Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 694123

Shown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Inattentive ADD meds....

Posted by jealibeanz on October 12, 2006, at 11:05:03

Have any of you found any great success with ADD meds for inattentive ADHD? I've been on Straterra, and am currently taking Provigil. While these do help to some degree with global attention, they do not help with fine attention (reading, studying, intense concentration). Adderall caused depression. Would you suggest a different stimulant? I have anxiety, so I'm worried about aggrevating it, but I definitely need help because my grades are slipping, I can't focus, am verrry unorganized and forgetful. Thanks!:)

 

Re: Inattentive ADD meds.... » jealibeanz

Posted by pseudoname on October 12, 2006, at 11:32:43

In reply to Inattentive ADD meds...., posted by jealibeanz on October 12, 2006, at 11:05:03

> Would you suggest a different stimulant?

Have you tried any SSRIs or other meds? How did they go?

One good thing with trying a stimulant like Ritalin or Metadate (slow-release Ritalin) is that you will know very quickly whether it helps with your ADD, and if it's not tolerable for some reason, you can quickly discontinue.

Would Adderall have been tolerable at a lower dose, do you think? Metadate has no buzz-crash roller coaster (in my experience), but with any stimulant if you're expecting a possibly adverse reaction, start with a very low dose and titrate up slowly.

 

Re: Inattentive ADD meds....

Posted by Racer on October 12, 2006, at 12:43:35

In reply to Re: Inattentive ADD meds.... » jealibeanz, posted by pseudoname on October 12, 2006, at 11:32:43

Adderall increased my depression, too, and my then-pdoc said it was a known side effect for some people. Dexedrine was somewhat helpful for me, maybe moderate success? Good enough I'd have kept taking it, I guess, except for something totally unrelated to that drug.

Ritalin was a success for me, in terms of attention and mood brightening -- but I had a side effect I couldn't handle. I was told it would likely go away as I adjusted to the drug, but I couldn't wait it out. The three side effects I had with it, which would all likely have faded out, two of which I could have waited out, were headaches, feeling "high", and appetite stimulation. Right now, for various reasons I won't go into, I've been taking Ritalin temporarily from an old prescription, while waiting for an appointment with a new pdoc. (I've got a cabinet full of stimulants, at this point, from prescriptions that didn't work out.)

As for anxiety, the stimulants quieten my background chatter -- all those intrusive thoughts, the obsessive rumination, etc -- enough to reduce my anxiety. I don't feel as though I'm jumping out of my chair to relieve my anxiety, which sometimes happens for me otherwise. I'm mixed in my opinion about sleeping with it, though. I would have said it helped my sleep, by regularizing my sleep patterns since I'm not napping so much during the day. Right now, though, I'm in an insomniac phase, so I can't tell if the Ritalin is helping with that or not.

If you do try it, I'd recommend starting with a half tablet twice a day for a day or two, before moving up to the full 5mg. That way, you can get adusted a bit, and maybe not feel so high. Also, if it works for you, the long acting sort is great. Not as much rollercoaster from it.

Hope that helps.

 

Re: Inattentive ADD meds....

Posted by jealibeanz on October 12, 2006, at 21:03:56

In reply to Re: Inattentive ADD meds.... » jealibeanz, posted by pseudoname on October 12, 2006, at 11:32:43

I did crash hard with the Adderall. I believe it was 12.5 mg of the XR, but I think I took it twice a day and it did not last long. Maybe I'm a fast metabolizer. The highs and lows made me feel very emotional. Each day I took it I went through crying spells that got worse and worse. Eventually spiraled into a major depression. Is Adderall more likely to cause depression than other stims?

 

Re: Inattentive ADD meds....

Posted by jealibeanz on October 12, 2006, at 21:15:36

In reply to Re: Inattentive ADD meds...., posted by Racer on October 12, 2006, at 12:43:35

When I decided to go off my Straterra, my doc said that was OK since I had 3 weeks off from school. We didn't discuss what would happen when school started again!

But then I soon went back to due extreme fatigue. He suggested Concerta. I said I'd had Provigil before so we went with this. The combination of the two may be beneficial. He was willing to do this even though I have extreme GAD and insomnia.

I think my doc and PA don't fully believe the ADHD thing. They think my concentration problems are caused more by anxiety. While sometimes that is true, I do have major underlying inattentive ADHD. I just have the ability to struggle through school, make fine grads, and appear intelligent. They have no idea how it actually interferes with school and life. I don't study because it's almost painful. I don't listnen to lectures in class. I misplace everything, and have to be reminded constantly to do things.

