Fogginess AND Anxiety anyone??? - ADD / ADHD Message Board

Amosquito · 11-26-2005, 07:55 PM

Does anyone have a tendency toward social anxiety AND have such fogginess that fits the Inattentive ADD. I want to try Provigil or some other medicine, due to horrible tiredness I have most of the day, and have for my whole life (yes, I have sleep apnea and my CPAP machine stops the apneas, and I still feel like a achy zombie every morning).

Question: if anyone IS anxiety prone, can you tell me your experience with ADD meds? I don't even drink caffeine or eat chocolate, so I'm NERVOUS to try a med, but am SOOOOOO sick of being tired and disorganized, and having the inability to concentrate!!!!

Thanks in advance!

seriousperson · 12-05-2005, 10:16 PM

I gave up all caffeine (except chocolate) for similar and other reasons.
The adderall doesn't give me as many side effects as the caffeine.
But initially I had to take Trazadone to sleep while taking the amphetamines.
But now I take Risperdal for the anxiety and it makes me able to sleep without knocking me out like the Trazadone.
Risperdal has some other side effects, like weight gain (it's an appetite stimulant, so you just have to be able to say no to some food, which it sounds like you are able to do), and it can raise cholesterol--in my case alarmingly, but I'm also post-menopausal.

The fogginess seems to go away after a few months, but I have loud ringing in my ears, which doesn't bother me, because it's just background music for words that have always filled my thoughts 24/7.

addprogrammer · 12-06-2005, 12:14 PM

Amosquito,

Getting the optimal ADHD meds and doseage is no easy task because we are all emotionally and physiologically different. Positively no one size fits all.

My doctor gave me some good info last visit. ADHD has caused serious problems in my life hence qualifies as a disorder. On the other hand, the psychologist I used to visit and my doctor both agree that I have obsessive/complusive traits but not OCD. It took me a long time to see the obsessiveness and complusiveness in me because it does not cause any serious problems. Heck, if anything it helps in my line of work. I am in the process of changing careers from software to mechanical engineering. Designing anything requires a high degree of attention to detail. That's me. I'll obsess over it until it is correct.

I am also inclined toward anxiety but again it does not seriously affect my life so it would be incorrect to say I suffer from any kind of anxiety disorder. With that in mind, I can say that amphetamine based meds tend to clam me down, feel anxiety less often, and have no jittery causing properties that I experience from overdosing on caffeine. Nor do amphetamines adversely affect my sleep unless taken too late in the day.

Based on what I have read, Provigil is more likely to cause jitteryness than amphetamines but I have no experience with the product. It is recommended for folks with sleep disorders including narcolepsy but not ADHD.

Hope I've been of some assistance.

addprogrammer · 12-06-2005, 12:17 PM

Forgot to mention - I have primarily inattentive type ADD with fogginess being my chief complaint. Adderal XR is a god-send in enabling me to be alert and at my best - all day long.