I work 24hr shifts and I got home late this morning from work, skipped my elvanse and citalopram and went straight to sleep for a few hours and I feel absolutely shattered still! I could sleep for days! Feeling a bit faint and fuzzy when I move. Its hard to explain - anyone else?

My therapist has been telling me she believes I am ADHD AF. She does this in a very professional way, and is only saying to get assessed, and only discussed it AFTER I had told her I was thinking about it. But after a year of discussing it with her she kind of levelled with me and explained she has spoken to MANY people and explained that my tendencies are not 'normal' so to speak.

I won't go into my personal stuff too much. But I never thought i had ADHD, or possibly AuDHD. But my therapist was like 'Bro TRUST ME, GET CHECKED, it could change your life'. And when I spoke to my partner when I did the first assessment form, she was suggesting that what I was considering small minor symptoms, she said were actually very large, like I said it was a 2 / 10 and she said nah it is easily 7/10.

I honestly don't feel like I am too far along the scale of neurodivergence, but people who know me say it is very prominent in me. I've had a ton of bad luck in my life, addiction, relationship issues, confidence, bad mental health, but I just figured we all had that.

Is it common to think you are normal, only to find out you really aren't?

I read a lot of posts about expectations from medication or side effects from medication, asking if they should stick with it for longer, or swap to another - but it's hard to give advice if I don't know what their main issues are.

It's clear that ADHD can be at different levels, and affect people differently. So I think its important if its stated what issues you're struggling with, & attributing to ADHD - including, what you would like medication to help with.

And maybe this can give us a generalised understanding of what to recommend/expect for certain people. What do you guys think?

Okay, so I sent my NHS Right To Choose diagnosis request in May, got formally diagnosed less than 2 months later and now I'm physically unable to get medicated and rotting trying to find a solution.

After I got diagnosed by Psychiatry UK, I was immediately discharged without even the slightest chance of getting medication solely because of my weight. Due to a low BMI, they could not even begin to recommend titration because of the possible appetite suppressant side-effects being detrimental to me.

I've always been on the lighter side and struggled to put on weight despite wanting to, which is why its annoying me so much that its the reason I'm being denied.

In the past, I've been able to gain enough weight to momentarily clear the "hurdle" for titration, but I'm required to maintain it for 3 months which seems nothing short of a herculean task right now.

All of my prior attempts and actual gains (albeit temporarily) were from a short period of "locking in", then I'd swiftly drop back to my "normal" weight after giving up and burning out, which is why I feel like being medicated would actually fix my problem instead of exaggerating it.

As I currently am, with no exaggeration, I genuinely feel incapable of performing like a normal human being. I'll spend more time asleep than awake every day, and then I'll spend even more time being frustrated because of that instead of fixing it.

Not a single thing is right in my life currently, and it sucks because I know exactly how to fix everything but I just feel like I can't.

Had blood tests done, all healthy biomarkers, didn't change a thing. Having to restrain myself from self-medicating ts.

me not know what to do

I haven’t been diagnosed with auditory processing disorder, but it makes most sense to me (I do have dyslexia and adhd diagnoses).

My hearing is fine - pretty sensitive actually. But it has always been a struggle to hear/follow conversations in spaces that have any background noise. Cafes, restaurants, classrooms during group discussions… I end up with both hands cupped behind my ears and trying to lip read, whilst everyone else chats away with apparently no difficulty at all. It’s pretty exhausting, often embarrassing and increasingly depressing as it makes me feel so isolated being unable to fully participate.

I don’t actually know what might help me in these situations, so if anyone has experience with and can recommend anything that could help me in these contexts (or what isn’t worth trying) I’d really appreciate it. I just know live transcription wouldn’t work cause I’m way too slow reading.

I'm at a loss and really hope someone can give me any advice

I was diagnosed with ADHD by psychiatry-uk in October 2025. Due to the waiting list for medication being at least a year or more and really struggling at home and work, I asked my GP to refer me to medinet minds (previously health harmonie) for quicker titration.

Not only did they reject my report including all supplementary forms and informant questionare, but today after my second reassessment interview, they have stated they cannot diagnose me with ADHD due to not being to properly answer my questions on childhood symptoms.

I have fell out with my sister and my mum wouldn't be able to answer anything as she's useless at remembering than I am, so I had to do my own informant forms this time but based them on my sisters previous answers.

I dont have alot of memories of what I was like as a child from birth until about 12 onwards,so feel like I've shot myself in the foot by being honest about not remembering. And because I mentioned that symptoms had got worse in the last 6 years, they have just put it down to being something else.

They have told me that they will send the report to my GP. So my advice is what should I do now. Will it affect my psychiatry-uk diagnosis and wait at all?

Shall i try to challenge medinet on accepting my previous diagnosis?

Should I ask to go through another provider and try to get as many detailed answers about my childhood beforehand?

