I'm not a druggie by any means, but I really want my pdoc to prescribe me either Ritalin or Adderall. My concentration has always been very poor and it's really hurting me at work... yet my pdoc will NOT prescribe me Ritalin or Adderall. He says that he's worried it'll induce a manic episode. But I thought with the right mood stabilizer you don't have to worry about stimulants causing mania?

I've never been on Ritalin or Adderall before, but I feel like I need it in order to concentrate and get my work done. I just can't focus at all because my attention drifts on its own, no matter how hard I try to stay focused. I can't sustain my attention for very long and I think that's the root of the problem.

I did do a neuropsych eval and the psychologist said I had an attention deficit and an executive functioning deficit, so it's not surprising that I have concentration problems.

Should I look into getting a new pdoc?

[Ocean Swimmer]

Can you sleep?
It sounds easy but I used to take caffeine tablets. I'd leave them in my car in case long drives.
Try them and see if you feel manic.

[pirilin]

Check the ADHD forums. I read Dexedrine is softer.
If you have ADHD you really need a stimulant.

[Keegan2015]

I don't know, I think the risk of mania outweighs the benefit of slightly increased focus.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

A mood stabilizer alone isn't 100% going to cover you if the stimulant causes mood instability. Different people respond differently and even with a mood stabilizer those meds can cause problems. So trying it can be a gamble of sorts.

When I was IP the pharmacist suggested stattera to someone with depression and ADHD. I don't know if it's any better or not but I think it isn't the same as the other drugs in how it works.

[superfly47]

I took Strattera, it helped with concentration, but it left me exhausted so I stopped.

I take wellbutrin now, doesn't help as much with concentration, but it doesn't exhaust me or anything.

[jacky8807]

I think most of us seem to have huge focus issues. My proc prescribed me adderall after wanting to try it for years, he gave it to me a couple weeks ago
All I can say is it was not for me
Horrible horrible horrible
Also had it once when I was already manic and it shot me to a colored version of the moon
Be careful

[jacky8807]

And by horrible I mean it's like speed
It shoots you up but the come down is awful
Plus agitation and no sleep and all that jazz
That was me though

[ComfortablyNumb5]

Oh jeez. I'm not going to ramble on about my own issues and hell with stimulants but yes they do help people that are diagnosed and certified as ADHD. But trust me when I say that mania is just a step away if you don't indeed have these issues. A crappy pdoc gave me these for a totally different reason and my MI went to hell. I never In my life had any kind of learning problem. Better yet... I didn't even know I was full blown manic until just two wks ago. Try caffeine like others said first (though this can also irritate mania, hypo, mixed states) Long story short, please make sure FIRST that you do have a disorder to start with. If it's just a thing that happens to be bothering you at a random moment then I wouldn't consider these... At all.

Just my experience though so take it with a grain of salt... But don't say someone didn't try to warn you lol

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Icare dixit]

I totally agree with some of the posters about being very careful.

I would suggest (as others have) to first see if caffeine is working for your lack of focus.

It also really depends on the state you're in: concentration problems due to depression might not be helped by any psychostimulant; anxiety caused by it will probably make things a lot worse.

Your memory and thereby focus should be improved by a mood stabiliser and/or antipsychotic and/or supplements. If there are any problems left after that I would first suggest you try to find surroundings that are less stimulating and only then in case of hyperactivity, use a relatively benign psychostimulant like caffeine.

Thanks for all your replies!

My concentration issues are unfortunately not due to depression, but I wish they were because then it'd be an easy fix. These concentration issues have bothered me for over 15 years and they only get worse with depression.

I'll look into Strattera, Dexedrine, and caffeine, although I haven't had much luck with caffeine in the past. Caffeine only slightly improves my concentration, but not enough to be effective.