I have recently been diagnosed with add. No suprise it is big in my family. My biggest problem with it is the impulsivenss. Of course my husbands biggest problem with it is I can never follow through with anything & i am very unorganized & forgetful. My temper is pretty bad. I am very impulsive & say things before I even think of them. My doctor also diagnosed me as bipolar. I dont really agree as I thought bipolar was you are euphoric than crash. Trust me the only time I was euphoric was the firstn 2 days on adderall besides that I have never felt euphoric in my life. He thinks because antidepressents have never worked on me & my temper can explode at the drop of a hat I am bipolar. I thought that was just part of ADD. My first question is when I first started the Adderall I felt great. Really happy, couold concentrate. had energy etc. Shortly after it was like I was on nothing. Has this ever happened to anyone? Did you feel that good again or is all just a mean joke to show you how normal people feel? He has now upped my adderal from 20mg to 30 mg. He has also added topamax for my impulsive temper. Has anyone used this combination & how successfuol was it. I am ready to give up. I just want to put my life in order & go from there. Does topamax really help with anger control & will I notice the difference &n how soon. Also can just adjusting adderall 10mg make much of a difference.
thanks
robyn
I'm curious about your reaction to the topomax combined with the adderall xr. I started adderall last month after being diagnosed last month (we were at the psych for my son). At first I was taking 20mg xr in am and not feeling any reaction. Dr. told me to double dose in a.m. and it seems to be helping a little but temper is still out of control. I also suffer from mild depression and am going back to the Dr. next week. Any info will be appreciated.blueman-
When I started Adderall my anger increased as well. I think it may have been due to things becoming a little clearer to me, such as; 1.) being able to analyze other's motives better (but, since then I understand their own frustration with my behavior), 2.) discovering my own weaknesses (especially with task completion and memory), and, 3.) the frustration of realizing that I need medication to get normal tasks done and that most people aren't willing to try to understand ADD and won't let you off the hook for your behavior.
For my anger (which seems to be connected to my depression) Zoloft has been extremely helpful. I had to increase the dose to 200mg. in the p.m. a couple of months after I started Adderall (probably for the reasons stated above). Topomax came on board later and seemed to help with social anxiety (like the fear of speaking in public, job interviews, social functions, etc) and didn't seem to help with anger (probably because it was already being helped by the Zoloft). Well, I hope some of this was helpful. I found that researching the issues in different ways helps a lot. Bookstores usually have some recent infomation by doctors that have already done the research for you.
I hope your son will benefit from an early diagnosis. dlawrence
I have been taking Adderall XR (two 20mg capsules each morning) and Topomax (10mg a.m. and 10mg p.m.) for the last 10 months (I also take 200mg of Zoloft in the p.m.). I was first diagnosed with depression at age 22 and was prescribed Xanax. It made me feel like a zombie and left me sitting and staring at my wife while she yelled at me and, I didn't become angry, sad, happy, or anything at all! After a week of that I threw them down the sink and started to diagnose myself and recommend medications to my doctor. I thought I had depression and anxiety (passed on from my parents). I occurred to me, at age 35, that I fit 18 out of the 19 criteria for Attention Deficit Disorder. I researched lots of data on the subject and realized that depression and anxiety can develop over time due to the effects of ADD on a person's life. I started Adderall immediately. Just like you, it worked great for a few days, then it was as if it was not working anymore. I switched to the XR version and a higher dose. It worked better. Studies show that taking it everyday is best but, my doctor and I decided that it seems to be more effective if I skip it on weekends and maybe one day during the week. My sister was taking Topomax for PTSD and swears by it. She suggested I take it. I did and my "general" anxiety decreased to where I was surprising with how calm I was in situations that would have made me nervous or upset. I still get hot flashes and sweat on occassion, but not like before.
Keep trying to understand how you have learned to deal with your ADD so far. Don't give up. It has been five years since I found out I have ADD and I am turning 40 this month. By using these medications I have some idea of what it takes to be a boring, mechanical, robotic human who can do monotonous tasks for long periods of time. I look at having ADD as a gift that "normal" people will never be able to experience.