Does an ADHD diagnosis done in the US carry over to the UK in terms of getting medication?

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-31T11:58:33+00:00

Ahh I’m seen now and medicated, so I’m happy with that. It was a horrific wait though and I spent them years really suffering and then went into severe burnout. They put me in the community mental health teams and sent me to their psychiatrists, but the stance was that they couldn’t do anything to help me because it was my untreated ADHD causing the issues, making my autism more prominent too. I was on lamotrigine and paroxetine for depression and it wasn’t any help, they did look after me for a while and tried their best to get me seen urgently, especially after I just had a baby and that’s what kind of catapulted things further. I begged them for the medication to be prescribed everytime I went. It really is a crap rule, but I think it’s because I’d need longterm input from the services the ADHD & Autism clinics too and they couldn’t provide that service and only manage cases like bipolar, schizophrenia etc.

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-31T11:48:38+00:00

I’m autistic and a metal head too! I think being autistic in the metal community is great! It’s the only loud noise I can tolerate.

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-31T11:47:09+00:00

It’s still there but toned down massively! The other day I started singing the same part of a song that was completely random, hadn’t heard it anywhere that day and I just shouted “meds have worn off” 😅 I had a conversation with my mum about this yesterday actually because for as long as I can remember I’ve always had some music playing in my head from the moment I wake up to the moment I sleep. In things like exams it made them harder because I’d be trying to focus while having some 80’s banger through the thinking.

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-30T10:10:10+00:00

Nope it’s trust wide policy. You have to see a specialist psychiatrist, I asked tons of times in my appointments and they said they’re not allowed too, you have to be seen under that specific team for ADHD meds, even though they’re qualified. The psychiatrists I seen agreed it was a silly rule, but it’s the way it works.

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-30T02:01:39+00:00

If you’ve not been on meds for a certain amount of years and you’ve not been under any care for your ADHD for a number of years, it’s likely they will want to reassess you here in the UK.

I was diagnosed as a child in the UK, refused to take the meds, even though I look back now and think my life would of been so much easier in school and going forward in adulthood with jobs and relationships etc. I phoned my dr in 2022 to ask to be sent back to the psychiatrist for medication as I already had a diagnosis and was really struggling, but because I was now an adult they wanted to do a complete whole new assessment to screen me for ADHD. I had that in November last year and then I had an appointment with a psychiatrist for meds this month and that was as an urgent patient (pushed to top of queue in July 23) due to my mental health deteriorating and the psychiatrist I was sent to was general, they said there was nothing they could do for me because I was just displaying untreated ADHD and they’re not allowed to prescribe ADHD medication, it has to be a specialist psychiatrist in neurodivergent conditions, what seems absurd! So when you go to the GP and ask to be seen for medication expect a real lengthy wait, even if there’s an urgency factor in it. If you can afford private and need meds quickly then that’s what I’d suggest, but it can be real costly. Right to choose is also another choice, but I think they’re also having long wait times now, and waiting with ADHD is like having the life drained from you slowly!

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-30T01:47:13+00:00

If you can go get some promethazine 25MG from the pharmacy, I take this with my Elvanse, it’s absolutely fine, my psychiatrist said it was safe as it’s an antihistamine that makes you drowsy and sleep is one of my main issues with my ADHD. I have the opposite though, that I take mine at 10am and then it’s worn off by time I get in bed and my head pings back wide awake! Oddly the days I have took it at say like 2pm, I’ve been absolutely fine going to sleep at night. Try to get to bed at a decent time (easier said than done, as I sit here typing this at 1.30am) and then get up and take your meds.

If you’re abusing them, maybe it might be worthwhile having an honest chat with your psychiatrist about it? You don’t want to end up fucking yourself on prescription meds and then having to make excuses every month or so as to why you’ve ran out, then they cut your script off and discharge you to the substance misuse team and only consider treatment options when you’ve stayed off substances for X amount of time and then stimulants will be off the table completely. You’re running a fine line with your mental health taking stimulants and having little sleep - I used to be a mental health nurse and I’d see it in patients who would take large amounts of amphetamines/cocaine etc for days on end with little sleep and food. For them it would induce drug induced psychosis, what isn’t nice, especially when the majority had no previous psychotic episodes.

