Have any of you with ADHD-I and/or SCT had this type of reaction to ADHD meds?

[Jshect]

I tried Ritalin and Adderall when I was around 20. I was unaware that I had bipolar II and I was not on any mood stabilizers. I felt anxious, restless, had a complete inability to concentrate, I felt weird, and was bursting with energy. I had a hard time even trying to think. This went away after 4 or 5 hours. On Adderall I could play basket ball amazingly. It was almost like I drank 4 cups of coffee. Well many years later after I got on an antidepressant (Welbutrin) and mood stabilizers. I tried stratterra and Intuniv and I had a similar experience. I think it was when I was on the intuniv that I cleaned for 3 hours, although just like the other stimulants I had absolutely no ability to concentrate, I just had pure energy. Has anyone had this experience? What does this mean? Is this what normal people without ADHD/ADD feel like when they take these medications? Do you have any suggestions for medications? I thought about going off the antidepressant and trying the adhd medications with just the mood stabilizers. My attention problems are pretty severe so I am willing to try anything. By the way I have SCT/ADHD-I.

[tired1823]

I felt that way on Adderall. I made straight A's but I couldn't concentrate well or write a paper. I couldn't think "laterally" ... was boxed in. I have inattentive add. No hyperactivity. I had tons of energy, which is so not normal for me. Now that I'm off of adderall I have less energy than I had to begin with.

[Jshect]

Yes, I have read that when the stimulant medications don't work for ADD-PI/SCT people they get tired and more sluggish, so I don't know why I have had that kind of reaction and what that means for me as far as treatment. If I am not reacting to the drugs the same way other ADDPI/SCTers react, even related to how others react when the drugs don't work, maybe I have some underlying problems that isn't actually ADDPI/SCT but some other condition entirely.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[sarahsweets]

Originally Posted by Jshect

Yes, I have read that when the stimulant medications don't work for ADD-PI/SCT people they get tired and more sluggish, so I don't know why I have had that kind of reaction and what that means for me as far as treatment. If I am not reacting to the drugs the same way other ADDPI/SCTers react, even related to how others react when the drugs don't work, maybe I have some underlying problems that isn't actually ADDPI/SCT but some other condition entirely.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Theres always a debate about how someone with a certain subtype of adhd is supposed to react to medication but Imo its not always true. People without adhd can uses stimulants as performance enhancers and feel similar to you. That doesn't mean you don't have adhd. It could be the delivery of the medication in your body or maybe you need a different med.

[cillianred]

Okay, will try to take these one at a time. I'm diagnosed ADHD-PI but I'm starting to think I have just regular ADHD or ADHD-C (although I'm not sure how much longer those labels will be around once we start talking DSM VI).

Originally Posted by Jshect

I tried Ritalin and Adderall when I was around 20. I was unaware that I had bipolar II and I was not on any mood stabilizers. I felt anxious, restless, had a complete inability to concentrate, I felt weird, and was bursting with energy. I had a hard time even trying to think.

I've maybe had a bit more energy on Adderall the first week or so, but it went away. I never had any added wakefulness/energy on Ritalin or Vyvanse.

I've only had a tough time concentrating if I didn't sleep well the night before taking my medication. Otherwise, I can't focus without it.

On Adderall I could play basket ball amazingly. It was almost like I drank 4 cups of coffee.

Adderall helps me focus during team sports, but it's never improved my performance in softball, which I play consistently. If anything I play about the same, although I am a more patient hitter while on meds.

I think it was when I was on the intuniv that I cleaned for 3 hours, although just like the other stimulants I had absolutely no ability to concentrate, I just had pure energy. Has anyone had this experience?

That's very atypical. Intuniv tends to cause sedation and quells overactivity/restlessness. If you're Bipolar as well as ADHD-PI, you need to be very careful with stimulants as they can induce mania in Bipolar I and II sufferers. As for Intuniv, I'm not sure how to explain that one unless you were on stimulants simultaneously.

Take care, hope this helps.