Hey everyone, I have been on adderall for over a year now and was recently put on pamelor (tricyclic antidepressant) along with a mood stabilizer (zyprexa). These are taken at night along with my vitamins. My issue is I can't for the life of me wake up. We just had a baby which may be messing it up but I can literally sleep 12 hours. I take 30mg xr in the am and then 10mg up to 3x's daily. That is the max dose. It doesn't seem to be working due to the fact I can't wake up. Having a groggy hangover so to speak. I don't drink and I work out. Anyone else have these problems or have any advice?

How long have you been on the new meds. It is truly important to give them about three weeks to adjust your dopamine levels. The neurostimulators are working against the mood altering meds...they WILL find a peaceful median, but you must allow your body an adjustment phase.

If you have gone through this process then you should contact your doctor because the dosage is too high!

I take Adderall xr 25 at 10 am, and Lexapro at 7p, the adjustment was HORRID! I had your exact symptoms, and now three weeks post induction, I feel fantastic. Hold on if you can, and let me know how you are!

Lady X

How long have you been on the new meds. It is truly important to give them about three weeks to adjust your dopamine levels. The neurostimulators are working against the mood altering meds...they WILL find a peaceful median, but you must allow your body an adjustment phase.

If you have gone through this process then you should contact your doctor because the dosage is too high!

I take Adderall xr 25 at 10 am, and Lexapro at 7p, the adjustment was HORRID! I had your exact symptoms, and now three weeks post induction, I feel fantastic. Hold on if you can, and let me know how you are!

Lady X

Thanks! It has been about 2 weeks and my wife is getting mad because I can't get up in the middle of the night to feed our newborn and I tried to explain that it isn't my fault. I will take your advice, thanks again

xray,
what happened to wellbutrin ? mike, hang in there give it another week , if your still dragging you may want to add something for fatigue or consider dropping the med thats making you sleepy. It all depends on the amount of interference and the cost benefit threshold-

Yeah the anti depressant I started made me tired on top of the mood stablizer. I feel like I am hitting starbucks twice a day right now and not sure if that will make the adderall excrete out faster. So, I take tums throughout the day.

A heads-up: The medications now being marketed as 'mood stabilizers' were originally developed as 'atypical anti-psychotics' -- originally used for the treatment of schizophrenia. I would strongly suggest reading as much as one can about the side effects of these drugs -- and of course discuss it with your doctor.

Olanzapine (Zyprexa) | Wikipedia
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zyprexa)

I was on Zyprexa before... took 2.5mg one night and woke up 2 days later. :S Was on a few types for a while... various experiences, but the most neutral thing it did for me was zonk me out. Apparently anti-psychotics are not meant to zonk people out, and if they do the dose is too high. But you're taking it with Adderall and an anti-depressant so I have no idea how that comination works.

Anti-psychotics (Zyprexa, Seroquel, Risperidol, and to a lesser extent, Invega and Abilify) have been used off label as mood stabilisers and usually slow the thought processes down. I *think* if my memory serves me right, it blocks the D2 (?) receptors in the dopamine pathways in the brain. Maybe not all anti-psychotics work that way but I think that's the gist.

xray,
what happened to wellbutrin ? mike, hang in there give it another week , if your still dragging you may want to add something for fatigue or consider dropping the med thats making you sleepy. It all depends on the amount of interference and the cost benefit threshold-

HOLLYWOOD! long time no talk...
The WELLBUTRIN lost all its affects and I canned it after a long run. I am not quite sure how many years I was on it, but my anxiety was completely overwhelming me. I have been going through some heavy issues, and I am a very controlled person, and I was totally out of control, so I tried the full dosage of Wellbutrin, 300mg, and I was so jittery that it was not worth it. I believe its use had run its course, so the Lexapro, seems to be stableizing....At least I think.
I was so tired the first week I did not even hit the gym, and you know that is so NOT my style. But I held out and I am good, and calm, which is good for me, because I am so hyper most days. The adderall and Lexapro are a good combo for now....
I am really gearing toward weaning off all meds, and using my diet to control blood sugar which hopefully in return hinder good stabilization, if not...then right now this combo is good!

Yeah the anti depressant I started made me tired on top of the mood stablizer. I feel like I am hitting starbucks twice a day right now and not sure if that will make the adderall excrete out faster. So, I take tums throughout the day.



With the added caffiene you are setting yourself up for crash! BIG TIME! I know it is easier said than done, but your diet plays a huge role in the implementation of your meds.
It is important to eat often and stay low on sugar and high on protien, and good carbs. Water is your friend and with hydration you will stay alert and stable. Try it....I promise...the caffiene is overrated as are the energy and sugar drinks.

Waking up with a newborn is extremely hard for anyone...especially if your body requires routine sleep. Most men are not equiped with the baby alarm. Why do you think women have to urinate and are so uncomfortable at the end of pregnancy...it is to prepare the body for broken sleep!

You are trying to accomplish new dad tasks, and new meds, plus keeping her happy...to do this you must take care of you! Please consider revising your diet. Keep me posted.

xray...

