Monday afternoon I went to pick up my Adderall Rx. and I was totally blown away. I thought my Dr and I agreed that we would add Wellbuterin? along with the 30mg Adderall x 3 a day.... Well he told me that he wasn`t going to treat me for ADD,,,,[ after treating me for 7 months], he said I don`t have ADD,,,,instead he said I was bi-polar,,,, and I`m to go see another DR,,,,,I was doing so well,, and now,,, it`s all gone!! I`m not in a good state of mind now,,, I feel like I`m in shock,,, I`m not bi-polar. I have been forced to quit Adderall cold turkey. I`m in a different way now,,, can`t think, sleep, eat, smile, think,,,,, I feel like a fool to have trusted someone with my well being. At this point, I`m never going to trust another DR,, I`m going to live my life with me in control with ADD,,, never to have this happen again. This has been a horrible week. Please Someone,,, Wake Me Up When September Ends... I just want to be in a dark hole. I don`t know what to expect,,

Bi-polar comes in many forms, so it could be that you do have it. Not everyone has type 1 bipolar.

Bi-polar comes in many forms, so it could be that you do have it. Not everyone has type 1 bipolar.So true Chris. I have ADHD and BPII and it is very hard to distinguish between the two. The hypomania of BPII can appear to be an increase in functioning brought about by ADHD stimulants. Its a tough call.

Northrose, please keep us posted? We can still support you :).

I have read, studied, tested on, taken care of in an in patient hospital setting and have had personal contact with people afflicted with bi-polar illnesses, enough to know that I am not worthy of a diagnosis. Why would I want to waste my money and time being tested on something?,,,, Sure, why don`t we get tested for them all?

And yes, I am angry. It feels as if the rug was pulled from under me,,, I had goals set,,, with time frames,,, To only have everything a waste. To have clarity of thought, no overwhelming floods to drown me.

Sorry Everyone, Typing takes +++ time for me to do. I have done lots of soul searching and AGAIN I have realized that outcomes of situations depend on ATTITUDE and perspective. I have 40 years of experience in life without medication and life without trips to my Dr`s, paying for meds at the pharmacy and having my state of mind constantly re-evaluated by someone else other than "ME" seems quite nice at this point in time. It is all about control and who has it. I am in control of MY life. This situation has blessed with many valuable self taught lessons. If I do not learn from my own experiences and mature as a person,,, then my life would be empty and not at all worth living. And I DO have LOTS to live for and I can walk it at any pace I want,,,,, because I`m in control. Thank You All for allowing me to go through the motions without being judgemental. I have to get away from this typing before I spend hours typing while the afternoon sun fades from the pool.

Today is a different type of Sunday. My concept of time has changed. The hours in the day seem to go so slow, yet I have done so much inside & out. I`m back to my forgetfullness and that is a drag. You would think that my overall memory would show some improvement after 7 months of Adderall. Also keeping a focus on tasks, conversations, my thoughts and the time are all shot,,, Ugh! I have to learn this again,, But this time I have a little more insight and understanding as to why I am the way I am. Well, thats enough typing for now,,,, I`m learning and thats good.

Thank You Crazy Feet & Chris 2 for your input this topic,,, This is cool, it appears that I have used myself as a sounding board for the past few days. WoW,, What Therapy! There has been alot of changes inside of me this past week and I`m glad for most of these. Adderall is the first med I have taken for ADD. It improved my memory, overall stress level, impulsive spending [somewhat] and the overall increase in quality of sleep . Sounds good?? I thought so myself. There was little to no changes in paying my bills, avoiding/answering the phone, laundry and the guilt that goes along with having lived a lifetime with ADD. The last time I took Adderall was on Monday Sept 11 and I seem to be doing ok with this physically,,, ADDICTIVE QUALITIES???? I was worried about withdrawl..none... Again, I think there is a fair amount media play into this topic. I haven`t decided yet if I`m going to treat my ADD. Doctors are not my favorite people these days and to trust another one seems a bit pre-mature at this point. Typing is getting to me now. Got to go!

YW Northrose :) glad you feel better today. You do know that the Adderall was never going to bring about a permanent change, right? The meds are just a tool for us; the rest we have to do ourselves, dear. And withdrawal should never have been aproblem at therapeutic doses ;) we do not become addicted to our medications; that's the difference between medications and drug abuse.

Keep us posted, and please try another doctor or give this one a shot and go with BP treatment. It is possible that that is what is really going on, or that both exist in you. Typically the mood disorder is treated first, then the ADHD is tackled.

HTH and we are still here for you.

