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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by jparsell82 on September 17, 2006, at 23:31:01
I have major cognitive issues. I have memory problems, problems focusing, learning problems, and I lose my thoughts frequently. I can't seem to retain anything I read/hear/watch for very long. I've been diagnosed with ADD and taken ADD online tests that show I have ADD. Adderall doesn't seem to help much. In fact, it seems like I lose my thoughts easier with it. Such as... I'm writing a paper and thinking of what to write and how to word my sentence and during all this thinking I lose track of it and forget what I had in mind. This happens all the time with various things, not just writing. I space out frequently. With everything I just seem to feel a constant pressure, whether it be reading, writing, talking, listening. I have to have a silent room with just myself in it and have a comfortable seat just to be able to try to concentrate... and it still doesn't go all that well. It seems like I constantly have this inner energy going all the time, I'm also extremely impatient, hypersensitive, etc. I can never calmly have a conversation, read, learn, write, work, etc. I always feel pressured and can't concentrate or focus on the task at hand. I have no desire/drive/discipline/motivation to do anything involving any kind of work.
As I said, Adderall doesn't seem to help much. SSRIs I absolutely couldn't stand... they made me more spacey and disconnected, they also made it hard to concentrate. Anti-psychotics didn't help any... Zyprexa just knocked me out and I got Akathisia from Seroquel and various doses of Abilify. Klonopin game me major memory issues plus no drive or motivation to do anything.
Is there anything out there that could help me calmly focus on what's in front of me? Whether it be talking & listening to someone or writing/reading or working? Something that could calm my impatience and restlessness and allow me to think with less pressure? Something that doesn't cause other cognitive issues? I post here once in a great while... I wish I could be of more help to others on this site but I'm having so much trouble dealing with myself. I feel that if somehow I could fix this cluster of problems that I've tried to explain here, I could more easily overcome my Social Anxiety and other things.
Thanks,
Josh
Posted by TJO on September 18, 2006, at 5:56:52
In reply to What kind of cognitive/mental issue is this??, posted by jparsell82 on September 17, 2006, at 23:31:01
> I have major cognitive issues. I have memory problems, problems focusing, learning problems, and I lose my thoughts frequently. I can't seem to retain anything I read/hear/watch for very long. I've been diagnosed with ADD and taken ADD online tests that show I have ADD. Adderall doesn't seem to help much. In fact, it seems like I lose my thoughts easier with it. Such as... I'm writing a paper and thinking of what to write and how to word my sentence and during all this thinking I lose track of it and forget what I had in mind. This happens all the time with various things, not just writing. I space out frequently. With everything I just seem to feel a constant pressure, whether it be reading, writing, talking, listening. I have to have a silent room with just myself in it and have a comfortable seat just to be able to try to concentrate... and it still doesn't go all that well. It seems like I constantly have this inner energy going all the time, I'm also extremely impatient, hypersensitive, etc. I can never calmly have a conversation, read, learn, write, work, etc. I always feel pressured and can't concentrate or focus on the task at hand. I have no desire/drive/discipline/motivation to do anything involving any kind of work.
>
> As I said, Adderall doesn't seem to help much. SSRIs I absolutely couldn't stand... they made me more spacey and disconnected, they also made it hard to concentrate. Anti-psychotics didn't help any... Zyprexa just knocked me out and I got Akathisia from Seroquel and various doses of Abilify. Klonopin game me major memory issues plus no drive or motivation to do anything.
>
> Is there anything out there that could help me calmly focus on what's in front of me? Whether it be talking & listening to someone or writing/reading or working? Something that could calm my impatience and restlessness and allow me to think with less pressure? Something that doesn't cause other cognitive issues? I post here once in a great while... I wish I could be of more help to others on this site but I'm having so much trouble dealing with myself. I feel that if somehow I could fix this cluster of problems that I've tried to explain here, I could more easily overcome my Social Anxiety and other things.
>
> Thanks,
> Josh
Hi Josh,
Your symptoms sound similiar to mine, and I was diagnosed 5 years ago with bipolar disorder. I had success with a combination of Risperdal, Neurontin, and Wellbutrin in the beginning, and thought from your post that you could try Risperdal, or Geodon, before giving up on the anti-psychotic category. I think it would help to calm you down and focus.Hope this helps
Tam
Posted by SLS on September 18, 2006, at 6:55:34
In reply to What kind of cognitive/mental issue is this??, posted by jparsell82 on September 17, 2006, at 23:31:01
Hi Josh.
