[AnaHannah]

My docs and therapist have asked me about taking Adderall, and I'd have to go to a "Psychiatrst" to get it. I'm kind of paranoid about it because I know Adderall is an amphetamine.
What if you have conflicting "symptoms"? I mean, it might help the ADHD but what about the valium I take for anxiety? Plus I am....er...um...engaged in "The Relentless Pursuit of Thinness" (anorexia?) On top of that I am an insomniac and have been diagnosed with Borderline Personality, too.
During this post, I have lost my train of thought about 3X! It's SOOO frustrating ! The Dyslexia doesn't help either. Oy vey.....
?? Anybody else like this??
....Now I'm having a "food fight" because I over ate for 3 days and I'm afraid. It feels like I've gained 20 lbs. AAAACCCKKKK!!! PANIC!!!!
AnaHannah

[Simcha]

Originally Posted by AnaHannah

My docs and therapist have asked me about taking Adderall, and I'd have to go to a "Psychiatrst" to get it. I'm kind of paranoid about it because I know Adderall is an amphetamine.
What if you have conflicting "symptoms"? I mean, it might help the ADHD but what about the valium I take for anxiety? Plus I am....er...um...engaged in "The Relentless Pursuit of Thinness" (anorexia?) On top of that I am an insomniac and have been diagnosed with Borderline Personality, too.
During this post, I have lost my train of thought about 3X! It's SOOO frustrating ! The Dyslexia doesn't help either. Oy vey.....
?? Anybody else like this??
....Now I'm having a "food fight" because I over ate for 3 days and I'm afraid. It feels like I've gained 20 lbs. AAAACCCKKKK!!! PANIC!!!!
AnaHannah

ADDERALL is composed of mixed amphetamine salts, not pure amphetamine. Even so, it is methamphetamine that is the dangerous street drug that you need to stay away from, not FDA approved stimulant medications for ADHD.
There are also many other types of stimulants that are not Adderall. One of them isn't a stimulant at all, and it's called Strattera. Some people have taken certain types of antidepressants with some success for ADHD, but you can also work on problematic ADHD behaviors/thoughts with your therapist if you haven't been already. I see a therapist weekly and it's really helpful in dealing with ADHD. I also have Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and I find it a great help with that too. I've pretty much beat the Panic Disorder I used to deal with.

Valium isn't prescribed very often these days for anxiety because of the side effects and the high addictive potential... interesting. Does the Valium help with your anxiety at all? Is there any way you can get off the anxiety meds? They work best short term only.

Does therapy help at all? Did one person diagnose you with all of these things, or several people over time? It makes a difference...
You can go to a general practitioner or a psychiatric nurse practitioner or a physician assistant to get prescribed medication too you know. Who writes your script for Valium anyway?

Do you get panicky like this often or? Have you been direct and honest with your T about all of the stuff you mentioned here?

[sunrise]

Hi AnaHannah, is your worry about taking Adderall that you will become a drug addict? Please share your fears with your doctor or whoever prescribes your meds. They can explain how this drug works. Who prescribes your valium? You should make sure that one practitioner does all of your prescribing for psychoactive meds. I had some symptoms of anxiety, depression, and ADHD all rolled into one. My PNP told me it was going to be hard to find one drug that would help with all 3. We started with Wellbutrin, which helps with depession and ADHD. Later we added a stimulant, Vyvanse (metabolizes to same active ingredient as Adderall). I didn't want to keep adding more drugs and decided to work on the anxiety without drugs. Both Wellbutrin and stimulants can make anxiety worse, but it has been worth it to me. The relief from some of the ADHD problems relieves some of the stress in my life. If you are anorexic, you might not want to take stimulants or Wellbutrin, as both can decrease appetite. I think the most important thing is to go to one practitioner for all your prescribing and make sure he/she knows about your other health concerns, such as anorexia. Therapy can help with both ADHD and eating disorders. Good luck.

[Simcha]

Originally Posted by sunrise

Hi AnaHannah, is your worry about taking Adderall that you will become a drug addict? Please share your fears with your doctor or whoever prescribes your meds. They can explain how this drug works. Who prescribes your valium? You should make sure that one practitioner does all of your prescribing for psychoactive meds. I had some symptoms of anxiety, depression, and ADHD all rolled into one. My PNP told me it was going to be hard to find one drug that would help with all 3. We started with Wellbutrin, which helps with depession and ADHD. Later we added a stimulant, Vyvanse (metabolizes to same active ingredient as Adderall). I didn't want to keep adding more drugs and decided to work on the anxiety without drugs. Both Wellbutrin and stimulants can make anxiety worse, but it has been worth it to me. The relief from some of the ADHD problems relieves some of the stress in my life. If you are anorexic, you might not want to take stimulants or Wellbutrin, as both can decrease appetite. I think the most important thing is to go to one practitioner for all your prescribing and make sure he/she knows about your other health concerns, such as anorexia. Therapy can help with both ADHD and eating disorders. Good luck.

