Posted by DC on April 11, 2000, at 19:03:51
In reply to Adderall poop-out, posted by CarolAnn on April 11, 2000, at 18:18:09
Dear CarolAnn,
I've been taking adderal for a couple of weeks now in combination with neurontin and klonipan and it seems to help quit a bit with energy, focus, and it allows me to work at tasks for longer periods of time. In one of the "Tips" posts, I read something about how in children the morning dose of ritalin is often much more effective than the afternoon and evening doses. The reason is because the first dose is taken after a a good night sleep, during which certain neurochemicals have a chance to replenish themselves. Apparently for stims to work best these neurochemicals have to have a chance to build up again, and they can't do that when the drug is in the system. I'm not certain about this, but you might end up getting more energy from the Adderal if you went off it for a few days or else lowered the dose. This would give your brain some time to replenish those adrenergic receptors or whatever. The other thing to consider is that sometimes stims actually become SEDATING at higher levels. This so-called paradoxical effect of stims is well known. If you take too much, you can become sort of listless and catatonic, staring off into space for long periods of time. This happened to me and I found that when I reduced the dose I actually felt more energized. But you'll probably just have to experiment to see what works best--maybe you would do better on a higher dose. But if the stims still don't work, you might try one of the more energizing antidepressants like wellbutrin, prozac, effexor, and (when it comes out) reboxetine. There is also the drug Cylert (sp?) which is used for ADD but doesn't work the same way the stimulants do.
> I've been on 10 mgs. Adderall 3x per day since before christmas, and for the last couple months, the effect has been really minimal and lately nonexistant. My Pdoc has already negated the idea of increasing the Adderall dose. The problem is that I *really* need a stimulant with my AD's, for my extreme fatigue(which, without stimulants, makes the depression worse). I've read a few threads involving switching stimulants back and forth to deal with the poop-out thing. I know I can't take Ritalin, anyone have other suggestions? Also, could use advise on the best way to approach my Pdoc with this suggestion. Thanks for the help! CarolAnn
poster:DC
thread:29652
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000411/msgs/29658.html