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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by NYCguy on February 15, 2007, at 12:18:54
Hi everyone in Babble-land! I just this week restarted treating my ADD innatentive with Dexedrine after a long and (worthless) year hiatus. So far, things are great. I can focus, shower, shave, work, write, clean up, do the dishes, read a book, drive the speed limit, etc...
I guess the point of this post is to ask anyone if they've ever had a tough time accepting an diagnosis that reqires an permanent med solution. I know it's silly, but the idea that I'll have to take stimulants for my ADD for my whole life was hard to accept. My family kept asking me... "when can you stop taking the Adderall?" last time I was being treated for ADD. So, for a long time, I saw it as a real flaw in my being that I needed this stuff to function well. I can only imagine that someone dealing with BiPolar would find it even harder to accept due to the fact that they would be saying "Adios!" to those manias forever in order to live a more stable life.
It was hard for me to just accept what my doctor has been telling me all along... and that is that I have ADD/anxiety/depression and that the best way to treat these is a stim/benzo/low dose SSRI combo. This last year I tried Emsam, Parnate, some TCA's, I tapered all the way off my Klonopin.. (guess what, the anxiety was still there... doh!) I wasted a whole year because I was too proud to just accept who I am and take the meds I need to function and be happier.
Has this psycological step been hard for anyone else here? Can anyone relate to an intense desire to "beat this thing without the meds"?
Posted by Phillipa on February 15, 2007, at 12:30:34
In reply to Hello, My name is NYCGuy, and I have ADD, posted by NYCguy on February 15, 2007, at 12:18:54
Definitely relate to the beat it without meds. Not realistic I guess. Good luck and don't listen to anyone other than your pdoc as your meds are working horray for you!!!!Love Phillipa
Posted by dbc on February 15, 2007, at 12:57:15
In reply to Re: Hello, My name is NYCGuy, and I have ADD » NYCguy, posted by Phillipa on February 15, 2007, at 12:30:34
Primary Inattentive AD/HD here also. We have a backwards situation where i had to convince my doctors the reason all these ssris and snris and god knows what else was failing was because they were treating the wrong thing. My GP had never even heard of AD/HD-IA outside of the DSM and i had to supply the info but he definetly agreed that its my main problem and after some back and forth on the logistics of meds and why levo-amphetamine is bad for people we decided dexedrine was the drug for me.
Unfortunately about the same time a panic disorder decided to manifest its self probably due to extreme effexor withdrawal and i got about 4 months of ad/hd treatment before going nuts and have to give up the stimulants. Now the panic is retreating and i have to see if he's willing to try and do the dexedrine thing again, because if he's not ill go to another doctor if it comes down to it. When i was doing well on the dexedrine it was the few months where i felt like i wasnt dreaming, like i had woken up finally and everything was functioning the way it should.
Also check out http://www.addforums.com they're a great support site.
Posted by alohashirt on February 15, 2007, at 20:40:55
In reply to Re: Hello, My name is NYCGuy, and I have ADD, posted by dbc on February 15, 2007, at 12:57:15
NYCGuy - I am also an NYC guy with ADD and I have to say it sucks. The medications help with disytraction but thery are expensive and tedious to get. Does your internist treat you or do you go to a specialist? I'm thinking about getting a sec ond opinion to just see if there are any adjustments that might improvemy symptoms.
Posted by NYCguy on February 15, 2007, at 22:17:09
In reply to Re: Hello, My name is NYCGuy, and I have ADD, posted by alohashirt on February 15, 2007, at 20:40:55
> NYCGuy - I am also an NYC guy with ADD and I have to say it sucks. The medications help with disytraction but thery are expensive and tedious to get. Does your internist treat you or do you go to a specialist? I'm thinking about getting a sec ond opinion to just see if there are any adjustments that might improvemy symptoms.
