r/ADHDIreland

I seen €900 initial assessment and €70 adhd review but that's hardly it, seems too good to be true.

Also, does he offer online appointments or only in person?

I have to get my diagnosis, my GP thinks I have ADHD and it is the source of my mental torture and anxiety but she can't prescribe anything without it and I just want to be able to function and am exhausted of feeling this way. That being said, I can't afford to spend €2000 on a diagnosis without being sure it is a reliable doctor. Nearly went for the Newcastle Clinic until I've seen this sub!

Has anyone gotten an ADHD diagnosis to prove they have it but have no ambition to start medicating themselves for it?

Started Tyvense close to 2 wks ago. Not long after starting got some side effects which looks like it's Prostatitis.

Paranoid it's related to the meds but could be just a coincidence.

Anyone else here have such side effects? If so, what course of action with meds did ye take.

Thanks

Just recently had my assessment, wont have my results for awhile due to scheduling. I'm fairly confident I have adhd but obviously there's always doubt.

Wondering if anyone wasn't diagnosed with adhd but perhaps something else? So many cross over symptoms with PTSD/ADHD.

got diagnosed with ADHD recently through a private clinic. Whole process was pretty smooth and I got a report signed by a psychiatrist (starts with “To Whom It May Concern / To the attention of the GP”).

My GP has already reviewed and accepted the report, so if I decide to start medication, I can do so through my GP rather than going back to the private psychiatrist.Just wondering though I’ve never tried ADHD meds before. Is there any real difference between starting them with a GP vs a psychiatrist?

Has anyone here gone straight to their GP after a private diagnosis and started meds that way? How did it go for you?

This is a very privileged complaint to have, but is anyone else kind of at a loss with what to do with newfound energy, now that they are medicated? I was so used to working with the limited energy i had, and enjoyed relaxation time when I was frazzled. I had lovely ways to unwind. Those now feel a bit boring or just not stimulating enough. I can NOT watch a movie without playing a phone game at the same time. Doing a mindful craft feels like wasted time and potential (and I'm definitely not a "your productivity is your worth" type of person).

I'm on the right dose now, after 44 years undiagnosed and figuring out how to manage life with undiagnosed combined adhd brain. It took a lot of therapy and implementing coping skills, and giving myself grace to know my limitations and work around them. So here's the weird question, that's not actually really a complaint. How do people relax? Its like now i have all this motivation, I don't want to do nice things, I just want to do productive things. Work stuff on my time off, it's kinda addictive. I dont wanna be a grind culture person who doesn't take time off! It's like I'm making up for lost time, but I know this isn’t healthy and I want to return to having more down time, more balance. Is it just a rush of excitement that will settle down? BTW, its not agitated energy or hyperactive energy, which is have experienced on other doses.

so I am thinking of getting an ADHD assessment and I was just wondering what is the best place to go? I’m aware there are a lot of places and it’s just hard to know what is actually the best option. Please share your experiences. Thank you !

Hi all,

I'm a 56 yo woman who recieved an ADHD diagnosis three weeks ago. I fell off a cliff with what it turns out were ADHD symptoms when perimenopause hit (from what I'm learning, the oestrogen drop led to me not being able to mask anymore) and spent a good few years trying to get my symptoms sorted with HRT - some of them were due to menopause for sure , but the cognitive aspects weren't helped by it. It's the problems it's causing me in work that led me to get an ADHD assessment. Initially I felt relief, and still do, but have a lot of other feelings I wasn't expecting! I know that it takes time to process a diagnosis, and the later it is, the more there is to process, maybe. Part of the headwreck for me at the moment is having to go back through my life to look at things with this ADHD lens. I've been sober for 37 years (started drinking at 11, got sober at 19). So I've looked at my life through the lens of alcoholism and addiction (my own and family members') and my identity is bound up with that in many ways. I know that there's a big overlap between addiction and ADHD, but I'm finding it very confusing at the moment. I know it's early days, I'm just wondering if anyone has been along a similar path with this?

