Posted by KaraS on July 11, 2004, at 19:09:16
In reply to Re: Luvox to mood stabilizer? » KaraS, posted by zeugma on July 10, 2004, at 17:30:43
> > > > > Dr. Daniel Amen, most famous for his use of MRI's in diagnosis of ADHD, recommends mood stabilizers for a subtype of the disorder he calls 'temporal lobe ADD.' It is supposed to share features with certain types of epilepsy, hence the use of mood stabilizers. The books that Amen and friends put out on ADD, depression and anxiety are among the glossiest you will find in the Psych section of Barnes and Noble, and are readily available.
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> > > > Thank you!!!! I have Dr. Amen's most recent book but I was concentrating on what I thought was relevant to me and missed the parts that pertain to my friend. I'm going to have another look at the book soon.
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> > > > All the best,
> > > > KaraS
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> > > You're welcome.
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> > > Do you have ADD?
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> > I'm not sure if I have ADD or not. I know that I have trouble focusing and concentrating - that studying or working on spreadsheets takes me a lot longer than it takes other people. But I don't know if that's just a result of my depression or if it's ADD. OTOH, I've always done well in school. How does one distinguish whether it's depression or ADD?
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> Trouble focusing is certainly a common symptom of both. i never really had to wonder about whether or not I had ADD, as I was diagnosed at the tender age of twelve- and this was before ADD even bore its present, relatively innocuous name. i was good in school in that those things which i 'got', i got quickly. unfortunately i was hopeless when it came to doing homework, and even now in grad school i slack off at every opportunity. though i am trying to motivate myself to slog through.I always leave everything to the last minute too. Terrible problem with motivation. Between that and the difficulty concentrating, it's amazing that I managed to complete my graduate program. Being successful in work has been another matter. It's very tough to succeed when you're depressed, unmotivated and can't think straight. I can usually bluff my way through unless I have to do detailed spreadsheets or things that take me much too much time.
Perhaps you were lucky to get diagnosed early. At least you know what you're dealing with and have some things to help you - though it sounds like you're still looking because what you're using now sounds less than optimal.
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> I am skeptical of Amen's taxonomies of ADD. According to him I would have 'limbic ADD,' ADD accompanied by depression. The medications he lists for this condition are the noradrenergic AD's: TCA's, Wellbutrin, Effexor, and Strattera, and these are in fact the meds that helped me. But this is because I have difficulty tolerating stimulants due to weight and sleep issues, and I unquestionably have chronic (lifelong, really) major depression as well. I recently dropped Provigil when I became severely depressed over the holiday last week and couldn't sleep. I upped the dose of nortriptyline so i could at least maintain my sleep through the worst of it (insomnia worsens my condition to an APPALLING degree).
>I am also skeptical of his classifications that are too neat and clean from my point of view. I wonder if ADD really does fall into such specfic and different categories. I also question his work because (if I remember correctly) he has said in at least one of his books that there is no problem with tolerance. It doesn't happen. SAY WHAT???? Maybe if someone is truly ADHD, then it doesn't happen. I don't know. But I do know that these boards are filled with depressives who are dealing with poop-out of stimulants. Still, his MRIs are very impressive and he's done a lot of good research.
> My pdoc, to his credit, was sympathetic, and i was very open with him about my misery. he suggested that I try the provigil again at a low dose, now that my mood has evened out somewhat, and this morning I took 50 mg. It has a definite cognitive effect- there is a slight but significant 'delay' in my thought process which I actually find beneficial (it is calming and it is easier for me to coordinate my responses to events). No energizing effect that I can notice, and at 100 mg there was some sleep disruption which I can't tolerate, but now that i know what to 'look for' from this med there may be something I can use from it.
>It's good that you have a doctor you can work with. That's half the battle.
> have you had beneficial effects from stimulants? I think that is am ore significant question than formal diagnosis. There are plenty of online tests available, there's one for example at strattera.com, but as someone in the education biz, I know it's all too easy to skew a test so takers get a desired result, if you know what i mean.
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> z
Provigil made my limbs feel heavy and stiff like they were covered with cement. It was creepy.
I have not tried any stimulants yet except for generic methylphenidate. I took 5 mg. and it put me to sleep. I was too afraid to try anymore. I thought it might really knock me out too much. Sounds silly I know. I will eventually try Adderall and maybe try more of the Ritalin. You said that you could not tolerate the stimulants because of sleep. Did you take anything with them for sleep? What if you took Remeron? That's sedating and certainly sparks the appetite.I am also skeptical of the strattera test. I think, as you suggested, that it is designed so that anyone taking it will end up thinking that he or she has ADD. It might be worth my checking out anyway as long as I keep that bias in mind. I am not leaning towards trying strattera at this time as it can make you slower and groggy. I desperately need things that will get me moving and give me energy. Then of course I'll have to deal with the insomnia.
Well, I hope that you are feeling much better than you did over the holiday. Holidays can be very depressing if you don't have anything fun to do or look forward to. I was pretty bummed out myself. It sounds like you're getting closer, though, to finding things that will work for you.
Take care,
Kara
poster:KaraS
thread:364549
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040710/msgs/365125.html