r/adhdaustralia

What do I do, where do I go I’m at a loss.
I’m 29 a single mother of 5 and have been diagnosed adhd.
On medication for 2 years. Have been fine on dexamphetemine 8 tablets a day.
My son is asd adhd and does not sleep., literally.
Which I was managing before I started studying again.
I am up at 5 and I’m not going to bed before midnight and there is nothing I can do about it as it’s something my son is not in control of.
I expressed to my psychiatrist these concerns and asked to up my last dose of the day so it can stretch a little more because of the conflicting bedtime regimen.
I was denied and despite my many refusals switched to vyvanse.
I have seen what vyvanse did to my sister so I really didn’t want to try it and on days I’m not studying and can nap during the day it just doesn’t work.
Anyway I was put on it with 2 5 mg Dex boosters. One in morning one in evening or afternoon.
The vyvanse has to be the worst medication I have ever experienced. The crash I get is disturbing . I can not function after about 5 hours into the medication maybe 6. My face immediately heats up and is flushed and red. I a, forgetting everything zoning out to the point I’m distracted by driving, my psychiatrist will not do anything more. Will not change me back to my Dex nor put extra boosters. He actually said to get my mum to stop work and be a carer for me … I have 5 small children with behaviour and neurological challenges and I am not coping nor even remotely functioning. My rent inspection has been put off for a 3rd time now as this is how bad it is. What do I do? Should I just change psychiatrists? Am I being unreasonable? So,e kind of feedback would be good thank you

(Repost from another group but wanted to share this tip here as well incase it helps anyone!)

Finally - a way to wake up on time

Your heater - is the answer! (Maybe)

Just wanted to come on here and share my recent discovery - with waking up on time!

If you’re reading this - I’m sure you’ve read thousands of ideas and methods to wake up on time - and trust me I have too, I’ve tried it all, smart light bulbs and automations , relaxing wake up alarm sounds , obnoxiously loud ones , everything! I’ve tried apps, some are okay and did help but still wasn’t a consistent outcome!

The brainwave I had last night , was to schedule my heater in my bedroom to turn on to max temp 30 mins before I wanted to wake up , 15 mins before my first alarm!

AND IT WORKED A TREAT!

I’ve forgotten to turn it off late at night before and woken up in the middle of the night hot - don’t know why it took me so long to figure this out but I haven’t read this anywhere else either so 🤯🤷‍♂️

Side tip - an overhead lamp and smart bulb , set up to auto turn on directly over your head also helps pretty well!

Hi everyone,

After recently being diagnosed, OzADHD sent through some helpful resources including a list of books. Sharing here in case anyone is interested ?

• Taking Charge of Adult ADHD – Russell Barkley
• Smart but Scattered Guide to Success – Peg Dawson and Richard Guare
• Living with ADHD – Thom Hartmann
• You Mean I’m Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?! – Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo (a widely recommended read for adults newly diagnosed with ADHD)
• The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD – Lidia Zylowska (useful for combining mindfulness with ADHD management strategies)

Hey everyone! Curious if anyone has come across paying for appointments before they happen. I've got a psychiatry one coming up and have been asked to pay in full 7 days before the appointment. Is this common? Lots of good reviews for this place online and while I found the place myself, my doctor was able to refer me to it through their directory.

Hey guys,

I'm on 40mg Vyvanse. I'll be going to NSW for 3 days soon (from QLD) and while it's not imperative for me to bring my medication, I'd like to. I think it may be too short notice for me to get a doctor's note, but I have called my GP about this and hopefully they call me back by Monday!

Am I allowed to bring my medication like Vyvanse with me like in a carry bag? Or do I need to declare this beforehand? I've tried to find specific information on this but most travel is to other countries, not within the states, which is all that I'm doing.

If anyone has any advice/experience with this, please reply ^^

As the title suggests, I'm dumbfounded.

I don't know how this is legal.

I am a software engineer, and as a knowledge worker, mental health is more likely to prevent me from working than a physical impairment.

These are the altered terms:

>Mental Disorder

>No benefit will be payable due to any mental disorder (as defined by the most current DSM manual as at the policy start date) including adjustment disorders, anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse (including alcohol), behavioural disorders, functional neurological disorders, including treatment and/or complications of any such mental disorders. In addition no benefit will be payable for symptoms of stress,cognitive impairment, fatigue or exhaustion; chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, including treatment or related complications.

They also exclude an 'extreme' sport I do (which I don't want to divulge to remain anonymous) which is fair enough.

But this mental health exemption clause is insanely broad.

I am not medicated, and manage it well. Very few people know. There are ups and downs, but nothing that prevent me from doing my job well. My company isn't even aware that I have ADHD, I didn't disclose it.

I had a promotion this year, and I'm doing great professionally. I'm well aware of my strengths and weaknesses. I can manage very well most days.

I had to disclose it to the insurer as I had a new medical assessment. I made sure to point out that it was not problematic in my life and managed.

