ADD and Depression | ADHD Information
Ritalin is not the only med for ADHD. I went tried 3 different meds before I found the one that works best for me (oddly enough ritalin). Certainly depression and ADHD can exist together.
[QUOTE=aurora8202]
Joyous,
You said that you have begun to regard this as an opportunity. How? [/QUOTE]
Aurora....I look at this is an opportunity, because I am hopeful that I will be able to find some relief through medication, and from adjusting my life....and my expectations...around who I am, not who I wish I was, or think I could be.
However, I have raised my son and am now essentially an 'empty nester' with my son home from college during the summer and weekends. I raised him by myself since he was two, and I can distinctly remember the feelings you describe...and I felt hopeless. I turned to alcohol, which definitely did NOT help.
Barb indicated that she vehemently disagreed with your psychiatrist's statement that if Ritalin doesn't work then you don't have ADD. Clearly, if Ritalin worked for all ADDers, then why would other meds ever have been developed? The more you read and research, I think you will find you are more able to advocate for yourself. It may mean finding a psychiatrist that knows more about ADD and psychopharmacology, and is more encouraging about finding a solution.
I know you didn't ask for advice....but be gentle with yourself! It's bad enough to feel this way without beating yourself up over it. And as your kids get older, it will get better.
Good luck!
Joyous5638569.2794097222[QUOTE=Katherine Nell] Depression is a comorbid condition of ADHD. All that means is that it can be present at the same time as ADHD. The problem with this combination is that the depression gets treated and gets better, the ADHD behaviors come back, ADHD behaviors are not to successful and therefore cause havoc in ones life, and bamb the depression is now back, and the depression gets treated, the ADHD behaviors subside you see the vicious cycle one gets into. [/QUOTE]
This describes my situation exactly. I have been treated for depression for the past 15 years....after desperately trying on my own to 'fix' myself, with therapy, self help books, religion, in addition to relationships and workaholism. Once I was put on medication I had various levels of success...but never getting to the point where I actually felt motivated or could concentrate enough to accomplish much. I attributed it to depression. Add to that the unsuccessful relationships (read: rejection and loss of self-esteem), poor job performance (while working twice as hard), and a mind that was always obsessing on something.... the depression inevitably returned, and then some.
Last week a friend of mine told me she'd been diagnosed with ADD and put on Concerta. The symptoms that she told me had been aleviated were not at all what I though ADD was about....but more like what I had been experiencing all my life! I thought with ADD I'd be bouncing off the walls, physically very active. On the contrary, it was my mind that was always racing...and usually not on the subject at hand. Ironically, I pursued a career that requires accuracy, attention to detail, and organization skills. Which made me feel like Sysiphus...pushing a boulder uphill, only to have it roll down again.
So my pdoc agreed to try me on Strattera (he was leaving for vaction and didn't do a thorough evaluation). It hasn't seemed to change anything, but it's soon. The more I read about ADD, the more sense my life makes. I briefly grieved over the lost years and potential....but have begun to regard this as an opportunity. I'm hoping I can re-evaluate my professional goals, and have a few years of job satisfaction before I retirel
I guess we'll see. Hope this helps a bit.....
Joyous5638568.8096064815Barb,I've been this way forever, not just since I had my kids. I never realized
what was wrong with me before. I was physically abused when I was 5
until I was about 8 by an older girl at my elementary school. My mom
always told me that she thinks I just block things out, that was her
explaination for why I can't remember things and don't notice or pay
attention. So I've spent all my life until now thinking it was someting I
hadn't learned how to do that I just had to try harder at. I never realized
what add was. I thought it was just something young kids had where
they are very hyper and bounce off the walls. Then when the doctor
mentioned it and I read about the symptoms, everything made sense.
I had my baby 5 1/2 months ago. The depression hit the second day I
was home. As soon as I realized what was happening (I had postpartum
depression with my first son also that lasted about 8-10 months) I started
getting panic attacks and horrible anxiety that I never had before. The
panic attacks were horrible. Even when I knew what they were they
scared the hell out of me. I couldn't go to sleep because everytime I
started to drift off it would start another one.
Actually, I am taking Paxil and Ritalin together. I guess I didn't explain
that clearly enough. When I was on the Wellbutrin I was also taking Paxil
at the same time.
I don't really know why he didn't give me Ritalin XR (I think it's called SR
here maybe) but he did give it to my husband for adhd.
Joyous,
You said that you have begun to regard this as an opportunity. How? I
just can't see it that way. I haven't grieved over my past, it doesn't really
bother me, it's right now that I can't get over. I don't want to live this
way. I want it to go away. I have a lot of trouble looking after my two
boys, I am so distracted and absent minded that I sometimes forget to
feed them until my youngest is crying and my oldest is cranky. I can't
seem to make friends no matter how hard I try, our house is a disaster
area and I just can never get anything together. I hate it. I would love to
see these things as an opportunity but I just can't. Help?
Hang in there and do your best! I know where you are coming from. I used to sleep on the sofa after work while my toddler daughter played next to me. I was fortunate that the Welbutrin worked for me. It took 3 yrs to find the right med as my dr didn't believe in adult ADHD.