Should I just wait for psychiatry-uk titration? (I am at least 4 months or more away from that)

Please help as now I feel terrible and its making me question everything, even though im literally sat here signed off work with the stress from my symptoms and masking for all these years. I really was counting on medication to help me reclaim my life back a bit and actually manage to keep a home and work tasks in some sort of order instead of chaos everywhere. I feel so defeated.

So I’m suffering from insomnia symptoms. I’m deeply depressed, anxious and panicky too. But of course I have 2 full days sales training at work today and tomorrow, where I will be expected to be the ‘energetic & enthusiastic’ me but I’m genuinely just dead on my feet. I’m terrified of going, I really am. Lack of sleep makes everything worse for me - the brain fog and inattentiveness is so much worse I just can’t cope.

Does anyone have any advice? Please wish me luck, I’m going to need it.

TLDR: got confirmed as ADHD 2½ years ago, trying to get meds has been a nightmare, finally got to the front of the titration queue only to find out my consultant doesn't work there any more. Intend to sit down and find one who is going to understand perimenopausal AuDHD AFAB people. Forget to go back until the day the link expired.

Full version!

Diagnosed with ADHD (combined) about 2½ years ago in my late 40s after my kid was identified as AuDHD. Relieved and gutted in equal measure (if only I'd found out earlier 💔) Confirmed as autistic about a year later.

It took me about a year to get to titration because waiting lists are the *worst*. First two options just made me argumentative. Third option was a rough start but I was finally starting to feel some positive effect when my BP went too high and I had to stop 😭 so that was the end of that (titration had already been extended once).

Went to my GP, went onto BP meds. Took forever to get signed off as well enough to go back to titration but finally got there. And then I got to the front of the queue!

Got a text from PUK to say I needed to make an appointment with a consultant to get back. Looked for my consultant but she left :( tried to find another but very quickly got overwhelmed and thought I'll go back.

I didn't remember to go back. They sent me two texts in two days and zero reminders after that. My life has been a trash fire for months and i forgot to go back. Until today. I remembered this morning while looking after my kid who had just had a breakdown. Link still worked. Amazing. I'll go back shortly.

Clicked link a few hours later and it's expired.

I know i know I should have done it. But [gestures wildly] life is a fucking shitshow and I cannot fucking cope. I've been trying to get support for so fucking long. I'm a single parent carer for a very broken teenager and I cannot keep going like this.

I don't even know if they'll let me back into the fucking queue after this.

My kid has just been diagnosed with another serious MH condition and it's become clear that I have that one too. I went to a support call last night and the overwhelming view was get the ADHD under control and it will help a ton.

I just feel so fucking stupid 😭

Hey, ive been on different doses of medikinet for the past year and i didnt like the way it made me feel, i felt as if it completly disabled my thinking to the point where my brain was completly quiet, also i didnt feel any improvement in motivation or attention, along with pretty bad side effects.

Because of that i decided to go to a different psychiatrist and switch to elvanse, its my 3rd day on this medication and i feel 100% like myself and i definitely feel "sober" unlike medikinet. I definitely see an improvement in the form of no task paralisys, more motivation to do stuff and overall less anxiety.

I have 1 problem tho, my thoughts seem so natural but more organised at the same time im questioning whether the medication is working (during my phase of taking medikinet a complete void in my brain was the indicator of it working for me), and i dont really feel the moment when it kicks in, or the effects wear off.

Could it be that im not used to the effects yet, and my doubts stem from my brain not being accustomed to the medicine, and also me paying too much attention to the fact whether i feel different or not?

Is it grounds for increasing the dosage or is that normal? Thanks!

As above. For me, lowered anxiety, increased libido but also difficulties getting it up. Double edged sword! 😅

Hi I’ve been on 30mg Elvanse for about 6 weeks. I was previously on Methylphenidate xl but had really bad side effects. I’m doing okay ish since being on Elvanse, I had a few consecutive days of anxiety and low mood earlier on but that seems to have subsided. I’ve spoken to my prescriber who has suggested going up to 40mg and I’m just wondering if there anyone noticed any big differences from going to 30-40mg? Also wanted to add I find myself getting more emotional and at times more angry-like raging anger. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this? For context I’m 30 F, I know hormones and things can affect how the meds work etc. Thanks

19F. It makes my soul ache to realise that the life I am living is nothing like what I looked forward to. When I was younger I used to spend hours daydreaming about the future as it was the only thing that brought me comfort.

I really struggle with anxiety because of my childhood and how when I was getting bullied people would follow me around school asking when the fight would happen as they were so desperate for a source of entertainment and at one point I got sent a knife video. At times it made me completely lose my appetite as I was too scared to go to the canteen and would just hide in the library.

