ADHD in girls

I am the father of a now 22 year old women with ADHD. She is very bright and vibrant young lady. She is entering her senior year of college and hopes to soon be an elementary art teacher. Getting her to this point hasn't been easy. When she was in 5th grade the school tested her and said she might have a touch of ADD. We spoke to our doctor who suggested ritalin which my daughter did not want to take and I wasn't going to force her. She struggled for years in school making C's and B's but tested much higher and I knew she should be making A's and B's. In her junior year of HS she spelled come "com" leaving the "e" off. She also would bring home report cards with teacher comments stating she was "a pleasure to have in class" and give her a D or F. I knew something just wasn't right or working. I wanted to have her tested by a learning specialist so I contacted my insurance carrier. They said they would pay if she tested positive but wouldn't if she didn't. Schools do not test for ADHD typically and apparently it's harder to spot in females. $800 later she was confirmed ADHD and her HS made accomodations for additional test time and study hall instead of a free period with a tutor in the room. She rarely used the additional test time but knowing it was there for her seemed to help. During a test if someone dropped a pencil or a distarction happened she would have to gather herself and start the problem all over again. With home projects she would go into her room and work fevorioushly until it was completed. Without distractions she was more than capable. We put her on Stratera first as it doesn't have the the highs and lows of Ritalin. She would take it early am and it would wear off late afternnon. Immediately her test scores improved and her exam scores went up 17 points on average across the board. During college she wanted to try Concerta which she did and liked it better. I am unemployed and Concerta requires a new prescription every 90 days with a 30 day limit. In other words she goes to the doctor every 90 days for a consult and every 30 days to pick up a new prescription. If she runs out she becomes very moody and easily forgets things. Keeping her in meds and asking her how many tablets she has left is a constant question we have to ask. The drug cost about $100-$130 per month depending on which prescription card we use. I have found that Together Rx Access helps the best even over my Humana negotiated price and Costco is the cheapest. You do not need to pay for either. Costco will fill prescriptions without a memebership but for a refill every month the memebership discount pays for itself. Costco will also post their prices on line. Together RxAccess is free and you can sign up at TogetherRxAccess.com.What I have learned from all of this is young girls or even adult women, my wife has it too we learned when my daughter was diagnosed, with ADHD don't bounce off the walls sometimes like boys can do. It's a misnomer of sorts but ADHD in girls is usually not diagnosed properly and very difficult to spot. They tend to want to hide under the radar and not get a lot of attention.  ADHD tends to also bring mode swings, frustration, and forgetfulness. It concerns me that she has to try and remeber to get a new pescription a few days before she runs out and make an appointment to see her doctor a week or so before she runs out every 90 days. The very people who have a learning disability are expected to remeber these things. Also the cost is forever unless she can work in an enviroment where she isn't distracted like an art studio. If you have read this far and any of this sounds like it maybe your daughter ask if the school can test for ADHD. If not find a learning specialist who can test your child for ADHD. I suspect many young women are just like my Heather but haven't been helped.   

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Don't let your daughter be more prone to medication. Add-adhd treatment is not only through medication. It is very difficult to get rid of those drugs when your on to it as regular intake. There is an alternative way on how to deal with it is through counseling can give more positive output. I have a son who is into counseling.