Hey, alohashirt! I guess I should change my name now that I live in Oregon 60% of the year. My heart will always be in The City, however. :)
I have a specialist treat me, he's well respected and really knows his stuff re: ADD and he understands that people with ADD/ADHD are not looking to abuse a substance, only to function and be healthy. I would reccomend a second opinion for sure. Ask around if you can and try to get an appointment to see a psycopharmacologist at one of the med schools. They're the most up to date on things... and they have a better attitude towards stimulant meds than your average primary care doc will.
BTW, what do you take now for your ADD? What has been the best med you have tried?
Posted by NYCguy on February 15, 2007, at 22:36:40
In reply to Re: Hello, My name is NYCGuy, and I have ADD, posted by dbc on February 15, 2007, at 12:57:15
Hi Coop! I think we've chatted on the SocialAnxiety board and I've read a lot of your posts over at addforums and they're really helpful. My handle on addforums is JustMe81 and I'm known as PaulKersey over on SAS. I don't know why I didn't just pick one nic... but anyway...
Some of your over there are really great and pointed me in the right direction that ADHD-I is really probably a different problem in the brain than regular ADHD is. It really seems like the problems of the two diagnoses (aside from the attention problems) are distinct.
I hope you can find a combo that works for you that can help you take the Dex that you need and also not suffer from too much panic/anxiety. Have you tried Focalin at all? One thing that worked for me in the past with Adderall was taking 60-90mg of Cymbalta along with it. The Cymbalta really stabalized me while the Adderall, of course, took care of the ADD. Both helped with depression. Klonopin did its bit as well.
I took weekend breaks from the Adderall when I was taking it otherwise I risked "building up" too much anxiety. I don't know if this would work in your situation. This is probably the combo I'll go back to if the Lexapro/Dexedrine combo doesn't work out.
Posted by NYCguy on February 15, 2007, at 22:55:42
In reply to Re: Hello, My name is NYCGuy, and I have ADD » NYCguy, posted by Phillipa on February 15, 2007, at 12:30:34
Phillipa, I've been reading P-Babble a long time and I have to say that your positive attiude and posts of caring and encouragment are a tremendous asset to this community. I just wanted to thank you for that, because it seems you are always there with a kind or concerned word when someone isn't feeling at their best. I really appreciate it a lot. Thank you!
:)
Posted by rjlockhart on February 16, 2007, at 18:54:39
In reply to Hello, My name is NYCGuy, and I have ADD, posted by NYCguy on February 15, 2007, at 12:18:54
Being tooken off psychstimulants was the worst thing that happened to me. Exactly what you said, i did, coudld concentrate, do tasks felt good about it. I was on 40mg daily. Its like my routine life went away.
Its been 1 year and it still seems disasterous, but i have to learn to cope with life with out it.
I am Xanax, Prozac, Zpyrexa, Prozac is the only closes thing to treat add, and it does a bad job, it makes me in a good mood though...
Reading this post makes me feel like crap. Because im not being treated at all i have deal with life hard.
I have severe ADHD, but sometimes caffine helps me concentrate. My mother says "NO" to any psychostimulants. You dont understand the wrath of her. Im 19, and i have to move but she will try to keep record of me, you dont understand she is out of control.
Oh Well...
Posted by rjlockhart on February 16, 2007, at 18:58:39
In reply to Hello, My name is NYCGuy, and I have ADD, posted by NYCguy on February 15, 2007, at 12:18:54
I read all of this. I was in the exact same place, i was stable and everything, hell just hit, im not going to do anyhting. Its just very uncomforatable to read something that reminds me of the past.
Im dealing a year with out it and it has been horrible. Xanax to max for me. Im on 6mg daily for panic attacks.
Matt
Posted by NYCguy on February 17, 2007, at 13:30:01
In reply to Re: im sorry this post set off a trigger for me, posted by rjlockhart on February 16, 2007, at 18:58:39
Matt,
It sounds like you are really going through a tough time right now. You've got to keep faith that things will get better. You can get back to that stable place... it may take some time and trying new things, but I'm sure you will get there!
This is the end of the thread.
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