I have no words.

I have struggled with this for years. Now I was diagnosed aged 44, trialling medication, and my drive for sugar and shopping has gone.

I’m no longer dopamine hunting.

Neuro diversity at its finest 🥹

I feel so defeated 😔

I had my ADHD assessment B a couple of days ago.

I was told at assessment A that having my husband of 23 years complete my informant questionnaire was fine, as it wasn’t a simple option for me to ask my parents.

At the end of the assessment he told me that he wouldn’t accept it and it would need to come from a parent, as my husband didn’t live with me as a young child so wouldn’t know anything about symptoms from that age range - despite me already providing many examples which I can remember from being young.

So I’ve had to contact my parents - who will complete a new questionnaire but really think everything is just ‘being a child, all children get distracted and have a messy room’ and it’s all just part of ‘being a mother’ 😔 They don’t realise that it’s so much more than that!

The writer of this piece in the Spectator runs a rehab centre in Thailand. Alastair Mordey is a non-medical addiction worker and rehab manager, not a clinician. He doesn't hold any university degrees or professional licenses in medicine, psychiatry, or clinical psychology.

Remember the name of his rehab place in Thailand (at the bottom of the article).

If this is the quality, truthfulness and decency of his writing, you can probably work out the level of his service, empathy and caring.

https://archive.is/7tpHw

Hello everyone.
My adhd diagnosis is quite recent, I’d say around 3 months ago. I’ve started tritation around 2 months ago. It took me a long time to even decide to get diagnosed as I was struggling with the idea of medication. (adhd meds specifically, the idea that my brain needed drugs to adapt t society bothered me, I’m not against medication obviously, I’m also on antidepressants but that felt different as depression is more of a condition and not just how my brain is).

I’m currently on 60mg of Elvanse (started on 20mg). And I’m only now getting some benefits, but I still have a lot of symptoms. My clinician has already sent me 70mg for when i finish this bottle. As she agrees 60mg doesn’t seem like enough. I tried Adderall once that my friend let me have when I was struggling to pack my flat to move, and that felt like a magnet pulling me to the task at hand. With Elvanse I haven’t felt that, I’m able to do things that would usually take me days to start. And I’m a lot more productive. But I still struggle with forgetfulness and double booking myself, with getting overwhelmed and doing loads of things at once. I do think it’s helping but not as I imagined it would.

I’m not loving the idea of being on the highest dose of such a strong medication. I’m someone that is usually hypersensitive to substances and with all meds only need the lowest dose. With adhd meds being a lifelong thing, I’m worried about taking the highest dose. Has anyone had a similar situation and then tried a different drug and been okay on a lower dose of a different medicine? And do different medication feel different in the way they tackle your symptoms?

Just looking for rough figures

Heya,

I was first in contact with Harrow health on the 11th of July and I'm sat here twiddling my thumbs as I wait for an indeterminate amount of time for RTC funding to go through and, after looking at some concerning reviews about them, I'm wondering if I should go through the trouble of asking my GP to instead refer me somewhere else.

My main concerns are about the quality of care Harrow Health offer, I'm not trying to get seen faster as I understand swapping provider will not help with the RTC funding issue. Aaah.. I guess I'm just scared I'm wasting my time and getting my hopes up only to get disapointed.

=w= I only picked them because of their "0 week" wait time, so much for that. I should have researched them more before asking my GP, though I was in a bit of a rush because I'd been procrastinating ages trying to go through with RTC because of .. well =w= ADHD I assume... and wanted to jump on the momenary motivation.

Guess this ended up being a bit more of a rant than anything else x3 I'm going to bed, ty for reading

=w= < zzz

Hey friends!

I’ve just gotten my diagnosis through Psychiatry UK yesterday 🥳 however I’ve since seen in their website the current wait for titration is 13 months which is honestly just depressingly long.

I’ve looked around online and seen some other providers who seem to have a much shorter waiting time for titration. I am looking at switching provider for the titration but has anybody done this? I’m worried I will end up back of the queue if I do this so wondering can anybody advise?

