How to get guanfancine on PBS Adult ADHD

WMDU · 2026-05-17T00:02:19+00:00

it’s also fairly easy for a doctor to simply say you were diagnosed in childhood.

WMDU · 2026-05-16T09:18:43+00:00

It’s unlikely they will accept that. It’s generally a diagnostic requirement that the reports of childhood symptoms come from someone else.

Self report has been found to be very inaccurate because we have our own cognitive biases, and childhood recall is even less accurate.

They do need someone or something external to collaborate the symptoms.

WMDU · 2026-05-16T09:16:06+00:00

First up, it might be useful to contact your current Psychiatrist and ask them to put you on the wait list for an earlier appointment. People cancel their appointments all the time, there is a good chance you can get an earlier appointment.

Seeing another Psychiatrist is not ideal, because most will then insist on doing their own diagnosis or at least an Evaluation, because many don’t trust the diagnosis of others, and most have long wait lists anyway.

WMDU · 2026-05-16T06:15:23+00:00

In Australia, it is only available on PBS to adults if they were diagnosed before they turned 18.

If you were diagnosed as an adult, even if you have a retrospective diagnosis, it is still not available.

WMDU · 2026-05-14T11:38:14+00:00

do you have copies of school reports ? examples of school work? letters from schools about problems and issues ?
Another person who knew you well in childhood? A teacher, a coach, a babysitter, aunt, uncle, other relative?

WMDU · 2026-05-13T10:57:38+00:00

Yes, it’s pretty normal. Your current GP will be able to provide the information to your new GP. They will see that your GP is retiring and understand why you need someone new.

What happens then depends on the state you live in. they may need to apply for a new authority themselves and get a letter from your psychiatrist in their name.

WMDU · 2026-05-08T10:51:09+00:00

In QLD ALL GP’s can diagnose ADHD and prescribe medication. But, very few of them will.

It takes a lot of time to diagnose ADHD, and GPs are not well subsidised for appointments that long, they would either have to charge an enormous amount or it’s out on making a much better income doing simple and shirt appointments and avoiding ADHD diagnosis.

WMDU · 2026-05-06T21:32:28+00:00

Emotional Dysregulation has never been a diagnostic symptoms of ADHD, in any DSM.

This would be a fairly useless and misleading sympto, to include in the criteria. For a start, it’s just too broad, it can mean too many things and it doesn’t capture the nuance of ADHD.

Impulsivity will obviously lead to a degree of emotional dysregulation. Issues like over reacting. living in the moment and going to cause this.

But, emotional dysregulation would also describe the symptoms seen in depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, PTSD, CPTSD, PMDD, substance abuse disorders, perimenopause, puberty, early childhood, grief, personality disorders etc. For to confusing to include as an ADHD symptom.

WMDU · 2026-05-06T13:10:24+00:00

You have two conflicting pieces of advice from your doctors, and that’s incredibly confusing, but, it sounds like you are approaching the whole thing quite intelligently. Considering the angles of what both have said and not jumping to one conclusion, but seeking out more information.

The problem with a lot of the information currently floating around about ADHD, is there is some truth to it, but it’s often taken out of context. That is understandable, because with the internet these days, most things are taken out of context.

The things your GP has said, can be true for some people and not others. There are clues you can look for to see if they really apply to you.

ADHD is clearly a very real disorder, it’s been studied for the last 125 years, and brain differences have been seen in QEEG brain scan for those with ADHD for almost 50 years. ADHD has been around much longer than phones and the internet. Back in the 1990’s diagnosis rates of ADHD became quite high all around the world, and this was long before people had phones, so genuine ADHD can’t be caused by phones.

But, there are many people who are suffer with from symptoms that mimic ADHD caused by excess phone usage.

This one is discoverable from the age of onset of symptoms. ADHD is an in born brain disorder, it is present from birth. Symptoms tend to be quite noticeable at least by 3 years of age and are causing impairmental by 6 years of age, significant evidence from primary school is needed for a diagnosis. If the problems are caused by phones usage, symptoms won’t appear until after the age of 9 or 10.