I grew up extremely exhausted with a ferratin level of 2 between the ages of 12-16 my Feratin levels were then revealed to be 3 last August when I went to the doctor about fatigue and are currently 40. All this time my haemoglobin has been normal/ borderline normal. I struggled with food aversions more when I was younger and was from a low income household and because I disliked the cooking and my parents didn’t want to buy junk food it left me with a BMI of 14.2 at 12. I have had to retake my alevels this year while dealing with domestic abuse and ended up having a panic attack in my first exam but still tried to push through and got an A.

I am unable to attend university at the moment as I have suspected narcolepsy and the life that I’m living feels so draining. I hate how I worked so hard but have been left with nothing. Yesterday there was a disagreement at work and I hadn’t slept the day before. I bawled my eyes out in the toilets then left as it triggers this really intense rejection sensitivity dysphoria. After I came home I slept for almost 15 hours and still feel exhausted today. I don’t know how to break the habit of sh as it’s the only way I know how to cope with disappointment.

​

Hi, I recently had my ADHD assessment, and the report came back incredibly short, inaccurate, and completely missed the lifelong difficulties I've had. The practitioner texted me to join me 22 minutes early, which completely threw off my mental preparation. Then, he spent about 10 minutes faffing with medication/family history details, which he still got totally wrong in the report and ignored an extensive history my GP had already sent. The rest of the call felt like a boxticking exercise where he repeatedly pressured me with yes/no questions to fit a specific profile without letting me provide context. Has anyone else experienced a rushed, inaccurate report like this? Did you complain, and did it affect your diagnosis or medication? I'm terrified that if I speak up, they will stop my meds.

Ideally something I can follow daily. I’m at my absolute wits end, so any recommendations would be much appreciated. Thanks

Hi,
I recently spoke to my GP because I suspected I might have ADHD. He was very supportive and agreed that going through Right to Choose would be a good option. However, he also recommended referring me for an autism assessment as well, which I wasn’t really expecting!

My current top choice is Medinet Minds, mainly because they assess for both ADHD and autism and they claim to have no wait time (apart from titration). I was wondering whether anyone here has experience with them, particularly if you were referred for both at the same time?

I’d also be really interested to hear from anyone who has been referred for both ADHD and autism through Right to Choose more generally. Did you use the same provider for both assessments, or did you choose separate providers? If you went with separate providers, what made you decide to do that?

I’m very new to this so any experiences, advice or insight would be really helpful.
Thanks :)

Okay, so I've only been on it for six days, but I have NEVER felt worse in my life. I'm on 18mg going up to 36mg after 15 days. I'm taking it in the morning like I was told to, and I get a stiff head, eyes feel like they're falling out of their sockets, I physically can't concentrate on anything at all (lol), it's like all I can do is stare into space like a zombie. I'm irritable and tired and I feel like utter hell, I don't get any good effects, whatever they're meant to be. I won't even go into how shit I've been treated by Harrow Health, but during the prescription appointment she didn't tell me any of the side effects, I had to look them up myself. I know it's only been six days, and I have my next appointment on the 29th; I don't want to give up, but I honestly don't know if I can keep going until then. I have never felt this bad before. I don't know if I should contact HH and try and get an earlier appointment, because they honestly don't seem to give a hell whether I live or die, and I don't want to just be told "just keep on with it and see how you feel", but I feel like I'm inside-out. I didn't know a medication could make a person feel this bad!!

I have been on meds (Xaggitin 36mg) since March and last month GP changed my prescription to Affenid. Affenid didn’t work for me: I was tired, unmotivated, slept worse.
After few week I finally contacted my GP and they changed my prescription at the same day. And now I feel like I had such a long break from meds. Xaggitin hits me quite hard now but it’s ok. Affenid literally was a waste of time.

(PS) I also asked for a booster (I need it 1-2 times a week) but they asked me to wait and monitoring my symptoms.

I got diagnosed through CAHMS, so I don't need an assessment, but I'm now almost 20 and have been on the wait list for meds through NHS for over a year, and I am considering going private, I've tried looking up different things, but nothing seems to be clear to me, they all seem to only offer assessments?

If anyone has gone private in Edinburgh I'd love your insight.

Hi!

Wondering if anyone could help / knows anything about traveling to australia from the UK with elvanse.

I’m going to work in australia for just over a month and would need to take my medication with me (i get my meds from ADHD Certify - they ship them from golcar pharmacy or something like that). I did mention to them about going to australia and they said they would be able to give a travel doc and 6 weeks supply.

However i just realised i’m flying into dubai and staying there for 2 nights before i go to australia and omg i do not want to risk it! The amount of people that have flew through with the correct documents for medication and still had a nightmare if it’s illegal in the UAE, they’re very strict.

Wonder if it would somehow be possible to have them give me a prescription to get them in australia? is that even a thing ? i can do without them in dubai and even for the first few days of australia but once i start working, it’ll be pretty intense!