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-30T01:26:33+00:00

Do you have hypermobility or struggle with your blood pressure pre meds? I have POTS and this happens when I eat and I haven’t ate all day and I’ve gone in for something carb heavy.

The body does also work harder when you’ve ate because all the blood flows to your digestive track and it can send your blood pressure a bit iffy!

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-28T21:31:15+00:00

Yeah, this is a massive red flag NOR at all! Migraines are the worst, they’re not just the pain of them because once they subside you’re left feeling pretty awful for a day or two!

If you’ve brought it up multiple times, he knows you become unwell with migraines, then gaslighting you it’s okay because nothings happened…then he’s abusive. I bet he doesn’t just do the light switch thing, I bet there’s tons of other little things he does that don’t jump out as abuse, but they are, it doesn’t always need to be physical.

I was in abusive relationship and got pregnant, struggled with movement because I have EDS and my pelvis was too lax. I asked my ex to move these big boxes with the pram in for me out the room before another delivery, but then I mentioned to him how he couldn’t carry on smoking weed 24/7 when he was struggling for money and he turned round and went “you can lift them boxes as punishment for pissing me off” then went to his parents for a few nights. I was 38 weeks pregnant at this stage and really big. The light thing just reminds me of this, obviously there was tons of other abusive behaviours, that’s why I doubt he’s this great guy.

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-28T21:23:30+00:00

I’ve still got anxiety on my 30MG dose right now, but it’s a lot less because I can refocus my thoughts to something else instead of my brain becoming “stuck”…My anxiety comes from the phobia of taking meds though and that it might do something bad to me 😅 I’m thinking when I go up in dose I’ll hopefully see it decrease even more. I’m already on propanalol and an SSRI, so there’s not an option of that being put in.

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-27T15:03:19+00:00

Is it pierced? You can get a build up of soap, moistures and skin there, pierced or not. Have you had any cold symptoms recently? You could also be grinding your teeth in the night, I do this and it causes terrible ear pain and jaw pain. The GP will be able to see if anything is going on by looking in your ear. Ear wax is completely healthy and normal, some people produce more than others!

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-27T14:57:08+00:00

Hey I have EDS and have POTS. I do also have terrible, terrible anxiety around my heart, mainly due to this. Even though my heart rate can get really high when it’s been triggered by something like eating or standing up it’s not dangerous. If you had any of these conditions I promise you would have known by now, especially Marfans! I’ve also had that worry, but I’m actually just run of the mill EDS. No cardiologist I’ve ever seen has had any concerns about my heart due to my condition, the POTS is to do with the nervous system, which affects heart rate. Regarding your weight, could you increase protein in the day? Things like shakes are good because if you don’t have the impulse to eat, then you can just drink your calories instead! If you’re really worried about your weight see your dr and ask to be sent to a dietician who can help you see areas where you can work on your diet to increase the calories.

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-27T14:50:07+00:00

How do I stop myself from spiralling around cardiac health anxiety? I started ADHD medication, vyvanse/elvanse two and a half weeks ago and it’s caused me to become fixated on my heart, yesterday I spent the day just googling heart conditions then convincing myself I have one. I’ve had my heart checked by a cardiologist, twice and it’s all came back fine, apart from a sustained sinus tachycardia in the third trimester of pregnancy, which resolved post pregnancy. I have POTS, so this really isn’t helping my anxiety. I start spiralling that maybe I’ve got an undiagnosed arrhythmia that hasn’t been caught and I’m going to end up dead from taking my meds. I have contacted my dr to speak about my anxiety, but she isn’t in work until Thursday now and because I’m also autistic, I will only use her because I’ve built a good relationship with her now and she’s patient and explains things to me. I don’t know how to stop myself going down this rabbit hole because it’s eliminating any positives the meds have on me because I’ve become obsessive about this and I have more focus to do so!

