Posted by SteveB on June 2, 2003, at 19:17:38
Dear fellow Psycho-Babblers,
I need some advice from all you well-informed people. Here's my problem - I'm in my late 30s and have suffered from ADD, depression and anxiety (SP in particular) since my teens. They are all intricately related and for years I've tried to figure out any cause & effect between the 3.
I originally though the problem stemmed from depression - i.e. I'm depressed, so I can't focus mentally and don't want to deal with people. So I tried the SSRI's (Proxac & Serzone), but they just made me feel spacey and unfocused. I also tried Wellbutrin, but the increased agitation was unbearable.
So I concluded that the root of the problem was my anxiety - I'm anxious, so can't relax and relate to people, so I get depressed. I tested the theory by taking Klono for several months, and while it did reduce the anxiety it did nothing for my mental acuity & sociability. I'd find myself more relaxed in a social setting, but also a lot less friendly. I essentailly became content but deadly boring.
I'm now convinced that my problem is actually ADD. I've always had huge issues with concentration and memory (word-retrieval in particular), so I simply don't trust myself in a social setting. Familiar words fail me mid-sentence and I frequently stumble over my words like a bumbling idiot. The result is that I've developed an unnatural fear of social situations and the lack of harmonious human interaction has made me anxious & depressed.
I guess what I'm asking is what medication is best suited for treating word-retrieval, mental focus & memory problems. I thought it was anxiety that prevented me from being relaxed and mentally sharp, but seemingly that's not it.
Are stims the way to go??? If so, which ones should I try??
poster:SteveB
thread:230915
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030530/msgs/230915.html