Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 1117933

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Straterra works better for me than ritalin

Posted by linkadge on December 27, 2021, at 10:59:25

For whatever reason, I think that straterra works better for me than ritalin. Ritalin feels a bit too insense, and seems to be worsening my depression over time. Straterra slows my thinking without so much up and down and doesn't seem to cause depression.

Linkadge

 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin

Posted by undopaminergic on December 27, 2021, at 12:12:09

In reply to Straterra works better for me than ritalin, posted by linkadge on December 27, 2021, at 10:59:25

> For whatever reason, I think that straterra works better for me than ritalin. Ritalin feels a bit too insense, and seems to be worsening my depression over time. Straterra slows my thinking without so much up and down and doesn't seem to cause depression.
>

That's great if you've found something that works. I liked methylphenidate better. BTW it's "Strattera".

-undopaminergic

 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin

Posted by Christ_empowered on December 27, 2021, at 19:29:02

In reply to Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin, posted by undopaminergic on December 27, 2021, at 12:12:09

yeah...

ritalin was once pushed to shrinks as a milder alterative to amphetamines for some depressive states. I seem to recall a retro ad with a sad clown for 20mgs tablets? oh, and...I've also seen vintage ads (for shrinks, in psych journals) for ritalin on "Schizophrenic" patients who were stable on tranquilizers but..needed a lift, I guess? OK...


thing is, even when the uppers were very much en vogue for depressive states, they were not for everyone. hence the upper+downer combos, the upper+some sort of neuroleptic combos, on and on. and then the drugs marketed specifically as "antidepressants." those apparently caught on early and with more doctors in the UK and than in the US, but...yeah. yeah. moving on...

the crash/after effects of uppers can be too, too much for the depressed or even those simply prone to depression. if the depression involves ruminations, obsessions, that kinda thing...an upper, even with other psych drugs on board, may not be a viable option.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that Stratera failed trial for depression? maybe it was all about patient selection? I do wish psychiatry and individual psychiatrists would start doing better with sub-dividing the sorts of low mood misery so many experience. I think it would save a lot of time and money and heart ache, maybe improve the perception of the profession? or not. not is OK, too. lol :-)

Glad you do well with Stratera. that's the other thing...a lot of times, who know what will work well at this point or 2 years later?

 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin

Posted by Lamdage22 on December 28, 2021, at 3:11:26

In reply to Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin, posted by Christ_empowered on December 27, 2021, at 19:29:02

I know a girl she became aggressive on Strattera. It changed her personality in ways she didn't like.

 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin » undopaminergic

Posted by linkadge on December 28, 2021, at 11:45:51

In reply to Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin, posted by undopaminergic on December 27, 2021, at 12:12:09

>BTW it's "Strattera".

BTW, I don't give a f*ck :)

(kidding but true).

Linkadge

 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin

Posted by linkadge on December 28, 2021, at 11:47:40

In reply to Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin, posted by Lamdage22 on December 28, 2021, at 3:11:26

It's hard to pinpoint. The ritalin is just making me too internalized (like an empty void becoming more empty).

Linkadge

 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin » linkadge

Posted by SLS on December 28, 2021, at 14:36:17

In reply to Straterra works better for me than ritalin, posted by linkadge on December 27, 2021, at 10:59:25

> For whatever reason, I think that straterra works better for me than ritalin. Ritalin feels a bit too insense, and seems to be worsening my depression over time. Straterra slows my thinking without so much up and down and doesn't seem to cause depression.
>
> Linkadge


I saw Strattera work a miracle for a male adult whose house was a total mess. He was initially treated for depression, but then adult ADD was suspected. Within a few weeks, his house was immaculate and he had a huge improvement in functionality mood. It pretty much gave him his life back after years of ineffective treatments.

I don't know if he had tried Ritalin previously.


- Scott

 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin

Posted by Christ_empowered on December 28, 2021, at 21:24:59

In reply to Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin » linkadge, posted by SLS on December 28, 2021, at 14:36:17

I've read in some places that stimulants aren't so ideal in more severe depressive states. Kind of makes sense, I guess? I mean, based on personal experience more than anything else.

Stimulants can be problematic even in people without depressive issues. inter-dose mood swings, doses too high or too low or gradual tolerance, sometimes dosage escalation can be an issue...

and yet, some people do swear by some flavor upper for various forms of depression. don't get it. psychopharmacology, in general, is a massive guessing game. even when a given drug "works," it comes at a cost, and sometimes...the cost becomes too high. so, there's that, also.

does straterra seem to cause as much apathy as ssri drugs or other antidepressants? personal side note...

way back when, I was feeling very low and asked for Straterra. the shrink said it was kind of tricky to deal with and maybe wellbutrin, since mood seemed to be more of a problem for me. I was on 400 mgs (the 2x daily version) till I started getting jittery, and I dropped it. I didn't see a need to gradually taper, and things were OK...just kind of slow and pensive for a little while, then more or less OK.

so, I told the shrink that...and he offered to reduce a drug in the mix. I opted to reduce my "atypical" down to a more reasonable dosage, and that's been beneficial, overall. kind of got me to thinking, though...do shrinks themselves see the medicated among us as weaklings? by dropping wellbutrin, was it some kind of cue that I could handle more of my emotions? random side thought...

