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A note on poor focus and controlled substance medication

Updated: Jan 12


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Impairments in attention can be due to several causes including mood disorders, anxiety, stressful life events, trauma, grief, medication side effects, along with many other medical conditions. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is rarely the cause of focus problems in adults. Additionally, adults with ADHD do not necessarily need stimulant-type medications. There are many risks associated with these medications including worsening anxiety, anger, agitation, addiction, hypertension, arrhythmias, heart diseases, and insomnia. Therefore, stimulant medications are used very rarely at our practice and only when ADHD has been diagnosed through appropriate neuropsychiatric testing (which is not done at our office). If you have been started on a stimulant by another physician, please know that our physicians and nurse practitioners will not be continuing these medications simply because you have already been prescribed them.


Your initial appointment with a physician or nurse practitioner (NP/PA) is a consultation to see if you would like to establish care at our office and if the physician or NP feels that they can provide the level of care you need. It is possible that you need a referral to a specialist for testing and further evaluations. It is also possible that the practitioners at Bluegrass Partners in Health may not agree with your current medication regimen and will recommend changes upon the medical evaluation and labs were completed. We strive to maintain patients on the lowest number of medications possible following the must updated evidence-based practice and guidelines.


Additionally, benzodiazepines including Xanax (Alprazolam), Valium (Diazepam), Ativan (Lorazepam), and Klonopin (Clonazepam) Restoril (Temazepam) are kept to a minimum in accordance with evidence-based treatment and multiple studies. They are intended for short-term and as-needed use at the lowest possible dose. We have successfully decreased the use of these medications in many of our elderly patients and as a result they have improved memory and cognition, decreased the risk of falls, and have achieved overall better health outcomes.


Bluegrass Partners in Health follows strict Federal DEA guidelines for controlled substance medications prescriptions including pain medications and all the above-mentioned medications.  Our practice understands the addiction problem and we provide compassionate and confidential care for those patients who struggle with this condition. If you have a problem with addiction, we are here to help to provide you with the best care possible within our network. 

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