How old are you?
How old were you when you first developed any kind of mood or concentration issue? Can you be specific what you experienced?
Is there a history of bipolar disorder in your family? Other?
- Scott
> I have major cognitive issues. I have memory problems, problems focusing, learning problems, and I lose my thoughts frequently. I can't seem to retain anything I read/hear/watch for very long. I've been diagnosed with ADD and taken ADD online tests that show I have ADD. Adderall doesn't seem to help much. In fact, it seems like I lose my thoughts easier with it. Such as... I'm writing a paper and thinking of what to write and how to word my sentence and during all this thinking I lose track of it and forget what I had in mind. This happens all the time with various things, not just writing. I space out frequently. With everything I just seem to feel a constant pressure, whether it be reading, writing, talking, listening. I have to have a silent room with just myself in it and have a comfortable seat just to be able to try to concentrate... and it still doesn't go all that well. It seems like I constantly have this inner energy going all the time, I'm also extremely impatient, hypersensitive, etc. I can never calmly have a conversation, read, learn, write, work, etc. I always feel pressured and can't concentrate or focus on the task at hand. I have no desire/drive/discipline/motivation to do anything involving any kind of work.
>
> As I said, Adderall doesn't seem to help much. SSRIs I absolutely couldn't stand... they made me more spacey and disconnected, they also made it hard to concentrate. Anti-psychotics didn't help any... Zyprexa just knocked me out and I got Akathisia from Seroquel and various doses of Abilify. Klonopin game me major memory issues plus no drive or motivation to do anything.
>
> Is there anything out there that could help me calmly focus on what's in front of me? Whether it be talking & listening to someone or writing/reading or working? Something that could calm my impatience and restlessness and allow me to think with less pressure? Something that doesn't cause other cognitive issues? I post here once in a great while... I wish I could be of more help to others on this site but I'm having so much trouble dealing with myself. I feel that if somehow I could fix this cluster of problems that I've tried to explain here, I could more easily overcome my Social Anxiety and other things.
>
> Thanks,
> Josh
Posted by Phillipa on September 18, 2006, at 10:46:23
In reply to Re: What kind of cognitive/mental issue is this?? » jparsell82, posted by SLS on September 18, 2006, at 6:55:34
Add seems to mirror bipolar I didn't know that. Love Phillipa
Posted by jparsell82 on September 18, 2006, at 12:40:51
In reply to Re: What kind of cognitive/mental issue is this?? » jparsell82, posted by SLS on September 18, 2006, at 6:55:34
> Hi Josh.
>
> How old are you?*I just turned 24.
> How old were you when you first developed any kind of mood or concentration issue? Can you be specific what you experienced?
*Well, I'm not too sure when they developed... it was a gradual thing I think. Social anxiety has been a lifelong thing. I remember having some minor problems with my reading when I was younger. I could read all the words fine and I was one of the best spellers but I frequently had to read sentences multiple times because I would try to read them too fast and lose track of the words. I still do that today, but for some reason, when I was younger I could better overcome my difficulties and was never thought to have any learning problems. I was nearly an all A student in elementary, then A,B occassional C in junior high, and then B,C,D occassional A in high school. I was usually very good at tests and Science and Math used to be my best subjects. I missed many, many days of school and frequently got partial credit on homework.
I had some depression issues when I was in high school and occassionally from time to time today. The depression isn't an all the time thing... but pretty much everything else is. I'm very sensitive to criticism, also, I seem to soak up anything negative. I'm very intuitive... if someone's in a bad mood I easily get put in a bad mood. I have trouble ignoring things.
> Is there a history of bipolar disorder in your family? Other?
*Not that I know of. There's definitely depression and anxiety issues on both sides of my family but I don't believe or don't know if any of them seek help. My mom has in the past for depression/anxiety.
When I look at the definition of akathisia... that is kind of what I feel like most of the time. I'm very restless, inside and out. When things get real bad(a few times), it's very hard to think straight and I get paranoid and avoid social contact. I've never had any hallucinations though.
