ADHD meds

Hello, all.

After years of knowing I had ADHD but trying to work around it, I finally went in for a (re)diagnosis. (I may or may not have been diagnosed with it when I was 7; long story, but the school child study team allegedly diagnosed it, and instead of having me put on medication -- a condition of my staying at that school -- my parents simply sent me somewhere else. My mother told me this, then denied doing so a month later.) I was diagnosed, and I recently started medication. I was put on 5 mg of Ritalin once a day to see how I tolerated it, as I'm so sensitive to most stimulants that I can't take cold meds. It has done little for me. The dosage I was instructed to take is merely an interim one, so my psychologist suggested I try 10 mg. The first dosage did little for me. It made me slightly less impulsive, but no more able to concentrate. Basically, I could sit down longer without needing to constantly get up or seek diversions like food or conversation, but that's it. With 10 mg, it's just a little more of the same. I'm remembering to do things that usually flit through my mind, but still struggling anything that requires a lot of focus (other than the typical bouts of hyperfocus). About a year ago, when I was still in school and struggling mightily with completing assigned readings, a friend who also has ADHD and was prescribed Dexedrine recommended that I try it just to see what it did. I was really, really reluctant because of the above-mentioned issues with stimulants, but I was staring down 150 pages of mind-numbingly boring political theory that were due the next day. There seemed to be no chance in hell of my getting through it no matter what, so I figured "what the hell." I tried half a 5 mg tablet. I got through most of the reading. I was no more impulsive (but no less so, either), and when I was on task, I was ON.

My question is this: is there any medication out there that would give me the reduced impulsivity I seem to be getting from Ritalin and the improved ability to focus I get from Dexedrine? I suspect my Ritalin dosage will be increased yet again, but I also suspect it will be even more of the same. Since my issues with inattentiveness and inability to focus are far more of a problem than hyperkinetic tendencies, it's not addressing my primary concern. I know there's no way I'm likely to be put on both drugs, and I'm not finding any information on a drug that will do both things. (Strattera is not an option.)

dayglo,

Does your ADD come with a lot of anxiety and focus on negative issues? It doesn't sound like it, but that's what I have, and I've found that stimulants do not help that kind of ADD. Serotonin-boosters were what my body needed most. St. John's Wort is what I started with, and what I believe provides the biggest change, though I take other supplements as well now.

As far as stimulants, if you feel they help, just not enough, then perhaps you could try other stimulants like Adderall?

Sean

Yo dayglo,

It might also be as simple as needing a higher dose of Ritalin - I take 40mg a day (in four doses) and sometimes an extra dose when I'm staying up late doing an assignment. The recommended maximum dose is 60mg/day and doses can be up to 20mg each. So it might be worth thinking about.

And yeah, the serotonin thing is worth investigating. It is also possible to take a serotonin drug AND a stimulant (I do!! My psychiatrist and I pondered for a while over whether Efexor (which also affects noradrenalin/epinephrine) and Ritalin was safe and couldn't find anything to say I'd die from the combination... so far so good )

Also down on the ADHD/ADD board further down the page there is a lot of talk about different drug options and also non drug stuff which is definitely worth a read.

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
dayglo,

Does your ADD come with a lot of anxiety and focus on negative issues? It doesn't sound like it, but that's what I have, and I've found that stimulants do not help that kind of ADD. Serotonin-boosters were what my body needed most. St. John's Wort is what I started with, and what I believe provides the biggest change, though I take other supplements as well now.

As far as stimulants, if you feel they help, just not enough, then perhaps you could try other stimulants like Adderall?

Sean

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The problem is "not enough help." Serotonin boosters are great if your primary problem is depression and it's chemical in nature. That's not my situation; negative feelings and anxiety only present a problem at times when they could be expected to do so. I tried St. John's Wort many years ago; all it did was give me constant headaches. Antidepressants have really adverse effects on me.

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zoidy said:
Yo dayglo,

It might also be as simple as needing a higher dose of Ritalin - I take 40mg a day (in four doses) and sometimes an extra dose when I'm staying up late doing an assignment. The recommended maximum dose is 60mg/day and doses can be up to 20mg each. So it might be worth thinking about.

And yeah, the serotonin thing is worth investigating. It is also possible to take a serotonin drug AND a stimulant (I do!! My psychiatrist and I pondered for a while over whether Efexor (which also affects noradrenalin/epinephrine) and Ritalin was safe and couldn't find anything to say I'd die from the combination... so far so good )

Also down on the ADHD/ADD board further down the page there is a lot of talk about different drug options and also non drug stuff which is definitely worth a read.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

I've looked at the board, but didn't find much that met my needs. Glad that you're having luck with Effexor, though. I know a lot of people who have taken it and had serious problems with it.