pigfat
03-09-06, 05:58 PM
At the risk of repeating a question that's been asked before, I'm going to post my experience.
I'd been taking 10 mg of Lexapro for depression/anxiety for about a year with no major side effects. Then, I received the ADD diagnosis and began taking 5 mg of methylphenidate (immediate release), twice a day. Things with this seemed to be going well for a day or so, then I began to feel irritated and fatigued. The dose was cut to 2.5 mg, twice a day. This still agitated me.
I discontinued the methylpehnidate and began on Strattera. This produced unfavorable results in me, a feeling of woodeness, of feeling spaced-out, among other things. I can't recall the doseage.
Methylphenidate was begun again, by my doctor, and seemed to be going well at first. Although it helped me study a bit better, but before I did anything else, I experienced a sort of euphoria, which lasted for about an hour. I'd take a pill, sit in a chair and experience euphoria and space out. Afterwards, I may fall asleep. What's more, it was during the use of the methylphenidate that I began to experience muscular twitches: in my eyebrows, toes, thigh muscles, and buttocks. After this sort of thing happening for a few weeks or so, my doctor (a general practioner) heard me relate the falling asleep part and he said I shouldn't be experiencing thatand told me to discontinue the methylphenidate. I did so and the twitches went away after a week or so.
Sometime later, I began myself on the methylphenidate again, since I had trouble falling asleep. It did the trick, though my subsequent use of it kept me asleep all day long. Once again, my doctor told me to discontinue it and I did.
A few months later, my doseage of Lexapro was increased from 10 to 20 mg.
I should mention I do have a history of fatigue, even unrelated to my taking of stimulants. I have been iron deficient in the past and I feel this may play some role in it all. My fatigue seems to be especially prevalent after reading, though it can appear independent of it and can occur at any time during the day.
Onto Adderall XR. I recently have moved from my state. Here, I saw an actual psychiatrist. He agreed with the ADD diagnosis and placed me on 10 mg of Adderall XR, to be taken twice daily. The first few days, about three or so, were favorable. It seemed to help my concentration and improve my social confidence, as I am typically a withdrawn person.
Then, I read that vitamin C (as found in my multivitamin, I thought) may play a role in the malabsorption of Adderall, so I stopped taking my multivitamin, which I had only began taking recently (I wasn't taking it while I was on methylphenidate or Strattera). On the fourth day, after taking the medication, I noticed I began to experience the same muscular twitches again. I thought it curious but otherwise went about my day. I went to the library and while there, after an hour of using the computer, began to feel an incredible fatigue and sense of spaced-outedness. Additionally, I felt a muscular weakness. While chatting, my typing and thought process slowed to a snail's pace. This lasted for several hours.
I contacted my psychiatrist about this and was told not to take the evening dose and, in the morning, to only take 10 mg for the day. The next day, I did as told and only took one dose in the morning (once again, without the multivitamin). This produced an even more pronounced space-out, fatigue, and muscular weakness in me. After contacting my psychiatrist again, I was told to break open the capsule, empty half of the beads on some applesauce and take once a day. I did not follow his advice, though I have also made an appointment to see my him this upcoming week.
I have read that the fatigue, spaced-out feelings, and so forth, are symptoms of stimulant overdose. I'd rather not risk doing any permanent physiological harm (if anyone does feel that my patterns of overdose have in fact done something to my brain, after my experiences with methylphenidate and Adderall, I'd be interested to hear it), so it's for this that I have stopped my use of Adderall XR until I speak with him.
Once again I am on my multivitamin; I have been on 20mg of Lexapro throughout the entire time. The twitches have more or less stopped. I have been experiencing quite a bit of fatigue.
My questions:
- I'm a male weighing 170 lbs. What could possibly cause someone to be so sensitive to the effects of methylphenidate and Adderall XR?
-I understand iron deficiency can play a role in exacerbating ADD symptoms. Could my experience of what appear to be overdose effects be related to any sort of vitamin or mineral deficiencies (as with my history of iron deficiency, for instance) in conjunction with my use of drugs like Adderall? [For instance, iron is need in the production of dopamine, which is one of the neurotransmitters both blocked from reuptake, as well as 'pumped' from presynaptic neuron by Adderall. Therefore, is it possible a lack of iron, could lead to a lack of dopamine, thereby stressing the neurons themselves, leading to such spaced-out and fatigued states? Comparable to running a car without oil, perhaps? A lack of dopamine is related to movement disorders; could the aforesaid theoretical stresses be what's causing the muscular twitches?]
-How can one be certain one isn't merely iron deficient, rather than having ADD?
