College Student Trying to figure it out | ADHD Information

Have you thought of a short acting ritalin to use just before the concerta wears off to offset the rebound drowsiness?  It would work for 2-3 more hours to help you get through the day, and if it was time for bed when the drowsiness came, it would be okay....

There are many choices for treating the anxiety.  If you do not like what you are taking, ask your doctor for something else..there is no reason for you to continue suffering from it.

Hey

I am a 21 yr old college student in his final semester of college and glad that everything is almost through!  I have gone through many things in my life (like everyone else) and the one thing that has been prominent in my family line has been anxiety (especiall on my father's side).  He has suffered through it his whole life and my mom also a little as well, but it has effected my dad in a worse way (in that he is a smart man, but it prevents him from from doing great things).  I myself have had anxiety issues through my whole life and it sometimes gets bad (small attacks), but I have not treated it at all since my mother was afraid to put me on it when I was little (along with ADD as well that has effected my reading and attention span).

About 3 weeks ago I got my lowest grades ever and felt really terrible so my mom gave me concerta (18mg) and that has been good and bad (since it wears off during the time release), but I get some drowsy side effects from it after it wears off and my anxiety get kinda bad as well, but I still got more done than I ever did before.  After that my doctor put me on it along with Busbar (for anxiety since thats another issue I have to figure out as well) and I really don't like the Busbar because I feel like a zombie (very drowsy) afterwords so I hardly take that.  So I have been working with concerta and it's drowsy side effects (but it's great when it is working) and that is the only ADD medication I have tried so far.

Recently I upped the dose to 36mg because I thought that it might help, but instead I get more drowsy and dizzy and feel terrible so I am going to stop taking and go down for now.

My question that I would like to ask to anyone who wants to listen is, what are all the options for ADD and Anxiety medicine?  I have gone through this forever and I know it's a tedious process trying to cure onself from it, but im willing to work hard to figure out the right combination that works for me.  It seems like it all has to do with experimenting, but once this gets figured out I will post my results for all to see and hopefully help someone who has a similar issue to me.

If anyone has gone through the same thing involving a combination of anxiety and ADD let me know what worked for you, thanks!

The Concerta that you are taking is just ritalin with a patented time release formula.  So, the short acting ritalin would most likely treat you the same as concerta while it is in your system.  Some parents find that giving a short acting small dose of ritalin just before (20 minutes or so) the normal time that the longer form usually wears off helps to tame the rebound effects. 

If you are interested in the Wellbutrin, I believe that there are a few people on that on the boards..scroll down the medications threas , or do a search to read up on it. 

No I haven't, I use to drink coffee when I landscaped in the early hours, but it dehydrated me pretty bad so I usually try to stay off of it.  Is there anything you have tried that has had a good impact as a short-acting Ritalin? Speaking of Ritalin...
I haven't used Ritalin yet, but I have heard much about it.  I was thinking about switching to Adderal and trying that, but another doctor I talked to told me about Ritalin and didn't really mention adderal.  Have you heard of any drowsy side effects from Ritalin (I have for Stratera)?  When I switched to the double dose of the Concerta I was taking it seems that the drowsiness just kicked in and the stimulant worked for a very little amount of time and basically put me in bed for the rest of the day.

As for Anxiety I have hardly taken any medicine for it on a daily basis, but my dad mentioned Wellbutrin (if that's spelled right) and how the side effects on average for people are very mild (unlike the busbar I took). 
Hey,

Yeah, the concerta pill I took when it was on 36 millagrams made me so dizzy I couldn't talk and I tried it for 2 days and after drinking coffee I had probably the worst case of Acid Reflux disease.  I felt really good with the concerta for a few days when it was the 18mg, but then I would also get these headaches that my body wasn't use to (especially when I first took it).  But I am going to try the lower dose for a week or so right now (your body is still use to the lower gram dose when you come back down right?  Like you wouldn't be going through it like when you first start off taking it).

The concerta actually helps my anxiety and things felt so good for a week when my body got use to everything so there has to be something out there that can make you feel like a million bucks (whether it's in your mind, in a pill, or both).

I'll let you know what happens when I go back though, goodluck!

I understand where you're coming from, at least somewhat. I also have anxiety issues along with ADHD and have found that so far, Adderall XR is helping me stay focused in school without causing mood swings or increased anxiety. I took Concerta at this time last year, and felt more anxiety than ever when I was taking it. I had my dosage increased, to increase effectiveness of the drug, but it only made my anxiety worse. It took a while to get off Concerta completely (depression was difficult due to withdrawals) but I was glad I did, and until last week, I had been taking Adderall (immediate release). I began to have problems with that one due to the effect it would have on my mood and feel much more stable now on Adderall XR.  That's just my experience, but I think if you talk to your doctor about what is going on and how you feel about the medications you are taking, they will be able to help you find the appropriate regimen for you.

Best of luck!

My situation is kinda similar to yours. I am a junior in high school and I am having issues finding a doc that will help me out or even diagnose me with ADHD. I have anxiety that is rooted in a phobia (you probably never heard of it--it's a fear of vomiting). because this fear can stop me from eating, I was hospitalized at 11-12 yrs old for an eating disorder. docs are afraid to help me out with ADHD, often denying that I even have it, because of the "eating disorder"

I am currently taking Effexor XR 150mgs. each morning, and Zyprexa 2.5 twice a day, for my appetite-- although this regiment is getting kinda old, because I could afford to lose about 10 lbs. (I was always on the skinny side, and now I'm in the middle of the growth chart), and the Effexor was for short-term depression and I feel it is no longer necessary. So I'm trying over and over again, to find a doctor who will at least be open to the possibility of me having ADHD, because it affects my reading and my attention span, as you said, as well as the fact that I have no social life because all I do is schoolwork.

Anyway, enough about me and my long stories...I am assuming there is a way to treat both the anxiety and ADHD simultaneously...are you happy with the effects of the concerta when it's in your system? It is your first try, and if it's not doing what it should be, perhaps you can look into a diff. med. If it's just the withdrawal you're having problems with, I think you should do what the others here are suggeting--a short-acting form when it's wearing off. How severe and your anxiety, and what effects do the meds have on it? This would be my biggest concren if I were to go on stimulants.

Oh, and welcome to the board.