Anyone else on this combination? Anyone out there who used to be on this combination and isn't anymore? How has it worked/not worked for you? I'm not sure I like it... used to be wordy, now I'm curt and to the point. :cool:

Anyone else on this combination? Anyone out there who used to be on this combination and isn't anymore? How has it worked/not worked for you? I'm not sure I like it... used to be wordy, now I'm curt and to the point. :cool:

Ive been on ritalin for 14ys...they tried to start me on wellbutrin...not good...I felt crazy...you know like the elevator was not stopping on the right floor....:(that combo was not good for me...

just my experience...keep us posted:)

if you have typical adhd depression then I think the combo works well. Wellbutrin will literally pull you like the jaws of life out of adhd depression. Usually the combo works well it can take you to an extreme though , so watch out. Sometimes it can be too much, but usually if your down it will literally pick you right back up...thats for certain

Thanks for the responses. My Psych. started me on Wellbutrin because I was feeling a "premonition" of a depression episode coming on. It was like I could see dark clouds on the horizon, metaphorically speaking. He wanted to start anti-depressants before any more symptoms appeared.

Prior to ADHD-II diagnosis I had taken Wellbutrin for a few years, and switched to Celexa when I had a few anxiety attacks. So my Psych. asked me which of the two anti-depressants I wanted to take. I knew that Wellbutrin was also used for ADHD, so opted for that one.

I'm feeling much better now. Like Hollywood said, it yanked me right back from the edge of the depression pit, but the first few weeks of starting it were really annoying! Or I was annoyed with everyone around me, rather.

yeah it works well, rough but it's like a vice grip yanking you right up from the pitfalls of depression. Right now I'm on cymbalta , I'm hoping a settle lift from adhd depression will be more useful instead of that vice grip effect. If not, wellbutrin is the old standbye.

adhd depression

Can you elaborate on this hollywood? Thanks :)

typical add depression usually stems from either being on the right stimulant dosage or it can come from being on the wrong stimulant dosage. Basically what I mean is that if you are on the right stim dose and living or working in a job or atmosphere that is not supportive to your adhd or even worse it could be living it a place you hate , coupled by working a job you don't like well the carryover effect is pretty obvious that your going to fall into depression if you don't problem solve your way out.....You see many posters that fall into this criteria complaining that their meds don't work, you see when you do things you don't like day in and day out it takes its toll on your system and just like normal folks start to suffer from stress, and eventually succumb to depression well those of us with adhd get double whammied.....I see it all the time, it's the people who can't focus and don't understand why, well it's simple you cant like something you hate, and you can't overtime trick your mind into operating great doing something you hate....Yes even while on stims you will eventually hate it, amazing isn't it. The second add typical depression comes from being on an improper dosage, over time frustration sets in .....In this case adjusting the dose is the answer.

hollywood, can you describe the differences in efficacy of only Wellbutrin for mental clarity & positive outlook as opposed to an only stimulant standpoint?

I'm on Dexedrine spansules, 15mg 2x daily. When they work, they work. When they don't, it's beyond unpleasant.

when you wake up happy and feeling good about life your going to have a better shot that your dexedrine will help you calm down and focus. Wellbutrin helps your mood and helps a bit with energy levels.

Basically what I mean is that if you are on the right stim dose and living or working in a job or atmosphere that is not supportive to your adhd or even worse it could be living it a place you hate , coupled by working a job you don't like well the carryover effect is pretty obvious that your going to fall into depression if you don't problem solve your way out.

I think I would enjoy my job if I had enough energy to do it well. Most of the time, I go through periods of not really caring.

However, recently I started on Wellburtin and Ritalin and that bumped up my energy level to where I did care and I focused on doing a great job. It helped me concentrate and multitask several projects.

The only down side (and I've only been on these two meds for a week) is the emotional crash of the Ritalin.

It's something that I'm working on and definitely going to discuss with my doctor. I don't want to feel like I'm taking speed...just able to function...at work, home and socially.

Cheers,

SC

I agree with what your saying , ritalin , mph has a tough or jagged come down . this is why with concerta you must drink alot of water so you continue to get the benefits of the osmotic release mechanism. Adult adhd in the workplace is a tough pill no pun intended to swallow because ritalin is really meant to work quickly and effectively for a few short hours per dose honestly. This is why you get the comedown like you speak of and many opt for adderall because with amp when you increase the dose you also increase the duration of effect which is not the case with ritalin or mph unfortunately. Yet, there are methods around this. Obviously the best would be to run your own business and set a pattern of success and work a flex schedule that allows you to segment your day. Unfortunately this is not easily done for the younger adult in his late twenties or early 30's . Prozac and effexor are antidepressants that may help. Effexor , pristiq actually may help with adhd but studies are limited. That is why I'm trying prozac .

