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FEEL COMATOSE

Posted by Peter on August 29, 2003, at 11:48:08

In reply to Re: » Peter , posted by Questionmark on August 29, 2003, at 0:38:59

I'm really sick of this. This adderall+klonopin combo is turning out to be a weak 'bandaid' for my disorder and it's not targeting the larger, overarching, more problematic symptoms.
When I took the 'higher-dose' klonopin that my pdoc told me to take for my acute anxities alone WITHOUT the adderall, I felt socially detached, dulled (like I was underwater), and 'down,' which caused some irritability and depression.
So, since my pdoc told me to resume adderall 10mg bid IF the higher-dose klonopin didn't help me feel at least 80% better after 4 days, I DID resume the adderall.
But now, with the adderall added, I feel that, while it seems to give me an initial boost for only 1 hour after each dose, I then become withdrawn, more irritable, and socially avoidant; within the next hour (I guess about 2 hours after each dose), II become very detached from my surroundings and comatose. zombie-like, slow reflexes, and numb and even more antisocial. And I thought 1-2 hours after each dose is when the med is at its 'peak' levels.
I didn't use to experience these phenomena when I took adderall 35-40mg for many months, but maybe that's because I was also taking lamictal, prozac, strattera, and a lower dose of klonopin at the same time. Maybe the synergies of everything benefitted me.
Also, perhaps now I am having some real chronic depression or bipolar mood switches going on beneath the adderall+klonopin.
My pdoc gets back from vacation this coming Tuesday. I don't really know what to do until then. Even though I hated tapering off my 40mg adderall last month after almost a year of taking it, it might be best if I did come off the adderall again so that, when I talk to my doc, I will only be taking the higher-dose klonopin and won't therefore hav e to start tapering the adderall then and thereby have to go through more days before he finally (hopefully) agrees to put me on something that will target my main symptoms more effectively.
On the other hand, I'm in a really isolated, low-stress place on vacation, and maybe using the adderall until he returns will at least give me some periods of feeling a little better (even though these periods of relief are few and far between) so I could get through the weekend.
But still, as I've mentioned, I took the adderall Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of LAST week, then took the weekend off completely from it and then resumed it on Tuesday and took it everyday from then on through today. So if I stop it 'cold,' espcially considering I'm still takig the higher-dose klonopin, I might get even more depressed; though some of you said that 3 days last week+4 days in a row this week of adderall is not enough to necessitate a taper so that I could just stop it with no problems?
If I do taper it, i guess I would chop off 5mg a day starting tomorrow, so, since I'm taking 20mg total, it'll take 4 days to come off completely - but that's almost as much as I've been taking the med! It's confusing.
Why do you think the adderall is having this effect on me? it's combination with the higher klonopin? some sort of underlying depressive episode or mixed moods going on? Am I taking too much of it? Too little of it?
This sucks. And I just know that if he ends up putting me on another AD, it'll take forever to start working and then it'll only work for a short time. I say this 'cause I've tried pretty much every one and that was the case. Another wierd thing is that he initially diagnosed me with bipolar as well as 'possible' ADD and SA, yet he doesn't seem to care anymore that I'm not taking a mood stabilizer (even though he always insisted that I be on an MS before adding any other meds). And other docs I went to for 2nd opinions all had different diagnoses for me - some said NO bipolar, others said NO ADD. I don't know if my own pdoc knows what my diagnosis is anymore. I sure don't.
Whatever, I'm rambling. I feel like taking another adderall just for that initial lift out of the zombie zone, but I think I'm not thinking straight. What do you think I should do about this adderall conundrum?
thanks-and sorry for the rambling,
Peter


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Psycho-Babble Medication | Framed

poster:Peter thread:255023
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030828/msgs/255316.html