Risperdal + Wellbutrin

[Aprez449]

Saludos

I'm 35 year old and got officially diagnosed add 3 months ago. I'm seeing a psychologist who recommended medication but the psychiatrist prescribed me wellbutrin a risperdal. Does anyone has been prescribed the same here or Am I right thinking that a antipsycothic drug is not the right prescription for add. And if it does hows that work.

[Hurricane Gal]

Sounds like the pyschiatrist believes you are Bipolar rather than ADHD, despite the psycholgists diagbosis.

Has he suggested Lamictal or Depakote as well?

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On a more serious note, Wellbutrin is NOT a first-line treatment for ADHD. I honestly think either:

(1) you psychiatrist doesn't "believe" in ADHD or thinks stims are bad

OR

(2) you live in a State where it is required by law that non stimulant medication be tried for 30 days & only if unsuccessful can a stim then be prescribed. In this case your psychiatrist's actions are perfectly normal - antidepressants like Wellbutrin, Effexor, Pristique etc. are used in ADHD (tho, as I stated earlier, not usually as a first option and statistically not as effective as stimulants.)

YOu need to check if your state has regulations as I described in (2) above.

If that is the case, just stick with it.

If not, I suggest you get a deifferent psychiatrist ASAP.

As for the respiridone... beats me what was going thru your doc's head.

[Amtram]

I had one doctor prescribe me risperidone because he wanted to treat the OCD-like behaviors that arose from my ADD rather than the ADD itself. Some people find that an off-label antipsychotic works well for this, sometimes for sleep issues as well. This one and a couple of others I tried were just really bad for me, because the improvements were minor and the side effects were major.

Wellbutrin may not be the first thing to go to for ADD, but it's been used successfully with many ADD patients, and you certainly don't have to jump through as many hoops to get it as you do with stimulants. In addition, if you had certain symptoms of depression, that might have indicated to the doctor that it could be helpful. Again, personal experience, I'm taking a different form of buproprion, and it has improved my mood, decreased the OCD-like behaviors significantly, and has helped with some of the ADD symptoms.

Doctors will prescribe medications based on the symptoms you tell them about. If you don't complain of them or aren't aware of them, they won't be considered in the diagnosis. You try the meds, make note of the changes, the doctor can figure out what needs changing from that. If you really hate the effect or side effect of a med, you call the office, ask about stopping it (some can't be stopped cold turkey) and that figures into your diagnosis at the next appointment.

[HighFunctioning]

Originally Posted by Aprez449

I right thinking that a antipsycothic drug is not the right prescription for add. And if it does hows that work.

It's not. Sometimes antipsychotics are used to attenuate aggressive behavior in extremely hyperactive and defiant children, but this is not common.

Wellbutrin (bupropion) is a common second line treatment. It's mechanism of action is similar to the stimulants (though it does inhibit the release of dopamine while inhibiting the reuptake, so it's not as stimulating as the stimulants). Desipramine is another common second line treatment. The other anti-depressants are less common as most of the other ones aren't particularly effective.

[Brob2]

Originally Posted by Hurricane Gal

Sounds like the psychiatrist believes you are Bipolar rather than ADHD, despite the psychologists diagnosis.


As for the respiridone... beats me what was going thru your doc's head.

I agree with the first part, but have to say that when ADHD is co-morbid with Bi-Polar Dis. anti-psychotics can be prescribed (at least in Canada), although I would assume only in cases where psychotic features are present. I would double check on the diagnosis (es) with the Doc first before looking for another one. Respiridone is a pretty powerful med which in some folks can noticeably slow down cognitive processing, though it can also work very well for its intended use.

[Simenora]

both my son and husband were prescribed low dosages of risperodone to treat emotional self regulation issues. Neither is bi-polar and the meds work very well. My son was switched to abilify because of the weight gain issues.

[Andenia]

Because of heart problems my Psychi prescibed Wellbutrin. The first 2 weeks I felt 'off', kind of out of sorts and a bit angry all the time, basically I just decided to keep my month shut and give it two weeks, the sypmtoms where managable. The, 2 weeks later, it was like a fog lifted from my head and and I could see things clearer and FOCUS. AMAZING. I had a project that I'd bee dreading that I completed that day in 5 hours. The next day on Mon I cleaned my room, organized my bedding and paperwork. My mohter was speachless at how much work I took care of . The clinic I go to does not treat patients who have ADHD, they do what they can to treat other symptoms. I wish I could continue taking it but I causes my heart to race in the middle of the night, So I just started Lexapro today. Nausa is no joke. I'll give it a feww days more andsee how things work our.Forgive any typos, I need to be asleep rught now. Good night All.

[relic]

I am currently on Lamictal, Abilify, and Vyvanse for Bipolar Disorder and ADHD. I was told if the stim causes agitation or irritability, they will switch me to Bupropion, which I was on before for PTSD after coming back from Iraq. Good luck with your trials...