Anyone with adult children with ADHD in East Stroudsburg area? (Scranton: health insurance, transfer)

[Karen-P]

Looking for a doctor for my 20 yr old son.

He was diagnosed ADHD when he was 8 yrs old, and has taken Adderall, very succcessfully, ever since. His pediatrician in NJ said the "standard of care" consisted of appointments with the doctor every 6 months, no more than a month's worth of meds prescribed at 1 time, and he had to go pick up an actual paper prescription monthly from the doctor's office as it's a controlled substance.

Of course, we can have records transferred which will show my son is not a medication abuser (he takes his meds on days he has college classes only, much to my dismay at times), so a 30 day supply will last 40-50 days, depending on his schedule.

The last doctor he saw in the area insisted he be seen monthly (and of course pay a co-pay AND bill my insurance company monthly), and as far as I'm concerned, doctors like him are one of the reasons health insurance is so expensive.

I'm looking for a doctor who actually follows the standard of care (office visits every 6 months...not monthly, and will write prescriptions in between office visits)....any recommendations? We have Cigna Health Insurance.

Thanks!

[Riverside4ever]

With a narcotic office visits are every 90 days at the LEAST ,, Not every 6 months ( thats your dentist )

secondly your son is taking the meds when he " needs" it for class .. Wrong answer ... If he needs it he should be taking the medication daily ... That pill is abused everywhere ... Its like legal Meth ..... Too bad that you feel a Dr should do what YOU want ... But if a Dr wants to see your son monthly then thats what you should do ... After all he is an ADULT now and Not a CHILD ...

[theatergypsy]

The Feds pay attention to the controlled substance scrips. Doctors need to be circumspect about writing scrips for patients that they seldom see lest they lose their license(s).

I'm sorry you think the Doctor only wants to see your son so he can collect a fee. Most docs I know have more patients than they can comfortably see as it is.

[bloominscranton]

While my child is much younger the treatment described by the OP is exactly what is done for my 12 year old and his adhd treatment. He is and has been treated by the same ped doctor in Scranton since we relocated here. He is one of the most respected doctors in the area. If he is there for a sick visit of course his meds, behavior and grades are discussed. My child also only gets his mediacation on school days as it assists in his memory and concentration. When he is off from school, I and the doctor see no reason to give it to him. By doing this my son has not had any low weight or growth issues. His last appointment was in early December, and the doctor said he is perfect. Weight, height, bp, pulse ( all things they are concerned with because of the meds) is well within normal limits, and the doctor was happen he has gained weight in a typical pattern. My son takes concerta 37mg., and has been on this dose for over a year. He has only had 1 med increase since his dx at 6. On his last report card he earned a 97.5 average and has never had one behavioral problem.

What the op has described as her son's previous treatment in NJ is not out of the norm from my expierence.

[Riverside4ever]

12 yrs old And 20 yrs old is a huge difference ... IMO ..

[bloominscranton]

Originally Posted by Riverside4ever

12 yrs old And 20 yrs old is a huge difference ... IMO ..

Yes there is a huge age difference, but med management is med management. Actually, a child going through puberty would have more issues than a 20 year old. If there are no issues the medication stays the same for YEARS. As parents giving children a STRONG prescribition drugs (at least for myself) I was very well educated on the side effects and when a call to the doctor should be made. As I previously stated, my child has had one increase in dosage in 6 years.

While my son is seen by his doctor every six months, I call his office as needed for his prescription as it can only be written for one month at a time. Since my son only takes his on school days, his monthy prescribitions last longer than 30 days.

[MatildaLoo]

Originally Posted by Riverside4ever

With a narcotic office visits are every 90 days at the LEAST ,, Not every 6 months ( thats your dentist )

secondly your son is taking the meds when he " needs" it for class .. Wrong answer ... If he needs it he should be taking the medication daily ... That pill is abused everywhere ... Its like legal Meth ..... Too bad that you feel a Dr should do what YOU want ... But if a Dr wants to see your son monthly then thats what you should do ... After all he is an ADULT now and Not a CHILD ...