I honestly didn't notice the "crash" until 2 days after starting Ritalin. I did some research online and found numerous people who talked about the rebound.

I've been reading about Adderall and many, like you, say it is easier to take...not as harsh.

Again, I'm not looking for a super high. I have Crohn's...which is an auto-immune disease and I'll deal with a lot of depression and fatigue. I'm just looking for something to help me improve my quality of life.

I see my doctor on Tuesday and will discuss Adderall with him. Is there a reason he wouldn't switch me over to that medicine?

Cheers,

SC

Hi I am taking Concerta and was considering taking wellbutrin

I am not depressed however, Just hear that WB can provide excess energy levels that I desperately need (allways low on energy, even with ritalin). Is this a bad idea to add an AD just for energy purposes in combination with ritalin

Not that one, since its is dominergic rather than serotonergic, wouldn't have any sexual side effects that you can tell.

Hollywood hows the prozac working out???....met with doctor and she thought it mgiht be a good idea since lexapro isnt really doing anything (ocd and anxiety)...

willinabox

My issue is hyperfocus, I waste alot of unwanted time this way and it's ****ing me off quite honestly. It's just hard to switch gears basically and wellbutrin honestly isn't great for this. I tried prozac, I didn't give it much time but I felt off. My only chance is to try something over two months like cymbalta or something like effexors cousin pristiq... Those two meds seem to be the only ones with serotonin that don't put me straight in a slumber. It's a real issue, I'm a broker and use my mind , it's not hard for me and the work would be way under my college work but I still need to be with it, better too be too with than too not with it if I took my chances. Yet , something must be done for my low grade constant worrying, if it were gone my confidence would be completely different. My only realistic thoughts are to give pristiq or cymbalta at low doses a longer shot and stick with it.

Yet , something must be done for my low grade constant worrying, if it were gone my confidence would be completely different. My only realistic thoughts are to give pristiq or cymbalta at low doses a longer shot and stick with it.

wow Veryy interesting....I have the sameee exact problems...For example, I spend about 5 hours yesterday at the golf course yesterday just on the putting green, trying to decide on a putter to buy....Didn't really look at the hyperfocus as a problem until recently. Doc says its somewhat of an ocd thing for me, like I needed to find the "perfect" putter or else I wouldn't be satisfied...kinda a bad example but you know what I mean

Doctor wants me to try prozac for this reason...and I don't know if I really wanna keep f-ing around with ssri's (lexapro didnt work for me, I am way too tired) but I do have similar annoying anxiety/worrying (also fairly low grade). The reason why I was looking at wellbutrin was basically for energy levels, since I can definitely be sluggish if im uninterested or not on any stimulants. Andd on an ssri alone, I am incredibly tired. I know that wellbutrin will not help with anxiety/worrying at all (if anything make it worse).

willinabox

we have the exact same issue, basically what happens is since the kick from stimulants is far past us , we have to choose what to focus on and when to cut it off and move on , well thats the problem , we can focus but we are having problems shifting. I think its a tough situation, and prozac honestly is not very good in my opinion. I would try wellbutrin, I am taking it and it helps alot but sometimes it can increase anxiety which is really not an issue, hyperfocus is really the issue... For example I start thinking of one thing and I over-think it and have issues moving on to the next thing and it could seem to an onlooker as anxiety but the anxiety is actually secondary and subfunction of having problems shifting thoughts... yet an ssri make your adhd symptoms way worse , right? My doctor thinks the best thing to do is take wellbutrin with the stim, increase wellbutrin to 300lx and then add a tiny dose of lex or cymbalta. This way you counter the sleepiness with the wellbutrin and still get the benefit of lexapro without screwing your adhd up...

...definitely never though about it that way....So an example would be that I drive really fast because Im allready been thinking about what I need to get done when I get home (or wherever im going...), but what if I could shift my thoughts I wouldn't be hyperfocusing on about what i need to do/hence be anxious to get home....

Or obscess over a putter or something....I guess the hyperfocusing would be the root of ocd too...

Stimulants for the first week was perfect...the kick from the stimulants (and probably euphoria) made up for the lack of energy from the lexapro..

just curious to what does wellbutruin actually does, im looking for an increased energy to converse with people, since the stimulants make me anti-social...do you think the wb will help with hyperfocus?....

