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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by KarenB on April 21, 2000, at 14:55:05
Carol Ann,
You had mentioned a couple of times before that you could not take Ritalin and you were now on Adderall.
My question is, why not Ritalin? And, what do you see as the advantages of Adderall? Please also comment if you have tried any other ADD drugs and your opinion on them as well.
Thanks!
Karen
Posted by CarolAnn on April 21, 2000, at 15:14:50
In reply to Carol Ann (and anyone else) - Ritalin, Adderall..., posted by KarenB on April 21, 2000, at 14:55:05
Karen, I could not take Ritalin because after the first week or so, I really started abusing it. I would take 3 or 4 pills at a time when I was only supposed to take one, stuff like that.
Adderall has been better for me. I can't explain the actual chemicals, but my psychiatrist said that Adderall actually has two stimulants in it, while Ritalin and Dexedrine are each just one stimulant. Hope this helps! CarolAnn
Posted by Cass on April 21, 2000, at 16:41:29
In reply to Re: Carol Ann ( - Ritalin, Adderall..) my reply., posted by CarolAnn on April 21, 2000, at 15:14:50
I tried Adderall and didn't do well on it. It brought all of my anxieties and frustrations to the forefront of my consciousness, and I felt a sense of urgency about resolving them right away (which is not always possible). On Ritalin, I feel less tormented. I feel energetic, and although my mind does seem to turn things over again and again, I don't feel that sense of urgency and doom. I also don't have the experience of "crashing" that some people describe. Good luck to you.
Posted by JohnL on April 22, 2000, at 4:49:31
In reply to Carol Ann (and anyone else) - Ritalin, Adderall..., posted by KarenB on April 21, 2000, at 14:55:05
> Carol Ann,
>
> You had mentioned a couple of times before that you could not take Ritalin and you were now on Adderall.
>
> My question is, why not Ritalin? And, what do you see as the advantages of Adderall? Please also comment if you have tried any other ADD drugs and your opinion on them as well.
>
> Thanks!
>
> KarenMy experience was similar to CarolAnn's. I found Ritalin highly abusive. I used to do cocaine decades ago. Ritalin was very much like that. Ritalin to me is just an inexpensive legal form of cocaine. I felt so good I just wanted more and more, and I couldn't control it. The urge to up the dose each time was intense.
The mood benefits of Adderall were not as strong as with Ritalin, though Adderall definitely increased interest, motivation, and energy. It did have mood benefits, but not as intense as drastic as Ritalin. And it is ssmmoootthh. Slow to come on and slow to wear off. Unlike Ritalin, which perked me up like a freight train and then abruptly dropped me off a cliff.
I think finding the right dose of Adderall is tricky. Too much leads to a wired, restless, crawling out of the skin, inability to be satisfied, agitated state. I found even a change of 1.25mg could make all the difference. My doctor prefers to treat with the higher uncomfortable doses, but to counterbalance it he also mixes in an antipsychotic. The two apparently work very well together. The stimulant increases NE/dopamine in parts of the brain where it's needed, but also in other parts where it isn't needed. The antipsychotic does just the opposite. It reduces the dopamine in parts of the brain where it is excessively elevated, yet leaves other parts of the brain unaffected. So stimulants and APs work synergistically together, often better than either alone.
Since we all respond so differently due to unique chemistries, I can only comment on my experiences. I found Adderall to be a much better choice than Ritalin, for a lot of reasons. For someone else it may be just the opposite. JohnL
Posted by KarenB on April 26, 2000, at 14:05:42
In reply to Re: Carol Ann (and anyone else) - Ritalin, Adderall..., posted by JohnL on April 22, 2000, at 4:49:31
Thanks, you guys, for your input. I am starting the Adderall today. In about 10 days, doc will start me on Buspar, for this low level of depression/anxiety/irritability I am experiencing. I told him I had read that Buspar was the "world's most expensive placebo," and he laughed. That's a first for him. But, he said he has had good experience with it in low level depression (is that Dysthymia?) and it is NOT an SSRI, a class which I respond poorly to with consistency.
Anyway, the past week has kind of sucked and I've been fighting a med resistant migraine, which does not help my mood or energy.
Well, enough of my whining... I'll let you know what happens.
Karen
Posted by JohnB on April 27, 2000, at 2:46:55
In reply to Re: Bring on the Adderall..., posted by KarenB on April 26, 2000, at 14:05:42
> Anyway, the past week has kind of sucked and I've been fighting a med resistant migraine, which does not help my mood or energy.
Karen; I saw a new med for migraines at the Merk website ( www.merk.com/product/usa/maxalt/cns/prescribing_info/full_pi/pi.html ). It's called Maxalt, one of the triptan class of meds and a 5-HT1 agonist. -JohnB
Posted by medlib on April 27, 2000, at 3:18:48
In reply to Re: Out with the Migraines, posted by JohnB on April 27, 2000, at 2:46:55
> > Anyway, the past week has kind of sucked and I've been fighting a med resistant migraine, which does not help my mood or energy.
>
> Karen; I saw a new med for migraines at the Merk website ( www.merk.com/product/usa/maxalt/cns/prescribing_info/full_pi/pi.html ). It's called Maxalt, one of the triptan class of meds and a 5-HT1 agonist. -JohnB**********
JohnB--Thanks for the URL--I'm interested, too. I'm a long-time migraine sufferer, so will be sure to check out this new med.
BTW, the drug co. name has a "c" in it. I wouldn't have mentioned it otherwise, but you'll need to add that "c" to the URL in order to connect.
Appreciate the info--medlib
Posted by JohnB on April 27, 2000, at 12:48:04
In reply to Re: Migraine Rx at Merck?, posted by medlib on April 27, 2000, at 3:18:48
Thanks medlib, sorry about that.
Correct URL:
http://www.merck.com/product/usa/maxalt/cns/prescribing_info/patient_info/ppi.html
Posted by KarenB on April 27, 2000, at 14:47:27
In reply to Re: OOPS! Correct URL Maxalt, posted by JohnB on April 27, 2000, at 12:48:04
Thanks, John - I'll check it out.
Just wondering - does anyone else out there think that stimulants or stimulating ADs (like Wellbutrin) have been responsible for triggering their migraines...or is it just me? I believe that the addition of sulpiride, a neuroleptic, kept my migraines at bay while I was taking amineptine, a stimulant AD.
Several years back, I stopped taking Wellbutrin, partly because it caused neck and shoulder muscle tension that would trigger the headaches.
Anybody else have this happen?
Does anyone else think that their migraines are somehow related to their depression - or is it a separate problem?
I'd also like to hear about other successful migraine meds.
Thanks!
Karen
This is the end of the thread.
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