Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 40651

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ADD and history of addiciton

Posted by lea on July 16, 2000, at 13:36:05

I have suffered from depression all my life. I now know after reading lots of information, that my problem must be ADD. I have self medicated with marajuana most of my adult life. I am on Paxil and Trazadone, but never have I felt right. I was diagnosed as a child with ADHD and took Ritalin for a short time. I am in a 12 step recovery program for my addiction problems, however I feel I need to have meds for my ADD. I am seeing a new Pdoc this week. I am concerned about the use of an amphetamine due to my history. I am desperate for help. Do I tell him the whole truth? Will they help me??

 

Re: ADD and history of addiciton ยป lea

Posted by CarolAnn on July 17, 2000, at 9:49:17

In reply to ADD and history of addiciton, posted by lea on July 16, 2000, at 13:36:05

lea,
you need to be upfront with your new Pdoc, that is the only way he can help you. There are treatments for ADHD that don't necessarily call for amphetimines. Let your doctor know your concerns about addiction, he will work with you to find the best treatment. Good luck! CarolAnn

 

Re: ADD and history of addiciton

Posted by MB on July 17, 2000, at 10:53:22

In reply to ADD and history of addiciton, posted by lea on July 16, 2000, at 13:36:05

There are two people in my AA group that take psychostimulants. One is an ADD adult who has been on Ritilin for years and has never abused it. While he has relapsed before with alcohol, he says that at the doses prescribed, the Ritilin helps him feel normal, and he has never had the compulsion to increase the dose. The other is on Dexidrine because of health problems that make her narcoleptic. She, as well, has never abused her medication, though I do think her husband regulates it for her. My point is that psychostimulants and 12 Step programs are not necessarily mutually exclusive of one another. There is also a stimulant, Cylert, that has low abuse potential. It is supposedly hard on the Liver, and I, personally, wouldn't want to take it due to the probable damage I've done to my liver with alcohol. Out of curiosity, what was your reaction to Ritilin? A pdoc once gave me a trial dose to rule out an ADD diagnosis. The stuff damn near freaked me out. I can't stand it. And that's coming from someone who used to abuse amphetamine. I thought I was going come out of my skin...just too much. He decided I wasn't ADD after that experience. I also passed a TOVA, which corroborated his diagnosis of non-ADD.

> I have suffered from depression all my life. I now know after reading lots of information, that my problem must be ADD. I have self medicated with marajuana most of my adult life. I am on Paxil and Trazadone, but never have I felt right. I was diagnosed as a child with ADHD and took Ritalin for a short time. I am in a 12 step recovery program for my addiction problems, however I feel I need to have meds for my ADD. I am seeing a new Pdoc this week. I am concerned about the use of an amphetamine due to my history. I am desperate for help. Do I tell him the whole truth? Will they help me??

 

Re: ADD and history of addiciton Lea

Posted by Libby on July 17, 2000, at 11:19:18

In reply to ADD and history of addiciton, posted by lea on July 16, 2000, at 13:36:05

Lea... I have a similar history except that I also abused amphetamines. During my ADD assessment I was asked about use of alcohol, marajuana, and stimulants. At various times, I have used/abused all of them. Disclosure was scary, but so was the idea of taking a drug that might lead me back to my old pattern of abuse. I decided to be honest and my doc decided to prescribe Ritalin anyway. In my case, the potential of abuse was outweighed by the cost of remianing basically nonfunctional in my new job. At age 39, my ADD symptoms were so bad I that I was on the verge of being forced to accept disability pay!

When I was asked about amphetamine use, I admitted to using them regularly as a study aid. The doc asked if they helped me and I told him that was the only way I had been able to graduate college. Before I discovered amphetamines, I was on the verge of flunking out. After, my grades went up to B's. That was actually one of the big indicators of ADD in my past... mediocre school performance (which in my case didn't show up til college) that drastically improved when I was on amphetamines. Apparently, amphetamines agitate many non-ADD people to the point where their school performance actually declines.

ADD-ers often use marajuana as a way of self-medicating anxiety symptoms, so that's not unusual either. However, from what I've read so far, marajuana is probably the WORST drug an ADD-er can use because of its tendency to interfere with cognitive functioning, memory, and motivation. For me, ADD is enough of a challenge without the added memory loss and cognitive fog marajuana causes. It may help with anxiety in the short-term, but in the long run, my experience is that is hurts far more than it helps. I found that I had to stop even occasional use if I was to function at all.

