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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Racer on April 8, 2006, at 11:00:33
I saw my pdoc yesterday, and we're stopping the Adderall. She said it wasn't my imagination -- and OMG, what a complete relief to have a doctor say that to me, that it wasn't my fault, that it wasn't my imagination -- that increased depressionn can be a side effect of Adderall for some people. My T had been encouraging me to stay on it, because I hadn't been so sluggish since starting stimulants, but honestly -- I couldn't have stayed on it much longer.
I do agree with my T, that Ritalin helped me a great deal, but the Adderall didn't have its benefits for me. (And I will not try Ritalin again.) I was thinking through on my own, whether it's worth it or not, but my pdoc said we'd try Dexedrine, if things go OK for the first two weeks, add in the Buspar again. (Buspar helped my anxiety better than anything else ever has, but it also left me limp on the sofa. I want to see if the combination of Buspar and a stimulant will allow me to function better.)
And, if the Dexedrine doesn't work out, I guess it's back to Provigil. See if that works again for me.
In the meantime: UGH. The past few days of this have been pretty hellish. My eyes are swollen from crying at everything and nothing, and I can barely see. I've even been avoiding my mother, because I don't want to get into hurt feelings with her.
Has anyone here experienced the increased depression from Adderall, and found Dexedrine helpful? Thanks for letting me know about your experiences.
Posted by Sarah T. on April 8, 2006, at 15:33:01
In reply to Increased depression on Adderall, posted by Racer on April 8, 2006, at 11:00:33
Hi Racer,
I had a lot of difficulties with Adderall, and I think those difficulties could be classified as "increased depression." I became withdrawn and very quiet on all types of Adderall (XR and immediate release) and at several different dosages. I am still trying to figure out why this happened. I've tried Adderall a number of times over the past 5 years or so, and I have had the same response every time.
I did very well on Dexedrine, but in spite of doing everything I could to stave off tolerance, I developed a tolerance to it anyway. As you probably know, Adderall is about 69% dextroamphetamine, although the dextroamphetamine in Adderall isn't all dextroamphetamine sulphate. Dexedrine is dextroamphetamine sulphate. Adderall has some dextroamphetamine sulphate in it, but it also has some dextroamphetamine paired with other counter-ions instead of the sulphate that make the molecule less soluble. I have had a problem with solubility with seveal other medications, so it's possible that the salts that make up Adderall just don't dissolve well for me.
Dexedrine is more active in the central nervous system than Adderall, so I think it is more likely to help depression.
By the way, did you try Concerta when you were going through the various formulations for methylphenidate? I ask because although Concerta is methylphenidate, to me, it felt completely different from Ritalin.
I'm interested to hear what you have to say about Buspar. All I know about it is that it's a non-benzodiazapine anxiolytic that was reputed to have some antidepressant properties. Do you think it has an antidepressant effect?
I have to mention that I'm having a lot of computer problems, so if I don't respond right away, that's why.
Sarah
Posted by Racer on April 8, 2006, at 15:41:54
In reply to Re: Increased depression on Adderall » Racer, posted by Sarah T. on April 8, 2006, at 15:33:01
>
> By the way, did you try Concerta when you were going through the various formulations for methylphenidate? I ask because although Concerta is methylphenidate, to me, it felt completely different from Ritalin.
>I did try Concerta, but it produced the same adverse effects for me that Ritalin did -- only more so. I had three adverse effects on both Ritalin and Concerta: headaches, feeling high, and increased appetite. The headaches and the feeling high I could have put up with for a few weeks to see if they'd go away, but the increased appetite I couldn't handle at all. I don't mean I was hungrier, really -- just that every time I sat down, I had to get up again to go get MORE FOOD. I couldn't handle that, so I'm not willing to try either again unless there's a way to stop it.
> I'm interested to hear what you have to say about Buspar. All I know about it is that it's a non-benzodiazapine anxiolytic that was reputed to have some antidepressant properties. Do you think it has an antidepressant effect?
>The problem I had with Buspar was that it made me totally limp. I felt fine, but the stress of getting NOTHING done, at all, ever, was too much for me. I am already sedated by Wellbutrin (I know, I'm weird), and pretty well amotivated, so increasing that so much was terrible. But the Buspar was effective against anxiety for me, and I didn't feel particularly depressed. Just -- limp.
The only thing I managed to do while on Buspar was to keep the sofa from floating up to the ceiling...
