Posted by Oppycat on July 22, 2006, at 14:54:32
In reply to Stimulants for depression, any long-term success?, posted by Schess81 on July 19, 2006, at 22:34:59
> It was about 3 years ago, but I took adderall daily for nearly a year straight.(I was taking paxil also at the time) I felt great (probably too great) but eventually it stopped working, and I also began feel really lousey when it wore off- typically in the evening.
> Since then, my depression has been worse, although I don't know if there is a direct correlation. My depression is so severe, I'm always tempted to go back to stimulants, but am afraid that in the longterm they do more harm than good. Has anyone had success taking stimulants for depression, lasting longer than a couple years?I started augmenting Parnate with Ritalin about 5 years ago when Parnate started to poop out after about 13 years. Ritalin was not a panacea, but definitely helped in allowing me to function for the next couple of years. Of course, I had to increase the dosage a couple of times. I switched to Adderall a couple of years ago when I decided to take something stronger. I have been taking the Adderall XR for the past year or so at a dose of 40 mg daily in the morning.
Again, it was not a panacea, but generally made the difference between functioning as a contributing member of society or not at all. In the past 9 months, I've tried several other antidepressants with limited or no success, but Adderall has been a trusted partner with all of them. My current pdoc, whom I've been seeing for a little over a year now, isn't particularly thrilled with stimulants or MAOIs. Fortunately, she does listen to reason and humors me to some extent. In any event, I've just eliminated lexipro from a combination of lex, remeron, ativan, and adderall. I also reduced the remeron to 15 mg, because any higher dosage magnified all of my vices, including eating, drinking, and smoking. Fortunately, I've kept the Adderall at 40 mg.
I don't have ADHD and I'm not bi-polar, which gives me an almost opposite reaction to stimulants. I get a boost in mood and energy, but tend to lose focus and act somewhat scatter-brained. It's always been my long term intention to eliminate the stimulants, but until my depression goes into remission again, they are a necessary evil. Sorry for the long-winded reply, but that's what the adderall does,lol, much to my girlfriend's chagrin, although she is a bit manic herself.
Michael
poster:Oppycat
thread:668459
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060717/msgs/669396.html