I'm not saying that it's ok to use drugs if you have ADD, only that it's not a terribly *abnormal* thing for an ADD person to do. If you do some reading you may be surprised to find that in many cases, medication has actually helped recovering alcoholics and addicts improve the quality of their sobriety. The book "Driven to Distraction" has a lot of good information on ADD& illegal drug use.

Because of my history, non-use of unprescribed meds is a condition of my treatment with Ritalin. Non-use hasn't been difficult for me. Now that I've had a taste of what it's like to think with a clear head & calm nerves, there's no way I'd compromise that.

Good luck...
L.

 

Re: ADD and history of addiciton

Posted by PattyG on July 17, 2000, at 16:11:57

In reply to Re: ADD and history of addiciton, posted by MB on July 17, 2000, at 10:53:22

A) I thought there was supposed to be a lesser chance of addiction problems with Adderall? B) I'm not sure I understand how someone abuses their meds. If the doc prescribes 30 pills for 30 days and you don't get more until 30 days are up, then how does one use meds abusively? (Sorry if this seems really dumb, but you can only drop your pills in the toilet or sink so many times, right?)

 

Re: ADD and history of addiciton

Posted by MB on July 18, 2000, at 0:11:30

In reply to Re: ADD and history of addiciton, posted by PattyG on July 17, 2000, at 16:11:57

> A) I thought there was supposed to be a lesser chance of addiction problems with Adderall? B) I'm not sure I understand how someone abuses their meds. If the doc prescribes 30 pills for 30 days and you don't get more until 30 days are up, then how does one use meds abusively? (Sorry if this seems really dumb, but you can only drop your pills in the toilet or sink so many times, right?)

Someone might get compulsive, use up their script in five days, then crash and have to wait 25 more days for a refill. Who knows, then they might figure, hell, they've already relapsed, why not call up that old buddy, get some coke, party it up, etc. I mean, once that old craving is reawakened, god knows what an addict might do. At least that's the way *I* am. I know for me, a script for desoxyn, for example, would be the end of me.

 

Re: ADD and history of addiciton

Posted by PattyG on July 19, 2000, at 10:00:13

In reply to Re: ADD and history of addiciton, posted by MB on July 18, 2000, at 0:11:30

//I've also been wondering why some docs are so hung up on not prescribing an amphetamine for lethargy and site the problem of the effect waning in due time. Why aren't we concerned about that happening with those who suffer from ADD? Can someone fill me in on this?

 

Re: ADD and history of addiciton

Posted by Libby on July 19, 2000, at 11:50:57

In reply to Re: ADD and history of addiciton, posted by PattyG on July 19, 2000, at 10:00:13

>the problem of the effect waning in due time. Why aren't we concerned about that happening with those who suffer from ADD? Can someone fill me in on this?<

Here's what I've gotten from my readings...
source:

http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/split/ADHD-in-adults.html

Apparently, it's because of the paradoxical effect stims have in people with ADD. In non-ADDers, stimulants give a euphoric or high feeling which can easily be confused with meeting legitimate treatment goals, because the patient reports feeling better. In non-ADDer's, these effects disappear as tolerance to the drug builds and when the high disappears, and they are left back where they started - or worse - because amphetamine withdrawal can cause (or worsen) depression.

ADDers take stims for their paradoxical (calming) effect and to improve concentration and focus. Since the ADDer doesn't experience a high, they generally don't develop tolerance.

The reasons for the paradoxical effect are still unexplained... There are lots of theories, but no clear conclusions.

 

Re: ADD and history of addiciton

Posted by lea on July 28, 2000, at 20:46:16

In reply to Re: ADD and history of addiciton, posted by Libby on July 19, 2000, at 11:50:57

I would like you all to know that I did got to see the Pdoc, and I was completely honest about my daily pot use. They believed me that I have a prproblem besides just being an addict. She has me starting on 5mg of dexadrine for the first two days and now I am up to 10 mg in the am. How much do people normally take? I have felt fine today but I am already noticing the afternoon crash. I feel iritable. I want to thank everyone for their help and comments. I am so happy I found you alland I will keep you posted. Thanks Again!!!!
>


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