ADHD diagnosed in 20 year old - 2 questions

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I hope this is the correct board as DS is not a "kid" but he is my kid . My 20 year old DC was recently diagnosed with ADHD and executive function weakness via a neuropsych.

Son is "between" primary care doctors - he has graduated from his pediatrician, and we have not yet found him an adult medicine doctor (he uses student health for his acute illness needs, and has a couple of specialists like a gastroenterologist).

I'd appreciate suggestions for who to see to discuss medication for ADHD - DS isn't sure he wants to take it, but is open to trying it.

Also, DS has unspecified stomach issues on and off - probably IBS - do ADHD medications has GI side effects?

Thanks for help starting on this.

[Anonymous]

General Practitioners including peds will Rx ADHD meds but its to a certain threshold, in my experience. There is no telling what dose your DS will require as it is totally individual. If a higher dose is needed, then its possible that psychiatrist is needed. One could also just start with a psychiatrist. This is their bread and butter.

As for digestive issues, it's not really one of the mainstay side effects of stimulants (and even the nonstimulant) our DC takes. But stimulants do cause a lack of appetite and weight loss.

[Anonymous]

I wanted to share what we uncovered with ADHD diagnosis.
The stomach issues (my kid was throwing up multiple times a week at school starting in 3rd grade) were actually anxiety and the anxiety was due to the undiagnosed ADHD as he was struggling getting the stuff in his brain onto paper.
We did not unpack all of this for 6 years (and thousands of dollars in medical tests for digestion issues)

[Anonymous]

Adult psychiatrist. Generalists don't have enough experience to do meds well, in all but the simplest cases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wanted to share what we uncovered with ADHD diagnosis.
The stomach issues (my kid was throwing up multiple times a week at school starting in 3rd grade) were actually anxiety and the anxiety was due to the undiagnosed ADHD as he was struggling getting the stuff in his brain onto paper.
We did not unpack all of this for 6 years (and thousands of dollars in medical tests for digestion issues)

Thank you for this, from OP.

And thank you to the others posters - we will look for an adult psychiatrist.

[Anonymous]

Consider whether you can afford to go to an out of network psychiatrist (getting reimbursed based on your OON benefits). You will likely get in faster and have easier access for questions/concerns between appointments.

[Anonymous]

If it is just adhd I would look for a psychiatric nurse practitioner. The wait of a psychiatrist can be really long. The one my son sees is in the same office as a psychiatrist who oversees two nurse practitioners so if there are any complications they can consult with the psychiatrist.