Hi,
wanted to know if anyone on this board has ever been on stimulant medications (i.e. Ritalin, Dexedrine, Cylert, etc.) after failing to respond to the common antidepressants (SSRIs, Wellbutrin, tricyclics etc.) I am on Dexedrine right now along with Celexa. If anyone has been on a stimulant for depression (not ADD as they are commonly used for) what was your reaction to the stimulants?
thanks
I had a hard time finding an antidepressant that worked for me. Prozac, celexa, paxil and wellbutrin didnt work. My doc gave me Adderall and I loved it at first....but when it would start to lose effect late in the day I would become very irritable and spacey. So he put me on dexedrine, and that didnt have as much Kick to it as Adderall, but coming down off it was easier and i only had to take it once a day. Then I was on Dexedrine and Zoloft at the same time and it made me irritable.
Stimulants, if used properly can really work for depression. I am a recovering addict though, and never took mine in the appropriate manner, so who knows?
Hey Girls and Guys,
I had asked my current doctor about getting a little something to get me going again such as a stimulant. He said he does'nt prescribe them for depression at all anymore.
He said something like..When I was in private practice, back in the 70s?? I found that they caused more problems than they helped.
I have a lot of confidence in this doctor and he tells it to me straight. Right or wrong, I myself don't know.
Dick,
I'm not a "doctor shopper" but unfortunately I've moved twice in the past year and thus have had three difference doctors. Their differing opinions and my interest in psychology/medicine led me to do a little research.
From what I have seen amphetamine stimulants were the first antidepressants (prior to tricyclics and the MAOIs.) They were considered pretty effective back then, but they were and are still addictive. With all the newer and mostly effective antidepressants which are more subtle and longer-lasting than stimulants, they aren't very popular anymore. There is also a lot of politics involved. Ritalin (Methylphenidate) and the amphetamines are Schedule II Controlled Substances (the highest addictive potential prescription class, along with drugs like Percocet), which means a lot of government regulation. Doctors who prescribe them frequently risk questioning from the DEA and may develop questionable reputations as "pill pushers". Yet from the medical text I have read, there seems to be a collective agreement that a small percentage of those experiencing major depression will simply not respond to anything except a stimulant. I don't mean to at all dispute what your doc is saying, and with the great improvement I've seen with the Dexedrine there are certainly drawbacks as well. Hope this helps.
Hey NK,
All he said was "problems". That was 20 years ago. So, that was an age of addiction that predates cocaine, He might have been refering to problems with them being narcotics, he did'nt say, I did'nt ask.
In the late sixtys I did speed a couple of times, I don't remember what it was but it most likely was dexadrine. I did'nt care for the recovery period, so I went back to weed at that time I believe.<p>[This message has been edited by TrickyDick (edited 01-05-2001).]
I personally think its ashame and unfortunately VERY political that more people aren't offered the option of a stimulant for very treatment resistant depression. I took a very low dose of dexedrine for 3 years with minimal side effects after taking 2 years on SSRIs. I would still be taking it now if only my sleep/wake pattern wasn't askewed because of my work/school schedule. (Its a drug that I recommend be taken with consistency if you're predisposed to insomnia like me regardless of any meds I may be on.)
I was dianosed with ADD while depressed and soon i found that the dexedrine was all i needed to stay level, focused, and motivated.
The process was a hassle though cause the prescribing DR made me meet w/ him at least once a month since the scripts can't be written with refills and there was a written test I had to take for documentation. Drs don't like to prescribe such stuff cause of liability. its a shame when covering your own *** gets in the way of a patient's treatment.
Consequently, i went to the dr w/ the idea that i had ADD. At the time i was on zoloft and I felt like i was in such a fog. taking dexedrine really worked for me cause i think my lack of motivation and focus caused my depression (chicken or egg?) It was great for my nonexistant sex drive too.
Of course there were side effects as with all drugs, but I'm greatly insulted by the government's "everyone's a potential addict," philosophy.
I'd be very eager to hear if anyone's had any similar experiences.