Anyways, it's very hard for me to explain my problems. I've always been very poor at explaining things. Hope this helped a little. Thanks for the replies.
Josh
> - Scott
>
>
> > I have major cognitive issues. I have memory problems, problems focusing, learning problems, and I lose my thoughts frequently. I can't seem to retain anything I read/hear/watch for very long. I've been diagnosed with ADD and taken ADD online tests that show I have ADD. Adderall doesn't seem to help much. In fact, it seems like I lose my thoughts easier with it. Such as... I'm writing a paper and thinking of what to write and how to word my sentence and during all this thinking I lose track of it and forget what I had in mind. This happens all the time with various things, not just writing. I space out frequently. With everything I just seem to feel a constant pressure, whether it be reading, writing, talking, listening. I have to have a silent room with just myself in it and have a comfortable seat just to be able to try to concentrate... and it still doesn't go all that well. It seems like I constantly have this inner energy going all the time, I'm also extremely impatient, hypersensitive, etc. I can never calmly have a conversation, read, learn, write, work, etc. I always feel pressured and can't concentrate or focus on the task at hand. I have no desire/drive/discipline/motivation to do anything involving any kind of work.
> >
> > As I said, Adderall doesn't seem to help much. SSRIs I absolutely couldn't stand... they made me more spacey and disconnected, they also made it hard to concentrate. Anti-psychotics didn't help any... Zyprexa just knocked me out and I got Akathisia from Seroquel and various doses of Abilify. Klonopin game me major memory issues plus no drive or motivation to do anything.
> >
> > Is there anything out there that could help me calmly focus on what's in front of me? Whether it be talking & listening to someone or writing/reading or working? Something that could calm my impatience and restlessness and allow me to think with less pressure? Something that doesn't cause other cognitive issues? I post here once in a great while... I wish I could be of more help to others on this site but I'm having so much trouble dealing with myself. I feel that if somehow I could fix this cluster of problems that I've tried to explain here, I could more easily overcome my Social Anxiety and other things.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Josh
>
>
Posted by Jost on September 18, 2006, at 19:44:22
In reply to Re: What kind of cognitive/mental issue is this??, posted by jparsell82 on September 18, 2006, at 12:40:51
It could be a depression and a significant mix of anxiety. I had that for a long time-- and had many of the same problems that you have. Not so much the losing my train of thought, but inability to sit still, concentrate, do any work-- In retrospect, I think of it as an agitated type of depression, also atypical depression-- because my mood was variable-- I could get out of it, if something caught my interest, or struck me as funny-- for periods of time--
But I absolutely couldn't do any work at all-- which screwed up my academic performance-- rather significantly.
I also had a lot of depression, probably much more persistently than you seem to--
For a brief while I got a drug that was a great combination of dexedrine and a sedative-- then they banned it, so I had to stop-- that was the only time I could concentrate in the least. But they have some new things-- or combinations of things.
Don't know that this helps-- or that my situation is like yours.
Have you consulted with a really good psychopharmacologist? Sometimes they can be really deft with a differential diagnosis-- if they're not mechanical and you can relate to them.
Jost
Posted by jparsell82 on September 18, 2006, at 20:35:43
In reply to Re: What kind of cognitive/mental issue is this?? » jparsell82, posted by Jost on September 18, 2006, at 19:44:22
> It could be a depression and a significant mix of anxiety. I had that for a long time-- and had many of the same problems that you have. Not so much the losing my train of thought, but inability to sit still, concentrate, do any work-- In retrospect, I think of it as an agitated type of depression, also atypical depression-- because my mood was variable-- I could get out of it, if something caught my interest, or struck me as funny-- for periods of time--
>
> But I absolutely couldn't do any work at all-- which screwed up my academic performance-- rather significantly.
>
> I also had a lot of depression, probably much more persistently than you seem to--
>
> For a brief while I got a drug that was a great combination of dexedrine and a sedative-- then they banned it, so I had to stop-- that was the only time I could concentrate in the least. But they have some new things-- or combinations of things.
>
> Don't know that this helps-- or that my situation is like yours.
>
> Have you consulted with a really good psychopharmacologist? Sometimes they can be really deft with a differential diagnosis-- if they're not mechanical and you can relate to them.
