Hi, name is Tara and I am 20 years old and recently just started taking Adderall XR.
I have problems with depression and anxiety as well as recently ADHD I guess.
I am started taking 10mg, but increased to 20mg, as I didn't see a huge effect with 10mg.
Everything is great! I took my first test (I am a junior in college) since being on the drug and I did so well. Normally if I don't know an answer on a test as soon as I look at it, I get really frustrated and just guess because I can't concentrate for that long, and I am like the first person to be done with the test. The last test I was the third to last person to leave the class, and I got my first A on a test since I have started college!
It has also really helped because I get a lot of anxiety about going to classes because I can't sit there for 2 hours, but now I can't wait to go to class, and have not missed one since I have been on the drug.
My anxiety in social situations has gone down so much too. I don't feel so self-conscious when I go out anymore. I think I used to give off a bad vibe or looked unapproachable because when I used to make eye contact with a guy I would look away. I didn't want him to think I was like looking at him because I thought I like wasn't good enough. Last night I went out and felt so much better about myself. I felt prettier, and more sociable. Guys were hitting on me a lot more than usual too. It was amazing.
My moods used to go up and down and up and down. I would be sublimely happy one minute within a second be so depressed for virtually no reason. It was hell. Now I feel so emotionally stable. I used to want to sleep all the time, I thought it would make life go by faster. Now I am so excited for the day and things I can accomplish. I feel better than I ever have in my whole life.
I am also usually very irritable. This is still a slight problem, and I think I want to try prozac for it, but for the most part that too has been helped a lot with the adderall.
I used to take effexor and that was increasing my anxiety/panic attacks, so I switched to lexapro, but that also didn't help very much. The adderall seems to have fixed most of my problems, so I have stopped taking the lexapro. I haven't had an anxiety attack since I've been on it!
So anyways, for the most part everything is great, but here is the problem.
First: I go to one of the top party schools in the nation. I'm not a binge drinker or anything, but I do like to drink occasionally. I usually go out two nights or so a week depending on how self-conscious I feel that day. I don't want to quit drinking, but I am worried about the effects it will have with the adderall. Last night I had 2 shooters, and 2 vodka tonics, and I felt good, but I would usually drink more than that, and I wanted to drink more than that, but was nervous to. My heart rate was about 96 when I got home. Does anyone have any advise or experience with this? I will not stop drinking all together, but from experience, how much can I drink without essentially sending myself to the emergency room?
Second: My appetite has decreased a lot. This is a good thing for me. When I wasn't on adderall I would always be thinking about food. Like, oh I'm sad...if I eat this I will feel better. In the past year my depression has skyrocketed, and I have gained about 20 pounds. Now I feel like I have a normal appetite, maybe a little less than normal. I am worried that my appetite is going to start increasing again though as I continue taking the medication. Would dexedrine be better for this? I don't want to go back to a constant state of thinking about food again. Maybe it has also decreased though because I am happier and I don't need that clutch. Does anyone have experience with that?
Third: Today I took the pill at 2:15 pm (I had a late night). My heart rate is at 96 right now (6:43 pm). Granted I have had two huge cups of coffee, but is this normal? As I get more used to the medication will my heart rate go down again?
I know that a lot of you are going to say you need to talk to your psychiatrist about this, but the thing is my psychiatrist is an idiot. When I tell him things instead of trying to resolve them he says wow you are so insecure. Its like hello you are supposed to help not make me feel worse. He doesn't talk anything through with me...he'll just be like yeah you are really depressed. Its not helping. He knows I drink, but he never told me I couldn't on adderall. When I tell him about my issues with weight and self image he tells me I just have low self esteem. I am afraid to tell him about the heart rate in fear he will just pull me right off. I want to keep trying it until I am sure that its not going to go down, since it really has helped me so much.
I really want a new psychiatrist, but the problem is that I am from san diego, and on my parents health insurance, which has very limited coverage where I live now. This is the only psychiatrist that I can see in this area. I can't even get a primary physician where I live now. It's ridiculous. But I feel like something is better than nothing.
I'm so sorry this is so long, but there is no one else I can turn to with questions about this problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks. -Tara