ADHD treatment after diagnosis.

For most adults, the Australian guideline recommends stimulant medication (methylphenidate or lisdexamfetamine) as first-line treatment. Non-stimulants are used where a stimulant is unsuitable or not tolerated. You decide with a prescriber, and the first weeks are spent finding the dose and timing that fit your day.

Good prescribing includes a baseline before the first dose, reviews at set intervals, and ongoing checks of heart rate, blood pressure, sleep, appetite and weight. Who can prescribe depends on the state. Queensland changed its rules on 1 December 2025. A specialist GP (one with FRACGP or FACRRM fellowship) can now diagnose ADHD in an adult and start, adjust and continue stimulant medication without a psychiatrist signing off first. NSW is changing its rules in stages. Since September 2025, GPs who have completed the state’s training can continue stimulant prescriptions that a psychiatrist started, for patients who are stable on treatment. A second stage, rolling out through 2026, lets trained GPs assess, diagnose and start medication themselves.

In the network, the GPs handle medication questions.

Medication helps with attention. Therapy helps with what often comes with a late diagnosis: years of workarounds, and anxiety, low mood and shame. Common approaches are cognitive behavioural therapy adapted for ADHD, acceptance and commitment therapy, and dialectical behaviour therapy skills. Each psychologist in the network lists the ones they use.

Each psychologist sets their own fee, shown on their profile. With a Mental Health Treatment Plan from a GP, Medicare pays part of the fee for up to 10 sessions a year. At current rates the rebate is $101.55 a session for a registered psychologist and $149.05 for a clinical psychologist. The network’s psychologists are in Brisbane and available by telehealth Australia-wide.

If the hard part is getting through the day (mornings, routines, or a home or classroom that isn’t working), an occupational therapist adjusts the environment and the task. In the network, Flynn Simonis works with children in Brisbane, in clinic, at home or at school. The practice quotes its fee when you book. A Mental Health Treatment Plan usually does not cover OT, but the NDIS, private health extras and a GP’s chronic condition management plan often do.

Coaching is practical work on executive function: starting, planning, finishing, and building systems that make those easier. It is not therapy or medical treatment. The network’s coaches are in Perth, Sutherland and online. Coaching can be funded through JobAccess for anyone working at least eight hours a week, at around $1,770.44 a year according to the practice. See ADHD coaching for details.

Three habits have better evidence than any supplement. Twenty to thirty minutes of moderate aerobic exercise gives a small to moderate lift in attention for about an hour, so it helps to exercise right before demanding work. A regular sleep and wake time matters even more when you take a stimulant. Regular meals, planned around the midday appetite dip a stimulant causes, help protect your weight and mood.

For exercise, including safety on stimulant medication, see ADHD and exercise physiology. On the Gold Coast, Sarah Savage offers this in person.

Most people use only some of this. A common pattern is medication with a GP, six to ten psychology sessions in the first year, and one or two of the changes you make yourself. Some people never take medication and do well with therapy and coaching. You choose the order, and you can read each clinician’s profile before deciding.