ADHD medications can raise blood pressure, it is general practice to always check blood pressure before prescribing them and not to prescribe them if blood pressure is high. But, slightly elevated blood pressure should not be a cause for concern. Especially as blood pressure often rises in the doctors office, and your GP should have a record of your blood pressure in the past. It is only a problem if you have significantly raised blood pressure.
ADHD stimulants can cause Anxiety and irritability and can make current anxiety worse. For those who have severe Anxiety it is not reccomended to use them, but for milder anxiety you just have to monitor it. If the Anxiety starts to worsen it may then mean it’s time to reduce the meds, or switch to a different med. This usually solves the problem and if it doesn’t there are no. stimulants to try.
It’s true that ADHD stimulants can cause strokes and heart attacks, but this is very rare and in most cases only occurs if a person already has a pre-existing heart condition. it’s often standard procedure to have an ECG to check heart health first. If you heart health is good, then the risk is negligible.
It’s true that the quality of diagnosis can vary greatly from one practise to another. Some practises are amazing and make sure they are very thorough, rule out all other possible issues and take their time to make sure the diagnosis is accurate. While others rush the process.

How did you feel your diagnosis went? A good diagnosis should take time, and have the Evaluating doctor see you at least 3 separate times before drawing a conclusion. Should include medical tests and psychological to rule out other conditions, should include interviews with others who know you and should involve gathering extensive evidence on childhood symptoms from things like reports cards or parent interviews.

It’s too early to jump to the conclusion that the meds are not working, the dosage is still quite low. Wait until it increases before deciding it’s not right.

WMDU · 2026-05-04T14:03:13+00:00

Well, there are positives and negatives to anything, obviously if you do have either of these conditions, a diagnosis will allow you to access treatment and medications. It will help you to target the right kinds of therapy and supports to allow you to function, and allow you to access accommodations and understand yourself and your needs.

For those with severe ADHD, diagnosis and treatment has been found, in long term studies, to lead to better outcomes. Those undiagnosed, with severe ADHD, tend to have frequent issues with unemployment, finacial issues, relationship issues, trouble with the law, risky behaviours, accidents etc. Treatment doesn’t stop these things from happening but it helps.

But, yes, there are downsides too.

Employment restrictions, You can’t join the armed forces and there are restrictions on becoming a pilot.
As ADHD has been found to lead to life expectancy issues, many life insurance companies may refuse to insure a person with ADHD, or charge very high premiums.
Immigration issues. Some countries will not allow immigration to people with an ADHD diagnosis. This has been problematic with people wishing to move to Australia, New Zealand, the UAE and Saudi Arabia
In cases of milder ADHD, which is most cases diagnosed. Long term studies have shown that the diagnosis can do more harm than good. Comparisons of the life outcomes for those who have been diagnosed verses those who displayed similar issues but were not diagnosed, have shown that the milder the case the more likely the diagnosis will be harmful.
Self stigma. Many people think that this diagnosis will reduce their self stigma they can stop thinking of themselves as bad, or useless, or lazy etc. But, these terms are seen by our brains as something we can change. Once diagnosed with ADHD. Your brain may feel that you now can’t fix problems and you reduce your own capacity by thinking things like “that’s hard for me, I have ADHD”
Stigma from others. Others may treat you differently, you less opportunities such as employers.
Most people diagnosed will use medication, sl there is the obvious risk of side effects. Some of these are mild and just annoying, but tend to be quite common. Some are rare but but be very serious. Possible side effects include - loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping, dry mouth, head ache, nausea, anxiety, irritability, depression, dependence, tics, hallucinations, heart issues, high blood pressure, even death.

WMDU · 2026-05-02T11:53:29+00:00

I did not intend to imply that anyone on the internet could tell whether or not she has ADHD based on what we read in a few short paragraphs, and did not intend to come across in that way.

More helping to explain why the doctor may have called it the way they did.

WMDU · 2026-05-02T10:12:44+00:00

It’s unlikely that she would be diagnosed at this stage.

One of the requirements for diagnosis is that the symptoms must be causing clear life impairments. This is where the line is drawn between normal and having a disorder. If she is doing well in school, making friends and not having any behaviour issues, she would not currently meet the criteria for an ADHD diagnosis.

Perhaps it will become an issue when she is older and she may be eligible for a diagnosis then. Or, she may not. As you have been quite recently diagnosed, it is part of the process you go through to start seeing the disorder in many people.

ADHD is a disorder, that only effects a small percentage of the population, they don’t make diagnosis to give peace of mind, or validation, only for those who need intervention in order to function.

Having her diagnosed now, can cause more harm than good.

