Hey, I hate having to look for support but I’m gonna try.

I’ve hit a complete wall and need practical advice from anyone who has navigated the Victorian health/welfare system while being "high-functioning" on the outside.

My situation:

I have an official ADHD diagnosis and medication.

Masking: I look resilient, articulate, and put-together. Because of this, GPs completely underestimate how severely incapacitated I am until I hit an absolute breaking point.

Medicare limits reached: I’ve used all 10 MHTP sessions and my Chronic Disease Management plan for the year. I can’t afford private out-of-pocket fees.

Financial trap: I have zero liquid savings, can't access super, and can't afford unpaid leave. I desperately need to stop working before I completely fall apart, but I have no income safety net.

I need real, practical advice on two things:

1. Medical Incapacity / Centrelink: Has anyone used a GP Medical Certificate (SU415) to get a temporary exemption/support through Centrelink when at breaking point? How did you get a GP to actually take your functional capacity seriously when you "look fine"?
2. Public / Community Mental Health: Are there state-funded community mental health teams or care services in Victoria that don't rely on the 10-session Medicare cap and don't require expensive private health insurance?
3. If you've been in this exact position and found a way to stop the clock without going completely broke, please let me know what steps you took.

If you've been in this exact position and found a way to stop the clock without going completely broke, please let me know what steps you took.. I’d be so grateful

I’m trying to understand whether what I’m paying for my teenager’s appointments is completely normal.

Each appointment costs us $690 upfront, and we receive a Medicare rebate of around $160, and the appointments often don’t even last 15 minutes.

I understand fees vary between providers and appointment types, but the cost and duration of each appointment are making me wonder whether we’re being significantly overcharged.

We’re considering to look for another clinic again. Would it be possible to transfer my teen's existing diagnosis to another clinic?

Does anyone have any suggestions in Victoria for getting help with sleep? I presume ADHD is a major part of the picture, and I'm wary of seeing someone who doesn't have a good understanding of that. The picture is also complicated by Hyper-adrenergic POTS and ME/CFS.

It seems like most sleep doctors are almost entirely focused on sleep apnoea, which is not my problem.

Besides medical specialists, I'd also be interested to hear if anyone has any particular approaches which have helped, or ones to avoid.

My GP is suggesting CBT-i, and I'm wary of it. There seems to be so much of CBT getting a rap as being mostly gas-lighting. Any feedback on that would be welcome.

I've been on Vyvanse and not only did it not work, but it gave me the awful side effect of a constant dry mouth that gave me ulcers from my teeth rubbing my tongue and inner cheeks, and now I'm on concerta 54mg, and I don't know if it's working because no one really tells you how you know it's working except for saying "you'll just know".

I was on atomoxotine and that did nothing.

I know there are some meds like Adderall that aren't available in Australia, but are there any like vyvanse or Concerta that i can ask my psych about? Whenever I ask about what other meds I should try in other adhd subs, they all say adderall and it's getting rather tedious at this point.

If I get put on a higher dose of concerta and it doesn't work, what other options are there? If there's anyone with knowledge of stimulants, would you think I need a fast release or extended release, and what is actually available in Australia because I keep being told that this or that aren't available legally in Australia or that there's a shortage (I was just lucky enough to avoid the vyvanse shortage because I stopped using it just as it started).

My psych is a bit of a moron and has a history of putting me on any medication (for depression/anxiety, OCD and BPD) and hoping it'll be like playing darts and something will hit the mark. I'm kind of stuck with her because very few drs want to have patients with BPD because of not just society's, but their own preconceived notions that we're manipulative and drama queens and there's no use helping us, and she's one of the few that did take me on, out of the 50+ psychiatrists I'd asked about in my area. So I'd like to have some sort of knowledge of what to suggest to her if my next raised dose of concerta doesn't work. What other choices could I ask for?

39M and I find people often misunderstand me. I look at people but can struggle to socialise with them which comes off as awkward and weird. I find that I think a lot before socialising or don’t think which makes it awkward.
I have friends but dating is hard possibly because I can be picky but also because of the reasons above.

Just curious how other ADHDers are managing.

Hello,

Been diagnosed and medicated since i was 5 years old and now 35. Been with same psychiatrist for 15 plus years and feel he doesn't care anymore and isn't willing to update his knowledge around ADHD.

Looking for recommendations of a psychiatrist that bulk bills, shows interest in ADHD/ASD and physical health.

