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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 15 of 15. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by KaraS on August 7, 2005, at 3:39:48
Or do they just turn you inward and improve your focus?
Posted by utopizen on August 7, 2005, at 7:57:49
In reply to Anyone feel more social on stimulants?, posted by KaraS on August 7, 2005, at 3:39:48
> Or do they just turn you inward and improve your focus?
One of the unfortunate side effects of stimulants is excessive talking, which leads to severe social disability (ultimately, no one will be your friend).To be likeable, you must be more of a listener than a talker.
Trust me, you would not want to hang out with someone who talks your ear off.
Often, excessive talking means the dose is too high. Lower it to the lowest effective dose, or switch to a low dose of a different stimulant.
Adding in some Klonopin generally does the trick as well, but why take two drugs just to combat as high dose of one?
Posted by Sarah T. on August 7, 2005, at 12:40:41
In reply to Anyone feel more social on stimulants?, posted by KaraS on August 7, 2005, at 3:39:48
Hi Kara,
I've been wondering how you are.
For me, the answer to your question depends on which stimulant we're talking about and what the dose is. Dexedrine often made me more gregarious unless the dose was too high. I turn into a zombie on most stimulants if the dose is too high. Dexedrine was prescribed for me for several reasons, one of which was as an antidepressant, and it did have that effect.
Unfortunately, Adderall made me very withdrawn and self-conscious, almost the opposite of Dexedrine. I'm still trying to figure this out because Adderall is approximately 69-70% dextroamphetamine (although only a small portion of that is dextroamphetamine sulphate/dexedrine). I think I have problems with the solubility of Adderall. I've had problems with solubility of other meds, so that makes it more likely that could be the culprit. Maybe I'll try a different brand and/or the sustained release some day.
Ritalin and other forms of methylphenidate, with the exception of Concerta, tended to make me also more withdrawn. I do have good focus and concentration on methylphenidate, but I'm detached and not at all sociable. Every single different formulation of methylphenidate had a different effect on me. It was almost as if each one was a different chemical. I think Concerta is good.
Posted by Tom Twilight on August 7, 2005, at 16:07:02
In reply to Re: Anyone feel more social on stimulants?, posted by utopizen on August 7, 2005, at 7:57:49
I found that Dexedrine often made me more social, although unfortunatly as Utopizen said it made me talk to much
Funnily enough Dexedrine worked better with Clomipramine, the Clomipramine took the edge of the Dex and made me much more confident
The combination of a stimulant with a Anxiolytic is about the most pro social combination around
Having said that I don't think its a particularly good idea to combine two potentialy addictive meds, especially long term> To be likeable, you must be more of a listener than a talker.
Thats very true!
On GHB I could listen for hours to people, and I really enjoyed it, it was a good drug from that point of view
P.S I'm not advicating the use of GHB
Posted by ed_uk on August 7, 2005, at 16:17:15
In reply to Anyone feel more social on stimulants?, posted by KaraS on August 7, 2005, at 3:39:48
Hi K,
How did you feel on 2.5mg Dex?
Ed x
Posted by Declan on August 7, 2005, at 19:40:48
In reply to Re: Anyone feel more social on stimulants? » KaraS, posted by ed_uk on August 7, 2005, at 16:17:15
There was a shrink in Brisbane a long time ago who used IV methamphetamine to get the odd patient talking, I think that it came in 40mg ampoules. He used 2 I guess, the best part of 100mgs, but he stopped when the patient had blood pressure problems (stroke?). I had one ampoule once, and that was enough.
Kara, I think if you only used 5mg Dexedrine you wouldn't have any pressure of thought or speech.
That's my experience.Declan
Posted by KaraS on August 8, 2005, at 19:46:00
In reply to Re: Anyone feel more social on stimulants?, posted by utopizen on August 7, 2005, at 7:57:49
> > Or do they just turn you inward and improve your focus?
>
>
> One of the unfortunate side effects of stimulants is excessive talking, which leads to severe social disability (ultimately, no one will be your friend).
>
> To be likeable, you must be more of a listener than a talker.
>
> Trust me, you would not want to hang out with someone who talks your ear off.
>
> Often, excessive talking means the dose is too high. Lower it to the lowest effective dose, or switch to a low dose of a different stimulant.
>
> Adding in some Klonopin generally does the trick as well, but why take two drugs just to combat as high dose of one?
Thanks. I'll make sure I don't get to the excessive talking stage.K
Posted by KaraS on August 8, 2005, at 19:57:07
In reply to Re: Anyone feel more social on stimulants? » KaraS, posted by Sarah T. on August 7, 2005, at 12:40:41
> Hi Kara,
>
> I've been wondering how you are.
>
> For me, the answer to your question depends on which stimulant we're talking about and what the dose is. Dexedrine often made me more gregarious unless the dose was too high. I turn into a zombie on most stimulants if the dose is too high. Dexedrine was prescribed for me for several reasons, one of which was as an antidepressant, and it did have that effect.
>
> Unfortunately, Adderall made me very withdrawn and self-conscious, almost the opposite of Dexedrine. I'm still trying to figure this out because Adderall is approximately 69-70% dextroamphetamine (although only a small portion of that is dextroamphetamine sulphate/dexedrine). I think I have problems with the solubility of Adderall. I've had problems with solubility of other meds, so that makes it more likely that could be the culprit. Maybe I'll try a different brand and/or the sustained release some day.
>
> Ritalin and other forms of methylphenidate, with the exception of Concerta, tended to make me also more withdrawn. I do have good focus and concentration on methylphenidate, but I'm detached and not at all sociable. Every single different formulation of methylphenidate had a different effect on me. It was almost as if each one was a different chemical. I think Concerta is good.
