potentially reasonable Until I see them

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  • [–] 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 child)

    As David_Eight said, it's not for you to determine what meds to use or start with - the doc will have some ideas where to start based on your symptoms and their impression of you.

    They'll probably propose one or two different meds - of you have a concern about one this would be the time to say so. But only from the perspective of your concerns for effectiveness and side effects for you.

    Let the doc guide the med discussion - they're the supposed expert, let them do their job.

    Edit: didn't mean this to sound harsh, just that patients coming with med ideas trigger the "med seeker" warning light for docs, especially in the ADHD world.

    If you focus in the symotoms that concern you, you come across... Sympathetically

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 3 days ago

    Didnt seem harsh, really. Yeah I can understand the drug seeker thought process.

    It seems to me i am concerned with potential problem with respect to other illnesses

    Anxiety-med may be prone to cause apathy Depression-med may increase anxiety or depression(?suicide?) ADHD-may increase anxiety

    Seems like a sliding scale of I care.more about treating anxiety while maybe increasing apathy and depression, or the other way around

    In so far as I am vaguely aware

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