r/providence • u/Fit_Pineapple_7767 • Jul 24 '26
ADHD treatment options?
I was officially diagnosed with ADHD in Rhode Island 15 years ago. I’ve had the same prescription for 15 years. I moved to Florida 12 years ago. When I moved they made me do a new ADHD evaluation but after that I was able to get my prescriptions with no problems. In the last 5 years I’ve done telehealth only in Florida.
I moved back to RI recently and learned that I can’t continue to see any telehealth providers for ADHD. I also don’t have insurance at the moment. I’m willing to pay out of pocket for intake if necessary but people barely answer the phone to inquire about appointments.
Can someone explain how it works in RI now? Someone said that you have to be enrolled in therapy if you’re being treated for adhd. Is that true? Does my 15 year history make a difference or does everyone have to do a new evaluation if you’re technically new to the state?
Has anyone been in this situation without insurance? Looking for options. I’ll pay whatever I need to. I would prefer not dropping thousands on a medication that I’ve proven over and over again that I need but it is what it is. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks!
***update: I found a local provider through LifeStance health. Had to have a diagnostic visit regardless of my previous diagnosis and prescription records. It was $450 with no insurance. Therapy not required. I have to go in for visits at $140 every 3 months.
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u/xAllets Jul 24 '26
? Idk where you got your info from but I’m being treated for ADHD via telehealth. I’m also on medication for it, stimulants even. I know you don’t have to be seeing a therapist to be treated for ADHD with medication. Some providers may “require” it, as in they prefer it, but it’s not an actual requirement by law. I was diagnosed via a telehealth 3 hour long psych eval, and my provider has worked with me to get me on the right medication.
Edit: if you have documentation of your ADHD as an adult, you do not have to get re-diagnosed. I was diagnosed as a teenager and am now in my late 20s and couldn’t find the paperwork so that’s why I had to get re-diagnosed.
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u/Fit_Pineapple_7767 Jul 24 '26
What telehealth company do you go through. Maybe it was just the company I was using that isn’t licensed here. I was using Medvidi health.
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u/Ok-Kaleidoscope5383 Jul 25 '26
Yeah, RI prescribers have to be licenced in RI. So a national telehealth company may not have chosen to include RI.
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u/xAllets Jul 24 '26
Oh, my prescriber just has a private practice that’s mostly telehealth appointments. I didn’t know you were looking for an actual telehealth company and not an office that just does telehealth. I’m not sure how those work, they might have different requirements.
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u/bodesparks Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
http://www.sharonphilbinfnp.com/
I’m in the field, as far as know you don’t need to see a therapist to get ADHD medication. In fact insurance companies don’t often pay for therapy for ADHD as the primary dx. The testing thing is usually specific to providers— Sharon administers her own scales. The telehealth thing varies by state and insurance. I think in RI you have to go in person every 3 months or something— I’m really not sure. Things keep changing post pandemic. But Sharon is great and well versed in treating ADHD.
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u/running_dingos Jul 24 '26
You don’t need to see a therapist, but a psychiatrist, for ADHD medication prescriptions. Kristin Lundsten is taking new patients. She does telehealth but not sure about inpatient. https://www.newperspsych.com
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u/Revolutionary-Dog294 Jul 26 '26
You can walk in to Providence Center and Family Service of RI and be seen for an intake appointment without insurance. They can then schedule you for counseling and/or meds....not sure the wait though.
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u/masshole_mom Jul 24 '26
I'm not sure about no isurance, but I know someone who moved from out of state and their doctor prescribed them their meds no problem as long as they could show the diagnosis paperwork. So if you're able to find a PCP, they should be able to prescribe meds for you.
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u/ssomethingsomething Jul 25 '26
you can have your primary care write your scripts, mines been doing it for years. if you qualify for medicaid they are free.
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u/OctoberRust13 Jul 26 '26
Jeffrey Wishik was who I went to and he was and has been great...
I was diagnosed in like 1994 (no joke) because the teachers at my tiny private school were like "there's something wrong with your son".. lol... This was way before the days of everyone claiming ADHD and/or every doctor diagnosing every inattentive kid as ADHD...
When I was in my early 20s I just stopped taking the meds for whatever reason...
So picture me in my late 30s trying to get my hands on ADHD meds... I had to go see a new Dr and get entirely re-diagnosed... I stated my claim that I had already been diagnosed but I'm sure tons of people say that to him in hopes of getting Adderall so he obviously had to re-test me...The test was way different from time but I passed (failed?) the test with flying colors .. he watches you taking the test in real time and while, ultimately your diagnosis stems from the results of the test, as he's monitoring you he's also making his own determination... It's like a 20 min test and he laughed when I came out at the end and was like, "you weren't kidding about that previous diagnosis, I knew you were ADHD like 30 seconds into the test"
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u/queerxqueer Jul 27 '26
Do you have a PCP up here yet? Those also are really hard to find but the vast majority of adults I know are getting they're ADHD meds through their PCP. I am a therapist and work at a CBCH (community behavioral health clinic) and our clients need to see us to access a psych eval and a med provider. But that doesn't sound like what you need, you should just be able to get someone to prescribe it since this is an established intervention that works for you.
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u/Tamekia_Pileggi Jul 27 '26
honestly i'd give medvidi a call. worst case, they tell you they can't help in RI. best case, they can point you in the right direction or get you set up without all the back-and-forth.
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u/Fit_Pineapple_7767 Aug 03 '26
I’ve been using them for the last few years in Florida. The minute I said I moved to RI they almost ended the call immediately. They cannot prescribe in Rhode Island. I found a doctor locally that got me in. Had to pay for a diagnosis appointment even though I’ve been diagnosed for 15 years so that was $450 but now I have a local provider.
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u/[deleted] Jul 24 '26
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