>
> JostWell, I actually had a suicide attempt a few years back when I was in the middle of a bad depression. Sometimes, I get severely depressed. I think I seem to be always depressed... it's just sometimes it's really bad and sometimes it's mild. I'm very restless and agitated all the time.
Different diagnoses given to me: Social Phobia, GAD, OCD, ADD, Bipolar, Major Depression
The one thing... I'm not sure if this is depression... when I'm not in my phases of major depression, I'm still in a very negative mood. I'm not necessarily depressed, but I'm not happy either. I'm pessimistic, frustrated, agitated, angry inside, etc.
I seen a psychopharmacologist in the brief time I lived in Florida. But I only got one visit in, and I'm now back in Ohio. In the one visit I had with him, he wondered if I was Bipolar along with Social Anxiety, ADD, and possibly other anxiety disorders.
It's very frustrating not responding well to many medications. I've seriously tried so many meds & combinations... I think I'm in that treatment-resistant category. Anyways, thanks for the help. Good luck with yourself.
Josh
Posted by SLS on September 18, 2006, at 20:49:41
In reply to Re: What kind of cognitive/mental issue is this??, posted by jparsell82 on September 18, 2006, at 12:40:51
Depression doesn't have to feel like depression.
Sounds weird, huh?
You don't have to experience depressed mood or have negative or melancholic thoughts to have clinical depression. You can have a loss of interest in doing things or a lack of motivation. You can have difficulties in concentration and reading comprehension. You can have memory impairments. You can have diminished energy and libido. You can have changes in appetite and sleep. You can be irritable or agitated. You can be passive and inhibited. You can have anxiety. Now, much of what occurs with ADD can sound like what we have here, and it takes a good doctor to separate out the two. Some people have both. It sounds like you might. Strattera might be a good drug for you, but I you might need a drug like Effexor to go with it. Just guessing, though.
- Scott
Posted by TJO on September 19, 2006, at 12:01:42
In reply to Re: What kind of cognitive/mental issue is this??, posted by jparsell82 on September 18, 2006, at 20:35:43
> > It could be a depression and a significant mix of anxiety. I had that for a long time-- and had many of the same problems that you have. Not so much the losing my train of thought, but inability to sit still, concentrate, do any work-- In retrospect, I think of it as an agitated type of depression, also atypical depression-- because my mood was variable-- I could get out of it, if something caught my interest, or struck me as funny-- for periods of time--
This sounds exactly like how I used to feel/be before meds. I have Bipolar, but I get into what is called a "Mixed State" where you are agitated,
but also depressed at the same time.Do you think of suicide frequently now? Is it an intrusive thought rather than a plan?
> >
> > >
> Well, I actually had a suicide attempt a few years back when I was in the middle of a bad depression. Sometimes, I get severely depressed. I think I seem to be always depressed... it's just sometimes it's really bad and sometimes it's mild. I'm very restless and agitated all the time.I think you are in a mixed state to have both symptoms like that. But I'm not a doctor.
> Different diagnoses given to me: Social Phobia, GAD, OCD, ADD, Bipolar, Major Depression
>
> The one thing... I'm not sure if this is depression... when I'm not in my phases of major depression, I'm still in a very negative mood. I'm not necessarily depressed, but I'm not happy either. I'm pessimistic, frustrated, agitated, angry inside, etc.
>
> I seen a psychopharmacologist in the brief time I lived in Florida. But I only got one visit in, and I'm now back in Ohio. In the one visit I had with him, he wondered if I was Bipolar along with Social Anxiety, ADD, and possibly other anxiety disorders.
>
> It's very frustrating not responding well to many medications. I've seriously tried so many meds & combinations... I think I'm in that treatment-resistant category. Anyways, thanks for the help. Good luck with yourself.
>
> Josh
>
Well I'll share my med combo that works on my variety of Bipolar, and you could try adding some anti-anxiety stuff to it--maybe something similiar to Xanax,I Take daily:
1200mg Neurontin 600 am 600 pm -To stabilize my moods.800 mg Seroquel 400 am 400 pm - For anti-psychotic.
30 mg Abilify 30 mg am on me it works as an anti-depressant. But it is actully an anti-psychotic.
and 300 mg Wellbutrin 300 mg am -for my primary anti-depressant.
Hope this helps you.
Tammy
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