[jesusplay]

While inpatient the doctor brought up putting me on a low stimulant to combat the side effects of antipsychotics(drowsiness, alertness, etc), but I was discharged before that happened.

Do any of you all take a stimulant for depression, alertness, etc (Not add).

I'm afraid to ask my doctor for a stimulant, because he won't give me AD's for fear of mania. I'm assuming stimulant cause mania too?

Im on stimulants. They have always been helpful to my depression - working much better than most AD's I have been on. The times I have been on stimulants there is a very noticeable improvement in my mood and behaviour. It does help counter the sedation effects of the AP too, which is a bonus.

It is not common to be given stimulants for bipolar but there are certainly cases where it has helped. It is a treatment that is usually only given to the more severe cases (at least that is the case here, drugs are given out willy nilly in the US). I have never been caused to go manic or hypomanic from stimulants but I have always been on a mood stabiliser or anti psychotic at the time.

I never asked for a stimulant, it was offered. I dont know how you would go with asking for one, you might seem to be drugseeking.

[jesusplay]

Originally Posted by Supanova

Im on stimulants. They have always been helpful to my depression - working much better than most AD's I have been on. The times I have been on stimulants there is a very noticeable improvement in my mood and behaviour. It does help counter the sedation effects of the AP too, which is a bonus.

It is not common to be given stimulants for bipolar but there are certainly cases where it has helped. It is a treatment that is usually only given to the more severe cases (at least that is the case here, drugs are given out willy nilly in the US). I have never been caused to go manic or hypomanic from stimulants but I have always been on a mood stabiliser or anti psychotic at the time.

I never asked for a stimulant, it was offered. I dont know how you would go with asking for one, you might seem to be drugseeking.

I guess I'll just complain about the side effects, last week i got taken off geodon and put on abilify and I'm getting the same cognitive effects.

guess I'll stick to coffee even though it can remove lithium from the body due to the caffeine.

[AnxietyGirl916]

I've taken caffeine pills and they seem to work well for me to get through the med fog. I used to take my meds in the morning but when I complained of the "fog", pdoc suggested I take them at night and that has helped a lot.

[Tagless]

Just be honest with your doctor. It really depends on the doctor, some would let you try a stimulant at your suggestion, some may acknowledge your request but try something else first, and some may just reject the idea as a whole.

It depends on the type of bipolar episodes you have. If you're a bipolar I (assuming so since you mentioned mania), the doctor will likely be much more cautious, but if there aren't any big anxiety problems he may allow it. I may be completely wrong on this, but I may recall correctly (look it up), but a pdoc might've told me that vyvanse is a much better stimulant than the other ADHD drugs for bipolars, so that's something to ask your pdoc as well.

[Moreta]

My pdoc said stimulants can cause psychosis, so he won't let me have any. I take provigil to help me stay awake during the day. Nuvigil is also another alternative.

[BlueInanna]

Provigil / nuvogil is good but really expensive. Like $50 a pill. Pdoc said it is a stimulant because its stimulating. Confusing. A lot of professionals with or without ADD are able to get it just for asking doc for something to be alert & on their game, or deal with working long hours. I liked it ok but i have ADD to & adderall works better for me. It makes a huge difference. She will only give it to me if I'm also on mood stabilizer so I don't "mood cycle".

I'd tell pdoc that inpatient doc recommended it & you'd like to try it. No need to beat around the bush, my opinion.

[Trippin2.0]

I am not nor was I, but at one point while medicated I did consume a daily energy drink to keep me awake at work because my meds were very sedating. Lol You can't exactly process payroll asleep and I'm sure I would've gotten beat up by very angry employees if I did!

Lucozade didn't do anything beside keep me awake and functional.



Sorry but I know nothing of stimulants in pill form, but maybe liquid form is an option if your pdoc isn't willing to prescribe.

[Lemonchapstick]

Yes I take 20 mg dexedrine to go with my lamictal, clonazepam, vitamin d supplement, and low dose wellbutrin. I am dx bipolar 2 but primary feature is depression. Spinning up the wellbutrin will throw me manic faster than upping the dexedrine. There is nothing wrong with stimulants if you are treatment resistant. Plus, it only takes a couple of days to know whether or not they'll work for you.

Main problem with dexedrine is keeping the prescription filled, I only get a month at a time and it took a while for the pharmacist to stop thinking I was a junkie when stepping up the dose. I don't even get appetite suppressing effects at this dose, not fair!

[newlifeyeah]

hey guys! I have really low energy in my current depressive episode. I get exhausted really badly even after a short walk. Do you suggest stimulants? I'm currently coming off lexapro, and am on Tegretol, Wellbutrin and zyprexa.

[nbritton]

Originally Posted by BlueInanna

Provigil / nuvogil is good but really expensive. Like $50 a pill. Pdoc said it is a stimulant because its stimulating.

It is not $50 a pill... anymore. You can directly check prices here: Modafinil Prices, Coupons and Information - GoodRx. Walmart charges insurance $410 for 30x 200 mg tablets of modafinil. I take modafinil, it works wonders. I suffer from a lot of negative symptoms of schizophrenia. I get a lot more done everyday when I'm on it. Also with long term use, it seems to boost my cognition, subjectively it feels like a boost of at least 10 IQ points. I'm able to focus and stay on task more. However, this could be due to it directly improving my schizophrenia symptoms.

Normally what I do to save money is have the doctor write the prescription precisely as follows:

Rx: one half to one 200 mg tablet modafinil every morning by mouth.

Typically I take 100 mg daily, but writing the prescription this way requires the pharmacy to fill 30x 200 mg tablets. Since the price of 200 mg tablets is usually the same as 100 mg tablets my insurance company doesn't care, essentially it's a buy one get one free deal!

Furthermore, I recently found out that Cephalon has a Nuvigil & Provigil Patient Assistance Program. They provide free medications for incomes all the way up to $32,670 a year. Here is the link to the PDF application: http://www.cephaloncares.com/PDF/Fou...ithNuvigil.pdf

We have an ongoing thread going on here that dives into the details of adrafinil, modafinil, armodafinil, and other over the counter stimulants.