One thing I forgot to add:
I am starting methylphenidate (Ritalin) in addition to my Wellbutrin on Thursday. The possibility may exist that you could take Wellbutrin and use a smaller dose of Adderall to "fine tune" your focus if you find that you can't tolerate Adderall alone.
Hi, i am taking adderall 20mg 2x a day. It has been about 3 weeks now and it has really made a huge difference! I am also taking wellbutrin and celexa. I don't really notice heart palpitations ( and I can get kinda obsessed with odd body things and spin out into panic.) I also sometimes take propronanol for social anxiety. The only real side effect I have is a dry mouth from the adderall and if i drink too much coffee i tend to get uncomfortable, almost jittery. If you have chest pains or are worried about it, i would have it checked out to see if there is a real issue or if it is anxiety or the medicine. However, I know my brain can turn a simple sore throat into being unable to swallow or an eye twitch can turn into blindness. Thats my anxiety/panic that I am learning to distinguish from real body problems. Anyway, i would check it out with the doc.
I have many of your same mis-givings about cheating at work or keeping a secret. I am starting to feel differently though. I mean, I am pretty successful and hold down a lot of responsibility at home and work but I finally got to a point in my life where I hit my upper limit within my add brain and all of the coping skills I have learned along the way. I should be able to remember more and track conversations and not forget what i am saying in mid-sentence and finish a whole task, etc. The medicine I am now taking has lifted me out of my mild depression and generalized anxiety and into an awake state of focus that I have really never realized was possible. Most people in my life have noticed the difference. Now my goal is to work on life coping skills and healthy habits so that I can not be so annoying to my wife and set a lifestyle that works well with my issues. Also, my guess is that there are a surprising number of co-workers that are taking some sort of anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medicine, the statistics and numbers say so.
J
Hi Paperlady,
I don't take Adderall, so I can't speak to a dose, but it varies. Some people need more than others - it sort of depends how "sensitive" you are to medication. I know people take a lot more than 30mg in some cases. I AM taking Wellbutrin, however, and I can tell you that in all likelihood it will not control your focus as well. It MIGHT, but it is not the typical scenario. It did, however, give me much more energy and curbed my impulsiveness. It really has been a wonder drug for me in that regard.
I think that sometimes people experience increased heart rate on stimulants, but I really think you should ask your doctor what you should do. I can't tell you that pain in your chest is nothing....I tend to obsess about every little discomfort I have myself. However, if all your doc needs to do is check you blood pressure and do an ECG or whatever to put your mind at ease, do it. I would take this seriously enough to talk to your doctor. Trust me, it is not worth risking. There are also other stimulants that could do the trick and are not as "potent" as Adderall (by "potent" I mean hard on your system). It is different for everyone.
I understand how you feel. All I can say is that you are NOT weak. The fact that you have been suffering from ADHD your whole life and still managed to be accomplished says a lot about your strength. Really. It will take time for you to accept this - it has for me. I haven't quite gotten there yet but I keep working on it.
No one needs to know that you don't want to know. Unless they are there standing by you all day where they can see you take medication, or the medication totally makes you loopy, they will probably not have a clue. I choose not to tell many people due to the negative stigma attached to ADHD. I am NOT ashamed of it, but I do not want to be JUDGED or discriminated against (illegal or not) by people who have no clue.
Hang in there.....and call your doc about the palpitations/tightness.
Hi, I'm new here.
I went to a counselor for stress management as I was quite occupied with work, family, etc. When we explored the possibility of ADD, I was a textbook case. I have since been on Adderall XR 30 mg and my husband says I'm a new person and not the one plagued with irritability, anger, stress, forgetfulness, spacing out, etc, that he had been increasingly seening.
I have a couple of questions....what dose are people taking? Do you occasionally get palpitations? Does it worry you? Or do you just see with increased stress, caffeine, etc? I worry about sudden cardiac death and cardiomyopathy, but am trying to be rational about the infrequent occurance of these. I just have recently been feeling a heaviness in my upper left chest area and wonder if it's in my head. I'm afraid to go on Wellbutrin since the adderall xr is so effective (strattera was awful. I felt like I was bouncing off the walls....). I'd rather feel "normal" and have a cardiac episode, though, than feel as nutty as I did prior to the diagnosis. So this is what I've been missing for nearly 40 years.....
