It depends how bad the anxiety is and if it is from dealing with the difficulties caused by ADHD or from some other source. My daughter's anxiety became better when we addressed the stress of failing at school, the conflict at home and started her on ADHD meds (concerta, then concerta and guanfacine). Because her anxiety was due to something the ADHD was causing (school failure), treating the ADHD, treated the anxiety.
This is what you and your doctor will need to sort out. You would not want to take a stimulant if you have anxiety due to a cause other than ADHD, as it might make symptoms worse.
i take stimulants for the adhd i have
and tranquilisers for the bipolar.
ups then downs
at the moment i feel they are working a treat
What do you do if you have both? Can you take stimulants if you have an anxiety disorder, while getting the anxiety treated separately? Most of the drug use labels say to be careful taking stims if you have anxiety.This Morning I came back from a meeting at my dd school and they had done a several tests with her. Their conclusion is she has anxiety disorders and adhd. We will be meeting with a Psychairist soon to go over the results.
your questions are good one and I as well would be interested in any responses you receive..
my sons DR says that any antidepressant med can help anxiety and ocd. I'm posting to remind myself to come back and check out this thread periodically.So many medications treat so many different disibilities..... finding the right combo for each individual person is the only answer. Unfortnately it can be a very long and trying time. My son went through very very bad bumps in the roads. I used to stand in the bathroom rubbing his back while he vomited on a routine basis. Many nights he would be wide awake, unable to get to sleep. Then try and go to school and me to work. He was losing two pounds a week! He would hit himself in the head and say I don't know what is wrong with me. His peditrician would run monthly blood work on him. It breaks your heart when your child looks up at you and says " I feel like a pin cushion. " We've done kidney scans (they put an IV in and shut a fluid in you that makes you feel funny... is how we had to explain that to him) , liver scans, MRI's, eye examines. And then battle with the school, trying to explain day in and day out about your childs "new" meds. (He has an IEP) We discussed with his psyciatrist our concerns with Strettera... increased suicidual tendancies and other side effects with Celexa. He has been taking the Strettera for 2 years and adding the Celexa( for anxiety) at this point in his life is working for him it may not work for everyone. His father and I are very pleased with the effect it is having on our son. He takes the Celexa right before bed, is asleep within an half hour and wakes up feeling refreshed with a smile on his face. My son is going to be 13 soon and is relaxed and feeling confident for the first time in his life. He likes going to his councelor, it is his private time. He used to feel stupid and different. Between the medications, seeking counceling, and becoming a united front as a family. We our overcoming what can sometimes destroy not only a family but most importantly a human being.
is lexapro an anti-anxiety or an antidepressant?Lexapro is an antidepressant but in my case it helps with my anxiety. Since being on lexapro & add meds, I havent have a panic attack in 2 yrs.
I too just came back from an IEP meeting. My son is 14 and has always been anxious. He has very low self-esteem and is always worrying about failing or what is going to happen in the future. They suggested that I seek counseling for this, and maybe put him on some anxiety medication. He currently is on Concerta. I am also a little worried about putting him on another medication. I looked up celexa and it looked like an anti-depressent. Is anxiety and depression the same thing? I don't think he is depressed. He has friends, and he laughs a lot. It just seems that everything worries him, and he it is interfering with his grades.I am 39 and have been diagnosed for 2yrs now with inattentive ADD & GAD & Bi-polar. Im on 60mg XR of Adderall for the ADD, 5mg of Lexapro for the anxiety & 2.5mg of Abilify for the Bi-polar.
I've tried non stimualants but that combo didnt work for me. I've been on 6 different ADD meds & Adderall is the only 1 that works for me. I've had no problems at all with the above combo. These meds along with therapy have saved my life as well as my marriage. The only draw back is that I've gained 40lbs in the last 2 years from the Lexapro. But I'd rather deal with the weight gain than have the tremendous anxiety that I used to have.
I have been dealing with my son's ADHD for nearly 7 years now, and just recently he was diagnosed with GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) along with his ADHD. Come to find out he has had this all along. So along with his daily dose of Strettera (which is a non stimulant), he now takes a nightly pill of Celexa. What a great combo! I can not beleive the change in my son. It is as if he has matured by two years! He is relaxed. Don't get me wrong he is still a pistol. But a loving and funny one. After all of the sleepless nights and tearful days. The feeling of hopelessness has lifted from our home.
To answer your question.... I don't see how a stimulant and medication to assist a child to feel at ease within himself would be a satisfying dual dx. I myself am going to check into that one. I will let you know what I find out.
Finding this board has been so helpful. I'm going to see my doctor in two weeks about possibly referring me to someone who can evaluate me for ADHD. (I have already been diagnosed with GAD with period panic attacks). I'll update once I have the results, and would appreciate any more input anyone might have on this who has already been diagnosed with both! yeah, I'm taking Effexor XR 150mg/day and possibly switching to prozac for anxiety. I was diagnosed w/ OCD 5 yrs. ago but that was due to a phobia that is treatable and curable, so technically I don't have it. I have tendecies though, but I think that's just part of being ADD. prozac is actually approved for anxiety, OCD, depression, eating disorders...effexor is approved for depression and GAD, and zoloft for social anxiety and depression.My son is ADHD and has mild depressive disorder and anxiety. He is also very impulsive. He is currently taking 50mg Adderall xr, 5 mg Lexapro, .2mg of Clonidine, and Seroquil to help him sleep at night. We call it his "cocktail" and we constantly evaluate all of it for its necessity. It sounds like a lot, but he is very successful with it and fortunately, the only side effect we get is the sleeplessness (which the seroquil has taken care of.)
Hi.....I'm getting in late on this thread, but my son is 14 and dx'd ADHD Primary Inattentive with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Dysthymia (low grade depression).
He has done really well with a combo of Concerta/Zoloft/Tenex.
Get an expert to manage the meds because multiple dose adjustments will likely be needed. The Zoloft was a miracle drug from my son's anxiety. He started it when he was 9 yrs old in 4th grade...he is now in 8th. The anger and rage that the anxiety was producing was virtually eliminated when the his therapuetic dose was finally found. Zoloft is in the SSRI family of antidepressants.....there are several on the market now..Lexapro, Paxil, etc. Everyone responds differently, so it is literally trial and error to find the right med and/or dose. Meds of course are not the full treatment for anxiety....we also did Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and relaxation therapy. Meds plus therapy in my opinion does better than just the meds alone.
Good luck! Okiemom
It seems...anxiety comes right along with ADHD for so many....My daughter has been on almost every medication ..<it seems> but the combination of Adderall and Xanax has sure helped her..it seems the Xanax helps curb the anxieties and allows the Adderall to work....before the Xanax her anxieties would comeout of nowhere...