Ha ha , I hear ya ... sometimes it is a merry go round and you do feel like a lab rat but not so fast my friend. Now being that adhd is a spectrum disorder I know that the chemistry of the brain cannot be amptly functional off of meds by diet and lifestyle... it's worth a shot though , but I could never handle the fog that would go along with that. YOu need to understand that wellbutrin is a useful med, but the anxiety is a real beast if unleashed either in the beginning or during stress times when adhd scatters the mind. As you can see I am in cerebral control and have yet made a interesting discovery. Wellbutrin is a good med for adhd as an adjunct , you use in combo with a sedating or antidepressant that causes drowsiness and sedation but is rarely used just with stims. cymbalta, effexor, lexapro and celexa are all good meds that make adhd worse but can be made better by adding wellbutrin

Hey everyone, I have been on adderall for over a year now and was recently put on pamelor (tricyclic antidepressant) along with a mood stabilizer (zyprexa). These are taken at night along with my vitamins. My issue is I can't for the life of me wake up. We just had a baby which may be messing it up but I can literally sleep 12 hours. I take 30mg xr in the am and then 10mg up to 3x's daily. That is the max dose. It doesn't seem to be working due to the fact I can't wake up. Having a groggy hangover so to speak. I don't drink and I work out. Anyone else have these problems or have any advice?

Hi Mike. If you were tired before the pamelor and zyprexa, then part of the sedation could be depression. ?

Zyprexa is sedating for some, not for others. The sedation can wear off over time, but off hand, I'd say not as much as with some other meds. IIRC, pamelor can also be a sedating med. Again, the effect usually reduces over time. So, give it a few weeks and then talk to your doc.

There are other options. Obviously, there are many antidepressants. As for stabilizers, abilify and geodon are two antipsychotics with much stronger antidepressant action than zyprexa. Lamictal is an anticonvulsant that also has a pretty good anti-d punch, and Lithium is always good at supplementing anti-d's. These may also be less sedating, too. So, if what you are on continues to be overly sedating, talk to your pdoc about how long to give what you're on a chance and other alternatives you could possibly go with.

xray...

Ha ha , I hear ya ... sometimes it is a merry go round and you do feel like a lab rat but not so fast my friend. Now being that adhd is a spectrum disorder I know that the chemistry of the brain cannot be amptly functional off of meds by diet and lifestyle... it's worth a shot though , but I could never handle the fog that would go along with that. YOu need to understand that wellbutrin is a useful med, but the anxiety is a real beast if unleashed either in the beginning or during stress times when adhd scatters the mind. As you can see I am in cerebral control and have yet made a interesting discovery. Wellbutrin is a good med for adhd as an adjunct , you use in combo with a sedating or antidepressant that causes drowsiness and sedation but is rarely used just with stims. cymbalta, effexor, lexapro and celexa are all good meds that make adhd worse but can be made better by adding wellbutrin

Look who is promoting Wellbutrin...I love it...you have come full spectrum to understand the chemical variance in the brain, and neurostimulators that lead our daily function!
I will look into the use of the depressants with the stims, but right now I feel superb! Please understand...I do not suffer from fog but yet concentration and lack of focus. I can go days without stims and function very well, the stims allow me to drive into supermode, and I don't have to read everything three time to comprehend.
But with all that said, you have made me think. And me being me...I will research it.
So, you are liking the Wellbutrin? You have stuck with it? I am proud of you for not giving up!

wellbutrin is the only med that helps me day in and out with drive and motivation and helps me stay on task when my stims fade. It's a great potentiator and if in the likelihood you need a med to keep anxiety at bay then it is great in addition to the prior mentioned benefits as well as it fights the fatigue that the other meds may promote. I think wellbutrin is great , if anxiety is an issue I believe that instead of dropping wellbutrin the best ample solution is actually to look for a med either beta blocker or some type of low dose med that will keep these symptoms at bay, thus utilizing the key benefits with wellbutrin and stims.

...cymbalta, effexor, lexapro and celexa are all good meds that make adhd worse but can be made better by adding wellbutrin


not sure I agree with that....for those with anxiety (ie. GAD) an SSRI, like lexapro, is a god send and works very well with stims....
i tried wellbutrin at first prior to stims and it was a disaster, panic attacks, etc...its an NDRI which typically addresses depression but not necesarily anxiety, as those with GAD respond better to SSRIs...but then again is ultimately what works for YOU

true, but one would think that for depression and especially adhd'ers that wellbutrin gives you the mental boost at the cost of anxiety, in this case alot of times a med like lexapro can be added without the fatigue

Thanks all for your help. I have decided to cut my zyprexa in half to 2.5 mg and keep the pamelor at 10mg. My doc suggested that so I will give it a whirl. Starting it tonight...I will keep you posted. I have been going back to the gym and trying to keep protein high. I used to bodybuild for years and just gave up on the diet portion so I have to get into my 5 meals a day thing again...