Adult ADHD Advice

I said I would report back on this so...

We spoke for about 50 minutes and covered a lot of ground, from primary school up to now (I'm in my 30s) and in all areas of life - work, study, hobbies, ordinary day-to-day activities, relationships, communication, mood etc. etc., and other possible mental health issues.

I had expected it to take a bit longer but have since seen other ADHD assessment places (e.g. UK based psychiatry practices) say in their online info that it takes about 50 minutes and, given how much we covered in that time as well, I'm not concerned that it was lacking anything.

She has suggested medication but wasn't pushing it and advised getting ADHD coaching etc. etc. Assuming I do go ahead with the medication we'll have a follow-up session to monitor that.

Obviously I can only speculate as to whether it was as good/thorough as the video consultation I might otherwise have had with Dr Murtagh but, for me, the ADHD assessment I can have now beats the one I might get in 33 months' time.

(In case anyone is wondering: €500 total for both the assessment and follow-up).

500 total - I've edited it to make it clearer (hopefully!)

I did try to organise my thoughts a bit in advance on topics I thought we might cover - mostly because I knew I might otherwise forget to mention some glaring example of a particular behaviour or tendency.

Re. medication - I have to get an ECG and blood pressure check and send her the results, then she will issue a prescription. And then the follow-up will be after taking the medication for a period, to see if it's working/levels are correct etc.

Hello, I have just checked the Dr. Online site for the ADHD assessment and it is saying that you need two consultations for ADHD. The first consultation is €590 and the second one is €290?? What did you book for €500 please? Many thanks.

Following up on this post to make people aware of my experience that started positive.

So I finally met Dr Sean a good few months after the initial month trial. He spoke for 2 hours, about an hour and a half was about himself and what he has done and he asked me very little about myself

He put me on 56mg of concerta, 150mg venlafaxine for physical anxiety and 0.5mg Xanax 4 times daily and a follow up in 6 weeks.

My pharmacist told me 4 times a day was a lot and that It's usually just to take the edge off.

I found that in daily day to day life the Xanax made no difference at all and stopped taking it unless I felt like I needed it.

The venlafaxine helped with physical anxiety, my legs didn't feel as heavy playing sports, didn't feel like I was going to be sick before big matches, but it made me sweat an awful lot more and made me feel less fit playing sports (shortness of breath and high heart rate compared to usual). If I missed 1 day of taking the tablet I would feel awful and tired in work, and at night I'd sweat so much that the first time it happened I actually taught I wet the bed because what I was wearing and the sheets were soaking wet.

Anyways my next appointment got cancelled.

I upped the concerta to 108mg myself and things were slightly better but not life changing as Dr Sean describes it.

4 weeks later and another zoom appointment cancelled because of a burst pipe in the cold.

4 weeks again and another phone call appointment cancelled. This time I got told it was running late and moved to 4. And no communication after that until the next day with apologies from Sean himself and that he'd ring me within the hour. He never did.. never replied to my next 2 emails either.

When they cancelled these appointments I just about managed to get prescriptions renewed but still no official diagnosis. I've decided to go elsewhere but of course now I'm left with the last 10 days of concerta that I've reduced to a lower to make them last longer. And my pharmacist did what he could with my remaining prescription of venlafaxine to try and give me smaller doses to gradually reduce the amount to come off it. (Not enough left to do it the right way unfortunately)

I cannot believe someone who believes they're the best ADHD doctor in the country and who's research is miles ahead of anyone here or in the UK would leave someone undiagnosed and left trying to get off an antidepressant like venlafaxine by themselves.

I started this ADHD journey because day to day life was such a struggle when I had so much more responsibilities as a husband and father, but this has just made it worse if anything.

I'm now back below square one trying to find a doctor who can see me this century whilst dealing with withdrawal symptoms from venlafaxine and mind a 20 month old and 2 month old, and lets not start on how the marriage is going.

TLDR; Fcuk that BS clinic

National centre is a room in his house.

Shame, embarrassed, horror, of things I said, of things I think I said, of things I may have said but am not sure I said because of lack of self awareness.

Look I know it's hard to try get away from those feelings but it's done now and you have nothing at all to be ashamed of. You should be really proud of yourself for putting yourself out there and doing it, that's such a huge thing so please try remember that 😊

If you're worried about things you might not have said maybe try jotting down those random thoughts as they come and bring it up when you have your review? That way you'll know in your heart you'll get everything out on the table and won't have to worry about it

Hi, he put me on 37.5 for 2 days, then 75 for 2 days and then up to 150. I'm glad I didn't take the Xanax 4 times daily as he suggested, it seems that it can be very addictive.

