fxskier
09-12-07, 04:02 PM
Hey everyone. Glad to have found these boards. I've been a registered lurker for a few months. This is my first post and it's a bit long-winded so I apologize in advance :o. I just want to give a little background info to you all so I don't have to repeat in future posts.
I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (high functioning Autism) when I was 6 (I'm now 26) and have suffered continuously from intermittently severe depression and moderately severe inattentive ADHD. I am very physically active, but nonetheless still meet most of the criteria for Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) symptoms. I've had a lot of job-related problems in my 'younger years', but fortunately work for a large federal agency now. I've been here for 4 years and Asperger's combined with the depression and anxiety was enough for me to be considered "disabled" and allow me to be hired under a special hiring authority for the disabled. Which is good because when my social and depressive symptoms flare-up, I've said things that would have gotten me fired several times over in private industry!
I'm tapering off Paxil very slowly due to the sedating side effects (my psych says I should start on a low dose of Wellbutrin XL for the depression), and started taking Adderall XR 15mg in the am, with a 5 or 10 mg IR booster in the pm (the 3pm crashes made it hard for me to stay awake behind the wheel driving home from work!!). When I was briefly taking Adderall regularly (6 days per week) I felt better and more productive than ever. NOTE: On weekends I only took a 15mg XR or a 5 or 10 mg IR- depending on what was on my plate for the day- but never both. My GP and psychologist said it's ok to take it 5-6 days per week, but due to concerns about building a tolerance (and not wanting to be on a very high dose several years from now) I started taking it only 4 days per week (I work Mon-Thu). I don't have a very demanding job ( a stable but uninspiring federal job), but I have a primary residence here in Baltimore and a ski resort condo a few hours west to maintain, family responsibilities (I'm single, but am dealing with my elderly grandmother selling her house and moving to the beach to live closer to our relatives down there- not to mention my dad had major heart surgery recently and is still recovering- in addition to maintaining my own social life), and I trade the foreign exchange markets during for a couple hours in the evening when I get home. So basically, my weekends are busier than my weekdays, and since I've gotten used to the motivation/focus the Adderall gives me during the week, I'm even less productive on weekends without Adderall now than I was before I ever took it! I guess that means it's working but the fear of dependency is what kept me from wanting to take meds to treat the ADHD in the first place! But I eventually started self-medicating with energy drinks and Dexatrim Plus (I'm 6'1 and lean/muscular/athletic) even though I don't need to lose weight- just because they gave me the 'mental energy' and motivation to get crap done. I'm sure many of you know what it's like to be constantly under-stimulated and it was better than nothing. That's when I decided I'd better start treating the underlying problem properly, under medical supervision.
Basically, I can hit the gym, run a few miles, ski, mountain bike, and I'm fine. But...when it comes to those pesky day-to-day adult responsibilities that I don't like, Adderall gives me the "push" to not procrastinate, and makes them much less dreadful to do. When I don't take Adderall on weekends, it makes my depression and fatigue horrible, and I get very frustrated becuase no matter how hard I try, my brain fog doesn't allow me to complete anything. It's like I'm working my butt off to do a lot of nothing! Those feelings then reult in horrible physical fatigue and depression (and sometimes late night crying spells)- which I hate more than anything!
Question is: I'm pretty health-oriented (my worst vice is having 3-4 drinks with friends on any given Fri and/or Sat night if I'm not driving) and don't want to need a very high dose in the future- so...would taking Adderall 5-6 days a week on a regular basis be okay? Would a 1 day per week (or 2 non-consecutive days per week) be enough of a break to avoid building too much of a tolerance? Of course, if I'm away for a long weekend I'll take a 3-4 day break.
As someone that has been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (it gets worse seasonally, during rainy periods and/or when it gets dark early) and moderately severe ADHD-I w/ SCT symptoms- I can say that these disorders are very closely related. One makes the other worse. Treating the ADHD makes the depression moderate instead of severe, which is a huge improvement. I'm hoping that taking Adderall regularly (providing I won't build up a really high tolerance) and adding a low dose of Wellbutrin, I can keep both under better control and at last be on the path to a remotely normal life!