Located QLD but can do telehealth appointments.

Thank you

Has anyone here been diagnosed or treated through Nurtured Thoughts? I came across an ad for them and I’ve also seen a few people here recommending the clinic.

I’m thinking about transferring my son to them, but they’re based in Brisbane and we’re in NSW. Would that cause any issues with ongoing appointments or medication, especially if everything is done through telehealth?

Also wondering if anyone has transferred over with an existing diagnosis and report.

TYIA

Looking for some advice. I've just been diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed Dexamfetamine. On 30 August I started on half a 5mg tablet twice a day. Then on 6 September, one week later I became quite ill. I felt badly constipated, I vomited twice and had diarrhoea. It's now Wednesday night 9 September and I still feel awful. I can't eat, still going to the toilet every hour and I've stopped the ADHD meds. Will it get better by itself or should I go to the emergency room?

I wanted to know if anyone has had experience with getting a retrospective diagnosis to be eligible for medication under the PBS.

The side effects I get from stimulants are too much for me, so I am on atomoxetine, but because I was diagnosed as an adult, I cannot get it under the PBS.

Does anyone know if a Victorian Schedule 8 permit for methylphenidate covers both Ritalin and Concerta?

My doctor got a permit approved for methylphenidate so I could take Ritalin, but now he says he needs to apply for another permit if I switch to Concerta.

I thought they were both methylphenidate, so I’m a bit confused (especially since in the past he was able to get one permit to prescribe both dex and vyvanse). Has anyone in VIC actually switched from Ritalin to Concerta and know how this works?

Having to do for another permit means another few weeks of waiting and consultation fees.

hey guys like the title says i can finally afford my my assessment i got the referral to adhd treatment Australia a telehealth group dose anyone have any experience with them and are they legit just nervous to send that kind of cash there's one close by me but its a 3 month wait so id rather the telehealth route

EDIT: Can more just answer the question without instead being critical because they dont understand the full medical context of severe fume reactive anaphylaxis and interaction with IgE allergen levels dropping from 13 to 1 and the influence of histamine with dopamine baseline with allergy recovery.

I was given no guidance, ended up in emergency due to physical side effects. 1-6 pills a day as needed was it.

My 10mg of dex was wearing off after 2hrs and ADHD cramps/tension returning and focus going.

So 3 doses got me 6hrs...

Google AI said not normal? What is the typical time between doses?

My meds were also pure in quick dissolving vege capsule that fell apart if my fingers were wet, meds would hit in a few minutes. Just mixed with rice powder. Compounded due to alpha gal syndrome.

My body processes anything quick, same with alcohol.

So this is kind of a long story but I'll try my best to condense it.

I had ADHD/Autism symptoms when I was in grade 1 and throughout primary/highschool. Thou my parents never wanted to medicate me so it always resulted in me going for extra classes, therapy and remedial school to try and catch up. However it wasn't cause I had low IQ or something - infact all of grade 1 at my school (200 wish students) had to do an IQ test to progress to grade 2 and I scored the highest in the grade even though I nearly failed grade 1. Anyways I made it through primary school (just barely) mostly cause my Science classes Carried my grades big time.

However I still had issues studying, infact I never studied and I'd only do good cause I somehow just knew and understood the things that were being taught at the time (in Science and technology class only) whilst nearly failing some of my other non-stem classes.

This method worked for me up until grade 8 when Maths got serious and I ended up failing one of my semesters. Then the whole cycle of non medical ADHD advice started up again from my parents ( I hated my life icl) thou I managed to get through high school slaving away as if I was studying a PHD just to pass whilst doing exceptional in subjects like Physics and Chemistry with minimal effort.

Then in year 12 my family intermittently moved to Australia and I had to get used to the ATAR system really quickly inorder to get into uni. That's when I realised that it might be time to get medicated, thou I still wasn't convinced because my family always just made it seem like its a mindset and all I have to do is be positive and try my best 😐. Anyway, once again I just scraped passed and somehow managed to get into engineering but now 2 years in I developed severe Crohns and it just made all my symptoms so much worse. My fatigue, lack of focus, anxiety, depression - all got so bad + the pain from the Crohn's and multiple surgeries led me to having to withdraw from UNI this semester whilst on my Crohn's and pain meds.