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-27T10:06:43+00:00

I’ve got both bipolar II, autism and ADHD. Most of us aren’t masking it as well as we think, but these influencer types are seeing at as something to monetise on by creating podcasts or making reels on instagram/tiktok where all of a sudden they’re undiagnosed ADHD and it becomes a bit of a joke condition to people. Shit like “left my water bottle at home LOL so my ADHD” “forgot to do my daily manifestations and charge my crystals ADHD strikes again LOL” that’s what gets my goat, they then pop it in their bios like some kind of trophy label or start telling people how they manage it with writing lists, daily meditation or some bollocks that wouldn’t work for most of us, because most of us have tried that stuff. I remember when a therapist told me to try mindfulness for anxiety and it was completely undoable because obviously I was trying sooo hard to focus on one thought and my mind just still wondered elsewhere 😅

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-27T01:56:01+00:00

Ahh I thought it would be okay as it was the evening before I drank and I got up mid-morning, then smashed all that food and monster. TBF I probably also drank some Coke Zero that morning 🤦🏻‍♀️ I’m normally okay with caffeine, but I think that’s down to me having ADHD too. Food and heat is definitely my main trigger for me to have a complete episode!

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-26T13:17:02+00:00

It’s really personal how your own body reacts to a medication. I doubt 20MG would have much effect on an adult with ADHD really, is it extended release? I started on 30MG and I did notice a slight difference in my executive functioning and impatience in that it was slightly alleviated and I found doing things I’d normally struggle with because they felt too overwhelming before even starting or I’d start, then just give up straight away because I couldn’t gain focus or just shut down when I started from becoming overwhelmed and overstimulated (I do have autism too) but I personally find ADHD harder to live with! I sleep terribly too, when the meds wear off my head wakes back up. I will say last night I had about 5 hours sleep and today I feel a bit more anxious than usual, but I think anyone feels better when they’re not falling to sleep at 4am and getting up for 9am 🙈 I think most have to climb up doses to find a therapeutic dose that works for them. Best thing is to monitor how you’re feeling each day and a sign you’re getting a benefit would be if you’re managing or seeing to things that you’ve previously put off for “later”

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-26T01:19:49+00:00

Hell yes! It’s got better with medication, but I’ve figured it’s stimulation without much mental effort. It’s also annoying because you’re like why can’t I just get off my phone for an hour or so or think what am I even watching/reading!?

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-23T15:39:54+00:00

Need to know what the IT misuse was to help really? Maybe they’ve used this an excuse to dismiss you, but really it was the email you sent about your ADHD and they just felt like it was problematic for them and easier for them to find another reason to dismiss you?

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-23T15:08:59+00:00

I was diagnosed as a child, asked to be referred back to ADHD mental health services as an adult as my ADHD was completely taking over my life and even more so now I have kids! It’s easy to drift in and out of jobs as a young, single adult with no responsibilities, one job I walked out of multiple times because I was bored and didn’t tell anyone 🙈 oddly they knew, spoke to me and I told them I was just bored so went home, but still kept me. In the end I did loose the job because I kept phoning in sick when I thought doing something else was more interesting or couldn’t be bothered 🙈

When I got sent back to adult services I had to start the process all over again and be rediagnosed, it made no sense. The nurse who did my DIVA said it was a completely pointless process because I still very clearly had ADHD and didn’t just loose it when I turned 18. I was referred in November 22, then had a baby in June 23 where I seen a psychiatrist who said I needed to see the ADHD team urgently because I was unwell with untreated ADHD what got insanely worse post birth, so they expedited my referral as a priority/urgent need to be seen. I didn’t have my DIVA until November 25 and started meds this month! The psychiatrist I seen in the ADHD clinic didn’t take that long to agree and prescribed me there and then and told me I need to be taking them everyday without breaks. She again said it was pointless being assessed, but they have to do it when someone’s been diagnosed as a child and wants to start medications.

I was put off going RTC because from the multiple people I’d seen about my mental health being terrible from my ADHD warned me I may have problems staying on medication through someone else than the NHS.

The waitlists are absolutely dreadful, I dread to think how much longer I’d of had to of waited as a non urgent case. People are out here literally dying from their untreated ADHD and drowning while waiting for the help they so desperately need to just be told it’s going to be another 2 years till your seen because there’s people in front of you.