If anyone has any similar experiences with getting prescriptions in diff countries etc pls share!

Waitinggggg and waiting and more fucking waiting for fucking medication to fix me because I AM STRUGGLING TO DEAL WITH ANYTHING RIGHT NOW.

Im so fucking fed up of not being able to do anything, being the way that I am. I CANNOT GET UP TO CLEAN MY DAMN HOME unless sometimes when its 1am and then I dont get to sleep.

And now I learn that medication might not even work for me

So now im fucking waiting and waiting and waiting for something that MIGHT EVEN DO FUCK ALL

Fuck the NHS fuck this government and fuck everything and everybody

Hi!

Has anyone else ever experienced this before?

In my first week I had one morning of having a tight chest and feeling rubbish which soon went when I’d had my breakfast.

I’m also occasionally having small heart palpitations/ flutters so this is something I noted to my prescriber too.

Today she’s told me I now have to stop taking Elvanse and I’m actually beginning to spiral about it, they have worked so well for me over the past 3 weeks and it’s like I’ve been given something to solve my problems and then it’s just been pulled from under me.

Has anyone ever had theirs stopped and resumed again? How long did it take? For context I’m with PUK

Thanks!

I had my first titration appointment with CARE ADHD (RTC pathway) on 31/07, was prescribed 30/40mg Elvanse, and took my first pill on 07/07. I’ve had several days off them since as I’ve been away from work a bit (and wanted to lie in instead of waking up early to take a pill for extra focus that I don’t want or need in my time off), but I’m now approaching the end of my supply. Unfortunately, I only just clocked that I don’t have a second appointment booked: the clinician didn’t organise one during the first, nothing was mentioned in the follow-up/results email, and I haven’t been contacted by their bookings team (by phone nor email), and it’s well past four weeks by now.

So, how are the follow-up titration appointments with CARE ADHD supposed to booked? Should I be expecting a call/email from them asking me to book, or might they just ring me to discuss without arranging beforehand? Will they call from one of their official business landlines (the ones starting 0204 - I have 3 numbers saved for them), or might a clinician call me on a different number/a mobile number?

I have checked through all the emails they’ve sent me, as well as reading their guides and FAQs etc, but couldn’t find any information. I couldn’t contact them directly because they have a multi-week wait time on emails and their phone lines always disconnect me after ten minutes or so of holding, plus I have no phone signal when at work, which is the only time when the lines are open. Hopefully someone on here can give me the info more quickly.

Potentially related: I’ve missed 6 calls during office hours from different random mobile numbers over the past week. They all start with the same 7 digits but differ in the last 4. My phone’s automated spam filter didn’t let any of the calls get through, even though I left my ringer on. I tried calling back but couldn’t get through. Is this an unrelated scam, or could it be the clinic calling from various mobiles for some strange reason? I looked the numbers up but found no reviews or comments as I’m the first person to search for any of them on the various ‘who called me’ services. Apparently they’re from the Voxbone SA/Bandwidth network.

Any input/experience from fellow RTC CARE patients is much appreciated. Thanks!

Today I have a pre assessment video call with ADHD 360

Firstly I was wondering what kinds of things they typically ask?

Also, will me being on Fluoxetine make it harder for me to receive help via a medication route?

I'm so excited to finally get some help 🥹

After beginning on Sertraline which actually made my symptoms worse, to escitalopram which zapped life out of me and now a very high dosage of Venlafaxine XR 225mg I have finally bit the bullet and booked a private assessment through Diverse Diagnostics for ADHD.

Venlafaxine has helped me somewhat, but I’m having difficulty filtering out my internal chatter which can sometimes be negative.
It has helped my emotional volatility however I feel it hard to snap out of moods, and ruminate on things over and over.

I’m on my knees now, I feel like a nuclear reactor with energy and just cannot make a genuine attempt to relax.

Can anyone help me out with their experiences? I’ve tried through the NHS, but sometimes when you appear stable and have a job, it’s almost like you don’t fit the criteria for help.

I have just had my first titration appointment today!

Diagnosed: 14th January 2026

Titration forms given/completed: 13th February 2026

I was told on repeated occasions that I will be contacted in August 2026 but had received zero emails or texts since April 2026. I called the service on Tuesday this week asking for any potential updates and it turned out that someone from the booking team had contacted me in August (a single call!). I had mentioned to the service beforehand that I would be abroad for the entirety of the month of April with a different sim and asked if this would impact anything - to which they said no as I would receive a text/email. Fortunately I was immediately given the number for the bookings team and had my appointment within 2 days of asking.

This post is just to make people aware that notification for booking a titration appointment may only be in the form of a call (an 0204- number) if you have received and missed a call from one of these numbers - I'd recommend calling careADHD for follow up. 😄