docs comment about "feeling" ADD meds | ADHD Information

Thanks everyone for the enlightening comments about my experience.
And excuse my slow follow-up......if I could only stay focused!   
At any rate, I should clarify that my therapist is in fact an MD psychiatrist
with ADHD expertise, so she should be well qualified regarding the
physiology of stimulant medication. It might be worth mentioning a few
more details. I originally started to see my therapist at the close of last
year after being laid off from a 20+ year professional career. I found
myself in a very deep depression and needed help. During the course of
treatment, which proved to be very helpful, the details of my life
unfolded, including behaviors that I now understand as classic ADD. At
first I was reluctant to accept the notion of ADD, but after reading
"Delivered from Distraction" and other excellent writings I embraced the
diagnosis. What a relief that I now had an explanation for my
complicated life. At any rate, my therapist introduced the possible
benefit of meds and suggested I "play around" with them to see if it
helped. Yes, she was very casual in her approach, which actually helped
to downplay some of the stigma. This, coupled with the fact that we had
established a very open and candid dialogue (something that's essential
for treating depression), I was more than eager to share every nuance of
my experience with the meds. Even so, the first time she suggested I
shouldn't "feel" the meds I kept quiet for fear of raising flags. But after a
few sessions of her continuing to insist I shouldn't feel anything, I just
had to speak up. And that's when I got the deer in the headlights look. It
must be very difficult for her to know that what I'm saying is reasonable,
and maybe even expected, but yet she just can't step away from the
sociopolitical/legal pressures. It's been 6 weeks since my last session,
the longest span I've gone since starting treatment, as I've yet to resolve
what to do next. I'd really like to continue the medication as it does bring
order into my life. But I just hate the idea of having to check my words
for the sake of conformity. John D really hit the nail on the head with his
closing statement about the unfortunate connotation of ADHD meds.
Thanks again.You need a new therapist... honestly.

A therapist should be the one person in your life you
should feel comfortable telling anything, and if you
don't they are not doing their job correctly.

Your therapist should not be wearing her sleeve. I
would strongly urge you to consider finding a new
therapist because your relationship with your current
one is not a professional one.


Anyways, as far as medication goes. You should feel a
little something, it should not be a rush, but there
should be some feeling behind it. The best way I can
describe when my medication is working as intended is I
feel intensely focused, I can concentrate on one thing
at a time like I want/need to and everything flows well.
When I don't take enough then it only helps a little but
isn't very effective. If you take too much thats when
you get a 'high' or a rush, become over-productive,
forget to eat, all that good stuff.

Hope this helps, I've seen a therapist myself and had a
few talks about their professionalism and such. PM me
if you feel the need for further discussion or just
reply on the thread

 

jawaharlal,

Without knowing a  bit more, I'm not inclined to agree with the other responders that you should look for another therapist. Yet. It may be that your therapist simply isn't well informed as to what sensations are "natural" to feel when taking stimulant medication at the prescribed dose--whether or not the patient has ADHD.  Even a lot of doctors aren't well informed in this aspect of the med--some still have the false impression that stimulant meds don't help non-ADHD folks to focus and "attend" the same way the meds do for folks with ADHD.  They do. 

There have been studies done measuring the "euphoric" effect of these stimulant meds which back your experience and refute your therapist's.  I'm sure you can find reports on some of these studies by Googling.  I did.  One reason why extended release stimulants are preferred by doctors is because their "onset" is slower which diminishes the stimulant "feeling".  There are other studies which have found that folks with ADHD on stimulant meds are far less susceptible to addiction, period!  Tell your therapist to put that in her pipe and smoke it!

This whole deal about stimulant meds is so complicating, and yours is a good example.  A lot of practitioners, including doctors, are uneasy about prescribing stimulant meds because of their restricted status and all the rules and monitoring and potential for abuse that goes along with them. "Abuse" can be the hard-core snorting and injecting type of thing, or taking the med orally for the "lift" feeling it gives, or even simply the concentration it affords the "abuser". This uneasyness causes, in extreme examples, avoiding prescribing these meds at all. 

