Posted by DSCH on July 25, 2003, at 17:37:05
Today marks a full week that I've been taking generic pemoline, 37.5 mg twice a day. So far, so good and I am fine tuning when to dose. My experience is after 8 to 9 hours I will begin to get drowsy. Taking the doses within 5 hours of each other and I felt considerable tension for about an hour.
My symptom profile is rather like dysthymia overlaid ADD with hypersomnia. I rather wonder if I would have been diagnosed with mild ADHD if I was an elementary school student today rather than in the early 80's. Also I was quite "gifted" and found enough subjects interesting that my school performance was quite good. I peaked my senior year in H.S./freshman year college with my motivation and ability to focus. Then it was a very gradual onset of hypersomnia and difficulties with handling my responsibilities.
In the past I've been prescribed Paxil, then Wellbutrin, then Provigil, and finally Provigil plus Prozac. I doubt wether the first two had any significant effect whatsoever. Provigil was a modest help I think.
I have moved and since returned to the GP I saw throughout my childhood (which is pretty cool). He noted that my involuntary reflexes are sluggish and had some blood drawn to test thyroid function (which came back normal). In the meantime he prescribed pemoline/Cylert and added liver enzymes to the blood test to give a baseline for that. He mentioned the liver toxicity problems seen with pemoline but he isn't overly concerned with them. My guess is he went with it as it is milder than the other ADD pstims and he may have had good results with it for other patients.
I am curious to see how many people are out there still taking pemoline or have taken it and since switched and what their experience is/was. In particular: if you did get good results with pemoline but then switched because of the liver toxicity issue, what was helped you since? This drug isn't mentioned very much in the forum now.
Thanks in advance.
poster:DSCH
thread:245271
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030723/msgs/245271.html