This was really hurting to read; I don't expect insurance companies to be 'friendly', but this feels like discrimination. Feels like a kick in the guts.

Is this legal? Any recommendations for another insurer?

l've been on Vyvance (70mg) for over 3 years, and recently my psych recommended switching to Concerta for better focus and energy.
I'm a bit hesitant-my doctor says Concerta is better for ADHD, but l've been on Vyvance for years and feel it's working well up until now even with regular breaks from it.
But here's the thing: I've been saving my 70mg Vyvance bottles in a drawer. I thought, 'Maybe I'll need more of it later' or 'Maybe I'll get a discount when I switch'.
But now, I'm realizing: I have 4-5 bottles of unused 70mg Vyvance.
I've seen online that Vyvance is being phased out, and Concerta is taking over.
So-what's the best way to recycle the unused bottles? And what’s your experience with switching?

Hey everyone.

The psychiatrist who originally diagnosed me is not being cooperative, holding my prescription for random basically.

I have a letter from her with my formal diagnosis of ADHD, and I am wondering if I can see a new Psychiatrist and give them that letter, and then get a prescription?

Let me know if that doesn’t make sense.

Thanks.

*please note - I had a cup of orange juice with osmolax right before I had the tablet this morning - not sure if this impacted meds*

Been on 30mg vyvanse for two weeks, and the first 5-6 days appetite was suppressed a lot, food noise gone and not needing to binge or feeling like I need to go back for more. I’ve been diagnosed with adhd and binge eating disorder - 31 year old female.

I started the 40mg this morning, and when I got home from work today my appetite came back with a vengeance and I’ve had a huge binge to the point of feeling sick. Really scared that something isn’t right in terms of meds and wondering if anyone else has had this happened?

Also my hair is falling out in chunks😭

Thanks!

I want to sort out my life, I'm starting back on medication, concerta.

I have done mini research dives before however I got overwhelmed with all the information, which people to trust, which products to trust, which doses and the rest of the science behind what supplements to take together to make sure the one your taking actually can get absorbed by the body to be able to get used.

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

Question: In Aus, can you dispense script before 20 days as instructed by psychiatrist?

So I am confused with my prescription because my label says I can dispense before 20 days which differs from the PBS safety net. I will explain for context. The PBS Safety Net says ‘supplied within 20 days of a previous supply, usually for a month’s quantity’. My label states I can get a new script after 14 days.

My script gives me 100 dexies per bottle. I am prescribed 5 dexies a day. So, 100 divided by 5 equals 20. I will use my script in 20 days. This aligns with the PBS Safety Net.

The only reason I really care about being able to get my script after 14 days is because I don’t drive and so when my script is due to run out, I need to plan to be able to get to a pharmacy easily. If I am able to dispense whilst I’m already at the shops/ close to a pharmacy then I will.

When I realised this detail (14 days) I tried to dispense (I left the pharmacy to grocery shop) and was sent a text that I cannot. When I returned to the pharmacy, I showed them the label instructions on my bottle and the pharmacist went back to the computer, clicked some things and dispensed it for me. She mentioned that the system flags it because it’s before 20 days. After this experience I had an appointment with my GP (for something unrelated) and asked them if I can dispense before 20 days and she said no because of the PBS regulations. I forgot to ask her why the label states otherwise (classic ADHD). This is more confusing because why does my GP say no, and additionally, if my GP and psychiatrist communicate then wouldn’t the GP know about the psychiatrist saying 14 days? Another point of confusion is that I don’t even know why my psychiatrist has put 14 days? Maybe I told them about my annoyance with access but I can’t really remember.

Also! I often go to the nearest pharmacy to me at the time I need to dispense them. So every time I go it seems like it’s a bit of a struggle for the pharmacist? The last two times they have had to send me a text to which I reply ‘Yes’ giving them access to my records? I don’t care about this extra time but why does this happen if it clearly says on my label I can dispense after 14 days? - I always bring my last bottle to show them. I don’t have a regular pharmacy again just for accessibility. For example, if my bottle is due on X date and I am working, to ensure I can get them before the pharmacy closes, I just go to the one closest to me.

TLDR: can I get my dexies dispensed before 20 days have enclasped because that is my pharmacist instructions on the label?

Just curious about what factors go into psychiatrist’s decision making of which med to start someone on when first diagnosed. I know it can be a bit of trial and error, but how do they pick one to start over another? E.g. I was started on Dex twice a day, my older sister started on Vyvanse.
Thanks!!

>TD;DR: Looking for people's experiences with Ritalin LA, Medikinet, or similar extended release formulations of Methylphenidate that release heavier initial doses than Concerta, as I'm looking to get a slightly more intense window of focus while not increasing my total daily MPH intake. Would really appreciate hearing how it has gone for others to get an idea of what to expect

Hey all, quick recap on my treatment history so far: I first started my treatment with a single Ritalin 10mg IR dose a day to test for side effects. Afterward, we switched to Concerta as Ritalin only provided about 2-2.25 hours of coverage, going from 27mg -> 36mg -> 54mg, and then adding back a 10mg Ritalin dose in the morning afterward. I've been taking Ritalin 10mg IR when I wake up, followed up by 54mg Concerta about 2 hours later once it's about to wear off to get full day coverage.