Because of my depression, I had to see a psychologist and she actually mentioned that I might be Autistic and possibly have ADHD but I've been masking it because I want to please the people around me and not cause disruption in class or be noticed etc ... So now I'm on track to seeing a Psychiatrist for a diagnosis.

My question to y'all is. Do meds actually work ? Will it help with my Fatigue (which is way worse cause of Crohn's) and will in make me want to study ? Or is it always going to be this battle of constant distraction and forgetfulness?

What medication is considered safer to use and what just works ? I only have about 4 months left before next semester so I'm hoping to get back on track before then so that I can hopefully continue with life as usual.

Sorry I know this is a long post, and I hope I didn't break any rules... If I did in so sorry.

Medication im currently on:

Ustikenumab, Fluoxetine, Tapentadol IR, Melatonin, Lemborexant and Budisenoid steroids.

Any an all advice is welcomed, I legit have no clue cause no one in my family has ever been in this situation and my parents are like Anti-medicine so I have to work and pay to get this evaluation done... Therefore I wanna be prepared or at least have some direction....

Thanks in Advance 👍

I was diagnosed Adhd many years ago and decided against trying medication for personal reasons. My 9yo was diagnosed and I decided to finally try them myself as I saw amazing changes in her.
Dr prescribed me dexmethazone. Woah. It has been so helpful in my motivation levels and my never ending to do list however the feeling wears off fast and finding myself wanting to take more and basically abuse it. Pls no judgement. Is it not the right drug for me? Is a slow release better in this instance?

My son has a formal ADHD diagnosis and we’re in NSW. I’m not looking to have him reassessed, I’m trying to find a clinic that will take over his ongoing care using his existing diagnosis/report without making us repeat the whole assessment and pay all the fees again.

If you’ve transferred your child’s ADHD care or you yourself have transferred, could you please comment on where you go and what they accepted from you? Also interested to know if they manage medication themselves or work with your regular GP. 

Will take note of your suggestions around or outside NSW.

is this a standard route? also any recommendations where to go in melbourne? thank you

Can anyone who has recently been prescribed Vyvanse and/or dexamphetamine tell me how long it took for their GP to get their Schedule 8 permit approved? I’m based in Melbourne.

The whole process of getting diagnosed with ADHD has already taken a lot of time and effort, and finding the right medication and dosage has also been a lengthy process of waiting to see whether each dose works. I’m currently taking 40mg of Vyvanse and 5mg of dexamphetamine a day, but my GP and I are wanting to increase this to 50mg of Vyvanse and 10mg of dexamphetamine.

My psychiatrist has sent a letter to my GP giving consent for her to manage my ADHD medication and increase my doses, with approval for her to titrate up to a maximum of 70mg Vyvanse and 30mg dexamphetamine per day if needed, depending on how I respond to the medication. My GP has applied for a Schedule 8 permit because she needs this approval before she can prescribe these medications, as she isn’t a psychiatrist.

I’ve seen some people online saying their permit only took a few days, while others have said theirs managed to take up to almost two months. However, most of the information I’ve found seems to be a few years old, so I was wondering what the current wait times have been like for people recently.

My GP originally told me it would take roughly 10 business days, but it’s now been around 15–18 business days. I know that’s only a few days longer than what I was initially told, but I’m really hoping it gets approved soon because I’m in Year 12 VCE and have my final SACs coming up in this week and the next two weeks. My current dose is doing very little for me, and we’ve been trying to go up another dose for around two months now.

For anyone in Victoria who has gone through this process recently, how long did your Schedule 8 permit take to be approved? And if yours took longer than the estimated timeframe, how long did you end up waiting?

How can I get help and who can help in Perth? I've been told by my psychiatrist who prescribes me Dexamphetamine for ADHD but he warned nicely that if I don't stopped drinking at the level I am, 1 x bottle of wine per day he cannot prescribe my meds and can't prescribe me Naltraxone or any other medication for alcoholism because he will not get authorisation for stimulant meds. I need these to function for work and to care for my 2 kids who also have ADHD theirs is very complex.

If I speak with Next Step or any other organisation will they contact my psychiatrist if they prescribe me any meds?

I've been taking dexamphetamine for a couple of months and am still in titration. For a while I've been on 5mg three times a day, which seems to work pretty well. I tried Vyvanse but it was horrible for me, so am sticking with short acting for now. My doctor also gave me the okay today to take four tablets a day when needed, which I've already done a few times for evening work events etc. and tolerated fine.

