Dextroamphetamines + SSRI antidepressants too dangerous?

Hello! I have a problem. I have ADHD (ritalin doesn't work) AND depression. Now I wanted to try amphetamines. However, the only amphetamine product which is available for adults in my country contains DEXTROamphetamine. When searching online for drug interactions I found many warnings that dextroamphetamine + SSRI or SNRI can cause serotonin syndrome! I'm really worried now. This would be a real blow. This would mean that even IF dextro should work for ADHD then I could forget about antidepressants. I really don't know what to do now. Unfortunately my psychiatrist has no experience with amphetamines.

Maybe you can talk to your psychiatrist about wellbutrin (bupropion). Its used for both depression and ADHD. There's also Atomoxetine for ADHD only and its not an amphetamine. I don't know if you have these in your country, but it wouldn't hurt to talk to your psychiatrist about these.

I don't understand how ritalin doesn't work.. It's basically the same. Have you tried the max dosage of ritalin?

Also, maybe you're depressed because of the ADHD? Then an amphetamine (which is exactly detroamphetamine) "dextro" is Latin for right. It's the most effective stimulant for dopamine in comparison to the levoamphetamine.

SSRI with an amphetamine isn't really a big deal. Especially a low dose SSRI. And even with that, you'd probably get acute serotonin syndrome, if it occurs.

I'm on max dose ritalin and max dose fluoxetine so

But ya your psychiatrist should know about the interaction. If not then I wouldn't trust someone like that with my health.

Hi, I tried wellbutrin at 300mg. Did nothing. Strattera is an option but I'm not keen on it. I also don't really think that it would work when wellbutrin didn't work. Strattera is also kinda scary. I read bad stuff about it. No I havent tried max dose ritalin. The problem is if I take more than 20mg Ritalin LA I feel worse. I feel upset and not calm. Taking even more would make no sense. No my depression isnt caused by adhd. I'm just scared cause when you google for amphetamine and ssri or serotonin syndrome you find all kinds of warnings.

I have a similar context as you do so my experience might help. I have Depression, GAD, Social Phobia, and ADHD all intermingled in a **** stew and I currently take Dexedrine Spansules(extended-release dextroamphetamine) and Wellbutrin XR(extended-release bupropion) together. Wellbutrin isn't an SSRI but the concerns you have about the technical "warnings" are pretty much the same with it. The warnings are important as advisories but they do not mean it will happen, its more for your doctor to take into account as a precaution to be aware of.

My experience with Dexedrine has been phenomenal compared to every other med ive tried in regards to all my conditions. It is at times given to treat depression off-label for treatment resistant people like myself who have had limited to no success previously. So basically, I wouldn't be afraid of trying the combination out, just take it one step at a time and start with a lower dose, then gradually increase it until it hits an effective point (I take 30mg once a day). The only real annoying side effect ive had is dry mouth, but it is tolerable and can be helped with products like moisturizing mouth sprays, etc.

If uve had limited results with other meds, i highly suggest you look into dextroamphetamine, because it greatly helps me.

PS. im not sure if you have adderal (mixed amphetamine salts), but if it's an option, i would first try pure dextroamphetamine since I had more physical, peripheral side effects with adderal like increased sweating, etc.

Hi, thanks for the input. How much dex do you take? And it this time-released? Have you also tried ssris?

I also have ADHD, depression and GAD and I've personally--just personally, mind you--found that amphetamines and SSRI/SNRIs don't mix. Since my ADHD is more important to treat day to day I second the folks recommending you try Wellbutrin or another non-SSRI antidepressant. FWIW I take Buspar (buspirone) for my anxiety issues and it works well for me without interacting with my ADHD medication. Something to look into if it's available in your country, perhaps?

Oh, and I just wanted to add--ritalin didn't work for me either. Ritalin is methylphenidate, which differs from amphetamines chemically. All Ritalin did was make me paranoid and give me a panic attack. My psychiatrist switched me to Adderall (mixture of four ampehtamine salts, incl dextro) and it's been smooth sailing since.

np, finding the right medication is a serious pain. But I take 30mg once a day in the morning, and yes, i do take the time-released Dex and it lasts pretty much the whole day for me, but some people report Dex timed-release lasts them only like 6-8 hours so i guess it depends on your body how your dosing schedule would be. Its likely the wellbutrin slowing down how quickly my body breaks down the Dex since that does appear to be part of why there are warning with Dex and Wellbutrin.

I have also tried SSRI's before, started off with SSRI's initially before i started looking into less conventional alternatives because SSRI's simply didn't provide me with noticeable results and the side effects of SSRI's sucked for me (primarily sexual dysfunction, so that was a deal breaker in the end lol)

Hello, if ssri/srni and dexedrine don't mix well then this would be a problem cause then what shall I take for depression,gad,ocd? A TCA would mix even less with dexedrine. And a non-serotonergic antidepressant like wellbutrin also wouldnt work. I also tried wellbutrin already and it didnt work. I know buspar but from what I heard it usually sucks and doesnt work at all. I also dont think that buspar is for depression.

Serotonin syndrome is incredibly rare. Most psychiatrist go their whole career and see maybe one case. It's more a theoretical concern than a real one.
I wouldn't worry about combining an SSRI or an SNRI with Dexedrine or Adderall or whatever. I'm on vyvanse and an SNRI and Brintellix, which is also a serotoninergic agonist/antagonist and previously, I've been on both Dexedrine and Adderall while being on at least one high dose SSRI, I've never had anything close to serotonin syndrome.
Buspar pretty much sucks. If it works, it works great for like 30% of people who try it for anxiety. It does nothing for depression.
A TCA is a serotonin/norepinephrine/dopamine reuptake inhibitor (hence the name). It would interact with Dexedrine just as much. Your risk of serotonin syndrome is just as high with a TCA. That being said, personally, I think TCAs are great for GAD, OCD and depression, all in one med. That might be a good drug for you.