Posted by Sarah T. on April 8, 2006, at 16:31:30
In reply to Re: Increased depression on Adderall » Sarah T., posted by Racer on April 8, 2006, at 15:41:54
Hi Racer,
When you tried Ritalin and Concerta, were you on Wellbutrin at the same time? If so, do you think the combination of the two might have caused the headaches and "high" feeling? Did you try either Ritalin by itself or Concerta by itself? And did you experience those side effects even at very low dosages, or were you taking a higher dose? I did experience some increased appetite when I took Ritalin, but the increased appetite seemed to be worse when the medicine was wearing off. Once it had worn off, my appetite was OK, but while the blood levels were declining -- Ugh! -- I had a lot of anxiety and "appetite."
Have you ever tried Focalin?
Thank you for the information on Buspar. Hmmm. . . it sounds as if it's not for me. Your response to it sounds similar to the way I get on ssri's, those limpogenic, wimpogenic ssri's.
Posted by Phillipa on April 8, 2006, at 18:03:35
In reply to Re: Increased depression on Adderall » Racer, posted by Sarah T. on April 8, 2006, at 16:31:30
Paradoxical reactions to stimulants. What happens if you drink coffee. How I miss my coffee but too much axiety. Love Phillipa
Posted by Racer on April 8, 2006, at 20:40:01
In reply to Re: Increased depression on Adderall » Racer, posted by Sarah T. on April 8, 2006, at 16:31:30
>
> When you tried Ritalin and Concerta, were you on Wellbutrin at the same time?
> Did you try either Ritalin by itself or Concerta by itself?I was on Wellbutrin, although the dose was lowered when I started the stimulants. My major dx right now is depression, since my weight is in normal range, so we're actually trying to get a better response for that, as well as reduce some of the cognitive hyperactivity.
>And did you experience those side effects even at very low dosages, or were you taking a higher dose? I did experience some increased appetite when I took Ritalin, but the increased appetite seemed to be worse when the medicine was wearing off. Once it had worn off, my appetite was OK, but while the blood levels were declining -- Ugh! -- I had a lot of anxiety and "appetite."
I only spent a few days at the lowest dose of each of those. In fact, the Concerta was so bad I refused to take it more than once. It wasn't appetite increase while it was coming down -- it was CONSTANT. It was really terrible, started about 20 minutes or so after taking it, and just kept going. I was crying the day I tried Concerta, because I just kept needing MORE FOOD. It was such a relief when the drug wore off, and the appetite thing settled down.
>
> Have you ever tried Focalin?No. So far, on the stimulants side, I've tried Ritalin, Concerta, Adderall, and started Dexedrine today at half a tablet. So far, the Dexedrine hasn't done what Adderall was doing, so maybe that's gonna work out.
Actually, I think I feel better today than I have for a while.
>
> Thank you for the information on Buspar. Hmmm. . . it sounds as if it's not for me. Your response to it sounds similar to the way I get on ssri's, those limpogenic, wimpogenic ssri's.Yeah, it's really too bad. I've never taken anything else that worked all that well for my anxiety, so it was a real disappointment for me. In fact, I'm really hoping the stimulants will allow me to take Buspar successfully. Doesn't that sound just wrong? "I want to take speed so that I can take something for anxiety." Uh... :-D
Posted by Maxime on April 8, 2006, at 22:26:15
In reply to Re: Increased depression on Adderall » Sarah T., posted by Racer on April 8, 2006, at 20:40:01
Good luck with the Dexedrine! What dosage are you taking?
Maxime
Posted by KayeBaby on April 11, 2006, at 11:38:40
In reply to Increased depression on Adderall, posted by Racer on April 8, 2006, at 11:00:33
Absolutely!
Adderall made me a mess. Lethargic, moody and irritable.Dexedrine has worked well for the last couple of years. It is worlds apart from Adderall for me.
I follow your posts and see we have similarities in our responses to meds so for what it's worth.
Less is more with dex. This comes from a person who is of the "if a little is good then a lot will be great" school of thought.Also, I do best with a combo of the instant release tabs and spansules. I need a kick in the butt to get me going in the morning and the IR tabs (or no-doze)helps alot.
The spansules are the best calming and focusing aids I have used AND that have maintained thier effectiveness over time.
I have also found that it is necessary to take breaks from stims for at least a few days in a row per month for them to retain effectiveness.
Very best of luck to you. Dex may just be the ticket for you.
Peace,
Kaye> I saw my pdoc yesterday, and we're stopping the Adderall. She said it wasn't my imagination -- and OMG, what a complete relief to have a doctor say that to me, that it wasn't my fault, that it wasn't my imagination -- that increased depressionn can be a side effect of Adderall for some people. My T had been encouraging me to stay on it, because I hadn't been so sluggish since starting stimulants, but honestly -- I couldn't have stayed on it much longer.
