ndb1,

ADHD is a very complex disorder. What is worse, there is a dearth of qualified medical help available in most communities. I'm assuming from your first post, that you are on Provigil. Why?

Bob

What I meant was ....

Why did your doctor prescribe Provigil rather than a FDA approved for ADHD med?

Generic attention and concentration problems can come from lack of sleep. Medical conditions like sleep apnea disrupt healty sleep patterns. When that is the case, Provigil is useful.

If your doctor prescribed Provigil for some other reason, then you should ask him/her why. I don't know if you'll adjust to it. I don't know if it will ever help if you are ADHD. Ask your doctor.

Most newly diagnosed ADHDers are usually started on a low dose of regular release Ritalin. It won't keep you awake at night unless you take your last dose very late in the day.

Is there some good reason your doctor won't prescribe Ritalin?

Bob

Thanks programmer. I don't know exactly why this med was chosen. I was told that Provigil will soon be marketed for ADD and that it was a better choice.

ndb1,

How old are you? You don't have to answer because what I really want to know is if you are still under your parents roof. If so, you really need to address this issue with them.

My doctor has two ADHD kids. That puts her in better position than just well educated. She has to live with it.

Two things she has told me:

1. She's "been had" by teenages seeking drugs under the guise of being ADHD. So she is very cautious about prescribing stimulants unless she is certain that her young patient has no other agenda. She said, "they'll come in with a parent and have the parent hoodwinked that their misbehaving child is ADHD. The kid needs to be lovingly disciplined, not given the drugs they are seeking."

I'll assume, you are an over 21 year, an adult on your own.

The second thing doc told me was Provigil is not the optimal choice for ADHD.

There is a big difference between general concentration issues and ADHD.

I experience variant thoughts constantly flowing in and out of my conscious mind disrupting my attempts at concentration. A well known and recognized expert, Dr. Russel Barkley, identified that feature years ago. There is mounds of evidence indicating that a neurotransmitter(s) deficiency keeps a portion of the ADHD brain in an unnaturally low state of stimulation making it difficult to control thought processes. My experience supports that.

Provigil helps people with sleep disorders feel alert. However, what most ADHDers need is something to help suppress those extraneous thoughts and impluses. Many times we wish we were a little less alert. My doctor informed me that Provigil often "wires" ADHDers, that is, generates even more nervous energy. That is the last thing I need.

Bob

PS The above conversation with my doctor was the result of me asking for Provigil rather than a stimulant.