ADD medication and depression

[lilhurt38]

ok, I was diagnosed with ADD about two years ago. I have been prescribed Ritalin, Concerta, Adderoll, and Focalin. They all seem to work the way they should for the first few weeks and then they begin to give me depression and anxiety. My parents got divorced this year along with a lot of other things. It seems that when I'm off of my medication I feel fine and nothing affects me. However, this is not the case when I take my medication. My doctor believes that the depression and anxiety is caused by my body's reaction reaction to stimulants. She wants to prescribe me Provigil. I'm just wondering, is it possible that I could keep taking Focalin and have my doctor prescribe me an anti-depressant to cancel out the negative affects of the medication?

[Craig]

lilhurt,

Sounds to me that if the medication is doing what it's supposed to and the eventual effect is depression, then my guess is you have something to be depressed about. Non-medicated you can likely ignore it (bury it, stuff it, whatever you want to call it) better than when your mind is able to focus.

So my inclination would be to suggest counseling to get at the root cause.

But hey, I'm a computer programmer, not a health tech. Just a guess.

Be well,

Craig

[Andi]

There are some docs that will give one med to help with the side effects of another but I'm kind of agreeing with Craig. I wonder if you should talk to doc about Wellbutrin or Strattera. Both are known to help with ADD and depression.

Hope this helps.

[Prairiewind]

I've read that anti-depressants compliment the ADD meds. They help each other to work more effeciently. I take Cylert and Effexor XR; but I do take the anti-dep for depression, not just the ADD.