Need advise of Adult Men on ADD meds that used to/stil do self medicate

[SelfMedicator]

Hello:

I am new to the forum. I have an appointment this week to see a psych about my ADD symptoms and hopefully find a solution (so that I won't have to self medicate any longer).

In anticipation of my appointment, I'd like to get as much advise from those of you who are currently under treatement. I would especially like to get advise from those of you who did/still do self medicate to treat your ADD.

My questions are:
1. Have any of you ever self medicated with an "herbal remedy of the green kind" and been able to stop using it once on a prescribed an ADD med? I'd really like to stop depending on it to feel normal and get "my head straight" before I can do any tasks.

2. I have problems sustaining my weight and have read that Concerta surpresses your appetite. Any of you had this problem?

3. Aside from giving my doctor a complete history of my symptoms and "other" remedies that I take, what other questions should I ask him?

4. I am worried about the side effects of the various meds. What are some of the worst symptoms that I should look out for?


5. Have any of you tired several types of meds (Concerta, Strattera, Aderral, etc.) and doses before you found the magical dosage/drug?


Any advise/insight into my first appointment you can offer would be greatly appreciated. I am hopeful but skeptical that I will ever be able to feel normal without depending on the "green tea".


Thanks.

[Ian]

1 - The green herb I'm familiar with has proved to be too complex a compound to contribute anything useful other than numbing for me. It fogs me up and really inhibits my memory.

Addiction is another ball of wax all together. I'm taking dextroamphetimine now and I don't like being disengaged any more. I like being awake and alive. Of course it's all a matter of perspective but grass dummies things down for me. Dex gives me a fighting chance on any stage I choose to play on. At least that's the way it's felt to me.

I've done a lot of work getting straight. I spent almost 15 years in a 12 step program learning how to grow up. I'd recommend it to anyone. As the Rolling Stones once said, "You can always get want you want, but if you try real hard, you just might get what you need."

I found the dex really helped render the self medicating useless. Everyone's different though so take your own council on your own direction. The effects of grass contrast sharply with the benefits of stimulants for me.

Dex feels like caring for myself. Grass feels like escape.

2 - Dex at the low doses I take (10mg + 5mg) has had no impact on my weight that I can tell.

3 - http://www.addforums.com/forums/atta...tachmentid=693
I'm such a bold arsed crapper when it comes to doctors. I really don't like most of them.

4 - I had side effects from the dex for the first month. Now I have almost none. I display a little anxiety that I show by picking at my fingers and such. I don't like it but it's a price I'm willing to pay for the benefits.

5 - I have tried some anti anxiety meds and didn't like them. I tried methylphenidate and hated it. I tried the dex and was impressed from the get go.

Green tea is what it is. If you think you have a problem you probably do. It did for me what I couldn't do for myself which to my mind was a different game than ADHD. I had some emotional maturity to gain by going straight. My wife and kids are grateful I've learn some emotional intelligence but it's not easy to stand where I stand. I wanted it really badly.
Cheers! Keep in touch. Ian.

[william tell]

Yes ,I know exactly what it's like to medicate with ganja .When I was hyper ,it calmed the riot in my head and allowed me to focus on one thing at a time and then when my add turned to lethargy ,the ganja gave me energy although with a price .
I have had a long,long affair with it and loved it ,although I also loved that it was illeagle ,and being covert ,and the risk -so exhilerating

[d0dg3r]

Originally Posted by SelfMedicator

4. I am worried about the side effects of the various meds. What are some of the worst symptoms that I should look out for?


5. Have any of you tired several types of meds (Concerta, Strattera, Aderral, etc.) and doses before you found the magical dosage/drug?

Going to stick mostly with those two points. Most of my self-medication has been with alcohol -- I can *usually* take it or leave it, often go months without even thinking of having a drink, but sometimes I get so WOUND UP and stressed I'd have periodic binging to just shut down the noise, anxiety etc. in my head. Brutally effective but not worth the price in the long run. As I've become older (41 now) and faintly wiser, it happens much less. I have some belief that once I get the right meds at the right level, it may not happen at all.

