Page 1 of 1 1

active forum Post Reply

Thread : Combining Anti-anxiety/Depression Meds with ADHD Meds  
20 Oct 2008 @ 12:31 PM
hedonistcat Join Date: Sun 5th Oct 2008
Threads: 8 Posts: 9
Combining Anti-anxiety/Depression Meds with ADHD Meds

Hello,

I've been on Vyvanse 20 mg and 5 mg of mixed amphetamine salts. Recently with major stress at school and working as slow as I am with my ADHD brain and feeling crappy about it, I've been going through mood changes. Crying daily, tight muscles, secluding myself in my own home, not wanting to talk to others. personal self care and hygiene all gone.

My doc started me with Remeron. After a day, I felt even more depressed than before. Remeron made me very drowsy - so much so that I couldn't bike or drive. I didn't trust myself to be handling dental instruments in people's mouths at school, or be coherent. I had swollen eyelids and hands. I'm now on a Benzo (anti anxiety) until my next appointment with my doc. to view other options. Anyone here have experience taking ADD meds and anti D s at the same time? was there a brand you really liked ? I'm someone who is very drug sensitive. SSRI's have had bad side effects for me in the past.

Quote

20 Oct 2008 @ 4:38 PM Reply # 1
photoboy Join Date: Mon 20th Oct 2008
Threads: 0 Posts: 1
A Rabbit Hole of Sorts

Hi there,

I totally understand your problem as I have a similar one. My list of medications consist of one for bipolar 2, Ritalin for ADD, something else for depression and finally an anti anxiety for the occasional problem caused by the Ritalin. It seems like when you go down this multiple medication rabbit hole there is nothing positive to say about it. My biggest complaint is that the ADD medication really helps me focus and makes me more positive than usual which is not a bad thing even though I am a fairly positive person but there is a cost. This cost is the ADD medication then sometime causes me a feeling of anxiety, shortness of breath caused by the anxiety and a hyper feeling. Talk about good and bad. I have tried different delivery methods of the drugs but it is all the same stuff and gives me the same result. So when I feel this anxiety I take an anti anxiety med. which helps with the anxiety but makes me loose the focus I gained and makes me tired. Now for the bipolar medication. I can honestly say I can't see any good or bad from it so I will leave that out for now. My point is I have talked to people about taking one drug to help the side affects of another and I am yet to find anyone who has anything positive to say. I realize I am not answering your question but to let you know I am on a similar path and not getting a good results either but I fear it may not exist. Not sure if you feel the same way but I have tried so many different medications I am starting to dress in disguise when going to pick them up. Thank god I don't live in a small town where everyone knows everyones business.

Quote

21 Oct 2008 @ 10:53 AM Reply # 2
petlover Join Date: Tue 21st Oct 2008
Threads: 0 Posts: 1
anti anxiety/depression meds

Hi , My new shrink has me on five new meds. Concerta 18mg. ,Trazodone 100 mg. ( antidepressant) to help me sleep, and Lorozepam (ant-anxiety) and Abilify 2 mg(antipsychotic) at bed. and Lexapro 10 mg.(antidepressent-selective serotonin reuptake) I need the anxiety med or my heart pounds out of my chest. It is an terrible feeling Lorazepam is Ativan. I can take up to 4 a day. But usualy only take 2 a day. I have been on these meds since Sept. The last Dr. had me on Depokote. It was bad. I did not like that at all. But I stayed on it for a couple months till I got my new Dr. The Depokote made sex better but I could not watch any scary movies for they grossed me out. And I have liked horror films since I was a kid. I am 46 years old now. Have you gave the new meds long enought to wait out some of the side effects? Maybe they are just to strong and a lower dose will work better. Or take them at night if the Dr says you can. Hope this helped some.

Quote

21 Oct 2008 @ 5:42 PM Reply # 3
Elaine20 Join Date: Sat 10th Nov 2007
Threads: 5 Posts: 265
Antidepressants and anxiety meds with ADHD meds

I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder as well as ADHD. I take Effexor XR for the anxiety and 70 mg. of Vyvanse for my ADHD. I also take 100 mg. of Trazodone at night for sleep. (Trazodone, an older antidepressant, makes up half of all prescriptions for sleep medications. It's not addictive and is given at a lower dose than what would be used for an antidepressant). Fortunately, I do fine with all my medications.

