Posted by barbaracat on June 20, 2005, at 15:25:10
In reply to Re: Lithium: How many times do you dose per day? » barbaracat, posted by yesac on June 20, 2005, at 13:14:16
> > But I can be normally focused and as I understand it, ADD is pretty much a constant thing.
>
> Yeah that's what I understand too... but for me, it's hard to tell because I have attention problems pretty much all the time, but for the most part I have mood probs all the time too!**I look back on growing up and can recognize typical attention problems along with mood problems. No matter how I tried, my room was always a disaster area. I crave order and neatness but it's beyond me. My ADD can be either total disorganization, which runs hand in hand with the frenzy of bipolar - I'll be doing one thing and my attention is captured by a new idea or distraction, so I leave a trail of unfinished projects. Or, I can be so hyperfocused that nothing can distract me even when it should. So, I'd say that I have an ADD-type disorder.
It all probably falls within the same glitch area in my brain that causes the rest of it. I am considering talking to my pdoc about some treatment for it. I was given Ritalin a few years back but any agitation was the last thing I needed since I was so exhausted at that time. But now, I'm doing so much better physically and psychically and able to start tackling things that were left to rot for years and years. I have alot more motivation in general and am much healthier, so I think I can tolerate a stimulant. However, even though I have the will and the energy, I still need help with the organization and focus part and found the Ritalin helps now where it didn't before. I'm even able to sleep on it, which tells me something.
So, whether it's a product of lithium making it work better or differently, or me just being in a stronger place in general I don't know. All of the above, probably. I'd like to try a few different ones to see what works best. All I know is that my drug of choice when I was going through very difficult late teens was meth. Taking meth and dancing were the only times I remember being happy back then.
> That's interesting. I've tolerated fairly high doses of a lot of drugs (ADs and others). Most seemed to basically do nothing, even at high doses. But others wacked me out, for example Cymbalta... and I wonder if a low LOW dose might be useful.
**When you say wacked out?? Cymbalta has a strong norepinephrine kick that hits right off the bat. The NE is stronger at lower doses and serotonin kicks in at higher. Even though I'm still prone to anxiety, the NE doesn't seem to bother me with Cymbalta. It's a bit of a pain counting out those miniscule pellets but I'll gladly do it to feel better. I've tried a full 30jmg capsule a few times now that I've been on it for 5 months and nope, can't take that much. My pdoc says she's been having a mixed bag as far as results with her clients. Some people do horribly on it and some think it's the best thing they've ever done, however, I'm the only one of her clients on a micro dose. If nothing else has worked, I'd encourage you to give it a try.
> That's a great website. It is what got me really considering if I might have some kind of bipolar variant.
**Isn't it? Have you delved into the mixed states area? You'll probably go 'huh, that's me!'. I think it's a link in one of the main articles, but like the whole website, you can immerse yourself deeper and follow links forever.
poster:barbaracat
thread:509665
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050617/msgs/516071.html