I made a previous post about my current Customer Support job, so I thought I would try getting advice with another related post.

I'm 31M and trying to figure out my potential career path, as I'm at a point in my life where I simply don't know what I can do/want to do.

Some background info: I worked in hospitality for 7 years and really don't want to go back. I've had office jobs in the past and my current job is in Customer Support so multi-tasking, time management and organization are important but I really struggle with these skills.

Are there other jobs that I haven't considered that may I may be better suited to to do?

Have there been other people feeling unsure about what to pursue? If so, did you seek guidance from a career councillor or maybe did an Aptitude Test?

I have put off starting meds for a while as I have a lot going on. I'm starting 20th July and hoping to be on an even keel come the end of September when I am starting a night course.

I have done the A to Z in antidepressants over the years and was always very sensitive to side effects and took time to adjust. Sweats, diarrhea, insomnia etc.

Do people generally take time off work. Do you wait and see? Will the psychiatrist sign you off if needs be or do you get your go. I have a hybrid work arrangement, could I get a note to work at home while I adjust ?

Hi everyone,

I'm 20 years old and I've suspected I have ADHD ever since I first learned what it was. I only recently worked up the courage to bring it up with my GP because I struggled so much in college.

The actual course content wasn't difficult for me at all, but attending lectures, starting assignments, keeping up with coursework, staying organised, and actually getting myself to do things felt almost impossible. After looking into ADHD more, I realised this pattern has been present throughout my whole life with pretty much every project, hobby, or goal I've ever had. College was just the point where it became too much to ignore.

My GP referred me to a counsellor. After speaking with her, she said she thinks I most likely have ADHD, but she isn't qualified to diagnose it. I went back to my GP with that, and he told me there's no way he can get me assessed through the public system and that I'd have to go private.

What concerned me was that he also immediately started warning me that an ADHD diagnosis could make it harder to get loans in the future, and that the medication is highly addictive. Even after hearing that, I still want to pursue an assessment because ADHD is affecting my life enough that I feel it's worth it if medication could help.

I have a few questions and would really appreciate advice from anyone who's gone through this in Ireland:

Is it better to go with an in-person clinic or an online ADHD clinic?

Are there any providers you'd recommend or avoid?

I have a medical card. If I'm diagnosed privately, will my medical card cover the medication?

I've read that my GP has to agree to take over/take on the prescription. What happens if my GP refuses? Would I have to keep paying privately for prescriptions and reviews, or are there other options?

I'm feeling a bit lost with the whole process, especially because it's a lot of money for me at the moment. I'd really appreciate hearing about other people's experiences or any advice on the best way to go about this.

thanks guys.

As I have a sweet tooth and love chocolate, but my body responds terribly to glucose (I get awfully drowsy when consuming sugar and it spikes my cholesterol and triglycerides; I'm probably dealing with insulin resistance), plus I'm lactose intolerant, I needed to find a solution that would allow me to indulge in a chocolatey, rich, delicious something every now and then.

*In addition, as I am on Tyvense, I needed a protein-rich sweet option.*

AI was my friend and delivered this recipe that I'd like to share with whoever might find it useful:

**Ingredients (1 large serving or 2 smaller servings)**

- 250 ml unsweetened almond milk (from Aldi)

- 30 g unflavoured pea protein isolate (pack of 1kg from Bulk)

- 15 g Dutch-processed cocoa powder (Dr Oetker dark cocoa from Tesco)

- 15 g chia seeds (or grind them first for a smoother texture) (pack of 500g from Bulk)

- 10 g coconut oil, melted (from Aldi)

- Stevia to taste, not much needed (from Amazon, 25g of pure Stevia by NKD Living)

- ½ tsp vanilla extract

- A small pinch of salt

**Method**

1. Melt the coconut oil.

2. Add the almond milk, pea protein, cocoa, melted coconut oil, vanilla, stevia and salt to a blender.

3. Blend for 1–2 minutes until completely smooth.

4. Stir in or briefly pulse the chia seeds.

5. Leave for 10 minutes, then stir again to prevent the chia from clumping.

6. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

(For a smoother texture, grind the chia seeds before stirring them in, or blend the pudding after it has set, just before eating it)