I don't know dude, wellbutrin will give you an energy increase and lift your motivation thats a certainty

your goal should be smooth and fluid focus, like a baseball pitcher with smooth mechanics but throws hard. its not the speed of the delivery that makes the pitch fast and effective its the fluidity

yeaah tru...might be looking 2 hard into boosting energy levels...

wow, holy cow...welcome me to your club......you guys describe what i go thru exactly....am subscribing to this one!

I am on 20mg Lex now for a year with adderall 60mg, it works ok but as you guys say the stim is barely cutting it....sort of up/down all day so I want try wellbutrin to try smooth things out.....is 150XL the right starting dose? want ask doc on next visit

so your wanting to add wellbutrin to your lexapro in addition to a stimulant that you are taking? I would say this is pretty common for people with adhd and depression and anxiety issues. You add an antidepressant and it aggravates your adhd so instead of dropping a possible helpful medication you instead add wellbutrin along with the antidepressant to see if this will balance out the equation and not cause sedation.

Hollywood-

It seems like a good plan but how come there aren't many people doing the same

I would drop the ssri and stick to wellbutrin and focalin but I have a feeling my anxiety/slight ocd might be way to intense, since both drugs are supposed to increase anxiety...

willinabox,

I'm on wellbutrin and focalin xr and now I'm just added a small dose of cymbalta at night. It's been a few days and my worry thoughts are fading, but my adhd is a bit worse. Hopefully after a few weeks this side effect will go away as I get used to the cymbalta. Oh, and to answer your question, yes wellbutrin plus a stimulant is good but sometimes it can cause a bit of over drive or hyper focusing problems..... this is why I'm trialing a tiny amount of cymbalta.

i would agree that both wellbutrin and adderall would develop anxiety since both deal with dopamine and norepinephrine, and w/o lexapro the stimulant alone gave me panic/anxiety attacks

hollywood, am curious how you went cymbalta route which is SNRI, rather than a very selective SSRI like lexapro or zoloft? arent you triple whamming on your norepinephrine with cymbalta and wellbutrin and focalin??? it would probable not work out for me......but curious

willinabox,

no not really, at any low level dose of cymbalta it's basically an ssri , studies prove it , even if it does have a tiny amount of ne blockade at that dose or even at higher doses its not really that significant and far from a wellbutrin. Now , moving on to focalin, focalin is pretty much a da blockage medication. I am not sure what the studies show , but scientifically any effect on ne that focalin has no matter what the dose unless astronomic is basically very low and not worth consideration. I tried a low dose of lexapro but honestly it was very sedating. Even the cymbalta at a very low dose is sedating. Yes it kills my anxiety but it kills all my drive at work as well , keep in mind this is premature because we are only talking about a few days here but honestly it kills my hyperfocus and worry but it also kills all of my ambition. I doubt that this will go away with time, who knows. Maybe honestly wellbutrin is the only adjunct for me .

This is my first time back to this forum in about 6 or more months...

I am on wellbutrin 300xl (although generic one by Teva brand "budeprion") and I tried ritalin and also adderall.

My first two days on Adderall I felt a little "high" (comparable to a bit of marijuana maybe?) and my doc decided to try me on Ritalin. He asked me to stay on it for 2 weeks before I knock it. I lasted about 4 days :(

I was fine on it, but felt like I had drank a lot of coffee, sort of anxious a bit. It wasn't until it started wearing off that the problems started. I felt HIGHLY irritable, although I was not acting it. Anyone bother me at the wrong time and I almost felt like I wanted to bite their head off! None of it was visible to anyone else, but I knew it was just a matter of time before those feelings would start to surface, and I might snap at someone for something little :(

I did not want to risk it, so I stopped the Ritalin. I decided to postpone any more experimentation w/ adhd medications, until a later time.

Sidenote: I recently tried half of a Modafinil and found it quite helpful for focus, without so much of the anxious and "wired" effects... anyone have experience with this? (I haven't searched the forums yet, but will do).

well cymbalta in low doses and even therapeutic doses really acts as a blockage against serotonin , although it dose at higher doses effect NE and then later Da well I wouldn't rely on literature , studies or even what psychopharmacoligists have to say about what goes on . Honestly its all very individual and although cymbalta does effect the other two neurotransmitters it is not even close to the blockade that it has on serotonin... so don't allow your mind to wander there. This is my first week on cymbalta , it's a tiny dose and I'm worrying way , way less.

I am on ritalin and cymbalta..it works amazing for me.

girlweds...

Yes! I am stoked that I found somebody with a good response. I am only on like my 4th day and I'm feeling okay. I am a little drowsy but my anxiety and worry has taken the biggest nose dive ever. I am not hyperfocusing much at all and although my adhd symptoms are temporarily worse I feel this may actually work. Have you had weight gain? Is it normal to be sleepy for a little bit during the startup ? How long does this last- I'm stoked to see a positive response.