I hope Straterra continues working for you. :-)

 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin

Posted by Lamdage22 on December 29, 2021, at 1:17:03

In reply to Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin, posted by linkadge on December 28, 2021, at 11:47:40

Do you have ADHD?

> It's hard to pinpoint. The ritalin is just making me too internalized (like an empty void becoming more empty).
>
> Linkadge
>
>

 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin » Lamdage22

Posted by linkadge on December 29, 2021, at 12:45:10

In reply to Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin, posted by Lamdage22 on December 29, 2021, at 1:17:03

>Do you have ADHD?

I'm not sure. As a child, I had difficulty with reading (basically incessant mind wandering) that resulted in re-reading pages over and over again and not retaining anything. I don't think I finished a single chapter book until late teens. My mother said I was a 'daredevil' and would often do risky things without fully thinking it through. In university, I did most of my reading on a treadmill as it was the only way I could focus for longer periods. As an adult, I talk a LOT for topics that I'm interested in and will often interrupt or talk over people or not listen to what they are saying. This is not in a mean way, I just feel I have a lot of points that need to be made. One doctor thought this may be related to 'bipolar' but it doesn't really fluctuate nor is it accompanied by mood elevation. Also, when the topic changes, I lose all interest and butt out.

ADHD meds improve some of these symptoms (notably my ability to fully read things) as well as making my speech patterns (and writing patterns) more normal, but there are psychiatric side effects. Over time, ritalin seems to make me feel more depressed and lonely.

ADHD may have been missed as I was originally diagnosed with depression in high school. I had a lot of anxiety and couldn't sleep and was suicidal and ahedonic. The citalopram helped a lot of symptoms, but also made my attention span terrible.


 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin

Posted by Lamdage22 on December 29, 2021, at 15:01:48

In reply to Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin » Lamdage22, posted by linkadge on December 29, 2021, at 12:45:10

Ok, but now you are in good hopes with Strattera? As the DSM is not exactly the word of an all-knowing god, not everyone fits neatly into a (single) category.

 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin

Posted by linkadge on December 29, 2021, at 17:04:48

In reply to Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin, posted by Lamdage22 on December 29, 2021, at 15:01:48

At the moment, I am not back on Strattera (still on ritalin). I'm just musing about the fact that it's not agreeing with me. My (new) doctor is not comfortable changing my meds. He put in a referral for a psychiatrist, but here in Canada, it's (at least) a 2 year wait.

Linkadge

 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin

Posted by Lamdage22 on December 30, 2021, at 1:15:34

In reply to Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin, posted by linkadge on December 29, 2021, at 17:04:48

Really? That is pretty unacceptable. I have done well not changing meds anymore once I found the ones that are probably the best. But then again I am living in a country that pays psychotherapy and I can afford some supplements.

> but here in Canada, it's (at least) a 2 year wait.
>
> Linkadge

 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin

Posted by Lamdage22 on December 30, 2021, at 1:26:42

In reply to Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin, posted by Lamdage22 on December 30, 2021, at 1:15:34

I think you should set a timeframe for trying meds. You don't want to do it for three decades. That is just my opinion.

 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin » Lamdage22

Posted by linkadge on December 30, 2021, at 8:17:26

In reply to Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin, posted by Lamdage22 on December 30, 2021, at 1:26:42

>I think you should set a timeframe for trying meds

If you're feeling 'roughly ok' then I would agree with this statement. If you're not feeling well, then (in my opinion) nothing's off the table.

Linkadge

 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin

Posted by Lamdage22 on December 30, 2021, at 12:13:02

In reply to Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin » Lamdage22, posted by linkadge on December 30, 2021, at 8:17:26

I wasnt great when I quit the game of trying meds. However, I was not psychotic. Had I been, I wouldnt have been able to get better with other measures I guess. Psychosis has been under control for a long time by then. It is very important to know what is real

 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin

Posted by linkadge on December 30, 2021, at 17:24:46

In reply to Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin, posted by Lamdage22 on December 30, 2021, at 12:13:02

I know what's real via the fact that I often come off my meds and deteriorate. Yet, on meds I'm (at best) 50%. Everybody's got their own strategy, yet it's their prerogative to try to improve their situation. When nobody's got solutions for you, it's either suffering or doing something.

Linkadge

 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin

Posted by Lamdage22 on January 3, 2022, at 13:39:10

In reply to Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin, posted by linkadge on December 30, 2021, at 17:24:46

https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/supplements

Its worth a shot to get a bit higher than 50%.

 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin

Posted by Lamdage22 on January 3, 2022, at 13:42:46

In reply to Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin, posted by Lamdage22 on January 3, 2022, at 13:39:10

At my best I got 75% maybe. I take what I can get and make the best of it. I am exposed to a unbelievably dysfunctional family system and right now I can't get out.

 

Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin » Lamdage22

Posted by linkadge on January 6, 2022, at 16:36:31

In reply to Re: Straterra works better for me than ritalin, posted by Lamdage22 on January 3, 2022, at 13:42:46

There is a point at which your situation is acceptable. I would define 50% as meaning about half of your time is spent in a state that isn't worth living. So for me, 50% means I might be able to sleep well (12 hours of being 'ok') but the other 12 hours of the day is more painful than tolerable. For example, might feel completely empty and anxious for 12 hours a day to see a bit of that lift towards the evening. Feeling like this for a day or two is fine, it's when it goes on for weeks and months.

Of course, people have their own definitions.

Linkadge


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