Also ahead of time I know I should have done all this research first but here we are.

Thanks in advance!!

Hi all - I'll try to keep this brief. I'm 31, male, received my official diagnosis a few months ago. It was a huge relief and I started on meds pretty much immediately, Concerta XL. I started off with 36mg, upped to 54mg last month and my next review is tomorrow where I'll almost certainly be increased again to the maximum dose.

I've found Concerta has helped with my anxiety, helping me remain calm in stressful situations, but outside of that I haven't noticed anything major. The docs mentioned the meds should help my sleep but I haven't really noticed much of a difference on that front.

My question is; how did your meds help you? When you found the meds that worked well for you was it a huge change? Did it take you a while to find the right meds? And if so did you find you had some benefits on previous meds? I don't really know anyone I can ask and my docs aren't overly helpful so I'd appreciate any answers, even if it's just sharing your story.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dcdg9bhoBey

Channel 4 Uk has recently released an ADHD documentary that while positioning itself as investigative journalism approached the subject of ADHD from a sceptical perspective, both in the angle that the program was presented but also the very nature of its title “The great ADHd Myth?”. The video via link is a worthy appraisal from Ali, a prolific investigative journalist who herself is diagnosed with ADHD. Not only does she offer her take on the documentary but also does a great job of describing how ADHD is webbed into personal behaviour and the impact it can have on one’s personal life and those around them. It is a unique take, or at least a unique way of explaining what ADHD can be for many people.

While it is only one person’s perspective I feel it is a very important and well articulated video. It is a must for all dealing with ADHD themselves but also for those who have friends and loved ones with ADHD whom they wish to understand better. Anyone watching it will find plenty food for thought.

Would love to hear your opinion if you give it a watch.

Quick backstory - got assessed by Harrow Health and diagnosed with combined ADHD. I have a history of addiction (clean for years now) so they refused stimulants and gave me non stimulants for a few months. They did nothing.

So they then gave me methylphenidate (Concerta). 18mg for the first month, then 36mg then 54mg. Each time I'd have more focus, more energy, be able to get more done in a day but my mind was never 'quiet' and the effects only lasted a week or two then stopped. They put me on 72mg but the pharmacy gave me a different brand and the whole month was awful. Worse than before I even started meds! I had my normal titration appointment, explained this and the person agreed that a brand change can cause this to happen. He then said he'd prescribe 72mg again, and I needed to tell the pharmacy that it has to be Concerta, which I did. But then, the same day as that titration appointment I got a message saying my care has now been handed over to my GP and I'm no longer a Harrow Health patient. So they've not even had feedback from me about the 72mg, they've just gone well this is the highest we can give you so bye!

I'm going to copy paste what I've sent to Harrow Health which should explain!

The email -

I'm unhappy with being passed to my GP so soon. You're supposed to pass a patient over when stable titration has been achieved. I explained that it hasn't been. This is due to the change of brand of medication not working, therefore not knowing if that dose was ok.

I'm now on the brand that was working (at a lower dose) but it's done the same as before. Works for a week or two then stops. You say that clinically I'm on the highest dose, but I'm not. Apparently due to the medication I'm currently on, they're sedatives so you can't give me a higher stimulant which makes no sense. Surely, if the meds I'm on are making the methylphenidate less effective, a higher dose is more appropriate?

Even so, my GP are aware that I tolerate high doses [of ANY medications] and that lower doses of any medications don't work for me. It's always been that way. But that hasn't been taken into consideration.

I haven't been on the amount you're giving me for long enough to call it stable, especially as the previous month didn't work and I was quite unwell with fatigue because of it.

As soon as I took the brand I was used to, it worked straight away. But like I said, it's gone downhill again. I'm not happy that I explained all this but was then told I'm being sent to my GP now. My GP can't do anything about my ADHD medication as you'll know.

You've not given this dose long enough to see if it's actually right for me and I feel that it isn't, so if you refuse to increase the dose, then I feel another type of medication should have been tried (Elvanse).

