[mandehble]

I'm back in school after many years of being out of the game and I've decided that when the new term starts, I need to go to the school doctor and get the ball rolling on finding the right treatment. I've had some close calls in terms of not being able to concentrate properly, freaking out, and asking for extensions on the basis of 'mental health crisis' (which is totally legit, but not something I'd like to repeat). Obviously I need to find a better solution, but I need advice about asking for help. I've been on Strattera specifically for ADHD and on Effexor for depression/ADHD. I found both ineffective and Effexor was actually harmful. I'm not too keen on wasting considerable time and money on more of the same SSNRIs or other anti-depressants, but I'm afraid that I'll be met with suspicion (i.e. "this person is probably a junkie")if I say so. I really just want to find treatment that will be effective, but I'm not sure how to broach the subject or even what sort of medication (or even therapy) would be good to try and reasonable to ask for. I'm sick of being a chronic underachiever and I really have no preference for specific medications other than being gun shy about anti-depressants (and therapists too, but that's another story). Thoughts?

Don't worry about looking like a junkie. You have to be your own advocate. If something doesn't work, you need to speak up because your pdoc will assume everything is fine and dandy if you don't.

I've asked for Adderall, Klonopin, Ativan... pretty much any addictive street drug. Pdoc gave it to me. He never thought I was a junkie. All I had to do was honestly explain why I didn't like certain meds I was on.

But I have to ask: have you ONLY tried SNRIs? Or have you also tried MAOIs, SSRIs, tricyclics, antipsychotics such as Latuda and Abilify, etc.?

Plus, Strattera sucks and most people have found it useless (myself included). It's okay to ask for something different, like a stimulant. Just say, "hey, Strattera isn't doing much for my concentration. I think I need something different. What are your ideas?"

[mandehble]

Originally Posted by bluebicycle

But I have to ask: have you ONLY tried SNRIs? Or have you also tried MAOIs, SSRIs, tricyclics, antipsychotics such as Latuda and Abilify, etc.?

The only other anti-depressant I've been on is Wellbutrin. That one was interesting because it did give me quite a bit of energy, but it wasn't exactly 'focused' energy if that makes sense. What's the deal with antipsychotics? Are they prescribed for treating depression or ADHD?

Certain antipsychotics are good for treatment-resistant depression. They're basically a last resort when all else fails. But of course if you're bipolar like me, then you take the antipsychotic as one of the first steps in treatment.

In general though, antidepressants and antipsychotics don't help with ADHD. They only get rid of mental fogginess caused by depression. (Note: in general.) And while I know that some people say Wellbutrin helps "improve" their ADHD symptoms, I think the ADHD part is an off-label use. That's probably why it didn't help you much.

If it were me, I would ask for a different class of antidepressant. You probably want to treat the depression before you treat the ADHD, only because depression tends to "mask" the real problem, and you can't treat the real problem without knowing what it looks like. (Idk if that makes any sense.) BUT some stimulants can actually treat depression as well. It's a weird thing. (Again, off label use.) You can ask about that.

Sometimes I abuse my old Adderall script when I'm depressed because it makes me manic and catapults me out of my depression.