Final question....I'm struggling with the diagnosis and feel it may be a weakness. What if my professional coworkers find out? I'm accomplished and I feel that this is a "dirty little secret" and I'm weak.
I've been lurking for a few months now and just now decided to post. Thanks.
Thanks for the feedback. I think you hit the nail on the head, J, when you write about hitting the upper limit....which is why I just found the diagnosis a bit staggering. I just felt that in all the years of school that I've had, I've always done exceptionally well, but it has always taken me twice as long studying and practicing as the "normal" folks. Balancing work, family, and social agendas just pushed me to a point where I didn't even like myself. After reading Driven to Distraction, I simply thought, my goodness, why hasn't anyone told me about this?! And as he writes, you have some sadness because you realize you've lost years of potential and I have screwed up so many relationships with my mood lability and you wonder, "what if"?.....but kind of relieved to know there is a reason for it. I feel so "normal" on the adderall, like I'm on cruise control, not speeding up and braking quickly....or like someone learning how to drive a manual car...that herky jerky feeling. It's amazing, really. Thankfully, my husband is supportive of me.....and my behavior, especially as of late, makes sense to him. I'd been able to keep the lid on the boiling pot, but in the presence of excessive stress, the tendencies I could temper or hide just wouldn't stay put until now.....The stigma is something I'm going to have to learn how to handle. I'm in an occupation where I will have to disclose the medications at some point. My employer will just have to look at my track record and see that it doesn't acta as a detriment....if anything, they should expect even better things from me!!Thank you for the feedback.....this has actually been a good outlet for me over the last couple of months reading other's experiences.
I did notice a fast heart rate, but my doctor checked it and it still wasn't out of the normal range. I have since developed high blood pressure, but it ran in the family anyway, so i am not sure if it is connected. Frankly, i take meds for that too, and the difference in my life is a small price to pay. I was diagnosed with the blood pressure right after 9/11, and frankly, at that time i thought "hey. I have a problem that can get solved with a pill. Lots of people aren't so lucky." and never gave it another thought.
Hi Paperlady,
It is always interesting to hear how other people are handling similar situations. Obviously everyone is different and dealing with varying ranges and extremes of ADD and other mental health issues. But, sometimes you read posts that REALLY sound familiar and those are the ones that keep me coming back.
Yesterday, my wife was almost in tears of joy and relief when I remembered where in the parking garage I had parked. lol. Without realizing it I got into the habit of 'using her brain' to store information that I never remember or sort out decisions that require organizing information. I am working very hard to not do that anymore and to exceed the low expectations she currently has for me (in some areas).
In my head, I think that the ADD has gotten worse lately and that is why I needed to get some help. In actuality, my ADD stuff has stayed about the same but my life finally hit my ceiling. I'm 38 with 2 teenagers (one difficult 16yr ADD son) and just started my own business with partners that is our families sole income, plus a lot of regular life stuff. To continue my upward and forward progress in life, relationships, and work, i simply need help, and more tools in place. To admit and realize that is kind of 'free-ing' in an odd way because I have been kicking myself a lot for not performing. One goal I have while taking adderall is to create habits of exercise, eating right, journaling, meditation and planning every day. I have a hard time making habits but the medicine i am taking will help me and I need to take advantage of it.
I told my partners that I was having some difficult personal/family issues and was going to see the doctor for it. My son was very depressed and suicidal at the time so I kind of used his issues to explain my recent performance problems. (think i might have a problem with self employment providing my own discipline and direction and working independently without direct accountability to get things done? duh - problem!) I only talked about the ADD with one partner who I know struggles similarly. I haven't said anything to the others and probably wont because they would probably scoff. Other than that, I am not sharing even with most family.
I think I am lucky that the Adderall is working so well and hope it continues to. Out of the blue, yesterday one of my partners said from the way I ran the last meeting 'the old Jason is back'. wow.
J