Posted by banga on December 19, 2004, at 20:34:29
In reply to Sexual/Lethragy-free antidepressants?, posted by zmg on December 19, 2004, at 19:25:29
I had the impression that stimulants--at least Adderall and Dexedrine, in some manners give you more ability to focus and be activated and engaged in your surroundings, yet not provoke/exascerbate anxiety, and--this is a guess-do in fact help you feel calmer as your mind is less disorganized and hectic.
So its an odd combination of being more activated yet also more calm and focused. That is what I have understood, and what I could use. Sort of like mental acuity. I have a lot of anxiety so the calming element would be highly welcome.I know meds cant solve everything, but years of therapy have convinced me that it is a tiring, uphill battle to fight biochemical realities without meds. Living a bit on this board I have realized more the complexities in diagnoses and treatments, and lack of a complete response on antidepressants has led me to consider other things than depression and anxiety.
I just have over the past years found out how very much we live in our own reality, which to us is "normal" and we may not realize it differs markedly from others' experience. A bout of depression can be easily identified as abnormal, a distinct departure from previous ways of being.....but with a condition that may have been there from day one? When for a brief time I had a terrific response to Paxil (it was brief) I felt very happy, motivated, and instead of having subtle anxieties about going out my door, I was excited; And instead of being preoccupied with what this new person I was to meet would think of me, I was excited to find out what they were like, hear about their profession. I was so aghast. I wrote to my best friend asking Is THIS what reality can be like? Is this what it is like for a lot of other people? I cried when I wrote that, both from joy and sadness of the biological trend built into my body. But this period id not last, was hit with negatives of this drug. It was on some level a tease, but on another lvel an uderstanding that perhaps life can be less strenuous.So for me, trying a stimulant will be checking--am I in more disorganization and cloudiness than necessary, can there be a different reality without all that, without fighting to connect with the world? Maybe not, we'll see. Just want to make sure I give this hypothesis a fair trial, give stimulants a logical dose and trial period.
poster:banga
thread:431722
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041217/msgs/431857.html