For adults with ADHD in Maine, the battle for proper treatment isn’t just frustrating — it’s a crisis manufactured by MaineHealth.

Within the state’s largest health care system, stimulant medications — long recognized as the most effective treatment for ADHD — are nearly impossible to obtain. Instead, patients are funneled into taking non-stimulant alternatives like Strattera, which is notoriously less effective in adults. This isn’t just frustrating — it’s a failure of care.

I know this firsthand. For nearly a decade, I was successfully treated with stimulant medication, allowing me to function at a high level in my career. But when I moved to Maine and entered the MaineHealth system, I lost access to the care that had kept me stable and productive for years. Every attempt to discuss stimulant options has been met with resistance, avoidance or suggestions to try ineffective alternatives.

Whether an explicit policy exists or not, the reality is that adults with ADHD are hitting a brick wall when seeking the most effective treatment. From my own experience — and what others have confirmed — MaineHealth seems to have adopted a hardline stance against prescribing stimulants for ADHD. The result? Adults who need proper treatment are left in limbo, unable to access the medications that have been proven to work.

MaineHealth is essentially saying: We don’t prescribe stimulants. Strattera is your only option. If Strattera doesn’t work, well … good luck.

That’s not treatment, it’s neglect.

Instead of addressing this issue, MaineHealth continues to push non-stimulant options that are often ineffective. Strattera, for example, can take weeks or months to show benefits — if it works at all.

In the meantime, patients like myself are left struggling to function, unable to complete even basic tasks. It’s not just about productivity — it’s about being able to function as a reliable employee, parent or partner. Without proper treatment, even simple daily tasks — like paying bills, responding to emails or keeping a clean home — become insurmountable. The mental exhaustion of fighting through untreated symptoms every day is crushing.

And then there’s the emotional toll. Being told again and again that your suffering isn’t valid, that you just need to try harder or manage without isn’t just dismissive — it’s harmful. It reinforces the shame and self-doubt that many people with ADHD have battled their entire lives. We are constantly told that ADHD isn’t an excuse, but when the most effective treatment is denied to us, what alternative are we left with?

If MaineHealth refuses to prescribe the most effective treatment for ADHD, what exactly do they expect patients to do — struggle indefinitely?

If MaineHealth has indeed stopped prescribing stimulants, it needs to be transparent about it. Patients deserve to know up front whether their health care provider is willing to offer them the full range of evidence-based treatments, rather than spending months or years navigating a system that is actively working against them.

For many, the only option is to seek treatment outside of MaineHealth, often with independent providers who have long waitlists. This is a significant barrier, particularly for patients with lower incomes or limited transportation options. It should not be this difficult to receive proper medical care for a well-documented condition.

If you’ve faced similar roadblocks, don’t stay silent. Call MaineHealth. Demand answers. Share your experience publicly. Contact advocacy groups. Speak up in every forum available, because the only way this changes is if we refuse to accept neglect as the standard of care.

But let’s be real. Most adults with untreated ADHD probably won’t even read this; reading, focusing and following through on calls to action are exactly the things MaineHealth’s negligence makes nearly impossible.

That’s the cruelest part. The very people who need help the most are the least equipped to fight for it. And that’s why I am speaking out — because abandoning adults with ADHD isn’t just unethical, it’s unacceptable.