Ok, here is my story.
I'm 20, and I was just diagnosed with ADD by my general health Dr.
I told him about my trouble with completing my college assignments, staying focused, anxiety, etc...
Two months ago he started me on Concerta 27 MG, and I responded INCREDIBLY to it. It showed me just how much I was able to accomplish, and gave me the focus I need to do it. I got A's on all of my final exams, and am doing great in my summer classes.
Anyways, I want to try something different. Concerta (Ritalin) is great, but it dulls my personality considerably. I think it also makes me more antsy and generally dissatisfied with life unless I am doing something that requires my full concentration. There are many situations where I do not like this, including conversations with other people, trying to have a good time and relax with friends, and when I am by myself it makes me want to chainsmoke cigarettes.
Out of all these things, my anxiety when around others is what I would like to change most. I'm going to ask my Doctor today to switch me to Adderall because I think it will take away my tension in the company of others. I hear Adderall makes you very open with people, and gives you something to talk about. This is why I want to try it, because I feel very stressed when I am talking because I either overanalyze everything I just said or I'm trying too hard to say the next thing. This could probably be described as social anxiety, so do you think Adderall could relieve these symptoms?
Should I see about supplementing my ADD medication with anti-anxiety meds such as Xanax or other benzos? I have a friend that takes both Xanax and Ritalin together, but I am not crazy about putting both of these in my body at the same time. What do you guys think about this?
EDIT - I just read that there are some problems with emotional outbursts when starting Adderal, and I think that this could be just what I need because I am showing almost no emotion on Concerta. I was never very emotional before, and rarely in touch with my feelings, so could Adderal give me the emotional boost I need or will it just wear off? Even after typing this I think my problem is more anxiety related rather than not being emotional, but both could apply nonetheless.
Thanks for replying, I really appreciate anything you might have to offer regarding this...
PuffADDer38174.564224537I take adderall xr. You can get a little antisocial on it as well. I added a low dose of strattera, only 10-20mg a day. This lifts my mood and balances the antisocial part of the adderall.
I know exactly what you're saying about feeling best when concentrating on something. With adderall, it's the same way. As long as I'm involved with a project, I feel great. I take the strattera in the early afternoon to have the relaxed, social mood in the evening....when the adderall and the super focus wears off. It's been working quite well. Good luck!
Well, the meds haven't exactly kicked in fully yet as far as helping her focus all day, but I have noticed that she's much happier and calmer as far as her mood and usual nervousness. She's also eating and sleeping much better--that is definitely great to see. She's been taking them for a little over 3 weeks now.
Her doctor said that it could take up to 4 weeks to see the full affect, but I've also heard from others that it took up to 6 weeks for them to see the benefits. We're planning on sticking it out for at least another four or five weeks.
I do notice a slight improvement in her being able to attend, but it isn't consistant yet and she seems to be going through a bit of rebound around the time she needs to take the meds again (it's a 24/7 med). Not sure if that is something that will go away, but if it doesn't, we may have to split the dose into two for a.m. and p.m.
She was one of the lucky ones as far as side affects. The only one she got initially was the sleepiness. She never had the other most common ones, stomach upset and headachs, but did go through periods of moodyness/anxiety at the end of the second week that lasted almost a week. She seems to be over that now, thank goodness. Her doctor recommended that we give her the meds after supper so that she wouldn't get an upset stomach and if she got tired, it wouldn't matter, becuase she'd just go to bed earlier (which is working out great).
Now it's just a wait and see if it actually helps enough for her to do what she needs to do without me having to be on top of her every step of the way. If she doesn't improve enough before school, we'll have to go back to either the Concerta or the Ritalin LA (not looking forward to going back to those side affects).
Here's the website for Strattera: www.strattera.com
Good luck. I hope you find something that works for you!
Maureen
Maureen,
I'm glad your daughter found something that works. How long has she been using Strattera?
Also, if I were to try Strattera, how long would I need to to see the full benefits of the drug?
You may want to try Strattera. If you have anxiety, stimulant medications can make it worse. From what I've heard, Strattera targets only the frontal lobes, which affect focus and attention.
Plus, someone told me that Strattera actually helped their daughter with her anxiety in addition to helping with focus.
It's not for everyone, but it's worth a try. My daughter has been on it for three weeks now. She's tried Adderall, but it changed her personality--very dull and wasn't her happy go lucky self. Concerta make her pick at her fingers. She was also on Ritalin LA and short acting ritalin in the afternoon. That worked well for a while, but still made her more tense than usual around people she didn't know. Plus we need something that lasts longer than the LA since she's going to middle school next year and doesn't want to have to visit the nurse.
She seems much more herself on the Strattera, happier, calmer. She's still shy around people she doesn't know, but it doesn't make it worse like the stimulant meds did.
Good luck!
Maureen