Have ADD & Depression NEED meds Help!

I have been officially diagnosed with ADD with Depression. Used to take SSRIs Zoloft and Effexor, cause it made my wife able to tolerate me. Since beind diagnosed, I quit effexor and started Strattera, 5 days on 40 mg and now about 30 days on 80 mg. My wife is about to leave. my temper flares at the drop of a pin. Mouth opens long before my brain kicks in. My focus is not much different, if anything worse. I have heard that it takes Strattera several weeks before it starts doing what it is supposed to do?? I am having to do most of this by my self cause Insurance will not allow "professional" help. I am confering with my GP. He said that ADD meds are a lot of trial and error. Beginning to wonder if I need to try something else. Anybody out there have any advise???

the only thing that will work for sure is stimulants, but as you know, you need to get em prescribed.
they work...end of story.
however...many ssri's have add-reducing qualities (like lexapro) but it is a lifetime of trial and error...which i advise to start.

I had a friend who took strettera and changed to Ritalin for cost reasons. the Ritalin works great for her, maybe its worth a try for you. My doc says she will put me on Wellbutrin for ADD after I am stable. That I supposed to be good too. Good luck and don't give up! <-----Im moody, Dulcinea

the only thing i can say is do not take adoral, if heard good things from some people but it messes with your personality, i know it from experience.

UUUMMM...........I completely agree with GTRPLAYER, eventhough, stimulants can be risky(if not, outright dangerous) to those of us that are addiction prone/addictive behaviour types(yours truly).Nevertheless,with a careful plan suggested by my doc., involving a supportive family member,who keeps my med. and gives me one every morning,As a precaution.My illness takes enough energy and space in my head,I simply don't have room or the strength,to deal with the horrors and insanity of being actively addicted( been there,and barely escaped by the skin of my teeth).I also live alone,make just enough money to get by,have very few friends(mostly because I find it very hard to make new ones these days and, no I'm not a twisted sociopath,for those considering that right now) rarely go on dates,or,for that matter, have very little female "interaction" (You know what I mean) basically meaning,one dash above "zero interaction" and believe me it is NOT by choice.So,to the med. advice,hands down stimulants have worked best for me over the years at keeping my a.d.d. and to some degree my depression,manageable.You're probably wondering,Why is he going so far off topic,almost babbling ,to seemingly admit being a loser,a loner,and a social misfit?Well,it's like this: You(I say this out of understanding,hopefully support,and experience.I absolutely mean NO ill will,or offense), according to how I am understanding your post,are desperate, this is understandable I have been there many times myself.So,after I read it again it became clear to me(and I could be wrong) you believe that your depression and your A.D.D. has become the main source for all your troubles,and if you could just find that one magic medicine to ease and control those two issues all the rest of your prob. would right themselves,and eventually vanish.I used to think that also,and I finally,recently found my magic pill,so now only my a.d.d. and mood swings are better than they have been in years,but as you read above everything else i ignored stayed exactly the same ,true,finding the right med. can help fix those prob.Unfortunately I found out the hard way that it is simply a factor in the complex equation that makes you,you and me,me etc. I realized that if all I ever did was fix pieces of my broken life and never looked at the "whole" of it as the miraculous wonder of a gift that it is,rather than a curse we all think it is sometimes,to which no pill,cure,or money could ever fix,I'd never get to know the balance,the beauty,real living,ever.I guess I'm saying try to spread your faith and hope out a little, let it embrace all parts"you",good and bad,the healing and the peace will find a home in you,if let it,because you are worthy and good,just like every living soul on this planet,some just don't know it yet........Thanks.

wow, good summary minuteman.
i agree.

Strattera is supposed to take a long time, but stimulants do not work for everyone. Ask a doctor if you can. I think Strattera takes 4-6 weeks for people to notice results.

I'm new here. Antidepressants, at least for me, did nothing for ADD. They made me sleepy, fat, and numb. A stimulant is great! No I don't bounce off the walls. I just feel what I believe to be normal. (until 3pm when my adderal quits working.) It's a start though!

I use adderall xr 30 it works great for most of the day.
do you if its safe to mix with anxiety medication

just be careful and give yourself a break once every other month(2 week break) it will help keep your system from becoming dependent on the medication

I also have ADD & Depression and my doc started me on Strattera. I've been on it for a week (first week 40mg) now I'm taking 60mg. I haven't noticed a difference at all. It makes me very sleepy. It has not helped with any of my ADD syptoms. But my doc wants me to at least give it a good try for a month. As soon as I go back to the doc I'm asking for something else! I've taken Ritalin before (years ago) and it worked really well. I think I'll ask for that. Besides Ritalin is cheaper than Strattera too!

exfarmer, my PNP told me it can be difficult to tease out the symptoms of ADHD, depression, and anxiety, as there is some overlap and they are often present together. I have ADHD symptoms and my PNP started me on Wellbutrin. It helped right away, then the effect declined, and we increased dose, the same thing again. I am taking 300 mg a day. I don't necessarily think it has helped tremendously with my ADHD symptoms, but it has helped make me feel more "up" and I didn't realize I was "down." Maybe feeling more "up" helps me get things done. I don't know. I don't know how you can tell anything with these drugs. I see my PNP again next week for the first time in 2 months. I'm not sure what to tell her. I don't really want to give up the Wellbutrin because it makes me feel better. But it hasn't really helped with the ADHD symptoms.