My daughter also has GAD, depression and ADHD. She did not do well on the Effexor XR. She is on Prozac, Buspar for the GAD and Adderall XR (she was on Vyvanse but it was too expensive with her insurance co.) She has occassionally taken Remeron at night to help her sleep, but it does make it harder for her to get up the next day. She loves the Buspar for her anxiety but I know that Buspar is only used for GAD and not other types of anxiety.

My sister takes both Wellbutrin and Effexor XR for her depression and Adderall XR for her ADHD.

My husband is on Prozac, Tegretol and Adderall XR and he takes Trazodone at night for sleep as well. He also takes Haloperidol (anti-psychotic) on an as needed basis.

Fortunately, several of the medications we take are generic versions that we are able to get at Walmart for only $4. That includes the Prozac, Buspar, Tegretol, Haloperidol and Trazodone. My daughter and I also take the generic form of Synthroid for our thyroids. We can get that for $4 also.

Having an accurate diagnosis of all the medical conditions is imperative. A wrong diagnosis can lead to the wrong medication being used. I've seen that happen frequently, and it was the case for my husband and my daughter until we found the right doctor who also happens to have a great deal of knowledge on how the medications interact with other meds and other disorders.

It may take some time to get the right combination for your individual situation and your body's response to medications.

Elaine

Quote

21 Oct 2008 @ 8:52 PM Reply # 4
yatstr Join Date: Fri 1st Aug 2008
Threads: 1 Posts: 7
Severe depression on Concerta

My doctor up'd my dose from 27 - 36mg. A few weeks later I was in his office in tears. I wasn't eating, my stomach was upset and I cried everytime someone said boo!. This doctor was not very good and tried to give me four more months of the same thing. I went to urgent care and confirmed it was the new dose. I have a new doctor and am taking the 27mg and .125 of xanax several times a day for the anxiety and no more boo hoo boo hoo episodes :).

Quote

23 Oct 2008 @ 7:19 PM Reply # 5
happy37 Join Date: Tue 29th Jul 2008
Threads: 4 Posts: 9
prozac combined with adderall XR?

I have read alot of information concerning the combination of prozac and adderall; it isn't really recommended from the articles I have read. So, I have been sceptical about taking prozac since I started taking the Adderall XR 20 mg. I have needed it but am afraid to take the 2 together. Any advice about combining?

Quote

25 Oct 2008 @ 10:55 AM Reply # 6
malinois Join Date: Sat 25th Oct 2008
Threads: Posts:
Combining Anti-anxiety/Depression Meds with ADHD Meds

Hello, I have ADHD, anxiety and mild depression. I take two meds for all of those symptoms. I'm taking 15mg Aderall XR and 20mg Lexaro. This ombination is working wonderfully for me. The Lexapro treats the anxiety and depression while the Aderall treats the ADHD. This combination has given me the awareness to make the behavioral changes I needed to improve my life. I've tried other meds for ADHD and the increase in anxiety made some things worse even though my attention and distractibility had improved. Ihope this info proves useful.

Quote

25 Oct 2008 @ 3:09 PM Reply # 7
Elaine20 Join Date: Sat 10th Nov 2007
Threads: 5 Posts: 265
Combining meds

Happy37,

My husband has taken Prozac (80 mg.) and Adderall (60 mg.) for four years now and he hasn't had any problems with either. My 26 year old daughter also takes Prozac and Adderall, and she is doing fine as well. She also takes Buspar for her generalized anxiety.

Prozac may cause a problem for someone who has untreated anxiety if that hasn't been treated but I haven't heard of any problems combining the two medications. We also have a doctor who understands medicine combinations very well. Sometimes you need to be on one medication for a week or more before adding the next medication, or start out at a lower dose and gradually increase the dosage. Not every doctor is as skilled in this area.

Our doctor has a website and I think he mentioned that in the majority of cases if one of his patients became agitated on Prozac, they turned out to have generalized anxiety disorder and after the GAD was treated, they could then take the Prozac without a problem. He has a lot of good information on his website regarding various disorders, combination of disorders and how he treats them. If interested, you can check it out at www.biologicalunhappiness.com You might be able to locate that information by using the site index and/or checking the list of FAQ's.