I forgot to write about some feedback I got in regards to Adderall & Me. They stated that while on Adderall I smiled less, had little humor, was less active in life`s fun things, decreased motivation in regards to housework & less concern for my yard & garden. They also see positive outcomes. If given the choice to 1) resume Adderall 2)Not to medicate 3) Try new ADD medication. Right Now I`m (2). I LOVED the clear h

My cat was on my keyboard!!! I did love the clarity of thought. Any little change positive change was a good change! All in all, I was preferred (by most)to 3)try a new medication, rather than staying on Adderall. And I thought I was doing well!! Funny what we don`t know until we ask.

And yes, I am angry. It feels as if the rug was pulled from under me,,, I had goals set,,, with time frames,,, To only have everything a waste. To have clarity of thought, no overwhelming floods to drown me.sorry to hear about this. if you we getting relif from the disorder and you honeslty feell it was working, then do have i have done a chnage and serch for doc who understands. sounds like a preety uncompassionate doc. wonder what the reasons he decided you were not add.

I have been diagnosed with bi polar and severe depression and the meds messed me up. made me worse. After a few years of trying different med, I realised I had to take matters ino my own hands and seek out a specialist. Let me tell you, the difference in talking with a specialist is the key to success. Someone who has experience in this field litteraly blows away all of those others.

I decided a long time ago, that I wont take second best. I had the choices of at least 10 different specialists in my nearest city and after talking to the different secretary on the phone attempting to make an appoinment, 9 out of the secretaries showed little or no empathy and this was important to me as if the secretary is in the loop and deals with poeople with a particular condition, they will now how to talk with you and make you feel comfortable. The one that did show the qualities I was seeking, I booked a session. I am fortunate that my gp is very open to my treatment and gave me a list of a dozen docs to contact. That was the start as this doc, knew his stuff, was not judgmental and asked me, for the first time relevent questions to my history. He was the one that did a correct analysis and decided on trialing a stimulant. Which by the way is not a stimulant in the true word for me. More like a really clean benzo for me and while I am having teething issues, at 2 weeks into the meds, the improvement and overall positive benefits outway anything else I have tried. This tells me that i may be on the right track. I believe now that the bi polar and depression , anxiety, hypermania, mania and complusive behaviour poor judgement , relationship issue and sexual addiction coupled with the main issue being inattention were by products directly caused by this add. Its been a a long 15 year seach, so express your needs and at what I pay @ $259 AU, I am very much expecting some info that I don't already know. Which, fortunately this time , so far I am happy with. Time will tell though. I had to save up to get to see this doc as to me thats a lot of money, but what price do you put on ttrying to find out the truth? I live remote so my trip to this specialist, cost me about $1k au of which I got back through health care $150au. so you can see I had a plan and no matter what was going to be the outcome I needed to put my mind and pain at rest.

Sometimes intuition plays a bigger role in the desicion process than we give it credit for.

My rule is if it feels bad, dont do it.

When a medication is trialled and tested with a lot of patience and the reults of the trial give accurate statistics, I tend to look at the variables and make a choice based on all the research and not just what the doctors, well in my case seems to think is right. Especially when 99.5% dont really undsestand the add thing. thats why a specialist is the answer IMO.

keep us posted please:)

geez, that seems so irresponsible to change your meds without you guys agreeing.

I do want to mention that I grew up very close to some bipolar people, and felt the same way as you when my doctor brought up the possibility that I might be bipolar- that's ridiculous! However, there are types of bipolar disorder that may never manifest as mania without a stimulant trigger, so it looks like normal depression. It turned out I didn't, but I very well could have without having had any idea (and, like you, I am very familiar with some forms of bipolar disorder).

Even if you are bipolar, it does NOT mean you don't have ADD as well. There are meds that might be good to try that don't have a stimulant effect (like Strattera). Regardless, you deserve to find a doctor that makes you feel heard and respected. I hope you find a good solution!

northrose -

1st, your doctor was wrong to cut you from such a large dose cold turkey. he was also wrong to blindside you with this.

BUT. the distinction between ADHD and biopolar disorder(s) is a tough. in fact, if an adult is presenting for ADHD evaluation and shows some symptoms, it's literally impossible to exclude bipolar from the differintial until a very detailed evaluation has been completed. many of the symptoms are very, very similar.

ADHD meds often help those with bipolar disorder.

I'm not saying that you have bipolar. I have no idea, but the average person with bipolar is not some crazy guy who can't function. you can't looked at the average bipolar person and think "that's a crazy person."

a note about the addictive potential of stimulants that you mentioned. stimulants are very addictive in that their consumption directly activates the reward center of the brain. however, unlike opiates or benzos or alcohol, the body does not because physically dependant on stimulants. now of course stopping a stimulant cold turkey (especially from the dose you were on) will bring "withdrawl" effects, but is a psychological issue, not physical.

good luck!