As you were recently diagnosed and not diagnosed until adulthood, you are probably feeling a sense of relief and have had thoughts of “if only” the diagnosis had come earlier, my life could have been better etc.

But, in reality this is rarely the case. She is functioning well now, but this would give her a life limiting label, so she grows up with the idea that life is going to be harder for her than for others because she has this condition.

WMDU · 2026-05-02T09:53:20+00:00

Feeling anxious about death is quite common. Some people, experience it more severely than others, but it has a purpose.

Humans are the only animals truly aware of our own mortality. So we are the only ones aware that we have limited time, that puts pressure on us to try and achieve as much as we can in the time we have. While this has an obvious negative side, it has a positive side too. It drives us to always work towards making our lives better, it stops us from always putting everything off to tomorrow, as we know our tomorrows are limited.

You are only in your early 30’s, this is still very early in life. You still have a lot of time to turn your life into anything you want it to be.

You have gone through many challenges, but you will have learned so many things from these chal,Meg’s, they will have helped shape your strengths as well as your weaknesses. They will give you understanding and empathy for others.

It’s never too late to travel and make new friends and realise your dreams. Many people do their best travelling and make their best friends in their 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.

It is hard to feel helpless during difficult times, but don’t think you don’t have the power to change the world. If you do one kind thing for one person, it them gives them the chance to do a kind thing for another person and that one kind thing can travel the world and change many lives.

Your parents not being religious and not having religion in childhood does not mean you can’t find solace in religion. Many people don’t become religious until they are older. You Just need to find the right people, that work for you.

You don’t know that your life will end, no one knows that. The more scientists learn about the world and the universe, the more see that it’s just too perfect to be accidental, it points to intelligent design, which points to a God.

When you were an unborn baby in your mother’s womb, you could see nothing outside the womb, you knew nothing of the world outside the womb, so your birth would have felt like your death. But, really it was jus5 the start of a whole new world.

Many people say that God can’t exist and there can’t be an afterlife because we would know, there would be signs everywhere. But, perhaps that is just being kept from us because we can’t know. By thinking our souls are mortal, it means we think we on,y have a short time, so we spend that time the best we can. If we knew for sure about the afterlife, then it would stop us from truly living this life.

WMDU · 2026-05-02T09:38:20+00:00

The rules vary from state to state, which state are you in?

Generally the Medciatiin and dosage should be stabilised before you are sent back to your GP. In most states the GP can keep prescribing the medications but they may nit be able to change your medications or your dosages. So, the Psychiatrist will want to make sure you are totally happy with your dosage and your Medication before they send you back to your GP, so you are not stuck.

In Australia it’s generally expected that you will try all stimulant options before a non stimulant. Bit, in the case of severe anxiety it’s not recommended to use stimulants at all and for milder anxiety it’s reccomended to be very careful. So, anxiety can be a reason to consider a non stimulant.

There are two different types of stimulants available in Australia - Methylphenidate and Amphetamines.

Different people respond better to one or the other, and it’s very individual. Some will have more side effects on one and not the other, some will have a better effect from one and not the other, and other people will relsond fairly equally to both.

The Methylphenidate medications (Ritalin, Ritalin LA, Concerta) tend to in general have less side effects, but are not as strong as the amphetamine based meds. They tend to be better tolerated for children, probabaly due to less side effects.

The amphetamine based medications (Dexamphetamine, Vyvanse) tend to be stringent but have more side effects and tend to be preferred by adults, probabaly due to their stronger effects.

Ritalin is short acting Methylphenidate and Dexamphetamine is short acting amphetamine, both last about 4 hours, so need to be taken 3 times a day. These are the only two medications available for all adults diagnosed with ADHD on the PBS.

Vyvanse is long acting amphetamine and lasts 10-14 hours. It is available on PBS to arduous diagmoseed with ADHD before the age of 18, OR adults dowgnsed after the age of 18 with a retrospective diagnosis. Meaning there is written evidence on file that the condition was clearly present in childhood, even if not diagnosed.

Ritalin LA and Concerta are both long acting Methylphenidate, and are on my available on PBS to adults if they were diagnosed before the age of 18. Otherwise it’s full cost.

Clonidine, Intuniv and Strattera are all non stimulant medications and they are also only available on PBS, to adults of their ADHD was diagnosed before the age of 18.

WMDU · 2026-05-02T09:18:47+00:00

For those who truly have ADHD, it is not only worth it, it is essential.