Elaine

Quote

30 Nov 2009 @ 2:07 AM Reply # 8
William89 Join Date: Mon 30th Nov 2009
Threads: 0 Posts: 3
Re: Combining Anti-anxiety/Depression Meds with ADHD Meds

Nice information has been shared. Thanks for providing such useful information. It will be very useful for the readers. Anxiety and Panic problem all almost faced by most of the persons. Many of them go for different solutions. By the way i got a good product named Provanax from the http://www.hflopportunity.com/111-6-3-10.html, i used them for my anxiety problem. I found a big difference after using them. They reduce my depression.

Quote

Last edited by William89 : 30 Nov 2009 @ 2:10 AM. Reason:
17 Nov 2010 @ 1:34 AM Reply # 9
MARVIN Join Date: Wed 17th Nov 2010
Threads: Posts:
Re:symptoms list

syndrome is loss of weight, muscle atrophy, fatigue, weakness and significant loss of appetite in someone who is not actively trying to lose weight.

<a href="http://www.ranker.com/fact-lists/diseases--and--medical-conditions/symptoms">symptoms list</a>

Quote

Last edited by MARVIN : 17 Nov 2010 @ 1:36 AM. Reason:
17 Nov 2010 @ 4:24 PM Reply # 10
KatB Join Date: Wed 17th Nov 2010
Threads: Posts:
Tweaking ADD meds

I am the queen of drug-sensitivity; I have tried EVERY antidepressant with brutal side effects; As for anti-anxiety, I have been on Bu-Spar for several years with no issues and it actually works. Currently I am on Celexa for the depression only because it keeps me somewhat stable without side effects. My therapist has recommended ECT therapy as my last resort. That's another story...I have been taking Adderall along with the Celexa and Bu-Spar safely, but am wondering if the Adderall is doing what it is supposed to; The point is, yes, there's hope for having to take meds for various issues at once.

Quote

26 Nov 2010 @ 9:49 AM Reply # 11
jeffmwaz Join Date: Fri 26th Nov 2010
Threads: Posts:
anit depression anxiety meds

I have to say that I understand what you mean, I've tried alot of the ssri's like your speaking about and honestly they do not improve adhd. I've found that when you do not improve adhd symptoms many times mood lighteners like ssri's are for alot of people not worth the headaches. I have tried cymbalta and it's just too much fatigue and sedation amongst a host of the other ssri's . It's just not that helpful, it curbs anxiety but the sacrifice of lack of attention and demotivation in addition to mental decline that follows ssri's is really a struggle. I know it helps for some people but for a good majority of people with adhd ssri's are just not the answer. I too agree with what you just stated, I've tried all the ssri's and celexa was and is probably the only one that I could tolerate. It did give me alot of fatigue , the afternoons were impossible so I had to stop. Thus far wellbutrin with my stims is probably the best option. I'm going to explore intuniv or tenex again in smaller doses to see if that can help with my distraction.

Quote

26 Nov 2010 @ 9:49 AM Reply # 12
jeffmwaz Join Date: Fri 26th Nov 2010
Threads: Posts:
anit depression anxiety meds

I have to say that I understand what you mean, I've tried alot of the ssri's like your speaking about and honestly they do not improve adhd. I've found that when you do not improve adhd symptoms many times mood lighteners like ssri's are for alot of people not worth the headaches. I have tried cymbalta and it's just too much fatigue and sedation amongst a host of the other ssri's . It's just not that helpful, it curbs anxiety but the sacrifice of lack of attention and demotivation in addition to mental decline that follows ssri's is really a struggle. I know it helps for some people but for a good majority of people with adhd ssri's are just not the answer. I too agree with what you just stated, I've tried all the ssri's and celexa was and is probably the only one that I could tolerate. It did give me alot of fatigue , the afternoons were impossible so I had to stop. Thus far wellbutrin with my stims is probably the best option. I'm going to explore intuniv or tenex again in smaller doses to see if that can help with my distraction.

Quote

31 Dec 2010 @ 12:38 AM Reply # 13
starcat81 Join Date: Wed 5th May 2010
Threads: Posts:
Meds

I take Strattera and Celexa for my ADHD and depression. I was also diagnosed with GAD and my dr. said the Celexa would help with that.

Quote

Page 1 of 1 1

active forum Post Reply

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Local Time : 22 May 2013 4:12 AM
(Wed, 22 May 2013 08:12:49 GMT)

Copyright © 1998 - 2013 New Hope Media LLC. All rights reserved. Your use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
ADDitude does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The material on this web site is provided for educational purposes only. See additional information.
New Hope Media, 39 W. 37th Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10018