>
> I do agree with my T, that Ritalin helped me a great deal, but the Adderall didn't have its benefits for me. (And I will not try Ritalin again.) I was thinking through on my own, whether it's worth it or not, but my pdoc said we'd try Dexedrine, if things go OK for the first two weeks, add in the Buspar again. (Buspar helped my anxiety better than anything else ever has, but it also left me limp on the sofa. I want to see if the combination of Buspar and a stimulant will allow me to function better.)
>
> And, if the Dexedrine doesn't work out, I guess it's back to Provigil. See if that works again for me.
>
> In the meantime: UGH. The past few days of this have been pretty hellish. My eyes are swollen from crying at everything and nothing, and I can barely see. I've even been avoiding my mother, because I don't want to get into hurt feelings with her.
>
> Has anyone here experienced the increased depression from Adderall, and found Dexedrine helpful? Thanks for letting me know about your experiences.
Posted by yesac on April 12, 2006, at 10:42:12
In reply to Increased depression on Adderall, posted by Racer on April 8, 2006, at 11:00:33
> Has anyone here experienced the increased depression from Adderall, and found Dexedrine helpful? Thanks for letting me know about your experiences.
I've tried generic Adderall a few times and it's always done weird things to my emotions. Hard to explain, but I guess you could call it "dysphoria"-- mostly it was very rapid mood swings, sort of a weird-feeling emotional roller coaster. It also increased my suicidal thoughts.I've read that generic Adderalls (particularly the one made by Barr) can have pretty bad side effects compared to brand name.
Ritalin produced the same kinds of effects for me but not as bad.
Neither seemed to help me with attention.
I've wanted to try Dexedrine for a long time, but my psychiatrist is kind of against the idea because of my bad reaction to Adderall. I don't see what the harm is, I mean I can always stop if it is going badly.
Right now I'm doing a trial of Provigil, mostly to see if it can counteract the excessive sleeping that Seroquel causes for me-- but I'm hoping it might have some positive effects on my attention and mood.
Anyways, good luck with Dex. I'm glad to hear that other people people have experienced worsened mood problems from Adderall. I had been thinking that I must be the only one. Usually you hear that people feel good/high or whatever, or that they have worsened depression when coming off the drug, but not while ON it.
Posted by Racer on April 12, 2006, at 14:44:33
In reply to Re: Increased depression on Adderall » Racer, posted by yesac on April 12, 2006, at 10:42:12
I just started the Dexedrine on Saturday, and while the jury is still deliberating about whether or not it will work out longer term, it's already much more friendly than Adderall for me. On Monday, I had a really weird experience: every so often, I'd kinda sit back and say, "Something's weird..." and then realize it was the radio silence. All the background chatter was -- gone...
Since then, while it isn't as distinct as it was, at least when I'm talking to myself, I don't interrupt...
And it doesn't seem to have had a negative impact on my mood. Now, there are a lot of variables, including things like a math midterm that I apparently wasn't adequately prepared for, and really grey, lousy weather, and joint pain, and a few other things, so I can't say I'm happy as a clam at high tide, but at least it's a hellova lot better than Adderall was. My pdoc did say that Dexedrine can conceiveably cause increased depression for some people, but she also said that it wasn't nearly as common as with Adderall.
I've had some really bad experiences with pdocs, and never expect that I'm going to come out of the office feeling any reassurance, but this was a great visit. As soon as I told her I felt more depressed, but was willing to keep the trial going, she said no, it probably was the Adderall, we'd stop it right away and it was worth giving Dexedrine a try. So far, so good. Maybe check rxlist for side effects of the two, and if increased depression is there for Adderall and not Dexedrine take that info into the doctor?
For what it's worth, though, I liked Provigil a lot. It was subtle -- I really wasn't aware of it when it was working -- but it was awfully effective for me. Also boosted my mood a lot.
Good luck.
Posted by Sarah T. on April 15, 2006, at 4:12:05
In reply to Re: Increased depression on Adderall » yesac, posted by Racer on April 12, 2006, at 14:44:33
Hi Racer,
Did your doctor have any ideas about why Adderall can cause increased depression? I'm dumbfounded by my reacion to Adderall, especially since a large percentage of Adderall is dextroamphetamine. As I said the other day, I thought my bad reaction might have something to do with solubility. I've had problems with the solubility of other meds.S.
Posted by Sarah T. on April 15, 2006, at 4:14:37
In reply to Re: Increased depression on Adderall, posted by KayeBaby on April 11, 2006, at 11:38:40
Hi Kayebaby,
May I ask what dose of Spansules you use? And what about the dose of the immediate release? I had a lot of difficulty with the Spansules. The ones I had were inconsistent in the delivery. Perhaps I was on the wrong dose.
Sarah
This is the end of the thread.
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