Thanks for bearing with me,
Pigfat
I'd been taking 10 mg of Lexapro for depression/anxiety for about a year with no major side effects. Then, I received the ADD diagnosis and began taking 5 mg of methylphenidate (immediate release), twice a day. Things with this seemed to be going well for a day or so, then I began to feel irritated and fatigued. The dose was cut to 2.5 mg, twice a day. This still agitated me.
I discontinued the methylpehnidate and began on Strattera. This produced unfavorable results in me, a feeling of woodeness, of feeling spaced-out, among other things. I can't recall the doseage.
Methylphenidate was begun again, by my doctor, and seemed to be going well at first. Although it helped me study a bit better, but before I did anything else, I experienced a sort of euphoria, which lasted for about an hour. I'd take a pill, sit in a chair and experience euphoria and space out. Afterwards, I may fall asleep. What's more, it was during the use of the methylphenidate that I began to experience muscular twitches: in my eyebrows, toes, thigh muscles, and buttocks. After this sort of thing happening for a few weeks or so, my doctor (a general practioner) heard me relate the falling asleep part and he said I shouldn't be experiencing thatand told me to discontinue the methylphenidate. I did so and the twitches went away after a week or so.
Sometime later, I began myself on the methylphenidate again, since I had trouble falling asleep. It did the trick, though my subsequent use of it kept me asleep all day long. Once again, my doctor told me to discontinue it and I did.
A few months later, my doseage of Lexapro was increased from 10 to 20 mg.
I should mention I do have a history of fatigue, even unrelated to my taking of stimulants. I have been iron deficient in the past and I feel this may play some role in it all. My fatigue seems to be especially prevalent after reading, though it can appear independent of it and can occur at any time during the day.
Onto Adderall XR. I recently have moved from my state. Here, I saw an actual psychiatrist. He agreed with the ADD diagnosis and placed me on 10 mg of Adderall XR, to be taken twice daily. The first few days, about three or so, were favorable. It seemed to help my concentration and improve my social confidence, as I am typically a withdrawn person.
Then, I read that vitamin C (as found in my multivitamin, I thought) may play a role in the malabsorption of Adderall, so I stopped taking my multivitamin, which I had only began taking recently (I wasn't taking it while I was on methylphenidate or Strattera). On the fourth day, after taking the medication, I noticed I began to experience the same muscular twitches again. I thought it curious but otherwise went about my day. I went to the library and while there, after an hour of using the computer, began to feel an incredible fatigue and sense of spaced-outedness. Additionally, I felt a muscular weakness. While chatting, my typing and thought process slowed to a snail's pace. This lasted for several hours.
I contacted my psychiatrist about this and was told not to take the evening dose and, in the morning, to only take 10 mg for the day. The next day, I did as told and only took one dose in the morning (once again, without the multivitamin). This produced an even more pronounced space-out, fatigue, and muscular weakness in me. After contacting my psychiatrist again, I was told to break open the capsule, empty half of the beads on some applesauce and take once a day. I did not follow his advice, though I have also made an appointment to see my him this upcoming week.
I have read that the fatigue, spaced-out feelings, and so forth, are symptoms of stimulant overdose. I'd rather not risk doing any permanent physiological harm (if anyone does feel that my patterns of overdose have in fact done something to my brain, after my experiences with methylphenidate and Adderall, I'd be interested to hear it), so it's for this that I have stopped my use of Adderall XR until I speak with him.
Once again I am on my multivitamin; I have been on 20mg of Lexapro throughout the entire time. The twitches have more or less stopped. I have been experiencing quite a bit of fatigue.
My questions:
- I'm a male weighing 170 lbs. What could possibly cause someone to be so sensitive to the effects of methylphenidate and Adderall XR?
-I understand iron deficiency can play a role in exacerbating ADD symptoms. Could my experience of what appear to be overdose effects be related to any sort of vitamin or mineral deficiencies (as with my history of iron deficiency, for instance) in conjunction with my use of drugs like Adderall? [For instance, iron is need in the production of dopamine, which is one of the neurotransmitters both blocked from reuptake, as well as 'pumped' from presynaptic neuron by Adderall. Therefore, is it possible a lack of iron, could lead to a lack of dopamine, thereby stressing the neurons themselves, leading to such spaced-out and fatigued states? Comparable to running a car without oil, perhaps? A lack of dopamine is related to movement disorders; could the aforesaid theoretical stresses be what's causing the muscular twitches?]
-How can one be certain one isn't merely iron deficient, rather than having ADD?
Thanks for bearing with me,
Pigfat