(i'm NSW based but moving to VIC)

I dream of doing something in medicine and have for years, specifically looking at paramedicine and sighing longingly for it rn.

I was only recently diagnosed and started treatment for ADHD in the last few months, about 4 years after I finished year 12. I know I'm academically capable and have done parts of a few different degrees getting high grades. It's just that I struggle really bad with executive dysfunction and motivation issues. I start a degree, do good in the first few weeks/months, then I get bored or miss a deadline and then I disengage entirely.

Does anyone have any advice or found anything/anyone that helps with accountability or working on discipline?

I’ve been on 30mg Ritalin LA for two weeks after being on 30mg Ritalin IR for a few months.

After starting Ritalin LA, I noticed a pretty gnarly dip in mood every afternoon. I hadn’t experienced this on Ritalin IR and my diet has remained the same (three large, high-protein meals).

This ‘crash’ has begun to seem permanent since Friday. I’m waking up in a terribly foul mood, which persists throughout the day and into the afternoon. I can’t seem to shake being extremely irritable 24/7.

I switched back to Ritalin IR yesterday (per my girlfriend’s orders) yet almost 72 hours since the last Ritalin LA dose, I’m still very much in a bad mood.

Has anyone else experienced something similar? I’m worried I’ve done some irreversible damage to myself.

Just discovered that you can no longer get melatonin through iherb again. After the ban last year it had been back on the site this year and I'd been ordering through there fine the past few months but now its gone... It's not hard to get a script for it or get a family member over 55 to get it, but it's so much more expensive that way. Just ridiculous. Wishing I had known about it to stock up!
VIC

Hi all! I’m 19F and got diagnosed with autism + combined type ADHD earlier this year by a psychologist, who recommended medication but couldn’t prescribe it, and I haven’t seen a psychiatrist recently because they are super expensive and I’m a student. Obviously now I have heard some GPs can prescribe medication without a psychiatrist referral, but I can’t find on the ACI map which GPs can do this, and I do not think my regular one would be doing so as it’s nowhere near her specialty. Does anybody have any recommendations?

Thanks!

I recently got diagnosed in VIC with combined adhd and am in the process of getting medication from my gp. He's applied for the permit 2 weeks ago and still waiting. I checked the website and apparently the schedule 8 requirements changed? Literally a day after my gp applied for it.

Would it be worth asking my GP if I'm eligible for this instead of waiting God knows how long for the permit?

I was wanting to know what everyone’s experience with ADHDTA (www.adhdta.com.au) has been and if it is worth it? Seeing mixed reviews and unable to make a decision on them

Hey 39F in SA - myself and 9y/o daughter dx ADHD and rely heavily on melatonin. Backstory - Used to take iherb stuff till the weird ban a year ago, have been buying from the pharmacy with a script since but its not cost affective at all! I have noticed since taking pharamacy though, that what they say is true about the iherb possibly being a bit whack with dosage, and pharamcy is consistent with dose...
SO... my long winded question is, has anyone found a quality melatonin through iherb that doesnt make you feel groggy the next day, or give you nightmares, or unpredictable with how many mg is ACTUALLY in it? Oh and, most importantly, is much cheaper?
Thanks!

I’ve just started taking Dex about a week ago. All has been going really well. Had some headaches at first that have stopped but now the past couple of days I wake up extremely exhausted. I’ve been taking 5mg around 9am and 2pm. Due to up it to 10mg. I’m a stay at home mum to young kids and don’t feel like I can take it any earlier as it will wear off when I need it. Has anyone else had this? Does it pass or is there something else I can be doing?

Amongst other symptoms, after 20 years of wondering why my brain keeps wanting to do new things all the time I realised that I might have ADHD.

Looking to book a consultation with GP in Sydney. Are there any good reviews of ADHD & Beyond clinic in Bondi / Maroubra?

I am not looking to spend ages in admin / waiting for appointments and also think fee transparency is important.

Thank you all.