Hope you enjoy! (I just had half a serving for breakfast)

**Nutrition (whole batch, approximate based on photos of nutrition facts from each product I uploaded into AI)**

Calories: ~425 kcal

Protein: ~31 g

Fat: ~15 g

Carbohydrates: ~5 g

Fibre: ~10 g

Sugars: ~0.2 g

Hi everyone, I’ve literally just created this account to warn people about Newcastle Medical Centre as I recently had an awful and distressing experience with them. I know that they’re currently pushing loads of ai ads on instagram, and I’ve even noticed an account on here that posts extremely flattering ai comments about the practice that I suspect is actually just them. So hopefully this makes people reconsider. This is quite a long post but believe it or not this is the quick version of the story. Also apologies for the formatting, I’m on my phone.

I initially contacted Newcastle Medical Centre in January after seeing someone recommend them on here, they seemed to have the most reasonable pricing and relatively short wait times. This was before I had seen their online ai ad campaign. Their website was quite basic (not like what it is now) and made it seem like it was an ordinary local practice that happened to have a psychiatrist.

The fella I had emailed outlined the cost and said it the whole process typically took 2 months from initial consultation to final psychiatric evaluation. I was informed that the €700 fee covered bloods, ecg, initial psychological evaluation, psychiatric assessment, and the first prescription where appropriate. I was then in contact with a girl from the adhd team, I asked her if I could do the bloods and ECG with my own GP as it was more convenient for me. She then said she would ring me to discuss further. We arranged a time over email for her to ring me, and she didn’t call. I got back in touch again, the same thing happened again (twice!!). 

When I finally got her on the phone, she asked me to pay the €700 fee upfront. I was confused as I thought we were just discussing the overall process and what bloods I would need from my GP. She then informed me that this phone call was actually the initial psychological assessment. The “assessment“ lasted about 10/15 minutes, and although she was very nice, as far as I was aware at the time she was not a psychologist, just an administrative worker. 
She then told me she would email me a payment link (as I couldn’t be booked in with the psychiatrist until I had paid) and some forms to fill out to send to the psychiatrist along with her assessment. I had to email her daily for over a week for the payment link and the forms, as each time she said she had sent them, I hadn’t received anything (checked spam folders, etc, every. single. time.). The next available appointment with the psychiatrist ended up being 6 months later (not the 2 months as initially claimed). This was only made clear after I had paid the €700. 

When I contacted them asking about bloods they told me that I just needed a “regular“ blood panel, when I told them that my GP wouldnt do the bloods unless they provided a list of what they needed to test for, they were adamant that they didn’t need to provide any more details. This back and forth went on for a week before my scheduled bloods appointment, until I got a hold of a different person who promptly provided me the full list of what was needed. 

I then put the whole process on the back burner until the week before my psychiatric assessment. I rang again to ask if the appointment would be online or in person (as I live quite far away I would need to book the afternoon off work). I was told that it would be in person. 

The day of my appointment I rang again to confirm the time as the time of my appointment, as I had noticed it was in the evening outside of their regular opening hours. The person on the other side of the phone said that I didn’t appear to be in their books at all and that furthermore, all psychiatric appointments were done online. Mind you this was 2 hours before my “appointment“. I forwarded her the email confirmation I had received from the other girl I had been dealing with and she said she would call me back within the half hour. Nobody called, so I called back and was told again that someone would call me back. At 30 mins before my “appointment“, I received a call informing me that there was a mix up and that I was in fact in their books, but that unfortunately the psychiatrist had actually “called in sick” (how convenient) so my appointment would have to be rescheduled. I questioned why I hadn’t been informed earlier in the day about the Dr being absent if I was indeed “in their books“ for today, and was lied to and told that they had attempted to call me but that I never answered.

