Posted by Viridis on June 23, 2003, at 6:48:16
In reply to self-medicating with food? , posted by bookgurl99 on June 22, 2003, at 23:33:27
I've never had much of a sweet tooth; I tend to go the other way when I'm anxious and/or depressed, and just lose my appetite (which isn't good either). Interesting that caffeine calms you down -- that's pretty common in ADD (calming influence of stimulants).
Klonopin is a benzodiazepine (related to Xanax, Valium etc.). It's not an "ADD" drug, but has helped me a great deal with anxiety and focus. Benzos get a lot of bad press, but they're very safe and can be extremely helpful. Klonopin (clonazepam) is considered one of the least problematic in that it has very low abuse potential, few side effects, and tends to stay effective at the same dose indefinitely. And, if you're worried about costs, a month's supply of the generic is about $10-$15 in the U.S. Adderall (an amphetamine mix that's often used for ADD) is also off-patent and pretty inexpensive.
As far as med seeking goes, I was also very hesitant about medication initially. But now I just view it as a way of achieving and maintaining normal brain function. If you had diabetes and needed insulin, or high blood pressure and required drugs for that, I doubt you'd be agonizing over "med seeking". And typically (at least for people who post here) it takes quite a bit of trial and error to find the medication or combination that works. Combinations may be necessary -- I've never done really well on just one med, but seem to do best with a mix of small amounts of more than one.
poster:Viridis
thread:133458
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030619/msgs/236254.html