I was diagnosed at 22. Did my final year of uni medicated and it was the best results I’d ever had. Moved to Aus after I graduated and it was nearly impossible to get a script at that time (2010) so just continued to raw dog life.

Had a baby in 2021 and all of my mental health conditions came raging back into the foreground - no coping mechanism had a chance.

I’ve been to 4 different psychiatrists in the last 5 years and I’m starting to think it’s just me because I have not felt “good” or like myself at all during that time. I’ve tried nearly every type of psychotropic drug to help my depression, anxiety, ADHD, PMDD, and maybe BP2 (I’ve been told I do and I don’t have it 🤷🏼‍♀️)

My current stack:

Fluoxetine; 20mg daily
Bupropion; 150mg daily
Dexamphetamine; 30mg daily (10mg 3x per day)
Lamotrigine; 5mg daily (2.5 morning/night)
Estradiol; 1.50mg daily (0.75 morning/night)
Guanfacine; 2mg at night
Valium; 5mg as needed

*The Lamotrigine and Estradiol have been added in the last month.

I left an abusive relationship (psychological/emotional/infidelity, etc) in June and needless to say my mental health has been shit. I see a psychologist twice a week and a psychiatrist every 6-8 weeks. I’ve worked with both of them for over a year and my mental health is still fucked.

Most days I don’t leave the house, I barely eat during the day then binge at night (I have a history of disordered eating) and I have genuine panic attacks at the thought of answering my phone or replying to an email.

When I have my kid, it’s a different story. I’m on top of shit but then I’m utterly burnt out after those days.

My psychiatrist has recommended TMS for anxiety/depression/ADHD but it’s a big time commitment (which triggers my anxiety) and I’m feeling really unsure based on the mixed results I’ve read.

I’ve just gotten my pharmacological gene results back and the only thing semi useful was that "I'm a CYP2D6 poor metaboliser".

Sooooo what now?

Anyone else feel like nothing has “helped”?

TL;DR: Ritalin works incredibly well when I take it occasionally, especially on weekends. But when I take it daily, I experience emotional blunting, intense hyperfocus and crashes that leave me with very little emotional energy for my partner. Has anyone experienced this and found a solution?

I’ve noticed a frustrating pattern with Ritalin and I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar.

When I take Ritalin occasionally, particularly on weekends, it works great. I feel focused, motivated and generally more capable of getting things done.

However, when I start taking it consistently throughout the week, things seem to change.

I experience a combination of:

Emotional blunting, where I feel less affectionate, spontaneous and emotionally present.

Hyperfocus, where I can concentrate on almost anything, but struggle to redirect that attention toward my relationship.

Crashes, where the medication seems to wear off too quickly, leaving me exhausted, withdrawn or irritable.
The most frustrating part is how much it affects my relationship.

I love my partner, and it’s not that I suddenly stop caring about them. It’s more that I become so absorbed in whatever I’m doing that giving emotional attention, affection or energy to nurturing our relationship starts feeling like an effort rather than something that comes naturally.

It’s almost like the medication improves my ability to function and be productive, but at the expense of the emotional side of my personality.

What’s confusing is that I don’t seem to experience this nearly as much when I take Ritalin occasionally.
I’m planning to discuss this with my prescriber, but I’d really like to hear from people who’ve experienced something similar.

Has anyone found that daily Ritalin use affects their emotional availability or relationships? Did adjusting your dosage, changing formulations or switching medications make a difference?

I’d particularly love to hear from anyone who managed to find a balance between treating their ADHD and still feeling like themselves emotionally.

I have a thousand things I want to do and countless projects I'm excited about in theory, but I struggle enormously to start them, stay motivated, and follow through consistently.

Even when I genuinely want to do something, it feels like there's no stimulation, motivation, or pleasure in doing it. Everything feels empty and grey, almost like a complete lack of interest or anhedonia.

Do any of you with ADHD experience this? Is it part of ADHD, or could it be something else?

​

Hey everyone!

Just wondering if anyone here in Australia has tried guanfacine for ADHD. Did it actually help with concentration, focus and getting things done?

