Glenn: Starting and changing medicines – The potential impact of a new medicine
Listen to patients and health professionals speak about their experience with taking multiple medicines.
Glenn
Male
Age at interview: 50
Number of medicines: 6
Cultural background: Anglo-Australian
Glenn had never heard of adult ADHD when he was diagnosed with it. He was amazed at the difference medication made.
Yeah, that's the dexamphetamine. That was a very surprising find. That was not something that I thought that I had. In actual fact, I was a person who thought that ADD and ADHD was bad parenting, until you're told that you have it yourself. Then you get medicated for it and you don't have the problems. You've got to say, well, okay, I was wrong. It is actually something and I'm happy to admit that. But it was as quick as an hour, finding out that I had it.
The doctor that I saw had given me, or asked me, did I have an hour to spare. I said, yes. He gave me a tablet, didn't tell me what it was. Said, go away for an hour and come back. During that time, after about 40 minutes, I could actually hear individual noises around me. Instead of it being a mass of noise and voices and sounds carrying on, I could pinpoint things and it was amazing. I walked back into his office and I must have been smiling or something, because he said, it worked, didn't it? I said, yes. From that point he said, you have adult ADHD. Prescribed the dexamphetamine and my concentration levels increased beyond what I could even put a number to.
The Living with multiple medicines project was developed in collaboration with Healthtalk Australia.