1st, your doctor was wrong to cut you from such a large dose cold turkey. he was also wrong to blindside you with this. Have not I and the OP stated that there was no withdrawal issue, since there was no dependence on the meds? There is NO COLD TURKEY, we all stop taking our meds at some point and no longer have them in our systems.

BUT. the distinction between ADHD and biopolar disorder(s) is a tough. in fact, if an adult is presenting for ADHD evaluation and shows some symptoms, it's literally impossible to exclude bipolar from the differintial until a very detailed evaluation has been completed. many of the symptoms are very, very similar.
True. Perhaps this is why the doctor decided to stop, regroup, and attack a possible mood disorder? This is the SOP in this type of situation.

ADHD meds often help those with bipolar disorder.:eyebrow: Oh really? How? I would like to know this myself.

I'm not saying that you have bipolar. I have no idea, but the average person with bipolar is not some crazy guy who can't function. you can't looked at the average bipolar person and think "that's a crazy person."
True. In fact some of us are valued, active members of this board.

a note about the addictive potential of stimulants that you mentioned. stimulants are very addictive in that their consumption directly activates the reward center of the brain. however, unlike opiates or benzos or alcohol, the body does not because physically dependant on stimulants. now of course stopping a stimulant cold turkey (especially from the dose you were on) will bring "withdrawl" effects, but is a psychological issue, not physical.

good luck!OK well many of us do this every night when the meds wear off and yes, its sad, but its also to be expected. Northrose's sadness is perfectly understandable and I am glad she had a chance to "talk to herself" and work through this right here at ADDF :). Its what we are here for, after all.

Hi Everyone,, I am working through this. It has been difficult. All the progress I thought I had made was ripped away. I have suffered no physical effects from the discontinuation of adderall. Instead this Dr hurt my spirit. I am healing,,, at my own pace. With the gift of time I`m hopefull to somehow retrieve my shattered spirit and gain the progress that I had made back. I no longer trust the medical field,,

Hi, I still do exist! It has been almost a month since the Adderall was stopped. At frist I was afraid physical ailments,,,,, You know how they speak of high addictive problems. Well, other than the stress of me kicking myself in the head for allowing myself to put my "ADD/Well Being" in the trust of a Doctor, only to have what I considered progress, in a matter of minutes, taken from me,,, and this element of surprize, left me crushed. I have not had any rebound depression as of yet. I think that any person that has the ability to feel emotion would feel a degree of saddness/anger/distrust if something similar happened to them. It`s the wasted time that hurts the most. There is a lesson to be learned here. Never will I trust another person with my ADD, depression, stress, happiness and the joys of my life! These are my feelings and I can deal with them as I choose. I hope no one ever has to go through what I did,,,, and if you do go through something like I did,,,,, You will be wiser for it!!

I have to say that some input or support would be nice....... Anyways, who is reading this thread? Do you have ADD? Are you medicated with stimulants? How would you react and feel if this were to happen to you? To the women on adderall,,,, Did you PMS worse on Adderall/Stimulants? or off Adderall/Stimulants?

I have to say that some input or support would be nice....... Anyways, who is reading this thread? Do you have ADD? Are you medicated with stimulants? How would you react and feel if this were to happen to you? To the women on adderall,,,, Did you PMS worse on Adderall/Stimulants? or off Adderall/Stimulants?I'm reading, for the first time. I'm newly medicated on Adderall, and still feeling the effects of the "Holy crap. I can do something with my life."

If someone took that away for me, right now, at this moment, I don't know what I'd do. It hurts just to think about it. My literal thoughts were, "I went to my psychiatrist hoping to be a different person. Now I'm finally me." Taking that away would destroy... well, everything. Hope, I suppose.

It's quite the depressing thought. I sympathize completely my friend.

Whintergreen,
Thanks for your input. At first it did seem like it was going to destroy my world,,, but it didn`t!!!! I am a stronger person today for it. I would never wish the "Living H*ll" I went through upon any person with ADD/ADHD that trusts/depends on a Medical Professional for their medication.




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Hi Everyone,
Well, there is one thing I have noticed,,,,, PMS is worse these days. The next time a medical person asks me " About how many times a year do I get depressed?", the answer will be "About 12,,,, when my periods are regular". I wonder if the day will come when I can trust another Doctor? I guess time will tell,,,,,

Today I had a toxic friend call me up and try to dump some of her toxic trash in my ear and I did not take it! Her additude is HER problem,,,, not mine. There are toxic Doctors out there too! Don`t I know it! I feel like like I`ve just been bonked on the head,,, Duh! The Doctor who played this nasty joke on me,,,, I`ll just say that he is a DUD,,,, A seed that will never bloom! Really, what do we do with seeds that don`t grow? Water them,,, they die,,, Then we nuture the ones that have life,,, I`m not a dead seed! I really am here!!!