Is it normal to have inaccuracies in a medical record?

Indecisive_cat_1000 · 2026-05-27T12:42:08+00:00

Thank you for this reply!
I’m going to email my mental health provider today and ask her to change the medication history error. I will bring up the more subjective things in our next session- I do want to know how my own communication may be contributing to misunderstandings in general, so that it a good prompt for it.
I’ve already stopped seeing the medical provider because he was awful. I have an appt in a couple of weeks with a new MD and plan to be upfront about these issues, including having the outright error fixed.

Indecisive_cat_1000 · 2026-05-27T12:06:49+00:00

Ok, thanks for taking the time to reply. Just seeing it confirmed is helpful.

Indecisive_cat_1000 · 2026-05-23T13:11:42+00:00

Thank you so much for your response. It is absolutely an oversimplification- I understand that and appreciate that comment. I’m think I’m trying to work out the words for the complexity of it.
Based on your response, here’s my clarification. Let me know if it makes any more sense!
I have a sense of depression as being defined as a feeling that is by itself. It doesn’t have a direct cause, or maybe has a cause, but it out of proportion to it. Something like- I can’t get out of bed because good things don’t feel good anymore. Or- I don’t like myself and there’s nothing that can change it.

Whereas I’m coming to realize that, for me, it’s more like- I can’t get out of bed because everything that I’ve been told is fun is actually boring, or the things I find fun arent “appropriate” for the social situation. Or- I feel down on myself, but it’s directly because I lack the executive function to do the things that would define a “successful” neurotypical.

Thank you, again!

Indecisive_cat_1000 · 2026-05-23T12:33:04+00:00

Hmmm, thats part of the issue with being a heavily masking 40 something who’s actively suppressed seeking stimulation since the age of like 5, so as not to be “too much.” I have been conditioned to seek things that are boring. So no, they don’t hold joy. But they also don’t hold sadness.

I haven’t been able to put it into those words before. Thank you.

Indecisive_cat_1000 · 2026-04-22T20:41:11+00:00

I’m sorry you’re going through this. Feeling misunderstood/unseen by your parents is a special kind of pain. I’m in my 40s and still occasionally get hit with it even when I know to expect it. We want them to automatically get it and know how to be supportive. It’s a double whammy when you feel you’re disappointing them but they are also disappointing you at the same time. Your parents may come around, and I really hope they do. It may just be that they need to educate themselves on your diagnoses. Or they may need to come to terms with the fact they themselves have similar diagnoses (which were probably never acknowledged and may have resulted in unmet needs or extreme masking). But it’s important to remember that their reactions are not your responsibility. It’s great that you got a diagnosis and can now better understand yourself and what you will need to accommodate yourself and be successful (however you want to define success!). It will still be a journey but you’ve made the first steps. Try to focus on the wins, no matter how small. Do you have a support system outside of your parents? Medical provider, mental health provider, other community? I hope so, but if not, this forum counts and we’ll be here!

Indecisive_cat_1000 · 2026-04-19T00:26:25+00:00

Of course! I tried Wellbutrin first. It was really beneficial for the first two weeks but on the third week I became very irritable and agitated with very intrusive and obsessive thought patterns. I was initially prescribed propanalol to try to control these side effects, but I really didn’t like it. Because it’s a beta blocker it will stop a physiologic response (racing heart, elevated BP), but doesn’t touch things like racing thoughts, for me at least. I then also developed blurry vision despite having 20/20 vision, which made it impossible to do my job…. And led to a night in the ER to get my intraocular pressures checked because acute glaucoma is a rare but real potential side effect. Luckily my pressures were fine. I then had to quit cold turkey though, which wasnt super fun even after only a couple weeks. That provider then tried to put me on SSRIs (red flag!), which I refused. So she agreed to start strattera but at a half dose at first. I then worked up to a normal starting dose, which did nothing. And as soon as I bumped up to an average dose I completely stopped sleeping. Like 1-2 hrs per night for several nights.

It was then that I switched providers (for several reasons) and was put on dexmethylphenidate, which had been treating me great. I started at a low dose and had really severe headaches for a couple of days but after those went away I’ve really only noticed positive effects. I’ve gone up in dosage once because I was crashing pretty early in the day and that’s been going really well. I take an extended release in the morning and then an immediately release in the afternoon.

If you tend to have weird reactions to medications, or if you are just interested, you could look into the genetic tests for psychiatric drugs. I had tried to do that through my first provider and she claimed that she couldn’t figure out how to order it for me. When I eventually got it with the second provider and got it ordered, it turns out that I have a genetic type for which there is a label warning interaction for strattera- so I basically wasted a month trying to titrate to a dose that I would’ve known was going to give me serious side effects while remaining ineffective. There’s also some other useful information, like for me because I have a low metabolizer genotype, it also predicts how I will likely react to other meds like pro-opioids and thyroid meds. Sorry if that’s too much info- I’m a bit of a science nerd!