I agree with this. If your son is a new (or relatively new) patient then the doctor is going to want to monitor him as closely as possible. This is a good thing. You should be glad that your doctor cares enough about his patients to keep that close an eye on them and get to know them, not suspicious that he's trying to fleece you so he can get paid more from the insurance company. If you have an issue with the way the doctor is handling things, your son should discuss this with the doctor and see why the doctor wants to schedule appointments on such a frequent basis.

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by Karen-P

Looking for a doctor for my 20 yr old son.

He was diagnosed ADHD when he was 8 yrs old, and has taken Adderall, very succcessfully, ever since. His pediatrician in NJ said the "standard of care" consisted of appointments with the doctor every 6 months, no more than a month's worth of meds prescribed at 1 time, and he had to go pick up an actual paper prescription monthly from the doctor's office as it's a controlled substance.

Of course, we can have records transferred which will show my son is not a medication abuser (he takes his meds on days he has college classes only, much to my dismay at times), so a 30 day supply will last 40-50 days, depending on his schedule.

The last doctor he saw in the area insisted he be seen monthly (and of course pay a co-pay AND bill my insurance company monthly), and as far as I'm concerned, doctors like him are one of the reasons health insurance is so expensive.

I'm looking for a doctor who actually follows the standard of care (office visits every 6 months...not monthly, and will write prescriptions in between office visits)....any recommendations? We have Cigna Health Insurance.

Thanks!

Looks to me like you are NOT asking for peoples opinion on how often your son should see a doctor, but instead you are looking for a referral for a doctor who will follow what you think is a sensible protocol for an adult.

[theatergypsy]

Originally Posted by Karen-P

Looking for a doctor for my 20 yr old son.

He was diagnosed ADHD when he was 8 yrs old, and has taken Adderall, very succcessfully, ever since. His pediatrician in NJ said the "standard of care" consisted of appointments with the doctor every 6 months, no more than a month's worth of meds prescribed at 1 time, and he had to go pick up an actual paper prescription monthly from the doctor's office as it's a controlled substance.

Of course, we can have records transferred which will show my son is not a medication abuser (he takes his meds on days he has college classes only, much to my dismay at times), so a 30 day supply will last 40-50 days, depending on his schedule.

The last doctor he saw in the area insisted he be seen monthly (and of course pay a co-pay AND bill my insurance company monthly), and as far as I'm concerned, doctors like him are one of the reasons health insurance is so expensive.

I'm looking for a doctor who actually follows the standard of care (office visits every 6 months...not monthly, and will write prescriptions in between office visits)....any recommendations? We have Cigna Health Insurance.

Thanks!

The above bolded sentence is telling. In addition to the potential for abuse of the drug, the fact that it sounds like you have seen more than one doctor is a huge red flag.

No, I didn't say your son is abusing his meds. No, I didn't say you are seeing multiple doctors. But you must admit that to a medical office, it could sound that way.

As Matildaloo said, a physician unfamiliar with your son's condition is doing the prudent thing by closely following him for any side effects or changes in same.

Perhaps, after six months or so of monitoring the patient, the doc may be comfortable following what your NJ pediatrician described as the "standard of care." Until then, you may just have to pay the co-pay and satisfy yourself that someone out there cares about the young man's well-being.

In the years that I worked in the medical field, any adult patient with a hx. such as your son's would need a referral from the pediatrician. No reputable doctor wants to be known as a "pill pusher".

Aside to Bloom: Since your son is still a minor, and it's likely that you as his caring Mom are handling his medication, it is a different scenario than that posted by the OP.

[Karen-P]

Thank you bloominscranton.

toobusytoday, I asked for doctor recommendations. I didn't see a single name of a GP or FP anyone above would recommend using in the East Stroudsburg area. In fact, best I can tell, not a single person who posted to this thread lives even lives in Monroe County, no less East Stroudsburg.


Other than bloominscranton, not a single person that posted above has any experience with ADHD or the Rx's involved, yet all felt the need to correct me, like I don't have a clue what I'm talking about. I've only been dealing with it for a very long time. I couldn't possibly know what I'm talking about.

I'm pretty much done here. Please feel free to delete the entire thread, should you see fit.