Posted by HappinessPie on December 7, 2004, at 14:49:44
In reply to There's several things you could try... » Stryker88, posted by jclint on December 5, 2004, at 9:36:11
> I'm not an expert on this by any means, but I think there are a number of things that are effective for your situation.
>
> Stimulants, like Adderall or Ritalin, seem to to have a caffeine like effect and are good for ADD. These might be a bit too much for you though, and I doubt your doctor would prescribe them if your condition is not too serious.
>
> I think I speak for the most people here when I recommend something called Provigil.> The only problem is the cost - I know in the US, daily use can get very expensive (in the UK we have fixed price prescriptions). However the generic version is coming out soon I believe which will inevitably bring the price down. You may also want to look at something called Adrafinil...<snip> although it must be pointed out that it is perhaps more demanding on the liver than provigil - its recommended that you have liver enzyme tests now and then just to make sure.
~~ Start of Message / Reply ~~
I am very interested in trying Provigil for my mild ADD & moderate depression. I have tried Adrafinil and found it to be effective in keepig me alert without the crash of caffeine, but I was scared away by the liver warnings and also by the cost (still a lot more than a scrip for stimulants in the US). The other reason I didn't want to take it is because I was "self-medicating" with it and didn't feel comfortable sharing this with my regular doctor (this was before I had a p-doc), so if there was a liver issue I would have been at a loss for explaining it.
I am currently in withdrawal from EffexorXR, which I am very happy about (getting free of it :) ) apart from the side effects. I know my p-doc wants me on an AD because I have had a Major Depressive Episode, but I want to go off and either try St John's Wort again or perhaps something else milder (no more SSRIs though, and unfortunately I am allergic to Wellbutrin, which worked quite well). I was on 150 mg of EffXR for about two months but it makes me confused, apathetic, and chubby. :(
I am also in the process of moving to Europe (Spain - within the next couple of weeks), so while that sounds like a bad time to be changing meds, it's actually good for me since I am not working much while I make the move and I will have some down-time with the holidays. I am thinking that I may be in luck because doctors have more experience with Modafinil (Provigil) in Europe and also with prescribing St John's Wort for depression. Both drugs are likely to be cheaper than in the US and the St John's Wort may be more standardized since I understand it is prescribed nearly as often as SSRIs.
I am currently on 10 mg AdderallXR for relatively mild combined-type ADD and also because my depression is the lethargy/low-energy type. It is helping me a lot but I would not be opposed to trying Provigil instead. I am also taking a break from it while I withdraw from Effexor because stimulants seem to make some of the side effects (anxiety, hot flashes, brain zaps/shivers) worse. I have been completely off Effexor for 3 days and it has been about a week since I came down from 37.5 to 18 mg, so I am hoping the SE go away soon...!
I guess my questions would be: (1) does anyone know about the use of Provigil in Spain (or elsewhere in the EU) for depression, and/or its cost (to buy there, not to ship to US)? (2) has anyone heard of or made a good comparison between Adderall and Provigil for ADD?
Any information would be greatly appreciated!
poster:HappinessPie
thread:424591
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041206/msgs/425785.html