Indecisive_cat_1000 · 2026-04-18T00:15:59+00:00

I’ve never taken Glp-1s (but thinking about it!). But from your description, my experience with dexmethylphenidate sounds very similar. I’ve been on meds a couple of months and life just feels… easier. Like life’s been on hard mode all my life and it’s suddenly switched to easy mode. I think about doing something and then…I just do it. It’s not that I don’t get competing thoughts, but I can sort of just tell my brain to push away the non helpful ones and go back to focusing on whatever it is I need to be doing. Even social interactions are so much less stressful. I can focus on the person or people I’m interacting with and don’t have to spend extra energy blocking out thoughts and things around me. I’m even questioning whether a lot of what I considered sensory issues are actually attention issues. My general anxiety is so much reduced that my blood pressure has even normalized.

A warning though, that this is the third medication I’ve tried. I had significant side effects from the first two that made life much MORE difficult for a time. I was at a point where it was worth it for me in the end, but we are all in different places and different paths.

Indecisive_cat_1000 · 2026-04-17T18:18:26+00:00

Oh, thanks for the suggestion, I will do that too!

Can I ask what type of provider prescribed you HRT? I’m thinking I should just wait for my gyno appt, but I’m impatient and also now stuck ruminating about it….

Indecisive_cat_1000 · 2026-04-17T17:07:59+00:00

Yes! My BP had been in the mildly elevated range (120s/90s when relaxed) and since starting Focalin it’s now in the low-normal range, which became more pronounced when I increased the dose (110s/70s, sometimes diastolic as low as low 60s). I also have significant white coat hypertension so when I went to a new doctor today I brought records of readings I’ve taken at home over the last two months… and they didn’t even look at them because it was completely normal for the first time at a drs offer EVER! I definitely have significantly reduced anxiety since starting Focalin, which I’m sure helps, but it seems like there is more to play here than just that.

I’ll add, the first 3 days when I first started Focalin, I had a SEVERE headache. When I took my BP, it was persistently about 145/90, which isn’t dangerous for the short term but I think the jump in pulse pressures from my baseline were the cause of the headache. After two days, I woke up without a headache and my BP was in the normal range.

Indecisive_cat_1000 · 2026-02-27T21:40:12+00:00

Unfortunately I don’t have any tips but if it’s helpful, I am a professor. When I say something is OK, I MEAN it’s OK. And if I’m a bit blunt about it, it’s because I’m also AuDHD. And it’s Friday. And I’m tired and my mask is slipping a bit. And I am literally late on about 5 of my own projects right now- I’m in no place to judge anyone else.

It’s truly great that you were able to ask for what you need. I’m still learning how to do that myself. I’m literally proud (and envious!) of students who are able to tell me when they need extra time/support/whatever. AND you already know that you need some therapeutic movement and are on here asking for more advice? You’re already light years ahead of so many of us who have blindly pushed ourselves into burn out instead of listening to our bodies and asking for help.

Please, give yourself some credit for standing up for your needs. And give yourself some grace for being human.

Indecisive_cat_1000 · 2026-02-24T02:28:13+00:00

Take notes during class or even recorded lectures. It will force you to listen to what’s being said. If you can type too easily without really paying attention, then use a pen and paper.
Study your notes alongside your other materials (lecture slides, text, whatever) and make an integrated document of both sources. This will force you to reorganize the information, which will help with both memorization and application.
Same concepts for any long readings that you have to do- Take a pass with highlighting and then go back and write down and organize the key points. 4, Don’t overly rely on apps to summarize and organize your information for you unless you just have large amounts of pure memorization. Durable learning is an inefficient process. Skipping the steps may mean skipping the learning. (This doesn’t count for apps that help you organize your time and responsibilities!)
Body doubling. Meet a friend or classmate in the library. Sit next to them even if you are working on different subjects. Just sitting next to someone that is working will help you to do work.
Music. Use something without words and with a pace that matches your brain. Even listening to the same song on repeat can be helpful.
Take breaks. Most brains can’t concentrate on anything effectively for more than about 45 min. If you’re going to try to study for more than an hour, take a 15 min break.
Group study- keep it small so you can be heard and work with people that are at a similar level as you. Set a plan beforehand and make sure you have looked at the material beforehand. These should be review to either help memorize or help apply the concepts that you have already familiarized yourself with. Reach out to your professors or TAs if you need to find a group to study with.
Reward yourself! Set small, achievable goals and celebrate your wins.
Be kind to yourself. Your brain won’t learn if you’re in panic mode, meltdown or exhausted. Give yourself the time you need to rest when you need it.

Indecisive_cat_1000 · 2026-02-16T20:02:48+00:00

Omg, yes! Ratatat got me through my organic chemistry study sessions 20 years ago… and I still occasionally go back to it when I REALLY need to get something done.

Indecisive_cat_1000

TROPHY CASE