I should state I'm fairly new to all this too. Got the official diagnosis this last January.

4. A word about STRATERRA! Can have wonderful benefits for some people but also many side effects. I'm not saying don't try it, just be prepared for the possibility of a bewildering experience. Turned me into a zombie with one of the blackest depressions I've ever had, along with physical side effects that made me feel like I was about 71... dizziness, ringing in the ears, headaches, "male issues" yadda yadda... sometimes it's just a matter of your body adjusting to the med, or adjusting the dosage to your body, as with any medication. This is still a new drug, and I don't think the book is written on it yet. But other people are helped considerably and swear by it.

5. On the flip side: Currently trying Ritalin. Had been taking 10 mg twice a day for a while with no noticable effect. Talked with doctor's office this week, tried it at 20 mg today at their suggestion and -- hmmmm. Slightly better focus, less fog, certainly felt better and a little more relaxed, somewhat more able to direct my attention, was able to get some things done -- for about three hours! LOL I didn't have the crash sensation some people have, but it does wear off abruptly. I think if I were to take 20mg three times a day, I'd be onto something. It's early in the process, so... we'll see.

Going by the posts I've read here, I think most of the people on this forum have been through a fair amount of trial and error finding the right medication(s) and/or the right therapy. Obviously no one med works for everyone, or there wouldn't be such a confusing array of options. Don't be afraid to try things for reasonable length of time to see if you adjust -- it can take a while -- but don't be afraid to tell your doctor when it's clearly not working out, either. Because there are so many options... at least one of them will very likely be of some help. Just may take a while to find it -- or you might get lucky and hit it right off the bat.

It's like getting a pair of glasses, I suppose. It can be a long process of trying different lenses with the doctor saying "This one? or this one? Better? or worse?"
And putting on my glasses doesn't get my reading done -- but without them I'm so profoundly nearsighted I can't even find the book. Hell, I can't even see the bookshelf ... I don't expect finding the right medication will take care of everything, but it may at last make it possible for me to take care of things...

I think I'll stop before I really go off on a complete tangent........

[TITAN]

Last weekend I was drinking Molson XXX. Its about 7.3% alcohol by volume. I take concerta and any and all stims improve your alcohol tolerance. When the Concerta dropped out on me I went from a nice beer buzz to totally hammered in about five minutes. If you do get on an ADD pill, watch out for this. It was not pleasant.

I have been losing weight, but that is by design for me. For a long time I wanted to have a narrow waist and a six pack. Problem was I was constantly craving stimulation so I would cook up feasts for myself and eat constantly. So I was about 30 pounds over weight. Im not starving myself to death. I eat four 600 calorie meals a day and run about 25 miles a week. That puts be at losing about 1.2 pounds a week. I have control now and thats what I was alwys looking for.

[Gregster]

I have some experience with self-medication - over the years w. coffee, psuedoephedrine, and greener substances too. Since beginning proper treatment with dexedrine, my consumption of all of the above has been reduced significantly. I have never been able to quit the "green" completely - underlying issues of self esteem, self doubt and fear of social situations keep me coming back to it. It is usually fear that drives people to abuse drugs or alcohol. I do find that it helps me with anxiety and it has a very positive effect on my IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) - which is related to anxiety/stress. My feeling is that once I get myself into a situation that I am comfortable with (job, relationship, financial...) giving it up will not be so hard - I have been able to quit for fair lengths of time, I've just started up again down the road.
As far as medication for ADHD goes, I've tried ritalin and dexedrine and found that both were effective. Dexedrine is my preference - in my body it works better and lasts longer. I have not had any problems with side effects - I don't tend to have problems with medications - but I have dropped weight. My weight loss is on purpose - I have been trying to lose - so it's not a negative side effect for me, plus I am excersizing far more than I ever have, so that's really where the loss comes from.
It took a little while to figure out the right dosage and timing, etc - a month or two - but I did see improvements from the first initial dose.

