6 months on stimulants: everything my doctor checks at follow-ups (BP, HR, weight — full list)
Posting this because when I started I genuinely thought "monitoring" meant a vibe check.
Six months on stimulants (37M, Ontario), here's every check my doctor has actually run, in order: before starting — blood pressure, resting heart rate, weight, sleep and mood questions, family cardiac history. Month 1 — BP/HR again, weight, "how's your appetite, and be honest," sleep quality, whether the dose covers the day. Month 3 — same panel. Now every 6 months. Once, an ECG — flagged by family history, not routine.
What surprised me: how much of it is about sleep and food rather than "is it working." Which in hindsight, obviously.
Clinicians here — is this a typical rhythm? And what's the polite-but-firm script for someone whose prescriber does none of it? Because judging by this forum, that's a lot of you, and it worries me.
2026-07-15 17:50928 views
2 Comments
FasTreat Team
A neutral reference point for this thread, since 'what monitoring is normal' comes up often: Canadian practice guidance for adults on stimulants generally includes baseline blood pressure, heart rate, weight, cardiac history screening, then periodic re-checks (commonly around 1 month after start or dose change, then every 3-6 months once stable). ECG is not routine — it's typically reserved for those with personal/family cardiac risk factors, as OP describes. If your prescriber isn't doing any physical monitoring, it's reasonable to request it — bring this list. General information only, not medical advice; your own clinician's plan takes precedence.
2026-07-18 07:35 825 views
spreadsheet_gremlin
Saving this list. My prescriber does maybe half of it — BP and 'how are you feeling' — and reading this thread I'm now going to specifically request a baseline weight and resting HR get on my chart. The forum keeps proving that monitoring quality varies WILDLY by prescriber.
2026-07-18 02:00 862 views
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