Posted by karaS on October 3, 2004, at 1:36:25
In reply to Re: why does Provigil help my ADD » karaS, posted by zeugma on October 2, 2004, at 18:24:56
z,
> The Strattera is an AD for me, without doubt. I never doubted that its primary action, besides its unwanted subsidiary ones, was as an AD as well as ADD treatment. In fact I always considered it an AD with positive effects on ADD, much like the TCA's.
Hmmm. Double the benefit. Not bad. It might make sense for me to try Strattera someday if the Cymbalta doesn't work out.
> I felt some of that trouble doing attentional set-shifting today that I experienced on Ritalin and Provigil. But it was to a much less degree. These drugs have complex cognitive effects that I am going to try to discuss in another post. Basically, I don't know what the Ritalin is doing, it never had an easily identifiable effect on me like Provigil did: a "self-conscious" med; or Strattera, "transparency." Nortriptyline felt like a glacier was melting, but a lot of that could be because it was my first return to an AD in a decade, and the first one that worked in almost two - its predecessor was none other than itself.
If you don't know what the Ritalin is doing, is it possible that it's not doing anything for you at all? Are you still taking Nortriptyline now? (I remember when I started taking it, I had so much energy. It was so nice.)
> I am going to run out of Ritalin after Monday. I am under so much pressure at work, and I can ill afford drug "vacations," and I don't know how the Ritalin is affecting the Strattera, or for the better or the worse. My next pdoc appt. is a week away. I hope he writes me a script for a week's worth of 30 mg Ritalin LA a day. The Ritalin side effects are wearing off, and weren't very disturbing to begin with. I will post below about the cognitive effects. But moodwise, I am ok, and for what it's worth, since this topic has come up elsewhere, Provigil is a stimulant that had some anxiolytic effect, and marginal antidepressant effect. Strattera has a strong antidepressant effect, which for me at least, kicks in immediately. It has some anxiolytic effect, because I was able to slightly reduce my clonazepam dosage, back to my maintainance dose of 1 mg/ day. I am happy about that.Too bad you couldn't stand the side effects since it clearly seemed to help you. (Provigil did nothing for me but make my limbs heavy.) So as long as you take at least a little break from the Strattera, you're able to go back on it and get the benefits again? That's great. Now you just have to figure out what to do instead during the down time.
I'm starting on Cymbalta on Tuesday. I have the samples already. I just need to function on Monday so I don't want to start something new yet. I hope this helps with depression and focus - especially the focus because I have to get a job soon. If I do have some "soft bi-polar" tendencies, then I'll worry about adding something else in later. But for now, I really need to get functioning or else I'll be living with mom soon. (Horrors!)
-K
poster:karaS
thread:397388
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041002/msgs/398441.html