Anyway, the next week I had my rescheduled zoom call with Dr Alex Tsipouridis (not the Dr I was originally supposed to have my assessment with). He was quite nice but didnt seem to ask many in depth questions, the assessment lasted max 30 minutes. But hey, I’m not the professional. At the end of the call he informed me that in his opinion I had very clear adhd and briefly discussed medication and treatment plan. When I asked for specifically non-medication advice he said that he didn’t have the time to discuss but that ADHD Ireland was a great resource (which is true, however if I am paying for an extremely expensive private assessment I would expect treatment plan from the Dr himself). He said that he would start me on meds and send the script off to my pharmacy after the call, and that I would receive a detailed assessment report in approximately 2 weeks. I waited a few days before going to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription as I expected that there might be delays, little did I know what was in store for me. This began my 3 weeks of administrative agony. 

The pharmacy said they hadn’t received my script and to give the practice a call to make sure they didn’t mix it up with another local pharmacy which is similarly named. When I called Newcastle, they said there was nothing on my file about a prescription and that they would call me back. No call came. I called the next day, spoke with someone else who said they would look into it for me and call me back. No call came. I rang almost every day for nearly 3 weeks, receiving promises of calls back that never materialised. This process was highly distressing, and at one stage I thought that I must have been scammed. The back and forth was so draining, I questioned if I should just give up. Over the course of the 3 weeks the blame was shifted around to different people, originally there was nothing on my file, then it was that the Dr wouldnt ring them back (this was when I found out that the Dr wasn’t based in Newcastle Medical Centre at all, and only worked occasional days for them completely via zoom), then it was that they had the wrong pharmacy details (even though many times over the phone I double-checked the pharmacy they had on file). 

Alongside these calls that went nowhere, I had emailed as well, as I wanted to have a paper trail. I detailed my experience, the complete and utter administrative disorganisation, and the indignity with which I was being treated, and I got a lovely considerate heartfelt response… that had been copy and pasted from ChatGPT (they were so lazy as to even include the prompt they used in their email)!! Obviously this should never be acceptable in any medical setting, but especially not when you’re paying so much money for a private assessment. The level of unprofessionalism and quite frankly extreme data protection risks was so unfathomable and quite honestly insulting. It actually made me cry. 

In my most recent call to them last week I said that the next time they would be hearing from a solicitor. Lo and behold, 2 days later I have a prescription and a report. 

This whole experience has broken me. I dread to see how the rest of my experience with Newcastle goes. I will have to stick with them for the near future as I am still titrating my medication. If it’s anything like my past month from hell I might actually just give up. 

I will definitely be looking to transfer my care (after my titration) to another psychiatrist (preferably based in Dublin), if anyone has any recommendations. 

I will say, although the staff is criminally disorganised and some seem to be pathological liars, many of them were quite lovely to speak to. Lovely but incompetent. I think that the staff do not have the correct training, and that Newcastle does not have the capacity whatsoever to be running an adhd clinic. 

TLDR: I had a traumatic and unprofessional experience with Newcastle Medical Centre. They lied to me multiple times, and seem to clearly prioritise profiting from the lack of adult adhd options as opposed to providing even a most basic level of treatment. I do not recommend them at all. Beware

I've always found the few days before my period and first 2 to 3 days of my period very hard in terms of my mood and emotions. I'm irritable and a bit low. I know its common for adhd meds not to work as well or at all during this time due to the hormone fluctuations.

I'm 2 months into titration. Started 20mg of tyvense, then 30mg (it made me so irritable and couldn't sleep), now on 40mg about 2 weeks and its worked really well so far. However due my period in the next few days and I'm so low. Spent the morning crying my eyes out, I just want to stay in bed. I did find last month hard but this month is another level. I had to spend yesterday evening away from my partner and toddler because every sound they made, had me wanting to crawl out of my skin. I am annoyed at everything in my life right now, we are in an awkward phase of trying to get a mortgage and I really don't like where we are renting. I scrubbed the place yesterday hoping it would make me feel better but its actually annoyed me more because it still feels dirty (the place just needs to be gutted).

