Basically im just trying to get ideas from other people in which i can then recommend to my doctor and see what he says.

It should also be noted that the only way i could write this is by listening to TOOL.;)

Brief ADD history:<o:p></o:p>

Diagnosed with ADD around 10yrs old, was placed on Ritalin, worked OK. I stopped Ritalin in my sophomore year of High School due to the jittery feeling it gave me. I took some Paxil and Zoloft (not at the same time) for depression off and on, both during high school and college. I have not taken an anti-depressant since my sophomore year of college (approx 3 years ago). Fast forward to now (approx 6 years), no medication for my ADD has been taken since the aforementioned high school prescription. Upon learning about Adderall and my learning more about ADD I took it upon myself to schedule an evaluation and successive follow ups.

My father also has ADD and is currently on 40mg of Adderall Xr. According to him, the life changing effect of Adderall is not present as it is in most Adderall patients. He claims that the Adderall works OK for him. This could be due to dosage, or just an ineffective medication.

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My current ADD symptoms and general information:<o:p></o:p>

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--I have no trouble falling asleep, it usually takes about 15mins. This is with no medication, before current treatment.

--Extreme procrastinator. Often I will get an email saying my car insurance is due and instead of taking care of the problem right there and then I will leave it for later, this ultimately causes me to forget about it until my notice of cancellation comes in the mail and I have to scramble to pay the bill.

--I cannot focus on one thought and follow through with it.(i.e. during prayer, I will deviate from my prayer and completely forget I was praying)

--I cannot make lists in my head of what I need to do. I will try and make a list and get distracted by another thought and completely forget about the list.

--I cannot focus enough to read, even simple paragraphs are troublesome. I have probably only read a total of 10 chapters in my entire college career (currently a senior). It is difficult for me to even read things that I enjoy (i.e. magazine articles) unless it is extremely interesting and dynamic (suspenseful book, i.e. the davinci code or Michael Crichton books).

--Excellent test taker, I have the ability to quickly figure out solutions to problems. A good example of this is when I’m taking a test, I figure out how to do the problem during the test instead of learning the theory during normal lectures. IQ of 139.

--I can focus on a teacher only if the subject is interesting, otherwise I will fall asleep or day dream.

--Often if someone asks me a question with multiple sentences, I will have to have them repeat the question multiple times before I can focus/concentrate on what they are asking.

--I have a horrible memory, often forgetting appointments, homework assignments or close friends birthdays. I hardly remember my childhood/high school or even events in previous years. My short term memory (i.e. within 24 hours) is pretty good.

--Basically, I feel like my brain has a continuous fog.

--I lack the motivation to even do simple tasks such as keeping my room clean or taking out the trash. It takes every ounce of mental effort in order to make myself do these seemingly menial tasks.

--I have to force myself to be socially interactive. More often than not I have no desire to go out to bars with friends, but would rather stay home. I have conquered this by forcing myself to go out as much as possible.

--Sometimes hard to hold a conversation as I get bored and basically just resort to nodding and smiling instead of actively engaging the person.

--Depression.

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Personal experiences: <o:p></o:p>

--After a hard workout (i.e. heavy Olympic weight lifting) I will have the energy and motivation to complete tasks. It would be thought that a person would be tired after a workout, I am the opposite. The motivation and energy from this workout only lasts about an hour before I return to my same ole ADD self.

--I can concentrate best and complete mentally challenging tasks when listening to complex music. Perfect example of this is this paper. I could not have written this paper without music.

--Alcohol increases my sociability, i.e. I am funny and constantly making jokes and actively engaging in conversation. It is often harder for me to achieve the same level of sociability when “sober”. There are about 4/30 days where I am on top of my game socially when “sober.”

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My personal thoughts/hypotheses:<o:p></o:p>

According to my research, music and exercise increase dopamine levels.

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/therapiesfromrtoz/a/quit_smoking.htm<o:p></o:p>

This leads me to believe I may have a dopamine producing deficiency. I do not think the reuptake of dopamine is an issue, but rather my production of dopamine is below average. This is just my semi-educated opinion. It should be noted that I have little to no scientific medical background or knowledge other than ADD research online.

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Things I would like to change or improve:<o:p></o:p>

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--Motivation to complete every day tasks such as taking out the trash or putting my clothes in a hamper instead of on the floor.

--Ability to study and read chapters for my college classes. Or more general, the ability to read anything without the feeling of “not wanting to read it.”

--Better mood and outlook.

--Not get “bored” so fast; this pertains to multiple aspects of my life, i.e. socially, during work or during class etc…

--Gain the ability to have one thought and carry that thought out from beginning to end.

--A “better” memory.

Have you tried a combo of dexedrine and wellbrutrin? The dex would really work on the attention/focus bit, and the wellbrutrin would also address the depression issue. It's supposed to be a very good combo.

Have you tried a combo of dexedrine and wellbrutrin? The dex would really work on the attention/focus bit, and the wellbrutrin would also address the depression issue. It's supposed to be a very good combo.yeah the more and more i read, i think wellbutrin + small amount of adderall or dexedrine is going to be the right combo for me. Looks like it may be time to reschedule my appt, for say..tues?hahha

Here is my second theory in which i wrote an email to my dad who also has ADD.
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Since i assume we have the same genetic makeup, i thought this might be relevant to you too. My guess is that our dopamine receptors arent having problems but rather we may be lacking in dopamine production. Now, from what i understand adderall in a generic sense, blocks/reverses the dopamine receptors and keeps the dopamine circulating longer than without adderall. From what ive have read on forums, wellbutrin increases dopamine production, this needs to be verified.

So my theory is that we kind of have a waterfall effect goin on. Dopamine is needed for motiviation, focus etc... But if our dopamine producers are lacking in the first place, adderall wont help that much. I think it may work well for some other ADD'ers because they may have normal dopamine production(hence the hyperactiveness), but their receptors may dispose of the dopamine too fast, and then that is when they cant focus. Now for us, my guess is that first of all we dont have the motivation/energy because we dont have the dopamine, and if we dont have enough dopamine then blocking the receptors is only going to help a little. You following me? Now another piece of evidence that leads me to believe that maybe i should try wellbutrin is that mom said that you were the most focused on it, but you stopped it because of the side effects. So, i think im going to talk to my doctor and see if i can first try wellbutrin, and if that helps me out and/or cures me, then great!! If the wellbutrin gives me motivation and energy, but i still cant focus, then i will ask the doctor for a cocktail of wellbutrin and adderall. I have read on the forums that a couple people have had success with this combo.

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my understanding was if you dont have dopamine you arent going to feel man

I think you do have dopamine, it's not a case of 'i dont have it to begin with'

Just because adderall doesn't work doesn't mean the above ^

Try another one. Focalin, dexedrine. There's a long list of drugs to try. Your last resort is desoxyn

strattera
etc

i didnt mean it to come out that i dont have any, what i was trying to convey is that maybe for my specific problem, maybe i am not producing enough of it. I could be wrong, i could be right, who knows? Only time, trial and error will tell me.

so basically, i meant to say:
"... But if our dopamine producers are underproducing in the first place,... "


i hate the fact you cant edit previous posts after a certain time. grrr

good stuff:

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22200&page=3&pp=15&highlight=increase+dopamine+production