The insert that comes with my Adderall says one of the side effects could be depression. Why would it cause depression? When I've asked this question other places most folks say well if you quit it you could become depressed. But the insert says nothing about after one quits the med. It is written like it could cause depression WHILE on the medication. This seems illogical to me:confused: How can a medicine that is essentially "speed" cause depression while you're taking it?

What am I missing here?

Piney

I'm not positive about this, but my best guess would be as a rebound effect from the change in moods.

That's strictly a guess on my part, but I will try and ask my friend who works for Shire.

When you take any psychoactive medication, neurotransmitters levels change. Raising dopamine activity can easily reduce the level of available serotonin (the neurotransmitter primarily involved in depression).

The side effects of moodiness or depression that can result from Adderall are usually short-lived. I've experienced a bit, as has my son, but both were resolved with a dose adjustment (more, not less) and a few days' time.

Check with your doc if you're concerned about ANY of the side effects. It usually take a trained eye to determine what's normal and what needs attention.

Good luck!!

I've always posited that stimulants, especially adderall put one more in focus with themselves and sometimes brought out feelings that were kept deep inside. For this reason, I belive stimulants can make you sad sometimes, but not depressed.

I've always posited that stimulants, especially adderall put one more in focus with themselves and sometimes brought out feelings that were kept deep inside. For this reason, I belive stimulants can make you sad sometimes, but not depressed.
I'm not sure if that's the case, but I do believe that once we deal with one problem, others that have been on the back burner have a way of bubbling to the surface. It's almost as if deeper problems surface when we're ready to deal with them.

BUT....Stimulants can change your brain chemistry in ways other than the original intent, making you feel emotions w/o a reason. You don't need to be "in touch" with anything deeper to have a somewhat artificial mood change.

Remember that emotions are a product of the brain and the brain is electrochemical. Emotions are not always about how we think or even how we "feel", sometimes they are just about how much serotonin or dopamine we're using at the moment.....

I'm not positive about this, but my best guess would be as a rebound effect from the change in moods.

That's strictly a guess on my part, but I will try and ask my friend who works for Shire.

Thanks McTavish!

When you take any psychoactive medication, neurotransmitters levels change. Raising dopamine activity can easily reduce the level of available serotonin (the neurotransmitter primarily involved in depression).

The side effects of moodiness or depression that can result from Adderall are usually short-lived. I've experienced a bit, as has my son, but both were resolved with a dose adjustment (more, not less) and a few days' time.

Check with your doc if you're concerned about ANY of the side effects. It usually take a trained eye to determine what's normal and what needs attention.

Good luck!!
Adjusted which way up or down?

Hi Pineyknot;

It's funny that you mention this because I've been taking Adderall for two days now, and I've been finding I'm feeling rather odd, and very very down. The thing is, I'm not feeling this only when the meds are wearing off (as would be expected if it was just rebound), but I've been feeling this throughout the last two days.

I'm not sure if this will wear off, or if it's related to something else....it seems somewhat coincidental, but I'm not ruling out that possibility.

I haven't read anything suggesting that Adderall could cause depression, but as Barb says, these drugs change your brain chemistry, so who knows?...

I had horrible depression on this med ~ nothing like I'd ever experienced prior to taking it.. and i had nothing to be depressed about, i just wanted to die, literally so i stopped taking it

Adjusted which way up or down?
I think you're referring to what worked with my son, right?

Adjusting up, just a tiny bit, took care of it.

I'm not sure if this will wear off, or if it's related to something else....it seems somewhat coincidental, but I'm not ruling out that possibility.
While it certainly could be coincidental, odds are it's not.

If you've never taken a stimulant, it will take your body some time to adjust. If you still feel down after a week, it's time to call your doc.

It took me 2 months to fully adjust to the med, but things like deep sadness or confusion should be relatively short-lived. If they're not, you could need a dosage adjustment or a different med.

Good luck with that. My guess is you'll be fine. :)

I had been treated for depression for years before I was diagnosed. I had been taking Wellbutrin, but it really didn't seem to help a lot. Once I was prescribed the combination of Wellbutrin and Adderall, I've never felt better!

I've been on it for ten months and I've noticed that after my dosage was raised to 60mg a day I started to feel like it was too much. Maybe too much dopamine, I'm not sure. Depression started to set in and was consistant after the raise. I like the way adderall makes me feel (for a couple of hours) so it is hard to not take what I'm prescribed. As an experiment I lowered my dose to 30 mg a day. After a week my depression went away and I felt great. I felt like the old me. happy go lucky, easy going, relaxed, and just happy. I didn't concentrate as well anymore so that was the trade off.

I've always posited that stimulants, especially adderall put one more in focus with themselves and sometimes brought out feelings that were kept deep inside. For this reason, I belive stimulants can make you sad sometimes, but not depressed.
I agree. I think it's often referred to as the "grieving period". Adderall makes one face reality and it's often, painful. But, necessary to move forward.

I never knew what true depression felt like until I took Addreall.....I never want to feel that again....thank goodness there are other ADD meds out there!!!

It affected me when I started taking it last week. It would come in waves but would not last. I'm also taking Lexapro which probably helped combat this. After a week it has completely gone away.