Hi,

I'm new to this site and have a question for anyone who can help: I have ADD (innattentive) and get some depression/anxiety especially in the winter.. I've been on and off meds but went back on an AD (I take effexor xr 75 mg) and also take focalin, only need about 2.5 mg every four or so hours...

the thing is that the focalin is causing a little bit of anxiety, but I feel pretty unmotivated without taking it, just on the effexor, and ultimately get depressed being so undirected. Stimulants have always helped me feel better (makes sense).

I did a trial run of different stimulants as of recently, i was also on concerta for a while which made me feel amazing, but a little too unrealistic for me.

so...now i'm considering playing with the ad, and am looking for opinions on switching from effexor to wellbutrin....would this have a chance of making me more anxious or not? i'm looking i guess for an ad that gives me a little bit more of a jolt, but i already seemingly get some anxiety from taking the focalin. Suggestions would be very helpful! Thanks!:)

I completely agree,

Im taking focalin and I stopped taking the lexapro because it sedated me. However, now im back with the anxiety again when im on focalin.

The problem is I need the focalin for motivation and slight lift in energy (inattentive also). I can hold conversations and stay focused, but now I feel like I need to do something about the anxiety/hyperfocus/ocd. I have realized that due to my hyperfocus(when on focalin) I tend to actually be less productive, because I over analyze everything and can't switch tasks.

I'm curious to see if strattera/wellbutrin might work better, haven't researched anything about this combo tho...

I don't know , I'm a week into cymbalta and it's a tiny dose and I forget tons of stuff and feel like I have the flu or something. It totally sucks for my adhd and although I have natural drive and do things I just don't feel good. Maybe there is something else out there in tiny doses for anxiety and to get this hyperfocus away. Or maybe if I switched to adderall and upped my wellbutrin to 300 that may help. Not sure , maybe strattera instead of cymbalta for the combo with my stims..... totally unsure now, but it's normal for us with adhd to overanalyze and stuff like that I just really wonder what the best thing to do for this would actually be regarding meds, because I think on the right combo it could be totally kept in check .

I am going to ask my doctor tomorrow for a prescription for wellbutrin, i'm hoping that this might give me a lift as opposed to the effexor that i'm on right now which is only helping minimally. it's pretty tricky trying to balance out all of this stuff isn't it?

Yup.... Usually for us adhder's the serotonin just is too sedating and does more harm than it does good . Man, cymbalta wasnt too bad the first few days but it's really made me feel sluggish, tired and worse after a week

Wow, my doctor started me on wellbutrin 100 mg 2 times a day, and I tried it for a few days, and I just felt pretty high at the end of the day. It definitely sustains the stimulant effects, but I was giddy in a weird way by night. I'm going to come completely off of the effexor before I even try doing the wellbutrin again. Does anyone have any advice for coming off effexor? I am trying to do it fairly quickly (and yes I know I am supposed to do it slowly but I just cannot deal with the sedation)...am beginning to get some dizzy/nauseating side effects. Has anyone had this experience?

I am so happy to find this active thread! I took Ritalin as a child from age 8-12. I was taken off then, and we never thought much about it. Continuing to have a lot of the classic troubles though. At 28 or so I participated in a Ritalin study, and got back on. My current psychiatrist mused that if we had known 30 years ago what we know now, I might be a doctor today.

A few years ago I asked my doctor to give me Celexa. I can't believe that I only realized in the past few months that it was making things worse! Wellbutrin had been suggested once or twice in the past, but I was resistant to trying it. After doing a lot of research, I asked her for Wellbutrin last week.

I had been taking a rather high dose of Ritalin - my script is for 35mg, 35mg, 30mg/day. I usually take quite a bit less, partly because I have not been on the medication regularly, but after a few months, I do seem to need that much. Anyway, she gave me a script for Wellbutrin, 150mg. I said, I think it's too much, please give me 100mg. She did. But even that was too much. Clearly, I also need to take less Ritalin. I see that Wellbutrin comes in a 75mg - I will ask her for that, I have been cutting the pills in half and taking one every 16 hours. 180lb male.

I am so excited though. I can tell that I am on the right track, that I have found the key, or at least an important part of it.

I need help figuring the dosing. People who take vanilla Ritalin and vanilla Wellbutrin: how much do you take, and when?

Judah ,

I've taken concerta 144mg for 7 years and I know what you mean by hating taking larger doses. I hate it , sometimes decreasing helps for awhile but really when you metabolize quickly there is just not much you can do but stick with one dose. I hear wellbutrin and effexor actually work well with one another.. Not that I would know though.