Posted by Lasagne on August 10, 2003, at 13:04:54
In reply to Re: Adderall advise!, posted by scubapro on August 10, 2003, at 0:46:38
> im a 32 yr old male. who has been diag as adhd, ocd, bipolar, and clinacal depression. ive seen psycciatrists for the last 13 years off and on. im curentlly with a doc every 2 weeks. in the past ive been on wellbutrin, depakote, prozac, xanax, klonopin, haldol, valium, and ritalin plus a few i have forgotten. ive never taken more than one at a time. i did not see a doc for the last 7 years but had to go back in jan of 03.i have taken lexapro 20mg, strattera 80 mg, zyprexa 20 mg with little or no help. im curently taking adderal xr 15mg and just started geodon 15mg 2 weeks ago. i dont have a clue what "normal" feels like and my doc says it will be next to imposible to get me there since i have never felt it before.i dread going to work at night and sleep only everyother night. i watch my 2year old all day. if anyone has any ideas what i can do/ try i would be forever in debt. thank you.
*****REPLY*******
Hi Scubapro:
You sound like a tough case. How much to you weigh? I have a 10 year old son that has ADHD, mood disorder, and sensory defesiveness. It hasn't been easy keeping him stable. We usually see the doctor once a month, sometimes he is doing well enough to go every two months, but for the most part we have to keep in close contact with our family doctor. The reason I ask you your weight is because your Adderall XR dose seems pretty low for an adult with ADHD. My son weighs 85 lbs and was taking 60 mgs of Adderall XR daily. Right now we are giving him a break from the stimulant and are trying to see if a higher dose of Strattera will get him by. The Strattera does seem to give him some control, so things are looking hopeful. My 2nd son also has ADD and he usually takes 40 mgs. of Metadate at 52 lbs.
I was recently diagnosed with ADD, but have suffered with depression, anxiety, and OCD most of my life. Right now the doctor has me on 80mgs. of Strattera, 60 mgs. of Prozac, and 30mgs. of Buspar. I weight 156 lbs. The combination seems to do the trick. This is the most peaceful I have felt in my life. Before the Strattera my brain used to work at a fast pace and I had a hard time relaxing to sleep. I always felt like I needed to be doing something and would wear myself out. When I would wear myself out I would be unproductive for days while trying to recouperate my energy. The Strattera now controls my fast/hyper brain so I finally feel like it runs at the proper speed. I can pace myself now and when I do tasks that involve concentration I can complete them without so many mistakes. Another thing I have noticed is that when I don't get proper sleep, my medications don't work as well. So you might want to consider starting with your sleep regemine. My doctor prescribed a low dose of Flexeril to help me relax and go to sleep. It makes a huge difference. Another point of advice I would have for you is to realize that you need to focus on improvement rather than being "normal." In spite of all the medications I take, I am not 100% cured. I still have bad days here and there that remind me that I have an underlying mental illness. Especially with the ADD/ADHD symptoms you can't expect for all the symptoms to go away. My doctor compares ADD/ADHD medication to a baseball mitt. It helps you to catch the ball easier. Yet it doesn't prevent you from tripping while running to catch the ball. Medications are tools but they certainly don't fix every imperfection we have. I would also suggest that you keep a written journal. Write down your daily thoughts, feelings, and progress. It will help you to think about your daily progress so you can better communicate with your doctor. At my lowest moments my journal allowed me to vent my frustrations and at the same time see the milestones.
Good Luck!
Lasagna
poster:Lasagne
thread:133458
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030807/msgs/249801.html