 

Re: Inattentive ADD meds....

Posted by nickguy on October 13, 2006, at 3:37:08

In reply to Re: Inattentive ADD meds...., posted by jealibeanz on October 12, 2006, at 21:15:36

have you tried the non-extended release adderall? I do somewhat feel more depressed and tired after about 6 hours, but that goes away another 2 hours later. So it's a matter of benefits outweighing the bad. Adderall also helps so much with my social anxiety that I don't take ativan for school the days I take adderall.(for the same reasons racer talked about) I would also suggest trying different stimulants- Focalin, ritalin, concerta....ect... My pyschiatrist says trying different stimulants is no different than trying different ssri's for depression. They're all similar, yet different at the same time.
I know it sucks, but if you can find one that gives you only slight depression, it might help to just accept that side effect and move on. For me, it goes like this: In the long run, stimulants reduce depression because they help me get through school and achieve in school, which is important to me. Yes, they do cause depression somewhat 4-6 hours after taking it, but it's worth it. I try to take it as sparingly as possible (It's tough when your in school, but I don't take it days I have only 2 classes, or weekends unless I have to write a paper) and also work my schedule around taking it. (making sure I take it close enough to class that it lasts throughout all my classes, making sure I can relax when I'm coming down from it, ect.)

anyway, good luck. I know what it's like to have such a hard time studying. (In fact, it has been painful for me too at times- but I think mostly that was because I felt I had bigger problems than worrying about school) Try to do work in little bits and pieces, carry around an hourly planner, spend time at places where you don't have a choice but to study (library) Reward yourself after doing work (cigarette, tv, whatever) and try to read and learn abotu the material first, like you were reading a book, and study and memorize afterwards.

 

Re: Inattentive ADD meds....

Posted by jealibeanz on October 15, 2006, at 15:38:27

In reply to Re: Inattentive ADD meds...., posted by nickguy on October 13, 2006, at 3:37:08

Actually, I can't remember exactly what version of Adderall I was taking. It might have been the regular, since I remember taking medication more than once a day, but I was also taking Klonopin, which was definitely more than once a day. It's a very foggy time for me, evem though it was only a year ago, because it caused me to fall into such a horrible depression.

Changing stimulants might be an idea. Sorta like changing benzos. I hate Klonopin. It's depressing, makes me dumb and clumsy. Xanax is much cleaner in my opinion, although my complaint is that it does not last as long.

Do stims always cause depression after they wear off? Since I'm prone to depression, am depressed right now, going through major stress, and am starting to see the seasonal depression sliding in, I can't afford to further deteriorate my mental health.

 

Inattentive ADD meds antiprocrastination stratgs » jealibeanz

Posted by Lindenblüte on October 15, 2006, at 17:28:28

In reply to Re: Inattentive ADD meds...., posted by jealibeanz on October 15, 2006, at 15:38:27

Hi Jealibeanz,
I don't have ADD or ADHD. I probably have some kind of anxiety disorder at the moment. I have found a few things that help.

1) my mind is a blooming buzzing confusion (to quote James) and I have found a small dose of seroquel at night to help that. It's also sedating, so it helps me sleep better. (currently I'm at a high dose of seroquel, but for many months a small dose 12.5-50mg was quite sufficient to keep me sleeping well, and keep the anxious ruminations undercontrol

2) I take provigil 200mg am and it's great. I have enough energy to do stuff. I don't feel a crash from it, typically, but I try to have some caffeine with breakfast and some with lunch. On days when I have no caffiene at lunch, I might feel a little sluggish. Certainly haven't experienced roller coaster high, or those panicky high feelings that I got when I took ephedra in college to stay up. (ugh) In fact, it's even less "jittery" than high doses of caffeine, in my experience.

3) once you have energy- you need to know what to do with it, otherwise you're just going to procrastinate and feel more and more anxious. I just finished reading "Eat that frog" which has a lot of very simple ideas to make your day more productive and end the cycle of procrastination. For inattentive folks, the chapters are short- about 5 or so pages, and organized around a central topic. Because the book is well-organized and written in a fairly simple style, it's not THAT awful to read. The things that have helped me the most is the idea to do the biggest most important most consequential thing FIRST, and THEN worry about the small stuff. Another idea that I've adopted with good success is a to-do list system. I write down everything I must do, I want to do, and I could do on a given day (after assessing my energy/stress/mentalhealth/physicalhealth level. Then I can cross things off of it. I can write down: coffee with creamer. And cross it off after breakfast. Read chapters 23 and 27 of biology book. cross it off. do first 3 questions of physics problems set. cross it off. meet with Abe and Mary for Lunch. cross it off. Stay awake in physics lecture. cross it off. do a load of laundry. uh oh! ran out of time, or something else came up. Move it to tomorrow's list. or the day after tomorrow... you get the picture.