Absolutely.
I REALLY AGREE with one prescriber for all your medications, if possible.

[askhere111]

Believe Yoe need to decide what is more important Adderal really works for add adhd but side effects can be more negative okay Have add bdp ed 2 Good Luck

[chaotic13]

Originally Posted by AnaHannah

Plus I am....er...um...engaged in "The Relentless Pursuit of Thinness" (anorexia?) On top of that I am an insomniac and have been diagnosed with Borderline Personality, too.

I've been on Adderall for a year now. I believe the addiction concern is valid but manageable. I have temporarily gone off the Adderall for a few weeks at a time. Other than feeling a bit fatigued and having to deal with the return of my ADHD symptoms...I experienced no major problems. Didn't gain weight back either.

As for the relentless pursuit of thinness...this issue is one that you should be concerned with and if you go on this medication you need stay alert. When I first started taking it I had a tendency to forget to eat. This usually didn't last long because... eventually my body...whether I am hungry or not....demands food. For me all it took was a few bouts of stomach cramps and just feeling like crap...to get this situation under control. My recommendation would be to set your watch or electronic planner to remind you to eat. Then listen to it; whether you are hungry or not eat something. My work day doesn't have a traditional lunch break so I created a break for myself at 10 am every day. Then I would at least eat a serving of fruit, yogurt or something... Also, I found that I needed to remind myself to drink water throughout the day. I also monitored my weight so that I would know if I was unintentionally dropping pounds.

I think if you are aware of your tendencies and make a commitment to address the appetite suppression side-effect, then you should be fine. I do not have an eating disorder, but when I first started the adderall I had been in the middle of an intentional and healthy weight loss plan. I was very concern that my intentional weight loss might morph into something that I was not really in control of. I also worried that if I went off the adderall I would start gaining weight back. This did not happen, in my case. I continued to lost the weight appropriately after I started the medication. Lost the weight I wanted to lose and now my weight has been stable both on and off the adderall. I think in my situation, I knew the side effects and devised a plan of attack to address them. Maybe if you are dealing with a disordered eating pattern and other issues it would be a good idea to have someone else help you accurately monitor your weight issue. For example my pdoc/GP saw me frequently as we were adjusting the medication dosage. I could have mentioned to them about my weight-loss concerns and had them serve as a double check on this issue.

IMO, ADHD is one of those conditions where if you are going to attempt to manage it, you need to be proactive. You need to research the different treatments available yourself, because...GP's and pdocs... don't really care/know much about it. Also, you know your body and your tendencies. Adderall has proven effective in helping manage this condition, but it has side-effects and is not necessarily the BEST treatment for all people. You need to be willing and able to accept responsibility for monitoring and altering your health care providers when you have concerns. Finally, successfully manageing any medical condition takes more than just popping a few pills. Adderall helps me, but it is just one piece to the puzzle. Exercise, remembering to eat and sleep, and doing the things I need to do to get my work done all all important things too.

[Simcha]

Originally Posted by chaotic13

IMO, ADHD is one of those conditions where if you are going to attempt to manage it, you need to be proactive.

You need to research the different treatments available yourself, because...GP's and pdocs... don't really care/know much about it. Also, you know your body and your tendencies.

Adderall has proven effective in helping manage this condition, but it has side-effects and is not necessarily the BEST treatment for all people.

You need to be willing and able to accept responsibility for monitoring and altering your health care providers when you have concerns.

Finally, successfully manageing any medical condition takes more than just popping a few pills.

Adderall helps me, but it is just one piece to the puzzle. Exercise, remembering to eat and sleep, and doing the things I need to do to get my work done all all important things too.

OH SNAP!!!!
Couldn't have said i better myself!

[chaotic13]

Oh, yeah and now if I could only find my f'en car keys things would be peachy :-)

[Simcha]

Originally Posted by chaotic13

Oh, yeah and now if I could only find my f'en car keys things would be peachy :-)

LOL

Silly girl! You gotta keep them in the exact same storage container in the exact same place EVERY SINGLE TIME AFTER YOU ARE DONE USING THEM!

J/K
It all sounds sooooo easy doesn't it? Good karma thoughts your way!