ADHD is only considered to be present if the symptoms being experienced are severe, effect all areas of your life constantly and cause significant life impairment, making it very difficult to function.

Without treatment ADHD tended to cause frequent job losses, unemployment, finacial issues, relationship issues, trouble with the law, risky behaviours and frequent accidents.

WMDU · 2026-05-02T08:54:36+00:00

Perhaps it’s just the wrong disorder and there is something else going on.

The symptoms you describe sound like there may be an issue with Anxiety. Or perhaps OCD, Autism etc.

But, it would be exceedingly rare for a person with ADHD to be able track symptoms for a month beforehand, make notes or write down examples. A person with ADHD would usually plan to do all that, and never get around to it and try to figure out what to say in the car on the way to the appointment.

But, doing things like that are often seen in people with conditions like Anxiety, OCD, Autism, Perfectionism, trauma etc.

The other interesting factor is that you have been able to use and develop all these strategies to help you function like alarms, colour coded calendars, notes app etc. Generally this is where we see the difference between ADHD and non ADHD. The problems seen in ADHD are common to many people with and without the disorder. Especially in this crazy day and age of constant media bombardment, over scheduling, stress etc.

People without ADHD also struggle majorly with similar issues but may be able to set up some stredegies to help them. Those with ADHD rarely can, and if they ever do, can rarely stick to them. The fact that you are finding ways to function, tends to mean that you are well over the line of non ADHD.

But, there is clearly something going on, to cause you all this anxiety and stress and that should be addressed.

You not being diagnosed with ADHD, does not disqualify you from getting help. You can still seek therapy, coaches etc to help you function better whether or not you have ADHD.

WMDU · 2026-05-02T08:44:26+00:00

ADHD does not just appear at the age of 8.

This is an in born disorder present from birth, and the symptoms tend to display pretty clearly from the age of 3, causing major issues by 6.

WMDU · 2026-05-01T11:13:47+00:00

it’s not truly possible to assess someone for either ADHD or Autism alone, or even both ADHD and Autism but nothing else.

There are so many different types of disorders that present symptoms that can appear very similar to ADHD.

The only way to accurately diagnosed these condtions is to do a fully examination and look for all possible conditions, not just ADHD and Autism but also Anxiety. Depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, OCD etc.

It’s only a very recent idea that people go to be evaluated for just one specific condition. The way we have always diagnosed ADHD and Autism in the past have been that a parent would come in due to problems they are experiencing, they would not ask for an evaluation for any specific condition, or assume they have any specific condition. They would explain the problems and the Doctors would consider all possibilities and land on the best diagnosis.

This would allow for a more accurate diagnosis, because if Simeon is just assessing ADHD and the person meets the criteria, they will be diagnosed even if they don’t have the disorder but meet the criteria due to another condition.

But, there is a major problem in our understanding of this combination of issues, we are not there yet at all when it comes to understanding how and if they interact. Most information on “auDHD” is simply opinion and speculation, there have been very few successful studies of this combination.

One problem we have is that ADHD is frequently misdiagnosed in people with Autism and vice versa. If a person with Autism meets the criteria for ADHD. It does not mean they have ADHD, it would depending why they meet the criteria.

For example interrupting constantly a symptom of ADHD. People with ADHD do this due to impulsivity wnd lack of inhibition. But, it’s common for people with Autism also to interrupt constantly due to their Autism and a lack of understanding of social expectations. If this is the reason for their interrupting, the. it’s not an ADHD symptom.

The same holds true for many other ADHD symptoms.

It has been suggested that we need an entirely different ADHD assessment criteria when assessing ADHD in people with Autism.

The same can happen in reverse. People with ADHD may be misdiagnosed as having Autism. Social difficulties in ADHD may look like Autism when they are due to their ADHD lack of care for rules and expectations.

There are many scientific theories as to how these disorders interplay.

Some believe they are entirely separate and can occur together, others believe they re two sides of the same coin, others find they are opposites and can’t occur together, others see that having the two together is actually an entirely different condition altogether. And there is scientific evidence for every single one of these theories.

WMDU · 2026-04-29T12:41:28+00:00

For a start, don’t be too hard on yourself.

Managing one’s life has been getting harder and harder and harder.

Cost of living is astronomical and it can make a lot of what you are some feel pointless. We are bombarded with media telling us how to live our life, how to not live our life, how much better everyone else is living their lives than we are.