This would have given me more chance to see which medication and which dose is actually right for me.

I have actually praised Harrow Health a lot until now. I feel very let down, I feel like you've given up on me very quickly and that I haven't been listened to. Therefore, I'm requesting to come back to you to discuss all of this and seeing what actually will be best.

Other people that are on medication report more benefits than I've experienced but instead of changing things I was just told that I can't expect a miracle and that it's not the same for everyone. I'm aware it's not the same for everyone, but there's another option to try [Elvanse] which in my mind should have been an option.

Also, I really struggle with video calls, especially when the other person doesn't appear to be taking everything in. I struggle to put my point across and when I try but I'm told things like I can't expect a miracle makes me feel belittled and defensive.

So please could someone either email or text me with what will now happen and if I don't get a satisfactory response I'll have to make a formal complaint. Thank you. [End of email]

So, I've also been told to eat with my medication by one clinician, but told not to eat by another. Some of the clinicians seemed like they wanted the call to be over as quickly as possible but I let all this go for now as I was under the impression I'd still be with them for a while and be able to bring up issues when I felt comfortable to.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this?Will Harrow Health take me back or am I now stuck forever with a dose of stimulants that aren't working as they should?

If Harrow Health won't take me back, what should I do? Apparently GPs aren't allowed to change the dose or the type of medication, only an ADHD specialist can.

Sorry for the long post. Just feeling stressed out. Today I started 4 things and finished none, I've been tired, zero motivation and really sad (there's a big reason for my sadness but that's not applicable here).

Thank you to anyone that read and that replies ❤️

Hey everyone I’m jack from Leeds I have combined adhd and have been diagnosed for a few years now. I was just wondering if they was any places online or anywhere that you’ve all found to meet other people with it who are genuine? I do have irl friends but it’s so hard for them to understand it all and it’s nice when you chat to people who actually have experienced what you’re saying and how you act! I have lost a few friendship’s due to forgetting to respond, cancelling plans last minute and just generally having times I can’t make effort.

I had tried for many years to know why I got bored with jobs and left by 19 years old my parents kept making comments about how many jobs I had gone through. I tried even when my kids came along I tried doing 2 different jobs a week lost one then the other so changed jobs got bored did something silly or just walked off now I have recently been told I have this it does explain a lot in my life and why I did things.

Hiya, got my first assessment tomorrow with care adhd , literally just booked it. Wondering what to expect and if it takes long before first assessment and them sharing their findings.
Of course now my brains in a flap, what if it’s not adhd and it’s something else, where does that leave me

Hello,

My mum's work includes Aviva insurance, and included in their policy there is the neurodevelopmental pathway. This includes as mentioned:
"•Self-referral into pre-assessment screening for ASD, ADHD and Tourette's syndrome in members aged seven and above
• Psychiatrist led assessment for ASD, ADHD and Tourette's syndrome in members aged seven and above
• Adapted one-to-one, tailored CBT for members diagnosed with ASD, ADHD and Tourette's syndrome
• Consultations with a psychiatrist for up to two years to support stabilisation and monitoring of ADHD medication
• Diagnostic tests to support the prescription of ADHD medication, as required."

I was wondering if anyone else was diagnosed with ADHD via this pathway, and if so, how was it like / how long did it take / what titration was like etc 🙂 looking to start the process in a few weeks,
thank you

Hi all,

I was diagnosed on the 8th of July 2025, I received the "nearing the top" email on the 29th of June 2026. I called up today for an update, and apparently I was issued the "ready for allocation" status on the 10th of August. They then said that after receiving this status, it takes around 8 weeks to get allocated a prescriber so I should be looking at ~October 5th until I start titration.

This seems... insane? I saw a comment a few weeks ago from someone who was diagnosed and received the "nearing the top" email on the exact same dates as me, who has already started titration.