[Philidor]

Yes, speaking as a 47 year old adder, the meds are great, but they MUST be followed through with action. Before the dexedrine, there seemed to be no possibilities. After, there seemed too MANY possibilities. I now realize, being off the meds for 3 days, that hope without action is slow DEATH.

Do one of the things you now realize you can try. Don't dwell on whether it's the RIGHT thing. There is no right thing. Accomplishing anything, that's what will save you! Otherwise you'll just be like that mythical jackass who couldn't decide between two bales of hay, and so starved.

You must find a goal, any goal to start, and then ACHEIVE it. No, not a great goal. How about making a ham and cheese omlette. And then do it.

No excuses. Little goals, achieved every day, will save you. Grandiose schemes, leading to pleasant inaction, will poison you.

Make that omelet. And build on that.

Phil

[UnleashTheHound]

>> 2. I have problems sustaining my weight and have read that Concerta surpresses your appetite. Any
>> of you had this problem?

Put it this way... With the stimulants you don't have the same burning desire to eat or snack as you normally would. However if you need to maintain your weight, you can easily make eating a "to do" item.

[Imnapl]

I know unmedicated ADDers who are bone racks, usually because they do not schedule eating into their days.

Most of the drug literature states that the appetite suppression of Methylphenidate is temporary.

[Ian]

Originally Posted by Philidor

Yes, speaking as a 47 year old adder, the meds are great, but they MUST be followed through with action. Before the dexedrine, there seemed to be no possibilities. After, there seemed too MANY possibilities. I now realize, being off the meds for 3 days, that hope without action is slow DEATH.

Do one of the things you now realize you can try. Don't dwell on whether it's the RIGHT thing. There is no right thing. Accomplishing anything, that's what will save you! Otherwise you'll just be like that mythical jackass who couldn't decide between two bales of hay, and so starved.

You must find a goal, any goal to start, and then ACHEIVE it. No, not a great goal. How about making a ham and cheese omlette. And then do it.

No excuses. Little goals, achieved every day, will save you. Grandiose schemes, leading to pleasant inaction, will poison you.

Make that omelet. And build on that.

Phil

This is how I began to function better after the meds leveled out. Asking myself "what can I do" meant that no matter how small, I could always start my day again at any time by simply taking on something I knew I could do.

Things as small as doing a load of laundry or washing the dishes became my window into another world. One where I've begun to accept responsibility for much of what I have in front of me.

I used to want to know things at the expense of doing things. Now I believe life is primarily in the doing, even if the task is not very glamorous or exciting, there is more to life than just knowing about it.

Action is a must for me. Thanks Phil. I loved your post.
Cheers! Ian.

[Imnapl]

Originally Posted by Philidor

the meds are great, but they MUST be followed through with action.

I just realized I have been following a "Men's" thread and hope I do not offend anyone if I reply.

I have been self-medicating with nicotine for more than thirty years. I have lost count of the number of times I have attempted to quit this addiction. I managed to change several habits that went with cigarettes, cut down to only a few a day, but still was unable to quit.

Two years ago, I was told my lungs were starting to show signs of this abuse and was told that most aids to cessation had only a 30% success rate.

Postings on the forums drew my attention to Wellbutrin being prescribed for ADDers. When I discovered that Bupropion is also used to help people quit smoking, I reasoned that being an ADDer, I just might be one of the 36% who succeed in quitting while on Wellbutrin.

I noticed a difference within the first week of trying this drug. I was able to get through most days with 1 or 2 cigarettes and didn't suffer intense withdrawl symptoms.

As the weeks went by, I started to wonder if I would be able to completely qive up nicotine and that perhaps the drug wasn't enough.

As Phil said, the right drugs are great, but they must be followed through with action. Two days ago I decided to step up to the plate and do something. It worked. Will it last? I'm doing this one day at a time and I can handle that.