I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (high functioning Autism) when I was 6 (I'm now 26) and have suffered continuously from intermittently severe depression and moderately severe inattentive ADHD. I am very physically active, but nonetheless still meet most of the criteria for Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) symptoms. I've had a lot of job-related problems in my 'younger years', but fortunately work for a large federal agency now. I've been here for 4 years and Asperger's combined with the depression and anxiety was enough for me to be considered "disabled" and allow me to be hired under a special hiring authority for the disabled. Which is good because when my social and depressive symptoms flare-up, I've said things that would have gotten me fired several times over in private industry!
I'm tapering off Paxil very slowly due to the sedating side effects (my psych says I should start on a low dose of Wellbutrin XL for the depression), and started taking Adderall XR 15mg in the am, with a 5 or 10 mg IR booster in the pm (the 3pm crashes made it hard for me to stay awake behind the wheel driving home from work!!). When I was briefly taking Adderall regularly (6 days per week) I felt better and more productive than ever. NOTE: On weekends I only took a 15mg XR or a 5 or 10 mg IR- depending on what was on my plate for the day- but never both. My GP and psychologist said it's ok to take it 5-6 days per week, but due to concerns about building a tolerance (and not wanting to be on a very high dose several years from now) I started taking it only 4 days per week (I work Mon-Thu). I don't have a very demanding job ( a stable but uninspiring federal job), but I have a primary residence here in Baltimore and a ski resort condo a few hours west to maintain, family responsibilities (I'm single, but am dealing with my elderly grandmother selling her house and moving to the beach to live closer to our relatives down there- not to mention my dad had major heart surgery recently and is still recovering- in addition to maintaining my own social life), and I trade the foreign exchange markets during for a couple hours in the evening when I get home. So basically, my weekends are busier than my weekdays, and since I've gotten used to the motivation/focus the Adderall gives me during the week, I'm even less productive on weekends without Adderall now than I was before I ever took it! I guess that means it's working but the fear of dependency is what kept me from wanting to take meds to treat the ADHD in the first place! But I eventually started self-medicating with energy drinks and Dexatrim Plus (I'm 6'1 and lean/muscular/athletic) even though I don't need to lose weight- just because they gave me the 'mental energy' and motivation to get crap done. I'm sure many of you know what it's like to be constantly under-stimulated and it was better than nothing. That's when I decided I'd better start treating the underlying problem properly, under medical supervision.
Basically, I can hit the gym, run a few miles, ski, mountain bike, and I'm fine. But...when it comes to those pesky day-to-day adult responsibilities that I don't like, Adderall gives me the "push" to not procrastinate, and makes them much less dreadful to do. When I don't take Adderall on weekends, it makes my depression and fatigue horrible, and I get very frustrated becuase no matter how hard I try, my brain fog doesn't allow me to complete anything. It's like I'm working my butt off to do a lot of nothing! Those feelings then reult in horrible physical fatigue and depression (and sometimes late night crying spells)- which I hate more than anything!
Question is: I'm pretty health-oriented (my worst vice is having 3-4 drinks with friends on any given Fri and/or Sat night if I'm not driving) and don't want to need a very high dose in the future- so...would taking Adderall 5-6 days a week on a regular basis be okay? Would a 1 day per week (or 2 non-consecutive days per week) be enough of a break to avoid building too much of a tolerance? Of course, if I'm away for a long weekend I'll take a 3-4 day break.
As someone that has been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (it gets worse seasonally, during rainy periods and/or when it gets dark early) and moderately severe ADHD-I w/ SCT symptoms- I can say that these disorders are very closely related. One makes the other worse. Treating the ADHD makes the depression moderate instead of severe, which is a huge improvement. I'm hoping that taking Adderall regularly (providing I won't build up a really high tolerance) and adding a low dose of Wellbutrin, I can keep both under better control and at last be on the path to a remotely normal life!