![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by TheOutsider on May 22, 2004, at 17:17:56
I have been diagnosed with ADHD innatentive type.
I currently take dexedrine, but I find that it makes me anxious at least in high doses.
Does this mean I'm not don't have true ADHD?I didn't respond to Prozac.
Wish I could get my brain chemistry figured out.
I have no confidence in myself, perhapse thats what gives me ADD type symptoms?
Posted by jay on May 23, 2004, at 6:38:06
In reply to Are Stimulants always calming if you have ADD?, posted by TheOutsider on May 22, 2004, at 17:17:56
I wish I could offer a more straight answer. I have a very severe case of social phobia, and stimulants sent my anxiety sky-high. The thing is, I have ‘classic’ ADD symptoms going back to childhood....but I have lost confidence a bit in the ADD diagnosis. This goes for most psych ‘labels’ actually....even my ‘social phobia’. It’s the symptoms I and my doctor focus on. I haven’t given stims much of a chance, but they made me feel like someone who I was ‘not’. Benzodiazepines, which are also controlled drugs, allow me to feel without major ‘damage’....but feel more like ‘me’. Prozac, the only SSRI I can tolerate, seems to help that as well. Zyprexa works in both of these ways, and seems to help regulate my dopamine system as well. Stims just aren’t for me, I guess.
I would never say no to anybody though to give them a shot.Maybe sticking out with an antidepressant, and possibly a benzo as well as your stimulant may eventually help. I have found the only way to tell is after a good two-month run (as long as you can stand the side effects) of the medications. Again, go for relief of your symptoms.
Best,
Jay
Posted by Viridis on May 24, 2004, at 2:41:11
In reply to Are Stimulants always calming if you have ADD?, posted by TheOutsider on May 22, 2004, at 17:17:56
I have ADD and take Adderall. At low doses I find it very helpful (greater focus), but at higher doses I find it irritating. So, I just stick with the lower doses. That doesn't mean that I don't have ADD -- it's just a matter of the appropriate dosage.
I also take Klonopin and find it very synergistic with amphetamines like Adderall. And Lamictal also helps to take the edge off. SSRIs like Prozac drive me up the wall, and Wellbutrin was a disaster for me.
You might try Provigil (modafinil) -- I found it stimulating without anxiety, and my pdoc says that it helps some people with ADD, although he doesn't consider it very reliable in this respect. But free samples are easy to get, and it might be helpful.
In the meantime, though, if low-dose dexedrine works, then I'd stay with that amount and perhaps add a benzo like Klonopin.
People with ADD often have low self esteem -- that's part of the syndrome, due to years of unfinished projects etc. But ADD people can also be very creative and productive, in a "live-in-the-moment" way. In many ways, it's not so much a disorder as a different way of thinking. I'm in academics, and I'm quite sure that a large proportion of my colleagues are ADD, yet many are very successful.
Cognitive behavioral therapy can be very helpful in sorting out these issues -- you might look into that. You'll be surprised at how good you are in so many ways, instead of just focusing on the negatives. One thing with ADD is that ADD/ADHD people tend to obsess over their failures instead of celebrating their successes. I think we're just more alert to our environment, and more aware than some others of our weaknesses.
Posted by cybercafe on May 25, 2004, at 1:27:48
In reply to Are Stimulants always calming if you have ADD?, posted by TheOutsider on May 22, 2004, at 17:17:56
> I have been diagnosed with ADHD innatentive type.
> I currently take dexedrine, but I find that it makes me anxious at least in high doses.
> Does this mean I'm not don't have true ADHD?
>
> I didn't respond to Prozac.
>
> Wish I could get my brain chemistry figured out.
> I have no confidence in myself, perhapse thats what gives me ADD type symptoms?actually the first time i took ritalin i felt really high, after the 3rd or 4th time I felt a little more interest in what I was doing, a little better focus (not really noticeable... except that perhaps you tend to write really long messages without knowing it...)
Posted by BIGDaddyachmed69 on May 25, 2004, at 5:16:41
In reply to Are Stimulants always calming if you have ADD?, posted by TheOutsider on May 22, 2004, at 17:17:56
> I have been diagnosed with ADHD innatentive type.
> I currently take dexedrine, but I find that it makes me anxious at least in high doses.
> Does this mean I'm not don't have true ADHD?
>
> I didn't respond to Prozac.
>
> Wish I could get my brain chemistry figured out.
> I have no confidence in myself, perhapse thats what gives me ADD type symptoms?I've got OCD, so that tends to distract me in class...but again, it's not ADD. Provigil has helped with fatigue, but tends to make me overly talkative...I've also noticed that I'm often clenching my jaw. I took Adderall on two separate occasions, and again it made me confident and very talkative...but I noticed that it made me more compulsive than I usually am. For some strange reason though, the compulsions were manageable...so I don't know whether or not it's safe to say the addition of a stimulant would help my situation. Probably not...sorry I couldn't be of much help.
Posted by TheOutsider on May 25, 2004, at 6:50:44
In reply to Re: Are Stimulants always calming if you have ADD?, posted by BIGDaddyachmed69 on May 25, 2004, at 5:16:41
I actualy went through a sort of crisis over the weekend, I am in the middle of my finals and had this feeling I was wrong about everything. Including my ADD diagnosis that I struggled to get in this useless country (the UK).
I don't think I have straight ADD, but I deffinetly have a lot of the symptoms.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.