Is this what I should expect every month when on meds? I've really loved being on meds as I finally feel I can function a bit more normally. I have even been driving every day after 3 years of trying to get myself on the road.

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Hi I’ve recently been diagnosed and my Dr is giving me the choice to chose between lisdexamfetamine or Metgylphenidate.
I actually hate having choices it stresses me out.

My wife has 2 colleagues on concerta and it’s life changing for them. ChatGPT is recommended lisdexamfetamine from the info and questions I have been asking. I’d have a history of anxiety and ocd(thought based) get angry easily, imposter syndrome, tend to ruminate, trouble letting things go, trouble organising ah the list goes on.

Also I am thinking I should start the meds when I am off work rather than in work as I am worried about feeling overly anxious. Is this what most of you have done around starting meds?

Hi Everyone

After a few years of suspecting I have adhd, listening to in excess of 70+ podcasts, reading online material and studies etc, I booked an assessment and not surprising to me I have been diagnosed with combined type adhd with a rating of severe.

It explains alot of how I behaved as a child and the problems that came from such behaviours. It also explains why those issues are still present in my life.

For some background, my wife planted the seed a few years ago when she would insinuated that I have ADHD based on silly things I might have done at the time. A few months ago, I booked a pre screening for ADHD and I told her my result i.e. there are strong indicators that I could have ADHD. Her comment was everybody has Adhd which stopped me from going for a full assessment such was the impact of her comment.

About a month ago, she decided to almost berate me at home that she herself has 8 out of 10 symptoms and not to waste my money on an assessment. Her words to me were "you dont have adhd".

That didnt stop me and booked the assesmsrnt. After receiving the diagnosis yesterday I feel very flat when really I should be happy. I anticipated this result for a few years now and now there is just nothing. I feel like she would laugh or minimise the diagnosis as opposed to being supportive.

Not sure what I am looking for here, but just wondering did anyone experience anything similar and how did you move forward?

Thanks

Hey! So I’ve been diagnosed (in Ireland by psychiatrist) ADHD for 15 years and have been prescribed the same medication (Concerta XL) with differing doses over the years but have settled on 27mg as that’s what I find works best for me now. I’ve been private all those years because my GP refuses to touch any stimulant prescription and have been with same psychiatrist. I can’t afford going private every 6 months at nearly €300 a pop. I regularly do blood tests, blood pressure and heart monitoring and always fine.

I’m wondering if anyone has changed to a public mental health team from private? How has the experience been for them? How long were they waiting? Positives and negatives?

I just know adhd care is basically zilch in Ireland, hence why I’ve stuck to the same psychiatrist for so long. She’s great but I just can’t afford it and I’m really worried about my mental health if I have to forgo my medication long term because of this.

Any advice appreciated - thank you.

"“Dr Joe McAndrew is no longer providing clinical services to the Cloud Clinic. The
Cloud Clinic will facilitate prompt release of Cloud Clinic patient records to any
nominated medical practitioner or the relevant patient, if requested. Patients of the
Cloud Clinic should attend and follow up with their General Practitioner in relation to
their ongoing care and/or transfer to another service provider.”"

And yet, after my 3rd reminder email looking for said "prompt release", I have been greeted with this:

https://preview.redd.it/87stze4ltfah1.png?width=567&format=png&auto=webp&s=96370c2bf2e1c1ee1dc00ccfd649e5d9dcb967f7

How naive of me to think anything would have changed and that I would actually get them to confirm my diagnosis and medication to my GP. €1,200 down the toilet.

I am in complete adhd freeze mode now ... soon to run out of meds, GP can't take over perscription without confirmation from psychiatrist, and I can't afford to get re-assessed. Any of the clinics that so seem to be accepting transfers at a lower cost (still not cheap) are all so new, that I am afraid to trust that the same shit won't happen all over again.

I know I am not the only one in this situation but I just feel so stupidly defeated by it all.