At the very least, this uneasyness on the part of the prescriber translates into vigilance, and in some cases, hypervigilance, for signs of abuse or potential for abuse by their patient.   I suspect your therapist is concerned about the potential for you to abuse the med since the "feeling" it gives you is significant enough to talk her about it.   there may be some ethical code or law that requires your therapist to inform the doctor who is prescribing your meds about this "feeling".  I don't know this for sure, I'm just supposing that this may be what's going on between you and the therapist on this issue.  

I think you are doing the right thing by airing this topic using a message board...  You should get a good sampling of not only peoples' experience "feeling" stimulant medication; but also how they handle describing(or not describing) the "non-theraputic" effects to their prescribing doctor .   My doctor never asked, so I never offered it.  The fact of the matter for me is that I did feel a little "lift" (call it a mild, fleeting euphoria) when I first started taking regular release Adderall.  This feeling, along with some other side effects (like dry mouth and jump in heart rate) subsided and essentially disappeared over the course of several months.

I sometimes wonder how much simpler our lives would be if the most effective medications to treat ADHD were on a par with aspirin instead of cocaine!   :)

 

Hi-I recently tried for the first time the ADD medication Adderall, this
after professional diagnosis, education, and careful consideration of
pros-cons. In general, my experience has been very positive. However,
when I shared the specifics of the experience with my therapist her
response has me confused. My therapist insists I shouldn't "feel"
anything while taking the meds. That the experience should be strictly
about behavior modifications.

Is it really possible to completely separate the stimulant "feeling" from
positive behavior modifications?

It's been my experience that the answer is NO; that the stimulant
"feeling" and behavioral modification comes hand in hand. At doses
below the "feeling" threshold, I get no therapeutic benefit. As I
understand there are different levels of stimulant feeling I should clarify.
For me it's significantly greater than the increased alertness or "pep" one
may experience from a cup of coffee, but well below any sense of "ahh
this is great" euphoria that I've read some proclaim. Maybe it helps to say
that when I take the medication I'm thinking about what I'm doing, but
not how I'm feeling. But to suggest I don't feel anything is simply not
accurate. And that's where the rub comes in. My therapist sort of
cringed when I admitted that I "felt" something. Her demeanor changed
and again she insisted I shouldn't feel anything. Almost willing me to go
along with her. "Now repeat after me, you do not feel anything, right?" It
was really odd and made me uncomfortable. The difficulties of being
honest to a fault I suppose.

At any rate, I would really appreciate any insight regarding the connection
between the stimulant "feeling" and positive behavior modification.

Thanks!


Your therapist shouldn't be telling you how you should feel.  Whether the feeling is physical or emotional, you generally can't help your feelings.

I, too, am still confused about how I'm supposed to feel.  I don't have that "high" or rush or feel that everything is great on meds.  I still can't tell if it's making a difference and I've been on Adderall for almost an entire month already.  I do notice that I'm more tired after it wears off.  I don't find any of the other side effects bothersome anymore.  Does that mean it's not working anymore? 

You may want to reconsider your therapist.  Sounds like they're trying to brainwash you instead of help you.  Therapists have a tremendous amount of power and it's easy for them to abuse it.  Your comments about your therapist are concerning.  You didn't do anything wrong by being honest.

Good luck.  I hope more people share about their experiences.


I do not believe there are any ethical codes or laws
that would require a therapist to inform the doctor.
It's doubtful that your therapist even knows who your
doctor is.

Back when I used to see my therapist she said the things
that she was legally required to report are things like
rape, physical abuse, or if the therapist thinks you are
a danger to yourself or anyone surrounding you. Past
that it SHOULD be strictly confidential, depending on
the professionalism of your therapist.I am not sure that the therapist can really understand what she is saying herself, what is 'feeling' supposed to mean.
I am on Strattera and initially , whilst ramping felt totally mellow for the first time in my life as opposed to a screaming PMT session. Was that bad?
I think it is all much of a muchness, definitions and words are all open to misunderstanding. what really counts is that you feel it is better on than off. My side effects are considerable but I wouldnt be without it for the world.
I would challenge the therapist and see how she reacts.
Therapists don't have any training regarding meds, and yours seems to have a significant black hole in that area. MD's are educated with regard to meds. I wonder about your therapist's judgment in general. Is it wise to make comments about subjects that you have no formal training on in a professional environment? Jessica N39961.9156712963