Posted by katekite on July 30, 2002, at 15:24:49
In reply to Diagnostic discombobulation - need advice, posted by BarbaraCat on July 27, 2002, at 22:16:23
Spect scans really are still highly questionable. I'd love to have one, but it probably wouldn't have influenced my pdocs ideas (or lack thereof) whatsoever in the past. I don't think you are missing much. There isn't an insurance company in the US that would foot the bill. Which is not to say that if any one of us won a lottery we wouldn't put it on a list of things to get done.
I'd try to get a trial few doses of Ritalin to see. You will have to try to convince the pdoc that the attention, messiness, getting lost, daydreaming, and impulsiveness pre-date all your meds and other problems. For some reason ADD is ok to treat with stimulants, but most docs would feel attentional issues from other causes (like hormonal or med induced or from depression itself) don't deserve treatment since they are 'secondary'.
Lastly, if your thyroid is even a little high that could contribute. Rather than attempt to fit yourself squarely into the middle of the 'normal range' through testing, you could experiment by holding all the rest of your meds the same and dropping the dose of the thyroid replacement by just a hair. And of course you've heard me go on about checking all hormones... something to keep in mind anyhow.
Good luck. I've been there, stretched thin between diagnoses of ADD, bipolar II, GAD. Not knowing if meds are helping or hurting, not knowing if the stable periods are happening on their own or because of something I changed, or ate, or thought, or the sunlight I got, or didn't. Very frustrating.
kate
poster:katekite
thread:113976
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020725/msgs/114428.html