A misdiagnosis and even the wrong medication is the worst to experience. Finally in my 33rd year of life (18 years since finding out about ADHD) I found a medication that helps my anxiety and depression which allows me to focus on the downsides of the ADHD.
This isn't an ad for mirtazipine. :)
Genuinely curious - do you in fact take mirtazipine to manage AD(H)D? I've never had it recommended as a treatment option.
I've tried a few other drugs for both ADHD and depression / anxiety over the years, but this one seems to be the sweet spot between helping with everything. Hardly scientific, but it's my experience.
I should note that at lower doses mirtazapine (remeron) helps with insomnia. For me, I'm on a higher dose (45mg) where this isn't the case.
While a psychiatrist can make the diagnosis, IME they're more likely to go after the secondary long-term effects as described above.
Not ADD here, but starting around age 12, my body started freaking out every 4-8 months or so and suddenly my heart-rate would shoot up uncontrollably and my blood pressure would drop out. They told me to lay down and try breathing slowly, and eventually it went away (I was lucky). I was diagnosed with GAD/Panic Disorder with depression. Several years later I ended up actually developing a sever case of panic disorder and agoraphobia, mostly because I was told I had it for so many years.
Turns out I actually had Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome - A heart condition where you have an extra electrical pathway in your heart. Had surgery for that last year and haven't had an episode since. Still struggling with the agoraphobia though. I can only imagine how my life would be different right now had I gotten the correct diagnosis.
Thank you!
That is a good description of how I feel. When I was younger I could spend hours learning things, programming, reading, and playing video games. Eventually, around when I was 16 I would guess, I lost my ability to concentrate, and now I can't sit through a 30 minute TV show without losing focus. It was really bad for me in university, and continues to harm my career.
However, I was actually diagnosed with ADD and tried many different medications. Unfortunately all of the medications I was prescribed were either ineffective or had terrible side effects, so I ended up not taking anything beyond a trial period. Despite this, I used Adderrall two times to prepare for important tests in university. Side effects aside, it is amazing.
Imagine having a porsche in your driveway, but for reasons you can only use the first gear. No matter how hard you push the pedal to the metal, you won't be as fast as you want the car to go. Plus if you keep going full throttle in the first gear eventually you'll break something.
Sounds depressing, doesn't it? And that's exactly what happens. People eventually get depressed. It won't go away by itself. When they go to the doctor, it's basically a game of chance. If the doctor is competent, he'll do the proper tests. Unfortunately most aren't. There are a lot of syndromes, illnesses, conditions that match the symptoms.
If the ADD patient is lucky, the correct diagnosis is made. If unlucky, he may be treated for borderline, depressions, etc. Antidepressants may worsen the condition, because they may increase motivation without increasing ability.
A well diagnosed and medicated ADD patient however will lose depression in almost no time.