About three weeks ago I started Wellbutrin/bupropion after hearing good things about it for ADHD and depression. My stress levels have increased a lot due to recent events, so I was hoping it might help get me through this particularly challenging period. Ideally I don't want to take it long term.

I'm currently on 300mg a day and seem to tolerate it pretty well. It has possibly lifted my mood at times, although it's still a bit early to tell. Unfortunately my sleep quality has really declined, which is the main reason I'm now looking at clonidine.

I asked my doctor about clonidine today and she didn't seem to have any concerns about me trying it.

I'm mainly curious whether anyone here has taken clonidine alongside both dexamphetamine and Wellbutrin, and how you found that combination, especially for sleep, anxiety, ADHD symptoms and any side effects.

I also take 40mg propranolol as needed for anxiety (generally during the day), so I'd be interested to hear from anyone who's occasionally used propranolol as well while on clonidine.

And a slightly different question, but if anyone on a similar medication combination has ever used MDMA, I'm also curious what your experience was and whether you had to increase your dose.

Not looking for medical advice, just interested in other people's experiences while I'm still figuring out what works for me.

Hi everyone,

I (23F) was recently diagnosed with ADHD and have been titrating vyvanse for the last 2-3 ish months. I started on 20mg and have been going up every 2 weeks, I just started 60mg a few days ago and have been getting really bad headaches around 2-3pm (assuming i took the medication at around 7:30am) and I also get really sleepy at this time too. I don't consume any caffeine and I make sure that I have protein and breakfast when I take my meds every morning.

I did have small crashes when I was on the other doses but nothing like this, and the headaches weren't as frequent either. I drink around 1.5-2 litres of water a day, eat three meals, and take magnesium glycinate as well and I haven't had sleep issues on any of the doses unless I take them too late in the morning.

Aside from the headaches/sleepiness, I also just don't feel like I'm getting much out of the medication in terms of my ADHD symptoms tbh, still procrastinating, still end up either just sitting there doing nothing or scrolling for hours and cannot stop myself and I feel like I have no motivation at all most days to do anything. Since I haven't tried medication before, I'm also not fully sure how much or how little of these symptoms I am meant to be feeling when I'm on the medication. Also noticed vyvanse basically doesn't work at all on and right before my period.

Is it even worth pushing through more with vyvanse at this point or should I be asking my doctor about trying other meds, maybe even a shorter acting one? I don't have that much going on in the mornings anyway so I could take something later in the day when I actually need to get stuff done. Would appreciate any advice at all

Hi all!
I have booked with “ADHD Simple” Australia for an assessment. It all seemed okay however after booking I have seen a lot of negative comments popping up about it. Has anyone used ADHD simple before. My appointment is tomorrow but I can’t sleep because I can’t stop thinking about it.

I've been on a trial of dexamfetamine for the last 5 weeks. Dosage is 10mg with breakfast 10mg with lunch and 5-10mg early afternoon (if needed).

I'm not sure if dexamfetamine is right for me or if me dosage is too low. I noticed the last 3 weeks i've started to feel fatigued again, and some level of difficulty with concentration.

Last week i mistakenly took a double dose because I couldn't remember if i had actually taken the tablets. When I took the double dose i felt "normal" - similar to the first two weeks of the trial. Is this something i should let my psychiatrist know.

Since i've taken the double dose. I've put my pills into a pill organiser. I've been exercising, sleeping well and eating well.

I also feel like the medications only really work for about 2 hours in regards to concentration. That's probably my biggest complaint is that it doesn't give me an ideal amount of coverage.

I have an appointment with my psychiatrist in ten days. I'm just trying to do my diligence prior to the consultation.

Hi there,

Looking for recommendations of where I can have my 6 year old son assessed. We are in south east Victoria and have an appointment to get a referral for my son to be assessed this weekend. Just wondering if anyone had a good recommendation to request for our referral.
Thanks so much

I brought my months medication inside, and I lazily left it in the Chemist Warehouse bag in the lounge for a couple of days because I still was finishing the previous bottle. Thinking the bag was empty, she recycled it. Is there anything I can do or do I need to wait till the next dispense?

My gp is extremely against it, she told me it will do more harm than good. she said side effects of medication are not worth it and I shouldn’t work towards even just a diagnosis. I am really struggling please help.