[Lithium Baby]

12 Steps to Sanity -- “A racing mind, a green thumb, an anorexic, and those that love them” next time on Oprah!

Hello all. Great feedback. Figured I should add my two cents as I have traveled the road already tread by so many others. I shall stick with three major points for the sake of brevity. The rest, tragically, you have to discover on your own. Part of the process -- no two paths are the same, sad to say.

1. Self medication under the guise of being beneficial is harmful in both the short and long term. I know this as I am a recovering alcohol and drug addict. You never say that you aren’t going to use or abuse “ever” again, but simply state “I’m not going to use or abuse today.” Its a process. One of many days, and many miles to get to sobriety.

I only honestly quit both alcohol and drugs (weed, shrooms, acid, painers, ecstasy, basically whatever I could get my hands on to tune in, turn on, and drop out) in the last six months. For some. the decision to quit, and the following steps to put that decision into play, is hard. For me, it really wasn’t.

I had lost so much, and for so long, that in spite of my own mental handicap (ADD, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD), I was compounding it with alcohol and drug abuse along with anti social behavior, suicidal tendencies, what have you. My life was, and somewhat still is, a Pandora’s box that should not have been let open as I work my way to sobriety.

The transition from using/abusing to sobriety was easy because of how far I had fallen. No job, no friends, no outlet for inner peace or a connection with others. The reasons to use/abuse vary as does the degree of addiction. However, if the will is there to quit, if an understanding is present of how these things bind you to the very demons that you are trying to slay, then the transition is made easier.

One question remains: Are you who you want to be when you are stoned or drunk out of your head? If you can say yes to this, you obviously aren’t ready as you cannot see how you are bound to the demons controlling your life. If you can say no, then you have made your first step.

Don’t be discouraged if you said yes. Negative reinforcement is not the way to help anyone find the truth, whatever it might be. Just keep asking yourself that question before you consume, while you get your buzz, and then again the morning after as you suffer through a hangover making you wish you were dead. Eventually, the clarity that you seek will come. That much I promise you. It always does.

Nothing in this life is so grave or limiting that alcohol and/or drugs can remedy it. If it can, then you need to write a book about it cuz it just aint true. This comment applies to ADHD medications as well but from a different slant.... but we will cover this in point 3.

2. The Daily Dose of “Oh Sh*t!”
Side effects with meds varying from one drug to the next, one individual to the next. Best advice and honestly, the only advice is to research, research, and research. It will help you along the path to clarity to know that the chest pains aren’t a heart attack, the constant diarrhea and/or weight loss, isn’t due to an intestinal worm, and the lethargy isn’t due to premature aging.

You might experience some of the side effects. Then again you might not. If you do, contact your doc, tell them what is going on, and a medication alteration with be made -- either take you off the drug, lower the dosage, or change the drug. Pretty basic stuff. Granted, its not so basic when you are making out a will when you get the chest pains from Wellebutrin. But so be it. Least you have your will made out for if and when you get hit by a stoner in a 64 Chevelle too busy contemplating the beauty of the birds flying by to notice you walking on the sidewalk.

3. The Halfway point of a thousand miles
So you have been diagnosed, seeking information, gonna do your research on meds, ADD, and doctors, and potentially quit abusing your body. Great! Welcome to the club. Its a twelve step program of futility.

In spite of the many meds, the fashion trend to be ADD in modern society, and the slew of psychologists graduating at record numbers ready and willing to brand you with a scarlet letter, the best person to teach you, to train you, to guide you, down this never-ending road is you. Some days are good, others not so good. Just work with your limitations, be patient, understanding, and strong.

Meds are what they are..... a good start but not the end all or be all of curing ADD. To do that, you have to go swimming in the nether region of the human genome, find the defective gene that caused this, cut it out, and pray like hell you didn’t just turn yourself into a drooling, lobotomized fool -- on second thought, maybe you want that. Anna Nicole got her own show for being as much. Who knows!

