Is getting ADHD medication a lengthy process if not previously diagnosed?

I VERY LIKELY have ADHD, infact, I am almost certain I do. I have 9.5 out of 10 symptoms.

I have read quite a lot about ADHD, and it seems that it takes way too long and includes many lengthy studies before a physician can give you the medication. Is this true?

Also, here is a question about the medication. Since ritalin and dexedrine last only a few hours, whereas SR-ritalin and cylert last six to eight hours, is it possible that I can get both prescribed to me? I do not want to take ritalin/dexedrine 3 or 4 times when I can just take sr-ritalin/cylert once for the same effect.

Somebody with experience, please help. Thanks.

How do I know I have ADD? I tune out, I am always disorganised, I can't focus, I have an attention span of a goldfish, I make excuses for late assignments I had plenty of time to do but didn't because my mind was in lala land. I can't read for more than ten minutes at a time, and I get distracted doing so. I am restless and often cannot relax, I have BIG problems starting tasks and with my self-control, difficulty managing stress, being stimulated enough to finish an assignment, resisting distraction, and remembering something I just did twelve seconds ago. What I do long-term I sometimes have difficulty retrieving...like my research paper. I spent days on it (on and off because I can't even sit still for a few minutes), and the next morning couldn't remember a single thing about it. I have experienced this throughout high school, but can't remember it being as bad. If these aren't symptoms, I don't know what are. I definetely need medication.

I hope that you reading about my experience will be beneficial to you.

Everyone has about eight out of ten of those symptoms. I score off the charts for ADD. I cant pay attention during chick flicks, math problems, school in general, and I am very forgetful of details. As far as it goes, I am the classic ADD case.

Except there isn't really anything wrong with me. I am much better at verbal subjects, memorization and understanding concepts than other people. I am creative and energetic and a jock, so of course I don't like math, clerical work, or following directions.

My parents and doctors made me take speed to try and make me normal. I didn't like the physical or mental effects of being wired on drugs all day. I realized I probably had to rather than be thrown out of more schools.

I took speed for years and it probably helped me get through school. It also changed my personality drastically. I will spare you the details ( if you want we can talk privately) but I think I would have had a lot more emotional growth if I wasnt doped up on white knuckle rage and a brain buzz in a pill for a half decade or so.

Unless you really have to, don't take ADD drugs. Drink redbull or coffee or tea to get you through studying or whatever, its basically the same thing. I'm just shy of 30 now and I've calmed down a lot. I'm still in happy daydream land half of the time, but Ive grown out of it for the most part. I learned math, patience, and to do things without having to seek external stimulus or try to rev my brain up for a manic, nervous bout of focus. There was never anything wrong with me to start with; I just learned to get by on my charisma and verbal skills until my calm and focus developed as I matured. If anything, ritalin and adderall prolonged my ability to do so and retarded my growth.

This is a good time to think about how to become more organized and in control. In order to change you must put your pride aside and declare that you want to change. That is easy. Publicly defending any visible chance you make is not. Why did you get a blackberry? cause I have ADD. Why did you put a dry erase board and a desk in that spare room? Because I'm nuts, thats why. So back off. My point is to figure out what else you can possibly do to help your unique personality as well as looking into drugs.

To answer your question about dosage, yes, you can mix sustained release and regular pills. It would be an advantage if you had taken all of these medications before to know their effects because your doctor will not just hand you ritalin, adderall, dexadrine, meth, cylert, modafanil, etc etc in order to try them, but I wont be the person to advise you to go and take a bunch of drugs and then call me in the morning.

The process probably consists of a psych evaluation which will take several hours worth of doctor time and wont be free. You may learn something from it and it probably will be relatively painless.

Good Luck.

Hi there. I have a 10 year old daughter that was diagnosed with it when she was 4, but I knew she had it since she was a year and a half! It shouldn't be that big of a deal to get meds for yourself. It's just a matter of making an appointment, getting diagnosed and they should write you a script right there and then and you simply go that day to your local pharmacy to get it filled. Viola! Good luck sweetie.

Hey Who... Im also lookin 4 help w/ undiagnosed ADD. What r Ur symptoms. My problem is dis-organized work. Has a Dr seen you about the medication? Very few psych Dr's r avail- able here. Can U find meds over-counter. R meds taken daily. Seems the meds r avail 4 kids not adults. Usu my scrips were 4 anti-depressant. Didnt like any of em.

You are not a psychiatrist. Most people who self-diagnose are wrong, because they start acting like they have whatever symptoms they are reading about.

If you went to a doctor and said that, they would report you for drug-seeking behavior. Since you know so much about it, I'm sure you also know that ADHD drugs are basically legal speed. It makes me kind of suspicious. I'm sure it would make them VERY suspicious.

Have a word with yourself. You have about as much background in psychology as my cat, and you have no ability to diagnose yourself, let alone decide what medications you should be on.