Ok, so today I went to the doctor, because I didn't like straterra and realized I needed new medication. (I took straterra two years ago, haven't taken anything since). He prescribed me 20mg of adderall once a day. I took my first one today

I have a few questions:

1. I heard that it makes you emotionless, almost like a zombie. Is this true?
2. I have major depression, and I currently weigh 112 (for a 5'6, 15 year old, that is bad). And I know the side effects of this medicine are that I will not eat alot. I am although trying to gain weight.
3. Today I was feeling down when I took some, and within an hour I felt pretty happy. I wouldn't shut up when I was talking. Is it normal for me to feel happy while on adderall?

EDIT: I forgot to add, this is adderall XR. Oh, and right now I feel kinda depressed, Like the happieness lasted a few hours, then I got tired and sad. I feel excited for the morning so I can take my pill.

I have been on Adderall XR for just under a week and not feeling like a zombie at all. All meds are different for everyone. You will just have to try to see what side effects you have and go from there....I havent been eating and lost 4 lbs in this 4/5 days...so that may be an issue for you. You do get a "high" after taking it when you start...that has kinda gone away though for me and I dont notice the change in my mood now. Hope that helps ;-)

The high I felt was that my hands and feet felt kind of tingly.

yea i had a lil of that too ;-)

First things first. Keep in mind that you are switching to a stimulant (Adderall) from a non-stimulant (Strattera) medication. These two have very different biological "targets" and different modes of action. Please make sure that for the depression you are NOT TAKING ssRI antidepressants such as Paxil, Zoloft or Prozac, there are a number of negative countereffects when taken along with Adderall.

For question #1: The "zombie effect" of Adderall is very real for a number of individuals. If it persists, I would talk to your physician about switching medications. I have worked with a number of individuals with ADHD and have seen how they can transform an individual into an emotionless being in a short period of time. However, if you do not experience this, then you might have hit the jackpot. Because it is a mixture of different amphetamines, Adderall has typically outperformed other stimulants such as Ritalin. The XR also typically gets high marks, IF you don't experience the "zombie effect".

For question #2: Most stimulants aren't designed for depression, but it appears that Adderall works better for treating depression than most other stimulants. With regards to the appetite, it IS true that your desire for food will frequently be reduced. This is because stimulants such as Adderall boost levels of a brain chemical called dopamine. This is good for ADHD, because this chemical is often found to be lower than normal for ADHD individuals in key brain regions. However, dopamine levels also regulate the hunger response, so artificially raising dopamine through the use of stimulants such as Adderall typically WILL create a false feeling of "fullness". Some options to counteract this (especially with an XR version) would be to: a) take the medication after breakfast instead of before or b) Make up for lost by eating a later dinner. Both options can be very effective, because, essentially, lunch is the only meal that would likely suffer.

3) The happiness after 1 hour is a typical response to the chemical shift that takes place after the drug is taken. You are probably experiencing a boost in serotonin levels, which results in the elated feeling. However, this chemical shift CAN reduce your ability to regulate impulses or inhibit inappropriate behaviors. As a result, I am not surprised at your observation of excessive talking.

My final piece of advice is to monitor these trends and see if they get better or worse. Several of these medications take several days (or in some cases weeks) to reach their desired levels in the body. Once they stabilize, you will have a much better grasp as to whether you will have recurring problems with the Adderall treatment or not.

Hope this helps a bit. Good luck!



Ok, so today I went to the doctor, because I didn't like straterra and realized I needed new medication. (I took straterra two years ago, haven't taken anything since). He prescribed me 20mg of adderall once a day. I took my first one today

I have a few questions:

1. I heard that it makes you emotionless, almost like a zombie. Is this true?
2. I have major depression, and I currently weigh 112 (for a 5'6, 15 year old, that is bad). And I know the side effects of this medicine are that I will not eat alot. I am although trying to gain weight.
3. Today I was feeling down when I took some, and within an hour I felt pretty happy. I wouldn't shut up when I was talking. Is it normal for me to feel happy while on adderall?

EDIT: I forgot to add, this is adderall XR. Oh, and right now I feel kinda depressed, Like the happieness lasted a few hours, then I got tired and sad. I feel excited for the morning so I can take my pill.

1. I heard that it makes you emotionless, almost like a zombie. Is this true?depends on the definition of zombie some people refer to it as a light sedation others refer to it as a piece of there personality missing but it's not as dramatic as it sounds it's more like a "spark" you probably won't notice this for about a week and I doubt your mother will notice she will be too happy with your new mood.

2. I have major depression, and I currently weigh 112 (for a 5'6, 15 year old, that is bad). And I know the side effects of this medicine are that I will not eat alot. I am although trying to gain weight.try to stick to a protein diet if you can't eat try shakes.

