Second Opinion for Adderall presciption/ADD Diagnosis??
Question: A few days ago I visited my college health center due to concerns regarding procrastination, inability to concentrate, facial tics, impulsivity, and social anxiety stemming from the possibility of ticking during a conversation. The doctor diagnosed me with ADD/ADHD and prescribed me with Adderall (20 mg XL in morning and 10 mg in early afternoon). I have since taken the Adderall and have noticed my issues have been alleviated. Ironically, even the facial tics have subsided.
Although I was diagnosed and prescribed this medication by a general doctor, should I consult a psychiatrist to confirm the diagnosis?
Answers: If you had symptoms, and the medication relieves them, does it really matter whether or not you really have ADHD? It's not as though there's some specific abnormality in the brains of people with ADHD that is corrected by stimulants, or they'll do something bad if you don't have ADHD that they won't do if you do. It treats the symptoms, not the cause, so if you have symptoms, and the medication relieves them, there's no harm in taking the medication.
The only reason you'd need a second opinion from a psychiatrist would be if you tried several treatments for ADHD and did not have a positive response. That would suggest that there is likely something else going on, and it would be worth taking a closer look to figure it out. But if the meds are working and you're not having any problems, I'd recommend leaving well enough alone. Especially since you run the risk that the psychiatrist will say you *don't* have ADHD, and they will be unwilling to prescribe Adderall for an off-label use to treat whatever they think it *really* is until you've exhaused all possible treatments for whatever you *really* have.
Psychiatric diagnoses are essentially a matter of matching symptoms to things in the DSM, rather than gathering physical data from blood tests or such. The human brain is a complicated thing, and just because your symptoms match up nicely to some list of symptoms doesn't mean that the actual cause of those symptoms can't be something totally different. Treatment of psychiatric disorders is a matter of relieving the symptoms, which may or may not be accomplished in a way that has anything to do with the original cause. So if you had symptoms that were bothering you, and the medication you're taking relieves them without causing problematic side effects, it doesn't really matter how well your symptoms match the ones listed in the DSM for the disorder that the medication is intended for. Whether or not it's really ADHD, it's definitely something, and Adderall is clearly effective at treating it. Let them call it whatever they want. There's no point in wasting your time and money asking other people what they want to cal it unless you're also asking them how to treat it.
But just to clarify from one of the previous answers, responding well to stimulants does NOT confirm that you have ADHD, and stimulants do NOT have a reverse effect in people with ADHD compared to the general population. It's clinically proven that stimulants improve concetration and focus in non-ADHD patients as well. Some people, primarily college students, abuse stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin for exactly that reason (taking them at approximately therapeutic doses, but without a prescription).
Adderall is the crack of antidepressants. Your brain remembers it and likes it, in time your doses will have to be increased due to your body wanting it. It really sucks and the withdrawl of it is worse. Google the side effects of it and then make your own choice as to wheather you would want to stay on it.
because of your age( being in college) and the fact that the adderal is working proves to me that the diagnosis is correct. an adult without ADHD would speed from adderral as it is a stimulant. it has an opposite effect on people with adhd.
btw, my daughter went on it this past year, and i got a note today in the mail that she is on the honor roll! last year at this time, i wondered if she would even pass!
Although I was diagnosed and prescribed this medication by a general doctor, should I consult a psychiatrist to confirm the diagnosis?
Answers: If you had symptoms, and the medication relieves them, does it really matter whether or not you really have ADHD? It's not as though there's some specific abnormality in the brains of people with ADHD that is corrected by stimulants, or they'll do something bad if you don't have ADHD that they won't do if you do. It treats the symptoms, not the cause, so if you have symptoms, and the medication relieves them, there's no harm in taking the medication.
The only reason you'd need a second opinion from a psychiatrist would be if you tried several treatments for ADHD and did not have a positive response. That would suggest that there is likely something else going on, and it would be worth taking a closer look to figure it out. But if the meds are working and you're not having any problems, I'd recommend leaving well enough alone. Especially since you run the risk that the psychiatrist will say you *don't* have ADHD, and they will be unwilling to prescribe Adderall for an off-label use to treat whatever they think it *really* is until you've exhaused all possible treatments for whatever you *really* have.
Psychiatric diagnoses are essentially a matter of matching symptoms to things in the DSM, rather than gathering physical data from blood tests or such. The human brain is a complicated thing, and just because your symptoms match up nicely to some list of symptoms doesn't mean that the actual cause of those symptoms can't be something totally different. Treatment of psychiatric disorders is a matter of relieving the symptoms, which may or may not be accomplished in a way that has anything to do with the original cause. So if you had symptoms that were bothering you, and the medication you're taking relieves them without causing problematic side effects, it doesn't really matter how well your symptoms match the ones listed in the DSM for the disorder that the medication is intended for. Whether or not it's really ADHD, it's definitely something, and Adderall is clearly effective at treating it. Let them call it whatever they want. There's no point in wasting your time and money asking other people what they want to cal it unless you're also asking them how to treat it.
But just to clarify from one of the previous answers, responding well to stimulants does NOT confirm that you have ADHD, and stimulants do NOT have a reverse effect in people with ADHD compared to the general population. It's clinically proven that stimulants improve concetration and focus in non-ADHD patients as well. Some people, primarily college students, abuse stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin for exactly that reason (taking them at approximately therapeutic doses, but without a prescription).
Adderall is the crack of antidepressants. Your brain remembers it and likes it, in time your doses will have to be increased due to your body wanting it. It really sucks and the withdrawl of it is worse. Google the side effects of it and then make your own choice as to wheather you would want to stay on it.
because of your age( being in college) and the fact that the adderal is working proves to me that the diagnosis is correct. an adult without ADHD would speed from adderral as it is a stimulant. it has an opposite effect on people with adhd.
btw, my daughter went on it this past year, and i got a note today in the mail that she is on the honor roll! last year at this time, i wondered if she would even pass!
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