Medicate or don’t medicate. Its ultimately up to the individual. You are a human being with a condition. Much akin to having bad breath, premature balding, or a small hoody hoo, its something you can live with if you are willing to be patient, honest, and compliant with your body.

You are not a sheep, a rat, or even cattle, being herded through a pharmacy, tested and monitored for an entry in a medical journal, or something that is made lesser by this affliction. Rather, you are made better, stronger, wiser, for being what you are....

Quick question: Which is better? Riding in a car through the country, or riding a motorcycle through the country? Obviously the car gives you a panoramic view of life -- text without context... you can’t feel, touch, or know the world around you as it passes by. Such is the trend in this capitalistic, work till you drop or retire, life. Hyperactives don’t adhere to such rules. We can’t. We need the motorcycle so we can engage life, engage others, be silly, creative, whimsical; free with our thoughts, our emotions, our lives, and our bodies as they sometime race, sometimes meander, sometimes crash for days on end.

Medicate or don’t medicate. Its on you to decide. Both arguments are sound in what they are. The trend is to sedate rather than create (a repoire with yourself and others that know you outside of the affliction) but so be it. Whatever you do, stay strong and positive about who you are. Know that the ADD doesn’t define who or what you are. It merely enhances the journey. God speed and good travels journeyman. The road is there for your impressions to be made.... whatever they might be.

[pith30]

I found that when I got properly medicated (adderall 40-60mgs a day) that I felt no need to use any other substance anymore. I even stopped drinking except for special occations. As for the "green" It just causes more confusion in my nerons now so i stay away from it. As far as meds go i would go with adderall as it is 4 different types of amphetimine and therefor has a better chance of helping. Thats just my opinion i just tried Concerta for a month last month and it was terrible, no relief in small doses and just a kind of shakey fog in higher doeses but as i said everyones body chemestry is different so dont be scared to ask for a new medication if the one that you innitially get is not working for you.
Pith

[william tell]

12 Steps to Sanity -- ?A racing mind, a green thumb, an anorexic, and those that love them? next time on Oprah!

You have me dying with laughter, lol

I can say with certainty that there no room in my life for alcohol or anthing else thats not prescribed by my doc.The risk was too great ,the lies made me a different person as in someone with a secret.This is not who I want to be today

I am probably at the highest emotional ,and mature state for that I have ever been in my life ,I've been to rehab -many years ago ,NA,AA ,and now weekly visits with a Shrink ,and mucho self help books .
today I say hello adderall ,exercise and doing the right thing and lets see if I can get through the rest of my life without screwing anybody else over

[Marmalade_man]

Originally Posted by Imnapl

I know unmedicated ADDers who are bone racks, usually because they do not schedule eating into their days.

That was NEVER me!

I was undiagnosed until recently. July 20, 2005 I started Ritalin at a low dose
10mg twice a day. Now I am taking 10mg, three times a day.

I used to eat all the time. I had compulsive eating FRENZIES. I never even remember eating but did it all the time.

I have lost 16 lbs since July 20, 2005 but that is a GOOD thing for me. I still weigh 260 lbs but for the first time in my life am focused and not a slave to my compulsive eating urges. I am getting things done.

Since I have been on meds, I am focused and the cravings are gone. No between meal snacks and small meals now for me with no problesm.
I hope this is not just temporary.

However to the original poster. I find that I am able now for the first time to focus on things I must or have to do. I am able to continue and finish things I start. Ritalin is FANTASTIC.

If eating was something that I knew was a priority for me now rather than loosing weight, I think I could focus on making sure that I ate enough to maintain my weight.

To the original poster, don't be overly concerned with weight loss initially, just watch it. Perhaps making eating one of your TO DO's might help.

Best wishes,

Vic

"What if your entire life has been one big waste of time --- even to yourself?"
Quote from "Nate" a character on TV series "SIX FEET UNDER".