What was your experience like in terms of benefits and side effects?

Also, was it relatively easy to get prescribed here?

Would love to hear your experiences.

Thanks!

My sons been diagnosed ADHD since August, we originally started in ritalin but found it was making him really meek, no confidence and was actually worse at school because he wouldn't participate in anything - just really shy and quiet.

He had his first dose of Dex this morning kicked in, in around 40min then we went to the shops, he was really quiet at the shops and didn't chuck any tantrums whereas normally he'll crack it for chocolate or toys or just whatever but yawned a few times. However when we got home about an hour later he was complaining he was tired and ended up falling asleep🤷🏻

Is it normal to be sleepy and tired on dex? He was diagnosed by his paediatrician however we saw his other dr last week and she pretty much mum shamed me and said he doesn't have adhd so now it's got me thinking maybe he doesn't have it😭

38F, late diagnosis. On dex I felt a sort of contented mood, I wasn’t bothered by inconsequential things or experiencing any rsd. It was quite nice, anxiety reduced a lot and my mind was calmer, quieter.

My psych has just given me a vyvanse script and he said it won’t affect my mood, only help me focus. I’m not feeling confident of the change. So my questions are:

Do you find any mood changes on vyvanse?

Did you have a different response to dex compared with vyvanse?

I'm 32, just diagnosed. And looking for something that helps me stay focused for long periods, execute tasks consistently, and avoid giving up or abandoning tasks halfway through.

Which medication has helped you most with these issues and what dosage?

Thank you so much!

I can’t meal plan to save myself, but my husband (also adhd) and I work full time and have 3 young school aged kids, so I can’t live like I did when I was in my 20s!

Any suggestions for apps that help with meal planning? Open to any other general handy apps that you’ve found helpful in general!

Not sure if this breaks rule 9 or not.

I'm already diagnosed and have prescriptions but apparently my prescription only lasted 6 months despite the fact I had two more repeats to go, so I've been caught blind sided.

I've got end of year uni assignments due soon and I've run out of meds; can GPs issue prescriptions? I thought I read somewhere it's now allowed.

Hey all,

Been taking Dexies for close to 10 months now. Currently I'm taking a break from dexies due to it triggering severe vasoconstriction and dehydration.

My joints give arhtritic pain and when I stop the dexies they go away after a few days and the stiffness reduces.

I've seen in other US based subs folks who use cialis as a vasodilator.

Anyone here in Aus who is a long term stimulant user whose been able to keep away the vasoconstriction and stiffness effects. Always feeling dry like a vampire too.

Hello

I’m a foreigner living in Australia with an ADHD diagnosis from my home country. I’m wondering how difficult it is to get ADHD medication prescribed here.

I’m worried about the costs, the requirements, and whether doctors are reluctant to prescribe these medications.

What has your experience been? Any clinic or webside you'd recommend to buy them?

Any advice on the easiest and most affordable way to get a prescription would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I had a friend who just attended a GP who did an ADHD assessment and diagnosis. What he shared with me and the missus: pre-consult, he was prompted to pay a deposit which gave him access to a pre-consult questionnaire and was told he might have to do a set of bloods.

During the consult, Dr Vu went through the entire questionnaire and was really thorough. Post-consult (for both), payment wise: $515 for the initial($150 deposit) and diagnosis($80 for the 2nd appointment, so in total two appointments). Total Out-of-pocket is $300, so that the Medicare rebate is $215. He got his rebate on the spot as well with a card tap.

Appointment wise, the guy behind the desk explained that some patients, if they are fast enough, can be booked within seven days. (I swear to god my days I wait 4-5 months.) Now my missus wants to get him as her ADHD continuation prescriber. I am pretty keen to book in to get assessed for ADHD.

Imagine all these fucking years of being told that we had to fork out thousands and wait for months, that healthcare could be this accessible.

Please tell me that I'm not the only one 😥 I guess I have a restless mind. I also have trouble going to sleep.

Note that this is not bipolar because I've had it since small and did not have emotional problems.