Posted by karaS on October 3, 2004, at 14:10:27
In reply to Re: why does Provigil help my ADD » karaS, posted by zeugma on October 3, 2004, at 10:05:46
> I am still taking nortriptyline. I found that when I reduced the dose to 50 mg, with an eye to getting off it entirely, my fatigue and depression worsened. So I went off the Strattera instead, last year. You are correct in wondering whether the Ritalin is doing anything for me at all. I don't know if it is. But if it is, I don't want to find out the hard way that it is, if you know what I mean. I am in the middle of a stressful period at work and one of the most stressful periods of my life, and my most reasonable guess is that possibly the Ritalin is creating a changed environment for the Strattera to work in, which might let me keep the Strat dosage low enough to keep it on board. Since I see my pdoc next week, I would like the discuss at length the rationales for the meds, but right now if something is working even minimally, I want to mess with as few variables as possible. It is very likely that I will end up going off Ritalin soon. I would prefer that to be a decision made by my pdoc and me, and not forced by circumstance.
Ok, now I understand.
> > I'm starting on Cymbalta on Tuesday. I have the samples already. I just need to function on Monday so I don't want to start something new yet. I hope this helps with depression and focus - especially the focus because I have to get a job soon. If I do have some "soft bi-polar" tendencies, then I'll worry about adding something else in later. But for now, I really need to get functioning or else I'll be living with mom soon. (Horrors!)
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> Are you currently on Effexor now? I would guess that Cymbalta would be better for you because of your focus problems and you might find the noradrenergic effects energizing. Also, did you take maprotiline as an antidepressant or simply as a sleep aid? MAP works exclusively as an NE reuptake inhibitor and you can use that as a guage of your response to noradrenergic drugs.I am only taking 9 mg. of Effexor right now. I will be entirely off of it soon. I am certainly hoping that the noradrenergic effects of Cymbalta will be energizing. Since I probably have hypersenstive dopamine autoreceptors, chances are slim that I'll be getting energy from dopaminergics. NE is my only hope for energy (aside from coffee but I can't use that much of it because of hypoglycemia). I only took a small amount of map. for sleep (you have a good memory!). I didn't find it stimulating at all but I found nort. and desipramine VERY stimulating.
> Best of luck. Did your pdoc give you any reasons for thinking you are "soft bi-polar"?
Yes. The fact that I have been having different sleep cycles. Sometimes I sleep too much and other times I can't seem to sleep at all. It could be extra anxiety kicking in at those times due to stress or even hormonal issues (esp. because this is a fairly recent occurrence in my life) so I'm not convinced of his theory yet but I think it's a possibility to explore in the future.
> The functioning part- yes, I completely understand. Nortriptyline got me functioning after years of joblessness and desperation. I hope Cymbalta gets you going in a similar way!Really, the nortriptyline did that much for you? That's encouraging. After all of my years of trying medications, I have never had one do anything like that. Actually, that's not true now that I think about it. Doxepin sent my panic attacks packing which in time got rid of my agoraphobia. That allowed me to go back to work eventually. I just haven't had much of an antidepressant effect from them nor have I found anything to help with concentration yet. The nort and des. may have helped with that but I wasn't on them for long or during a time when I needed to concentrate so I couldn't say for certain (though I'd bet that they probably would have helped).
Anyway, I hope you get through this difficult period you're going through soon. Any chance things will calm down in the near future? Isn't it always the way that when you need your meds to work the most, that you're having some kind of issue with them?
Kara
poster:karaS
thread:397388
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041002/msgs/398547.html