Hi, I'm just wondering what kinds of experiences others have had with medication. I'm 24 and I was diagnosed with ADHD at about 6 years of age (before it was well known, it seems). My parents tried behavior modification, and even a diet with no preservatives, sugars, or any other tasty stuff. Finally I started on ridalin around 7 years of age. I got off it at 11, and just 3 months ago I sought help again. In that three months I've tried Strattera (gave me horrid hot flashes, aches, headaches, dry mouth, stomach problems, you name it, but it kinda worked), Concerta (could only take 18 mg due to high blood pressure, not enough to help), and now I'm on 300mg of Wellbutrin a day. I'm curious to know what kind of medication roller coaster you've all delt with on your way to finding out what works for you. I'd also like to hear about non-medication based solutions that provided helpful. Look forward to hearing from you. :)

Did the whole self-medicating thing through college... :o
Wellbutrin - Unbelievably horrible nightmares, waking up in cold sweats...YUCK!
Zoloft - Didnt do anything for me
Ritalin - BINGO! I was on Ritalin for 12 years, before long term side effects made me start to look for something else, namely...
Strattera - Which has been just as effective as Ritalin was, but with very few (temporary & mild) side effects, like "cotton" mouth.

Big, I haven't had any bad side effects with the wellbutrin, but I've heard that nightmares thing from several different people. I guess I always had weird dreams, don't think much of it. Scary or otherwise. I like ritalin too though. Good luck with the strattera. I simply couldn't hack it.

Dexidrine
ritalin (reg, XR ER, generitcs)
concerta
prozac ( 3 doses)
provigil
adderall
methamphetime
strattera
softdrinks and junk food

I'm ready for the mother ship! I use 'em, but drugs suck, just not well.

I started with Strattera and then my doc as added adderall xr. It is a great combo for me. It really makes my head feel clear. I had a lot of side effects with the strattera, but those seem to have subsided.

I would appreciate some time lines and dosages if you don't mind.

well I did 40mg strattera 2x a day for a month, 18mg concerta a day for a month, and have been on 150 wellbutrin 2 times a day for a 6 weeks now. Is that the way you wanted the info?

Medications and Side effects I got from the Medication:

1) Ritalin--Very Powerful medication that caused lose of Appetite,
Sleep, Heart Papaltations, Nervousness, and highly
tempting to take more than one. Despite the side
effects, my concentration and my speed was intensified.

2) Adderall- Also Powerful, but not as temtping as the Ritalin,
I still had trouble sleeping and eating but the perk
was I lost weight. Adderall Helped me get through
two years of college and work back to back and I
graduated with a 3.4..my motivation was intensified
as well( mom had a very clean house then).

3)Adderal XR...the hard time was getting through college and
work was I was really tired from not sleeping and
studying all night. So the Doc gave me this Med so
I would not have to take more than one
everyday..that pretty much worked...same
symptoms as the others. By this time, I had lost 50
lbs in 5 months!!!!!!! Insomia only lasted a few
days until my body got used to the drug. Ya know
I found that you can go through 2 days without
eating or sleeping before you get sick

4)Dexadrine- Not as strong as ADDerall and Ritalin, but still not
sleeping or eating until body got adjusted. The
best thing about this pill although had same
symptoms as all of them, it is the cheapest
medicine out there, with a person without insurance
it's a god sent.

Strattera- This medicine did not help me at all!!!!! It only made
me sick when I did not eat, made me more agitated,
My concentration and motivation did not improve at all,
Thank God my doctor took me off of the strattera and
back on dexadrine!!!!!!!!

I've taken Ritalin for about two years, and for the past couple of months I've been on Dexedrine and I find Dexedrine to be way more powerful, and the side effects much more pronounced than Ritalin's. I was taking almost 60 mg of Ritalin SR per day, and the 30 mg of Dex I take every day works far better, and much longer than the Ritalin. However, I've lost 10 pounds on it and my appetite has gone way down. I also have more stomach problems and I'm always thirsty. And sleep...oh man, sleep has been a problem. I get maybe 5 hours most nights when I'm lucky, or I'll get 12 hours of sleep because I'll want to stay up till 4 am, then I fall asleep and sleep through 2 alarms.

Originally posted by Wheel1975
Dexidrine
ritalin (reg, XR ER, generitcs)
concerta
prozac ( 3 doses)
provigil
adderall
methamphetime
strattera
softdrinks and junk food

I'm ready for the mother ship! I use 'em, but drugs suck, just not well.

What drug worked best for you out of all those?

Here's mine:

Ritalin was the first med I tried. It worked great, but only for about 1.5 hours .... then I felt my attention wavering again. I also got very irritable as each pill wore off. But the Ritalin gave me the best focus I've found so far. I just couldn't handle the rollercoaster ride. To avoid that, I would have had to take it every 2 hours.

Next, I tried Ritalin SR. Didn't like it. It took longer to act, and did not seem to release at an even rate. It also did not last as long as advertised. I went from tired to buzzed all day. Yuck.

Next in line was Concerta. It had a smoother release than Ritalin SR, but was still a little slow to kick in in the morning. It also didn't last as long as I would have liked. I'd always get a little jittery around 5:00 pm as I felt its last gasp ... then I couldn't feel its effects at all after that.

Around this time, my doc gave me free samples of Strattera. This was a short-lived experiment, as it gave me horrible diarrhea. Don't know whether it would have worked for me or not.

On to Ritalin LA, which so far has worked the best. It seems to last longer than the Concerta did, and has a smoother release.

My doc has also suggested that we could try a regular Ritalin in the morning, followed by the Ritalin LA several hours later. This would help me through my morning sluggishness, and keep the meds in my bloodstream longer. I'm interested in trying this.

Originally posted by krisp
On to Ritalin LA, which so far has worked the best. It seems to last longer than the Concerta did, and has a smoother release.

My doc has also suggested that we could try a regular Ritalin in the morning, followed by the Ritalin LA several hours later. This would help me through my morning sluggishness, and keep the meds in my bloodstream longer. I'm interested in trying this. [/B]

My doctor said if the Ritalin LA worked for the time of 8 hours he would add on an aditional pill for in the morning also! I cant wait to try this medicine I just have to get well first and I think I am shooting for next weekend. I hope you all will share this expereince with me cause I am kinda nervous!

:(

I've tried Ritalin, Adderall, dexedrine, concerta, strattera, prozac, lexapro, wellbutrin, and celexa. The worst side effects were from Strattera and Wellbutrin. The thing that seems to work best for me is Adderall in 10 and 5 mgs, so I can fiddle with the dose as needed. Concerta 18mgs seemed to make me a more alert person with ADD. In the next dose up, which was 54mgs, it affected my blood pressure too much. The SSRI's didn't help with the ADD, but they did help with anxiety and depression. I'm taking Lexapro 10 mgs right now, and it steadies my mood without making me too lethargic. Increased my appetite and weight, too. Which in my case is not a good thing, but I'd rather be fat and happy than thin and miserable.

Margreet.

Originally posted by Margreet
Increased my appetite and weight, too. Which in my case is not a good thing, but I'd rather be fat and happy than thin and miserable.

Margreet.

You hit the nail right on the head with me! I am 5ft2 and I am a little pudgie at 149lbs. Guess what I could probably stand to lose a few but I love my food. I will never resort to starving myself like some of these crazy girls do - thinking they are too big! Curves makes a woman look so healthy I think.

Margreet:
Do you still take the Aderall? Did that work best for you?