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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by yesac on November 13, 2006, at 13:28:45
I've been in treatment for a long time. My primary diagnosis has always been depression, and that has always been the main focus of treatment. But I also have ADD. Drugs that I've taken for both conditions have basically not helped and I've had bad reactions to some.
Recently I've become very concerned about the effects of untreated ADD on the rest of my life, on my ability to succeed in school and jobs and just general quality of life. I feel like I'm constantly tormented by issues such as clutter, disorganization, wasting time, and having tremendous difficulty reading and focusing. I have already failed out of grad school. I feel like my symptoms have become much more apparant and problematic in the past few years, since I've been living on my own.
So my question is, what am I supposed to do? For ADD I've tried Ritalin, Adderall, Provigil, and Strattera. None have helped, and the stimulants have seriously screwed with my emotional state. Is it possible that Dexedrine or Concerta could work? Is it possible that trying brand names instead of generics might work? Has anyone had this experience of ADD drugs just simply not working?
I feel desperate, and I'm extremely worried about the rest of my life if I can't get this at least partially treated.
Posted by fca on November 13, 2006, at 14:05:09
In reply to What to do when drugs don't work, posted by yesac on November 13, 2006, at 13:28:45
I would consider one or two independent evaluations (second opinions )and be sure to rule out any form of bipolar disorder. According to one study 93% of young adults dx as bipolar had at time been diagnosed as ADHD(etc). Personally I think that is a bit high but I am willing to bet that a meta-analysis of studies would show at least 70&-80% of bipolar adults were considered ADHD as children &/or teens. Can not help on your specific question as I do not know enough.
Posted by blueberry on November 13, 2006, at 19:52:43
In reply to What to do when drugs don't work, posted by yesac on November 13, 2006, at 13:28:45
If I were in your shoes dopamine agonists would be in my immediate, fast as possible, future.
Posted by yesac on November 14, 2006, at 12:15:36
In reply to Re: What to do when drugs don't work » yesac, posted by blueberry on November 13, 2006, at 19:52:43
> If I were in your shoes dopamine agonists would be in my immediate, fast as possible, future.
What do you mean? Why do you say that?I've already taken a lot of dopamine agonists (Wellbutrin, Adderall, Ritalin) and they haven't helped. They've also generally made me feel worse in terms of depression and wacked-out emotions.
The only thing left I think is Dexedrine, or maybe trying brand names or XR versions of Adderall or Ritalin.
Posted by christophrejmc on November 15, 2006, at 16:37:50
In reply to Re: What to do when drugs don't work » blueberry, posted by yesac on November 14, 2006, at 12:15:36
Those drugs aren't dopamine agonists, but I wouldn't really suggest you try a direct dopamine agonist.. most people are rather disappointed with them.
If you've taken Adderall and haven't gotten anything out of it, I doubt Dexedrine (which is d-amphetamine instead of the mixed dl-amphetamine salts in Adderall) would do anything more. I'm on Dexedrine right now (it was also the first ADD drug I tried, 10-12 years ago) and it's quite a bit like Adderall with less anxiety/jitteriness.
What do you mean by ADD, exactly? And has anything helped at all?
Posted by yesac on November 15, 2006, at 19:32:34
In reply to Re: What to do when drugs don't work » yesac, posted by christophrejmc on November 15, 2006, at 16:37:50
> Those drugs aren't dopamine agonists, but I wouldn't really suggest you try a direct dopamine agonist.. most people are rather disappointed with them.
What would be a direct dopamine agonist then? Mirapex?
> What do you mean by ADD, exactly? And has anything helped at all?
My main ADD symptoms are extreme difficulty with focusing (reading especially), distractibility, organization problems, difficulty managing my time, spacing out.None of the drugs I mentioned have helped. With Adderall it was hard to tell because it screwed with my emotions so much that I couldn't really tell if it was helping.
The first type of Ritalin I tried didn't seem to do much except make me feel kind of weirdly calm. The second type was almost the opposite-- I felt hyped up. It helped with mood, energy, and motivation, but not actual attention. It wasn't any easier to read/focus and I wasn't any less distractible.
Posted by stargazer on November 16, 2006, at 6:56:29
In reply to Re: What to do when drugs don't work » christophrejmc, posted by yesac on November 15, 2006, at 19:32:34
Take a drug holiday for a month or so and then restart something else if you're up for it. I think the brain gets over saturated with chemicals and starts to malfunction then
nothing works. I jst stopped my AD's and felt really good. It may not last forever but it'sa good feeling to know the brain can work pretty well off the meds.That's why I think ECT works so well. It is electrical rather than chemical and the brain gets more immediate and a different type of stimulation.
Just my generic explantion.
SG.
Posted by yesac on November 16, 2006, at 11:31:23
In reply to Re: What to do when drugs don't work..Holiday time, posted by stargazer on November 16, 2006, at 6:56:29
> Take a drug holiday for a month or so and then restart something else if you're up for it. I think the brain gets over saturated with chemicals and starts to malfunction then nothing works.
I think about getting "clean" all the time. I mean for the last 4 years it's just basically been one drug trial after another after another. I love the idea of just getting off drugs altogether, at least for a while. But my psychiatrist doesn't think it's a good idea for me to go off lithium especially, because I tend to get pretty agitated and suicidal and generally flipped out. And as much as I hate to admit it, I kind of agree with him.But the problem with the stimulants and other ADD drugs and most other drugs is that they never worked in the first place. It's not like they worked for a while and then pooped out.
So I don't know. I'm very distressed and upset about this whole situation. I'm really at the end of the rope with drugs. So I feel like I need to look into other (non-drug) options for treatment.
This is the end of the thread.
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