Hi Sarah,Thanks for thinking of me and for answering my question. It's strange that you reacted so differently to Dexedrine vs. Adderall since they are so similar. Maybe the solubility is the problem. It sounds like it would be worth checking out the sustained release form or other brands considering that stimulants are the only medications that have helped you significantly. As for Ritalin, Dr. E. said that it's not a good match for me so it must have quite a different effect on the brain than amphetamines.
I have nothing new to report really. I've had several big social obligations the last few days which is very unusual for me. It's not a good time to be experimenting with medications. I felt like all of the forced social obligations put more than enough stress on my anxiety to begin with. Adding some Dexedrine could have been a nightmare. Tomorrow everything calms down so I'll start the trial again.
Take care,
Kara
Posted by KaraS on August 8, 2005, at 20:02:17
In reply to Re: Anyone feel more social on stimulants?, posted by Tom Twilight on August 7, 2005, at 16:07:02
> I found that Dexedrine often made me more social, although unfortunatly as Utopizen said it made me talk to much
>
> Funnily enough Dexedrine worked better with Clomipramine, the Clomipramine took the edge of the Dex and made me much more confident
>
> The combination of a stimulant with a Anxiolytic is about the most pro social combination around
> Having said that I don't think its a particularly good idea to combine two potentialy addictive meds, especially long term
>
> > To be likeable, you must be more of a listener than a talker.
> Thats very true!
> On GHB I could listen for hours to people, and I really enjoyed it, it was a good drug from that point of view
>
> P.S I'm not advicating the use of GHB
>
I had seen a post by someone recently who said that stimulants made him or her very inwardly focussed but it seems from the responses I've gotten that this person's reaction was not the norm.I am on a little bit of doxepin now and I've been concerned about combining it with a stimulant. Because of that, I've been taking very small amounts and planning on increasing gradually. It's good to know that you were able to combine Dexedrine with clomipramine without any problems.
Thanks for your response.
Kara
Posted by KaraS on August 8, 2005, at 20:06:24
In reply to Re: Anyone feel more social on stimulants? » KaraS, posted by ed_uk on August 7, 2005, at 16:17:15
> Hi K,
>
> How did you feel on 2.5mg Dex?
>
> Ed xHi Ed!
Haven't had a chance to try the 2.5 mg yet because of all of these d*mn social obligations. The timing could not have been worse. I'll be trying it early this week though. I'll probably have to go up a little on the doxepin though as I was feeling quite stressed out this weekend. I just didn't have enough anxiety coverage. It wasn't disasterous but I definitely need some additional help.
K
xx
Posted by KaraS on August 9, 2005, at 3:45:14
In reply to Re: Anyone feel more social on stimulants?, posted by Declan on August 7, 2005, at 19:40:48
> There was a shrink in Brisbane a long time ago who used IV methamphetamine to get the odd patient talking, I think that it came in 40mg ampoules. He used 2 I guess, the best part of 100mgs, but he stopped when the patient had blood pressure problems (stroke?). I had one ampoule once, and that was enough.
>
> Kara, I think if you only used 5mg Dexedrine you wouldn't have any pressure of thought or speech.
> That's my experience.
>
> Declan
Hi Declan,Sorry I forgot to answer your post earlier. I'm only starting with 5 mg. I imagine that I'll end up going higher than that but I'm not sure.
Kara
Posted by Bill LL on August 10, 2005, at 10:46:38
In reply to Anyone feel more social on stimulants?, posted by KaraS on August 7, 2005, at 3:39:48
A lot of parents report that their kids make more friends after they start taking stimulants for ADD. It's because they are then less impulsive.
> Or do they just turn you inward and improve your focus?
Posted by KaraS on August 10, 2005, at 16:28:15
In reply to Re: Anyone feel more social on stimulants?, posted by Bill LL on August 10, 2005, at 10:46:38
Posted by Paulbwell on August 10, 2005, at 16:49:22
In reply to Thanks. (nm) » Bill LL, posted by KaraS on August 10, 2005, at 16:28:15
Hi ya,
many people report that Ritalin causes more introversion and less social outgoing aspects, I have noticed some of this to, even thought it is VERY effective for hyperactivity, these effects have been seen in animal studies too. Dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) seems to produce more outgoing social, effects with many, and many combine it with an anxiolytic. There were many Dex+anxiolytic compounds combined in the one pill in the 1960s and these were VERY popular.
Amphetamines generally (probably due to their monoamine output+reuptake properties, as opposed to Ritalins monoamine reuptake only)tend to promote more social outgoing effects.
Of course Ritalin and other methylphenidate pills, can promote increased social effects in some, if they relieve the individuals depressed mood and increase their energy levels.
Cheers
Posted by KaraS on August 10, 2005, at 17:15:18
In reply to Re: Thanks. » KaraS, posted by Paulbwell on August 10, 2005, at 16:49:22
> Hi ya,
>
> many people report that Ritalin causes more introversion and less social outgoing aspects, I have noticed some of this to, even thought it is VERY effective for hyperactivity, these effects have been seen in animal studies too. Dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) seems to produce more outgoing social, effects with many, and many combine it with an anxiolytic. There were many Dex+anxiolytic compounds combined in the one pill in the 1960s and these were VERY popular.
>
> Amphetamines generally (probably due to their monoamine output+reuptake properties, as opposed to Ritalins monoamine reuptake only)tend to promote more social outgoing effects.
>
> Of course Ritalin and other methylphenidate pills, can promote increased social effects in some, if they relieve the individuals depressed mood and increase their energy levels.
>
> Cheers
Thanks. I'm seeing a consistent pattern here for Ritalin tending to focus people inward and for amphetamines making people more social. I'm more encouraged that amphetamines will work for me where Ritalin failed.k
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