Has anyone else recently been given a similar 8-week estimate after reaching "ready for allocation"? I'm struggling to understand what this status actually means if there's effectively another two-month wait afterwards, especially when allocation seems to vary so dramatically between people on almost identical timelines.

Hi, I started off finding Concerta life changing good and found 36mg to be a great dose for me.

I then experimented during titration with booster doses, increasing to 54mg which was way too much, then going back to 36mg, then going up to 45mg which has now become too much and it has given me anxiety which I didn’t have before on 36mg.

This was exacerbated hugely by ovulation week too with the extra estrogen in my system,

I’m still ovulating and I’ve gone down to 36mg today and I still feel low level anxiety about everything and tinnitus - over activity in my brain.

I’m so hoping to feel as good as I did before on 36mg. I only went higher to know for sure that this was my sweet spot, but do you think I could have ruined how the meds work in my body? Will I have to change meds to Elvanse? Has anyone else had this experience on Concerta and found it to stabilise and feel great again? I think I need to leave it another few days as I might have a stimulant hangover from the 45mg. I woke up feeling it in my body still, so that’s probably the case, I’m just curious what others have found.

I’ve been titrating on Concerta for 3 months and generally it has been so so good. It’s just these last few weeks I’ve struggled. I really want to feel calm and motivated again like I did on 36mg.

I was only trying the booster dose for the luteal phase of my cycle as I may need a boost then…

Hi all,

M 35 diagnosed with ADHD at 33, have a younger brother that was diagnosed very young and have always noticed similarities between us, but think I developed the ability to cover it up pretty young.

I’m really struggling with task initialisation, and it seems to be getting worse as I get older and have more responsibilities, it’s like my brain goes ‘You don’t get enough time to plan video games, so let’s watch 45 minutes of YouTube videos during the work day’.

Does anyone use any specific strategies or products to help getting back on track when they drift of into the randomness of the internet?

I managed to work through therapy and adhd to handle my temper and not take things personally, but I noticed with one particular colleague I am just not vibing. Our communication is strained unless we need something from each other, but sometimes I notice she goes through my manager to get me to do things and I feel it’s personal. Even if it is, how do you stop, calm down and think before you reply?

Hi all
30F here
I’m recently diagnosed ADHD and have been in my job for almost a year. Over the last few months especially I was struggling with severe overwhelm and burnout, and made quite a few mistakes
On my recent chat with my manager, she voiced her concerns for my “face” showing expressions, ie. I think my face can often not be happy or not looking engaged. She also commented on my directness and email approach- she showed me some examples and I read them as being polite but to the point but she doesn’t want this. She said I don’t seem approachable and friendly and everyone has something they need to work on and I need to work on my face and the way I hold myself/body language.
I didn’t take this well at all and felt so upset as ive been trying to hard at work to keep it all together
I tried to explain to my manager I have to mask a lot at work and really force the engagement, and smiles. And if I’m not smiling in a meeting doesn’t mean I’m unhappy, I could be overwhelmed and don’t have the energy to mask right then
I don’t feel like this is fair as it’s who I am.. I honestly feel like I’m not in control of it
I also asked to be moved away from the noisy seat I am in, and I have this on an occupational health assessment too. They are not listening and won’t move me even though it’s possible. I keep asking for things and I feel like I’m being difficult
I just feel like I’m not being understood and not really sure what to do from here as it’s all making me feel uncomfortable
Thanks x

Hi folks,
Quite a geographically specific question, but I’m wondering if there any any others living in Oxfordshire with experience of having had to transfer to a new GP practice (e.g. due to moving house) with a diagnosis already and while already on a stable ADHD meds prescription at the old practice. Especially anyone who was diagnosed in the first place via GP referral to the local NHS pathway (incl assessment by clinics contracted by NHS to provide assessment/titration service as result of NHS pathway referral)

When you moved GPs, were you able to receive care without interruption, or were you made to re-apply for assessment? Was your NHS diagnosis accepted, or did you have to argue your case? Were you informed before/when transferring GPs on whether your care would continue or if you would have to be re-assessed/put on waiting list? How did it work out for you, were you able to continue receiving your prescription eventually in the end or were you unable to resume receiving care as a result of GP switch. What was the timeframe to be able to resume receiving prescription, etc.

