help,i think i am losing it. (LONG POST) | ADHD Information

Is it really that bad?

your post is a mirror of where I was a year or so ago.  when I get those feelings again I ask myself that and feel so much better.  You have a great family and a daughter.  You a truely lucky person. 

the meds are tough and i have battled over it makes me better or worst.  I have been on meds and I have been off them.  The adjustments are hard I am still not sure if it is right for me.  Dont take them if they are making you worst. 

Don't stop taking them.  that was not good advice.  Talk to your doctor and work something out.

sorry, I even type before I think.

My.. you certainly are on a lot of meds for being freshly diagnosed.. and quite high of amounts too. I just stopped taking Strattera yesterday was my last pill. I was up to 80 and it did not do anything 'good' for me. I felt depressed, and very, very irritable, to the point that I would snap and yell my head off about the simplest little noise (that's really bad in this house since I have young children that are ALWAYS making some noise or another when they're awake).

Is there any way you can talk to your Dr about perhaps getting off of Adderall and trying something else like Focalin XR that has less side effects? Strattera has to be the absolute WORST drug for side effects and it will make you flat out Angry and Irritable.

Not to mention Strattera was officially made to be an Anti-Depressant, but failed.. so it is possible that it's un-doing everything the Cymbalta's trying to do. (and making matters worse).

Of course I am NOT a Dr and can't legally give medical advice.. so please talk to your Dr about this and see if you can try another med combo or simplify if at all possible.
i hope this is the right forum to post this in....i am freshly diagnosed with
adhd. i am 27 and have the inattentive type. currently i am taking 60 mg
of cymbalta, 40 mg of adderall xr in the morning, 20 mg of adderall
(generic) around 4 pm, 30 mg of remeron at night.

recently the doctor has worked me up to 80 mg of strattera in hope that
it would help level out up and down moods i have when the adderall
enters and leaves my system. i take the strattera at night with the
remeron. since i started the 80 mg i have been feeling dizzy, head racing,
nauseous and fuzzy vision. i called the doctor and he said that it could be
too much stimulant in me and to not take the adderall and call him in a
couple days to see how i felt. so.....i did this and was miserable. i felt like
a zombie and had no idea how i felt...neither happy or sad....my wife even
said that i was spacing out and my daughter would try to get my attention
to no avail. so, i went back on the adderall. the dizziness, etc. seems to
have gone away for the most part, so i think it was just some side effects
from the straterra.

the last couple of weeks (especially today) i feel like i am going to go
crazy. not hurt anyone crazy, but i feel like i am going to end up in a
mental institution...actually, the thought of an institution is somewhat
pleasing...i wouldn't have to worry about day to day stuff...but it's not an
option. i have fought depression for years...as a matter of fact, i originally
went into my doctor's office because i was depressed and suicidal.
honestly, i still somewhat am...now before anyone freaks out, there is no
way i would do it. i have a beautiful three year old daughter that needs
me too much. i also have a wonderful wife who has been so
understanding and supportive through our seven years of marriage even
when we had no clue what was going on with me...and i have a fabulous
relationship with my mother...yes, i am a mama's boy...and i couldn't bare
the thought of her getting news that i killed myself...they all would be
crushed.

that being said, i am concerned because i literally will have feelings that i
am going crazy and everything is hopeless. in a previous post i stated
some troubles that i was having with work...so now i almost feel like i
cannot even go into work anymore...then i have this feeling of anger
come up inside of me and i want to punch a wall or pull my hair out or
something. when the adderall kicks in it seems to alleviate some of these
feelings. when i am on adderall i feel like i have to be doing something
then when i feel like there is nothing to look forward to i get depressed.
frankly, i feel like a yo-yo with these mood swings. also, i have always
been a spiritual person...but now i am seriously questioning my faith...i
don't know what i believe anymore. this has been very hard for me
considering faith has been the essence of who i am. i feel so torn.

i have been researching a lot about adhd and have been working on
challenging my negative thought patterns (i.e. all or nothing thinking,
viewing my emotions as reality, mind-reading thoughts, etc.). this does
help a bit...it's challenging, but it's helping me some.

i hate feeling this way...i know on paper i have it made...i am debt free,
happily married, my wife is SO understanding, patient and supportive, i
am lucky enough to have a job that i would do as a hobby, but i get paid
to do it...in other words, i love what i do...the people drive me batty...but
that's another story. my best friend (besides my wife) is like a brother to
me (we've been friends since i was one and he was two), i have a very
intelligent, beautiful, funny daughter who adores her daddy and a mother
who has been there for me through everything.

so:

*why do i (still) have these feelings?
*is this "normal" for adhd people to go through?
*aren't the meds supposed to help me not be moody?
*could it be i haven't found the right "set" of meds yet?
*i score very high on all the adhd tests, but could this be a wrong
diagnosis (i know, you're not a doctor, but have you heard of anything
like this before)?
*will i have to deal with these feelings (etc.) the rest of my life, 'cause i am
not sure if i can?
*any suggestions?

guys and gals...i really feel like i am losing it...there are times i question
my own sanity. any suggestions that you can give me will be most
appreciated...please be honest...if i need to shutup and quit whining, tell
me so...and please keep the suggestions coming. i am very intent on
being a GREAT father and husband...i feel like i am failing now, but i can't
give up. thank you all for your time.
I was feeling the same way recently.  I was diagnosed 7 months ago.  started on Adderall 20mg the time release ones.  then added to 30mg, My reason for seeing a psyche was for eating disorder.  My primary care thought I was depressed so sent me to a psyche.  the psyche said, not depressed -  I agreed. Said I had ADD.  That was a shock.  I don't have moods, didn't feel depressed.  Tend to be unfocused, or spacey and don't finish projects, but otherwise fine.  Anyway, the compulsive eating didn't stop so he added dexedrine.  Then I was sleep deprived so he added guanfacine, which I rarely took.  For the last month my head started feeling clogged in the front of my forehead and my eyes were so tired.  I felt groggy, couldn't do my work, staring out the window, etc. and became so frustrated.  He toldme the meds would give me a sense of calm.  They worked at first but then I thought I was going nuts.  And I was so tired all the time.  I told him I wanted to take a drug holiday and he said fine.  Don't I have to titrate down?  No, he said.  He was very rude about it.  His thing is to diagnose and prescribe. That's it.  He wasn't much help which was annoying.  not at all helpful. Anyway, maybe the meds need to be changed or altered. 

Lynn44 didn't the doctor tell you that the guanfacine needed to be taken regularly?  this med is not one that should be taken hit or miss.....the adderall is fine to stop suddenly, and since you rarely took the guanfacine, you more than likely never got any benefit from it...it took a couple of weeks for me to see any benefit in my son once he started taking it.

Perhaps you need to see a different, more responsible doctor......

[QUOTE=Lynn44]   For the last month my head started feeling clogged in
the front of my forehead and my eyes were so tired.  [/QUOTE]

this is gonna sound weird...but can you feel your brain? i can sometimes feel
the front of my brain...it's not a tingling or a pressure feeling, it's like if you
put your hand on your cheek...you can feel it, it doesn't hurt or anything, but
you can feel something there.