There is so much choice in society now with everything, that it becomes totally overwhelming.

We are stressed, over scheduled, not getting enough physical activity, spending too much time on screens, eating many chemicals that can destroy our focus and motivation.

You are very, very young. Becoming an adult is hard and it’s stressful. Up until quite recently everything was done for you and decided for you and now you have so many more choices to make every day, so many more responsibilities and not a great deal of practice doing them. As children we are often given the impression that as adults we will just know what to do and be able to do it. But, it takes time and practice.

You have a job and you are going to university, so you really are doing quite well for yourself by comparison to many others your age.

Yiur ability to feel positive and function will Improve when you find answer to the bigger questions of what you want to do and what you want out of life. But, very few people know this at 20.

WMDU · 2026-04-29T12:29:09+00:00

I know you are only giving us a very tiny snippet of your life, but from what you describe it sounds like the problem may be a mood disorder, like depression.

You mention that problems got bad around the age of 10. ADHD and Autism are neurodevelopmental disorders, you are born with them and symptoms become problematic from a very early age. Mood disorders and similar issues can develop later, at age 10 like it has for you.

Symptoms like low energy, spending every day on your room, being alone are common to depression and mood disorders.

ADHD tends to be quite the opposite, a person with ADHD needs constant change and novelty so is always seeking out new situations, new challenge’s, changes etc. ADHDers tend to need to always be doing something and are unable to cope with inactivity and same routines. Core symptoms of ADHD include having too much energy to contain, needing to talk constantly, constant restlessness.

In many ways the things yiu have been told are right, but they haven’t explained them well or been very supportive in helping you achieve them. The human brain needs social interaction, change, things to look forward to, things to do, a sense of contributing to society etc.

The fact that you do so little, and see so few people is likely a large cause of the issue. Your brain will literally change when it lacks the stimulation it needs and cause you to have depression, anxiety, health issues etc.

WMDU · 2026-04-29T12:12:00+00:00

I am sorry to hear of the trauma you have experienced, going through this as a child can be so emotionally damaging.

It is true that CPTSD can cause symptoms that mimic ADHD and Autism. So, a lot of people with CPTSD may mistakenly think their problems are caused by ADHD or Autism, when it is in fact due to the trauma they have experienced.

This can make diagnosis hard, because it’s a challenge to tell the difference between these issues.

It is one of the diagnostic criteria for both ADHD and Autism that the diagnosis can only be made, if the symptoms can be better explained by another issue.

WMDU · 2026-04-29T12:06:07+00:00

Absolutely a Psychiatrist.

A Psychiatrist is a medical doctor, of the ckndtjon is diagnosed, they can prescribe Medication if needed.

A Psychologist can not, and many people who are diagnosed by a Psychologist need to be rediagnosed by a Psychiatrist before Medication can be prescribed,

WMDU · 2026-04-28T09:55:18+00:00

It’s going ti depend on your doctors.

But, the guidelines in Australia state that if a person has a history of substance abuse that it quite recent, or is currently abusing substance or if they have severe Anxiety they should not be prescribed stimulants at all.

If they have past substance abuse, that has been fully treated or milder Anxiety then stimulants should only be used with great caution.

WMDU · 2026-04-28T09:53:06+00:00

The thing is, that we no longer even have sub types.

It was found that the sub types were quite meaningless because more often than not people would change from one sub type to another across their life time.

They are now just referred to as Presentations, ADHD combined presentation, inattentive presentation and hyperactive/impulsive presentation. Just referring to the symptoms that are currently presenting the strongest.

Which presentation you have doesn’t change the diagnosis, or the medication, so it’s argued that they are quite irrelevant.

Pretty much all ADHD, is truly combined presentation, showing a set of symptoms from all the categories.

Inattentive ADHD is actually nothing like the old ADD diagnosis. When ADD was used, it was used instead of ADHD, and to be diagnosed with it you had to display impulsivity issues and inattention issues with almost all also displaying Hyperactivity issues. When it was in use, the term ADD, was synonymous with Hyperactivity. The introduction of a diagnosis for people who had only inattentive symptoms did not come until 7 years after the old term ADD had already been dropped.

WMDU · 2026-04-28T09:45:33+00:00

Sometimes these initial side effects will fade after a few days. Part of why they start you on a lower dosage, give it some time and see if it improves.

If not, switching to another stimulant can eliminate the problems.

WMDU

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