Does anyone know how to reduce nervousness on stimulants??

The only thing that works is if I have some valium at the same time, this is not really a solution though.

I generally avoid caffeine as combining it with these meds make me a nervous wreck.

Anyone have any ideas?

You could try something else-meds not agreeing with you, or ditch the meds altogether, or if you want to medicate yourself but not take Valium, alcohol?...........

Anyone have any ideas?
The first idea that pops to mind is just how important this is to discuss with your Dr.

Maybe this is an issue concerning an improper dosage? Maybe your ph levels are protentiating the drug? Your Dr will be able to answer questions like these, and hopefully he/she will be able to find a solution that will be best for you.

I'm would like to think that your Dr would like to know that the drug therapy that they prescribed for your best health, is not making you feel very healthy.

My doc made me try a few antidepressants before giving me stimulants. They are the only thing that give me the focus I need, the nervousness is just this annoying side effect, I am a nervous person nomally so maybe I should be saying they make me more nervous than normal. I dont really want to tell him they are making me nervous or he might take them off me, he is always telling me to try antidepressants again eventhough they didnt work, I dont know why.

ph levels? I don't know what you mean by that.

Wellbutrin is an anti-anxiety / anti-depressant that works with stimulants. Talk to your doctor. The whole point of meds is to help you feel and function better, not worse. Long-term use of Valium is not recommended.

ph levels? I don't know what you mean by that.Your pH levels can go lower, or higher depending on things you consume like citric acid for instance which would cause a decrease in the bodies pH. On the flip side of that coin are things like bicarbonates like those found in antacids like Tums, or Rolaids for example, which raise the bodies pH.

For example, consider (hypothetically) taking the drug Dexedrine with a glass or orange juice. The citric acid in the orange juice would have the effect of lowering the pH in the body, and potentially diminishing the Dexedrine's ability to be absorbed as well into the body. The lowered absorbtion of the drug can cause the drugs action to be somewhat weaker and shorter in duration.

On the flip side of the pH's effect on certain stimulants are the bicarbonates which alkalize the body. By alkalizing the body, there is a reverse effect from the one described above on certain stimulants like Dexedrine, thereby potentiating certain stimulants by increasing their absorbtion into the body.

My point in bringing this to your attention was to suggest that if you were consuming bicarbonates along with, or during the time you are on certain stimulants medicines, that it might be possible that the bicarbonates could be potentiating the stimulant medication and thereby causing you to feel more nervous by increasing the drugs absorbtion.

If that was occuring, perhaps a decrease in bicarbonates might help you reduce the nervousness you described. If not, then perhaps an increase in foods higher in acid content like orange juice, or tomato juice might be one way to help reduce the nervousness by essentially reducing the absorption of the drug.

It's important to remember that I would not want you to take what I am suggesting as medical advice. This just one man's opinion concerning your question about what might reduce nervousness associated with stimulants. You never actually stated which stimulant you were taking, and based on what I have read over the years, Ritalin, and the amphetamines are the only stimulants that I know of that are effected in any measurable way by pH. Caffeine for instance is not effected by pH in that way to the best of my knowledge.

I understand that you might be hesistant to discuss this issue wiht your Dr out of fear that he/she might take your medication away, but its important to note that your Dr might want to switch you to another stimulant medication that might not cause you to feel nervousness at therapuetic doses like the those you describe.

My Dr once made a really good point to me many years when him and I were trying out some of the non-stimulant approaches to treating my ADD. He said, "it doesn't matter what kind of drug it is if it works best for you." At the time I was taking methylphenidate and it was clear that it was not best for me, and he was wanting me to try out one of the newer antidepressants along with very low doses of methylphenidate due to some promising reports he had heard through the grapevine (his colleagues) about some ADD patients resonding well to Effexor, and Wellutrin being tossed into the mix. Neither of them ended up working for me. However, I was also taking a benzodiazapine sleeping pill at that time, and was wanting something with less side effects. I had my hopes on switching to another benzo at that time that I had read had fewer side effects, but my Dr wanted to try me on another class of drugs altogether that were not even designed to be sleeping medications. I really did not like his idea initially concerning what drugs he wanted me to try, and that is when he said what he did to me. Turns out he was right, because the drug he prescribed to help me sleep was a real winner, and also non addictive, affordable, yada, yada, yada. Like my Dr said, it's really not about which drug is supposed to work best for you, it's about which drugs actually works best for you.

You could try something else-meds not agreeing with you, or ditch the meds altogether, or if you want to medicate yourself but not take Valium, alcohol?...........
Self medicating ADD with alcohol is a REALLY BAD IDEA. Sorry to shout, I know it's impolite, but this can really be a deal with the dark side. I know from experience.........

single isomer drugs i.e. dextroamphetamine or dexmethylphenidate seem to diminish nervousness in some instances if the therapeutic value of a stimulant is necessary try to do either with Dexedrine or Focalin

Does anyone know how to reduce nervousness on stimulants??

The only thing that works is if I have some valium at the same time, this is not really a solution though.

I generally avoid caffeine as combining it with these meds make me a nervous wreck.

Anyone have any ideas?
Many people take a beta blocker to reduce side effects of increased heart rate/blood pressure. I think Clonidine is one of those.

Have you ruled out bipolar? Amphetamines will really make you edgy if you are even mildly bipolar. Although some people do have bipolar and ADHD, they have to address the bipolar with mood stabilizers first then add stims.

Just an idea. Please talk to your doctor. You can also visit the bipolar site here at ADDF. Good luck! Hope you feel better! Keep us posted.