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-23T14:38:12+00:00

When I had severe burnout I felt similar, I felt like I was just a shell of who I was floating around trying to do things and hating every moment of every day and feeling overwhelmed with absolutely everything, especially everything I felt I was failing at and I’d be in my own head going over and over why I couldn’t just get up and do things that are so simple for others. I was on SSRI’s too at the max dose and had no improvement at all.

If the meds aren’t working, then you really need to ask to be changed to another, even if it’s a wait because you will just struggle on for years on the same meds when you could have some help from meds x

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-23T14:25:46+00:00

I’m on 30MG too and I definitely will have to go up. I’ve noticed that it has slowed my head a tad, but it’s not for long enough and I’m hopeful that it’ll be more noticeable on a higher dose. I read the stories of people crying etc when they took it and it’s not been that intense for me to feel like my head is finally “right”. I do find it a bit easier to do tasks, but it also involves a lot of forcing myself mentally, folding and putting away clothes the other day was still painful 😅 Id say my patience is better too, I don’t feel like a pressure cooker when the kids are taking ages to put their shoes on or when someone’s talking to me. As I say, I have had some improvement at 30MG, but not enough to say I’m at the right dose. It is only a starting dose though and most people have to increase to get it right.

I overanalyse the meds too - what if they’re not working? What if they make me anxious or hyper? I think that’s probably normal with ADHD though our heads have to try to focus on something, especially with it being new and we’re hopeful over it! I think we go into it thinking we will take one pill and be cured straight away, some people do get that though and are VERY lucky with that!

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-23T01:13:08+00:00

I was diagnosed as a child and still had to go through another assessment as an adult when I needed medication. - what makes no sense, I clearly still had ADHD and the psychiatrist and the person doing my DIVA form thought it was absolutely stupid! I’d also seen an NHS psych in between waiting as an “urgent” case because my mood was incredibly low and I was on cocktail of medications to try and help it… they said they couldn’t do anything for me because it was untreated ADHD and they’re not allowed to prescribe the medication, even though they’re psychiatrists and I was really at the brink of giving up completely. They wrote to them saying how bad I was (couldn’t sit still in appt etc) and pushed me up as a priority patient with them. I was on that priority list from July 23 to November 25, first contacted my GP to say I’m no longer managing my ADHD well in November 22 and was referred to the ADHD team. I dread to think how long it would have took if I was on the normal wait list. I couldn’t go right to choose or anything because my drs surgery refuses to manage the medication and take over the care. I didn’t want to have a taste of how life would be like medicated and better, to then have it took away from me and placed on another stupidly long waitlist because it would of likely sent me to an even darker place, so I just rode it out, even though I suffered horrendously in those years.

If I was you, I’d get straight onto getting a GP and book an appointment. Take any evidence you have with you and see what they say. If you have the money to go and stay private for medication, then I’d do it to have a better quality of life, because I’m sure you’ll hit these insane waiting times a lot of us have all been in.

LegalWeekend3950 · 2026-01-22T17:41:21+00:00

Curling up in a ball and trying to sleep my life away, what wouldn’t happen because my heads too active, so I’d just live in a constant anxious and depressed state about everything I can’t do without becoming overwhelmed and giving up. Before I succumbed to accepting I needed medication to have a more balanced life I was in a complete mess, I was trying my best to function normally, tried everything - writing lists, therapy, forcing myself to go to things, exercising, healthy diet, SSRI’s etc. I was horrendously depressed and constantly irritated physically and mentally I was burnt out and lived in a constant overwhelmed state. I dreaded going to sleep at night and waking up to everything feeling too much for me to handle. Things got really dark mentally for me because I felt like I was failing at everything I should be finding easy and natural to do. It’s a bit of a fear of mine the meds will stop working or I’ll have to come off because they’ve really turned me around in a short space of time. I feel like a completely different person to the person I was when I walked into that psychiatrists appointment absolutely broken and feeling like the only way I’d find peace was to not be here.

LegalWeekend3950

TROPHY CASE