3. Today I was feeling down when I took some, and within an hour I felt pretty happy. I wouldn't shut up when I was talking. Is it normal for me to feel happy while on adderall?it's called euphoria.

EDIT: I forgot to add, this is adderall XR. Oh, and right now I feel kinda depressed, Like the happieness lasted a few hours, then I got tired and sad. I feel excited for the morning so I can take my pill. it's called crash time, most common symptoms are depression, anxiety and exhaustion some people may have one, two or all three of them you will notice I didn't list insomnia the reason I did that is stimulants and insomnia are like peanut butter and jam inseparable and of course the more Adderall you take the more you risk transforming those symptoms into more serious ones like suicidal tendencies, panic attacks and muscle aches.

if the depression gets worst talk to your doctor about a ssri or tricyclic (sounds like an informercial)

- Christine

Thanks everyone. Especially Calvary and ADHD fan for taking the time to write all that.

it's called crash time, most common symptoms are depression, anxiety and exhaustion some people may have one, two or all three of them you will notice I didn't list insomnia the reason I did that is stimulants and insomnia are like peanut butter and jam inseparable and of course the more Adderall you take the more you risk transforming those symptoms into more serious ones like suicidal tendencies, panic attacks and muscle aches.

if the depression gets worst talk to your doctor about a ssri or tricyclic (sounds like an informercial) Is there any way to stop this crash? Or will it eventually stop?

My doctor yesterday said that my depression could be causing the ADHD symptoms, or it could be my ADHD that makes me feel depressed. He wants me to try the adderall and see if it helps my school work, and eventually leading me to be happy. If not he will see about putting me on anti-depressants. He said that it could also just be a mix of my depression and ADHD. He said he didn't want to start me on Anti-depressants and Adderall right now, cause they're two big medications. So I'll just wait and see. I'm scared of anti-depressants though.

Please make sure that for the depression you are NOT TAKING ssRI antidepressants such as Paxil, Zoloft or Prozac, there are a number of negative countereffects when taken along with Adderall.



This is not always true for everyone as I am taking both medications....
My doctor prescribed the adderall in combination for my ADHD and apathy, loss of sex drive from the prozac
What countereffects are you referring to?

for crash time your family doctor will probably prescribe a medication based on each symptom the most common are. for example if you can't sleep and you are feeling depressed your doctor might prescribe you Quetiapine (Seroquel) which is a mood stabilizer but also has sedation properties. if you can't sleep, feel hung over and anxiety is high your doctor might prescribe you Benzodiazepines (Klonopin, Ativan, Restoril) or maybe you just can't sleep your doctor may prescribe Zolpidem (Ambien) or Melatonin.

stimulants have been used to treat depression but not in the conventional sense give this a glance http://www.psychiatrist.com/pcc/pccpdf/v06n01/v06n0109.pdf I think the only beneficial properties to stimulants for treatment of depression are the narcotic ones (euphoria) but your brain is going to adapt to it eventually people who chase euphoria have to titrate (up) there dosage not in the sense to get higher but because they have to. stimulants make you more prone to depression which is why it's a good idea to start them not depressed think of it like fishing, you cast off the dock 18-20 times maybe on the 15th time your reeling in and you snag seaweed that is depression, you deal with it. but if someone said your going to be depressed indefinitely on stimulants I would definitely call them a liar.

- Christine

You are completely correct Veggymel about combinations of the 2 being prescribed together. A couple side effects that I know of are heart-related, especially in older individuals. Adderall can cause difficulty for individuals (especially older ones) with fast or irregular heart rhythms such as tachycardia. Some SSRI's can actually exacerbate this effect.

If you are young and have a healthy heart, though, this is typically not an issue, so you're probably fine, Veggymel.

Another thing to watch out for, is serotonin syndrome, which can be fatal if not treated. SSRI's can trigger this in certain individuals, and while it is uncommon for stimulants such as Adderall to trigger serotonin syndrome, once again, they may sometimes act synergistically and amplify the effects of SSRI's and the risks of serotonin syndrome from SSRI's. Keep in mind, that there is still a relatively low risk of this.

Although a number of studies now indicate that SSRI's are safe to use with stimulants such as Adderall, there is still a fair bit of evidence that the two can counteract each other's effectiveness. This is often the primary reason many "traditional" doctors still do not prescribe both at the same time. In fact, fluoxetine (Prozac) has even been used in recent cases to get lab rats off of cocaine or amphetamine-derived compounds.

Nevertheless, I know a lot of people could really use the boost of both Adderall and SSRI's.

Sorry if this post started to worry you, Veggymel, I just was erring on the caution side for now. Definitely don't want to see you or anyone else with any of the negative side effects.

Good luck to everyone on any of these medications!

This is not always true for everyone as I am taking both medications....
My doctor prescribed the adderall in combination for my ADHD and apathy, loss of sex drive from the prozac
What countereffects are you referring to?