Hello fellow BPers!

I would like to hear some of your thoughts on the following story (I'll try to keep it short).

I have BP, but only get manic - I'm not a depressive person. (My therapists tell me that some BPers hate me for this :-) )

Anyway, I started taking focalin and just switched to Vyvanse (couldn't take the focalin crash or some other side effects).

Gotta put a little history in here. I broke up with a GF of two years. Breakup was about 3 months ago and we were trying to stay friends.

She told me she was seeing someone else and it sent me completely over the edge. I was snappy at everyone at work, I was really snappy at her (we had boundries of talking and this was one of them - I think she told me just to hurt me).

I was so angry and depressed that I was nautious. I've never felt this before, even after a divorce from a 6 year marriage (she was cheating on me).

I was very angry with the ex-GF at first and then it turned into a deep depression. Not demobilizing depression, but couldn't get the stuff out of my head very, very sad depression.

I think were I not taking the Vyvanse I would have handled this better, but here is where you, my friends, come in!

Do you think the ADD meds made me more sensitive to this event and caused the deep, dark feelings? Or is it just the girlfriend crap? Have any of you experienced depression when you started ADD meds?

I just got through telling her that I would have no more contact with her at all. I'm going to keep taking the meds, but if this doesn't stop I guess I'll have to talk to the pdoc.

Thank you all in advance,
-Jibber

Hi Jibber,

Damn! I am terribly sorry to hear what you are going through. Unlike you, I get depression ONLY - no mania. But there have been times, supposedly, that I've been "normal." :-) I know it says on the medication insert that ADHD meds have the potential to make some folks emotionally "labile" (unstable, fragile, moody) - and I believe I may have experienced that on occasion. Not enough for me to complain about or want to stop taking the med though.

I also take Zoloft - and have been on SSRI's off and on (mostly on) for the past 10 years. I experienced some very painful breakups (where children were involved, leaving me a single parent - each time & each guy left me soon after our baby was born) and I wasn't handling things very well. My therapist practically begged me to get on an antidepressant every time I saw her. After six months or so, I finally did - but I didn't notice any remarkable difference in how I felt. I just noticed that I was able to not care about it as much (as well as not care about ANYTHING that much - which actually was beneficial for me at that time because I was extremely excitable/upset-able back then).

Again - I'm very sorry about your breakup. You said that after your 6-year marriage you weren't so upset. Why was that do you think? A therapist once told me that after any breakup, I will most likely feel pain from any previous breakups that I never really got over. ??????????

You sound like a really smart guy - you know to call your Pdoc if things don't improve, etc. I'm glad to hear that you have some insight into who you are and how you work. Believe it or not, many of us are not so fortunate. (I'm mostly referring to myself here.) I know that chances are very high that you've got a lot of magnificent times in a new relationship in your future. So - perhaps THE BEST is yet to come!!

So take good care of yourself!! ;-)

Sincerely,
Sue

Yes, friend, sometimes ADHD meds can cause depression, because they enhance dopamine transmition at the cost of serotonin transmittion. Even if you are on amphetamines, they often don't have enough effect on serotonin to stop this from happening at our doses.

I find taking great suppliments, exercise, magnesium especially (a very highly natural organic source!), and a good night's sleep and I feel good the next morning. This can be hard to do though. I know for me if I stay away from [substance] then I'm fine... because this particular substance causes lower serotonin over time.

I also take Zoloft - and have been on SSRI's off and on (mostly on) for the past 10 years.

SSRIs send me into a BIG manic stage! Although, I love them at the time, I quickly realize, "what the $^$# have I done?"

No more anti-depressants for this guy. If this med doesn't work out, I'm gonna deal with being ADD.

Even if you are on amphetamines, they often don't have enough effect on serotonin to stop this from happening at our doses.

I have started working out again (when I remember :-0 ) and take some suppliments. I will try the magnesium you suggested.

By the way, I am on very low dose of Vyvanse. Just upped to 50mg and this was after my little tirade.

We shall see.

thanks for the post.

SSRIs send me into a BIG manic stage! Although, I love them at the time, I quickly realize, "what the $^$# have I done?"

No more anti-depressants for this guy. If this med doesn't work out, I'm gonna deal with being ADD.<!-- / message -->

A Big 10-4! When on Zoloft I'm known to act like a drunken party animal and I also transform into a social paria tranvestite... only to shake my head a week later... but not regret it! Thank god, if I was ever actually embarassed about the things I do I'd have killed myself long ago. Hell if you read my blog you'd learn I crapped my pants till the age of 7 and wet the bed until 16! .... *shakes head yet again*