I hope it helps you.

I did the first 5 chapters with exercises in July. Then I finished the rest of the book this morning while I was moaning and lying about in bed.

good luck!
-Li

 

Re: Inattentive ADD meds....

Posted by alohashirt on October 15, 2006, at 20:48:11

In reply to Re: Inattentive ADD meds...., posted by jealibeanz on October 15, 2006, at 15:38:27

Focalin XR is the best I have tried.

> Actually, I can't remember exactly what version of Adderall I was taking. It might have been the regular, since I remember taking medication more than once a day, but I was also taking Klonopin, which was definitely more than once a day. It's a very foggy time for me, evem though it was only a year ago, because it caused me to fall into such a horrible depression.
>
> Changing stimulants might be an idea. Sorta like changing benzos. I hate Klonopin. It's depressing, makes me dumb and clumsy. Xanax is much cleaner in my opinion, although my complaint is that it does not last as long.
>
> Do stims always cause depression after they wear off? Since I'm prone to depression, am depressed right now, going through major stress, and am starting to see the seasonal depression sliding in, I can't afford to further deteriorate my mental health.

 

Re: Inattentive ADD meds.... » jealibeanz

Posted by psychobot5000 on October 15, 2006, at 20:59:04

In reply to Re: Inattentive ADD meds...., posted by jealibeanz on October 15, 2006, at 15:38:27

Hi,

>
> Do stims always cause depression after they wear off? Since I'm prone to depression, am depressed right now, going through major stress, and am starting to see the seasonal depression sliding in, I can't afford to further deteriorate my mental health.

As far as I can tell, it varies based on person and medication. For me, amphetamine/dexedrine might cause a slight crash, when it wears off (I'm not really sure), but I have more experience with methylphenidate. For me, its effect just passes off without crashing, or any other negative effect. Switching stimulants seems worth a try to me--different people respond preferentially to different stims.

 

Re: Inattentive ADD meds....

Posted by jealibeanz on October 19, 2006, at 12:32:11

In reply to Re: Inattentive ADD meds.... » jealibeanz, posted by psychobot5000 on October 15, 2006, at 20:59:04

Yeah I'm definitely going to try to find something that will help. I'm already on Provigil now, but not for ADHD. It works well to keep me awake, but not concentration.

I think I'll mention to my doc that maybe I should start Straterra again, even though it wasn't great for me, and I had some adverse reactions, I know I was more productive in day to day activities, which at least would allow me extra time to study.

He may question my reasoning for wanted to go back on something I didn't love. Maybe he'll have a better suggestion. I think I might mention my disorder to my advisors too, because I've bombed a few tests, they may want to know why. They may also be able to make med suggestions. I know they've done so for many of my classmates who are having problems finding proper medications for their conditions. (I think a lot of us were attracted to the field of medicine because we've dealt with our own chronic problems for many years. I'd say at least half my class has some sort of ongoing medication concern.)

It's slightly awkward to think about disclosing so much info to a professor, but we're a close group and open about so many things. Sometimes they talk to us like they're our mothers. :) But also, they talk to us like healthcare professionals when they know we have a problem. It's such an odd situation, but actually very nice.

 

Re: Inattentive ADD meds....

Posted by dbc on October 21, 2006, at 3:27:19

In reply to Re: Inattentive ADD meds...., posted by jealibeanz on October 19, 2006, at 12:32:11

Dexedrine in good size doses is the only thing that works for me.

 

Re: Inattentive ADD meds....(adderall and anxiety)

Posted by dbc on October 25, 2006, at 15:06:59

In reply to Re: Inattentive ADD meds...., posted by dbc on October 21, 2006, at 3:27:19

I hated adderall because of the physical stimulation which caused a whole lot of unwanted anxiety. I switched to dexedrine and found a good portion of the anxiety gone.

The fact that adderall is a racemic mixture is the reason for this. Its much more physically stimulating. This is also why ritalin has a problem with producing anxiety.

Keep in mind i just spent the last year and a half being treated for SAD/GAD/agoraphobia/minor panic and i take a crapload of dexedrine daily (45 mgs).


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