The problem is, I don't necessarily need 12-14 hours of symptom management per day, and have noticed I don't exactly get any benefits when it comes to lowering that task initiation friction I have. Often, I'll be too lethargic/calm even on this dosage, so I'd deal with this by taking a good dose of caffeine with my meds to get the ball rolling & start work.

I was thinking that since I don't need anything that lasts this long, the 50/50 biphasic release mechanism could allow for a sharper "kick" in the morning for a solid 6-8 hours of work at a higher intensity than OROS while keeping my total daily MPH intake lower/controlled. Been considering trying out 30mg Medikinet + a Ritalin 10mg IR booster if it doesn't last long enough, and eventually considering whether 40mg is tolerable or necessary once I have some experience with it, but I wanted to hear people's experiences on this before moving forward and proposing this idea to my psychiatrist. Because I've never taken formulations that go heavy on the initial release, with Concerta only providing 12mg IR, taking a full 20mg IR dose from something like Medikinet 40mg feels like it'd be jarringly intense, although I could be wrong about this ofc, and adaptations to it over time would most likely help out in that regard.

For others who have taken Ritalin LA, Medikinet, or similar extended release formulations with a heavy initial payload, how was your experiences with it? I would love to hear your feedback on them, as it'd genuinely help a lot 🙏

I'm planning on booking an appointment with Elite Focus sometime soon and I just want to be prepared for what they might ask me in case my mind goes blank on the day.

For those who have gone through Elite Focus to get diagnosed/prescribed meds, what questionnaires did you have to complete? And what types of questions did they ask you during the interview? Did they give you a say in which medication you preferred or did they select one for you?

TIA! :)

Hi all,

So my husband has both an ASD and ADHD diagnosis. He decided to seek medicinal treatment for his ADHD in 2025 and was booked in with a psychiatrist through his GP in December. Since then he has attended three appointments and his psychiatrist and the psychiatrist has also spoken with me and my husband's mother for further context. At the end of his last appointment at the end of April, his psychiatrist said that he could try out a medication pending results from blood and urine tests, and an ECG.

My husband had this testing done over several weeks and was finished with it by the last week of May. Since then we are yet to hear back from the psychiatrist with results/prescription/treatment plan (not sure what exactly happens from here). We have sent emails/called multiple times since the beginning of June to follow up, and they keep saying the doctor will get back to us ASAP. At this point it has been approximately 4 weeks since they should have received all of his test results. Just wondering if it is normal for the psychiatrist to take that long to respond regarding medication/treatment? We feel that a month is a long time to look over some results and write a prescription but perhaps there is more to it than it seems. What are other people's experiences? Thanks.

If so, what papers and information did you supply that helped?

I also have endometriosis as well as undiagnosed Autism and PMDD that impacts my physical and mental.

I’m just unsure as to whether it’s worth applying or not.

TIA

I know that GPs who have done training are now able to do ADHD assessments. I will be seeing a GP who I think may have done this training.

I'm wondering if I should still ask to be referred to a psychiatrist for diagnosis? I'm not sure if there is a difference in the outcome for treatment? Or if one is "better" for like demonstrating evidence later? (If I moved would I need to get diagnosed each time I had a new dr?)

I already see a therapist. She urged me to seek an ADHD assessment at our last appointment. I've been seeing her for 2 years for CPTSD/Anxiety and she thinks it's likely I have ADHD. She is also a therapist who works with ADHD clients, so I can still receive support through her.

Anyway, I'm a bit confused by all the changes and options. I have my GP appointment on Monday and I'm pretty anxious about it. It's just an initial consult, so I don't think there will be any assesment done then. But I'm trying to be prepared because I always get anxious at medical appointments and sometimes forget what I need to say.

Long story short "hopefully". I'm 31 recently diagnosed with ADHD inattentive type + Cptsd. Essentially traumatic upbringing is what the psych is calling it.. traumatic on paper sure.. idk if it affected me to a degree that you see with some people. I also have this terrible habit of down playing the past as a "poo happens" kinda thing. Anywho!

ADHD meds.. Theoretically if the psych is incorrect on the ADHD side of the diagnosis and my own suspicions.. Any idea what I should be looking out for? I genuinely think I have it, but looking into Cptsd stuff Hella resonates with me also.. So now I'm low-key questioning if my original thought process of thinking I just had ADHD all my life or if my brain got even more cooked as a kid lmao.

Don't particularly like taking any sort of pharmaceuticals "probably another childhood trauma thing" 😂 BUT if it helps improve my life then I'll do it.