How can I get ADHD medication inexpensively?

[Anonymous]

I strongly suspect that I have this though I have never seen a doctor for it. Sometimes I need a gallon to tea to function (caffeine).

I called a testing office and they said it's $3,500+ and they don't take insurance - WTF?? Can I call up a psychiatrist and get him to prescribe medication without this extensive runaround? I understand stimulant medications are serious, but I have read about a lot of people who have been helped by these and want to try them out. I am 40 and have basically never taken any medication or drugs of any sort, so it's not like I am going to abuse it. Can anyone give insight into how I can get a prescription for these medications without ridiculous out-of-pocket fees for testing?

[Anonymous]

Have you had a check up recently? If not, start there and talk with your physician about it and what next steps are.

[Anonymous]

Short of buying drugs illegally from a dealer, you’re going to need to get a diagnosis and a prescription. Talk to your GP, they will likely refer you to someone for diagnosis. I did this recently and it was definitely not crazy expensive, I think just a regular co-pay? Find someone who participates with your insurance.

[Anonymous]

I have heard of this very expensive neuro exam and don’t understand at all. I called a psychiatrist group, set up an appointment. ($40 copay). She agreed an eval was appropriate. Scheduled the eval ($40 copay). It was even over telehealth. Meds available that day.

[Anonymous]

You absolutely do not need neuro psych testing, just see a psychiatrist and if you are diagnosed after an evaluation meds are straightforward. It’s generally much harder to get in with a psychiatrist than pp indicates so plan on waiting a couple months for an appt likely.

[Anonymous]

Also XR medications are much more expensive.

[Anonymous]

I started seeing a therapist, who diagnosed me after working with her for about 5 months. Psychiatrist prescribes me XR (extended release) meds, which are like $20 a month with my insurance. I still see the therapist every other week, and the psych every 3 months.

[Anonymous]

I love my psychiatrist. Dr Rizvi, Vienna behavioral health. I do virtual appts. My adderall is pricing, i think around $1
Per pill.

[Anonymous]

My GP recently referred me to one of the online therapy providers to get a diagnosis and then said he could help me with meds after that. I haven't researched it yet, but sites like Better Help can give you a diagnosis. I've also seen ads for Cerebral, which specializes in ADHD diagnosis, therapy, and medication management.

[Anonymous]

Depends on the drug. Mine are super cheap because they are generic and not extended release.

You need to be willing to do a bit of a runaround. Psychiatrists aren’t very willing to prescribe controlled substances to somebody right after they walk in the door.

Go find advice about how to get a diagnosis. There is good stuff online about how you can document what is going on. Look for symptoms of both attentive and in attentive ADHD you had when you were a kid and list examples. If you got good grades explain how you were able to do that without treatment. There are lots of other things you should do to prepare. Just don’t go in looking really eager for drugs.

[Anonymous]

There are online programs that do telehealth specifically for adhd eval/medication. donefirst.com is the one i’ve seen advertising. but i agree that any psychiatrist, ideally one that specializes in adhd, will evaluate and prescribe if needed.

[Anonymous]

? I see a psychiatric nurse practitioner for my antidepressants and I asked her about ADHD and potential needs for meds. We spent a session discussing and she prescribed the meds. The appointments and meds are covered by my insurance aside from a $30 copay for my quarterly appointments.

[Anonymous]

Both my kids have ADHD. They didn’t need a neuropsych work up just an appointment with a psychiatrist and then he prescribed them meds. It’s generic adderall and costs about $50 a month. Since it’s a controlled substance you need a follow up appointment once every 3 months.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you for the responses!

One more question. I have a high-deductible plan that I pay very little for since it was a grandfathered plan pre-Obamacare. Given the high deductible ($10,000), I basically pay all of this stuff out-of-pocket. Do you know therefore if the online therapy would be less expensive than a psychiatrist? Will they give me an official diagnosis? My PCP said that if I have a diagnosis, he can fill the prescription.

[Anonymous]

I just did this last month. I made an appt with an online practitioner in Maryland. She did the assessment and prescribed me Ritalin.
It took an hour and she took Carefirst insurance. She sent the prescription to Walgreens an hour later.
Easy.