![]() "They completely leave you short with this money and medication that is supposed to help you." Why aren't more long-acting options already on the PBS? "I was working two jobs to keep up with these payments, and they were both bar jobs, so they were both shut," she said. Hayley said paying for medication during last year's COVID-19 economic recession was especially tough while on welfare payments. "Then I have to step in and say every single time that I was diagnosed over the age of 18, so this isn't applicable to me, which literally almost brings me to tears every time." "It's absolutely heartbreaking every time I have to go to the pharmacy to pick up my meds," she said. The medications that work best for Hayley are only listed on the PBS for those diagnosed between the ages of 6 and 18. The long-acting option she is on now takes away the stress of having to remember to take multiple tablets a day and is a better fit for her than Vyvanse. "I don't feel like I'm over-stimulated or even on drugs … it's just added an extra support for my brain," she said. ![]() While not everyone wants or needs to use stimulant medication, many find it helpful to manage the trickier aspects of the condition.įor 25-year-old Hayley from Jan Juc in Victoria, finding the right one was not easy but has made a big difference. The government scheme subsidises many medications to make them more affordable, which can save patients hundreds of dollars.īut having just one long-acting ADHD medication option on the PBS is leaving many adults in the tough position of choosing between a treatment that works for them and one they can afford.Ĭaused by a reduction in the amount of dopamine and noradrenaline in areas of the brain, the stereotype of ADHD as a condition that mainly affects young kids who can not sit still in class is not the whole picture.īetween 2.5 to 5 per cent of adults are estimated to have ADHD, which often presents differently across age groups and genders. Only one long-acting medication - Vyvanse - is listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for those diagnosed with ADHD after turning 18. Healthcare professionals and adults with ADHD say more affordable medication options are needed for people diagnosed with the condition in adulthood.
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