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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by becksFLA on February 8, 2011, at 11:59:15
Hey Everybody, long time no talk. I hope everybody is doing well.
I haven't been here in a while, so I'm warning ahead of time this will be a long post, would really appreciate if you could read it throughout and provide your thoughts. Thank you so much.
I wanted everybody's opinion & experiences on different stimulants. I have pretty bad ADD, and only take the meds on an as-needed basis, because it does affect my anxiety. That's another story.
I've been on just about every stimulant and even non-stim ADD drugs. Only the stims work for me. Recently just got back to finish school and started using them occasionally to tackle school work, only.
I started with Adderall, (Non-XR), for a few weeks, and now am trying traditional Ritalin.
I want to talk the 3 most important categories for me. Focus, Comedown, Affecting appetite.
So far...
Adderall -
-Focus - VERY good, maybe the best
-Comedown - VERY harsh, I try and breakup and stagger taking the pill in hopes of a slower comedown. Not sure if that does anything
-Apetite - ZERO Apetite.Ritalin -
-Focus - Also very good, maybe SLIGHTLY less than Adderall, but still great.
-Comedown - Not quite as bad as Adderall, but like any stim, it's very present.
-Apetite - Still affects quite a bit, but I do have a mild hunger for something very tiny here and there.Comedowns are naturally always bad, I was wondering if certain ones are known to have less, or if staggering the dosage like I do helps at all, or if anybody has any other tips at all.
LASTLY, and most importantly, you can see I have only "tested" Adderall and Ritalin so far. Wondering what everybody else's thoughts were as far as my 3 categories are concerned, on these two drugs, as well as any other stimulant that they have experienced.
Thank you so much for all of your time and consideration. Looking forward to reading what info you can provide me with! Thanks :)
Posted by Christ_empowered on February 8, 2011, at 14:39:25
In reply to I'm Back! Stimulant Questions......?, posted by becksFLA on February 8, 2011, at 11:59:15
Good to see that you're doing OK. I only have limited experience with stimulants, but I'll try to help as best I can. The first thought that popped into my head was Vyvanse, if you have good insurance. Its dexedrine that's been modified so its really a "pro-drug"; you pop the pill and your body turns it into dexedrine. Its supposed to be a once-daily, full-day coverage medication. If you only use it on an as-needed basis, this might be a little bit frustrating (as a pro-drug, it'll take a bit to kick in), but you'll avoid having to increase the dose and the come down should be a bit gentler than with other stimulants.
Adderall XR is now in generic, I believe. I liked the tablets more, but the XR does last a while and the on/off feeling is less pronounced than with the tablets.
There are a number of long acting Ritalin preparations available, some in generic form.
The only stimulant medications for ADHD you haven't tried are old-school Dexedrine (still available in old-school Spansules for longer action) and Desoxyn. Desoxyn is rarely prescribed (its prescription methamphetamine) and its pretty expensive. Dexedrine doesn't last very long--I think the tablets are dosed 3x daily--so the on/off thing would probably be pretty harsh compared to Adderall, which lasts longer b/c it is made up of a number of different forms of amphetamine.
Do you need to medicate your anxiety? I've found that when I'm taking an anti-depressant, the comedown from stimulatns is milder. There is the risk of serotonin syndrome, though, and you'd also have to deal with all the problems that could potentially come with taking an antidepressant.
Good luck!
Posted by Sailboat77 on February 8, 2011, at 14:42:11
In reply to I'm Back! Stimulant Questions......?, posted by becksFLA on February 8, 2011, at 11:59:15
Vyvanse is a relatively new stimulant. It shares similar qualities with Adderall yet is unique in the way it delivers its stimulating effect. Vyvanse is different in that it releases its stimulant component in a slower and more gradual manner that lasts much longer than Adderall. The trade off is that you won't get that initial kick and motivation that Adderall gives you, but at the same time it doesn't make you crash afterwards as heavily. This is just my general experience of it, hope it helps.
Posted by becksFLA on February 8, 2011, at 15:01:57
In reply to Re: I'm Back! Stimulant Questions......?, posted by Sailboat77 on February 8, 2011, at 14:42:11
Never heard of that...I'll have to ask my doc. Sounds promising.
Also, yes I already take Klonopin for anxiety....
Thanks much.
Posted by linkadge on February 8, 2011, at 15:21:20
In reply to Re: I'm Back! Stimulant Questions......?, posted by becksFLA on February 8, 2011, at 15:01:57
I've taken dexedrine, ritalin, biphentin, ritalin CR and straterra.
Straterra worked (somewhat) but the cardiac effects seemed worse than stimulants.
Ritalin and dexedrine feel very different for me. Its hard to describe the differences.
I think I liked ritalin CR the best, but at the time it was the most expensive. I think dexedrine might have been a little better for my depression (but I can't say for sure).
For the price, regular ritalin tablets are pretty good.
Linkadge
Posted by Phillipa on February 8, 2011, at 23:33:14
In reply to Re: I'm Back! Stimulant Questions......?, posted by linkadge on February 8, 2011, at 15:21:20
Hi Becks!!! I know a person who used to post here doing exceptionally well on vyvanase so I'd seriously ask you doc. Phillipa
Posted by bodhisattva_guy on February 10, 2011, at 1:55:06
In reply to Re: I'm Back! Stimulant Questions......?, posted by Sailboat77 on February 8, 2011, at 14:42:11
I would rather trash the initial effect of d-amph (adderall XR or IR, as they both release initial dose at once). The drug should be metabolized (absorbed) by the body as evenly as possible without peak and valeys. With Vyvanse, you have lysine attached to d-amph, we all (?) know that lysine is a essential amino acid. "An essential Amino Acid that helps form collagen (which makes up bone cartilage & connective tissues); aids in the production of antibodies, hormones & enzymes. A deficiency may result in hair loss." I assume they picked this one because it goes str8 to your head (hairs) - j/k...
here is comment I found online "
i train also, believe me is not the lysine....dam Vyvanse would not make it past 5-6 hrs for me...that thing was a joke, I had to take up to 140mg (70mg am and 70mg 2pm) to make the it last till early evening then huge crash, nausea, headache....total messi got off it, on XR and IR now"
As far is medical literature -
"Although peak d-amphetamine are achieved at a mean of 3.7 hours following LDX administration, the onset of clinical effect was seen as early as 2 hours following LDX administration, which was similar to the onset following MAS-XR administration. In terms of duration, LDX appears to last as long as, or longer than other extended release stimulants ...Use of LDX in patients in age groups outside the Health Canada approved range of 612 years is likely to be considered by clinicians. As mentioned above, the US FDA has already granted approval for use of LDX in adults. "
J Can Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2010 November; 19(4): 303314.
PMCID: PMC2962544
Copyright © 2010 Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Focus on Lisdexamfetamine: A Review of its use in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Dean Elbe et al.
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