We survived and so will you and your family! Its hard to believe now but don't give up. The next med may be the right one.
Please try to find a way to get a more knowledgeble dr. I just don't think the one you have has a clue!
Welcome to the world of being a female with ADHD!! I vehemently disagree with the doctor’s statement that if the Ritalin does not work then you have ADHD. What a crock. Oh well my opinion. Depression is a comorbid condition of ADHD. All that means is that it can be present at the same time as ADHD. The problem with this combination is that the depression gets treated and gets better, the ADHD behaviors come back, ADHD behaviors are not to successful and therefore cause havoc in ones life, and bamb the depression is now back, and the depression gets treated, the ADHD behaviors subside you see the vicious cycle one gets into. Hormones and ADHD are also another joy in treatment (I say this sarcastically). I am going through menopause and my meds don’t work so well. This may be the case with you going through the hormonal changes which occur after pregnancy. Please what ever you do advocate for yourself and your mental well being. The one thing I want to leave you with is that meds are not the fix all. Living a lifetime with ADHD leaves scars and unproductive behaviors. Meds, therapy, and behavior modification are needed if one is to have a life altering change from an unsuccessful adult to a productive adult.
[QUOTE=Katherine Nell]Welcome to the world of being a female with ADHD!! I vehemently disagree with the doctor’s statement that if the Ritalin does not work then you have ADHD. What a crock. Oh well my opinion. [/QUOTE]
You're not the only one who disagrees. Just looked it up in one of my textbooks (note this passage is about children with ADHD, but it no doubt applies to adults also).
"Some portion of children with ADHD do not respond to medications ... (Pelham & Milich, 1991; Pelham, Waschbusch, Hoza, Pillow, & Gnagy, 2001)."
Taken from: Abnormal Psychology - An Integrative Approach
lol so there ya go. 
There are other things that cause depression besides ADHD.
Every symptom you have mentioned could be the result of a severe depression. This just sounds so much stronger than ADHD. How long ago did you have your baby? I have heard that post partum depression can last for a few years in some women.
There are other meds besides Welbutrin and ritalin. If Paxil worked for you, why did he take you off it? Would he be willing to let you try Paxil and Ritalin together? I don't know much about the meds but unless they can't be taken together, you may need both. If they can't, maybe he could try a combo of a couple of others. Can you get Ritalin XR in Canada? That would gradually release the med into your system instead of all at once.
It just seems like he isn't taking this very seriously. I would try to get into another psych even if you had to travel a ways. It may be difficult but finding out and getting treated for this would make it worthwhile in the long run.
Aurora8202
You sound like me...I sound like you....I'm ADHD.
Welcome to the forum.
If one med doesn't work or the amount of the med.... keep trying.... Ask DR to up the dose....Learn as much as you can about ADD/ADHD.
You are not alone, we are here!
Yes, depression can go along with ADD/ADHD.
LTC138568.6915509259Can ADD cause depression? I went to see my psychiatrist for postpartumdepression and he put me on Paxil. The depression got a lot better, but
the lack of motivation and being unable to concentrate or remembering
things that I thought was from the depression didn't go away. So I
answered some questions and he told me I might have ADD. I've always
had problems with concentration and lack of motivation with serious
episodes of depression in between. So he put me on Wellbutrin also but
it had no effect on me. So now I am on Ritalin. I take 10mg in the
morning and 10mg at lunchtime. But I only feel better sometimes after
the first dose for about 1/2 an hour and then I go back to normal.
I have really bad problems with motivation and organization. My husband
and I just moved into a new house and he has two weeks off of work and
we can't seem to get anything done. I work for a little bit and then I just
end up sitting and staring at the wall or doing nothing. I start to feel
depressed, even though I'm on medication because I want to do things
but I just don't have the energy or motivation.
My psychiatrist told me that if the Ritalin doesn't work that I don't have
ADD. But I don't know what else it could be. I feel like I'm out of it all the
time. People talk to me and I don't even notice and then I can't remember
where my mind was. I just can't seem to stay out of the clouds and I
don't even remember being there. When I try to read something, unless it
is very interesting, I end up reading the same paragraph over and over
because I'll read it and then at the end realize nothing that I read
registered and I have to start over. I just can't seem to get things done. I
start cleaning up the pile of papers at my computer and I sort it all into
piles, get bored and quit and I have piles everywhere. Or else I get
distracted and start working on something else ten times until I never
actually get any one thing done. I can never remember where I put things
or what I was doing 10 minutes ago or yesterday. If people ask me a
question, my mind goes completely blank and I can't think of a single
answer. I can't make friends because I just don't remember what people
say to me. They talk to me and I zone out and don't hear what they say
and they think I'm rude, a snob, or that I don't want to talk to them. I live
in a small town and there is no other psychiatrist to see, so I can't get
another opinion and we can't afford to travel. When I want something it's
as if I'm a little kid, I have to have it no matter what it costs, so we have
money problems. I just can't put it off, I need it right then. I don't know
what to do. I keep getting more and more depressed.
What can I do?