I had an appointment with my GP on Friday, but it turned out to be a different doctor. (haven't seen my own one in years anyway) I told him the story, and the effects, and struggles, and I may aswel have been talking to the wall.(guess I know how my wife feels now) He barely spoke and said he'd give me 7 more days of 75mg and 35.5mg venlafaxine to slow down the drop to zero.

Felt fairly disappointed after speaking to a professional yet again, and felt like I was just getting rushed out the door.

I'm reading now that some people said going cold turkey is nearly easier with venlafaxine than trying to prolong it over a few weeks. Think I'll stick it out for the 3 weeks of 37.5 tho. The GP did say that it will still be tough for a few weeks afterwards.

He said he can prescribe me the concerta but he'll need a report from a psychiatrist and I'll need an ecg and bloods done.I didn't need any of that before the psychiatrist filled me with drugs. I doubt there's any report done and I've decided I'm not even going to contact them and ask. Luckily I had been asking the clinic I went to, to sort out the other half of the payment I owe them for months and never got details to pay it. I'll cut my losses and spend it elsewhere.

It's tough and exhausting enough with a 2 month old and 2 year old, but this just makes that seem easy. Luckily I get by on very little sleep.

I've made an appointment with Dr Rubeo for Thursday. Very costly at 590 For the first appointment and report And 290 for the follow up, but I've no choice at this stage.

I haven't heard much about her and she had a lot of appointments available but it's a risk I had to take.

I emailed her some bits and told her about the 108 concerta. She said that was a high dose not to notice much effect and suggested that tyvense might work better for me.

Fingers crossed!

Jesus that's shocking, I've never heard of anti depressants being increased that quickly. They really shouldn't be messed around with, they can cause suicidal thoughts and everything I can't believe they done that.

God what a nightmare with the GP too! They can be so hit and miss, I've heard very similar stories for people and it just breaks my heart. I know how hard it is to even think about getting yourself there when you're not mentally okay and then not getting the help you need off those that are meant to can be soul destroying. I don't even know what the best approach to coming off the venlafaxine would be, I haven't had to lower dose but I know I've had times where my meds have ran out and the withdrawals from just one day have been awful so I think doing it as you are could be a good idea.

My heart really goes out to you, having kids and other responsibilities then all of this on top of it is just awful I can't even begin to image what you must be feeling. I hope Dr Rubeo is able to help and give you the support you need. When you're feeling better too I would recommend looking into finding a new GP too, you need someone on your side you can go to with stuff like this especially who won't let you be messed around.

Best of luck with it all and let us know how you're getting on 😊

My 21 year old son has an appointment with Hazelton Clinic in Cork, but having read some bad reviews I am worried it will be a waste of time and money.

Does anyone here have a good experience with them? I'm wondering if an appointment with Dr Rubeo might be a better option? Any recommendations for her?

Thanks in advance.

Hi folks,

It's great to find this thread as I have recently started exploring ADHD and of course a lot of people are pretty dismissive of the condition, so reading all this supportive content is great. Not to go into too much detail, but I'm a 44 year old male and I've been researching this a lot lately and it all makes so much sense to me.

I'm lucky I have a good gp, he has experience working in mental health and is one of the few doctors I have ever dealt with that wasn't aloof and/or dismissive. I emailed all the names on the ADHD Ireland website, heard back from 4 - Dr Alan Murtagh has a great reputation but a waiting list of 3 years, another is in the centre of Dublin and has a wait time of 16 weeks so I've booked in with him, Dr Dujmovic.

I can share my experiences after I get assessed if anyone is interested. I'm still not 100% that I have ADHD, it may be something else, but after researching it a fair bit it makes a lot of sense, I've always struggled with work, friendships and social situations. I've always been made to feel like I'm thick and I really don't think I am.

Anyway if anyone reads this thank you, and I hope you all get whatever help you need and deserve. There seems to have been a lot of press about ADHD recently and that has led to an inevitable negative backlash. Be kind to yourselves and try and block out that shite.

N

PS Apologies for the rant!

Hi garv123

I would love to know what you think of Dr Rubeo? I am looking for someone for my son and wonder if she is good?

Thanks

Thank you so much for your reply garv123.

I have emailed her directly and she got back to me quickly. It sounds like it was a bit rushed and unsatisfactory and my concern is that it's not a proper assessment given the short time frame. Did she provide a questionnaire before the appointment or is her diagnosis based on that one hour?

Best of luck with the new medication. At least you have someone to turn to now when you need her.

All the best