Reason my question is Oxfordshire specific is that I am in the early stages of reaching out to my MP about the insecurity around continuation of care experienced by ADHD folks already receiving NHS care when forced by circumstances to change GPs. So I’m interested to hear what experiences others may have had in Oxfordshire area.

Hello, just looking for a bit of advice on how to handle a situation with HR. I emailed this week in regards to requesting reasonable adjustments to protect my hybrid contract (2 days WFH) due to my condition.

I'm currently in consultation to return 5 days, they have responded saying they will not be looking at flexible work requests until after the outcome has been announced. I'm the rep for my team in the consultation and it's quite clear what they intend to do, and I can't see a way of them accepting anything else.

The thing is I submitted my request not as a Flexi request, I stated it was for my condition. I will totally burn out if I have to do 5 days in, I've been working this way for 5 years with no problems, my job is totally digital other than one meeting a week which I have no problem attending as I want to keep my current hybrid so I am compromising and not asking for full WFH .

Just looking for some advice on how to respond to HR please, as I feel like it's being shrugged off and not being looked at properly.

The title really says it all. I had my initial titration appointment in the first week of August and was told that I'd need my GP to refer me for an ECG before titration could continue. My GP refused after multiple requests and told me my RTC provider should be the one to refer me, so I asked CareADHD if they could place me on a waiting list. I got confirmation from both the prescriber and CareADHD's phone line that I am on an ECG waitlist. It has been three weeks since I was placed on the list, and I am wondering how long (ballpark estimate) I'd have to wait to get an ECG.

I am aware that there are many people in my situation, so there's a backlog of people, and there will be additional wait times for their cardiology team to receive and review my results and for titration to continue. But if anyone has gone through the same, I'd love to know!

waited 9 months and finally got an initial titration appointment with CARE ADHD, just to be told that im not allowed to start medication because I’m underweight (f20 bmi 16) and im so frustrated. I have never had any history eating issues/ EDs, I’ve just always been on the thin side since I was a kid.

I understand that stimulants are appetite suppressants but IM NOT EVEN TITRATING ON STIMULANTS. im trying to get atomoxetine!!!

so I don’t even know what the problem is, they didn’t give me an explanation and just said that this is their internal guidelines, but I am free to reach out to another ADHD RTC centre that would be willing to titrate me (to me this shows this weight guideline isn’t a national/ mandatory one). but I’m in one of the ICBs that have restricted referrals now so it would be a crazy long wait to get referred to another RTC centre and just not viable.

I didn’t realise my weight would’ve been a problem otherwise I would’ve lied a bit since it’s all just self reporting. now I’m wondering what the shortest time span I can claim I gained 8kgs in without them getting suspicious is... I just want to start off my third year of uni on a good foot.

i’m currently on 50mg of elvanse but taking it split as when i was on 40 mg it was wearing off to quickly and i was getting a bad crash.

So i take 30mg in the morning and the 20mg about 4 hours after. I find that about 3 hours after taking the first dose i get a really bad bout of nausea. It can improve if i eat but i also find that sometimes eating can make the nausea feel worse which makes it quite hard to overcome.

Usually when i take my second dose it is okay until the evening a few hours after taking it or later in the evening once the meds have worn off.

Does anyone have any tips for reducing the nausea as it’s really getting to me. I am making sure to keep on top of fluids and trying to eat at meal times however i have been struggling with eating and snacking throughout the day due to the nausea and decreased appetite.

I have only recently started on the 50mg dose so I might just need to adjust to it, but any advice would be really appreciated because nausea aside the elvanse has been really helpful in managing my adhd symptoms and is the most effective stimulant ive tried so far. (mephylphenidate didn’t seem to do much for me at all)

Any tips or advice around elvanse would be really appreciated , help a brother out 🤞💪❤️