[The Black Dog]

Has anyone out there been prescribed an ADHD med And how did it affect your bipolar ? Did it make you manic ? I am struggling with concentration and motivation, and was wondering what helps you the most with this.

[Yaowen]

Dear The Black Dog,

I see that you posted what you did yesterday and that as of yet you have received no responses. Hopefully those members here who have been prescribed an ADHD medication will see your post and respond with helpful information! Sorry if my English is not good.

Sincerely yours, Yao Wen

[sarahsweets]

I take meds for BPII and adderall. Its a lifesaving combination.

[Fuzzybear]

I'm not sure, but thanks for posting this

[*Beth*]

I don't have ADHD and have never been on the meds to treat it. But I've heard of people who are on antipsychotics being prescribed a small dose of, say, Adderall to offset the AP sleepiness. My fear would be that a med such as Adderall would cause anxiety. Is that a problem for anyone?

[The Black Dog]

Right now i drink two or three redbulls a day to stay alert and focused.

[wolftrap]

Hi Black Dog, I have ADHD and Bipolar I, whenever I get ADHD symptoms I take 5mg of Adderall and it works great. It allows me to focus, but in a gentle way that does not trigger mania. I've found that caffeine makes me jittery. The Adderall does not do that. But, I've found that you must be careful because too much Adderall can cause both jitters and trigger mania.

[The Black Dog]

Thanks wolftrap I appreciate the post/info

[MuddyBoots]

I'm waiting for an evaluation for ADHD, but I'm told if I do go the med route after diagnosis I'd likely try the non-stimulant options first because of risk of mania and psychosis with Adderall, Ritalin, etc. Probably clonidine because I've tried that before and had no side effects. Can't remember if it helped with ADHD symptoms because it was such a long time ago and the primary intention of going on it was to see if it would help me sleep and it didn't so I wasn't on it for long.

[daladico]

I have both ADD and bipolar.
Adderall makes a huge difference in helping me start and finish tasks, such as basic household responsibilities. Without it, these tasks are near-impossible for me.
When I notice I am starting to go “up,” I stop taking my adderall. I do think it accelerates my ups when I am in that phase. When my mood is stable, however, it significantly helps my quality of life.

[daladico]

I also had to switch from Ritalin to adderall because I think Ritalin specifically was contributing to my rapid cycling.
It takes a while to figure out what works for you specifically. Start at a low dose.

[wolftrap]

Originally Posted by The Black Dog

Thanks wolftrap I appreciate the post/info

Glad to be of help