Posted by Racer on May 13, 2006, at 22:38:22
In reply to Re: Which stimulant has lesser anxiety?, posted by minimal on May 13, 2006, at 21:56:19
> I've taken both ritalin and adderall and this is my experience: adderall actually decreases anxiety while ritalin tends to increase anxiety. I also find adderall better for adhd.
And I had the opposite results. Adderall increased my depression, though, by a lot, which might have clouded the issue of cognitive hyperactivity.
Ritalin, for me, was great -- except for a side effect I wasn't quite able to live with in hopes it would go away. It boosted my mood, which is one of the things I was hoping for, but it also quietened my monkey brain. Until then, I'd never thought I had any sort of ADD. When I tried Ritalin, I realized I had just gotten so used to all that noise I didn't realize it was there. I think Ritalin actually decreased my anxiety, by quietening my negative ruminations.
The side effects I had on the Big Three:
Adderall -- significantly increased depression.
Dexedrine -- nothing. No side effects. It didn't work nearly as well as Ritalin, but it did a bit to boost my mood, and it seemed to maybe lower anxiety a bit.
Ritalin -- headaches, which would probably have gone away; feeling a little "high," which is very uncomfortable for me; and increased appetite along with decreased inhibitions about eating. The last one was the deal breaker for me. The other two would probably have gone away as I got past the adjustment phase, and I could have lived with them until then to see. The appetite/eating thing was a whole 'nother story for me.
At some point, though, I think I'm likely to revisit Ritalin with my doctor. Maybe there's some way to deal with the appetite thing.
poster:Racer
thread:643499
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060510/msgs/643700.html