Posted by JohnL(long) on December 8, 1999, at 3:36:40
In reply to Prozac/Ami/Adderall/Wellbutrin & still suicidal, posted by dove on December 7, 1999, at 8:56:06
Dove, I'm so sorry you're feeling so bad. I know it doesn't help enough, but I can sure relate. It brings tears to my eyes to remember that awful feeling. I'm kind of there right now, but not as severe. I can feel your pain like it was my own. I know that pain intimately. I'm hoping this day will be a smooth one for you.
Adderall can and does cause depression in some people. It is a listed side effect. It's not a common side effect, but it does happen. It hardly ever happens with Prozac. Maybe one or both just aren't good for you. In your shoes I "challenged" the drugs by removing them one at a time. I tried to get my doc's OK, but nope. She had too much ego to admit one of the drugs she put me on might have been a bad choice. But I am ultimately in control of myself. No one knows myself or my pain better than me. I found out quickly that one of the drugs was indeed causing my condition to worsen. I felt better and better as I withdrew it. Bingo! It was drug induced! After being off it completely, and feeling much better, the REAL depression (not the drug-induced one) slowly crept back on-stage. But by then I had had relief and I was ready to make another go of it...with a totally different drug.
I have to disagree with your pdoc. Cleaning house a lot, less panic, less anxiety...big whoopie. Is that what he's treating you for? To make you more physically active? Any "speed" like Adderral can do that. Again, big whoopie. He pats himself on the back for helping you be more active cleaning, with less panic, all the while getting more suicidally depressed? Something's really wrong with this picture. In your shoes, with or without the doc's OK, I would and have made efforts to identify which drug(s) was making me worse. That's not appropriate for everyone. But for me, I was already at the bottom of the barrel, I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. At least now I can stay clear of drugs with similar mechanism that are likely to make me worse. I am suggesting you call the doc about "challenging" the drugs you are taking before complicating the mix in adding another one. This seems prudent to me, because if the Adderral is indeed at fault, the Wellbutrin with its similar mechanism might only make things worse. Have you already noticed that?
Sometimes taking a step back is actually better than taking a step forward. Sometimes taking a temporary step back is ultimately the same as taking huge leaps forward, in the long run. You know what I mean? Like the turtle and the hare? And sometimes throwing another drug in the mix is NOT taking a good step forward at all. Good intentions, yes. But what worth are good intentions with lousy results? I am suggesting you call the doc to challenge your current drugs to see what's doing what before moving on. I am highly suspect of the Adderall. If you're at all like me, you'll be amazed at the improvement of removing an offending drug. THEN move on to new ones. I think we need to know more about what's going on before complicating things further. Worsening of depression is one thing, but worsening of depression while on antidepressants is a whole different story. It just smells to me like you are experiencing a drug-induced worsening of symptoms, NOT JUST a worsening of symptoms. Just my experience, but I know I'm not the only one. Many of us get worse on certain drugs. If for example you stop Adderall for a week and notice your suicidal feelings going away, then you'll know. There's no way to know without challenging them. I hope your pdoc will work with you on this. Truly hoping you have a smooth day of relief. Sorry for lengthy post. JohnL
Sorry to go so long here. JohnL
poster:JohnL(long)
thread:16372
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19991123/msgs/16410.html